Trump's counteroffensive was ugly but IMO it was effective. The level of stress that he inflicted on the Ft. Brooklyn apparat was reflected in Little Donny Deutsch's hysterical performance at MJ today. After letting the man rave against Trump for a while Joe S. told him to "stop screaming." "Listen to me!" Listen to me!" Deutsch had yelled across the table. That must have been a deeply satisfying moment for the Trumpistas.
IMO the ruthless device of bringing forward three of Bill Clinton's women accusers to renew their calls for vengeance on the man from Hope worked very well. Juanita Brodderick's straightforward statement "Bill Clinton raped me and then Hillary threatened me ..." must have had SOME effect. With regard to Kathy Shelton who had been brutally raped by a man named Taylor when she was twelve, I don't see anything wrong with HC's conduct. She was Taylor's court appointed attorney and successfully got the scumbag's sentence reduced. It was her duty to do that. Enough said.
The GOPers who deserted Trump over Pussygate now face a moment of truth. Will most of them re-defect to his camp? I think they will and that will be a mistake because IMO he is still going to lose unless Assange has some really good stuff in reserve. You remember him - "Can't we just drone him!"
For me the most ominous thing about the present electoral disaster is the level of perfection achieved by Ft. Brooklyn in the process of the industrialization of the political process in the US. Their willingness to twist, distort and flat out lie in pursuit of the end that for them justifies all means is frightening. The technique employed by their allies in "fact checking" Trump's opinions as opposed to HC's declamations ( "I support the Second Amendment") is amusing by any standard but it works with the semi-sentient masses. The puny Trump wurlitzer playing on and on from the golden chambers in the Trump tower is not well enough organized to compare its steam calliope hooting to the Robby Mook symphony. Mook's people actively and largely successfully seek to create public opinion using implanted memes and constant repetition from their media allies. IMO the success of such PR techniques will mean the end of actual democracy in the US if it continues.
I await the condescension of those who will now write to counsel me as to the non-existence of democracy in the US and/or the holiness of HC's Methodist utopian revolution to come. pl
Not only offensive on that count, what about her continued violation of the debate format as she interrupted, bullied and contradicted according to her whim? Donald could have gone farther calling her out on that, but probably wagered she was digging her own grave.
Posted by: FourthAndLong | 10 October 2016 at 01:34 PM
I believe that Trump won this election by promising to put Hillary in a jail cell. There are a great number of disaffected democrats out there who were going to sit out this election or vote third party. They will now vote for Donald in the hopes of seeing her in the docket.
The wild card will be those computerized election machines. Election fraud can win for Hillary by concentrating on just a few states.
I agree with Jim Jordan that many more voters will be at the polls in November. They came out in the primaries by the millions and they won't stay at home, unlike those who the democrat party who will stay home, thankful this embarrassing charade is over. Someone said last night that the "debate" was a cross between TMZ and Jerry Springer. I agree.
Posted by: Martin Oline | 10 October 2016 at 01:43 PM
In latest news, Paul Ryan had a talk with House Republicans a couple of hours and,
"Mr. Ryan initially urged his members to focus on their own re-election campaigns and to make individual decisions about how to handle Mr. Trump, according to two people who were on the call, who spoke on condition of anonymity."
Reminds me of Heinlein in "Starship Troopers" (the really good book, not the not so good movie): Sauve qui peut!
Posted by: Allen Thomson | 10 October 2016 at 01:44 PM
Col.,
Maybe a Kasich would require the Clinton campaign to distort, but you have to admit that Trump provides a lot of quality raw material. After the distortion field of the general election recedes, we'll collectively shake our heads and wonder how we ever nominated him.
Posted by: Freudenschade | 10 October 2016 at 01:54 PM
Her hostility to Russia was clear, as was her willingness to avoid a discussion of how best to deal with radical jihadis in Syria. This is the small print that will be lost in the discussion until after her inauguration. In her her world Russia = Assad = bad.
Posted by: Trent | 10 October 2016 at 01:58 PM
Saddest comment so far, WikiLeaks is actually doing more good than harm.
Traditionally, our media would do the job of vetting candiates.
The current media is in the tank for Shillary, hence the necessity of WikiLeaks.
Posted by: jose | 10 October 2016 at 02:02 PM
Actually, I am curious to see if the much vaunted ABM systems even work at all. The Daniel Cook was shut down completely nown in 2 separate incidents and is one of the Aegis ABM platform ships we are relying on for our ABM defense. Russia will not attack unless attacked first but will very definitely respond and overwhelmingly so. These nuts in the US leadership actually seem to believe their own hype. Russia may be relatively small, but they still have a debt free economy, and have much skill at defending against American soft aggression including economic sanctions. It isn't painless though but has served as a rallying point for Putin against a common and well understood enemy. But, they have been steadily upgrading everything and a complete reorganization to a smaller but better military. If needed though they can crank up the entire nation quickly. I doubt the children in the US would respond the same way. I hope we don't see it but I believe Russia might possibly survive more or less intact should we launch nukes at them. But, to think we would survive? Far less so. I find it amazing that this is actually on the table. We are in deep caca.
Posted by: Old Microbiologist | 10 October 2016 at 02:02 PM
With regard to Kathy Shelton who had been brutally raped by a man named Carter when she was twelve, I don't see anything wrong with HC's conduct. She was Carter's court appointed attorney and successfully got the scumbag's sentence reduced. It was her duty to do that. Enough said.
Two thoughts. First, as an attorney, it is more likely that HRC should have quit as counsel once she knew the truth. And lying to defend a client is a huge ethical violation and would likely carry legal liability. Second, her behavior speaks for itself. Laughing? Come on. At least she could have kept a grim face.
Posted by: David Lentini | 10 October 2016 at 02:04 PM
Tyler: I wonder why Trump doesn't announce that he will ask people at his rallies to pledge not to vote for the local Republican candidate for Rep/Senator unless that candidate endorses Trump.
Posted by: Matthew | 10 October 2016 at 02:07 PM
David Lentini
I am not a lawyer but used to be around them when I was doing expert witness work. I was unaware that it was possible for a lawyer who has been appointed by a judge to withdraw so easily. Did she lie in court? Tell me. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 10 October 2016 at 02:09 PM
mike allen,
" Bob Graham" of Florida? Do you mean "Lindsey Graham" of South Carolina?
Posted by: different clue | 10 October 2016 at 02:11 PM
“holocaust” is a generic word meaning destruction or slaughter on a mass scale, especially caused by fire. It’s a few centuries old.
Jews don’t own it.
Posted by: MRW | 10 October 2016 at 02:15 PM
Trump could be a syphillitic warthog (who casually uses the n word according to the rumour mill on the next revelation)
Donny Deutsch said the opposite on Morning Joe a few weeks ago. Said he’d known Trump for a few decades, never heard racist talk from him ever. He asked people he knows who’ve known Trump as long, and all of them, he said, never heard a racist word come out of his mouth. Jes’ saying’.
Posted by: MRW | 10 October 2016 at 02:19 PM
I have to agree that there are still the formalities of a democratic republic, representational democracy or whatever one wishes to call it. But they are tattered and under constant attack by authoritarians from right and left. The refinement and application of psychological warfare techniques are never spoken of in the Borgist media save for someone like Maddow to denounce 'conspiracy theories'.
I'm always having to ask myself if the kind of elections we're having are much different than the Tammany Hall orchestrated elections, or the kind of elections they had in Jefferson's day where the candidate rolled out a hogshead of rum and bought votes the old fashioned way.
And speaking of old time pols, how come no one mentions how the sainted Abe Lincoln threw habaeus corpus out the window? I see the appeal of Trump since at least he casts aside sacred cows from time to time.
Posted by: Generalfeldmarschall von Hindenburg | 10 October 2016 at 02:25 PM
Her behavior on hearing of the grim murder of Quadafi (a guy who had bent over backward to court the Empire's favor after the Soviet Union imploded)is a pretty good indication of her utter lack of empathy. Or worse, her delight in the suffering of others.
Posted by: Generalfeldmarschall von Hindenburg | 10 October 2016 at 02:27 PM
Yes, it was the cold-hearted laughing response that got to me. Not unlike the gleeful cackle at Ghaddafi's brutal murder.
Posted by: Alistair | 10 October 2016 at 02:28 PM
Colonel -
The rapists name was Thomas Alfred Taylor, not Carter. He asked for a court appointed lawyer. Hillary specifically told the judge that she preferred not to defend a rapist but was given no choice by appointing judge, Maupin Cummings.
She did not get him free, but did manage to get him to agree to a lesser charge for which he was imprisoned despite the right wing wurlitzer's charges that she got him off free.
She did, to her shame, discredit the girl's story in court a la Julian Assange.
Posted by: mike allen | 10 October 2016 at 02:31 PM
Yes, Lindsey. Sorry too much coffee this morning.
Posted by: mike allen | 10 October 2016 at 02:32 PM
Lindsey!
Posted by: mike allen | 10 October 2016 at 02:34 PM
Count me in as one of the deniers that Hillary wants a hot war with anybody. So what if she thinks Syria and Russia are war criminals for Aleppo City airstrikes. Apparently they think we (all Americans, you included) are war criminals for Deir ez-Zor.
Posted by: mike allen | 10 October 2016 at 02:39 PM
Even they fail to produce the tape the slur is already out there http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/10/trump-tapes-british-apprentice-producer-under-pressure-to-releas/
Posted by: jim jordan | 10 October 2016 at 02:41 PM
http://www.snopes.com/hillary-clinton-freed-child-rapist-laughed-about-it/
The key part is the first minute. Hillay had the duty to do her best for her client, and she got him off. But as the audio clip indicates, she knew he was guilty. THAT may be standard lawyer stuff, but laughing about the event years later is beyond the pale.
Posted by: Zachary Smith | 10 October 2016 at 02:45 PM
I'm w/ Bob on this one...
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/videos/a49437/bob-schieffer-debate-reaction/
Posted by: ked | 10 October 2016 at 02:46 PM
MRW: I agree that Jews don't own it. But destroying Jihadis in Aleppo has nothing in common with the actual Holocaust or the (Khmer Rouge) Killing Fields of Cambodia, or the Genocide in Rwanda.
Raddatz's suggestion was cheap, dishonest propaganda.
Posted by: Matthew | 10 October 2016 at 02:46 PM
I think the only path for a candidate who can depart from "party elite" views to have a shot at the Presidency may be someone:
1. Like Trump with name recognition and substantial personal wealth, at least enough to build momentum;
2. Who "gets" this country's core problems and recognizes that party/deep state conventional wisdom is not going to address our many problems and challenges; and
3. Who is not a career politician.
I think that those who dismiss Trump due to his manner and history (many of my liberal friends/colleagues) may be missing the point that if we really want effective change, more "polished" personalities are unlikely to be be able to deliver such.
I would also add that I live in a fairly liberal area of Mid-coast Maine where it appears there is close to zero enthusiasm for Clinton. I saw the first HRC bumper sticker about a week ago and two HRC yard signs three days ago. Driving to town there must be 30+ yards with a campaign sign for the democratic State senate candidate, but not one of these yards has an HRC sign. Interestingly, my local neighborhood is mostly working class but I have not yet seen a Trump campaign sign. I have seen (only) a few Trump bumper stickers.
Posted by: Joe100 | 10 October 2016 at 02:48 PM