myiW Current Conditions and Forecasts Community Forums Buy and Sell Services
 
Hi guest · myAccount · Log in
 SearchSearch   ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   RegisterRegister 
I quit
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3 ... 18, 19, 20 ... 25, 26, 27  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Politics, Off-Topic, Opinions
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
real-human



Joined: 02 Jul 2011
Posts: 14796
Location: on earth

PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2020 8:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-s-former-chief-staff-endorses-mattis-criticisms-n1226186?cid=eml_mra_20200608




MADDOWBLOG
Trump's former chief of staff endorses Mattis' criticisms
Jim Mattis and John Kelly were not peripheral figures in Trump's orbit. They saw him operate up close - and they were apparently not impressed.


Quote:
June 5, 2020, 1:05 PM MDT
By Steve Benen
In recent years, much of the political world has grown accustomed to Donald Trump feuding with former members of his own team. Michael Cohen, Anthony Scaramucci, and Omarosa Manigault, for example, have expressed regret for having been part of the president's operation, and he's lashed out at each accordingly.

But these strained relations shouldn't obscure the fact that prominent figures from Trump's cabinet have also rebuked the president in ways without modern precedent.

Former Defense Secretary James Mattis, for example, wrote a rather extraordinary rebuke of Donald Trump on Wednesday, condemning the president for being divisive, immature, and cavalier about abusing his powers. According to a CNN report, the president's former chief of staff thinks Mattis is right.

Former White House chief of staff John Kelly said Friday he agrees with former Secretary of Defense Gen. Jim Mattis' stark warning this week that President Donald Trump is "the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people" as nationwide protests have intensified over the death of George Floyd. "I agree with him," Kelly told Anthony Scaramucci, former White House communications director, during a live-streamed interview.

Kelly added, "I think we need to look harder at who we elect. I think we should look at people that are running for office and put them through the filter: What is their character like? What are their ethics?"

We've seen plenty of presidents quarrel with aides and allies over the years, but it's worth pausing to appreciate just how remarkable these circumstances are: a sitting president's former Pentagon chief and former White House chief of staff worked at his side for two years, and they're now letting the public know they have some rather serious concerns about their former boss.

What's more, Mattis and Kelly -- two former generals with eight stars between them -- made these public declarations the same week, in an election year.

_________________
when good people stay silent the right wing are the only ones heard.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
mac



Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 17736
Location: Berkeley, California

PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2020 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What are their ethics? This from someone who knows Trump better than anyone except his wives.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
real-human



Joined: 02 Jul 2011
Posts: 14796
Location: on earth

PostPosted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 11:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/elections-2020/exclusive-republican-former-us-national-security-officials-to-back-biden/ar-BB15SxOB


Exclusive: Republican former U.S. national security officials to back Biden


Quote:
WASHINGTON — Dozens of Republican former U.S. national security officials are forming a group that will back Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, people familiar with the effort said, in a further sign that President Donald Trump has alienated some members of his own party.

Joe Biden wearing a suit and tie: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event in Philadelphia.© Reuters/Bastiaan Slabbers Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event in Philadelphia.
The group will publicly endorse Biden in the coming weeks and its members plan to campaign for the former vice president who is challenging Trump in the Nov. 3 election, the sources said. It includes at least two dozen officials who served under Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, with dozens more in talks to join, the sources added.


They will argue that another four years of a Trump presidency would endanger U.S. national security and that Republican voters should view Biden as the better choice despite policy differences, the sources said.

The initiative is being led by John Bellinger III and Ken Wainstein, according to the people involved, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Both held senior posts under George W. Bush. Bellinger served as legal adviser to the National Security Council and State Department. Wainstein served as Bush's homeland security adviser and as chief of staff to former FBI Director Robert Mueller.

Another member of the group, the sources said, is Robert Blackwill, who served as a foreign policy adviser under both Bushes and ambassador to India under George W. Bush. The group includes some independents and officials from outside the national security arena, the sources said.

"Trump pals around with dictators. He's a real danger," a person involved in the group said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

_________________
when good people stay silent the right wing are the only ones heard.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
real-human



Joined: 02 Jul 2011
Posts: 14796
Location: on earth

PostPosted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/elections-2020/she-wanted-to-be-a-republican-president-shes-voting-for-biden/ar-BB15XcBr?ocid=msedgntp


She Wanted to Be a Republican President. She’s Voting for Biden.


Quote:
Republicans who say Donald Trump should lose in November but insist they won’t vote for Joe Biden aren’t being honest, Carly Fiorina argues.

Fiorina was a Republican candidate for president just four years ago, and was briefly Ted Cruz’s prospective running mate. Trump needs to go, she says — and that means she’s voting for Biden.


Fiorina is not going to keep quiet, write in another candidate, or vote third-party. “I’ve been very clear that I can’t support Donald Trump,” she told me, in an interview that can be heard in full on the latest episode of The Ticket. “And elections are binary choices.” She struggled with the decision, and whether to go public. But she said that this struggle is one Republicans need to have — including those who have rationalized supporting Trump despite their disagreements, because of some of his policies or judicial appointments.

“As citizens, our vote is more than a check on a box. You know, it’s a statement about where we want to go, and I think what we need now actually is real leadership that can unify the country,” she said. “I am encouraged that Joe Biden is a person of humility and empathy and character. I think he’s demonstrated that through his life. And I think we need humility and empathy everywhere in public life right now. And I think character counts.”

_________________
when good people stay silent the right wing are the only ones heard.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
real-human



Joined: 02 Jul 2011
Posts: 14796
Location: on earth

PostPosted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 3:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-wealthy-republicans-who-want-to-oust-trump-in-november-s-election/ar-BB1785Oz?ocid=msedgntp


The wealthy Republicans who want to oust Trump in November's election


Quote:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jimmy Tosh, who runs a multi-million dollar hog and grain farm in Tennessee, is a lifelong Republican. He is pro-gun, supports lower taxes and agrees with most of Republican President Donald Trump's agenda.


He is also spending his money to help defeat Trump in November's election.

"I agree with 80% of the things he does; I just cannot stand a liar," Tosh, 70, said of Trump.

Tosh is one of a growing number of wealthy conservative Americans who say Trump is a threat to democracy and the long-term health of the Republican Party. They are actively supporting his Democratic opponent in the Nov. 3 vote, former Vice President Joe Biden.

Several billionaire and millionaire donors to The Lincoln Project, the most prominent of Republican-backed groups opposing Trump's re-election, told Reuters that elected Republicans should also be punished for enabling him. Some even support the ouster of vulnerable Republican senators to hand control of the chamber to Democrats.

Their money has fueled an unprecedented campaign from members of a sitting president's own party to oust him from office. This is a sign that Trump has alienated some Republicans, most recently with his response to the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide protests over police brutality against Black Americans.

_________________
when good people stay silent the right wing are the only ones heard.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
real-human



Joined: 02 Jul 2011
Posts: 14796
Location: on earth

PostPosted: Mon Aug 10, 2020 9:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/you-re-the-real-loser-scaramucci-fires-back-at-trump-over-botched-handling-of-coronavirus/ar-BB17MKhj?ocid=msedgntp


‘You’re the real loser’: Scaramucci fires back at Trump over botched handling of coronavirus


Quote:
“We are tired of all the losing,” The Mooch wrote. “Thankfully it will be over on 11/3. America will heal and rebuild.”

_________________
when good people stay silent the right wing are the only ones heard.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
mac



Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 17736
Location: Berkeley, California

PostPosted: Thu Aug 13, 2020 8:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Democracy is at risk.

Quote:
by Kyle Murphy
August 13, 2020

social-image twitter icon reddit icon
I recently resigned as a senior analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency after experiencing firsthand the actions of U.S. government leaders to suppress nonviolent dissent during the recent nationwide protests for racial justice. I was among the thousands of peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters tear-gassed in Lafayette Square and nearly knocked to the ground by the downdraft from a military helicopter hovering over Pennsylvania Avenue. In the course of my work, I have watched autocratic leaders around the world employ similar tactics, actions that often precede broader uses of violence against domestic opposition. Unidentified federal forces in cities across the United States committing abuses against demonstrators is an evolution in the Trump administration’s authoritarian approach to dissent, not an anomaly.

I left government service after more than a decade because I lost faith in the courage of the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to refuse unlawful orders from the President. They effectively labeled me and other Americans expressing our views in a peaceful assembly as enemies. They authorized troops to use overwhelming force and set a dangerous precedent by enabling the president to ignore state and local officials’ objections and deploy federal forces in response to popular protests. While the military is, thankfully, out of the spotlight for now, the president has turned to other eager allies — in the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice — who believe their components of the federal government can clamp down on dissent with a veneer of legality.

I have seen up close the president’s disdain for democratic values, and recent events should be put in the context of a continuous slide toward authoritarianism. In 2015, I was detailed to the White House as an apolitical civil servant on the National Security Council (NSC) staff. My term was set to conclude in January 2017, but I agreed to extend for two months at the request of NSC leaders to support an orderly transition between administrations. I briefed President Donald Trump before several introductory calls to foreign heads of state, and as is customary, I listened in and prepared the official transcripts. I was appalled by the ways he actively undermined the democratic principles we have long aspired to model and to advance globally
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
real-human



Joined: 02 Jul 2011
Posts: 14796
Location: on earth

PostPosted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/terrifying-former-senior-trump-administration-official-endorses-biden/ar-BB184w2e?ocid=msedgntp



'Terrifying': Former senior Trump administration official endorses Biden


Quote:

Former senior Trump administration official endorses Biden

WASHINGTON – Former senior Trump administration official Miles Taylor endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president on Monday. In doing so, he became one of the highest-ranking former officials from the Trump administration to back the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Taylor, who served as chief of staff to former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and a political appointee at the Department of Homeland Security from 2017 until he left in 2019, was featured in a video produced by the Republican Voters Against Trump, saying what he saw from President Donald Trump "was terrifying."

Taylor continued to claim that when DHS staffers attempted to discuss issues of national security like a "cyberattack" or "terrorism threat" with the president, Trump "wasn’t interested in those things. … To him, they weren’t priorities.”


Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

He also stated Trump would give what Taylor called illegal orders to the DHS and “didn’t want us to tell him it was illegal anymore because he knew that … he had ‘magical authorities.'”

The video followed an op-ed he wrote that was published in The Washington Post where Taylor called Trump "dangerous" for America, without mentioning whom he was voting for.

More: The Democratic National Convention is here. Here's how to watch and what you can expect

More: Trump to campaign in battleground states as Democrats embrace Joe Biden, Kamala Harris at convention

In the video, Taylor stated, "Given what I have experienced in the administration, I have to support Joe Biden for president. And even though I am not a Democrat, even though I disagree on key issues, I'm confident that Joe Biden will protect the country and I'm confident that he won't make the same mistakes as this President."


Taylor's video endorsement and op-ed come on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, where several Republicans are set to speak in a show of bipartisan support for former Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris.

Four Republicans will speak for a segment called “We The People Putting Country Over Party.”

'It's not a good picture': Party conventions may further complicate coronavirus stimulus talks

'Coronavirus is a local issue': Democrats look to ride anti-Trump wave to capture state legislatures in 2020

Biden’s other Republican backers include several former administrations cabinet secretaries, former members of Congress and former GOP state party chairs. One-time Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, and Anthony Scaramucci, a prior Trump ally who briefly served as his White House communications director, have also endorsed Biden.

White House spokesperson Judd Deere responded to Taylor's allegations in a statement to USA TODAY, saying Taylor "never understood the importance of the President's agenda or why the American people elected him and clearly just wants to cash-in."

Some other former senior Trump administration officials, including most recently former national security adviser John Bolton, have also been critical of Trump, but few have publicly endorsed Biden.

In the ad, Taylor asserts the president sought to “exploit the Department of Homeland Security for his own political purposes and to fuel his own agenda.”

More: Trump's Postmaster General DeJoy will testify before Congress about USPS changes

Taylor claimed the president sought to “go further” than the zero tolerance immigration policy at the southern border that led to family separations, and wanted “a deliberate policy of ripping children away from their parents to show those parents that they shouldn’t come to the border in the first place.”

Nielsen implemented the Trump administration's controversial family separation policy after being appointed DHS secretary in December 2017 that led to the separation of thousands of families. She resigned in April 2019.



In the op-ed, Taylor also slammed Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic as "bungled", writing that "Trump failed to make effective use of the federal crisis response system painstakingly built after 9/11. Years of DHS planning for a pandemic threat have been largely wasted."

According to CNN, Taylor has taken a leave of absence from working at Google's public policy arm until Election Day to engage more in the 2020 presidential campaign.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Terrifying': Former senior Trump administration official endorses Biden

_________________
when good people stay silent the right wing are the only ones heard.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
real-human



Joined: 02 Jul 2011
Posts: 14796
Location: on earth

PostPosted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-biden-republicans/former-republican-cia-fbi-heads-and-national-security-officials-to-back-biden-idUSKBN25G2C5


Former Republican CIA, FBI heads and national security officials to back Biden


Quote:
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Over 70 former Republican national security officials including ex-CIA and FBI chiefs will endorse Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Friday while launching a scathing indictment of President Donald Trump, calling him corrupt and unfit to serve.

U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) is joined on stage by her running-mate, U.S Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, after she accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination during an acceptance speech delivered for the largely virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., August 19, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The group, called Former Republican National Security Officials for Biden, includes some of the most senior Republican members of the U.S. defense and intelligence establishment to have served in the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Trump.

The 73-strong group includes retired General Michael Hayden, who served as national security director and head of the CIA; William Webster, the only man to serve as both head of the CIA and FBI; John Negroponte, the first director of National Intelligence; Michael Leiter, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center; and Mike Donley, former Air Force secretary.

_________________
when good people stay silent the right wing are the only ones heard.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
mac



Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 17736
Location: Berkeley, California

PostPosted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, Trump finally brought most of America together to realize that Trump is not just dishonest, not just incompetent, but dangerous.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Politics, Off-Topic, Opinions All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3 ... 18, 19, 20 ... 25, 26, 27  Next
Page 19 of 27

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum

myiW | Weather | Community | Membership | Support | Log in
like us on facebook
© Copyright 1999-2007 WeatherFlow, Inc Contact Us Ad Marketplace

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group