WashPo Calls Bullshit on the E-mails

Along with Bernie, I am so sick of hearing about the damned e-mails. And of course, we'll have 4 years of it beginning in January, God willing.

Judging by the amount of time NBC’s Matt Lauer spent pressing Hillary Clinton on her emails during Wednesday’s national security presidential forum, one would think that her homebrew server was one of the most important issues facing the country this election. It is not.  

And in a story of a nouveau riche guy who dislikes the idea of Trump being elected and is not Jeff Bezos.

A billionaire Facebook co-founder says he is giving $20 million to help defeat Donald Trump, calling the Republican presidential candidate divisive and dangerous and his appeals to Americans who feel left behind “quite possibly a deliberate con.”

The good that money can do in the right hands.

People Who Hate Trump More Than I Do: Michael Gerson

As a bonus, he also hates Fox and Right Wing Radio. Hate may be a strong word, I'm in that kind of mood, tho.

The political universe of conservative talk radio does not constitute anything close to a majority of voters in the general election.

In fact, this cartoon version of conservatism tends to alienate key groups of voters, including minorities, Republican women and the college educated.

Much (not all, but much) of the new conservative establishment feeds outrage as its source of revenue and relevance. It is a model that has been good for Rush and Fox, but bad for the GOP.

I'm no fan of Gerson, but enemy of my enemy and all that.

Daisy Two

And at least some 88 generals love him. No, I didn't miss this.

At the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, John Allen marched on stage to martial music with a formation of other veterans behind and encouraged active-duty servicemen and women to vote for his candidate. 

The end of empire is in sight for us, if the planet lasts that long.

Part of the reason the U.S. military is venerated by the American public is that they are considered apolitical. The trust on which our system of civil-military relations relies is made much more difficult when veterans engage in blatant partisan politics as they have this election. It doesn’t matter who lines up behind which candidate. The near-term gain of public support for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton may result in a long-term erosion of the military’s standing with the American public. And that could be more dangerous than either of them.

Here's Retired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling saying that Trump is a moron. Slight paraphrasing there. This is on Trump's proposed order to the military to come up with a plan to defeat ISIS in 30 days.

The former commanding general decried Trump, calling his orders "simplistic" and insulting to individuals working to defeat ISIS.

"It shows a complete lack of understanding of the threat and the ways to fight it," Hertling said. "It's a sophomoric approach to elements of national security policy because if he's just calling in the military, he's missing the point that there are several other elements of national security that will help defeat ISIS."

I still believe that off the record he called Trump a moron.

The GOP Now Stands for Nothing

According to the Dallas Morning News anyway.

What does it mean to be a Republican?

For generations, the answer had been clear: A belief in individual liberty. Free markets. Strong national defense.

But what does it mean to be a Republican today? With Donald Trump as the party's new standard-bearer, it's impossible to say.

Yes, the Republicans are on their way to losing Texas. Not this year, but soon they will start presidential elections without the electoral votes of NY, California, Florida and Texas. 

Wrong Way Jill

This is not reassuring in a presidential candidate.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein was scheduled to speak at Capital University in Bexley at noon today but it looks like she's running a little late.

That's because instead of flying into Columbus, she accidentally went to Cincinnati instead, according to the Capital University Greens Student Organization who is sponsoring the event.

Maybe I should suggest to Matt that he send her a map. 

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is expected to return to the area in September to campaign with local Green Party candidates, Green Party congressional candidate Matt Funiciello said Monday.

The World's Greatest Negotiator Goes to Mexico

And does he come back with a check to pay for The Wall?

Following their meeting on Wednesday, Mexico’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, insisted he told Donald Trump, during their meeting in Mexico City, that Mexico would not pay for a border wall between their two countries.

“At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall,” Peña Nieto tweeted. A spokesman for the Mexican president later told the Guardian that there was no discussion of paying for the wall because Trump did not respond to Peña Nieto’s statement. “The president told him clearly and the matter was not discussed further.”

But, you knew that was coming, didn't you? Awesome negotiating skills, Amnesty Don!

More Important Than the Tax Returns