by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley
The real story was that the Democrats rigged the primary elections. The manufactured story that has dominated corporate media is that Russia may hack the U.S. elections and Donald Trump is a “fascist” guilty of “treason” for failing to demonize Vladimir Putin. But the Republican nominee fails the fascist test, since the hard corporate Right is with Hillary and “Trump has no filter or political acumen and has run afoul of the Republican rulers.”
Freedom Rider: Trump, Russia and Democratic Lies
by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley
“Trump is surely the only Republican running for president who couldn’t get a meeting with the Koch brothers.”
Wikileaks latest revelations of the Democrats’ corruption prove that the party is nothing but a neo-liberal marketing scheme meant to fool progressive voters. As with the Republicans, its goal is to aid and abet the dictates of the ruling classes. The contents and substance of the hacked emails had to be disappeared so as not to ruin the Democratic convention and its well-honed image of inclusion.
The easiest route to diversion was to cast aspersions upon the source of the information. In this case a years-long effort to promote anti-Russian propaganda proved useful. The computer hack was said to have “Russian digital fingerprints” and “experts” swore that the hackers were not just any ordinary Russians but Russian government agents. Any experts skeptical about these claims were disappeared too.
The Hillary Clinton coronation was ready made for lies and hapless Republican nominee Donald Trump helped in the commission of the crime. Having been beaten down in a windfall of Democratic corporate fund raising prowess he should have been up on his game. Instead he chose to sarcastically ask for Russian government help in finding the 30,000 emails deleted by candidate Clinton from the private server she should never have used.
“The United States has a long and ignoble history of interfering in elections around the world.”
It is clear that Trump said nothing wrong. If true journalism existed in America his comments would not have been dismissed so easily. The Obama justice department decision to ignore Clinton’s criminal use of a private server to conduct state department business should not be forgotten. Journalists should be the ones raising the issue instead of her opponent. But the Clinton/Obama collusion had been buried too and joking about it in the midst of the coronation insured a public relations disaster for Trump. Of course the United States has a long and ignoble history of interfering in elections around the world. Those facts have been firmly shoved down the memory hole by a compliant press.
The intensity of the attack was worthy of far worse offenses but overkill was the point after all. Supposedly accomplished people like Obama law school mentor Laurence Tribe actually claimed that Trump had violated laws prohibiting private citizens from doing business with foreign government and added for rhetorical flourish that he may have committed treason. The charge of treason can only be made when one makes war against the United States or gives aid and comfort to an enemy. None of those qualifiers applied in this case. Truth is already a casualty and Hillary Clinton isn’t even in office.
Casting Putin as the villain responsible for all of the world’s ills has reached an unprecedented level. Conservative talking head George Will surmised with no evidence whatever that Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns is an effort to hide business dealings with Moscow. The Washington Post claimed that the Russian government may hack voting machines on Election Day.
“The charge of treason can only be made when one makes war against the United States or gives aid and comfort to an enemy.”
The lies have had the intended benefit of keeping Democrats in the Clinton camp and destroying Trump’s chances of being heard by all but the most loyal Republican dead enders. The New York Times reported that its readers commented on the phony Trump/Russian connection more than they had on any subject ever. Obama and Clinton’s destruction of Libya, the would-be destruction of Syria, rampant police murder, or increases in poverty never raised as much ire among the voters the Democrats covet so much.
The corporate media have always told lies when powerful people demand it. The willingness to act as hit men and women isn’t new but the circumstances this year are quite different. The Republican nominee is unwanted by his party establishment. Trump is surely the only Republican running for president who couldn’t get a meeting with the Koch brothers. Party heavy weights skipped the convention altogether while others are temporarily calling a halt to their party affiliation. The man we are told to fear is at a serious disadvantage.
“The Washington Post claimed that the Russian government may hack voting machines (*link voting) on Election Day.”
His weaknesses as a candidate make Trump a perfect foil for Hillary Clinton and the rest of the Democrats. His open bigotry allows them to point fingers and hide their own allegiance to mass incarceration, deportation and other racist ills. Hillary and Bill Clinton have done immeasurable harm to black people but have now been given a pass because Trump has no filter or political acumen and has run afoul of the Republican rulers.
Much of the vitriol directed at Trump involves the charge that he is a fascist. It is the Democrats who have buy-in and a fund raising advantage from the monied classes. The Democrats work with the media to bury their wrong doing. The Democrats pledge to keep the war machine humming. Trump has certainly failed at living up to the fascist label.
Americans have to live with this propaganda and hysteria for three more months. But the real damage begins on January 20, 2017 when Barack Obama hands over his office to Hillary Clinton, a violent and lying criminal and her equally corrupt compatriots. They are the people we ought to fear.
Margaret Kimberley's Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR, and is widely reprinted elsewhere. She maintains a frequently updated blog as well as athttp://freedomrider.blogspot.com. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.com.
Kalonji Changa is co-founder of Black Power Media and founder of FTP Movement. He joins us from Atlanta to talk about Black August, which has been a fixture of the liberation movement for 43 years.
Irene Asuwa joins us from Nairobi, Kenya. She is co-convener of Ecological Justice and supports outreach at Ukombozi Library. We discuss the recent presidential election in that country.
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