Jeanne, “Drain the swamp” was Mussolini’s campaign slogan.
Really?
SDJ, only half true as per this Politifact article: https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2018/may/09/madeleine-albright/madeleine-albright-right-about-mussolini-and-drain/
Evidently he literally drained swamps around Rome as public works projects, but he never had any political slogans saying "Drain the Swamps."
Marley thanks. Great article. SDJ, thanks for prompting us to check it out. So it’s half true— Mussolini ran on a campaign, in part, to cleanse or purge the bureaucracy —as did Trump (and also Reagan by the way. Republicans love to go after the bureaucracy but then they end out creating a worse and more expensive scenario). And Mussolini also said he would literally drain the swamps surrounding Rome.
I got my information from Madeleine Albright's book. She lists several more parallels to previous fascists, but primarily to Mussolini. The main difference between the two men being that Mussolini was disciplined and willing to do the work.
I believe the Russian motivation is to cause chaos. This is why they support extremists on both sides of a democratic divide. They don’t support anyone in the centre! When I was a child I used to watch old re-runs of the show “Get Smart”. The opposing force, modeled on the USSR, was called “Chaos”. I think this motivation has been around for a while.
Does anyone else find it interesting that right after Rick Perry returns from Russia, Trump declassifies info that would show how we surveiled Page and how the FBI investigation was conducted at the start. I cant see anything specific on it but my gut intuition tells me that Putin sent orders back to his puppet with Perry acting as messenger boy. Depending on what all is included and released, this could give Putin the info on how he was caught and how not to get caught in 2018 and 2020.
MAS, I wasn't aware of Perry's sojourn, but when the news hit me that Trump has ordered this disturbing declassification, I instantly felt it was a distract-and-disrupt play intended to divert the heat and scrutiny that'll be launched his way as Manafort's participation with the Special Counsel unfolds. I can see Stephen Miller encouraging it.
Still, it wouldn't surprise me to learn anything at this point.
Trump's declassification of those documents is an act of treason. It's meant not only to distract, more importantly it is a way to share how our intelligence agencies do their jobs with our enemies. Make no mistake, we are at war and have been for a while now. Just because it's mostly electronic and not guns and bombs doesn't mean it's not happening.
I can't help it, but these days my mind keeps circling back to Alex's prediction:
- I see a bank vault and Trump. He is closing the doors of the bank vault and he’s inside it. I hear the words “whatever” and “That’s all folks!” Then I hear a sizzling sound like an egg or piece of meat burning. (Alex)
This has already been marked as a hit, but I also find the current situation so fitting. With the shut down, Trump has in many ways closed down the government's coffers. He has boxed himself in, leaving little room to manoeuvre. He is alone and isolated in the White house, he is unable to address the nation via the State of the Union. Personally, he seems unaffected (see his 'hamberder' dinner) and indifferent, while federal workers are struggling to put food on the table. Does anyone else see it this way?