June 7, 2016

I've been on the fence trying to find a way to support her.

The fix seems to have been in since before the primary started. This premature calling of the primary is the final nail.

The DNC has never appeared so corrupt and has had their thumb on the scale for Hillary since the outset (ie the debate schedule or the way Sanders data is violated and they do nothing but they howl to the media when Clintons data is exposed for a few minutes - and never get to the bottom of what happened to Sanders data, how they allow Hillary to use their offices around the country but do not offer the same to Sanders, etc).

The number of dirty tricks and voting irregularities in state after state- nearly all associated with the Clinton campaign seems worse than 2008 and as bad or worse than any time I can recall in my 50 plus years following the party.

The critical lies on Bernie's record for Latinos in Nevada, for example, or the auto bail out, go largely unchecked in the media. The media, the great arbitrator of democracy, abdicates it's responsibility because they no longer represent the people - they represent the 1% who own them. Trump gets a couple of hundred minutes of free mainstream media coverage. Hillary a hundred plus. Bernie gets a whole ten minutes. Goodbye to the Fairness Doctrine.

As others have said, the United States is not a real democracy any more. Votes do not really matter any more because the electorate doesn't get fairly informed about their candidates, their positions and the lies. It has become an oligarchy. The 1% have bought and paid for both candidates in the major parties. They cannot lose the general election. for them, that election is already over. The 1% have already won no matter which candidate becomes president.

Hillary lies too much to accept that she will be the defender of Democratic party values. I cannot handle her dishonesty. Therefore, I cannot nor will not support either Clinton or Trump in the general election. I have better things to do with my time. I think the country needs to get what's coming to them in order for real change to come about. It's going to be ugly but short term ugliness gives us the best chance for longer term meaningful change. When it gets ugly enough, people will wake up and try to do something about it. Hopefully, they won't come out of their slumber too late.

June 4, 2016

Interesting read, good effort

I do not agree with all of it. But I do agree Clinton is in more serious trouble than is being widely acknowledged.

As to why the FBI is taking so long? I have a different theory. First of all, we haven't heard from the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community who was also doing an investigation. Some of his results would be classified but I think the State Department indicated that we would be hearing from them sooner than later. I think his report will be more damning and help set the table for the FBI results. But the big thing that taking time is : the Clinton Foundation. It takes time to "follow the money" And there is lot of money ~ $4 billion and a bunch of stuff that appears to be quid pro quo for weapons and visas, etc. It's hard to believe people gave Bill & Hillary four billion dollars for nothing. I think that's what they're taking a good long hard look at and why it's taking time.

In the wake of subpoenas of the Clinton Foundation last fall, the recent report that the FBI is now investigating long time Clinton money bag man and Clinton Foundation Director Terry McAuliffe for activities prior to him becoming Virginia Governor (he resigned from the Clinton Foundation after he was elected) gives the impression that the FBI may be circling the Clinton Foundation wagons. That adds some substance to the Clinton Cash and other media allegations of last year and is a timely result of the subpoenas and investigations.

Now, if the Dems feel that Clinton is going to get gobbled up by this, as I think she is even if she's innocent, the Dems are the ones who should pull the trigger. If they wait to let the GOP and Trump do it, it's too late and their replacement candidate will suffer credibility problems being brought in that way compared with if the Dems take out their own garbage.

For those who claim I'm just a Bernie supporter trying to get him the nomination, well I do not think Bernie will be handed the nomination. I think the Dems will parachute in Biden or someone like that. I doubt it will work out for Bernie unless he's taken as a VP.

I also think Hillary is in a lot more trouble that people realize or accept. The sooner Democrats realize that, the better the chances will be that Trump doesn't get the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

June 3, 2016

I think this story has some legs and some concern for the Clintons

Sorry for the delay but I took the time to look it over

Here's some of the media coverage (can't shoot the messenger on all of it):

CNN: Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe under federal investigation for campaign contributions

Gov. Terry McAuliffe under federal investigation for campaign contributions

Washington Post: Clinton Foundation donors gave $13 million to Terry McAuliffe

120 Clinton Foundation Donors Gave $13.4 Million To Terry McAuliffe’s Campaigns

Prosecutions rare under law cited in McAuliffe probe

McAuliffe heads off probe that could hurt Clinton

Authorities investigate whether Terry McAuliffe violated lobbying restrictions

Terry McAuliffe’s failing memory

McAuliffe:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_McAuliffe#Fundraising_career_and_relationship_with_the_Clintons
- Clinton friend for 30+ years
- McAuliffe and his staff raised $275 million, then an unprecedented sum, for Clinton's causes while president.
- co-chairman of President Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign
- McAuliffe guaranteed the Clintons' $1.35 million mortgage for their home in Chappaqua, New York. The deal raised ethical questions
- In 2000, McAuliffe chaired a fundraiser with the Clintons; setting a fundraising record of $26.3 million.
- named by Bill Clinton as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, from 2001 to 2005, - chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.
- was a director of the Clinton Foundation during his time as Chairman of the DNC, from early 2000s until Nov 2013. (fyi Cheryl Mills was also a director during that period and continues as of 2014)

Then there's this site (shoot the messenger warning - video by Citizen's United):
http://fastterry.com/

There's this recent story from a Virginia paper to back up the video
Founded by McAuliffe and funded by foreign investors, GreenTech misses targets, damages credibility, feds say

Washington Post: Report: Va. governor received special treatment from Homeland Security

McAuliffe was among several politically powerful individuals from both parties, including Sen. Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), seeking special visas for foreign investors through a program administered by the department. But intervention on behalf of McAuliffe’s GreenTech Automotive company by Alejandro Mayorkas, now the department’s No. 2 official, “was unprecedented,” according to the report.

The long-anticipated report found no evidence of law-breaking. But members of the department’s staff perceived Mayorkas’s actions as “politically motivated,” and the report concluded that he had “created an appearance of favoritism and special access.”

The report is likely to stir up renewed scrutiny of the department’s management of the EB-5 visa program, which allows foreign nationals who create jobs in the United States to obtain green cards. And it is likely to rekindle examination of McAuliffe and GreenTech, which at the time of Mayorkas’s actions was under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission over its conduct in soliciting foreign investors.

Initially popular with lawmakers from both parties, the visa program has prompted accusations from detractors that it puts visas up for sale — and doesn’t provide sufficient oversight to ensure that the promised jobs materialize.

The troubling thing with the EB-5 visas is that this isn't the only time it's come up with the Clinton Foundation.

Fortune: The dark, disturbing world of the visa-for-sale program

Hillary’s Brother Saw The Clintons As His Road To Riches
His company was sister company to McAuliffe's car company locaed right beside each other.

I read about visas and the Clinton Foundation last year - a suggestion that they were doing people favors in return for contributions to the Foundation- I'm trying rattle my brain to dig that up - had something to do with South America and other visas I think. That was the thing that triggered me to look at McAuliffe more closely. So this isn't the first time visas and the Clinton Foundation has been kicked around. McAuliffe as a long time director of the Clinton Foundation - until he became governor - is being investigated for what he did before he became governor - while a director of the Clinton Foundation. So this touches pretty close to home to the Clintons in several ways.

This is worth keeping our eyes on because there is a lot of smoke around it that isn't all right wing media/GOP driven.