Sunday, August 14, 2016

Former Bush cabinet member: "I think Hillary is a great choice. I am afraid of what Donald Trump would do to this country."

Courtesy of Politico:

Carlos Gutierrez, former secretary of commerce under President George W. Bush, has endorsed Hillary Clinton, adding to a number of Republicans who are siding with the other side of the aisle in this election. 

“I actually think Hillary Clinton has the experience, she’s been around, she knows how the system works. I think she’d make a darn good president,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I would have preferred Jeb Bush, but I think Hillary is a great choice. I am afraid of what Donald Trump would do to this country.” 

Several Republican members of Congress, including Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mark Kirk of Illinois, and Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Richard Hanna of New York and Scott Rigell of Virginia aren’t backing Trump. Also, dozens of Republican national security officials recently signed a letter saying Trump would “risk our country’s national security and well-being.”

I love stories like this one, because they give me hope that at some time in the future perhaps the Republican party will return to sanity and we will once again start getting candidates that we might disagree with ideologically, but who are not out of their fucking minds.

Once Trump loses I have to imagine that the GOP will have a "come to Jesus moment" where they finally take a long serious look at themselves and ask "How in the hell did we end up here?"

52 comments:

  1. Our Lad4:34 PM

    Spot on.

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  2. Anonymous4:48 PM

    So with you!

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  3. Anonymous4:59 PM

    I think a "come to Jesus moment" will be much more likely if we vote t-partiers and fundamentalist xtians out of office as soon as possible, because they are the ones who have brought the GOP to this place. Thank you, $arah, et al., for bringing stupid to the party. TG, there is still some small semblance of sanity in the hinterland.
    GeorgiaPeach

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    1. Anonymous5:14 PM

      i love georgia peaches..
      ;-)

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    2. Anonymous5:21 PM

      He might go to jail as he should..
      http://www.politicususa.com/2016/08/14/trump-prison-continues-solicit-illegal-foreign-donations.html

      Delete
    3. Anonymous6:24 PM

      Weren't Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers responsible for the astroturf creation of the 'baggers?

      Delete
  4. Scruffer5:10 PM

    with all these republicans lining up to vote for Hillary - I think Hillary needs to make clear that they are at the back of the line. Those at the front are PROGRESSIVES and LEFTIES and SOCIALISTS and not those running away from that socalled republican ass-hat.
    Just sayin'...

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    1. Anonymous5:59 PM

      And how many of those Republicans would be closet Democrats by now anyway? Sarah Palin and her teabaggers have done their dirty work exceedingly well. I know the stupid old bitch thought they could walk away with the party, but... there ya go, reality bites, they have nothing, no party, no movement, no respect, no money, no nothing.

      Hi Sarah, awful quiet these days, aren't you? Nothing compared to how your life will be next year. Someone in your wastrel family might even have to get a job....

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    2. Anonymous6:43 PM

      Who would hire a Palin for anything? Or a Dakota either? They have no work ethic. They need multiple days off, and Brissy needs hours a day just to take selfies to make sure her surgery is holding up. Not a one of them has marketable skills. Nope, when the PAC dies up, they will be selling mansions to pay for Taco Bell.No more fancy shoes and purses for Bristol. No more new Land Rovers every year. No more weeks in Hawaii whenever they feel like it. Welcome to the middle class, Palins.

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    3. Balzafiar6:50 PM

      6L43PM There are always job openings for street hookers of either gender. They can learn the ropes from Bristol's Russian girlfriend.

      As for them dropping down to middle class -- forget it; we don't want them either. They can just keep on going until they hit rock bottom.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous7:59 PM

      IN line fro what exactly, Scruffer? The hard work that it will take to implement President Clinton's progressive policies? ReTHUGS aren't exactly known for their work ethic, ya know?

      Delete
    5. Nikogriego9:36 PM

      Scruffer is absolutely correct. Hillary shouldn't be trying so hard to get Republicans over to her side; she owes more to Democrats and progressives, the base of the party than Republicans who can't stomach Trump. She should not move further to the right in an attempt to woo wayward Republicans, and she should owe them nothing when she wins.

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  5. Anonymous5:12 PM

    "ROSEBUD" works! in dRumpf's own words watch the vid:
    http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/trump-files-donald-has-weirdest-reaction-citizen-kane

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    1. Anonymous5:32 PM

      This too: "On June 16, 1990, the day after Donald Trump missed a $43 million payment on bonds he used to finance Trump Castle, the mogul visited his Atlantic City casino for a blowout celebrating his 44th birthday." My Bet. More like a BLOW JOB!

      Delete
  6. Anonymous6:00 PM

    HELL YES!! PUTIN CASH$$$$>
    http://www.politicususa.com/2016/08/14/trumps-world-crashes-secret-stash-putin-cash-campaign-manager-uncovered.html

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    1. Balzafiar6:53 PM

      That ought to stir up some shit! Right on...

      Delete
  7. Anonymous6:02 PM

    Gryph, I really think it will take a long time before the Republican Party can turn itself into some sort of respectable opposition party. Those uglies that Palin bred, those Trump chumps won't go down without a fight- and the Republicans are famously cowardly. It may be a very long time before any of them has the stomach to stand up and cut off the religious fundamentalists.

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  8. Anonymous6:08 PM

    When is Condoleeza Rice going to come out for Hillary?

    I really don't think these endorsements by Republicans are going to help much in the big picture. They are fine for their peers, to try to help them get off the fence and lose their fear of betrayal if they vote against Trump.

    But for the average Republican Joe, he doesn't know who Carlos Gutierrez is, let alone any of those other Republicans. Nor does he care. To him they are just traitors to the Republican Team, er, Party.

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    1. Anonymous6:26 PM

      I ignore all political commercials and endorsements. I must be one of those Ted Cruz "vote your conscience" kind of people. Like I ever would have voted for HIM. :)

      Delete
  9. I wouldn't hold my breath on that moment of reckoning coming anytime soon. Look how long it took the lot of the party establishment to dial into the reality of Trump. I honest to goodness think they were thinking he'd be their compliant puppet and follow the playbook for the good of the party.
    Yeah about that...a man who has to have his name in gold lettering all over place is not going to be content just signing the crap that comes across the desk. Just sayin'

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    1. Anonymous6:39 PM

      Read below..Manafort is in a nice little book of payments from Ukraine..to the tune of 12 million dollars. Now what do you suppose Donnie knows about that, and what is it that Manafort did to deserve that kind of cash? Access to Trump? Hmmm...Makes Hill's $250,000 speeches look like chump change.

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  10. Anonymous6:17 PM

    Inquiring minds want to know: WHY DID A PRO-RUSSIAN UKRANIAN GIVE $12.7 MILLION TO TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER??

    Secret Ledger in Ukraine Lists Cash for Donald Trump’s Campaign Chief
    Source: New York Times

    Handwritten ledgers show $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments designated for Mr. Manafort from Mr. Yanukovych’s pro-Russian political party from 2007 to 2012, according to Ukraine’s newly formed National Anti-Corruption Bureau. Investigators assert that the disbursements were part of an illegal off-the-books system whose recipients also included election officials.

    In addition, criminal prosecutors are investigating a group of offshore shell companies that helped members of Mr. Yanukovych’s inner circle finance their lavish lifestyles, including a palatial presidential residence with a private zoo, golf course and tennis court. Among the hundreds of murky transactions these companies engaged in was an $18 million deal to sell Ukrainian cable television assets to a partnership put together by Mr. Manafort and a Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, a close ally of President Vladimir V. Putin.

    Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/15/us/politics/paul-manafort-ukraine-donald-trump.html?_r=0

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    1. Anonymous6:37 PM

      ISn't this delicious? Let's see Trump blame it all on the media. Or Clinton. I think his goose is cooked.

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    2. Anonymous6:53 PM

      The need to know the nitty gritty of Trump's finances has never been greater. He should be forced to release his tax returns because in there I believe you'll find the smoking gun of significant Russian financing. His son already admitted that the Trump organization had significant investors from Russia years ago. Is Trump a willing pawn (or is he so stupidly arrogant that he thinks all this is his idea?) in some kind of plot to interfere in the US elections? And how did it come about that Paul Manafort took over his campaign? Too many questions and total stonewalling by Trump. Alarm bells are ringing.

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    3. Balzafiar6:57 PM

      Oh, the ledger was rigged. None of it is true. He will put investigators on the case tomorrow. On... and on... and on... the Trump line of bullshit.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous7:07 PM

      Also from that article was a little tidbit I can't believe hasn't been in the news:

      "The developments in Ukraine underscore the risky nature of the international consulting that has been a staple of Mr. Manafort’s business since the 1980s, when he went to work for the Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos. "

      So, he's worked for a Ukrainian politician with close ties to Putin AND a corrupt, brutal dictator who was deposed by the people of the Philippines.

      Now he's the campaign manager for the guy who's running for President of the United States.

      Holy crap!

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    5. Anonymous7:24 PM

      Cory L>
      http://www.rawstory.com/2016/08/internet-freaks-after-corey-lewandowski-posts-times-story-on-manaforts-sketchy-ties-to-ukraine/

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    6. No wonder Trump as been in such lather about the media. First a piece based on info from his people...And now a major piece that brings us back to the Russian ties.
      Looks like the mangled apricot is headed for another fantastic week of news cycles...need to add popcorn to my Monday to do list!

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    7. Anonymous7:58 PM

      Trump's daughter is vacationing in Croatia with Putin's girl friend.
      http://www.people.com/article/ivanka-trump-wendi-deng-murdoch-croatia

      Delete
    8. Anonymous8:05 PM

      Well that's some eating their own! Lewandowski spills on Manafort.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous8:22 PM

      None of this shit should be a surprise if you have been paying attention.

      https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-04-13/trump-just-hired-his-next-scandal-lobbyist-paul-manafort

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    10. Anonymous8:34 PM

      Here is some old history on Manafort. Note the early employment of Black Manafort Stone by Murdoch's NewsCorp.



      https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1985/04/07/partners-in-political-pr-firm-typify-republican-new-breed/8d0b8c04-fabc-43ae-887b-25c7e8af0ec0/

      " By Thomas B. Edsall April 7, 1985

      On the day after President Reagan defeated Walter F. Mondale, H. Lee Atwater was a rich man.

      The deputy campaign manager of the Reagan-Bush '84 Committee became a full partner in the political consulting arm of Black, Manafort and Stone, a firm that exemplifies a key element of the vitality of the Republican Party: the potential for young tough, savvy political operatives to move into the political market and make big bucks.

      In just five years, Black, Manafort and Stone -- and now Atwater -- has become a major new presence in the capital, specializing in connections, influence and hardball politics. It combines a political client list of influential elected officials with a lobbying clientele of corporations, foreign governments and trade associations.

      Atwater and his colleagues represent the cream of Republican inside operatives. Charlie Black was a senior adviser to the Reagan '84 campaign and the campaign strategist for Sens. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) and Phil Gramm (R-Tex.). Paul Manafort was the political director of the GOP convention in Dallas. Roger Stone was Northeast coordinator for Reagan-Bush.

      Candidates are lining up to buy the firm's campaign services, and the list of lobbying clients is growing steadily.

      The list includes: the investment banking firm of Salomon Brothers, which last year paid $135,000 to Black, Manafort and Stone; Kaman Aerospace, which laid out $255,000; the Dominican Republic, which signed on at $69,788 a quarter, and Rupert Murdoch's Australia-based The News Corp. Ltd., which is paying $180,000 a year for what the firm describes as an "activity limited to internal conferences and phone calls with client.""

      Does anyone else recognize a lot of names? Hit the link for the full article.

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    11. Anonymous8:50 PM

      In case you don't recognize the name Charlie Black: The same fucker that sold Dubyah and his fools assclowns like Ahmed Chalabi. He also helped McCain win the nomination in 2008.

      http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/us/politics/13black.html

      "‘Steady Hand’ for the G.O.P. Guides McCain on a New Path

      By KATE ZERNIKE APRIL 13, 2008


      When Senator John McCain’s campaign was collapsing last summer, it was Charlie Black who set the comeback strategy: Mr. McCain had to win New Hampshire.

      When conservative opposition threatened to derail Mr. McCain just as he was surging again this winter, it was Charlie Black who called prominent conservatives to secure their backing. And when Mr. McCain was finally the last man standing, it was Charlie Black who engineered the campaign’s takeover of the Republican National Committee.

      “The Republican Party’s quintessential company man,” as one friend calls him, Mr. Black has worked in every Republican presidential campaign since 1972, and sometimes a couple each season, being diplomat enough to get along with both sides in some of the fiercest rivalries."

      Also too:

      http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/30veep.html

      "McCain Chooses Palin as Running Mate

      By MICHAEL COOPER and ELISABETH BUMILLERAUG. 29, 2008 "
      ...
      Mr. Obama’s fellow Democrats were considerably less welcoming, and most said they were flabbergasted by what they characterized as a desperate, cynical or dangerous choice, given Ms. Palin’s lack of any experience in national security.

      “On his 72nd birthday, this is the guy’s judgment of who he wants one heartbeat from the presidency?” said Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, who said the selection smacked of political panic. “Please.”

      Mr. McCain’s advisers said Friday that Mr. McCain was well aware that Ms. Palin would be criticized for her lack of foreign policy experience, but that he viewed her as exceptionally talented and intelligent and that he felt she would be able to be educated quickly.

      “She’s going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he’ll be around at least that long,” said Charlie Black, one of Mr. McCain’s top advisers, making light of concerns about Mr. McCain’s health, which Mr. McCain’s doctors reported as excellent in May."

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    12. Anonymous11:27 PM

      This is the biggest story of the election! Manafort is a Russian spy! Last week, Valerie Plame said Trump was an "unwitting" Russioan agent!!

      Delete
  11. Anonymous6:25 PM

    As far as I'm concerned, republicans sold their souls to the devil and it's time for them to pay up. I just hate that the rest of us and our children will be paying up also. GD them for selling this country out and GD them for filling their pockets while they did so. Karma's a bitch, bless her heart.
    GeorgiaPeach

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    1. Balzafiar7:00 PM

      It's especially time for Mitch McConnell to pay the piper. He is one very nasty crooked politician and the saddest thing is he knows the harm he has done to the country but he doesn't care.

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    2. Anonymous7:25 PM

      Ah, yes. Mitch McConnell. His karma should especially be a very righteous bitch because he is just so damn righteous. I look forward to seeing that.
      GeorgiaPeach

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  12. Anonymous6:33 PM

    Long but makes you think>
    http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/cover_story/2016/08/the_week_democracy_died_how_brexit_nice_turkey_and_trump_are_all_connected.html

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  13. Anonymous6:52 PM

    "these groups intentionally back candidates that can’t win to assure fundraising flow."<$ara's ca$h cow$..

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/08/tea-party-pacs-ideas-death-214164#ixzz4HMitHu4L
    Follow us: @politico on Twitter | Politico on Facebook"

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  14. We've been saying that for at least 8 yrs, Gryph, and they, in mid-terms and now a general election, just keep revealing that there is a complete intellectual vacuum within the Republican party, and no one and no group in charge. There seems to be no Republican establishment that can fix anything, only the anarchy that has resulted from everyone's ass being owned by disorganized puppetmasters. Chaos is opportunity, we'll have to wait to see who outmaneuvers the others. Mucho mas popcorn, por favor. Their current state of affairs could last for a while.

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  15. Anonymous7:12 PM

    One of Trump's trusted advisors. No kidding.

    https://www.facebook.com/jacobinmag/videos/vb.143021112391265/1417167241643306/?type=2&theater

    The Trump Files:

    http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/trump-files-donald-has-weirdest-reaction-citizen-kane

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  16. Anonymous7:16 PM

    Oh dear god, here comes another Cheney.

    Liz Cheney's Wyoming campaign backed by big names, bigger money

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-cheney-idUSKCN10O0DL?il=0

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  17. DetroitSam8:37 PM

    Donald Trump's Campaign Manager Reportedly Paid Millions By Russia's Puppet

    http://disq.us/t/2bsescb

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    1. Anonymous2:42 AM

      The Ukrainian connection.

      http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/15/us/politics/paul-manafort-ukraine-donald-trump.html?_r=0

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  18. I don't know where the Republican party can go from here. For decades they've welcomed every racist, misogynist, and xenophobe with open arms. They get punished in the primaries if they act too reasonable. The various factions that make up the snacilbupeR party, the white nationalists, the evangelicals, the billionaires who want to keep the myth of trickle down alive, the 2A nuts, wouldn't have a home in any other party. It seems the only thing they all have in common is the authoritarian personality type. This is a long read but the best Trumpsplain I've seen so far. https://georgelakoff.com/2016/07/23/understanding-trump-2/

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  19. Anonymous11:12 PM

    The Perfect G.O.P. Nominee

    All these woebegone Republicans whining that they can’t rally behind their flawed candidate is crazy. The G.O.P. angst, the gnashing and wailing and searching for last-minute substitutes and exit strategies, is getting old.

    They already have a 1-percenter who will be totally fine in the Oval Office, someone they can trust to help Wall Street, boost the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, cuddle with hedge funds, secure the trade deals beloved by corporate America, seek guidance from Henry Kissinger and hawk it up — unleashing hell on Syria and heaven knows where else.

    The Republicans have their candidate: It’s Hillary.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/opinion/sunday/the-perfect-gop-nominee.html

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  20. Anonymous2:42 AM

    Secret Ledger in Ukraine Lists Cash for Donald Trump's Campaign Chief
    The New York Times - 10 hours ago

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  21. Anonymous7:39 AM

    11:12 PM - author of your quoted article is Maureen Dowd who has spent over 20 years working to take down Hillary Clinton. If you are not Maureen Dowd you needed quotes and identity for the writer!

    Dowd has been accused of plagiarism in the past and was forced to retract statements she "doctored" about the NYC mayoral race three years ago.

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  22. Anonymous7:40 AM

    “There’s something going on in the mosques and other places. There’s some nastiness, there’s some meanness there. We know there’s something going on.”<drumpf quote

    An Oklahoma legislator called for a “final solution” to Muslims existing anywhere in the world because according to his evangelical bona fides “Islam is not a religion.” The Republican doing his best impression of Donald Trump said, “We have no long term alternative but to quarantine them… prohibiting them from residing anywhere within the civilized nations of the Earth.” All 1.6 Billion?
    There is still no prohibition against inciting Americans to target other Americans for death or stalking or Donald Trump would have been arrested and thrown in jail several times; including for inciting violence by way of a Second Amendment remedy against Hillary Clinton.

    http://www.politicususa.com/2016/08/15/trump-blame-slain-n-y-imam-assistant.html

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  23. Anonymous10:35 AM

    There's a conspiracy. One day some one will do a book about how we were one step from helping Trump sell out our country to one of the most dangerous leaders of our generation. It's sad, and true. No turning back. Vote Hillary for some piece of mind. She works her ass off and Donald wheels and deals.

    ReplyDelete

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