must see photo Stone & Manafort 1985, pushing Trump for ambassador to Russia

[Grasswire2]

Reagan refused, knowing that Trump was a bad act.


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Link to tweet

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Link to tweet

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[yonder]

1. There's Stone just getting started on his dapperinity.

I wonder how one would quantify the damage to America those two were responsible for in the ensuing years?

[Irish_Dem]

3. Also damage caused by Reagan, Rove, Gingrich, Trump, McConnell.

The entire GOP has devastated America.

[yonder]

5. Yes, of course though the up-to-no-good look of those two was my focus.

Especially the beady-eyed stare of Stone.

Actually, your list of 5 gave me an idea for a thread: List in order the 5 or 10 most damaging repubs that had the most detrimental effect in the last 40 years? At first, I thought Gingrich and McConnell from your list would top the list just because they had so much control over the levers of power. Then Trump and McConnell. But the closer you look, each one is responsible in their own way, kind of like a balloon. The more you push in one spot, the more another area pushes out. I'm not sure it can be measured or you'd have to have different classes of fuckery.

So from your list I'd have Trump and Reagan in the Presidents group, McConnell and Gingrich in the Legislative group and Rove bringing up the rear in the behind-the-scenes muckraker group.

But once again, the more you look the bigger the problem becomes. It's an impossible task to get ones arms around I think.

I'm a gonna forget the future thread.

[Irish_Dem]

6. It is quite a cast of characters isn't it?

And growing by the year.

Somebody will write a book one day. I like how you organized the list into various categories.

Yes that odd beady look on Stone's face. It looked like someone who is psychotic.

[BobTheSubgenius]

16. He's always managed to look like he's dressed himself from clothes in an old trunk, doesn't he?

He needs the Queer Eye guys more than anyone in the public eye I can think of.

Striped vest, tails and a top hat? He looked like Rich Uncle Pennybag's evil brother.

[Irish_Dem]

18. He is very eccentric and odd in his choice of clothing. Wants to draw attention to himself.

Another grandiose narcissist.

[BobTheSubgenius]

15. I have a bit of a "from out of left field" candidate.

Lee Atwater. I believe he was the one that turned backroom deals into knife fights, and had "his" candidates not try to win PR points, but to go for blood.

Remember the Willy Horton smear? That was Atwater's work, among many, many others.

Karl Rove was one of his proteges. This Atwater character was SO important in the GOP of a few decades ago, leading up to now, and a good part of the reason that US politics are so toxic now.

This para from an article about him is from 2008, and thus kind of sad, looking back from this vantage point.

"So, even if you think you have had all the TV politics you can stand, please watch Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story Tuesday night at 9 on PBS. I promise this is the the kind of first-rate history that can keep us from repeating tragic mistakes -- if only we take the time to learn it."

[yonder]

17. Sounds like it was a good thing Atwater left us early.

Who knows where we'd be now. I had no idea K. Rove learned his dark arts at his knee.
.

[Irish_Dem]

2. Putin has been cultivating American assets for decades.

We can now see who these assets are.

[erronis]

10. This started well before Putin rose through the ranks from the KGB to the FSB

Installing moles in foreign countries and organizations has been part of spycraft since before the Greeks/Persians/Romans/Chinese. Probably back when we lived in the trees.

Putin may be a well-honed expert in this field. But I expect other countries are also doing some of the same.

Putin did grab the brass ring with trump and probably many other US politicians.

[Irish_Dem]

19. Yes China and Saudi?

Right, Russia hit the jackpot with Trump.
Does make me wonder about Melania and her role in all of this?
Part of the Russia scheme?

[MustLoveBeagles]

4. K&R

[malaise]

7. Then there's this

[Grasswire2]

8. Trump was right.

He always says: "You knew I was a snake when you took me in."

[malaise]

9. Yep

and he is a poisonous viper

[MagickMuffin]

12. Look at that handshake: YIKES any more pressure applied by either one and BOOM

Also notice Nixon's thumb, that is sometimes associated with secret societies like the Masons/Freemasons.

[malaise]

14. Good spot

and the fake grin on both sides - scum meet scum.

[patphil]

11. Looks like Stone and Manafort were working for the Russians back then, and recruiting Trump.

I guess the idea was to get him to Moscow as an ambassador, and they'd have easy access to him.

[George II]

13. Reagan saw what Stone did during Nixon's reign, and probably wanted no part of it. Plus....

....the Manaforts had a "reputation" in Central Connecticut.

Without going into details here, this is his family history:

His grandfather immigrated to the United States from Italy in the early 20th century, settling in Connecticut. He founded the construction company New Britain House Wrecking Company in 1919 (later renamed Manafort Brothers Inc.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Manafort#Early_life_and_education