Category: Domestic Affairs,

‘Moment of reckoning’: US cities burn recyclables after China bans imports

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Race,Leave a comment

Until recently, China had been taking about 40% of US paper, plastics and other recyclables. 

…Since January 2018, China hasn’t accepted two dozen different recycling materials, such as plastic and mixed paper, unless they meet strict rules around contamination. The imported recycling has to be clean and unmixed – a standard too hard to meet for most American cities.

…The conscientious citizens of Philadelphia continue to put their pizza boxes, plastic bottles, yoghurt containers and other items into recycling bins.

But in the past three months, half of these recyclables have been loaded on to trucks, taken to a hulking incineration facility and burned, according to the city’s government.

…. Nearly four in 10 children in the city have asthma, while the rate of ovarian cancer is 64% higher than the rest of Pennsylvania and lung cancer rates are 24% higher, according to state health statistics.

…The industry that remains emits a cocktail of soot and chemicals upon a population of 34,000 residents, 70% of them black. There’s a waste water treatment plant, a nearby Kimberly-Clark paper mill and a medical waste facility. And then there’s Covanta’s incinerator, one of the largest of its kind in the US.

…The burning of trash releases a host of pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides and particulate matter, which are tiny fragments of debris that, once inhaled, cause an array of health problems.

…A host of studies have identified possible links between air pollution and ovarian and breast cancers, which are unusually prevalent in Chester. A 1995 report by the EPA found that air pollution from local industry provides a “large component of the cancer and non-cancer risk to the citizens of Chester”.

“There are higher than normal rates of heart disease, stroke and asthma in Chester, which are all endpoints for poor air.” 

…It’s a situation being replicated across the US as cities struggle to adapt to a recent ban by China on the import of items intended for reuse.

The loss of this overseas dumping ground means that plastics, paper and glass set aside for recycling by Americans is being stuffed into domestic landfills or is simply burned in vast volumes. This new reality risks an increase of plumes of toxic pollution that threaten the largely black and Latino communities who live near heavy industry and dumping sites in the US.

…Just 9% of plastic is recycled in the US, with campaigns to push up recycling rates obscuring broader concerns about the environmental impact of mass consumption, whether derived from recycled materials or not.

…The country generates more than 250m tons of waste a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with about a third of this recycled and composted.

‘Moment of reckoning’: US cities burn recyclables after China bans imports | Cities | The Guardian

sigh…

Whites Contribute More To Air Pollution — Minorities Bear The Burden

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Environment,, Infrastructure and Transportation,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Race,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

Scientists and policymakers have long known that black and Hispanic Americans tend to live in neighborhoods with more pollution of all kinds, than white Americans. …A driver of unequal health outcomes across the U.S.

…The researchers found that air pollution is disproportionately caused by white Americans’ consumption of goods and services, but disproportionately inhaled by black and Hispanic Americans.

…The most relevant air pollutant metric for human health is “particulate matter 2.5” or PM2.5. It represents the largest environmental health risk factor in the United States with higher levels linked to more cardiovascular problems, respiratory illness, diabetes and even birth defects. PM2.5 pollution is mostly caused by human activities, like burning fossil fuels or agriculture.

…The researchers generated maps of where different emitters, like agriculture or construction, caused PM2.5 pollution. Coal plants produced pockets of pollution in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, while agricultural emissions were concentrated in the Midwest and California’s central valley. “We then tied in census data to understand where different racial-ethnic groups live to understand exposure patterns,” says Hill.

…After accounting for population size differences, whites experience about 17 percent less air pollution than they produce, through consumption, while blacks and Hispanics bear 56 and 63 percent more air pollution, respectively, than they cause by their consumption, according to the study.

“These patterns didn’t seem to be driven by different kinds of consumption,” says Tessum, “but different overall levels.” In other words, whites were just consuming disproportionately more of the same kinds of goods and services resulting in air pollution than minority communities.

…PM2.5 exposure by all groups has fallen by about 50 percent from 2002 to 2015, driven in part by regulation and population movement away from polluted areas. But the inequity remains mostly unchanged.

Whites Contribute More To Air Pollution — Minorities Bear The Burden : Shots – Health News : NPR

hmmmm

Georgia state lawmaker proposes ‘testicular bill of rights’ in response to anti-abortion legislation

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Domestic Affairs,, Local Interest,Leave a comment

Kendrick’s tweet included an image of her proposed legislation, which would require men to obtain permission from their sex partner before obtaining erectile dysfunction medication and ban vasectomy procedures. 

…The legislation also includes stipulations that would require DNA testing once a woman is six weeks and one day pregnant to “determine the father of the child who shall IMMEDIATELY start paying child support.”

The bill also would make it an aggravated assault crime for a man to have sex without a condom. The final stipulation on Kendrick’s list proposes a 24-hour waiting period for men to purchase any porn or sex toys in Georgia. 

Georgia state lawmaker proposes ‘testicular bill of rights’ in response to anti-abortion legislation | TheHill

hmmmm

Ramsey Orta filmed the killing of Eric Garner, so the police punished him

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,Leave a comment

Someone will have to pay for this, Orta thought, looking at his phone, not realizing that someone would be him, not knowing that the cops would exact their revenge through a campaign of targeted harassment, that within a year he’d be in prison and facing constant abuse, his enduring punishment for daring to hold the police accountable.

…Orta has reported constant abuse and harassment from correctional officers since he’s been locked up. He claims he’s been threatened, beaten, poisoned.

…Orta is shockingly thin. His cheekbones jut from his pale gray skin. His hair — buzzed short in pictures from before his arrest — sticks wildly from his head in clumps.

The guard who led him out says, “Jesus, Orta, couldn’t find a comb?”

“You won’t let me tie it up!” Orta replies.

…“She always does this,” he tells me. “I won’t eat in here, so she’s worried I’m starving.” The circles around his eyes are so dark, the whites of his eyes shine as if from the bottom of a hole.

…A correctional officer approaches and tells me the microwave is broken. I see its power cord pulled from the wall and jammed behind a toaster. I plug it in, push a few buttons, and it buzzes to life.

“I told you it’s broken,” the CO says.

I’d crossed an invisible line. The door of the microwave reflects back our distorted image. I can see the CO standing behind me, waiting.

When I return with the still-frozen burgers, Orta explains: “They fuck with my food. They know I won’t eat what they give me, not since Rikers.”

…“Eat, inmate,” a CO commanded, banging Orta’s cell with a baton. 

…“We’re not going anywhere until you eat,” a CO said and entered Orta’s cell. He hit Orta with his baton, hurled slurs, promised a citation for refusing orders. “How many days in SHU you want?”

…Later, in depositions, the affected would say their stomachs were on fire. Some felt pain in their chests and worried they were having heart attacks. Others were so dizzy they couldn’t stand. They writhed on the floor of their cells. Some claimed the guards walked by, watching, laughing, flipping them all the bird. The stench of vomit and feces permeated the cell.

No one was taken to the infirmary.

…Orta says he’s been threatened, called racist names, beaten. He talks about these incidents in a measured, almost casual way. He’s been locked up before and possesses fluency in a prison’s violent rhythms. But there’s one form of harassment he describes at length and with visceral anguish. In the process of inspecting his cell, the COs routinely crush to dust his Pop-Tarts, chips, ramen packets. This is the food Deja sends him, the only food he feels safe eating.

…I’m able to review the records of Orta’s citations and grievances filed while he was in custody. The stack follows a conspicuous pattern. Orta is cited for petty offenses until the number of tickets triggers the loss of privileges, including access to phone calls or the commissary, often for 25 or 30 days. As soon as the penalty expires and his privileges are restored, the ticketing cycle begins again.

***

…Vi was supposed to be a solution. If people didn’t believe that police brutality existed, you could record it — the technology was in everybody’s pocket. How could a jury deny proof, an act of killing? And yet they did.

In New York state, a grand jury returns a true bill of indictment if a bare majority — 12 of the 23 sitting jurors — believes there’s enough evidence to proceed to a criminal trial. Daniel Pantaleo’s grand jury sat for nine weeks. Ramsey Orta was the first of 50 witnesses to testify. His video, along with the medical examiner’s report, provided clear evidence that Pantaleo had used an illegal chokehold on Garner. A “chokehold” is defined in the NYPD patrol guide as “any pressure to the throat or windpipe,” which hinders breathing. Orta’s video showed that Pantaleo had continued to apply pressure to Garner’s windpipe after Garner was on the ground, subdued, and had repeatedly said that he couldn’t breathe. Still, the Staten Island grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo.

The ruling further reinforced the reality of the tremendous authority police officers have to determine a necessary use of force.

…Why is video evidence not enough in any of these cases? How is it that we can argue and erase what can be plainly seen with our own eyes? 

…In 1989, the Supreme Court case Graham v. Connor established a “reasonableness standard,”

…Jurors in excessive-force cases now are given explicit instructions to think from “the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene,” keeping in mind that the nature of police work requires these “split-second decisions.” When the officer testifies that they acted out of fear for their lives, the Graham v. Connor decision requires jurors to try on that alleged fear and to view the incident through the eyes of the officer, not the victim. This is a powerfully empathetic, imaginative act.

Humans are inherently, psychologically motivated to reduce the discomfort of cognitive dissonance, and fewer things will create more painful cognitive dissonance than watching those sworn to protect shoot and kill a civilian who posed no threat to them. Our minds protect us, often without our realizing it, by latching on to narratives that can reconcile such tragic opposing facts. It is easier to see the victims as one-dimensional criminals, threatening the fearful police, and therefore deserving of whatever comes their way.

And so it becomes easy — for jurors and the public alike — to trust authority and leave the dead confined to the margins of our imagination. …They can’t testify. They can’t tell us of their fear for their lives.

***

Orta and his supporters are caught in a loop. What he needs, he can’t get. His current lawyer has stopped returning calls but isn’t officially dropped from his pending appeals, making it very difficult for a new lawyer to take up his case. Support from activists, who in 2014 lauded Orta as a hero, has dwindled. In theory, Orta could pursue litigation against the Department of Corrections for mistreatment, but petty abuses don’t count for much legally. They don’t matter enough.

“Even if you could prove the abuse, what injunction could we win?” Lewis says. “The law already states that COs are not to beat people up gratuitously. So what can you say other than: please follow the Constitution.”

De Gennaro sighs. “This is a long way of saying that there really isn’t a lot of recourse for people who are in custody and are sustaining recurrent harassment and retaliation.”

…”Do you wish you could go back and do it differently? Not take the video?”

I’d waited a year, known him a year, before I asked this question. He looks away from me and lowers his head.

Finally he says, “What does it matter?”

Ramsey Orta filmed the killing of Eric Garner, so the police punished him – The Verge

sigh…

Middle Finger Protected By First Amendment, Court Says

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

Cruise-Gulyas sued, arguing she had a First Amendment right to wiggle whatever finger she wanted at the police.

In a ruling this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit agreed. “Fits of rudeness or lack of gratitude may violate the Golden Rule,” wrote Judge Jeffrey Sutton for the 3-0 panel. “But that doesn’t make them illegal or for that matter punishable.”

…”Cruise-Gulyas did not break any law that would justify the second stop and at most was exercising her free speech rights,” the court wrote.

Middle Finger Protected By First Amendment, Court Says : NPR

hmmmm

Why the college admissions scandal brings up affirmative action

On By peanutgallerynhIn Money, Class, and Poverty,, Race,, Schools,Leave a comment

Factors such as donations, athletics and legacy status are baked into the admissions process, which has traditionally benefitted wealthy families. Yet affirmative action, which is intended to help underrepresented minorities, gets intense scrutiny and legal challenges.

…There is little discussion about underqualified white students who benefit from preferences in the admissions process such as sports, family influence and legacies. …Legacies are applicants who are regarded preferentially because they are the children of alumni. They also tend to be white and wealthy.

…Athletes of patrician sports, such as sailing or water polo, are recruited to college athletics. These types of sports aren’t accessible for students from inner-city schools.

…It is not affirmative action that threatens the fairness in the college admissions process, its supporters say, but rather the advantages of the rich and powerful.

…Americans are “not entirely wrong” to think “that elites are rigging the system for their own benefit and for the benefit of their families,” he said.

Why the college admissions scandal brings up affirmative action – CNN

hmmmm

By March AOC is the one warning other Democrats they’ll be ‘on a list’ for primary challenges if they vote against the Democratic Party

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

The progressive hotshot from the Bronx privately demanded Thursday that moderate Democrats toe the party line, stop voting with Republicans and bend to the will of the House speaker — or find themselves “on a list” for possible primary election challenges, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

…Ocasio-Cortez’s political power move came after Speaker Nancy Pelosi played good cop, calling on the moderates to have the “courage” to unify with progressives and block such Republican motions.

…Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks were interpreted as an implicit threat that lawmakers may lose their seats if they don’t get on board with the majority opinion.

Ocasio-Cortez privately warned centrist Democrats they’ll be ‘on a list’ for primary challenges if they vote with Republicans – New York Daily News

hmmmm

 

Back In January Fellow Dems Chastised AOC: ‘She Doesn’t Understand How the Place Works’

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

Ocasio-Cortez quoted a character from the comic book Watchmen to signal her intention to resist the influence of more experienced lawmakers.

…Veterans of the Democratic establishment, unsettled by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s lack of deference to seniority and party unity, have cautioned the freshman lawmaker to direct her potent social-media attacks toward Republicans rather than centrist Democrats.

“I’m sure Ms. Cortez means well, but there’s almost an outstanding rule: Don’t attack your own people,” Representative Emmanuel Cleaver (D., Mo.) told Politico. “We just don’t need sniping in our Democratic Caucus.”

“I think she needs to give herself an opportunity to know her colleagues and to give herself a sense of the chemistry of the body before passing judgment on anyone or anything,” said Representative Yvette Clarke (D., N.Y.).

Fellow Dems Chastise Ocasio-Cortez: ‘She Doesn’t Understand How the Place Works’

hmmm

Bucking NDA, ex-Fox News reporter plans to tell Congress about outlet’s role in Trump hush money story

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

A former Fox News employee plans to tell Congress about allegations that the outlet tried to stop her from reporting on the Stormy Daniels controversy during the 2016 election, citing an exception to a nondisclosure agreement she signed.

…Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., who sits on the House Judiciary committee, tweeted about his willingness to use formal congressional requests to free people who “feel silenced” from speaking out about the Trump administration.

“Using NDAs to intimidate and silence government employees and other potential whistleblowers is deeply troubling,” Lieu added in a statement.

Bucking NDA, ex-Fox News reporter plans to tell Congress about outlet’s role in Trump hush money story

hmmm

Elizabeth Warren’s mission to break up Facebook gets help — from Facebook

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Privacy,Leave a comment

The Democratic presidential candidate unveiled her latest war against corporate titans last week — a proposal to break up tech companies like Facebook, Amazon and Google by forcing them to separate or sell off parts of their businesses and reverse major mergers. Over the weekend, Facebook handed Warren a prime example of its power: the removal of the Warren presidential campaign’s ads placed on Facebook touting her new policy.

…Facebook, in particular, is facing increasing scrutiny from lawmakers on a range of issues, including its market share, the spread of disinformation on the platform and how it handles user data — all issues that are expected to dominate the political conversation in the 2020 election.

…A Russian government-linked group targeted Americans with Facebook ads in the run-up to the 2016 US presidential election. The group paid for the ads in Russian rubles.

Elizabeth Warren’s mission to break up Facebook gets help — from Facebook – CNNPolitics

hmmm

Mueller May Drop Second Report That Can’t Be Buried

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,Leave a comment

here may in fact be two Mueller reports. This is because from the very beginning, Mueller has worn two hats and borne two missions relating to the Russia investigation. 

The most public and familiar one is as a criminal investigator under the special counsel regulations. But Mueller has also carried a second charge, as a counterintelligence expert, with a much broader charge to determine and report the scope of any interference and any links to the Trump campaign—what Trump himself might refer to as “collusion.”

…It is the central mission of a counterintelligence investigation, however, to produce . . . well, a report. These findings and conclusions are shared with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and relevant agencies of the 17-member intelligence community (CIA, NSA, DIA, etc.). The report may be honed into a formal IC “assessment” reflecting the consensus view of the 17 agencies. It was just such a report, “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections,” that on Jan. 7, 2017 was shared with incoming President Trump. Its disclosure brought into public view the Intelligence Community’s bombshell conclusion that Vladimir Putin had personally ordered an effort to discredit Hillary Clinton and to “help President-elect Trump’s election chances.”

Significantly, unlike a final criminal report, a Mueller counterintelligence report cannot be bottled up. By statute it must be shared with Congress. 

…Where matters are too delicate to share with all the members of the intelligence committees, statute and established practice provide that disclosure may be made to a smaller circle known as the “Gang of Eight:” the chair and ranking member of each intelligence committee, and the Democratic and Republican leaders of each chamber.

…Done well (and Mueller and his team seem to do everything well), it will provide a much richer, broader narrative description of Russia’s effort to interfere in 2016, the nature of any links or cooperation between the Russians and the Trump campaign, and whether Trump or his associates were witting or unwitting assets for the Russians (including by obstructing the investigation)—as well perhaps as conclusions for action.

Mueller May Drop Second Report That Can’t Be Buried

hmmm

Cash from N.Y., feds tests 100K rape kits, leads to 1K arrests

On By peanutgallerynhIn American Injustice System,, Chick Stuff,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Science and Stuff,Leave a comment

100,000 sexual assault cases around the country has been sent for DNA testing with money from a New York prosecutor and federal authorities, spurring over 1,000 arrests and hundreds of convictions in three years, officials said Tuesday.

…Financed with $38 million from settlements in banking-related cases, [NY] dispatched more than 55,000 rape kits to testing labs.

…Meanwhile, another nearly 45,000 rape kits have been sent to labs through the Justice Department program — and it’s produced nearly 899 prosecutions and 498 convictions and plea bargains, according to data the agency provided Monday to The Associated Press.

…It’s estimated that another 155,000 or more sex assault evidence kits still await testing, and thousands of results have yet to be linked to suspects. Many who have been identified can’t be prosecuted because of legal time limits and other factors.

…The backlog built up over decades, partly due to the cost of tests that can run $1,000 or more.

But victims’ advocates also say many sex assault cases simply got sidelined over the years by police and prosecutors who unduly disbelieved or downplayed victims’ allegations.

Cash from N.Y., feds tests 100K rape kits, leads to 1K arrests

hmmmm

Texas migrant charity boss steps down amid questions over finances

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Race,, The Americas,Leave a comment

A non-profit that detains thousands of migrant children on behalf of the Trump administration… …Southwest Key Programs announced on Monday that Juan Sanchez, who built a business empire that has boomed on the back of a hardline government policy, will retire.

…Federal prosecutors have been examining Southwest Key’s finances, according to reports in the New York Times, amid questions about whether the company misappropriated government funds.

The company has also been involved in allegations of sexual and physical abuse of minors in its custody.

Texas migrant charity boss steps down amid questions over finances | US news | The Guardian

hmmmm

What a staffer’s sexual harassment scandal means for Kirsten Gillibrand

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

According to Politico, a young female aide accused Abbas Malik, the male aide, of harassment, then complained about the response by the senator’s office and ultimately resigned. Malik was kept on, but he was later dismissed after Politico reached out with additional instances of alleged misconduct. Gillibrand declined to speak with Politico.

Jeanne Zaino: The problem for Senator Gillibrand is that she has made a name for herself as the #MeToo senator and as someone who has been has taken a no-holds-barred approach to allegations, including those made against members of her own party (Al Franken and Bill Clinton). And now she is facing her own criticism that her public persona does not match up with her private actions when it comes to how her office handles harassment allegations.

…Bob Liff: Writing as someone who is an admirer of the work Sen. Gillibrand has done, the story appears to be a fair recounting of the incident in her office, and is relevant both because of the incident itself and because of her apparent no-tolerance policy when it came to Sen. Franken.

…Democrats have a tendency to organize a firing squad in a circle when we should be firing out rather than inward, especially facing a grotesque lying, sexist, xenophobic, bigoted and economically illiterate administration headed by you know who.

…Doug Forand: First and foremost, she should have had an outside entity conduct a full and independent investigation. She has proposed this as the standard in Congress and she should have voluntarily adhered to it when it involved her office. 

What a staffer’s sexual harassment scandal means for Kirsten Gillibrand | CSNY

hmmmm

Facebook under criminal investigation over data sharing deals

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Money, Class, and Poverty,, Privacy,Leave a comment

Federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into Facebook’s data sharing deals with a number of large technology companies.

…Facebook had data-sharing arrangements with more than 150 companies, according to a December report in the New York Times. The deals helped Facebook gain more users, according to the report, and its partners were able to access user data without obtaining consent.

Facebook under criminal investigation over data sharing deals, says New York Times report – CNN

hmmm

Beto O’Rourke’s secret membership in America’s oldest hacking group

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,Leave a comment

There is no indication that O’Rourke ever engaged in the edgiest sorts of hacking activity, such as breaking into computers or writing code that enabled others to do so. But his membership in the group could explain his approach to politics better than anything on his resume. His background in hacking circles has repeatedly informed his strategy as he explored and subverted established procedures in technology, the media and government.

“There’s just this profound value in being able to be apart from the system and look at it critically and have fun while you’re doing it,” O’Rourke said. “I think of the Cult of the Dead Cow as a great example of that.”

…When he was a teen, O’Rourke also frequented sites that offered cracked software. The bulletin boards were “a great way to get cracked games,” O’Rourke said, adding that he later realized his habit wasn’t morally defensible and stopped.

Using pirated software violates copyright laws, attorneys say, but in practice, software companies have rarely sued young people over it. When they do go after someone, it is typically an employer with workers using multiple unlicensed copies. 

…Politically, O’Rourke has taken some conventional liberal positions, supporting abortion rights and opposing a wall on the Mexican border. But he takes a libertarian view on other issues, faulting excessive regulation and siding with businesses in congressional votes on financial industry oversight and taxes.

His more conservative positions have drawn fire from Democrats who see him as too friendly with Republicans and corporations. His more progressive votes and punk-rock past helped his recent opponent, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, portray O’Rourke as too radical for socially conservative Texas.

…Hackers generally support net neutrality as part of a broader worldview that the free flow of information is necessary and good.

“I understand the democratizing power of the internet, and how transformative it was for me personally, and how it leveraged the extraordinary intelligence of these people all over the country who were sharing ideas and techniques,” O’Rourke said.

Beto O’Rourke’s secret membership in America’s oldest hacking group

hmmmm

Donna Brazile’s Book

On By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Media and Culture,, Money, Class, and Poverty,Leave a comment

The former interim chair of the Democratic National Committee wrote that she searched for proof that the 2016 Democratic presidential primary was “rigged” for Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders, and said, “By September 7… I had found my proof and it broke my heart.” Yet on Tuesday, Brazile appeared on CBS News, where she said the contest was fair. “I found no instances that the party rigged the process, and I wanted to make sure Bernie and his supporters understood that,” she said. The contradiction is so clear that even Chris Cillizza was able to spot it.

…Brazile wrote that she had occasionally threatened the Clinton campaign with removal when she felt disrespected, but it doesn’t sound as though she was ever really close to trying to do so after Clinton’s illness.

…The DNC had needed a $2 million loan, which the [HRC 2016] campaign had arranged.”

But Brazile is almost certainly mistaken about the loan. The DNC did have $2 million in debt on its books, but that loan dated to 2014—before the Clinton campaign existed, meaning the campaign couldn’t have arranged it. It was with the DNC’s usual bank. And despite Brazile’s statement that then-DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz hadn’t informed party officers like her, the loan was disclosed in FEC filings that Brazile (and anyone else) could view.

…By the time Brazile was named interim chair in July 2016, Clinton was already the de facto nominee, days away from formal nomination. It’s customary for the nominee to effectively control the party apparatus from that point.

…But more than anything else, the book has kicked off a battle over the question of whether the primary process was in fact rigged in Clinton’s favor. In particular, that debate has focused on some pretty arcane stuff—the joint-fundraising agreement that the Clinton campaign struck with the DNC in August 2015. While the details are somewhat confusing, the discussion crystallizes the differences between Clinton and Sanders neatly: one the unshakeable party woman, fiercely devoted to institutions and willing to bend the rules a little to get what she felt needed to be done done; the other an outsider, with no strong attachment to the party but a fierce [self-purported] sense of principle and propriety.

…The joint-fundraising agreements (or JFAs) were almost custom-tailored to produce a conflict. 

…The JFAs serve to create another stream of revenue for the election. There’s a federal maximum amount that individuals can give to any candidate, but a major donor can also write a large check to the party, which can use the money to boost its candidates. Such agreements are standard, and while Brazile quoted a Politico piece that described the arrangement as “essentially … money laundering,” that’s a little misleading. On the one hand, they’re designed to allow donors to give extra money, and if, like Sanders, you’re a critic of the campaign-finance regime, you may feel that this is a bad idea. They are, however, legal.

The Clinton campaign signed its JFA in August 2015. …It has not been uncommon for candidates to sign JFAs during the primary.

…The party was in dire financial straits, saddled with debt from the 2012 campaign that President Obama had never bothered to retire, led by a chairwoman who was widely viewed as listless, and looking at fundraising that lagged behind expectations. The JFA with Clinton was a way to get a quick infusion of cash from a proven fundraiser.

…The DNC agreed to hire a communications director (the post had been vacant) within a couple weeks, choosing from two Clinton-campaign-selected options. The Clinton team also had input on senior staff in several departments it viewed as central to the general-election effort, and the Clinton team would “be consulted and have joint authority over strategic decisions over the staffing, budget, expenditures, and general election related communications, data, technology, analytics, and research.”

There’s no obvious way to reconcile neutrality with the provisions [unless other JFA’s historically included similar provisions or the opportunity to have similar input was offered to both candidates in the form of a JFA agreement.]

…In fact, Sanders did sign a JFA roughly two months later, at the start of November. Longabaugh …said Sanders didn’t want to sign, but was told that it was a condition of getting access to the DNC’s voter file. 

…“The DNC came to our campaign and said, ‘We need help. We’re not prepared for the general election,’” [Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook] said. “The purpose of the DNC while a primary is going on is to hold Republican candidates accountable, and nobody was filling that post.”

But although Clinton was a loyal Democratic insider and wanted the party to be in good shape for the general election, her campaign wasn’t a charity. It wanted to get something in return for funneling millions toward the DNC, and given stories of DNC mismanagement …it wanted to ensure that the money went to things that would help Clinton in a general election.

What Donna Brazile’s New Book Really Reveals – The Atlantic

The peanut gallery thinks Donna Brazile is a impressive, smart woman.

…Which is part of reason we have always thought Brazile’s post-2016 conduct to be, well, bizarre. It almost begs for speculation as to what her underlying agenda and private thought process was.

***

Getting money  and the influence it buys out of politics is certainly a laudable goal, albeit an aspiration one.

The peanut gallery recalls the union activist who has touts goal and thinks about all of the money it costs to organize and advocate for unions and union interests. Perhaps working on making the system of money’s influence in politics more open and fair would be a good step towards someday getting the influence of pay-to-play out of politics. Or, at the very least, a good strategy in the meantime.

Speaking of money in politics and ‘in the meantime,’  the peanut gallery finds itself more interested in framing the discussion of money in politics in terms of the current and existing system and how best to navigate it. It just seems to the peanut gallery that if we don’t work with what we have now, we have little chance of getting to a place where there might be an actual opportunity to get money out of politics. The peanut gallery is cynical that way.