Guest Post by
There’s nobody running for President under the GOP ticket that I could even consider supporting other than Rand Paul. Although I’ve become disillusioned with him as of late, particularly with the way his campaign is being managed, he did an excellent job defending the 4th Amendment in the Republican debate last night against the incredibly corrupt, neocon thug Chris Christie.
What’s so amusing about the exchange is that Christie couldn’t talk for one minute about NSA surveillance without lying. He stated that:
I was appointed U.S. attorney by President Bush on September 10th, 2001, and the world changed enormously the next day, and that happened in my state.
Now here’s the truth from EmptyWheel:
Never mind that most US Attorneys don’t, themselves, go before the FISC to present cases (usually it is people from the National Security Division, though it was OIPR when Christie was US Attorney), never mind that the name of the court is the “Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
The real doozie here is Chris Christie’s claim that he “was appointed U.S. attorney by President Bush on September 10th, 2001.”
On December 7, 2001 — three months after the attacks — President Bush released this notice of nomination.
Now, maybe Bush spoke with his big New Jersey fundraiser Chris Christie and assured him the payoff — in the form of a key appointment — would be coming. Maybe that conversation even happened on September 10.
But it is not the case that he was nominated on September 10.
I attribute this fib — like the mistakes about the name of FISC — to be bluster and debate confusion. What I find more offensive is that Andrea Mitchell, when hailing Christie’s national security credentials later in the night, literally claimed he was nominated on September 10 and started on September 12.
And there’s a far bigger subtext here.
Christie implies he was involved in the dragnet in question. He was US Attorney from January 2002 to December 2008 — so he in fact would have been in office during the two years when the phone dragnet worked through the Servic–um, Surveillance court, and four years of the Internet dragnet. But if, as he implies, he was involved in the dragnet for the entire span of his tenure — and remember, there were huge cases run out of Trenton right out of 9/11 — then he was also using the fruits of illegal wiretapping to do his job. Not Servic — um, Surveillance court authorized dragnets and wiretaps, but also illegal wiretaps.
Which may explain why he’s so invested in rebutting any questions about the legitimacy of the program.
Now watch the exchange.
Notice how Christie always tries to tug at people’s heartstrings in his impassioned defense of authoritarianism? He exclaims, “my wife was two blocks away” on 9/11, as if that’s some badge of honor. Well I was two blocks away that morning as well champ, and you don’t see me trying to eviscerate the Constitution in response.
As much as I dislike pretty much everyone running for President, there is one person who is far and away the worst: Chris Christie. Just in case you need a refresher on the man:
Chris Christie Spent $82,000 in Taxpayer Money on Concessions at MetLife Stadium.
The Trouble With Chris Christie by Chris Hedges
Chris Christie Calls Libertarianism a “Dangerous Thought”
How Marijuana Legalization in America is Destroying Mexican Drug Cartel Business
The man is heroically awful.
In Liberty,
Michael Krieger
Trump’s Triumph: Billionaire Blowhard Exposes Fake Political System
Last night’s FOX News GOP Presidential Debate Extravaganza featured the most riveting two-minute political exchange ever heard on national television. During a brief colloquy between Republican front-runner Donald Trump and Fox moderator Brett Baier, the pugnacious casino magnate revealed the appalling truth about the American political system, that the big money guys like Trump own the whole crooked contraption lock, stock, and barrel, and that, the nation’s fake political leaders do whatever they’re told to do. Without question, it was most illuminating commentary to ever cross the airwaves. Here’s the entire exchange direct from the transcript:
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“FOX News Brett Baier (talking to Trump): Now, 15 years ago, you called yourself a liberal on health care. You were for a single-payer system, a Canadian-style system. Why were you for that then and why aren’t you for it now?
“TRUMP: As far as single payer, it works in Canada. It works incredibly well in Scotland. It could have worked in a different age, which is the age you’re talking about here.
“What I’d like to see is a private system without the artificial lines around every state. I have a big company with thousands and thousands of employees. And if I’m negotiating in New York or in New Jersey or in California, I have like one bidder. Nobody can bid.
“You know why?
Because the insurance companies are making a fortune because they have control of the politicians, of course, with the exception of the politicians on this stage. (uneasy laughter) But they have total control of the politicians. They’re making a fortune.
“Get rid of the artificial lines and you will have…yourself great plans…
“BAIER: Mr. Trump, it’s not just your past support for single-payer health care. You’ve also supported a host of other liberal policies….You’ve also donated to several Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton included, and Nancy Pelosi. You explained away those donations saying you did that to get business-related favors. And you said recently, quote, ‘When you give, they do whatever the hell you want them to do.’
“TRUMP: You’d better believe it.
“BAIER: — they do?
“TRUMP: If I ask them, if I need them, you know, most of the people on this stage I’ve given to, just so you understand, a lot of money.
“TRUMP: I will tell you that our system is broken. I gave to many people, before this, before two months ago, I was a businessman. I give to everybody. When they call, I give. And do you know what? When I need something from them two years later, three years later, I call them, they are there for me. And that’s a broken system.
“UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you get from Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi?
“TRUMP: Well, I’ll tell you what, with Hillary Clinton, I said be at my wedding and she came to my wedding. You know why?
“She didn’t have a choice because I gave. I gave to a foundation that, frankly, that foundation is supposed to do good. I didn’t know her money would be used on private jets going all over the world. It was.
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There it is, two glorious minutes of pure, unalloyed truth on national television. How often does that happen?
How often does a fatcat billionaire-insider appear on TV and announce that the whole system is a big-fat scam run by crooks and patsies?
Never, that’s when. But that’s what Trump did last night. And that’s why the clatter of ruthless miscreants who run the system behind the smokescreen of fake politicians are sharpening their knives right now before Manhattan’s rogue elephant does even more damage to their precious system.
Just think about what the man said. He not only explained that the whole system is rigged (Baier: “And when you give, they do whatever the hell you want them to do.”…TRUMP: “You’d better believe it.”), he also said that the politicians will do whatever they’re told to do. (TRUMP: Well, “with Hillary Clinton, I said be at my wedding and she came to my wedding. You know why? She didn’t have a choice because I gave.”)
Doesn’t that confirm your darkest suspicions about the way the system really works, that money talks and that elections are just a way to get the sheeple to rubber-stamp a corrupt, fraudulent system?
Of course, it does.
So, let’s summarize: Moneybags capitalist loudmouth explains to 80 million dumbfounded Americans watching prime time TV, that the system is a total fraud, that the big money runs everything, and that even he thinks the system is broken.
How do you beat that? Seriously, my wife and I were laughing and high-fiving and like we just won the lottery.
Thanks for that, Don. We owe you one.
Less than 5% felt Fatfuk Christie won the debate.
Fatfuk Christie is in the WORST possible position to be in as a politician. He. Is. IRRELEVANT.
I bet he regrets licking Obama’s balls.
We already knew this; at least the politically aware, such as those reading this platform and many others. Troubling though is that we are a very distinct minority of influence. The real influence on politics is the FSA and the registered Dem’s and Rep’s that almost always pull one lever.
There should be a means test, not only for Social Security or any Gov’t program that hands out funds, but also a means test for Voting; perhaps only property owners (other than motor vehicles) or an IQ test on-line; etc.
Dem politicians would go into apoplectic shock if an IQ test was applied.
Never an R or D again, is my motto. They all suck.
Christie isn’t just “the worst” he’s a dangerous pie-eater.
Let’s not forget Geo Washington bridge-gate.
Isn’t Christie a democrat? Just joking,well kind of. Trump just showed that he is an adult who knows how things get done in a corrupt system.
Is Rand using the same manager that his dad used? His campaign sucks.I see no charisma at all. I don’t think he stands a chance.
Fox news and others seem to favor Bush. The American people are just sick of what is going on. I think Trump almost has a chance.
Maybe Crissy will fall bakwrds on a cinder block
Trump is to Jeb what Sanders is to Hillary
I wish that fat bastard would win just so I could constantly say, ” President Chris KrispyKreme.”
Btw, was the $82,000 Chris KrispyKreme spent on concessions during 1 game?