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Reason Roundup

Tulsi Gabbard Conspiracy Theories Go Mainstream as Hillary Clinton Accuses the Candidate of Being Groomed by Russia

Gabbard called Clinton "the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long."

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 10.21.2019 9:30 AM

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tulsi-hillary | Clinton: Maule/Fotogramma/Ropi; Gabbard: Preston Ehrler/ZUMA Press/Newscom
(Clinton: Maule/Fotogramma/Ropi; Gabbard: Preston Ehrler/ZUMA Press/Newscom)

Clinton suggests Tulsi Gabbard and Jill Stein are "Russian assets." Since announcing her 2020 presidential bid, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D–Hawaii) has been plagued by bizarre conspiracy theories, including rumors that she's in league with Russia and that she plans a third-party run. Now Hillary Clinton has joined the theorists levying the allegations. In a recent podcast, the Democrats' 2016 nominee warned that Russia was "grooming" Gabbard "to be the third-party candidate."

As a woman with anti-war beliefs, sometimes idiosyncratic policy positions, and an apparent allergy to parroting all of her party's preferred talking points, Gabbard has rankled a lot of establishment Democrats and picked up fans from several factions, including several conservatives.

That last part has further fueled rumors that Gabbard's run as a Democrat is just a prelude to an independent or third-party presidential campaign next year. Some figures have been fuming about that (very slim) possibility, just as they've fumed over the possibility that Rep. Justin Amash (I–Mich.) might do the same. Just as they fume anytime anyone dares challenge the idea that U.S. politics should mean a challenge between one Republican and one Democrat.

The more wacko speculation surrounding Gabbard is that she's linked to Russia. As in the 2016 election, there's a lot of careless conflation between the idea that she's a Russian plant and the idea that some people in Moscow would like her to do well.

Hillary Clinton combined both theories into one (while also roping in Jill Stein for good measure) on a podcast with David Plouffe. Clinton told Plouffe that she thinks a woman currently running in the Democratic presidential primary is being groomed by Russia to run as a third-party candidate:

I'm not making any predictions, but I think they've got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate. She's the favorite of the Russians. They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far…

Lest there be any doubt who she meant, a Clinton spokesperson subsequently confirmed that Clinton was talking about Tulsi Gabbard. ("Clinton spox @NickMerrill, when asked if HRC was referring to Gabbard: 'If the nesting doll fits,'" tweeted CNN's Dan Merica.)

Gabbard responded with a tweet thread accusing Clinton and her allies of running a "concerted campaign" to tarnish Gabbard's reputation. After calling Clinton "the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long," Gabbard thanked Clinton for having "finally come out from behind the curtain":

From the day I announced my candidacy, there has been a concerted campaign to destroy my reputation. We wondered who was behind it and why. Now we know—it was always you, through your proxies and powerful allies in the corporate media and war machine, afraid of the threat I pose. It's now clear that this primary is between you and me. Don't cowardly hide behind your proxies. Join the race directly.

The New York Post editorial board notes that Clinton's comments follow "last week's New York Times story hinting at the same conspiracy theory, which cited at least two former Clinton aides and which Gabbard slammed onstage at last week's debate."

During the Plouffe podcast, Clinton also accused 2016 Green Party candidate Jill Stein of being a "Russian asset." After talking about Russia's alleged new favorite, Clinton added:

and that's assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which, she might not 'cause she's also a Russian asset. She's a Russian asset, totally. They know they can't win without a third-party candidate.

Yikes.

Clinton is not the only prominent politician to insinuate that something is amiss with Gabbard. In July, after Gabbard slammed Sen. Kamala Harris (D–Calif.) for her record as a prosecutor, Harris' communications manager tweeted out the following, with a link to an NBC story titled "Russia's propaganda machine discovers 2020 Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard":

Reporters writing their stories with eyes on the modern-day assignment desk of Twitter, read this: "The Russian propaganda machine that tried to influence the 2016 election is now promoting the presidential aspirations of a controversial Hawaii Democrat"

Evan McMullin, who briefly ran as an independent candidate in 2016, tweeted on Friday:

I believe it's true. Tulsi Gabbard is with the Russians and the Russians are with Tulsi Gabbard. She confirms it every time she opens her mouth.

On Sunday, Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden said she didn't understand "why major media outlets aren't more concerned about Russian bot support of Tulsi than Hillary's statement."

Asked by NBC about the idea that Russian bots were backing her campaign, Gabbard said "I don't control them. I don't control what anyone else says or does."

.@HillaryClinton attacked @TulsiGabbard today, saying Russians "are grooming her to be the third-party candidate."

Politicians disgust me, and moreso when they are so eager to shed other children's blood. Here's my interview with Gabbard -- does she seem like a Russian plant? pic.twitter.com/ATf5pgNnDd

— John Stossel (@JohnStossel) October 18, 2019


FREE MINDS

Will Amash run for president? Rep. Justin Amash (I–Mich.) told Chuck Todd: "I wouldn't say 100% of anything. I'm running for Congress, but I keep things open and I wouldn't rule anything out." You can watch the interview here.


FREE MARKETS

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.) says she's almost figured out how much her Medicare for All plan would cost and how the government should pay for it. "I've been working for a long time on this question about what the cost will be and how to pay for it, and I'm getting close," the 2020 presidential candidate told reporters over the weekend.


ELECTION 2020

The Buttigieg moment? South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg "was initially seen as a long-shot presidential contender," but he's now "surged within striking distance of former vice president Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses," according to USA Today. A new Iowa poll from the paper and Suffolk University places former Vice President Joe Biden at 18 percent, Warren at 17, and Buttigieg at 13.


QUICK HITS

I remember NYPD hanging around outside methadone clinics on Saturdays, when people would get 2 doses to cover Sunday too. Undercovers would pretend to be in withdrawal & beg for someone's extra dose. If someone was kind enough to give it to them, they got arrested. For a felony. https://t.co/H9EluQ3iC3

— Emily Galvin-Almanza (@GalvinAlmanza) October 20, 2019

  • Mitt Romney's secret Twitter account has been discovered.
  • Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has admitted that he had "a few drinks" before passing out in his car at a stop sign.
  • The drug war never dies, it just finds new targets.
  • Doctors are lobbying to have breast-cancer warnings added to cheese.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

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NEXT: 5G Is the Future

Elizabeth Nolan Brown is a senior editor at Reason.

Reason RoundupTulsi GabbardHillary ClintonJill SteinElection 2020Conspiracy TheoriesRussiaGreen PartyThird PartiesCampaigns/ElectionsDemocratic Party
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  1. Don't look at me!   6 years ago

    In the end, we are all Russian assets.

    1. Mike Laursen   6 years ago

      And that's OK.

      1. Earth Skeptic   6 years ago

        Back in the USSR!

        1. Deconstructed Potato   6 years ago

          You don't know how lucky you are, boy

    2. Rufus The Monocled   6 years ago

      Hello.

      "I've been working for a long time on this question about what the cost will be and how to pay for it, and I'm getting close,"

      Lol aside. Shouldn't this have been worked out already?

      "I got it! WE CAN PRINT MORE MONEY.....AND TAX THE RICH!"

      /takes long sip of V-8.

      1. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

        She'll let us know around mid-November, 2020.

        1. Quo Usque Tandem   6 years ago

          Well after election day.

      2. loveconstitution1789   6 years ago

        Rufus, did you vote in Canada's general election today?

      3. Fats of Fury   6 years ago

        The costs will be 1023/1024 of the original estimates.

    3. Zeb   6 years ago

      Doesn't "asset", used that way, mean that a person is actually knowingly employed by the Russian government? That's a fucking insane allegation to make.

      1. John   6 years ago

        Yes it does mean that. And yes it is an insane accusation.

        1. Hit and Run   6 years ago

          And Reason is insane for promoting this allegation as if it had merit.

          1. Mike Laursen   6 years ago

            I didn’t see a whole lotta promotion above. I saw derision and mockery.

            1. Mike Laursen   6 years ago

              Well deserved mockery.

      2. Leo Kovalensky II   6 years ago

        If they were serious about this Russian asset nonsense, shouldn't they be investigating her as a member of Congress?

        1. John   6 years ago

          Or taking her security clearance that she has because she is still an officer in the Army reserves? The whole thing is a new low. And it is not just about Hillary. A whole bunch of people in the media are pushing the slander.

          1. loveconstitution1789   6 years ago

            Espionage is a major federal felony, so defaming someone without a shred of truth is exactly why Defamation per se exists to cover that blatantly malicious slander and libel.

            Anyone who does not clearly see how the MSM are propagandists who want to hide behind the law but have no problem breaking the law.

            1. loveconstitution1789   6 years ago

              (contd)*breaking the law are not paying attention.

          2. damikesc   6 years ago

            John, can't we all now agree that we dodged a HUGE bullet not placing this lunatic in power in 11/16?

      3. Incomprehensible Bitching   6 years ago

        She’s saying things opposed to the democrat/Clinton agenda. That’s all the evidence you need. If it looks like a Russian, and talks like a Russian...

      4. De Oppresso Liber   6 years ago

        An "asset" does not have to knowingly participate to be called an "asset". An "agent" is someone who is knowingly collecting intel or doing other activities under the direction and with the authorization of an intelligence officer. The terms are often interchanged in common usage, though.
        https://fas.org/irp/eprint/ci-glossary.pdf

        1. Red Rocks White Privilege   6 years ago

          The Brockobot spook would have those definitions handy.

        2. TrickyVic (old school)   6 years ago

          ""An “asset” does not have to knowingly participate to be called an “asset”. "'

          Since the Russian plan is to spread discord, does that mean all the people who are helping spread discord in the US are Russian assets?

          1. KevinP   6 years ago

            The MSM are Russian assets, according to De Oppresso Liber's logic.

    4. Teddy Pump   6 years ago

      Free Govt. supplied Vodka for all!!!

  2. Fist of Etiquette   6 years ago

    Clinton suggests Tulsi Gabbard and Jill Stein are "Russian assets."

    IT WAS HER TURN.

    1. Anomalous   6 years ago

      I doubt that they're Russian assets, but I'm sure Hillary Clinton is an American liability.

      1. Hit and Run   6 years ago

        HOW DARE YOU?

      2. NashTiger   6 years ago

        Point

      3. Teddy Pump   6 years ago

        Naw,,,,,,Looking at the hundreds of thousands of innocent Muslims killed, maimed & displaced in Libya, Syria & Yemen due to the war Crimes of her & Obummy, I would say she is a Global Liability!!!

    2. Number 2   6 years ago

      Isn’t Jill Stein the one who filed lawsuits in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, claiming that the Russians have hacked into voting machines in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan to change the voting results in Trump’s favor? Seems like a very odd thing for a Russian asset to do now, doesn’t it?

      1. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

        Naive child. It's exactly what a Russian asset would do. Ever noticed how good Russkies are at Chess?

  3. Bee Tagger   6 years ago

    Mitt Romney's secret Twitter account has been discovered.

    placed in a carrier on top of Twitter's roof

  4. Fist of Etiquette   6 years ago

    "I wouldn't say 100% of anything. I'm running for Congress, but I keep things open and I wouldn't rule anything out."

    The deciding factor will be if he thinks he can spoil it for his arch-nemesis Trump.

    1. Ray McKigney   6 years ago

      He was actually answering the question, "Are you 100% straight?"

  5. Bee Tagger   6 years ago

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.) says she's almost figured out how much her Medicare for All plan would cost and how the government should pay for it.

    what's more depressing: arriving at a number? or thinking it's possible to arrive at an accurate number?

    1. Ray McKigney   6 years ago

      Come on, Lizzie, you can say it. It's OK. "We're going to have to raise taxes on the middle class. A lot."

    2. OpenBordersLiberal-tarian   6 years ago

      Elizabeth Warren is a brilliant Harvard professor. I'm sure she'll come up with an accurate price tag.

      #LibertariansForWarren

      1. Don't look at me!   6 years ago

        No mention of affordability.

      2. Mickey Rat   6 years ago

        Richard Epstein on "The Libertarian" podcast more or less said that Warren's economic plans are an amazing mixture of ignorance and stupidity.

      3. El Oso   6 years ago

        You amazing sarcasm continue to surprise me. When are you going to come out as a Goldwater Republican?

        1. loveconstitution1789   6 years ago

          OBL is the evil ghost of Goldwater.

          1. Jerryskids   6 years ago

            Goldwater is dead? When did this happen and why was I not informed? I still have an AuH20 bumper sticker on my Karmann Ghia.

    3. Mike Laursen   6 years ago

      Even life-long Democrats I know, who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, are saying she's gone off the deep end. She's exhibiting her usual blindness to how she is coming across, not realizing she's coming off as paranoid, senile, and bitter.

      1. Mike Laursen   6 years ago

        Sigh, that wasn't supposed to be a comment on Warren.

        1. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

          Hey, if the moccassin fits.

          1. TrickyVic (old school)   6 years ago

            If the moccasin fit, another recipe I must submit.

            1. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

              How?

              1. loveconstitution1789   6 years ago

                Her moccasins come in adjustable sizes of 1/1024 of an inch.

                1. JWatts   6 years ago

                  Close enough to count...

      2. Mickey Rat   6 years ago

        But that may be because she is paranoid, senile and bitter, and all those conditions reinforce one another.

        1. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

          Nonsense, Russia is part of a vast Right-Wing conspiracy to force her husband to rape women, or something.

  6. Fist of Etiquette   6 years ago

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.) says she's almost figured out how much her Medicare for All plan would cost and how the government should pay for it.

    You have to elect her to find out.

  7. Bee Tagger   6 years ago

    Gabbard said "I don't control them. I don't control what anyone else says or does."

    that's no way to talk if you want to become the Democrat nominee for president

    1. Don't look at me!   6 years ago

      I don’t control them, I just want to control you.

      1. Ray McKigney   6 years ago

        I don't control them *cough* yet *cough*.

  8. Fist of Etiquette   6 years ago

    South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg "was initially seen as a long-shot presidential contender," but he's now "surged within striking distance of former vice president Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren..."

    Everyone who wants to see Trump v. Buttigieg, raise your hands.

    1. Don't look at me!   6 years ago

      ***raises hand holding arm at elbow***

    2. Ray McKigney   6 years ago

      What, me worry?

    3. Jerryskids   6 years ago

      You want to be careful if you're within striking distance of a surging Mayor Pete. Or maybe you do want to be within striking distance of a surging Mayor Pete, I won't judge you. But for God's sake, don't get within striking distance of Hillary Clinton.

    4. NoVaNick   6 years ago

      I don’t think Buttigieg stands a chance, although he is less bad than many of the others. Fact is that no matter what people may say about being Ok with it personally, few people outside of the deep blue enclaves will vote for a gay candidate, and I am talking about democrats here

      1. John   6 years ago

        I think they would go for a gay candidate but not such an obviously gay candidate as Buttigieg. I think someone like Thiel who is an accomplished person who just happens to be gay. But they won't go for someone like Buttigieg whose entire public persona seems to be that he is gay.

        1. lap83   6 years ago

          I agree. Now a Muslim president, on the other hand... Unless it's someone like Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who is literally one in a billion, never.

          1. lap83   6 years ago

            and actually, she's an athiest. So I'm going to stick with my first thought, that we are way more likely to have a gay president than a Muslim one

            1. El Oso   6 years ago

              I, personally, would vote for anyone who is gay, Muslim, handicapped, and green...and of course, Black...

              1. lap83   6 years ago

                The Dems would be too busy pleasuring themselves over the thought of such a person who ticked all those boxes to bother running them

                1. Hit and Run   6 years ago

                  Would that include Tulsi?

                2. Fancylad   6 years ago

                  Unless they ran as a Republican, and then they'd be practically Hitler.

              2. Rod Flash   6 years ago

                Throw in a little brown and beige, and you've got a nice camo candidate.

              3. Fats of Fury   6 years ago

                But Obama can't run again.

      2. Fats of Fury   6 years ago

        For millennials and suburban women being gay trumps all qualifications.

  9. Fist of Etiquette   6 years ago

    Undercovers would pretend to be in withdrawal & beg for someone's extra dose. If someone was kind enough to give it to them, they got arrested. For a felony.

    Kamala Harris just got a boner.

    1. Rufus The Monocled   6 years ago

      /removes mask from Harris.

      "It's a 'man, man!"

      "And I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for you meddling kids."

      /looks at Fred and winks.

      "Call me".

  10. Fist of Etiquette   6 years ago

    Mitt Romney's secret Twitter account has been discovered.

    Jesus. Why bother.

    1. Don't look at me!   6 years ago

      Of all the crap sites in all the internet, she had to walk into my secret twitter account.

    2. NoVaNick   6 years ago

      I knew it-vaping is a Chinese conspiracy:

      https://pix11.com/2019/10/19/7-people-arrested-in-illegal-thc-vape-bust-in-bergen-county-prosecutor/

    3. loveconstitution1789   6 years ago

      Mitt who?

      1. Fancylad   6 years ago

        Pierre Delecto, that's who

  11. OpenBordersLiberal-tarian   6 years ago

    More bad economic news.

    Charles Koch current net worth: $60.1 billion

    Great. So he's above the sixty billion barrier. Well guess what? I guarantee the next fluctuation will drop him below sixty billion. Maybe today, but certainly by the end of this week.

    Stagnation. Is. Not. Good. Enough.

    Koch / Reason libertarianism exists to promote a steady increase in the wealth of the world's richest people — not to watch them financially tread water. In order for that to happen, we need a Democrat in the White House.

    #DrumpfRecession
    #HowLongMustCharlesKochSuffer?

    1. Don't look at me!   6 years ago

      Pro tip: don’t pattern your investments after Charles Koch.

      1. OpenBordersLiberal-tarian   6 years ago

        It's not Mr. Koch's fault he's struggling in the Drumpf economy. His business depends on the free flow of highly skilled doctors and engineers across the US - Mexico border. And Orange Hitler has locked those people in concentration camps where they're forced to drink from toilets.

        1. creech   6 years ago

          Yes, it was reported Charles was outside a closed K-Mart in Wichita on Friday morning, looking to hook on as a day laborer for a landscaper or roofer.

  12. Fist of Etiquette   6 years ago

    Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has admitted that he had "a few drinks" before passing out in his car at a stop sign.

    Hopefully CPD arrested whoever forced him to have those drinks.

    1. Earth Skeptic   6 years ago

      And shot their dog.

  13. Fist of Etiquette   6 years ago

    ...Gabbard has rankled a lot of establishment Democrats and picked up fans from several factions, including several conservatives.

    That anti-gay cult she grew up in might have helped there, too.

  14. Aloysious   6 years ago

    Hillary Clinton: crazy old coot yells at clouds.

    She's making her retard supporters look more asinine than usual.

    1. Rufus The Monocled   6 years ago

      When they finally taker her away and we go visit her at Arkham, we'll find her in a cell gently banging her ahead against a rubber wall muttering to herself, 'it was her turn'.

      1. Aloysious   6 years ago

        We could only hope to be so lucky.

        1. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

          NASA should have let her fly the Challenger like she wanted.

          1. Hit and Run   6 years ago

            I would watch that Netflix series, titled "What if..."

      2. Unicorn Abattoir   6 years ago

        No, she'll be convinced she's president and spend her days passing "executive orders" to the guards.

        1. $park¥ is the Worst   6 years ago

          That’s great, I can see it now. They give her a padded cell with a big oak desk, a collection of black presidential crayons, a couple teams of paper, and a big red plastic phone. She sits there all day long sometimes yelling into the phone, sometimes banging on the desk, sometimes yelling into the phone while banging on the desk, and occasionally slipping an “order” under the door and shouting “MAKE IT HAPPEN, KARL!”

          1. Unicorn Abattoir   6 years ago

            That's how I see it. Except to her mind, the padded cell will appear as if it actually is the oval office.

    2. netizen   6 years ago

      "They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far…"
      I too am concerned that the Russians have infiltrated our series of tubes.

    3. NashTiger   6 years ago

      Member when McCartyism was a bad thing?

  15. Fist of Etiquette   6 years ago

    ...and that's assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which, she might not 'cause she's also a Russian asset. She's a Russian asset, totally. They know they can't win without a third-party candidate.

    Vast conspiracies are nothing new to Madame Secretary.

    1. loveconstitution1789   6 years ago

      Hillary Rodham "Get Away with Conspiracies" Clinton.

  16. Rufus The Monocled   6 years ago

    On Nut Job Sue over there. It's all projection with Hilary. Chick is so paranoid because she herself is awash in corruption she can no longer parse fiction from reality anymore.

    And this loon wanted full control of the U.S. military?

    1. TrickyVic (old school)   6 years ago

      She thinks her followers are so stupid that she can just point at someone and say Russsian, and they will believe her.

      1. Unicorn Abattoir   6 years ago

        On that point, she's not wrong.

      2. De Oppresso Liber   6 years ago

        So close to self awareness...any day now.

        1. TrickyVic (old school)   6 years ago

          Are you buying into the Stein and Gabbard are Russian assets line?

  17. Rich   6 years ago

    "I've been working for a long time on this question about what the cost will be and how to pay for it, and I'm getting close."

    That's apparent, Liz. How about the *answer*?

  18. OpenBordersLiberal-tarian   6 years ago

    Venezuela sure sounds rough.

    Venezuela’s Water System is Collapsing

    In the spirit of Shikha Dalmia, I'll use this bad news as an opportunity to encourage the entire population of Venezuela to immigrate to the United States.

    Of course conservatives will pounce with silly objections like "If you bring Venezuelans into the US, the US will become more like Venezuela. Because those immigrants will retain their pro-socialist views and vote accordingly." But that's a bunch of alt-right nonsense.

    #VenezuelansAreNaturalLibertarians

    1. creech   6 years ago

      It can't be bad in Venezuela or there would be riots, like in Chile over a 4% subway fare increase.

      1. Unicorn Abattoir   6 years ago

        Somebody down there needs to get in touch with the Kingston Trio.

        1. Colossal Douchebag   6 years ago

          I hear they never returned; their fate is still unknown.

          1. Unicorn Abattoir   6 years ago

            They're probably in a Tijuana Jail.

  19. Longtobefree   6 years ago

    OK. I declare whats-her-name to be fully batshit crazy.
    Under red flag laws, all of her secret service and private guards have to give up their firearms in the name of public safety, right?

    1. Rich   6 years ago

      Doesn't the law require, um, the "concerned party" to have a certain relationship? Of course, in these days of modern time, you could simply claim she's your ex-lover.

      1. Longtobefree   6 years ago

        Great! Now my reputation is sullied forever.
        Doesn't the voter-candidate relationship count? If not, why not?

  20. Rich   6 years ago

    Tulsi needs to release a damage-control ad like Christine did.

    1. Ray McKigney   6 years ago

      "I'm you."

    2. Red Rocks White Privilege   6 years ago

      Is it really damaging her that badly, though? She's at, what, 3 percent in the polls? If anything, this is just going to raise her profile further after giving Harris's campaign a Stone Cold Stunner.

      I suspect this is just typical Hillary pettiness. Tulsi was the vice chair of the DNC until she saw how they were stacking the deck in Hillary's favor, then resigned to endorse Bernie.

  21. Ryan (formally HTT)   6 years ago

    "The more wacko speculation surrounding Gabbard is that she's linked to Russia."

    It's no more whacko than anything they've said about Trump the past three years but that didn't see to bother anyone at Reason, especially Suderman.

    Carry on clowns

    1. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

      If I were forced to put some money down, I'd wager Reason is more likely to have some Russian backers.

      1. Ryan (formally HTT)   6 years ago

        Considering there isn't solid proof that they're NOT Russian assets, I see no reason to treat them like they are until it can be further investigated.

    2. Mike Laursen   6 years ago

      When has Reason ever bought into the Trump as Russian asset narrative? Where did you see any such thing at Reason?

  22. Jerryskids   6 years ago

    The drug war never dies, it just finds new targets.

    If war isn't the health of the state, it's at least the health of the parasites making their living off the state.

    1. Rich   6 years ago

      The ideal solution would be making everyone both a paid monitor of someone else, and similarly a monitoree. Full employment!

  23. Sevo   6 years ago

    PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AT LAST!!!!

    "Pelosi leads delegation to Mideast for talks on regional tensions"
    https://www.sfgate.com/world/article/Pelosi-leads-delegation-to-Mideast-for-talks-on-14548779.php

    1. Jerryskids   6 years ago

      I would think sending in Pelosi to talk was a violation of the Geneva Convention.

      1. Longtobefree   6 years ago

        Anything to get her out of the country.
        Now, quick, revoke her passport!

  24. Quo Usque Tandem   6 years ago

    After calling Clinton "the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long," Gabbard thanked Clinton for having "finally come out from behind the curtain"

    Finally, something we can all agree on.

    1. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

      I'm fine with Clinton staying behind the curtain. Doctor my eyes....

    2. Jerry B.   6 years ago

      I was gonna say...

    3. Hit and Run   6 years ago

      I hate that expression, but can't disagree here

  25. John   6 years ago

    I would be surprised if there are five things on which I agree with Gabbard. She is a for most part a full on leftist. That being said, there is no reason to think she isn't patriotic or well meaning. The woman went to war for this country. That she would now be called a foreign agent shows just how depraved the Democratic Party establishment and Never Trump right really are.

    1. Aloysious   6 years ago

      True. What is remarkable, to me, is that there is one Democrat with the courage to tell HC to go climb a tree. In a party of bootlicks and taint sniffers devoted to acquiring power at any cost, that is a little unusual.

      1. Longtobefree   6 years ago

        Pending her suicide, at least she spoke truth to power.

    2. Enjoy Every Sandwich   6 years ago

      I would say the Democrat Party is full-on Stalinist. So far as I know, foreign policy is the only area where Gabbard disagrees with the party, but that's enough to make her a pariah.

      1. Eric   6 years ago

        “Stalinist”...no. But if it makes you feel better to say that I get it.

  26. John   6 years ago

    http://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/10/mitt-romney-has-a-secret-twitter-account-and-it-sure-looks-like-its-this-one.html

    Pierre Delecto has to be the worst porn name ever.

    1. Eddy   6 years ago

      Is Romney's feed full of cuckold porn?

      Now look at what you made me say - such a poor state of discourse in this country, sad.

    2. Bearded Spock   6 years ago

      "Carlos Danger" was already taken.

      1. Hit and Run   6 years ago

        Ron Mexico

    3. TrickyVic (old school)   6 years ago

      ""Pierre Delecto has to be the worst porn name ever.""

      That's no Carlos Danger

  27. Eddy   6 years ago

    Well, I'd like to support the cute Hawaiian lady, but then I noticed this:

    "In 2013, Gabbard co-sponsored a bill that would make numerous "limitations and requirements concerning abortion services unlawful and prohibits their imposition or application by any government." Individual state restrictions would be overridden.

    "Pro-life group Live Action said of the bill, "This is Roe v. Wade on steroids. Those who feel that abortion is best left up for the states to decide will also find this bill problematic with its overreach. Sadly, the bill also uses the Fourteenth Amendment to justify abortion, as the Supreme Court did, even though in actuality it would make much more sense to protect the lives of unborn Americans.""

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/tulsi-gabbard-is-still-an-abortion-radical

    1. John   6 years ago

      She is a leftist. But, her having opinions you don't like doesn't make her a traitor or relieve those of good conscience from the duty of standing up to defender from such a vile slander.

      1. Eddy   6 years ago

        Goodness, I *wish* I could blame Russia for American abortions, but I can't - and I can't blame Gabbard for what some random foreign bots allegedly do.

        If I encounter *anyone* who believes Hillary's ravings, I'll try and point out that they're insane, but for some reason, I haven't seen a lot of people put credence in that embittered cuckqueen (there, I did it again, sad).

        1. John   6 years ago

          There is a whole section of the media and a whole bunch of Democratic politicians who do. Not every fight involves your sacred cows. Saying she is not a traitor is not saying you agree with her or want her to be president. One has nothing to do with the others.

          1. Eddy   6 years ago

            I haven't met many media people in the cocktail parties I attend. If I did, I'd include Gabbard conspiracy theories in my detailed description of what's wrong with the media until they drag me out.

            I'm talking about real people I know, who don't seem to buy what the media is selling, even if they're predisposed for other reasons to vote Democrat.

            1. John   6 years ago

              Then you really have nothing to say. Why is her being accused of being a traitor somehow an excuse for you to point out she is a garden variety Democrat? Again, one has nothing to do with the other.

              1. Eddy   6 years ago

                *sigh*...did you see the original post?

                "Gabbard has...picked up fans from several factions, including several conservatives."

                I'd suggest that these "conservatives" need to curb their enthusiasm.

                Hillary also accused Jill Stein of being a Russian stooge. That's just as false, but does it pick up support for Stein from conservatives?

                1. Eddy   6 years ago

                  Now, as far as exploiting Democratic divisions...I'm totally in agreement with that.

                  "See what Hillary and her allies are willing to do to their fellow-Democratic politicians! Can we trust them to be fair to regular folks?"

                  That sort of thing.

  28. Sevo   6 years ago

    "Frustrated US diplomats fight back in impeachment probe"
    [...]
    "To Trump and his allies, the diplomats are evidence of a "deep state" within the government that has been out to get him from the start. But to the employees of a department demoralized by the administration's repeated attempts to slash its budget and staff, cooperating with the inquiry is seen as a moment of catharsis, an opportunity to reassert the foreign policy norms they believe Trump has blown past."
    https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/caught-trump-impeachment-us-diplomats-fight-back-66400412

    Hell hath no fury like a bureaucrat whose budget was cut!

    1. John   6 years ago

      cooperating with the inquiry is seen as a moment of catharsis, an opportunity to reassert the foreign policy norms they believe Trump has blown past.”

      An elected President who thinks he has the authority to control US foreign policy over the objection of the State Department. The nerve of that guy. Nothing says democracy, freedom, and a healthy republic like being ruled by unelected unaccountable morons in the bureaucracy.

      1. Sevo   6 years ago

        And anyone who has read anything about that dictator-wannabe FDR has to be howling!
        Hell, he had 4 or 5 representatives in most countries not to mention the 'official' one.

  29. OpenBordersLiberal-tarian   6 years ago

    I just don't understand why Beto's campaign hasn't taken off.

    In detention centers and in prisons, in big cities and small towns, women across America don’t have access to the period products they need. On #NationalPeriodDay, men need to join women in demanding real change—which is why I’m supporting the Menstrual Equity Act.

    My only problem with this tweet is its rather transphobic tendency to associate periods with women. When in fact, some transgender men and non-binary people have them too. Regardless, menstrual equity is worth fighting for.

    #LibertariansForMenstrualEquity

  30. Jerryskids   6 years ago

    Doctors are lobbying to have breast-cancer warnings added to cheese.

    "Doctors". You mean the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine, which is like referring to the Southern Poverty Law Center as "civil rights activists". The PCRM are vegans and animal rights activists masquerading as scientists, much like the Naderite Center for Science in the Public Interest pretends to be consumer activists.

    1. Ray McKigney   6 years ago

      "A bunch of statist nannies who also happen to be doctors"

  31. icannotread   6 years ago

    "Clinton suggests Tulsi Gabbard and Jill Stein are 'Russian assets'."

    How can we be certain Russia didn't get her to say that?

    1. Jerryskids   6 years ago

      Given the amount of projection by the Left, it's a pretty safe bet that Russia did get her to say that. Whatever Hillary is accusing others of doing is exactly what she's doing.

      1. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

        Projection ain't just a river in Egypt.

  32. JFree   6 years ago

    Asked by NBC about the idea that Russian bots were backing her campaign, Gabbard said "I don't control them. I don't control what anyone else says or does."

    Tulsi - STOP falling into the trap. Stay on message!!!

    You are running for Prez based on changing our foreign policy to be more non-interventionist. You're not the sole-source expert/gofer on the slew of issues who would make that happen if elected. So pull together all the knowledgeable people who WOULD be those experts you rely on to make that happen. The diplomatic experts who know how State Dept would need to be restructured to make that effective. The DoD and NG folks who would restructure our military footprint. The regional experts who would get into the weeds of how this can be done in all those areas where we are currently intervening. The people who you WILL be expected to 'control what they do'.

    This isn't some meaningless inconsequential HS debate where you are expected to have all the answers. You're running for Prez where you are expected to MAKE THIS HAPPEN - through others. If you don't provide those names of who will make that happen, then others will fill in the blanks. And as you are seeing you won't like the names they are filling in. Stop taking this personally like some inexperienced ignorant doofus on a rant. You're running for Prez - and you're trying to be half-assed and lazy about it.

    1. John   6 years ago

      You are running for Prez based on changing our foreign policy to be more non-interventionist.

      She appeared to be doing that for a long while. The moment, she started whining about the US withdrawing from Syria, that claim became laughable.

      1. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

        Yeah, I read her tweets. Nonsensical given her stance regarding US in the middle East.

        1. John   6 years ago

          And disappointing. I don't get politicians. It was her chance to show the country that she really meant what she said. And she blew it and came off looking like an opportunist.

      2. JFree   6 years ago

        That's only laughable if she presents no reasons why a)what you think of as 'non-intervention' isn't what you think it is in that situation or b)if that situation is one of those exceptions.

        I can see why both of those might be true. But yeah - when she's on her own with 'all the answers', then she's vulnerable to you 'filling in the blanks' as to what 'non-intervention' means as well.

        1. John   6 years ago

          It is laughable because words have meanings. You can't claim to be non interventionist only to them complain about one of the more pointless and stupid interventions being ended. She appears to be against interventions just so long as being so doesn't prevent her from criticizing the President or showing team spirit with the Democrats.

          You consistently seem to non understand what words mean and just change their definitions to suite whatever strange point you are trying to make.

        2. JFree   6 years ago

          A good analogy is Trump bringing in Bolton.

          Anyone can assert that Trump's rhetoric means 'non-intervention'. Anyone can assert the opposite as well - that he's a blustery impulsive fool who will get us deeper into problems. Both may be valid which means both are meaningless.

          Hiring Bolton. Well that certainly puts some flesh on what 'non-intervention' actually meant then. Firing Bolton. Well that is now something completely different.

          But you see - we're no longer attributing Trump's ideas of 'non-intervention' to what he says but to who he hires/fires. Which is as it should be.

          1. John   6 years ago

            We are not talking about Trump. We are talking about leaving Syria. If Gabbard is actually against intervention, she should be happy that that intervention ended. The fact that she wasn't shows that she is more of an opportunist than anything else.

            Do yourself a favor and evict Trump from your head. Not everything is about Trump.

            1. JFree   6 years ago

              GAWDALFUCKINGMIGHTY. You are just completely up Trump's ass aren't you.

              My comment was about how a HIRING decision changes the meaning of the RHETORIC of an individual. DOING and SAYING are not the same thing.

              If you can't even see that with the hiring/firing of Bolton re 'noninterventionism', then you are beyond hopelessly stupid.

              1. John   6 years ago

                I see it fine. The problem is that it has nothing to do with what we are talking about. It is completely nonresponsive to the issue at hand.

                1. JFree   6 years ago

                  It is completely responsive. Trump is PRESIDENT now. Whatever he SAYS about 'nonintervention' is irrelevant because he is expected to DO it. Was he 'noninterventionist' six months ago when he promised to pull out of Syria - and Bolton went to Israel the next day and said 'Don't worry won't happen' - and golly nothing happened? Or was he 'noninterventionist' when he said the same damn thing a couple weeks ago - and absent Bolton, it happened (with legitimate questions about how it was DONE)?

                  Tulsi is a CANDIDATE. All she has the real power to do right now is TALK. and what I am saying is that she needs to pull together the people (like eg Bolton - though obviously not Bolton) who would advise her for now as a candidate and who would DO if she is elected.

                  And then she will be judged as a candidate-for-president by the people she chooses to hire. Rather than with people filling in the blanks as to what her words mean. Except of course for you who is blissfully oblivious to the difference between SAY and DO - but you weren't gonna vote for Tulsi anyway either. Cuz you're just a Trumpbot who apparently thinks a D candidate should listen to what you advise re rhetoric.

                2. JFree   6 years ago

                  The problem is that it has nothing to do with what we are talking about.

                  YOU are the one who brought up the SPECIFIC issue of withdrawing from Syria. NOT ME. And you think I am changing the topic when I follow up and comment on that specific - re the person who as President is actually MAKING that decision?!?!? WTF!!!

                3. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

                  Analogies are often not directly related to the specifics under discussion. An analogy is a device to improve understanding. But you knew that.

        3. JFree   6 years ago

          Oh - and BTW - here is Tulsi's actual interview re her attack on what 'withdrawal from Syria' is being sold as v what it actually is.

          It is actually a very intelligent well-thought out response. Not the sort of knee-jerk 'fits a rhetorical meme' stuff that you seem to prefer because you yourself are too lazy to go beyond simple rhetoric. Doesn't mean she's correct - and it just reinforces what I said that she needs to pull in the advisory types to flesh out how she would deliver on what she says.

          Again, it won't matter for you - cuz your vote is already cast.

          1. loveconstitution1789   6 years ago

            Poor JFree.

            Of course, lunatics don't know that they are crazy.

            1. JFree   6 years ago

              And 'non interventionists' who are still doing regime change don't know they are actually interventionists.

              1. loveconstitution1789   6 years ago

                Okay “Chief”. Let me know when you smash the barricaded window.

  33. Sevo   6 years ago

    Victimhood in gaming:
    "Fear, anxiety and hope: What it means to be a minority in gaming"
    [...]
    "But woven in are elements that set the game apart. The main character is stuck in a coma, and the villains are nightmares. Players confront issues of anxiety and depression. And, through an all-black cast, Gooden deliberately features the experiences of people typically absent from mainstream games.
    “If you’re a white creator, you rarely think about that,” he said...."
    https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Fear-anxiety-and-hope-What-it-means-to-be-a-14547845.php

    Pretty simple here; design a game that sells, make money. Design a loser, whine.

    1. John   6 years ago

      If I want to confront issues of anxiety and depression, I just have to get up in the morning. Why the hell would anyone play a video game that instead of transforming you to a more interesting and exiting world asked you to pretend to be a neurotic loser? What the fuck is wrong with this people?

    2. Red Rocks White Privilege   6 years ago

      Are these dumbshits really ripping off Zoe Quinn's offal?

    3. Ray McKigney   6 years ago

      Design a loser, whine.

      "If it weren't for all those damn racists, I'd be a billionaire by now!"

  34. Sevo   6 years ago

    The hag screws San Francisco traffic, gets suckers $45 to listen to a pitch for a book:

    "Hillary Clinton feuds with candidate, trolls Trump before taking SF stage"
    [...]
    "...Clinton is still immensely popular in San Francisco...”
    https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Hillary-Clinton-feuds-with-candidate-trolls-14548965.php?cmpid=gsa-sfgate-result

    That last is all you need to know.

    1. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

      Elsewhere, she's just immense.

    2. Quo Usque Tandem   6 years ago

      So, when push comes to shove [as when Trump wins in 2020, and very likely preceded by Ginsberg's death and replacement] such places along the Northeast and West coasts may elect to secede.

      That would be a very good case for building a wall.

  35. I, Woodchipper   6 years ago

    I remember NYPD hanging around outside methadone clinics on Saturdays, when people would get 2 doses to cover Sunday too. Undercovers would pretend to be in withdrawal & beg for someone's extra dose. If someone was kind enough to give it to them, they got arrested. For a felony.

    Pure scumbags. The lowest kind of human being. These pieces of shit should be in jail not their victims.

  36. John   6 years ago

    http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/345898/

    Best Facebook meme I have seen in a while

    1. Ray McKigney   6 years ago

      LOLOL

    2. Quo Usque Tandem   6 years ago

      So, had she been elected in 2016, we would have a genuine stark raving mad lunatic for POTUS as well as "the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long,"

  37. I, Woodchipper   6 years ago

    Emily Galvin-Almanza (@GalvinAlmanza) October 20, 2019

    This is entire thread is making me sick to my stomach.

  38. Brandybuck   6 years ago

    In the news: Clinton still blaming her loss on Jill Stein; Warren refuses to show her math.

  39. Ken Shultz   6 years ago

    "U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said late Saturday that all of the roughly 1,000 U.S. troops ordered to leave northeastern Syria would be redeployed to western Iraq and conduct operations against the Islamic State extremist group from there."

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-troops-cross-into-iraq-as-they-withdraw-from-syria-11571649101?

    There is still an open question as to whether the Trump administration will leave some token force in Syria for political posturing reasons or for intelligence purposes, but the answer to question of whether the troops Trump is withdrawing from northern Syria are being withdrawn from Syria completely is "yes".

    Thank goodness we have a pragmatic president who makes choices that are in the best interests of U.S. security, U.S. troops, and U.S. taxpayers rather than the best interests of defense contractors, the Kurds, and the hurt feelings of neoconservative warmongers everywhere, the latter of which have infected both major political parties and the media with their disease.

  40. Ken Shultz   6 years ago

    "On my first day as president, I will sign an executive order that puts a total moratorium on all new fossil fuel leases for drilling offshore and on public lands. And I will ban fracking—everywhere."

    ----Elizabeth Warren, September 6, 2019

    https://twitter.com/ewarren/status/1170070887887986690?

    1. John   6 years ago

      I do not see how she could ban fracking by executive order. Make no mistake, however, the Democrats want to destroy large sections of the economy and send tens of millions of people into unemployment and poverty. Worse, they see doing that as a good thing.

      Remember, Trump is the dangerous one.

      1. Eddy   6 years ago

        As long as they're consenting adults...oh, you said "fracking."

        1. Longtobefree   6 years ago

          Don't forget that the absolutely equal to men in every way women cannot be trusted to consent. They must be protected in every way.

      2. Ken Shultz   6 years ago

        "I do not see how she could ban fracking by executive order."

        I didn't see how Obama could implement DACA by executive order. That was implemented in June of 2012. Trump rescinded it by executive order, and it's still in effect pending the outcome of the Supreme Court case that was only heard this month--more than seven years later. I hope they come up with the right answer on that, but for all we know, it could be a "penaltax" case all over again.

        Regardless, I'm sure Liz Warren doesn't feel bound by constitutional norms.

    2. Ray McKigney   6 years ago

      "And the economy will dive into the toilet, and I will blame Trump."

    3. Sevo   6 years ago

      It's an odds on bet has has no idea that fracking has been part of the oil extraction tool kit since pretty much Titusville.

    4. Ken Shultz   6 years ago

      Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. is an investment bank focused on the oil industry. They did an analysis for their clients of what might happen in the oil industry if Elizabeth Warren were elected and kept her promise.

      "Tudor Pickering estimates that if fracking were banned, natural gas prices in the U.S. would jump to somewhere between $9 and $15, up from $2.32 per million British thermal units on Friday. The firm figures that oil, which ended Friday at $53.78 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, would rise to the $80-to-$85 range and could risk shooting to $150 during market shocks."

      https://newslettercollector.com/newsletter/markets-prospect-of-president-warren-spooks-energy-investors/

      The Green New Deal would, of course, be far worse and far more devastating because it isn't just limited to the oil industry. Even if you don't believe she'd do what she says with the Green New Deal, her promises on fracking alone would be devastating to the economy--never mind what it would do to the positive trade and security implications of the U.S. fracking revolution. If you think the world is dependent on Middle Eastern oil now, you should have seen what it was like back in 2003 and 1991.

      I remember Gillespie once quoting someone as saying that where Trump's critics take everything he says literally but not seriously, Trump's supporters take what he says seriously but not literally.

      That's upside down and backwards when it comes to Elizabeth Warren: her critics take her threats literally, but they don't take the economic consequences of her policies seriously. At best, Elizabeth Warren is a brazen liar with no intention of keeping her promises. At worst, she's being brutally honest. We can only hope she's just a liar--and would never actually keep her stupid promises.

      1. Tom Bombadil   6 years ago

        But I don't think Leo will suffer much, which is the important thing.

  41. Enjoy Every Sandwich   6 years ago

    San Francisco 49ers: 6-0.

    Yeah, I'll bet they're really missing Colin Kaepernick.

    1. Sevo   6 years ago

      With Kaep under center, every play was a drama: Would he take the snap before the game clock hit zero?!

  42. Unicorn Abattoir   6 years ago

    Here's my interview with Gabbard -- does she seem like a Russian plant?

    Tulsi is Lysenko's greatest achievement!

  43. M L   6 years ago

    As Hillary Clinton and the rest of the globalists fight tooth and nail for continued military policing of the ME, here's what's going on right at our own back door.

    A Drug Cartel Just Defeated The Mexican Military In Battle
    Mexico is in a state of collapse, and Americans need to realize that the crisis underway south of the Rio Grande won’t stop at the border.
    https://thefederalist.com/2019/10/21/a-drug-cartel-just-defeated-the-mexican-military-in-battle/

    The ensuing scene could have been mistaken for Syria or Yemen. Footage posted on social media Thursday showed burning vehicles spewing black smoke, heavily armed gunmen blocking roads, dead bodies strewn in the streets, and residents fleeing for cover amid high-caliber gunfire.

    Armed with military-grade weapons and driving custom-built armored vehicles, cartel henchmen targeted security forces throughout Culiacan, launching more than one dozen separate attacks on Mexican security forces. They captured and held hostage eight soldiers, then kidnapped their families. Amid the fighting, an unknown number of inmates escaped from a nearby prison. At least eight people were killed and more than a dozen were injured.

    The eight-hour battle ended when government forces, outgunned and surrounded, without reinforcements or a way to retreat, received an order directly from Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to release their prisoner and surrender.

    1. Nardz   6 years ago

      "Understand that the fighting in Culiacan is not just another episode in the “drug war,” nor is it merely an incident of organized crime. What’s happening Mexico right now is more like an insurgency. Yes, drug-trafficking is one of the things the cartels do, but it doesn’t nearly describe what they are or what role they’re playing in the disintegration of civil society in Mexico. Indeed, over the past decade cartels have diversified their economic activities to include everything from oil and gas production to industrial agriculture to offshore commercial fishing.

      In other words, it’s fair to say that Mexico is now on a trajectory to become a vast gangland governed more by warlordism than by the state. The last time this happened was a century ago, during the decade-long Mexican Revolution, which eventually triggered the invasion and occupation of northern Mexico in 1916 by the U.S. Army, including the mobilization of the entire National Guard and a call for volunteers. Before it was over, U.S. forces attacked and occupied Nogales, Sonora, in 1918 and Ciudad Juarez in 1919."

      1. Red Rocks White Privilege   6 years ago

        I'd say Mexico is already a modern feudal state. The narcos even operate like classic feudal lords; swear fealty in order to gain protection, but you'll have to pledge yourself to service when called upon or be killed. People may pay lip service to Rome's supremacy, but in reality they run their own affairs.

        Too bad there's not an American Belisarius to slap the narcos around a bit, because I sure don't see a Charlemagne emerging from that desert taco stand.

  44. LeaveTrumpAloneLibertarian   6 years ago

    You know who else is popular in Russia? Not just Tulsi Gabbard. Also: Stalin

    A record 70 percent of Russians approve of Soviet leader Josef Stalin’s role in Russian history, according to a poll published by the independent Levada Center pollster on Tuesday.

    I guess all you need is a bunch of cultists, a cult leader, state media like Fox, a somnabulistic political culture, and a bullshit veneer applied to a bought-and-paid for “democracy” and the people will support just about anyone! Wow!

  45. LeaveTrumpAloneLibertarian   6 years ago

    Now that the DNC isn’t run by a bunch of Clinton’s fucking hacks these kinds of smears don’t seem to be working much. A huge improvement over 2016 when, if you supported Bernie Sanders, you were accused of being a sexist knuckle dragger.

    An increasing number of other 2020 Democratic candidates have positioned themselves in Gabbard's camp, rejecting Clinton's claims, defending Gabbard and attempting to shift the conversation to other topics.

    Entrepreneur Andrew Yang defended Gabbard, saying she “deserves much more respect and thanks than this.”

    “She literally just got back from serving abroad,” Yang tweeted. Gabbard is a Hawaii Army National Guard major who served in Iraq.

    Marianne Williamson, the self-help author, told Gabbard to "stay strong" and said she's the victim of attempted "character assassination."

    “The Democratic establishment has got to stop smearing women it finds inconvenient!” she tweeted. “The character assassination of women who don’t toe the party line will backfire. Stay strong @TulsiGabbard. You deserve respect and you have mine.”

  46. loveconstitution1789   6 years ago

    U.S. Troops Withdrawing From Syria Draw Scorn

    I know reason hates Trump and cannot bear to say good things about Trump but evidently all US troops are leaving Syria.

    Trump: Ending wars that other Presidents started!!!

  47. loveconstitution1789   6 years ago

    ╔════╗───────────────╔═══╦═══╦═══╦═══╗─╔╗╔╗╔╗
    ╚═╗╔═╝───────────────╚══╗║╔═╗╠══╗║╔═╗║─║║║║║║
    ──║║─╔══╦╗╔╦════╦══╗─╔══╝║║─║╠══╝║║─║║─║║║║║║
    ──║║─║╔═╣║║║╔╗╔╗║╔╗║─║╔══╣║─║║╔══╣║─║║─╚╝╚╝╚╝
    ──║║─║║─║╚╝║║║║║║╚╝║─║╚══╣╚═╝║╚══╣╚═╝║─╔╗╔╗╔╗
    ──╚╝─╚╝─╚══╩╝╚╝╚╣╔═╝─╚═══╩═══╩═══╩═══╝─╚╝╚╝╚╝
    ────────────────║║
    ────────────────╚╝
    ____________________________________________________

  48. Gregdn   6 years ago

    Didn't third part candidate Ross Perot help usher Ms. Clinton's husband into the WH? Was he also a 'Russian Asset'?

    1. Tony   6 years ago

      No and probably not. Studies showed he took votes roughly equally from both Bush and Clinton. It still would have been a more legitimate outcome without him.

      1. TrickyVic (old school)   6 years ago

        ""No and probably not. Studies showed he took votes roughly equally from both Bush and Clinton.""

        Is this your criteria for being a Russian asset?

  49. AlmightyJB   6 years ago

    I would tap that asset.

  50. Bearded Spock   6 years ago

    That's a great pic of Hillary. It makes her look like she's praying at an altar, seeking redemption for her lifetime of sin.

    Her overwhelming burden of guilt has finally driven her mad. Pretty soon she'll be claiming she's an incarnation of Sancta Maria and recruiting children to join her crusade against the Devil (Trump).

    1. Tony   6 years ago

      There's a pizza shop available for just that purpose.

      1. John   6 years ago

        Okay, that is really funny. Bravo Tony, Bravo.

    2. Red Rocks White Privilege   6 years ago

      Yeah, but redemption requires her to have actual humility, and that's not her style.

  51. Cbalducc   6 years ago

    Livin’ on Tulsi Time...

  52. dadagamal   6 years ago

    https://cleanmomy.com

  53. Chest Rockwell   6 years ago

    Anyone who believes these conspiracies about Tulsi is not very bright. Period.

    1. loveconstitution1789   6 years ago

      She belongs to a cult.

      Anyone who thinks she cannot possibly be part of a conspiracy is a dolt.

      1. Chest Rockwell   6 years ago

        Kiddo I said *these* conspiracies. And I will repeat: you're not an intelligent person if you believe hillarys nonsense

  54. zombietimeshare   6 years ago

    "Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.) says she's almost figured out how much her Medicare for All plan would cost and how the government should pay for it."

    Said Warren, "My plan to pay for "Medicare for All" involves everyone in America having two, or maybe three, jobs and a tax rate of 100%. Oh, and the tax rate for corporations will be the same. As to the middle class seeing a tax hike, well that won't happen as under my plan the middle class will cease to exist. There, problem solved."

  55. Deconstructed Potato   6 years ago

    I am actively avoiding the topic of Tulsi with any friends or coworkers because if, God forbid, I discover that they have jumped on the fucking "Tulsi is a Russian asset" bandwagon, I may lose many friends. How fucking stupid and obnoxious does one have to be to cite nothing but innuendo and politically motivated conspiracy theory as "evidence" to "prove" their godawful bullshit? The Russia fever never ends. It's another brand of borking. Instead of smearing someone with the stench of sexual harassment/assault allegations, it's Russian conspiracy. The Democrats have only one response to anything that challenges their entitlement to ultimate power, which is to smear and defame their opponents rather than engage their arguments and ideas honestly. Borking, smearing, pointing, accusing, shrieking. To the "but both sides!" people, say all you want about the rot in the GOP but don't come back with that birther conspiracy bullshit because despite the concerted effort at revising recent history, that smear was born in the Clinton campaign for the nomination. The big blue machine and it's propaganda wing in the MSM will crush anyone who dares question them or call them on their bullshit.

  56. Hank Phillips   6 years ago

    Gosh, if Mormon McMuffin in Mittland agrees with ban-reactors but bomb-the-backward loser Dems, that makes it a 97% consensus and settled science! Tulsi may add entertainment value to coming landslide. There is only so much of The Don crushing pro-war anti-energy Dem candidates under the tires of his truck you can watch without wondering if it's a rerun of the Nice massacre. Here's to Tulsi getting the platform committee to drop the 1848 Millerite Global Warming Advent plank AND the 1848 communist manifesto principles.

  57. SimonP   6 years ago

    I would have expected, somewhere in all of this eye-rolling about Hillary's characterization of Tulsi as a "Russian asset," there might be something to rebut the apparently widely-held belief that Russian bots are, at the very least, promoting her "campaign," such as it is.

    Something is going on with Tulsi. Recall that the Russians targeted "idealistic whites" as part of their efforts to get Trump elected in 2016 (per the recently-released Senate report). I'm seeing those same "idealistic whites" working themselves up into a fever over Tulsi. A remarkable number of communists I've had the displeasure of interacting with are all-in on Tulsi and anti-just about any other Democratic candidate. Their support for her has almost nothing to do with domestic policy and almost everything to do with being anti-war.

    I don't really believe that Tulsi (or Jill Stein) are "Russian assets" in the sense of, taking orders from the Kremlin. That much seems unlikely. But she certainly seems to be well-positioned to further any interest the Russians might have in keeping a weak and incompetent president in the White House.

    1. Chest Rockwell   6 years ago

      Not saying they are, but who cares if Russian bots promote her? It doesn't make her a Russian asset. It doesn't mean the Russians are grooming her. Russian bots have never won an election for someone nor have they ever cost someone an election. By all means prove me wrong with concrete facts if you disagree.

      Genuinely wanna know why it's a problem. Russians gonna Russian. Democrats used similar bot tactics against Roy Moore.

  58. movagal   6 years ago

    Sᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ғʀᴏᴍ ʜᴏᴍᴇ! Gʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴊᴏʙ ғᴏʀ sᴛᴜᴅᴇɴᴛs, sᴛᴀʏ-ᴀᴛ-ʜᴏᴍᴇ ᴍᴏᴍs ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ ᴀɴ ᴇxᴛʀᴀ ɪɴᴄᴏᴍᴇ… Yᴏᴜ ᴏɴʟʏ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴜᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ʀᴇʟɪᴀʙʟᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴇᴛ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ… Mᴀᴋᴇ $80 ʜᴏᴜʀʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴜᴘ ᴛᴏ $13000 ᴀ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜ ʙʏ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ ʟɪɴᴋ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴛᴛᴏᴍ ᴀɴᴅ sɪɢɴɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ… Yᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴇᴇᴋ
    pop over to this website ........ Read More

  59. Longtobefree   6 years ago

    Well, if anyone on this continent would know who the Russian assets are, it would be Hillary.

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