Trump Slams Sessions for Failing to Place GOP Candidates Above the Law: Reason Roundup

Plus: Kavanaugh confirmation hearings start today and Nike launches a controversial new ad campaign.

Sessions background image: LEAH MILLIS/REUTERS/Newscom

A tweet too far? On Sunday, President Trump explicitly condemned Attorney General Jeff Sessions for bringing charges against two Republican congressmen so soon before the 2018 midterm elections.

"Two long running, Obama era, investigations of two very popular Republican Congressmen were brought to a well publicized charge, just ahead of the Mid-Terms, by the Jeff Sessions Justice Department," Trump tweeted.

"Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time. Good job Jeff……"

The president appears to suggest that getting Republicans elected should come before impartial application of the law. Obviously, it set off alarms across political media and observers, with many suggesting that this goes above and beyond Trump's typically awful Twitter tirades.

This is how you normalize Presidential corruption: Slowly put it more and more in the open until everyone just shrugs that *of course* the President wants to use law enforcement for partisan ends. https://t.co/AExNWVggH4

— Orin Kerr (@OrinKerr) September 3, 2018

Few within the GOP, however, have condemned or even commented on Trump's statement. So far, the total conservative congressional outcry seems to come from Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, and Michigan Rep. Justin Amash.

"The United States is not some banana republic with a two-tiered system of justice—one for the majority party and one for the minority party," said Sasse in a statement.

The two men Trump was referring to—Reps. Chris Collins (R–New York) and Duncan D. Hunter (R–Calif.), both big Trump supporters—"have been charged with crimes because of evidence, not because of who the President was when the investigations began," Sasse's statement continued. "Instead of commenting on ongoing investigations and prosecutions," Trump should be concerned with "defend[ing] the Constitution and protect[ing] the impartial administration of justice."

Outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake (R–Ariz.) tweeted a Washington Post article on the outburst, adding, "This is not the conduct of a President committed to defending and upholding the constitution, but rather a President looking to use the Department of Justice to settle political scores."

In addition, Amash was also slightly critical, tweeting out that "we must never place politics above the rule of law."

FREE MINDS

Confirmation hearings begin today for Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump's pick to fill Justice Anthony Kennedy's spot on the U.S. Supreme Court. The 53-year-old "is a respected federal judge with many admirers in conservative legal circles," notes Damon Root.

"But there are still a number of unanswered questions when it comes to his jurisprudence," Root adds. He suggests five topics that senators should ask Kavanaugh about in the coming days, including executive power, National Security Agency data collection, and unenumerated rights.

Meanwhile, at The New York Times, Emily Bazelon argues that Kavanaugh gets promoted as an originalist, but "hasn't earned his originalist badge. It's being fixed to him to mask the fact that as an appeals court judge, he relentlessly pressed forward a Republican agenda favoring business and religious interests."

FREE MARKETS

Why are Twitter conservatives cutting up their Nike socks? To protest the brand's new choice of a spokesperson, professional quarterback Colin Kaepernick. A new ad campaign featuring Kaepernick features the slogan "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything." Kaepernick, who has had an endorsement deal with Nike since 2011, became a recent target of the president after taking a knee during the National Anthem. He is currently suing the NFL.

Our Soundman just cut the Nike swoosh off his socks. Former marine. Get ready @Nike multiply that by the millions. pic.twitter.com/h8kj6RXe7j

— John Rich (@johnrich) September 3, 2018

The sad little sock protest seems to have only amplified Nike's new campaign and attracted more media folks to praise it.

QUICK HITS

Former Philly cop Ryan Pownall will be indicted on Tuesday on first-degree murder charges in the June 2017 shooting death of David Jones. https://t.co/2bP41Z55Zn pic.twitter.com/QgHOOfRrzV

— Philly Mag (@phillymag) September 4, 2018

• The New Yorker invited and then disinvited former Trump advisor and Breitbart News head Steve Bannon to headline its annual Ideas Festival, after other speakers threatened to pull out over Bannon's inclusion.
• "Trump-appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch racked up a more 'liberal' voting record than Justice Anthony Kennedy," notes Damon Root.
• In the great Red Delicious versus Gala apple wars, Gala has finally emerged victorious.

Given the author's disdain for CDA 230, CDA 230 defenders, "Internet evangelists" like EFF, FOSTA/SESTA opponents, and the First Amendment in general, I'm much happier to be part of this libertarian fever swamp than to be in the author's camp. https://t.co/N8esikgJUB pic.twitter.com/Yt0BcckXpw

— Peter Bonilla (@pebonilla) September 4, 2018

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

In the great Red Delicious versus Gala apple wars, Gala has finally emerged victorious.

But are they delicious?

[Mickey Rat]

More so than terribly misnamed "Red Delicious". On the other hand Macs or Honey Crisps are better.

[perlchpr]

Braeburn. Yum.

[Injun, as in from India]

Red Delicious sounds like a porn star name.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Okay, comrade.

[Bearded Spock]

I believe there is at least one young adult film starlet on the big world wide web who makes her living by (temporarily) wearing old Soviet Army uniforms.

Or so I've been told.

[Hamster of Doom]

Red Delicious are definitely red.

[LynchPin1477]

Give me winesap or give me some other sort of fruit!

[Aloysious]

The Fuji, Ambrosia, Envy, Koru, Opal, Cameo, and Kiku are all fine eating apples. Red Delicious, for me are only tasty when they are fresh off the tree, Sept/Oct. The plus to the RD is that they are practically indestructible. They store well for months.

/apple nerd

[Mickey Rat]

RD is the iceberg lettuce of apples. With all that implies.

[perlchpr]

They store well for months.

They do, but... at the end of that time, you're left with a Red Delicious apple to try and eat.

[Shirley Knott]

The dwarf bread of apples.

[perlchpr]

I'd rather have rat with ketchup.

[Hamster of Doom]

That's why ketchup costs more than rat.

[Anomalous]

You left out Jazz and Pink Lady.

[Cy]

So only one political party is allowed to play dirty?

[creech]

Only one is clever enough to disguise what they are doing.

[loveconstitution1789]

Lesson learned:
Republicans evidently go after Republicans and Democrats for corruption.

Democrats evidently dont got after Democrats for corruption.

[loveconstitution1789]

Libertarians would go after anyone for political corruption if Libertarians had any power.

[Happy Chandler]

Jesse Jackson Jr, Robert Menendez, and Rod Blagojevich would like to have a word.

[loveconstitution1789]

Liar! Republicans controlled the House in 2011 when Jackson and Blagojevich were investigated.

"The bipartisan 10-member panel has been investigating whether Jackson improperly raised money for former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich (D) in an effort to win appointment to the Senate seat formerly held by President Obama. "

112th United States Congress
Senate Majority Democratic
House Majority Republican
Sessions
1st: January 5, 2011 ? January 3, 2012 2nd: January 3, 2012 ? January 3, 2013

[Happy Chandler]

The House didn't send them to jail.
Blagojevich was indicted in 2009.
He was already twice convicted by 2011.

[loveconstitution1789]

Rod is a victim of Illinois state politics and I never said jail. I said 'go after'.

I would give you credit for an Illinois State Legislature run by Democrats going after a Democrat Governor Blagojevich, except that (1) it was to cover for Obama's involvement in the deal (2) Blagojevich was already on the outs with Democratic leadership.

Rod Blagojevich was deemed too big to be a team player inside Illinois politics.

[loveconstitution1789]

So, as I said, Republicans go after Republicans and Democrats as with the GOP controlled House in 2011 going after Jesse Jackson and Rod Blagojevich.

As for Bob Menendez, he was implicated in a 2012 underage sex scandal while in the Dominican Republic. In 2013, a federal grand jury began investigating Menendez for corruption related events, including Dominican Republic shenanigans again. The DOJ indicted him in 2015.

Not sure what the political makeup of the Federal Grand Jury was, but it surely was not the pride of the Democratic party going after their own.

[Happy Chandler]

1) You said the House was "going after" Blagojevich...when he had already been convicted by the Obama DOJ. Jackson had an ethics investigation started in 2009, and the Justice investigation was already open.

As for Menendez, the underage sex turned out to be a hoax. The grand jury investigation was brought by the DOJ:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....3623c7a15a

A grand jury probe, which involves a prosecutor pursuing allegations with an eye toward possible indictment, typically represents a legal escalation, though it does not always lead to a prosecution.

[LynchPin1477]

^^ I think this is actually how you normalize corruption.

[loveconstitution1789]

Democrats have normalized corruption, which was his point.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Confirmation hearings begin today for Brett Kavanaugh...

Ladies, enjoy your uteri while you still own them!

[Bee Tagger]

In the great Red Delicious versus Gala apple wars, Gala has finally emerged victorious.

but what kind of party should we hold to celebrate?

[perlchpr]

Presumably we should serve cider, though.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The sad little sock protest seems to have only amplified Nike's new campaign and attracted more media folks to praise it.

Discarding one customer base for a potential other is seldom a good marketing choice.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

I'd like to protest by cutting up all of my socks on Reason.

[perlchpr]

Tulpa hardest hit.

[damikesc]

Is Reason opposing the private market opposing a retarded company?

[Bee Tagger]

The sad little sock protest seems to have only amplified Nike's new campaign and attracted more media folks to praise it.

media folks praising it... feature or bug?

[perlchpr]

Either way, not even vaguely surprising.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

You're not really speaking "truth to power" when power agrees with what you're doing.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Former Philly cop Ryan Pownall will be indicted on Tuesday on first-degree murder charges in the June 2017 shooting death of David Jones. https://t.co/2bP41Z55Zn pic.twitter.com/QgHOOfRrzV
? Philly Mag (@phillymag) September 4, 2018

This could have a chilling effect on Filthacrapia law enforcement acting like assholes if any of them were actually acting.

[Bee Tagger]

It's being fixed to him to mask the fact that as an appeals court judge, he relentlessly pressed forward a Republican agenda favoring business and religious interests."

oh for a day when things stop being referred to in terms of interests.

[creech]

It doesn't necessarily follow that favoring those interests is in opposition to the interests of liberty or the constitution.

[Cyto]

But are those interests special? That's the important question. Because when interests are special, then they are dangerous.

[chipper me timbers]

Except for unions, abortion and free stuff. THOSE interests are not special, they are crucial to our democracy.

[Bee Tagger]

In addition, Amash was also slightly critical, tweeting out that "we must never place politics above the rule of law."

more concerning than politics above law is politics as law.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"Trump-appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch racked up a more 'liberal' voting record than Justice Anthony Kennedy," notes Damon Root.

The scare quotes makes me believe something is afoot with this take.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Something, something, Mussolini third way, something....

America is moving toward an oligarchical socialism
Oligarchal socialism allows for the current, ever-growing concentration of wealth and power in a few hands ? notably tech and financial moguls ? while seeking ways to ameliorate the reality of growing poverty, slowing social mobility and indebtedness. This will be achieved not by breaking up or targeting the oligarchs, which they would fight to the bitter end, but through the massive increase in state taxpayer support.

...Handouts, including housing subsidies, could guarantee for the next generation a future not of owned houses, but rented small, modest apartments. Unable to grow into property-owning adults, they will subsist while playing with their phones, video games and virtual reality in what Google calls "immersive computing."

[Longtorso, Johnny]

...Particularly since Donald Trump's election, the leaders of corporate America ? especially in tech and finance ? have merged with the Democrats. They appeal to progressives by advocating politically correct views on immigration, gender rights and climate change, while muzzling conservatives both inside and outside their companies.

...Theoretically, the Democrats moving to the left should terrify the oligarchs. Yet increased income guarantees, nationalized health care, housing subsidies, rent control and free education could also help firms maintain a gig-oriented economy since these employers do not provide the basic benefits often offered by more traditional "evil" corporations in energy, manufacturing and basic business services.

[Old Mexican - Mostly Harmless]

Re: Longtorso, Johnny,

the leaders of corporate America ? especially in tech and finance ? have merged with the Democrats. They appeal to progressives by advocating politically correct views on immigration, gender rights and climate change, while muzzling conservatives both inside and outside their companies.

Why do you think they do that, JL?

Yet increased income guarantees, nationalized health care, housing subsidies, rent control and free education could also help firms maintain a gig-oriented economy

Yeah... No. That's not why. Tech doesn't get "guaranteed incomes" by aligning themselves to Progressives and Tech knows it. That's not the reason. Nor is it "universal hleathcare", whatever that means. The new entrepreneurs who started these tech companies are simply NOT Trumpistas. Look at the Trumpista radical base ??economically unsophisticated and even buffoonish, xenophobic, protectionist, insular, jingoistic?? not precisely a pro-market, pro-individual liberty bunch. The tech and industry giants sense less HOSTILITY towards them from Progressives than from Trumpistas which should at least give you some pause.

[Cyto]

Nice thesis.

But the tech company entrepreneurs were on board with team D long before Trump came along. In fact, they helped Hillary and the DNC push Trump to the front during the Republican primaries, precisely because they thought it would help Hillary win.

Alphabet (Google) Chairman Eric Schmidt started The Groundwork long before Trump was a thing, explicitly to help Hillary and other Democrat candidates - by pretty much doing exactly what they accuse "the Russians" of doing to help Trump. They even have a back-door link directly into Google's systems.

And that is far from the only example. They all met long before the 2016 cycle to discuss ways of controlling the news cycle. That's where "fake news" came from. They even set up a committee to determine "truth" - featuring prominent 3rd wave feminists and other far-left political activists.

So no, tech aligns with progressives for reasons that are entirely independent of Trump and Trump supporters. Well, unless causality is somehow reversed, or perhaps their sophisticated prediction algorithms told them years in advance that Trump was going to win and all of this was going to be the result.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

In fact, they helped Hillary and the DNC push Trump to the front during the Republican primaries, precisely because they thought it would help Hillary win.

Even more to the point, it was their workforce that worked on the digital teams for the Gore, Kerry, and Obama campaigns. Their relationship with the Democrats goes back years.

If they weren't, James Damore would still be employed at Google, and Google wouldn't have conducted struggle sessions in the wake of his manifesto. Alex Jones wouldn't have been systematically deplatformed. Their employees wouldn't openly admit that they manipulate their algorithms to shadow-ban conservatives and suppress non-progressive. Netflix wouldn't be pimping hard for a form of "Net Neutrality" that's anything but. The NYT wouldn't have hired Sarah Jeong, who literally wrote the book on how to suppress Wrongthink in the digital sphere.

Anyone who thinks that Big Tech is aligning with the Democrats due to their "pro-market, pro-liberty" stances is, quite simply, a moron who hasn't observed these firms in action the last 15-plus years. They're "libertarian-leaning" only in the anarcho-tyrannic sense, but their politics are thoroughly progressive.

[loveconstitution1789]

+1

[MattXIV]

The big tech firms have lots of assets tied up in areas where state and local politics are overwhelming dominated by Democrats and are vulnerable to antitrust action, which Republicans have historically had less interest in. Making a big show of social liberalism that is a cost-effective way to forestall economic regulations; notice how Facebook started taking sides politically in the period immediately following it's rapid market share increase from around 35% to 70%.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

A focus on such basic issues could reorder not just the Democratic Party but the country itself. Faced with limited future prospects, more millennials already prefer socialism to capitalism and generally renounce constitutionally sanctioned free speech ? not something you like to see in what will soon be the largest voting bloc in the country.

[MichaelL]

Sounds like my step son and his girlfriend! They are running out of money. They have not worked in the three months that they moved into my motor home. They have not figured out how that money and work things go, yet. It is because grandma and grandpa don't know how to say, "NO!"

[loveconstitution1789]

I guess we can go back to using straws again. The American 1% ers will be able to suck again.
Forbes- The great plastic cleanup has begun

[perlchpr]

Too bad the article never mentions that the Chinese are responsible for something like 70% of the annual influx of oceanic plastic.

[Earth Skeptic]

Plastic chopsticks?

[Dillinger]

duck sauce wrappers

[perlchpr]

Really large quantities of fishing gear, from what I understand.

[loveconstitution1789]

Used sex dolls with horizontal vaginas.

[Anomalous]

I thought they had diagonal vaginas.

[perlchpr]

X shaped, kinda like a Predator's jaws.

[Mike Laursen]

New prediction: The height of environmental awareness will be to bring your own shopping bag, straw, etc. made of reclaimed ocean plastic.

[loveconstitution1789]

Their wokeness will be legendary.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...he relentlessly pressed forward a Republican agenda favoring business and religious interests.

Over?

[loveconstitution1789]

Confirmation hearings begin today for Brett Kavanaugh

Gorsuch was not a rock star on paper, so lets hope that Kavanaugh is a hidden gem too.

Both jurists were on the same list and Gorsuch is awesome.

[perlchpr]

I've heard good things about Kavanaugh's 2A positions.

[loveconstitution1789]

I think his support for unconstitutional domestic spying is his major fault.

Its a biggie, I agree. Its also why we have 9 justices. To check other justices that are doing the wrong thing and make sure their position is not the majority.

The fact that the Lefties are so against Kavanaugh, makes me want to give him a chance.

[perlchpr]

I think his support for unconstitutional domestic spying is his major fault.

I would agree with that, although I suppose it might be argued that some of his positions might be more based out of technical ignorance than from actual police deference. But there are a number of judges on the court already who are strong on 4A, and fewer on 2A, and 2A is under far more assault than the others anyway. I mean, in an ideal world I'd like a judge who was equally (and positively) respectful of all the BoR, but I'll take some gaming of the system for now if I have to.

[perlchpr]

Or maybe I'm just trying to talk myself into being happy about what's probably a fait accompli. 😉

[Fist of Etiquette]

This is how you normalize Presidential corruption: Slowly put it more and more in the open until everyone just shrugs that *of course* the President wants to use law enforcement for partisan ends. https://t.co/AExNWVggH4
? Orin Kerr (@OrinKerr) September 3, 2018

Slowly over two hundred plus years.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Finally One Graphic Shows How Facebook Has Eliminated Conservative Content Since the Election of Donald Trump
Facebook wiped out traffic to several top conservative websites: Gateway Pundit, Infowars, Truthfeed, Ending the Fed, The Political Insider, Young Cons, Allen West, Sarah Palin, 100% Fed Up, Western Journalism, redstate Watcher, Pamela Geller, IJR, and others were almost completely wiped out. Breitbart and Daily Caller also took a significant hit. (The very influential Drudge Report was not listed in the study.)

A study by Western Journal found that since 2017 liberal publishers have seen an increase of 1.86% in traffic. The same study found conservative publishers saw a decrease of 13.71% during the same time period.

If you combine the total number of pageviews lost by just these two conservative online publishers you are looking at a loss of over 1.5 billion pageviews from Facebook in one year.

[loveconstitution1789]

As FriendFace stock continues to fall.

[General_Tso]

IT Crowd?

[loveconstitution1789]

Jinx. Buy me a cuke.

Haha. Great show. Brits create some Americanized gems occasionally. They always seem to end when they start to get a following though. Socialist British tv TOP MEN need to push the next bad tv show, I guess.

[Shirley Knott]

May I recommend to you The League of Gentlemen?
#1 'sketch comedy' in Britain during most of its run. Not that it's remotely like what we would consider sketch comedy.

[Conchfritters]

The president appears to suggest that getting Republicans elected should come before impartial application of the law.

Give the man a break, he has only been President for two years, and the man is learning on the job.

[Mickey Rat]

To think, he actually believed what Democrats were raising a stink about two years ago!

[perlchpr]

"The United States is not some banana republic with a two-tiered system of justice?one for the majority party and one for the minority party," said Sasse in a statement.

"Our banana republican two-tiered justice system is all about whether you are rich or poor, not your political party."

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Sasse's comment is a good indication of how divorced from reality the MUH PRINCIPLES crowd within the GOP has become.

[OpenBordersLiberal-tarian]

Everybody who cares about abortion access should be following Women's March on Twitter.

We're counting down the days until women come together in DC and take bold action to #CancelKavanaugh and say #BrettBye. We're all in this together. Here are some ways you can add your voice and your power to ours: (THREAD)

This battle over the future of the Supreme Court might be the most important test yet for the progressive / libertarian alliance. We must put aside our minor differences over things like minimum wage laws and work together to stop an illegitimate Kremlin asset President from turning this country into The Handmaid's Tale.

#StopKavanaugh
#CancelKavanaugh
#StandWithPP
#Resist

[perlchpr]

Y'know, I think I'm actually quite interested in acquiring a Russian Handmaid.

#HailKavanaugh

[BYODB]

That reads like a statement penned by Locutus of Borg. Jesus, was there anything Roddenberry couldn't predict?

/sarc

[Rockabilly]

The Sessions appointment was bad to being with; he's a troglodyte drug warrior like what's his face Joe Biden, who coined the term 'drug czar' after watching Reefer Madness, and thought goober mint must do more to warn the nations youth about the dangerous reefer and how it's a gateway drug to LSD, the most addictive drug ever.

And the modern day reefer is more powerful than the Woodstock reefer.

I'd like to see The Donald if not end the war on drugs, at least re-legalize marijuana. It would be interesting to see how the ProgTards take it since what ever he does they're against.

[loveconstitution1789]

I think Trump would have gutted the War on Drugs by now, if it werent for the Mueller's waste of time and money.

Trump has to fire Sessions to illustrate the 'out with the old drug warrior and in with the new' schtick. Trump cannot fire Sessions until Mueller runs out of butterflies to chase.

[loveconstitution1789]

$650,000 Lunch lessons with Warren Buffet
1. Approach everything with integrity
2. Get comfortable saying 'no'
3. Do what you love

[Leo Kovalensky II]

4. ???
5. Profit

[lap83]

"beware the advice of successful people; they do not seek company" https://goo.gl/images/2a32jw

[loveconstitution1789]

I saved $650,000 and learned those tidbits of advice other ways.

Especially Leo's #4. ???

[Longtorso, Johnny]

PRIMORDIAL ARCHETYPES
So this isn't just as simple as she got knocked up by her Alpha lover and tricked her Beta husband into believing the inseminated sperm was his own. She had to actually go to the trouble of collecting two samples of sperm, convincing the IVF clinic's doctor and staff into making the swap (and then withholding the truth from the father) and then carrying the pregnancy to term and keeping her husband ignorant of the ruse for a year. This may seem like the deviousness of a particular woman, but remember, she had to enlist the confidence of Dr. Kazaryan and other clinicians (I presume also female).

[Injun, as in from India]

Sup bitchez! I haven't logged in here in a long, long time.

How's everyone doing on the libertarianism-to-white-supremacy pipeline?

[perlchpr]

More supreme every day!

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

Long time no see! I see you kept your payments going even while in stir for kissing a Paki.

[Injun, as in from India]

I'm currently resigned to my fate, but still fapping to fantasies of moving to New Hampshire.

How's the old crew? Besides Fist and Rufus, I haven't seen very many of the old commenters.

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

John left for glib, then came back with a vengeance. Once he latches on to a thread, half the comments are him fapping to his own fantasies.

Hihn socks are weird.

Agile Cyborg seems to have vanished.

[Mickey Rat]

So, are criminal investigations of candidates before elections kosher or interfering with Democracy?

I could have sworn reopening an investigation before an election was a foul play by law enforcement two years ago. Or does that only apply to presidential elections?

[Ken Shultz]

The candidates and politicians involved aren't supposed to talk about it though.

Everyone knows about it, but no one's supposed to talk about it.

[Mickey Rat]

I would just like the media outrage machine to make a consistent argument from year to year.

[Ken Shultz]

Oh, it's consistent alright!

If it's good for progressives, they're consistently in favor of it.

If it's bad for progressives, you probably belong in jail.

[Mickey Rat]

Consistency that is not primarily for the principals they favor.

[Earth Skeptic]

PRAVDA!

[loveconstitution1789]

We have to wait until the election outcomes come in to decide.

I do find it interesting that not a single Democrat has been charged with political corruption since US Senator Bob Mendez skated on corruption charges. No corrupt Democrat politicians out there anymore? Really?

[Ken Shultz]

"So, are criminal investigations of candidates before elections kosher or interfering with Democracy?

Incidentally, using the IRS to run interference for Democrats isn't supposed to be kosher either. That's one of those situations where it's okay to talk about it--but no one's supposed to do anything about it.

I swear, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden would be heroes in the MSM's eyes--if they hadn't committed the unpardonable sin of making the Obama administration look bad.

If you need to speak your truth, go ahead, but for god's sake, do it when there isn't an election about to happen--especially one as important as this. We're going to impeach the president, doncha know, and we can't have a bunch of facts, logic, and reason getting in the way, m-kay?

[loveconstitution1789]

Exactly Ken. Obama didnt pardon Snowden for that reason. Manning got a commuted sentence because of the LBGTZ signalling.

[Earth Skeptic]

Fuck, when is there NOT going to be an election about to happen.

[loveconstitution1789]

Every 2 years buddy. As designed to keep the electorate in charge. In theory anyway.

Unless political office is banned constitutionally from taking any campaign money, elections and election fundraising will start the day after the last election.

[Happy Chandler]

Making public moves regarding an investigation in the 60 days before the election is against policy. Not illegal, and not totally impermissible. With a good reason, it can be done.

There have been zero such cases this year.

[Ken Shultz]

"Obviously, it set off alarms across political media and observers, with many suggesting that this goes above and beyond Trump's typically awful Twitter tirades."

Well, if they didn't have his tweets to blab about, what else would they do all day?

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Saagar Enjeti
Top comment on r/sports: "This is what Nike tell its Chinese factory workers."

Colin Kaepernick
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt

[Cy]

+1

[damikesc]

I have no problem obliterating Nike over this.

[loveconstitution1789]

Just do it?

[Dillinger]

Bo knows servitude.

[Juice]

"The United States is not some banana republic with a two-tiered system of justice?one for the majority party and one for the minority party,"

Of course not. Jeez, can you imagine? No, the US has a system of laws for those in government and another one for the little people. This is a civilized country after all.

[Hamster of Doom]

>>>This is not the conduct of a President committed to defending and upholding the constitution, but rather a President looking to use the Department of Justice to settle political scores."

That is the established new norm, yes. I bet a few highly-placed legislators could have done something to keep this from becoming the established norm, except they didn't see any personal benefit to it at the time, and here we are.

Fortunately they see a personal benefit to objecting to the established norm now that Trump's doing it, so we can focus entirely on Trump in his role as penultimate villain while utterly ignoring the mores and means by which this became the norm.

That'll fix everything.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

These people are like Cato the Younger and the other Optimates who protested Caesar's corruption, all the while marinating in the privileges accorded to their social status that led to Caesar's rise in the first place.

[Griffin3]

The only good thing, it happened to a couple from New Jersey:
Cops took $10K of their casino winnings during a traffic stop. And it was legal

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Hollywood Cut Out The Flag, So Let's Cut Out Hollywood
Hollywood, we have to put up with elected doofuses, at least until election time. But you? We can screw with you anytime we please. And we're going to. You spent tens of millions making a really pretty movie and you just turned your investment into a big, heaping pile of what San Franciscans have to dodge walking down the sidewalk.

[creech]

One conservative talk show host in Philly urged movie goers to bring their own flags and stand up and wave them when "Neil Armstrong" sets foot on the moon.

[John]

Ryan Gosling or whatever his name claims that Neil Armstrong was really progressive and felt like it was a human accomplishment not an American one. Chuck Yeager, who is, in my opinion, the greatest living American and runs a fabulous twitter feed, responded: "that is not the Neil Armstrong I knew".

Yeagar trained all of the Apollo astronauts.

[perlchpr]

Ryan Gosling or whatever his name claims that Neil Armstrong was really progressive and felt like it was a human accomplishment not an American one.

Even if it was true, it would be irrelevant what Armstrong thought. It was an American achievement. No one else has managed it so far.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Gosling and the rest of his class would be shocked at how nationalistic the Great Depression/WW2 generation actually was. They might have supported the UN, but only in the context of the US being the top global dog.

[damikesc]

They wouldnt be shocked. Theyd celebrate as national accomplishments anything any other country did.

[loveconstitution1789]

That and every American knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the USA had just saved the World from more suffering under Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and Tojo's authoritarian desires.

[Mickey Rat]

As an actor, probably most of what Gosling knows about what Armstrong was like as a man are the words the scriptwriter's put in his mouth.

[perlchpr]

While hilarious, I would probably find that annoying.

Maybe if they were just those little 3"x5" flags, and people waved them from their seats. Makes the point, doesn't make a gigantic annoying spectacle for all the other patrons.

[damikesc]

Id say just do not go.

The bullshit of this was an accomplishment for humanity is absurd. The USA is apparently only allowed to be the bad guys.

I didnt see non Americans dying on the launch pad. Didnt see non Americans paying a ton for the program.

[loveconstitution1789]

I just wait for the few movies that I dont throw up to to go on Netflix and watch them for no additional cost.

My flagpole in the my front yard lighting up the Stars and Stripes at night.

[Ken Shultz]

I've officially cut the cord, and using all these other services now . . . isn't Hollywood due for what happened to the music industry?

I found an amazing and huge TV for not much bread, and between Roku and various apps, I can browse what's on--and pick the distribution channel based on price. I've got two choices on Vudu, (one free with advertising, one for $1.99 with no advertising), and then it's on Crackle, broadcast TV, and Netflix, too?

Why would I go to the movie theater anymore?

It used to be about art films, but those are even more accessible at home now than they were when I lived nearer to West Hollywood and all those artsy fartsy, smelly old two-plex theaters than got converted into art houses because they couldn't compete with a multiplex.

Services like Hulu is where Hollywood sees the future going, I guess, but that cannibalizing their own business model. They figure if online streaming is going to do to movies and TV what Napster, iTunes, and Pandora did to the music business, then they want to be iTunes. But that's like an insignificant portion of Apple's business!

Hollywood deserves what's coming.

[perlchpr]

It will probably have a deleterious effect on the output of Hollywood, though, if one is a fan of big summer blockbusters.

It's very possible to record an album on the cheap.

It's not possible to make Avengers 4 on the cheap.

[Cathy L]

Uhhhhhh guys, Hollywood makes blockbusters for the Chinese market now.

[BYODB]

^ This is essentially true, although it's not just the 'Chinese' market but rather overseas markets in general.

China limits how many American films can be imported, and controls which one's are imported while also controlling what form they end up in after being imported, so as a general market it's only good if your movie can get past Chinese censors.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

OUTRAGE!

[Eddy]

So what are these Republican Congressmen charged with, and is the evidence any good?

Or do we simply assume that it must be rule-of-law-ish because, look, the prosecutors are Republicans!

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

The leaks about Duncan D. Hunter are pretty impressive. If they are even half true, he's sunk.

[damikesc]

Wasnt the same the case with Ted Stevens?

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

I don't remember the same volume of alleged transgressions. Still, all they are is misuse of campaign funds, which is pretty minor league corruption. All it really means is he decided to go cheap by not hiring the right lawyers and accountants to cover it up.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

This is how you normalize Presidential corruption

"We preferred it when they kept it hidden behind closed doors like a normal kleptocracy."

[Ken Shultz]

"Why are Twitter conservatives cutting up their Nike socks? To protest the brand's new choice of a spokesperson, professional quarterback Colin Kaepernick."

Nike is doing this for the free publicity, and I don't see why you should give it to them. If Reason is going to do Nike's advertising for them, make them pay. Don't do it for free.

If it weren't for the kneeling controversy, ENB probably wouldn't know Colin Kaepernick from Alex Smith.

[Bearded Spock]

What's funny is that Kaepernick would be playing right now if he were willing to be a back up QB and didn't insist on a grossly overinflated salary.

His skills simply aren't worth what his ego demands, and his grandstanding drama is poison to any team.

Reason editors are just suckers for the anti-cop narrative; gets them every time.

[Ken Shultz]

The problem was also Kaepernick's girlfriend.

"OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Ray Lewis said the Baltimore Ravens chose not to sign Colin Kaepernick after the quarterback's girlfriend posted a "racist" tweet featuring the former All-Pro linebacker and owner Steve Bisciotti.

"We were going to close the deal to sign him," Lewis said on Showtime's "Inside the NFL" on Tuesday night. "Steve Bisciotti said, 'I want to hear Colin Kaepernick speak to let me know that he wants to play football.'"

"And it never happens because that picture comes up the next day."

The Aug. 2 tweet by Nessa Diab compared a picture of Lewis hugging Bisciotti to a scene from "Django Unchained," in which Samuel L. Jackson as a loyal house slave held Leonardo DiCaprio's cruel plantation owner character.

----ESPN

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/.....cist-tweet

Some people find it remarkable that an owner wouldn't sign somebody after his girlfriend tweets a photo comparing the owner to a slave-holder.

Other people aren't completely insane.

[Ken Shultz]

Here's the tweet.

http://heavy.com/sports/2017/0.....essa-diab/

Sometimes, you gotta tell people in your life to shut the fuck up.

[perlchpr]

Yow. Hadn't heard that. No fucking wonder he doesn't have a job.

Is he still dating the stupid cow?

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Is he still dating the stupid cow?

Why do you think he's simply been an avatar for the Woke Social Justice crowd and hasn't actually talked to the media in about two years? 1) Kaepernick is not that smart, which he showed in interviews shortly after he started sitting during the anthem and 2) she's basically his political thought leader. If the two of them broke up, he'd be clueless on what to do next.

[Number 2]

Thank you. It's about time someone mentioned this.

[lap83]

I don't have any Nike socks, but I'm going to buy some just to cut them up!

[Ben_]

I think you have it backward. Reason doesn't have anything to offer Nike. Nike has publicity already and Reason is jumping in to include themselves ? like people with nothing interesting to say talking about what they saw on the news.

[Ken Shultz]

Nike did this because it's filling the news, twitter, and facebook feeds of an entire generation with a message that makes Nike look so woke--and woke sells shoes to their most likely customers.

You can't buy the kind of advertising ENB and others are giving Nike for free, and that's why Nike did it.

[Cathy L]

I hope you're also telling the same thing to the idiot Trumpkins who burned their shoes.

[perlchpr]

Ken is good people (or so I judge from our very superficial relationship), and so I suspect he will, should he encounter any of them.

[Sevo]

"ENB probably wouldn't know Colin Kaepernick from Alex Smith."

Anyone who watched the 9ers would. Kaepernick should be in jail for impersonating an NFL QB.

[General_Tso]

Doesn't 'professional quarterback' imply that he's being paid to be a quarterback?

Not so.

[Curt]

Which also makes the slogan "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything" all the more laughable. Kaep wasn't kneeling when he was a starting quarterback. He didn't sacrifice his career as a starting quarterback in order to support his beliefs.

He sacrificed his career as a backup QB to support his beliefs. And he's gotten offers to continue being a backup QB and rejected them. Apparently, somewhere along the way, he determined that sacrificing his backup QB role to support his beliefs should have earned him a starting QB role.

Meanwhile, has he actually succeeded in raising any awareness or support for criminal justice reform? Or has he just become a pawn in the Trump Edition of Culture Warz?

[John]

Here is what showed all of the NFL protesters to be frauds. After Trump commuted the sentence of the woman whose cause Kim Kardasian was behind, Trump asked the NFL protestors for a list of people in federal prison that they felt sentence needed to be commuted as well and Trump promised to consider them. Maybe Trump was talking out of his ass and wouldn't have commuted anyone's sentence. We will never know because they never took him up on the offer.

How could they not do that? If he doesn't act, you then have a real beef and can bring public attention to the cases. And if he does, you just got a bunch of people unfairly imprisoned out of prison. What is the down side?

The fact that they didn't give him a list of names just shows that they are not serious or they are worried that Trump might actually commute people and that would make Democrats look bad.

[loveconstitution1789]

Lefties feel that the downside is Trump becomes MORE popular.

[lap83]

Kim Kardashian apparently has more intellectual depth and substance than all of the protesting players combined.

[John]

Apparently so. Trump has the power to let anyone he wants out of federal prison with the stroke of a pen. How in the world could you not take him up on an invitation to submit names for people's sentences to commute?

[perlchpr]

That would be a good tweet from the Twit-In-Chief.

"Still waiting on that commutation list from the NFL Kneelers! Sad!"

[perlchpr]

Ouch.

[loveconstitution1789]

I cannot stand the Kardashian craze but I must give her credit. Kim Kardashian put her money where her mouth is.

[Curt]

Seems about right. She got that money because of where she put her mouth (and other parts).

[damikesc]

I assume Nike paying him this whole time might be why he isnt playing.

[John]

Yes. He had multiple offers to be a backup and have a chance to win back his career. He turned all of them down.

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

Pink Ladies 4EVER!

[Leo Kovalensky II]

Are we still talking about apples?

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

Sweet, tart, juicy, hmmmm......

[Curt]

Are we back to the euphemism thing?

[Ben_]

Politically inspired and politically timed criminal investigations are also corruption.

[Happy Chandler]

Like Benghazi! ?

[loveconstitution1789]

The rotting corpses of 4 Americans that were killed in Libya, because of horrible decisions by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, would disagree.

[Happy Chandler]

You know that is not what the reports said.

Also, Kevin McCarthy knew:
http://www.latimes.com/local/a.....lumn.html#

[Shirley Knott]

Good lord ? that's a real stretch to interpret what McCarthy said as "solely out to get Hillary."
You might as well argue that the Dems ignored Benghazi solely to get Hillary elected.

[Sevo]

"Tucker: Robert Reich Calls for Trump's Presidency to Be 'Annulled,' Setting a New Liberal Extreme"
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/08/27
/robert-reich-calls-trumps-presidency-
be-annulled-tucker-carlson-reacts

We don't have an app for that:
"Is There A Cure?
Unfortunately, medical science has not yet found a cure for Trump Derangement Syndrome. There is no medication, therapy, or procedure that can alleviate the previously mentioned symptoms. One can only break free of TDS when they go through an awakening in which they realize that the far left media has been lying to them about Trump and conservatives. However, this is a rare occurrence. It is safe to say that Trump Derangement Syndrome will remain a mental health issue for the foreseeable future."
https://www.libertynation.com/trump-
derangement-syndrome-a-growing-
mental-health-epidemic/

[perlchpr]

What would be the process by which a presidency were 'annulled'? I'm pretty sure the Constitution doesn't mention that sort of thing.

[Michael Ejercito]

Reich said the Supreme Court should do it.

[perlchpr]

But... how? Would someone file a court case? They wear robes, but they don't have magic wands they can just wave and make things happen.

[BYODB]

Honestly, I think Progressives do indeed believe that the Supreme Court can do anything. And they might be right, too, which is possibly even more concerning.

[loveconstitution1789]

The SCOTUS made Obamacare legal when it is one of the most unconstitutional laws ever passed. Obamacare forces Americas to buy some product they dont want to, which is blatently unconstitutional. Its not a tax, or the government would collect it.

Domestic spying (patriot act), segregation, and japanese internment are some of the others.

[Dillinger]

>>>What would be the process by which a presidency were 'annulled'?

consummation of presidency incomplete?

[damikesc]

Going with recent history, there is a good chance the charges are bullshit.

[loveconstitution1789]

The FBI didnt suddenly get less corrupt.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

When does the swamp draining actually begin?

[John]

I would say reducing the power of the regulatory state is a very good start. So, it already has.

Trump can't fire the entire FBI or replace Congress. So, what do you want him to do exactly?

[Happy Chandler]

Prioritize individual rights over corrupt police.
Not sign on to extension and expansion of warrantless wiretapping.
Pay attention to the injustices of ICE.
Use executive order to deprioritize enforcement of marijuana laws that are more strict than state laws.

He's got a million opportunities. The only ones that see any attention are the ones that affect big business.

[loveconstitution1789]

1. Police are mostly state law enforcement. That has almost nothing to do with the Executive branch.
2. I agree with you on that one. Trump can end unconstitutional domestic spying immediately.
3. The Lefties hate ICE. All abuses of ICE are swiftly being exposed and dealt with. In fact, I would say ICE agents get less protection than regulate abusive cops. The deportations are not injustices.
4. Only Congress or the SCOTUS can end the unconstitutional Controlled Substances Act. The president can drag his feet on drug enforcement, which is what Trump is doing.

Feel free to give Trump credit for dragging his feet on drug enforcement. You wont, but feel free.

[Happy Chandler]

1) The DOJ is tasked with enforcing civil rights laws against state and local police. That has ended under Trump.
2) No interest in protecting people's rights.
3) ICE has been abusive for a long time. Anyone who claims to care about peoples' rights would be against it. The only limits on ICE now are the ones that are court enforced, and those aren't even being followed.
4) http://www.reuters.com/article.....SKBN1ET1MU
He's been talk on legalization, action on criminalization.

[Sevo]

"The only ones that see any attention are the ones that affect big business."

Green looks good on you.

[loveconstitution1789]

The swamp cant be fully drained.

Hillary is not in public office anymore.

[Dillinger]

announcing a new contract w/nike to protest america is so colin kapernick.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Apparently they actually paid his bills after his contract expired, so this is just making the relationship public.

[damikesc]

Did they ever publicize it?

I mean, if they're a public company, aren't they required to disclose such things?

All Nike is showing is that they were so lucky Michael Jordan was a smarter businessman than anybody there is now.

"Republicans also buy sneakers". Just, well, I will be dramatically less likely to buy Nike.

[BYODB]

I can't imagine why anyone would want to wear Nike. I mean, sweatshop laborers aren't known for their careful attention to detail, after all.

[BYODB]

I think Trump is probably missing the opportunity that Obama left for him: Nominate people to the judiciary without any judicial experience, with the explicit notion that they'll simply rubber stamp things based on how they feel instead of it having anything to do with the law. We already know that type of nominee will make it through, well at least if they vote D they will.

You see, that's how you shred the constitution. Putting people in charge of defending it that haven't ever even read it, and frankly couldn't care less about it. Trump is doing a terrible job at destroying the constitution with the courts, it's almost like he isn't a progressive...

[perlchpr]

You still want socks with jackboots, or you get nasty blisters.