Thursday, May 05, 2016

A Kasich third party run? (Plus: Stoned again!)

I like John Kasich. There. I said it.

Obviously, his political views do not resemble mine -- but the guy is weirdly adorkable. Sure, we all cringed when he came to New York and tried to Goysplain the Old Testament to some Orthodox Jews...
“Have you studied Joseph?” he told a group of yeshiva students. “Did you hear the most important thing Joseph said to his brothers? ‘My brothers you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.’ Did you know that?”
That encounter reminded me of an old Mad Magazine parody of the film Live and Let Die -- specifically, the scene in which James Bond visits a bar in Harlem and tries to blend in: "I say! That Jesse Owens sure is a credit to his race, eh wot?"

If you can't see the charm in these wince-inducing moments, I understand. But back home in Hollywood, everyone loves fish-out-of-water stories, and Kasich was a kipper in the Kalahari if ever I saw one. There's something about the guy that makes me smile, even when (especially when) he's bereft of even half a clue.

Trump often seems clueless as well, but he's also mean. That's the difference. People don't use words like "vituperative" or "irrational" or "narcissistic" to describe John Kasich. Even at his worst, he's goofy and well-meaning. All of Trump's Republican opponents espoused ridiculous policies, but Kasich, at least, was nice.

Kaisch left the race the moment it became clear that Cruz could not engineer a brokered convention. His parting words were characteristically dorky:
"As I suspend my campaign today, I have renewed faith, deeper faith, that the Lord will show me the way forward and fulfill the purpose of my life," Kasich said Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio.
The Lord may speak to him via the elites who run the Republican party. They understand that Kasich was always the strongest Republican candidate in general election terms, even though he was never maniacal enough to please the rabid dogs who make up the GOP base.

There has been some talk of a third party challenge to Trump, intended to split the conservative vote and insure a Hillary win. To be honest, I think that a third party Kasich run could actually result in a Kasich win.

Yeah, I know: Third party challenges never prevail. Even Teddy Roosevelt couldn't pull off that trick, and Kasich doesn't have TR's appeal.

But a Kasich run wouldn't really be a third party campaign would it? The media would frame him as the real Republican in the race, while Trump would receive the Perot treatment.

Turn the Donald into the Perot, and John Kasich might actually prevail.

Is the RNC pondering what I'm pondering?

Stoner news. Well, it's official -- Roger Stone has endorsed the smear about Rafael Cruz and Lee Harvey Oswald. If you've followed this column, you know that I've posited that he was the one who got that crazy idea into the pages of the National Enquirer.
Piscopo cornered Stone on the story: “Respectfully I ask you this Roger, did you plant that story in the National Enquirer? Can I ask you that?”

“It is not,” Stone responded, noting that just last night he had a conversation with Judyth Vary Baker, the woman who has long claimed to be Oswald’s secret lover (this notion has been challenged many times over; in 2011 HuffPo wrote of Baker’s claim, “This makes no sense whatsoever.”). According to Stone, Baker, “...confirmed that [Raphael Cruz] was in New Orleans, [and] knew he was an associate of Lee Harvey Oswald.”
Oh CRAP.

Judy Baker is a bizarre, credibility-free fantasist whose claims have been sneered at by the real JFK researchers -- yet she's weirdly popular with naive newcomers to the case. They have created a kind of "Cult of Judy."

Her story is a lie. She's Princess Caraboo without the charm.

I suspect that she was inspired by a series of radio interviews that a guy named Dave Emory did with a guy named Ed Haslam, who did some rather interesting research into certain events in New Orleans. Since those two names probably mean nothing to most of you, let's not pursue that line of argument any further.

In the past, whenever Judy was caught contradicting some small detail in the established record, she would claim that someone had hacked her email account and sent fake messages in her name. Riiiight.

If you have any interest in the JFK case -- or in the larger issue of historical fakes -- check out this excellent podcast by Rob Clark (one of the good researchers). The title: "Punchin' Judy."

Now we learn that Roger Stone deals with Judy behind the scenes. Appalling. Yet not surprising.

The Trump candidacy is the inevitable result of this country's mania for the lowest forms of conspiracy theory. An absurd birther has become the standard bearer for a major political party.

12 comments:

Stephen Morgan said...

Kasich is just a squirrel.

You know, a rat with good PR.

Prowleerzee said...

Trump is calling Hillary the "original birther," as if her campaign started that movement. You know the Sanders "believers" will buy it, and start accusing Hillary of that, too. The news last night also had Trump quoting Sanders several times.

Interesting take on a third party run marginalizing Trump.

John said...

And you know that Stone has taken Howard Hunt's son St. John Hunt under his wing. What could possibly go wrong.
St. John comes off as a somewhat pathetic character, reduced to being a car valet until Stone sweeps him into his polyester sphere. Now they have co=written the new Bush bash book.
I can't figure out why Ed Haslam has fallen for the Judy Baker stuff either. He did some pretty good work otherwise.

Anonymous said...

The Washington "staffer crowd" republicans I know can't stand Kasich. Apparently he is man to his staff although it may be an idealogical thing. The biggest sin in their world is Rino-ism. And Kasich smells of Rino. That said they really hate Stone too.

Harry

Anonymous said...

Interesting you brought up the Cuban Missile Crisis in your last post, Joe. Now we have an unhinged nominee running for president who will have those nuclear codes if elected. Can't make this stuff up.

Trump's interview with Lester Holt was ridiculous. I'd be laughing if it wasn't so freaking dangerous. The Donald wants a issue-based campaign. It would be a beautiful thing, he said. He wouldn't know a real issue if he fell over it. And now to blame Hillary Clinton for his birtherism grandstanding? The psychopath has no shame.

And yes, as prowleerzee mentions above, The Donald is quoting St Bernard, his new favorite Hillary-bashing reference.

Bernie needs to stop with the nonsense and fantasy-based victory proclamations. And Trump? He needs to be crushed. Otherwise, God help us all,

Peggysue

Joseph Cannon said...

John, I did not know that about St John Hunt.

Haslam is easy to figure out: Judy is telling him what he wants to hear. We're all more susceptible to that kind of manipulation than we like to believe.

Haslam was interviewed for many hours by Dave Emory, and those interviews were not only broadcast, they were placed online early on. So even if Judy did not read Haslam's books, as she claims, she could have learned everything she needed from those interviews.

Not that I have any reason to believe Judy's claims. I've run into plenty of fantasists like her before.

Joseph Cannon said...

Zee: As you know, I was around and paying close attention at the start of the birther movement, and also at the start of the PUMA movement. Hillary had no connection to the birthers. None.

And she had no connection to the PUMA folk -- they were kept at a distance. Like it or not, Hillary was never going to have anything to so with a movement that had such a name.

There was arguably an overlap between part of the PUMA crowd and the birthers. It must be understood that a bunch of Republican ratfuckers leeched their way into the PUMA movement.

The REAL PUMAs -- Riverdaughter and Dakinikat and Alessandro Machi and so forth -- saw through the birther lie right away. PUMA began on Riverdaughter's site. She never, ever had any time for the birthers.

Birtherism was promoted by people like Texas Darlin, who seems to have been a right-wing freak all along -- she later hooked up with Joe Arpaio. Birtherism was also promoted by CIA guy Larry Johnson, who pretended to be pro-Hillary when doing so suited his purposes.

Bob Harrison said...

I was commenting on the thread over the Confluence at the 10 pm (if I recall correctly) birth of the PUMAs moment. What you're saying is accurate and on-point. Later that I week I tried to change my registration to PUMA, which was an interesting time at the Board of Elections. (They felt my pain but gave me no relief.) SOS Clinton couldn't associate with any party that had "Ass" in its name, and I figured the third party challenge wouldn't be taken up by her either because she is fiercely loyal to her friends--- even those who backstabbed her with Obama endorsements and delegate flips. I got my birtherism indoctrination at No Quarter during the Great Font Kerfluffle. (As an aside, the Dan Rather font mischief was nonsense since I was using an IBM Composer at work with proportional fonts, so they certainly did exist during that time period.) Sorry far the ramble. Just wanted to endorse the post. Hope I'm not having a senior moment here.

maz said...

I have to say, though, that 'Lee and Me' is probably just about the greatest piece of Lee Harvey Oswald fanfic imaginable.

prowlerzee said...

I have started regularly reading the Confluence and Sky Dancing as well as here, for sanity. Yes, I remember, Joseph. I loved the PUMA movement but there was a lot of Republican infiltration. Bernie is not about to stop, Peggysue, and the Trump is loving it. I beg Joseph to look into Huffpo. Tho I don't read it, I've noted enough links and headlines to see that they are on overdrive in the Sanders echochamber...as if they've taken a frontline role! Just a hunch, but bet there's something that can be dug up on that.

Actually, Joseph, if you've already dug it up, I apologize. I've been offline a lot trying to slavewage it up before....whatever. Trumpageddon? Sandernista? You posted something with a lot of links that had something to do with the DOD. I've not yet been able to wrap my mind around that one....haha, maybe try to dumb it down! :) Many has been the time when someone posts a lie and I remember, Cannonfire wrote this up! I have to go reread! Keeping up with the lies is exhausting.

prowlerzee said...

Oh, and one more thing!!!!

Every last Sanders cultist considers Obama their Boyfriend in Chief and is slobbering all over him and excusing every inaction on his part as having to fight the Republicans, even tho he had double Dem majorities when he took office.

Hillary has been bringing up Flint, MI from the start, but Obama FINALLY went there. To do what? DRINK the barest sip of the water in a publicity gimmick to "prove" it was safe....IF you got a filter. A lie, even IF everyone could afford or were given a filter!!!!

What the actual hell?

Anonymous said...

Not every Sanders cultist. And yes I did notice Barry rolling up to sip some flint tap. You wont catch me drinking that liquid lead.

Harry