Politics

Welcome to the banana Republic

The attorney general of New York took action Thursday to dissolve the National Rifle Association following an 18-month investigation that found evidence the powerful gun rights group is “fraught with fraud and abuse.”

The level of self dealing and near looting looks almost Clintonesque to be fair. But it’s this:

The turmoil at the NRA also could have political ramifications ahead of the 2020 elections. The NRA spent tens of millions of dollars in 2016 to support then-candidate Donald Trump — a role it appears it will be unlikely to be able to repeat given its current financial condition.

Gosh, that is a surprise.

The AG of NY is a D.

One for Carole Cadwallader

Russian hackers stole classified documents from the email account of a Cabinet minister before they were used by Jeremy Corbyn to attack the Government, it was claimed on Monday.
Former Trade Secretary Liam Fox was the victim of what appears to have been a "state-backed" operation ahead of last year’s general election, sources said.
The news triggered a review of Government security as ministers and MPs were reminded of the need to follow rules set out by the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ.
If the claims – currently the subject of a police investigation – are proven, it would be the first time a current or former Cabinet minister had been successfully targeted by Russian hackers.

An actual real example of Russian interference in British politics and elections. She will be all over it like – as Ike and Tina sang – white on white, right?

Yes, of course she will.

That’s proven then, socialism causes prostitution

“Eating from rubbish bins to survive was no life, so we left. But, now with the pandemic, we are in limbo, we are stuck in Colombia, and hungry again. We have gone from one crisis to another.”

Venezuela’s total economic collapse has fuelled a large-scale, complex and underfunded humanitarian crisis. An estimated 4.5 million Venezuelans have fled a country blighted by unemployment, collapsing utilities, a defunct healthcare system and severe food shortages.

And as refugees, it is women who have been the most vulnerable to labour and sexual exploitation, trafficking and violence.

Would be a useful tagline for Labour, no? Elect Corbyn and the women have to go on the game…..

Trump’s vote just rose

Armed black militia in America issues threat to build ‘its own nation’
‘Not F****** Around Coalition’ outnumber far-right militia group Three Percenters in Louisville, Kentucky

Fears of violent clashes in the wake of the protests sweeping the US heightened over the weekend with a show of force by an armed black militia group….

The right to bear arms applies whatever the skin colour. But the social – or even societal – response might not be quite so level headed.

Soon we’ll be told that Indians are in fact white

Which, given that Northern Indians are actually Caucasian – Southern not so – seems fair enough. But it will be caste that will flip the identification:

Indian Matchmaking’s uncritical presentation of its clients’ “criteria” – usually fair-skinned women from a “good” family – has come in for particular criticism.

Critics have said the show perpetuates damaging ideas around colourism and caste – the Hindu system of hierarchy, which rigidly designates someone’s class and social status. Dalits, India’s lowest class, still undergo rampant discrimination and abuse in society while the upper Brahmin caste hold much of the power and influence. Cross-caste marriage in India can get you killed.

“Indian Matchmaking is really a cesspool of casteism, colourism, sexism, classism,” wrote one Twitter user.

Caste is the world’s longest running successful colour bar. It’s the conquerors maintaining their distance from those they conquered. It’s as if we were still dividing between Angles and Normans but for a thousand or two years longer.

Which is what will get Indians reclassified as white of course. For as we know, only whites can be racist, here we’ve racism, so they must be white, right?

Not as terrible as it seems

Russia report: Kremlin ‘tried to meddle in Scottish independence vote’ – but did not target Brexit
Long-awaited report will lay bare Russia’s efforts to interfere in UK elections

For we’ve been interfering in Russian elections since what, 1989?

That act of interference seemingly being something that sovereign states try to do. And Russian have been trying to interfere here since – well, how long did the Morning Start take Moscow Gold for?

Sure, we should find out who took the money if that’s what came over. Other rule breaches, chase them, obviously. But the mere fact of interference we should be less maiden auntish over…..

Yeah, well, we’ll see Robert

Donald Trump is on the verge of accomplishing what no American president has ever achieved – a truly multi-racial, multi-class, bipartisan political coalition so encompassing it could realign US politics for years to come.

Unfortunately for Trump, that coalition has come into existence to prevent him from having another term in office.

I’ve not got any feel for this. Well, why would I, I’m not from there nor live there. But last time around there was a significant “Oh Dear Lord, not Hills!” vote out there. And I don’t know if that’s true of Biden.

Sure, I’ve got my views and all that but this isn’t what I mean. Rather, I just don’t know what the groundswell is. I#m pretty sure that polls aren’t all that useful at this stage. About the only useful guidance I’ve got is that if Reich says Biden will walk it then that’s a) what the D operatives want us to think and b) wrong.

Sounds eminently sensible to me

Donald Trump says he may not accept the results of the November election
Donald Trump has said he may not accept the results of the presidential election, admitting that he does not “like to lose”

Well, no, not quite what he did in fact say.

Donald Trump has said that he may not accept the results of the forthcoming presidential election, setting the stage for an epic showdown in November.
In a wild and contentious interview with Fox News, aired on Sunday, the president said he was "not a good loser and was fully prepared to challenge the results, if he loses to Democrat contender Joe Biden.
He claimed that mail-in voting, which Democrats have pushed as a response to the coronavirus pandemic, “is going to rig the election.”
Asked if this means that he will not accept the election results, Mr Trump said: “No. I have to see.”

Chicago doesn’t still have a Daley as mayor but it might well still depend upon how many dead people vote there. And other such issues.

Whether the Ds are actually worse than this – better? – than Rs is another matter but no claim that cheating doesn’t take place can be believed. And who would or should go into an election without insisting that they’d not accept a cheated result?

What’s a good liberal to do?

Poland’s ruling populists have been given free rein in their mission to reshape the country after liberal hopes of taking the presidency were crushed in a narrow defeat following a divisive campaign.

The incumbent president, Andrzej Duda, was elected for another five-year term as a familiar set of demographic divisions played out in the vote. Poles under 50 and those living in larger towns and cities backed the liberal challenger, Rafał Trzaskowski, while older and rural voters stood by Duda.

This is democracy. The majority gets to decide. This is bad of course, it’s populism.

But that demand for a democratically controlled economy is the same thing. That the majority get to decide. Which isn’t populism and therefore isn’t bad.

For some reason.

Oh aye?

Political rivals of Justin Trudeau are calling for a criminal investigation after it emerged that members of his family were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by a charity to which his government recently awarded a substantial contract.

The multinational WE Charity confirmed on Thursday that Trudeau’s wife, mother and brother had been paid for appearances at charity events over the years. Margaret Trudeau, the prime minister’s mother and wife of the former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, has been paid nearly C$250,000 (US$182,000) since 2016 – far more than any other family member.

Does sound rather quid pro quo, doesn’t it? Can’t be, obviously, as these are good liberal types, but still. Worth having a look at perhaps.

Even if only to prove that it’s only ever rightist capitalist types who do such things.

Sigh

Boris Johnson is expected to take the first steps of a promised anti-obesity drive with a ban this month on supermarket promotions of unhealthy food.

If only it were possible to actually have a conservative government. Sadly, anyone prepared to put the effort in to run for office is only going to want to do something…..

Gee, ya think?

A former private secretary to Argentina’s vice-president has been murdered, fuelling speculation that he was targeted for being a whistleblower in a corruption case.

The body of Fabián Gutiérrez, 48, who for years worked closely with Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and later testified against her, was found at a house on the outskirts of El Calafate in Patagonia on Saturday, two days after he went missing. Four people have been arrested.

Arkanicide goes international?

All rather recycled Militant Tendency stuff

Sounds like it at least:

A socialist Seattle City Council member who has aligned herself with the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone is blaming the “brutality” and “violence” associated with capitalism that led to a deadly shooting there Monday.

“Deepest condolences from Socialist Alternative and my Council office to the family and friends and fellow activists of the community member who was tragically killed in the drive-by shooting at the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP),” Councilwoman Kshama Sawanttweeted Monday to her 72,000 followers.

“While we await details of this tragic killing, it highlights capitalism’s brutality & endemic violence,” she wrote. “Our movement rejects insinuations & falsehoods perpetuated by corporate & conservative media that this violence is outcome of CHOP or of our movement.

“We need to continue building a powerful movement to end gentrification, to fully fund public schools & decent jobs,” she added. “Capitalism *is* a police state. While we’ll have to fight to win reforms, we have to dismantle capitalism to win a violence-free society.”

The reason it sounds like lightly warmed over Trots is because that’s what it is. Pure nonsense, of course.

A Very British Coup

Well, yes, OK, a coup it is then. The elected government exercising power over the permanent established bureaucracy. A coup.

And the problem with this is?

Could be a connection here, could be…..

It has been called the “Minnesota paradox”. The Twin Cities, comprising the conjoined urban areas of Minneapolis and St Paul, regularly tops the list of places in the US with the best quality of living.

Largely low rise and sprawling, set around the cities’ lakes and the Mississippi, the area is marked by affordable and largely good quality housing with lawns, parks, museums and tree-lined streets.

Its politics too have long reflected a strong progressive strand, represented by figures such as the late senator Paul Wellstone, once described as the most liberal member of the Senate. Employment – pre-pandemic, at least – was high, and St Paul serves as the global headquarters for 3M.

But there is another side to living in Minnesota, often ignored. Factor in the black and ethnic minority experience, and the state is suddenly not such a good place to live.

Perhaps being ruled by liberal progressives ain’t all that much of a good thing for blacks and ethnic minorities?

Given that most cities are run by Democrats – which is the only place you’ll find liberal progressives – and that cities are where the black and ethnic minority experience is totally shit there could be something to this. If we were to use that scientific method of analysis, calculating by outcome instead of intention.