Another Despicable - Andy Puzder-- Bites The Dust As Trumpies Go Ape Shit Over Leaks

Tens of thousands of actual hard working people rejoiced today as the second cabinet level pick in three days went down n flames: the despicable turd named Andy Puzder. This is the asshole Trump had named as Labor Secretary who was anything but friendly to labor, and who paid millions for cheesy ads with half clad chicks when he could have paid higher wages to his Carl's Jr. workers. He is also the character who said he'd rather have robots working for him because they never get sick, or take time off and you wouldn't have to pay overtime or benefits.

Puzder,  Donald Dump's controversial choice to run the Department of Labor, withdrew his nomination as questions about his byzantine business interests, details about his acrimonious divorce and revelations that he employed an undocumented immigrant as a housekeeper mounted.

Interestingly it wasn't Dems who scuttled Puzder’s nomination (they didn't have the numbers)  but the Republicans, who grew increasingly concerned about his background and business record. Especially after a 27-year old tape from an Oprah show surfaced on Politico, featuring his wife at the time describing how Puzder dragged her around, beat her severely  (leaving her with two ruptured cervical discs) and warned if she got uppity he'd "see her in the gutter".  Jeez, maybe the son of a bitch was practicing for how he'd like to treat his future workers at Carl's Jr. Yuh think?  (Note: his ex wife recanted but the tape remains as fairly good evidence that what she was relating wasn't just made up. Readers ought to check it out for themselves.)

Sen. Elizabeth Warren had this to say after viewing the tape:

"I have watched the episode in which she appeared and I believe every Senator should. I found it extraordinarily troubling alongside his company's poor record of treatment of female employees, his highly explicit and sexualized ads and his snide comments about sex discrimination. There is ample evidence that Mr. Puzder is a terrible choice ."

Puzder, the chief executive of CKE Restaurants, the billion-dollar parent company of the fast food chains Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s, was due to appear before the Senate health, education, labor and pensions committee on Thursday- after a series of delays.  However, in a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon Puzder said he was withdrawing his nomination: “While I won’t be serving in this administration, I fully support the president and his highly qualified team.”  Right, a highly qualified team dedicated to destroying the agencies to which they've been appointed by president Dump.

Much of the basis for Pudzy's withdrawal can be traced to activist protests across the nation - featuring many workers from Hardee's and Carl's Jr, including some dressed up as robots. Others carried signs of protest that provided horrific optics for the putative backers in the Senate, e.g.
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It also didn't hurt that cause that Sen. Elizabeth Warren  sent a blistering letter to Puzder Monday in which she charged him with "a sneering contempt for the workers in your stores and a vehement opposition to the laws you will be charged with enforcing." Indeed, workers say that wage theft, discrimination, and sexual harassment are rampant at Puzder's chains. Those allegations are backed up by publicly available data .  But again, it was his wife beating antics that got him to finally pull out, confirming he's as despicable as the two other female assaulters, Steve Bannon and pussy grabber Trump himself.

Incredibly even the conservative magazine the National Review published an editorial titled “No to Puzder”.  The magazine railed against Puzder’s support for “comprehensive immigration reform” and argued that in light of the series of unflattering revelations, “his case for confirmation had diminished to the point of disappearing."

Who'd have thought?

Meanwhile, Trump and his lackeys and media whores (like former BushCo toady Fran Townsend)  are now trying to portray the intel leakers as the criminals. The zany fake news Breitbart -style media are also spinning that Mike Flynn was some kind of upstanding citizen - as opposed to a felonious rat who violated the Logan Act- and blamed "leakers" for the whole fiasco.  Trump himself, now evidently suffering from Alzheimer's scale memory loss on top of his other mental deficits, also blamed "the intelligence agency leakers, the fake media, and Hillary supporters" for Flynn's demise. Evidently forgetting that only a day earlier he asserted Flynn had lost his trust and so was removed.

But let's understand that nearly all criminal administrations (like Nixon's) start out by laying the blame on the leakers, then go too far and end up snaring themselves in their pursuit of the leakers. As John Dean (fmr. Nixon attorney) pointed out last night on 'All In'

"Watergate itself was very much born in leaks. It was the setting up of the so-called plumbers unit that was investigating leaks for Nixon that had Howard Hunt and Gordon Liddy - the two principal guys that organized it, that led to the eventual exposure.. The reason the White House was involved in Watergate was because of the things they were involved in while working at the White House, mainly breaking into Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office trying to find out if he was up to more leaks. 

It all started with the White House obsession with stopping leaks. Now we have another President who seems equally obsessed. Hopefully he's learned something from history if he's old enough to remember Watergate, and he'll avoid the kind of leak cures used by Nixon."

He added:

"Presidents have to be very open about what they are going to do. They can't have secret squads looking for leakers, or have enemies that they want to punish because of their leaks. It's part of the territory. With Trump it was inevitable because of the way he's been approaching his presidency. He was planning to shake things up, but there are going to be bureaucracies in the White House, National Security Council, permanent staff, Office of Management and Budget. Those people aren't going to like it so this is going to be a very leak-prone presidency. Not to mention what will happen out in those departments and agencies with these cabinet members who want to take apart the agencies they're going to be running. So it's going to be a leak prone presidency. If there's anything that Nixon has taught it is just let it flow."

But, of course, Trump and his minions are too stupid to do that - so they will likely overreach in trying to plug the inevitable leaks like Nixon did.  Hell, they can't even adopt which reality they will accept - with Trump blaming "fake media and unfair leaks"  when merely 30 hours earlier he laid the blame on Flynn's own untrustworthiness. WTF can't this ass wit make up his mind? Oh wait, he doesn't have one!  It's easier to blame the "conspiracy theories" on the intelligence community - the guys watching his back - when HE is the one who has plenty of 'splainin to do.  After all, Donald Jr. stated flatly in 2008 to a real estate conference that "Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross section of our a lot of our assets...We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia".  So why not  keep the Russians happy including with collusion to ensure a friendly guy is elected who can keep the dollars pouring in?

Now with the report Trump campaign  aides were cozying up to the Russians over the campaign, there's not only smoke, but some hints of fire.   After all the Steele dossier exposed a well developed conspiracy managed on the Trump side by Paul Manaforte and  Carter Page.   To quote Peter Wahner,  Senior Fellow at the conservative  Ethics and Public Policy Center :

"There's smoke here and there's fire, we just don't know the nature of the fire. If there was collusion going on it could lead to the ruination of the Trump presidency"

Hence can only hope that those patriot intelligence officers doing the leaks will continue  - placing country over cynical laws, like Snowden did.

Make no mistake those of us who want to get to the bottom of the Trumpian snake pit that passes for a White House, want the leaks to continue unabated - to press further investigation as occurred in Watergate.  A recent column in the Columbia Journalism Review was even titled 'Flynn Resignation Shows Leaks Under Trump Are Working - Keep 'Em Coming"  The author argued, and I totally agree - as does John Dean- that "leaks to the press are vital to democracy".  Indeed they have the same import and value as whistle blowing on the power mongers, especially when they are acting without any transparency.

Even conservative Joe Scarborough on his show commended whoever leaked the information, He said:

"The only reason we're finding out about it now is because a patriot did leak this to the Washington Post. Did get this information out there or else we wouldn't even have known about it."

Of course, the Republican Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee - careful to keep his aide in Trump;s favor to further a despicable agenda - says he will ask the FBI to investigate "the recent rash of leaks". Well, good luck, buddy! But there are some in this land who remain true patriots and will not be deterred by the threats.  These leakers, whether from the intel agencies or Trump's own NSC, are freaking PATRIOTS and deserve as many medals as Edward Snowden.

Lastly, the Senate Intelligence Committee led by Sens. Charles Grassley and Dianne Feinstsin have sent a formal letter to the Dept. of Justice requesting transcripts of all of Flynn's Russian  communications  the FBI has in its possession. The problem? The FBI is now under control of Jess Sessions who used to work in the Trump campaign. The bastard has failed to recuse himself and it is quite evident any guy who worked in the Trumpy campaign is not going to go after it now. I doubt this Johnny Reb from Alabama can be an independent voice for the law - as most of us feared when he was approved.

Fortunately, European Intelligence services have transcripts of all Trump campaign communications dating from August last year. This according to Kurt Eichenwald speaking last night on MSNBC. Thus, even if Sessions' DOJ tries to destroy the key evidence showing collusion, it is bound to turn up from other venues, agencies and still sink the Trump Imperium.

All the signs now point to the need for a totally independent Special Prosecutor, such as we had in the Watergate case. We simply cannot trust Jess Sessions to be independent.

See also :'Let's Consider the Evidence Trump Is A Traitor'

Excerpt:

"Trump’s presidency has many of the traits of a criminal enterprise and a financial shakedown operation, masquerading as a democratically elected government."

http://www.salon.com/2017/02/16/none-dare-call-it-treason-in-the-wake-of-the-flynn-scandal-what-more-proof-do-we-need-that-donald-trump-is-a-traitor/

Bad News: The 70 -Year Old Infant Trump Is "Bored" With His Job Already

Trump, aka Whiny Little Infant, has become so bored with running the nation after 4 days that he's more interested in watching cable TV. Time to boot this asshole out and get a real Prez in who can fulfill his constitutional obligations.

Now, following Trump’s first days as president, reports are coming out that some White House insiders are troubled by his in-office behavior.  As well they should be, as most of us could see this train wreck of a psychological misfit coming from the proverbial mile away. An overgrown infant, governed by his Id, unable to get control of his impulses and with a Twitter feed he can't detach from. God help us in any national emergency- it will be every citizen for him or herself. (Especially after this fucker signed the old Repuke global gag rule the day after the Women's March, essentially stabbing all of them in the back - in what will now lead to 2 million more abortions around the world, lack of birth control for Africa's exploding billions, and three to four times more Zika cases).

Has this fucker no shame?  No shred of decency or decorum?  Hell no, especially after dispatching a troop of ass-kissing lackeys to the CIA to act as hired cheerleaders when he spoke Saturday, The punk actually had these turds cheering after his insane comments - more about the crowd size at his pathetic inauguration than the fallen 117 on the Agency's Wall of Honor. As former CIA chief John Brennan put it, it was "despicable"  He nailed it.

Anyway, one anonymous insider who frequently talks with Trump told Politico his aides are often afraid of saying no to him due to his notorious unwillingness to look bad.  This is the sure sign of a regressed being, someone more fearful of "looking bad" than doing the work of the nation. Something, as a recent TIME article ('Surviving the White House') noted had Obama and his team working overtime from the instant they entered.  To quote Rahm Emmanuel "There was so much work for all of us to do including the new President we barely knew where to start."  With Trump, not so much.

What about advising the Big Man to toe the line and get to work like Obama did, e.g. reading dozens of briefing papers every day? (Oh wait! Trump's brain can't handle reading more than one page per day!)  What about advocating he put his damned Twitter down and put his fat nose to the grindstone?

“You can’t do it in front of everyone,” the insider said. “He’s never going to admit he’s wrong in front of everyone. You have to pull him aside and tell him why he’s wrong, and then you can get him to go along with you. These people don’t know how to get him to do what they need him to do.”

This insider also told Politico that Trump “gets bored and likes to watch TV,” so it’s important for his aides to check his tendency to respond impulsively when angered, as well as control what information reaches him and is taken seriously.

"Gets bored and likes to watch TV"? Are you fucking kidding me? There should be so much work for him to do, as Obama learned in his first days, there isn't enough time to fart far less watch the tube. Can we say again this nitwit narcissist doesn't belong here? Yes, we can, he belongs more in a permanent cage match venue. I am sure that ought to keep his waning interest up!


“The truth of the matter is he had a successful inauguration with a respectful crowd,” presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told Politico. “The transition of power went off without a hitch. His supporters were amiable by and large.”

A mature, adult ego grounded in reality would be satisfied with that assessment but not Trump, who insists on doing everything bigger and better than any other human on Earth. And given that 90 percent of governance  - which is pubic service at the end of the day -doesn't come with huge fanfare, one can grasp why a simpleton carny barker type would find it boring. Especially when the nation's business doesn't revolve around HIM  - but the citizens- including those who voted for him hoping he wouldn't get BORED.

Thus, Brinkley attributed much of the undercurrent of dissatisfaction to the fact that he can never let go and stop watching cable TV. Despite being off to the worst start of a presidency since James Buchanan he can't seem to rein in control of his Id and subject it to positive will for a greater good. He is essentially a temper tantrum toddler locked into the body of a 70 year old, but one with access to the nuclear codes.

But this is the sure sign of an outsized, infantile ego who believes the whole world including media revolves around him and what time of day he takes a crap and whether it's bigger and better than anyone else's. This is a dope that shouldn't be given free rein in a nursery far less the presidency.

Members of President Billionaire Babycakes' inner circle  have urged him not to give in to his resentments, but to no avail according to a Sunday report by The New York Times .  This didn't succeed as Trump - baby that he is  - ultimately allowed the resentment about inauguration coverage to build to the point he even allowed it to be the main talking point when addressing the CIA at their Wall of Honor.  As John Brennan said, this was truly despicable and the sign of a lowlife, morally reprehensible person - no matter how many properties he owns. Team Trump tried to spin the grotesque images from the truth, but they didn't succeed - only in putting their feet in their mouths further with the "alternative facts" bunkum.

Trump is more wedded to them than ever  - including repeating his nonsense claim that he really won the popular vote - than Bill Maher is wedded to his weed stash. But even Maher knows when to give it a rest enough to deliver fantastic comedy stands as well as perform with authority on 'Real Time'.

Make no mistake that this piece of slime merits no respect at all, none - nor does the office of the Presidency until it's given a massive "enema'  - i.e. when Trump and his pile of garbage are finally cleared out and the whole White House fumigated.

Hack Blog Politico Goes After Bernie Sanders' Past

"It is widely recognized that Politico is little more than a glorified gossip rag, the belly of the media beast, the embodiment of everything vapid, reckless, and petty that drives America’s media rot. Pointing out the latest examples is pointless and redundant."   - Glenn Greenwald, salon.com (see link at bottom of post)

Let's get it out of the way, in the interest of full disclosure and forthright honesty, I have absolutely zero use for the blog Politico. I regard it as a political cesspit composed of a bunch of retreads and former MSM hacks who've resurrected yellow journalism in the digital age to descend to the level of Neoliberal guttersnipes . They, along with the MSM, are one of the primary reasons that decent people never vie for elective office. Why should they if they can expect to have every nook and cranny of their past lives dug up which have NO relevance to the present?

Last year, in one of my recent lacerations of Politico and those who follow it (and believe they're clued in) I referenced a poll it carried out in which 64 percent believed "the country is totally out of control". 

As I observed in that post from October, last year:

"Do these numb nuts even know what "totally out of control" means? Iraq may be "totally out of control" with the ISIS vermin running amuck and pretty much doing what they want. The U.S. is not totally out of control, which shows to me the extent to which certain Americans' minds have been gutted by the Repuke PR machinery.

Even Joe Scarbrough blurted:

"Wait! America, you really believe the country is a runaway beer truck? "

Please don't generalize this to all Americans. It appears to be instead a deranged subset that follows the hack blog called 'Politico'.  And given just the response here one must question whether these people are even qualified to vote in any objective manner. It instead discloses they have lost touch with reality, and we shouldn't trust those apart from reality to cast a realistic vote."

Harsh words but I stand by them. And further, the news this a.m. that Politico dispatched a low grade hack, Michael Kruse, to nose around Vermont to dig up dirt (for a piece entitled 'Bernie Sanders Has A Secret'), reinforces my take. Kruse, talking to Steve Kornacki (who I regard as an "accessory after the fact" - which I will get to later) claims he "went up to Vermont just interested broadly in Bernie Sanders in the 1970s when he went from perennial third party loser to Mayor of Burlington, Vermont in 1981".

Kruse then claims his "reporting took me somewhere frankly  I didn't expect to go"  and mentions "making a public records request for the birthplace of his son"

WTF?! A records request for his son's birthplace? Are you serious? What the hell has that to do with Sanders' political career or current platform? The only reason to go there would be to dig up some kind of dirt!

This POS hack Kruse then said he learned:

"The mother of the son is not Bernie Sanders' ex -wife, which had never been reported in 44 years of his public political life"

Well, maybe because the people and media of Vermont (which  wifey and I have visited three times on different holidays, including: Burlington, Middlebury, Rochester and Bennington - even considering buying a home there)  have a greater respect for their politicians' private lives than a low grade slime ball from Politico. I.e. a yellow journalist who makes his  dime off sleaze and sensation to further keep Americans' minds in a regressive, knuckle dragger state.

The shameless little weasel then claimed that the context for his story was not about that fact per se, but rather how it managed to "not get reported".

Which brings us to Kornacki himself.

Kornacki, trying to be too clever by half, as he was 2 years ago discussing the JFK assassination, said at the outset of the segment:

"There's nothing wrong with having an illegitimate child outside of marriage. It is only notable in this context to point out that if Hillary Clinton were the parent of an illegitimate child - instead of Bernie Sanders- the nation would have not only heard about it long before now, it would have been dissected over and over and over....Bernie Sanders proves you can keep large segments of your life private if you are a Senator. But can the same be said if you decide to run for President?"

Which is exactly why Bernie kept his private life a secret, because it's no one's goddamned business but his. Also, one has to wonder if now Kornacki is also carrying water for Hillary. Because to compare scrutiny of her with Sanders is like comparing chalk and cheese. One (HRC) has hurled herself into the political limelight from the time she wed Bill Clinton, then - after his 1992 election - insinuated herself into the national fabric as one of the most activist First Ladies ever. (With her health care plan).

By contrast, Bernie's first instincts were never to go into the main stage limelight, including running for President! He only did so after much pushing from progressives - who demanded another contender as opposed to a Hillary coronation. And, btw, this was only after Elizabeth Warren made it clear she had no intention to run - probably expecting the same sort of media shit Sanders is getting now.

Let's wait to see what develops, and hope most Americans now backing Sanders are intelligent enough to ignore this latest Neoliberal ploy to undermine his campaign. In the meantime, one must ask about Kornacki also carrying water for a disgusting, reactionary, garbage -gossip rag like Politico. Has he tossed his show overboard for them in the case of the hit job on Sanders, or is he merely not intelligent enough to see through them? Perhaps, since he also sometimes writes for salon.com,  he needs to read the two links at the bottom.

We deserve better governance, and certainly an end to - or at least mitigation of - inequality. But we will never ever get there if we permit squalid,  irrelevant,  hack reporting to dominate in news cycles. With the only reason to slime and slander a candidate who suddenly poses a threat to the Neoliberal establishment and imperative.

Stay tuned!

See also:

http://www.salon.com/2013/10/29/the_politico_culture/

And:

http://www.salon.com/2012/07/30/new_low_for_politico/