The Neoliberal World Order Exposed

Why all the wailing? Reading the principal write-up in The New York Times this morning, Julie Hirschfeld Davis's "Trump, at Putin’s Side, Questions U.S. Intelligence on 2016 Election," one gets the impression that the scapegoating of Russia is the absolute foundation of U.S. policy both foreign and domestic; for Trump to publicly repudiate that scapegoating in Helsinki -- with "the evil Putin" at his side -- has created such an incendiary reaction from the political class in Washington, D.C. that it calls into question that political class's connection to the rest of us:

The 45-minute news conference offered the spectacle of the American and Russian presidents both pushing back on the notion of Moscow’s election interference, with Mr. Putin demanding evidence of something he said had never been proved, and Mr. Trump appearing to agree.

When asked directly whether he believed Mr. Putin or his own intelligence agencies about the election meddling, Mr. Trump said there were “two thoughts” on the matter: one from American officials like Dan Coats, his director of national intelligence, asserting Russia’s involvement; and one from Mr. Putin dismissing it.

“I have confidence in both parties,” Mr. Trump said.

He then changed the subject, demanding to know why the F.B.I. never examined the hacked computer servers of the Democratic National Committee, and asking about the fate of emails missing from the server of Hillary Clinton, his campaign rival.

“Where are Hillary Clinton’s emails?” Mr. Trump said.

His performance drew howls of protests from Democrats and some Republicans, prompting John O. Brennan, who served as C.I.A. director under President Barack Obama, to suggest that the remarks warranted Mr. Trump’s impeachment.

“Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors,’” Mr. Brennan wrote on Twitter, calling the president’s behavior “treasonous.” “Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin.”

Key Republicans are calling on Trump to repudiate his press conference comments. And Trump just might. But damage to his opponents has already be done. Craig Murray writes (see "Detente Bad, Cold War Good") with his usual clarity that,

The entire “liberal” media and political establishment of the Western world reveals its militarist, authoritarian soul today with the screaming and hysterical attacks on the very prospect of detente with Russia. Peace apparently is a terrible thing; a renewed arms race, with quite literally trillions of dollars pumped into the military industrial complex and hundreds of thousands dying in proxy wars, is apparently the “liberal” stance.

Democrats are headed for a brutal presidential primary, but they have to deal with midterms first. Anything less than a takeover of the House is going to be interpreted as another failure.

With the exception of a race here and there, Democrats have given up on the idea of pulling people to the polls -- minorities, youth -- who don't usually turnout. So the question is whether Democrats can win a wave election minus the "Obama coalition"? I'd say no. But there's the example of Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania's 18th CD special election. Educated suburbanites will flock to the polls given the right circumstances.