UPDATE 2: Buckle Up, Kids, You Ain’t Going to Like this Ride
UPDATED FOR COMMENTS ABOUT BERNIE NOT BEING A DEMOCRAT:
Note: My usual warning…If you are a strong Hillary supporter, and believe her political loss in 2016 was purely the result of misogynist pigs denying her her birthright, please, please, please DON’T read this. You will hate it, guaranteed. However, if you want a little inconvenient truth, buckle up. This one is a bumpy ride, but there is something to learn here…
Remember how all you Hillary supporters dismissed everyone who criticized her during the 2016 election? Remember the way you unfriended people like me on social media and labeled us misogynist pigs who were being too hard on her? Remember insulting Bernie supporters and libeling him at every opportunity? Well, I do, and I have something to say about that and more.
Yesterday, Donna Brazile, who is a really good person, above board, honest, and a loyal Democrat published an excerpt from her new book, Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns that Put Donald Trump in the White House. The excerpt described what she discovered when she took over the DNC after Debbie Wasserman Schultz was ousted during the Democratic Convention in the summer of 2016. Her revelations about the state of the DNC is nothing short of shocking, but even worse, virtually all of the fears anti-Hillary folks had about how the nomination process was run were well founded. Hillary and her operatives HAD taken over the DNC and then proceeded to destroy every reform that had been implemented by Howard Dean and President Obama.
After Brazile took over the party, she first discovered that it had been deep in debt since the 2012 election and had been starved for cash since. Worse, in September, she found the smoking gun. She unearthed a document known as the Joint Fund-Raising Agreement between the DNC, the Hillary Victory Fund, and Hillary for America. The document, negotiated between Robby Mook, Hillary’s campaign manager and the DNC, handed FULL CONTROL of the DNC over to Hillary’s campaign office in August of 2015. You read that correctly. Hillary took full control of the DNC FIVE MONTHS before the primaries even started. The DNC could do nothing without Hillary’s approval, including fund raising, staff hiring decisions, even press releases.
And file this under It Gets Even Worse; the money laundering charge that was asserted by Politico in May of 2016 was true. We’ll let Brazile describe it herself –
“Individuals who had maxed out their $2,700 contribution limit to the campaign could write an additional check for $353,400 to the Hillary Victory Fund—that figure represented $10,000 to each of the 32 states’ parties who were part of the Victory Fund agreement—$320,000—and $33,400 to the DNC. The money would be deposited in the states first, and transferred to the DNC shortly after that. Money in the battleground states usually stayed in that state, but all the other states funneled that money directly to the DNC, which quickly transferred the money to Brooklyn.”
Money from the lavish fundraisers Hillary was holding all over the country for the DNC was actually laundered from the states, then to the DNC, and then to her own campaign coffers. The state parties got less than ONE HALF OF ONE PERCENT. So all you suckers donating in Texas to rebuild the party were actually backdoor funding Hillary’s campaign. The party sucked wind. As Brazile describes this shameful scheme, the operation wasn’t illegal, but it was certainly unethical.
So let’s recap. The charge that Hillary controlled the party during the primaries is true. She controlled the DNC from the summer of 2015, controlling the primaries, party strategy, fund raising, management, and all other aspects of the DNC’s operation. Her people ran it, including the moron who ignored the FBI’s warning that the DNC’s email system was compromised. The board of the DNC was sidelined. The primaries WERE RIGGED. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was nothing more than a tool for Hillary’s campaign, since she was installed to get Hillary elected. The entire DNC effort from 2015 on had one goal – getting Hillary elected.
This shameful corruption does more damage than even Brazile described; it not only “compromised the party’s integrity” as she said, this documented and incontrovertible evidence of corruption plays directly into the stereotype of the Clintons running right on the edge of ethics and even legality. While Hillary spoke loudly about campaign finance reform, blah, blah, blah, she was doing exactly, no, precisely the opposite.
You wanna know what really pisses me off? These revelations of Hillary’s behavior adds fuel to the “lock her up” fire. It’s going from a bonfire to a 10,000 acre blaze that’s going to rage for months. Trump is already playing with the matches, tweet raging this morning that the FBI should investigate her criminality. Here we go.
Hey, Hillary folks – hate Trump? Well, goddamit, go buy a mirror. Hang it on the wall, and then look into it for a long time. Thanks. For nothing.
UPDATE: Let’s summarize comments from our hardcore Hillary supporters:
- Nothing to see here. Move along.
- So? Doesn’t everybody do it?
- She won by 3 million votes!
- It wasn’t criminal, so it’s OK.
- Bernie’s not a Democrat and wouldn’t have won anyway.
- El Jefe is an asshole.
- Brazile is a LIAR!
- Nuh Uh!
First, I didn’t believe Bernie would win the general, but I voted for him in the Texas primary. What’s more important, and most Clintonistas IGNORE, is that the wall of money Hillary had erected scared off really good candidates like Joe Biden. No one can deny that if Biden had run he would have decisively won.
Second, I’m always amazed at the prevarication and excuses from Hillary supporters. Since when is corruption OK? Trump and other Republicans are excoriated for this kind of conduct. When it’s a Clinton, its like, “What? That’s a problem?” I personally find it shocking the lengths Clintonistas reach defending her Highness, no matter the scale of the offense.
I personally witnessed the lengths that Howard Dean went to in 2006 and 2008 to make it clear that the DNC supported ALL candidates and was diligently neutral in partisan races. He steadfastly defended neutrality and honesty. Hillary poured kerosene all over those principles and struck the match herself. Those who dismiss this kind of conduct are nothing short of radical hypocrites, and are no better than the hypocrites on the other side.
So there.
UPDATE 2: Lets talk about Bernie not being a Democrat.
This is the stupidest argument forwarded by Clintonistas. “Bernie’s not a Democrat!” “He should have run on his own!” “He should have not been allowed to run!” And other BS. OK, let’s settle this – BERNIE RAN UNDER THE RULES OF THE DNC. HE QUALIFIED UNDER THE RULES OF THE DNC. Period, end of story. YOU may not like it, but he ran under the rules and qualified for the primaries. He had EVERY RIGHT to run, even though YOU want to deny him that right. The laws of the United States are stacked against independent runs. It’s virtually impossible for an independent to qualify in all 50 states. The state governments even pay for the major party primaries. An independent run is virtually impossible to pull off. You may hate him, but Bernie ran under the only rules that allowed him to run, AND HE QUALIFIED. Don’t like that? Then get all 50 states to make it easier for independent runs. Until then, get over yourself and stop making stupid, irrelevant arguments.
Thank you all for your kind words, positive thoughts and prayers are genuinely appreciated! A good friend advised me to be so interesting that the Doc’s keep me alive – I’m working on it.
El Jeffe, I guess I’m not certain what your point is? Are you trying to unite the party? Are you trying to convince us that Bernie is a democrat and the great white hope? Do you want us to accept the dogma that Hillary is the great Satan who single handedly destroyed the Democratic Party and must be sent packing off to the woods never to be heard from again?
This does not unite the party. This doesn’t encourage participation in the process nor does it explain how the process works or how to effectively participate in it in order to actually effect change.
This doesn’t focus attention on the real threats against our nation and democracy around the world. This doesn’t focus on the multiple important elections where people can actually make a difference if they are motivated to do so. This doesn’t encourage people to call their Senators and Representatives and urge them to vote against a tax bill that will irreparably damage Medicare and Medicaid, make zygote protections a thing, and screw the middle class in order to give tax breaks for Corporations and the 1% (which are doing just fine, thank you very much).
So what’s your purpose? Mine is focused on supporting effective checks against the crazy man in the White House and the cadre of self enriching, sycophants that he has appointed. It is not to engage in circular firing squads (see paragraph 1).
1So, El Jefe, I’ll join the discussion with my response to your assumption Joe Biden would have won.
Joe’s the nicest guy I’ve ever seen, but he had no, none, not any fire in the belly it takes to win a national throat-cutting, back stabbing, gonad separating race. Nice guys finish somewhere down the ticket.
As to Hillary v. Bernie v Donna. Aw pshaw.
I was disappointed Elizabeth did not join the race. That deed not done, I first supported Bernie who had the zeal, the energy, the compassion and my worst fault, the idealism.
But then I saw Bernie become left wing Trump, promising everything, free medicine, college and lower taxes and pots and chickens, most things which anyone who has ever looked upon political reality knows cannot be delivered by campaign promises. Had he even tempered that with “If you’ll support me and send some congressional democrats to Washington.. etc… well, it would’ve been different.
But just promising stuff for the vote is exactly what the Trumpster did, and he is eating those words instead of boiled chicken.
Monotone Hillary was the candidate. She had a young inexperienced campaign staff which had no spit and vinegar in its manner. The strategy was to hide the candidate and let Orange crush himself.
Despite the universal assumption to the contrary, I am convinced the Ruskies not only lied, cheated, stole, brain-washed, encouraged, discouraged and thoroughly manipulated the election, they also accessed voting totals.
Hackers hack. They don’t say, “Let’s not mess with the vote count, as that is impolite.”
But democrats didn’t even contest that possibility. Which brings me to my delayed point.
Notice how the Republicans spend their time and money preparing for the next election, the next census?
I checked. No one is at home at Dem HQ. Apparently they wait until the next election and start calling local precincts to see if they can recruit some poll watchers and workers.
Hillary legally took advantage of this absence. The Party was not only in debt but it had no leadership or organization.
Someone offered some leadership and organization and someone accepted.
Though she wasn’t my first choice either, please don’t accuse her when it was the Party who was asleep at the wheel.
2So, “please DON’T read this!” if you’re a Hillary supporter means what? “I don’t want to read any of your stupid fact-checks so STFU”?
I could fact-check it, but it would take way too much of my time; there’s so much that’s demonstratively wrong there.
3Moving forward, let’s keep the message simple: Democrats govern, Republicans campaign.
Mitch and his boys campaigned against the ACA for 10+ years; they delivered bupkas. They’ve been campaigning on tax reform since Reagan and the ‘best’ they have to offer is blowing up the deficit and more Trickle Down transfer of wealth to the .01%. Their major ‘accomplishment’ was stealing the Supreme Court seat from Merrick Garland.
Get out there and campaign on the simple facts. What is good for our brother Joe Six Pack is also good for our sisters and brothers of all cultural persuasions. Unity!
4And. Whether you hate the DNC or love the DNC, please just don’t WAIT on the DNC. Embrace the fact that “all politics is local.” Let’s get out there to do what we can about gerrymandering, register voters and send in our state candidates to take back Congress in 2018. That we can do. It might also inspire the DNC to come out to play nice with us in 2020. Or not. It is up to them to decide between becoming irrelevant or needed.
5Since the 2016 elections Republicans control the House of Representatives and the Senate. They also control 32 to 33 state legislatures and 34 governorships. The republican machine went after HRC long before she declared because they believed she would. That same machine would have gone after any democratic nominee and had the opportunity to do just as much damage as they did to HRC. Plus we have a voting public that hates anything liberal even if they are benefitting from it, married to their ideological beliefs even if it is not in their best interest (Nate Silver mentioned this before the election), and are woefully uneducated about how propaganda works of which the Russians hackers took advantage. The real winners are the Russians. They got the chaos they wanted…and it is continuing big time. Like Alan mentioned, where was Donna Brazile right after she took control of the DNC or right after the election with the information about this financial takeover? Of course she need to write her book to make her money. I won’t deny HRC made her money from her book as did the reporters who wrote Shattered. Wonder who else is going to wait until close to the 2018 elections to drag out a HRC episode to cause democratic chaos? She seems to be red meat for republicans as well as democrats alike. I am with deb on this…move on because nothing is learned from dragging this all out again and thinking some lesson is going to be taught. People who hate HRC are going to hate her and want to blame her for every democratic fault while those who like her will defend her.
6Thanks for the info about the DNC rules & independents.
7after looking at more info once again I find that a piece of negative truth has been blown up, more Hillary bashing. lets start looking for people to run 2018. the Dems are looking almost as crazy as the repugs.
Reading the comments thru #57, I see some of the very same principles that the repubs get chastised for; eg, the party 1st above all else, various opinions as to Hillary vs Sanders except as to their records over their careers covering what principles, who has gotten rich and how, the inbred obstacles an outsider has to overcome within the established power structure and, within this discussion, what the hell is the meaning of dem party, democrat.
8IMO, if the dems don’t have an all-encompassing participation pow-wow to define what it means to be a dem and a party, don’t expect them to automatically prevail against the bad guys.
Recall a previous joke here that said that the only way trump voters would turn on him is if he suddenly turned black. Sick funny, yes. But I personally know people close to me where that is literally true.
El Jefe, I want to encourage you to keep writing here. You are causing people to expose more of their true feelings than otherwise in a civilized manner which is needed to make any kind of progress to overcoming the real evils currently manifested in the far right.
Deb – beautifully stated.
This is another way the other guys keep winning. Release a bunch of squirrels, and let the media and the Dems chase them all over the forest. Meanwhile, the fox trots safely home, and finishes eating the chicken he killed.
Best thoughts for your battle with cancer. I feel a little optimistic; like Hillary, you are one strong lady.
9So in 2012 the DNC was broke and more or less useless. Lookin’ at you, Barack Obama.
10As usual, excellent post, El Jefe.
Here’s a multiple choice question I’ve been asking lately. I have yet to receive an answer but here goes:
Assume there is a candidate who has been a registered Independent most of his political career. Ideologically he is more closely aligned with the Democrats and he has always caucused with the Democrats, campaigned for Democrats and raised money for Democrats. He wants to run for a national office. Should he:
a. Run as a Democrat;
b. Run as an Independent on a third party ticket and thereby split the Democratic vote and throw the election to the Republican; or
c. None of the above. This ain’t no democracy and Independents can’t run for national office.
It is amazing to me that, despite huge amounts of money (more than any other candidate in history) and despite lots of rigging and thumbs on the scale, Ms. Clinton still managed to lose the election to the absolutely worst candidate for the presidency in the history of this nation.
11Looking past the recent revelations, I hope to one day learn to what extent the misogynistic, never-Hillary Bernie Bros movement that continued through the election was driven by Macedonian teenagers and Russian bots. Even after the ’68 convention, I don’t think the party split was as mean spirited as this one seemed to be on social media. And the Bernie supporters I actually know were not the “blow it up, burn it down” types that savaged Hillary supporters, on-line. Was the post-convention, Bernie Bros savaging of Hillary really Russian astro-turf?
12The horse is dead and nearly fully decomposed. Can we stop beating it please? 2016 has come and gone. Let it die. 2018 and 2020 are far more important. I’m sure there are aspects of the campaign that can be improved upon. I’m sure the DNC can be run more smoothly and with more transparency. Can we focus on that PLEASE?
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