Electoral-Vote explains at some length why they do find the story credible. Key points:
Trump sees absolutely everything in transactional terms. He doesn't see any personal benefit to him when it comes to military service, which is why he avoided it, and why he doesn't really understand those individuals who did not beg off with bone spurs. He's always shown disdain for dead/captured/injured military members, from his remarks about Khizr Khan's son to his "I like guys who weren't captured" smear on McCain. The newly reported remarks are right in line with those past statements.
Curiously Specific for Lies: It would be very odd for so many people to share such detailed, and similar, lies with The Atlantic. Similarly, the magazine has a reputation to protect, and would not run with this story if they did not have confidence it was truthful.
Hackwhackers blog cites corroboration of the story by The Washington Post and by Christian Vanderbrouk, a former Bush administration official now writing for The Bulwark.
Even Fox News claims to have sources confirming the allegations.
None of this rises to the level of absolute proof, but taken together, it's pretty convincing. That Trump did not say these things is looking less plausible than that he did.
VoteVets found the claim convincing enough to release this ad:
Biden, too, has spoken out, cautiously but forcefully:
(Both the above videos were found via Hackwhackers.)
The potential political impact of this story is huge because it probably has more capacity to hurt Trump with his own base than anything else he's done. Progressive Eruptions blog has already found this:
Hopefully, enough tRUMPers pull their heads out of their butts by Nov. 3rd to make this 'not even close'.
ReplyDeleteI worry that the Trump folks are so mired in bullshit that they won't even bother to read a well research story. They prefer Q who is laughing all the way to the bank as he sells them yet another t-shirt.
ReplyDelete"While I agree with your final statement That "It would seem only fitting if the final nail in the coffin of Trump's re-election hopes were to be driven home by his own cold callousness, narcissism, and self-absorption." I should point out that *all* the nails in Trump's coffin have been hammered in by Trump.
ReplyDeleteYours crankily,
The New York Crank
Oh, I would not count this as a deadly stroke. Trumpanzees be cray. This is the Grab Them By The Pussy of 20202.
ReplyDeleteI won’t relax until Cheeto is out of the White House in January.
XoXo
Oh, I've always cautioned against overconfidence. This could well be a game-changer, though. Remember, you only need to shave a few percentage points off of Trump's support to flip several states in the Electoral College.
ReplyDeleteSaying these things certainly would not be out-of-character for Trump, and that should be a problem for him even if he didn't say these specific things this specific time.
ReplyDeleteBottom line is Trump himself was a draft dodger, just like Clinton and GW Bush, and others ... Trump is worse, being he disrespects those who served, that got injuries or died ... that position, regardless of what he feels is not acceptable for a President. I have a niece (lives in Oceanside, CA ... thank goodness she's home, and well) that joined the Army, and served in Afghanistan, just so she could get the college benefits ... which is what so many young Americans have to do, I personally know several, that put their lives on the line ... because they were "losers" by standards of Trump and others like him, because they needed college, home loans, or whatever. Mostly the poorest are who serves and dies. One thing good about Trump, is he is so spontaneous in his public statements, being that, you get to know what he is right off hand, and if folks can't see it by now, that's sad for them ... because he will f*ck you in a heartbeat. I have no doubt that Trump doesn't even remember what he sayz from one day to the next, he constantly has to lie, contradict himself, etc ... some stuff he actually believes. I have no problem with his shit talking ... I myself couldn't even debate a guy like him, I wouldn't last 10 minutes, and be kicked out (Feel sorry for those that have to, and try to keep their cool). I mean, if that mother f*cker was in my face, like he was with Clinton or whoever in debates ... I would just tell him to shut the f*ck up before I pimp slap your ass, bitch ... cause that's all he is to me ... a pussy ass bitch. I can't write what really should happen to this cocksucker, because you wouldn't be able to publish it, and even some of your left viewers, would probably get sickened by it, even if they don't like Trump. I woke this morning turned on the tele to catch the news ... they were interviewing this new COVID advisor, Atlas ... he seems like a work of art himself, like Trump, listening to him ... yep, this is another pick of Trump, now to advise all us what we're supposed to do in this pandemic (as if not enough people died over this f'n cocksucker's/ Trump's advice already) ... to me, he's an awful f'n pick (like Trump picks to lead various departments and task forces or whatever) ... a link below
ReplyDeletehttps://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/09/04/909348915/president-trumps-new-covid-19-advisor-is-making-public-health-experts-nervous
Him saying I like guys who weren't captured was such a slap in the face to all the men that were captured and tortured.
ReplyDeleteWhat I think is even more telling - and under reported considering its importance - is that after recent polling, military people are in the majority for Biden. To grasp why this matters so much more than what it seems, usually about 15% of the military vote outside of Republican. To swing the vote by so much to a majority for Biden requires a remarkable shift to have happened in house, inside the military - and trying to defund the Stars and Stripes by Presidential order - now rescinded because that takes an act of Congress - has only added fuel to the military's abandonment of Trump in unprecedented numbers. And that would happen mostly because those in the military widely know and accept that Trump is not a patriot and does not defend the Constitution and does not hold the military person in anything but the lowest of regard.
ReplyDeleteYou know what I think THE SINGLE most damning piece of evidence in "Stupid/Sucker-gate" pointing to tRUMP's guilt is?
ReplyDelete"The Silence of the Generals," Clarisse.
Neither Kelly nor Mattis jumped in - quickly or not - to defend the presiDUNCE.
And that silence is also what's preventing him from being cleared.
I agree about not getting over confident. He knows no low, nor does his cult. Plus you know he’s gonna refuse to leave without investigations, lawsuits and the full backing of the Republicans and AG Barr. It’s gonna be a nightmare, either way.
ReplyDeleteThen this hardcore braindead sick cult will still be there, living among us, spreading all kind of conspiracy shit, still spewing hate and racism. The religious right will still be spewing their evil filth and their sheep will eat it up.
The writing was on the wall back to Reagan. We should’ve all moved out of the country at that point, but then you know how hindsight goes...
Jack: It's incredible what he's gotten away with, even in insults to veterans. Well, if this is the final straw for a substantial number of his supporters, I'll take it.
ReplyDeleteRanch: I'm fully supportive of draft-dodging. I certainly wouldn't have submitted to the draft if it had still been in effect when I got old enough (I'd probably be a Canadian now). But whether anyone served in the military or not, they owe respect to those who did.
I half wish Hillary had just kicked Trump in the nuts when he kept getting in her space during the debate. It would have been a moment of reality, at least.
Mary K: Exactly. Many soldiers who fought bravely nevertheless ended up being captured. Sometimes it's inevitable.
Tildeb: I've seen that polling. I guess they were paying attention to all Trump's insults to the military over the years.
Victor: Good point. Kelly certainly would have spoken up if Trump's reported remarks in his presence were not true.
Mary: I hope the shock of Trump being defeated will jolt some of them out of the alternate-reality fever dream, but yes, there will continue to be a hard core of encapsulated lunacy for a long time.
Why should we leave? It's our country, and there's more of us than there is of them.