Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Only The Shadow Knows

And he ain't saying, because his Iowa app for the reporting of caucus results mysteriously collapsed on Monday night.

"Shadow" is the name of the app designed by a couple of former Hillary Clinton campaign tech operatives to allegedly "streamline" precinct reporting of the Monday night vote tallies. The only problem is, it failed miserably. Whether it failed by ineptitude or by design doesn't really matter.


 The lack of results, the final announcement of which could be deliberately withheld not by hours but by whole weeks, serves the ultimate purpose of the oligarch-led Democratic Party: It has denied Bernie Sanders his victory speech and it has tried to water down his momentum.

We might have seen this coming after the Des Moines Register abruptly cancelled the release of its pre-caucus polling over the weekend, because one lone pollster allegedly forgot to mention Pete Buttigieg's name to some of the people she called.

The lame excuse offered by the Democratic machine, of "inconsistencies" in the reporting process, is obviously code for "the results showing Bernie to be the blowout winner are inconsistent with the values and desires of the plutocrats who own the place." 

The excuse seems to be backfiring spectacularly, especially as it comes right on the heels of the Democrats' deliberately inept and watered-down impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump. It brings back unpleasant memories of the "hanging chad" debacle that allowed the Supreme Court to undemocratically appoint George W. Bush president in 2000. It is also reminiscent of the Obamacare enrollment catastrophe, remnants of which persist to this very day.

I had predicted last week that a computer hack or meltdown preventing voting and/or ballot counting at the national nominating convention might be one party excuse for denying Sanders the nomination. In the interests of "national security" and the defeat of the TrumPutin menace, a hasty superdelegate ballot could then be conducted against a background of manufactured panic to anoint a nominee. Party unity would then become the new definition of patriotism. 


Little did we know that the Democratic machine would get started with their subterfuge so early.

More troubling news is that the Shadow app was launched by ACRONYM, a party-affiliated tech firm which also works for Pete Buttigieg's campaign and which now conveniently disavows any connection with Shadow. Maybe there's an enterprising Wendy out there who can sew it back onto Peter Pan.




 This connection is rendered all the more troubling by Buttigieg's hasty declaration of outright victory on Monday night. Does Buttigieg know what The Shadow knows?

 His connection to the Clinton/Obama-controlled machine is further cemented by his connection to the  Alliance For Democracy, a shadowy consortium of party leaders and wealthy donors.

Many of the Alliance For Democracy's liberal plutocratic members were recently named to  leadership positions in the Democratic National Committee, ostensibly to help effect a brokered nominating convention in Milwaukee this summer.


As the New York Times reported last April:
The matter of What To Do About Bernie and the larger imperative of party unity has, for example, hovered over a series of previously undisclosed Democratic dinners in New York and Washington organized by the longtime party financier Bernard Schwartz. The gatherings have included scores from the moderate or center-left wing of the party, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California; Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader; former Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia; Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., himself a presidential candidate; and the president of the Center for American Progress, Neera Tanden.
You might remember Schwartz as the oligarch who was embroiled in a bit of a scandal for selling missile technology to China at the same time he was bankrolling the Clintons, who then occupied the White House. He was later exonerated of any wrongdoing by Clinton's attorney general, Janet Reno. He is currently a major funder of the centrist, pro-austerity Democratic think tank, Third Way, and also chairs the Rothkopf Group. Its founder, David Rothkopf, is a lobbyist representing the despotic United Arab Emirates and who frequently appears on MSNBC and CNN to tout US-Saudi relations without disclosing his own shadowy affiliations.

It's a tangled web. Follow the money if you can, since it's mostly dark money. Stay on the lookout for the same familiar faces sitting on the same corporate boards and think tanks and corporate cable panels who spout the identical bellicose talking points with the same blatant hypocrisy. They are all too easy to spot.

Meanwhile, internal polling by the Sanders campaign shows him, as expected, to be the de facto blowout winner of the Iowa caucuses. The New York Times and other corporate media outlets have since obligingly removed all traces of his voting lead from their home-pages and relevant apps. 

That's the thing about neoliberal technocrats. They always try to fix what isn't broken. And when they succeed in ruining people's lives and trampling all over their basic human rights - including the right to vote - they never blame themselves. They always blame the latest inexplicable technology glitch or foreign interference. Passive-aggressive is too kind a word for these sociopaths.

This is especially true when they pose as anti-Trump #Resistance, Inc. crime fighters, when all this is really about is an internecine oligarchic mob war, with democracy as the collateral damage.

Ask not what evil lurks in the hearts of men (and women). Simply marvel at the fact that it doesn't much bother lurking any more. It's proudly right out there in the open. It's right in your face.

Nobody could ever have predicted..... don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good... mistakes were made... go screw yourselves.



17 comments:

  1. Thanks, Karen, for this information and the connections you've detailed. Prior to reading this piece, I already thought this Iowa voting fiasco was suspicious, with hints of banana-republic vote manipulation. Now I'm much more certain it was deliberate. As with most real conspiracies, hard to prove, but the circumstantial evidence is accumulating, and getting to be quite persuasive.

    I'm starting to agree that Bernie should walk away from the Democrats and run as an independent, or start his own Party, and he needs to do it soon, as there are substantial time and signature requirements to be met in order to be placed on the ballot.

    Regardless of what he does, I'll say this: Enough is enough! If Bernie is defeated for the Democratic Party nomination in a manner that is not transparent and absolutely fair, that in any way suggests that the party apparatus or other candidates may have manipulated the nomination, then the Democratic Party will have proven itself beyond redemption -- and I'll stay home come November and urge all my fellow registered-Democrat family members and friends to do the same. Trump or no Trump. That means that Democrats all the way up and down the ballot will not get my vote, nor I suspect the votes of many others, and the Democratic Party may well finally be interred alongside several other previous failed political parties of U.S. history. ARE YOU LISTENING, DEMOCRATIC PARTY APPARATUS?

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  2. Karen's essay shows a step toward a society in which citizens can't trust any information and endless conspiracy theories exist. The Soviet Union/Russia is the classic example, but the United States is in danger of going down that path with loud cries of fake news and the embrace of alternate facts.

    This is aided by the ever-increasing use of classification and secrecy, across administrations. As the WashPost says, "Democracy dies in darkness."

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  3. Can we still charge the DNC with a conspiracy if it, along with the media and the rest of the establishment, are executing each step of the Disappear Bernie Plan in the open before our lying eyes?

    As was said above, after his Iowa experience Bernie has ample confirmation of what lies ahead if he continues to hang with the Dems. He's got to strike out on his own to tend to those fifty state ballot requirements and to hoist the flag of a new party.

    Real soon, I expect nothing less than a big speech before thousands where Bernie announces why he's been forced to go independent: out of loyalty to US and certainly not the Duopoly, which, he finally has to admit, is too rotten to save.

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  4. My instant reaction upon hearing the reports of the "chaos" from the Iowa tallies was that Bernie Sanders had won a big victory. The Democratic leadership is in panic denial. This is their worst nightmare and they are doing whatever it takes to fight it.

    Have I become a loony conspiracist or am I just acknowledging the sad reality of the struggle we are in? Fortunately the New Hampshire primary comes up soon and I believe we will see Sanders lead come out of the shadows.

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  5. I oh wha?

    Brilliant piece, Karen, and the best put forth.
    Here are three others worth noting:

    Scenes from the Democratic Meltdown in Iowa —
    Two parties — one at a Marriott, one at a dive bar — reveal a deep divide in the Democratic base.
    https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/bernie-sanders-joe-biden-iowa-caucus-democratic-meltdown-947545/
    February 4, 2020 ~ by Shawn McCreesh

    New Details Show How Deeply Iowa Caucus App Developer Was Embedded in Democratic Establishment —
    https://theintercept.com/2020/02/04/iowa-caucus-app-shadow-acronym/
    February 4, 2020 ~ by Lee Fang

    Iowa Is Just the Latest Chapter in a Rolling Democratic Calamity —
    https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/02/frank-rich-iowa-and-the-rolling-democratic-calamity.html
    February 4, 2020 ~ by Frank Rich


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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. No one has said it better than you, Karen: "all this is really about is an internecine oligarchic mob war, with democracy as the collateral damage."

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  8. Fox "news" item, as served up by Google Chrome on my mobile device:

    "James Carville sounds the alarm as Sanders surges in primary: 'I'm scared to death' for Democratic Party."

    https://www.foxnews.com/media/james-carville-bernie-sanders-scared-to-death.amp

    The Democratic Party establishment still doesn't get it, that the neoliberal policies of Democratic election winners such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are what actually set the stage for Trump and his malevolent ilk. Or maybe Carville, at least, does "get it", all too well, and understands that Democratic-registered voters are starting to see through the deceptions of the neoliberal Democratic establishment and those voters instead want significant, substantive progressive actions. But he sure as hell doesn't like that. And it wouldn't surprise me if the Democratic establishment he is part of did everything in its power power to stop progressivism. As Karen said, the only surprise is that the establishment machinations as seen in the Iowa primary have started so early.

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  9. Two more pieces on point:

    Why Democrats share the blame for the rise of Donald Trump —
    I was part of a Democratic administration that failed to fix a rigged system –
    I know our current president is a symptom of our disunion, not its only cause.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/01/donald-trump-impeachment-trial-state-of-the-union
    2 Feb 2020 ~ by Robert Reich

    Pelosi Delivers Another Resistance Meme, and Nothing Else —
    The House Speaker theatrically ripped up a speech that she gave Trump a platform to deliver.
    https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/pelosi-state-of-the-union-trump-democratic-party-948016/
    February 5, 2020 ~ by Jack Crosbie

    Also worth hearing are all the RUMBLE with Michael Moore podcasts.


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  10. At first the Iowa results didn't show up when they were supposed to Monday night, a surprise story so big it eclipsed Bernie's likely victory, Bootleg's theft of the palm, and Biden's embarrassing setback.

    Then, in the middle of the week that curious 63% subtotal, which allowed Bootleg to take another bow although show was not over.

    Now, about the time we are handed the envelope with the grand total from all Iowa precincts, the Times tells us the count was irretrievably screwed up at the source in over a hundred caucuses.

    What a pity, after all that campaigning, the 2020 Iowa delegate count in its entirety will never be accepted as valid and is useless to the winner but a life extender for the losers. The question mark over Iowa's delegate count will serve the DNC well when delegates are––surprise!––challenged before the big count at the Convention.

    Go, Bernie. Go congratulate Bootleg. Go repeat your vow to support the party's nominee.

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  11. The plot sickens.

    Cheatin'Pete wasn't done complaining after he got the Des Moines Register poll spiked which would have shown Bernie in the lead. No, now he's complaining to the DNC/IDP about the satellite caucuses, Bernie's stronghold, and succeeded in getting the count stopped before it puts Bernie over the top.

    In the meantime, Cheatin'Pete gets a bounce in the NH polls from his self-proclaimed victory and subsequent media coverage of several days declaring him the winner. At least Bernie, now in NH, is finally declaring victory. Too little too late.

    Bernie needs to get it through his THICK HEAD that it's not about HIM, it's about US and all the people who spent so much time, energy, and money to help the cause, just as so many did at the Dem Convention in 2016 when he betrayed us the first time.

    Everyone can hate Trump all they want, but when he declared to his supporters "I AM YOUR VOICE", it was a stroke of genius. Bernie could learn a lot about promising to stand up and speak out for his followers, such as taking on the stinking corrupt Democratic Party openly and brazenly.

    What's he got to lose? Haven't we all learned by now that they will NEVER let him win. So he might as well do us all a favor and take them down with him. There's nothing more effective than showing courage and letting your enemies show themselves for the scum they really are. If he waits until after they've cheated him out of the nomination again, it will just sound like sour grapes, plus he won't have cameras or microphones around him anymore. Bloomberg and Trump will have them all.

    The fact is, the public hates Congress more than they hate the media which they hate more than Donald Trump and they'll love him for it. Better to be loved BEFORE the primaries than after being cheated out of the nomination - votes!

    If Bernie thinks that playing nice with them will keep them from trying to defeat and totally destroy him AND our movement, he's insane. If he says nothing about their open corruption, he's letting evil triumph. Nothing would win the votes of Independents and even Republicans more easily than pointing out both Parties rot. He could even quote George Washington who was opposed to political parties and predicted the damage they would cause to our country which everyone can see. He'd win in a landslide.

    The media would lap it up for their ratings. Even if they spun it to make Bernie look as bad as possible, the public hates the media almost as much as they hate Congress (if not more), which is at least twice as much as they hate Donald Trump, so Bernie has nothing to lose - except his cushy seat in Congress which is useless as long as the Party is run by Pelosi, Schumer, and Schiff.

    At his age, Bernie should throw caution to the wind personally and professionally and take up the good fight with both barrels blazing - for us, for the country, for the world.

    Nothing would better prove his bonefides for being leader, commander in chief, and CEO of the global Capitalist empire, providing he can exhibit some real courage.

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  12. If you go to Bernie[dot]com, you'll eventually find the 'Contact' button.

    This is the email address: info@berniesanders[dot]com

    Here's a copy of my missive to The Man:


    Dear Campaign Worker,

    Please slip this note in Bernie’s pocket.

    Thanks

    . . . .

    Dear Bernie,

    Of all the Democratic candidates, you're the One, the only one who can bury Trump in a general election. The problem is, Democratic Party chiefs, before the July convention, intend to bury you. And you act as if unaware or in no hurry to act.

    Did you learn nothing about the party in 2016? Iowa 2020 last week? Will you never raise hell with corrupt party chiefs –– or walk long –– no matter what they do to undermine your chance of getting into the ring with Trump? Unless you knock out the DNC, decisively, you'll never reach the next level, a shot at the title. Priorities!


    I hope none of us looks back in about a year with: "Bernie, he coulda been a contenda.”
    Remember: You da champ. If you take a fall, you take the rest of “us” down with you.

    Sincerely,

    A despairing supporter

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  13. Got a quick response from Team Bernie. Good news from the land of the blind. See for yourself below. (My redactions).
    ........

    Michelle (Team Bernie)
    Feb 7, 10:21 AM EST

    Dear [name redacted],

    We appreciate and share your concerns with the fairness of the 2016 Democratic Primary.

    The good news is that Bernie and his supporters have worked hard to win major reforms to the DNC and the nominating process. These changes include a significantly reduced role for superdelegates, an increase in the number of debates, and a change in the leadership of the DNC to ensure a more level playing field for all candidates. Bernie himself has said that he is satisfied with these changes, and views the system as a more fair and transparent one.

    As we look forward to the 2020 Democratic Primary, we know we must work together to build a movement and a campaign so strong that nothing can stop us. We hope you will join us in this fight, and help us create an America which works for everyone, not just the 1%.

    Thanks again for reaching out, [name redacted], and have a great day!

    In solidarity,

    Michelle
    Team Bernie

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  14. Good idea, Jay. I'm glad you posted their response. (Sheepdog Alert!)

    We need to put our money where our mouth is because that's all they'll understand.

    Here's my message I just sent:

    I'm not giving another dollar to the Sanders campaign until/unless Bernie proves with words and actions that he has the guts to take on the corrupt Democratic Party establishment. That means BEFORE he's relegated to being a campaign surrogate for the eventual ticket of Bloomberg/Clinton. (The upside of that is that no one will be begging us for money anymore to impossibly 'keep up'.)  

    The fix is in. Not only is Bloomberg buying the DNC one change at a time with 'donations', he's also using the same bribery to buy endorsements of mayors in big cities by trickling down 'grants'. Even his lavishly purchasing tv ads guarantees the media will give him favorable coverage and his endless loop of ads running every hour means the cost becomes inflated and unaffordable for rivals.

    Bloomberg has the money, the media, the DNC, and the convention sewed up and he's ramping up for the general already. The handwriting and dollar signs are on the wall.  

    It's a slap in the face for Bernie to pledge his support to the DNC's choice of nominee but not promise to be OUR VOICE right now and start using it loudly and clearly to condemn the corruption of the Democratic establishment. It's doubtful he will considering he he jumped on the idiotic, delusional Russiagate and Impeachment trains-to-nowhere just to win favor with the Party. Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.

    Since they're bound and determined to take him down, he needs to take them down first. If he's waiting for more inevitable shenanigans and cheating, it's only going to sound like sour grapes. He needs to take the offensive. Now.        
     
    If Bernie won't stop pussyfooting, he's proving that he's not fit to be the nominee or the Commander in Chief/President. As everyone knows (even Donald Trump), Americans expect the Commander in Chief/President to show mental toughness and courage to speak out and be comfortable going toe-to-toe with any enemy, foreign and domestic.

    This isn't Bernie's first rodeo at the DNC corral and we're watching closely. This is his only opportunity to show his mettle, not just talk about it. After the convention, it'll be too late. Bernie will be toast and so will our movement.

    "We're taking on the establishment"??? I haven't seen it or heard it, so I don't believe it. I'm withholding donations until I do.    

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  15. I had enough of the DNC when Tom Perez "defeated" my Congressman Keith Ellison in 2017 to take control of the Democratic Party. Now Ellison is Minnesota's Attorney General, and Ilhan Omar has succeeded him to represent Minnesota's 5th District. Of course, Nancy Pelosi, et al., of the elites incessantly work to undermine her and "the Squad" because any progressive momentum threatens their money donors.

    Money is speech?
    "Money doesn't talk, it swears." ~ Bob Dylan

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  16. While mining the Tom Perez bio in Wiki, I found this gem supporting the idea that fairness had returned to the DNC upon the departure of Debbie Wasserman Schultz: "He [Perez] undertook a Unity Tour in 2017 with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders to promote the DNC." Questioning minds might ask: Who co-opted whom?

    I feel sorry for good-hearted volunteers like Michelle at Team Bernie. Her desk, you can be sure, is in the second sub-cellar of campaign headquarters. The bosses hand her a party line manual and her job is to sell it to sceptics who check in by email. She's been so busy of late she's not heard a word about the 2020 Iowa caucus story.

    One reform listed on her template is holding back the army of superdelegates until the second ballot. Wow. Should we send her a copy of Karen's recent history lesson about convention ballot management over the decades?

    Finally, the real issue with debates is not their number, but that the League of Women Voters (as distinct from the TV networks) doesn't run them anymore.

    Annie and I have tested Bernie's mettle. It's up to others to continue this discussion with Michelle and her associates at Bernie's headquarters.
    info@berniesanders[dot]com

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  17. Oops! That was a rough draft that I posted above, not the new and improved version but the gist is the same - Bloomberg is outright buying the DNC and likely the nomination and Sanders needs to speak now or forever hold his piece.

    Actually, it was Elizabeth Warren who expressed her outrage during the debate about a billionaire trying to buy the election. Well, she is sinking below Bloomberg in some national polls, unlike Bernie - so far.

    Now consider this: Bernie made a comment, post-Iowa caucuses, that he might announce a running mate during the primary season, it could be a woman, and will be someone who shares his values and positions.

    So are Sanders and Warren already tag teaming, playing Good Cop/Bad Cop? Warren is definitely more comfortable going on the attack.

    It sounds to me like a Sanders-Warren run could be in the works. Far worse things could happen, such as my worst nightmare, a Bloomberg/Clinton ticket.

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