The Political Junkie™ Thread - USA Edition

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**whembly**

CptJake wrote:
And the pool just got more crowded:

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/07/29/james-gilmore-ex-virginia-governor-files-papers-to-run-for-president/?_r=0

Okay...

Why?

Is he trying to sell a book?

**Frazzled**

CptJake wrote:
And the pool just got more crowded:

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/07/29/james-gilmore-ex-virginia-governor-files-papers-to-run-for-president/?_r=0

Ah hell, might as well (Frazzled steals hat from intern and throws into ring). Wiener Dog Party 2016 We'll make the Food Bowls arrive on time!

**d-usa**

A lap for every dog?

**Frazzled**

YES!

**A Town Called Malus**

d-usa wrote:
A lap for every dog?

And a dance for every lap!

**shasolenzabi**

Many Americans are wary and sick of Corporate run America telling them their jobs need to go else where, and they have to pay more taxes for a war they did not start, and has nothing to do with "Murica safety" while the Fat Cats and wealthy pay little to no taxes (Corporates report losses to get tax-breaks, and then some get gov't subsidies,,,aka Corporate Welfare while poor folks who got worse situations due to safety net cuts that they happened to help pay into by their paychecks if the have them still or not taken own to help pay for the perpetual war.

Folks are sick of family members and friends coming back from these wars that now show they are looking to grab resources for corporates with PTSD and physical injuries.

The same soldiers who have to have SNAP for their families which is attacked by the one party with help from DINOs, and they also seem to be still shuffled off to be forgotten by these same politicians helping their pals who lobbied them to get these perpetual wars going.

We have seen ongoing situations and new war fronts opened up since 2001, it is now 2015, many are sick of this over a decade long situation

We can reduce military spending so that infrastructure can be repaired or better yet, upgraded to more modern standards.

We do actually out spend several other nations, both allies and foes combined, yes, it means we would be simply set to defend, not wage wars of empire.

As we wage so much wars and help let the uber-rich get fatter, we have kids starving education being reduced to what can be bought by silly vouchers, with religionism creeping into Public education our power system is a joke, our roads are a joke in many places, our bridges and railways unsafe,

All while we have the most active Military invading other nations all over the world in many guises.

So, Bernie for Pres, and a more progressively seated democratic house and senate to help fix our crumbling nation,,,,or do folks want an Oligarchy where the top families cut slices of the pie just for them, and all the crumbs are swept out to their lapdogs as you all starve?

I have watched the "American Dream" just fade like smoke as paychecks could not keep up with rising rent/mortgage prices, fuel to transport by car, having to shift to mass transit in areas, and food also became more costly to avoid doctors having to settle for the cheap and unhealthy foods to stay working,

I am on disability, they want to take that away.

I am on Medicare (ain't perfect, but is what it is at my age)

IF the Republicans take those way, they can essentially be killing people with their hands clean because it is a writ passed, may as well be kill teams sent to all like me or others to give us one last lead pill.

**whembly**

shasolenzabi wrote:
... some stuff...

So, Bernie for Pres, and a more progressively seated democratic house and senate to help fix our crumbling nation,,,,or do folks want an Oligarchy where the top families cut slices of the pie just for them, and all the crumbs are swept out to their lapdogs as you all starve?

Where were you in 2008? Democrats had the WH and both house of congress.

I have watched the "American Dream" just fade like smoke as paychecks could not keep up with rising rent/mortgage prices, fuel to transport by car, having to shift to mass transit in areas, and food also became more costly to avoid doctors having to settle for the cheap and unhealthy foods to stay working,

The economy is *stuck*... and I mostly blame Obama and the rest of the democrats for being that "stick in the mud".

I am on disability, they want to take that away.

Who's "they". And do you have proof of that?

I am on Medicare (ain't perfect, but is what it is at my age)

Nothing wrong or to be ashamed about that dude. And yes, it does need an overhaul (and not the trash bucket).

IF the Republicans take those way, they can essentially be killing people with their hands clean because it is a writ passed, may as well be kill teams sent to all like me or others to give us one last lead pill.

Republicans take "what" exactly away?

**Ensis Ferrae**

whembly wrote:

The economy is *stuck*... and I mostly blame Obama and the rest of the democrats for being that "stick in the mud".

You could do that, but you'd be partially wrong. Republicans are equally to blame with their "tactic" of saying "anything Obama wants is wrong, so we're gonna oppose it"

I have, no joking here, heard republicans espouse a view that they want ALL economic regulations repealed back to pre-1900 levels. Yeah, They actually WANT people like the Waltons and Koch brothers to have literal monopolies, AND somehow think that this is good for the economy and good for the country.

**Jihadin**

In Germany, I can't remember their name. their cell company is one huge monopoly.
Think Deutshe Telecom is the name
Better service then what we have here with Verizon, Sprint, Alltel...etc etc etc

**whembly**

Ensis Ferrae wrote:
whembly wrote:

The economy is *stuck*... and I mostly blame Obama and the rest of the democrats for being that "stick in the mud".

You could do that, but you'd be partially wrong. Republicans are equally to blame with their "tactic" of saying "anything Obama wants is wrong, so we're gonna oppose it"

I said... mostly. Of course, as an entity, there's plenty of blame to hand out to both parties.

And, yes, just about "anything that Obama wants is bad" is generally true... and has been true.

Speaking of Democrats... the Clinton email ordeal is heating up again:
Data in Clinton’s ‘secret’ emails came from 5 intelligence agencies

WASHINGTON
The classified emails stored on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private server contained information from five U.S. intelligence agencies and included material related to the fatal 2012 Benghazi attacks, McClatchy has learned.

Of the five classified emails, the one known to be connected to Benghazi was among 296 emails made public in May by the State Department. Intelligence community officials have determined it was improperly released.

Revelations about the emails have put Clinton in the crosshairs of a broadening inquiry into whether she or her aides mishandled classified information when she used a private server set up at her New York home to conduct official State Department business.

While campaigning for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton has repeatedly denied she ever sent or received classified information. Two inspectors general have indicated that five emails they have reviewed were not marked classified at the time they were stored on her private server but that the contents were in fact “secret.”

The email issue, however, has distracted from Clinton’s campaign for days and already has hurt her in public opinion polls. Besieged with questions, she has found herself caught in a murky dispute between State Department and intelligence officials over whether emails on her server were classified.

“Even if Secretary Clinton or her aides didn’t run afoul of any criminal provisions, the fact that classified information was identified within the emails is exactly why use of private emails . . . is not supposed to be allowed,” said Bradley Moss, a Washington attorney who specializes in national security matters. “Both she and her team made a serious management mistake that no one should ever repeat.”

McClatchy also has determined some details of the five emails that the intelligence community’s inspector general has described as classified and improperly handled.

Intelligence officials who reviewed the five classified emails determined that they included information from five separate intelligence agencies, said a congressional official with knowledge of the matter.

The Benghazi email made public contained information from the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a spy agency that maps and tracks satellite imagery, according to the official, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The other four classified emails contained information from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA, the official said.

The Office of the Intelligence Community Inspector General did not respond to questions about the matter. The five agencies either referred questions about it to the inspector general’s office or declined to comment.

The intelligence community inspector general only looked at a sample of 40 emails, even though a total of 30,000 emails were turned over to the State Department by Clinton.

In documents that were publicly released, Intelligence Community Inspector General I. Charles McCullough III said State Department officials had warned that there were “potentially hundreds of classified emails” on Clinton’s private server.

Clinton’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Clinton has maintained she used a personal email account as a “matter of convenience” and has denied she emailed any classified material.

“The facts are pretty clear,” Clinton said at a campaign stop Saturday in Iowa. “I did not send nor receive anything that was classified at the time.”

Clinton said she had “no idea” which emails the inspector general had singled out.

The State Department so far has refused to grant the intelligence community inspector general access to the entire batch of emails on jurisdictional grounds. The inspector general has authority to audit and investigate matters related to 17 intelligence community agencies, including a State Department intelligence unit.

On June 25, McCullough notified members of Congress that he understood that Clinton’s attorney, David Kendall, possessed the more than 30,000 Clinton emails on a computer thumb drive.

In a July 24 letter to FBI Director James Comey, Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa expressed concern about “a compromise of national security information” because of Kendall’s possession of the thumb drive. He called on Comey to explain what steps the FBI had taken to secure the information.

“This raises very serious questions and concerns if a private citizen is somehow retaining classified information,” wrote Grassley, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Kendall did not respond to phone and email messages. The FBI and the Justice Department declined to say whether security officials had recovered the device or had arranged for its secure storage.

John Fitzpatrick, the official responsible for overseeing the government’s security classification system, told McClatchy that during the review of four years of Clinton’s State Department emails it became clear that intelligence agencies were concerned State Department officials were not appropriately protecting classified information in screening documents for public release.

State Department officials routinely gather and report diplomatic information that “in an intelligence context could be read very differently,” said Fitzpatrick, the director of the Information Security Oversight Office at the National Archives.

Government employees with access to classified information are trained to identify classified information, Fitzpatrick said.

“The requirement to mark is so that you know it when you see it,” he said. “Failure to observe any of the requirements for marking or safeguarding would be in a category known as a security violation.”

Failing to properly mark information as classified would not necessarily result in criminal charges, he said.

“But there can be consequences for holders of security clearances,” Fitzpatrick said. “If they fail to safeguard the information, once or as part of a pattern, they can be administratively reprimanded” or retrained.

Secretary of State John Kerry and State Department Inspector General Steve Linick will meet this week to talk about the issue, White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Wednesday.

“Secretary Kerry wants to get to the bottom of this, hear what the concerns are and then figure out if they need to take any action,” Schultz said. “So, I think that’s the right step and we support him doing so.”

The White House has not said that Clinton did not follow rules, but it has repeatedly said that “very specific guidance has been given to agencies all across the government, which is specifically that employees in the Obama administration should use their official email accounts when they’re conducting official government business.”

The House Select Committee on Benghazi subpoenaed the emails while asking Clinton to voluntarily turn over her personal email server to a “neutral, detached and independent” third party for “immediate inspection and review,” perhaps the State Department’s inspector general.

Clinton’s attorney told the committee that Clinton permanently deleted all the emails from the server – apparently after she was asked by the State Department to turn them over. Clinton has refused to hand over the server.

The State Department has begun to release her emails in response to a public records lawsuit, though four of the emails containing classified information were among those that have not yet been released. The next batch is due to be released Friday. Clinton has agreed to testify about her email arrangements on Oct. 22 before the committee investigating Benghazi.

**Ensis Ferrae**

Jihadin wrote:
In Germany, I can't remember their name. their cell company is one huge monopoly.
Think Deutshe Telecom is the name
Better service then what we have here with Verizon, Sprint, Alltel...etc etc etc

T-Mobile.

It has (at least when I was there from 09-12) an extremely large market share... Like, remember those Verizon "coverage" maps where they claim the entire US is red, but the customer base isn't that dense? It's kinda like that. You still can get O2, Vodafone and other cell carriers in Germany, you just won't get the same kind of coverage/reception in some parts of the country as you will with T-Mobile.

**Easy E**

I can't believe I just saw Whembly post a Gary* Reynolds Instapundit post!

I thought for sure Whembly WAS Instapundit!

*= Glenn Reynolds! Not Gary!

**whembly**

Easy E wrote:
I can't believe I just saw Whembly post a Gary Reynolds Instapundit post!

I thought for sure Whembly WAS Instapundit!

Nice job ignoring the content and felt necessary to impugn me.

**shasolenzabi**

Where were you in 2008? Democrats had the WH and both house of congress.

Voting aggressively progressive, Nader and any and all progressives I could.

The economy is *stuck*... and I mostly blame Obama and the rest of the democrats for being that "stick in the mud".

Oh please how many "shut downs" did the Boehner bunch pull? then toss in recent years Ryans and Cruz and other crazoids who decided they did not want to play with Obams and they always make threats, throw tantrums and want ice cream as well to get what they want or better what they did not want Obama to get.

BTW< TPP proved Obama is no socialist, but a corporatist in democrat clothing.

Who's "they". And do you have proof of that?

Mainly Republicans and some pro-corporate democrats, they do get quoted a lot about doing away or cutting Social Security, food stamps, and other programs. So you know, on Disability, my whopping Gov't budget killing income is 13,250 a year It would take 40 of me to make the 1 M1a3 cost of 8.6million up.

Nothing wrong or to be ashamed about that dude. And yes, it does need an overhaul (and not the trash bucket).

Like at my monthly income I could afford the stupid Apple watch and app that some of the sillier republicans feel could replace medicare with? a program I paid into when i could work? the cheapest I-watch is 500bucks, with the cheap plastic band, 1k for the all metal edition. (Yes, the quote for that can be found.

Republicans take "what" exactly away?

Republicans are quoted very often how they desire to cut or do away entirely with Social Security/Disability, Medicare, and other programs that barely keep anyone afloat due to the cuts they like to make so they can hand it to their wealthy pals, corporations, and the war machine.

So, I dare you to look it up yourself rather than make others do it for you. If you can't be bothered to do it, and I am one who has researched both sides, I tend to challenge people to look things up, but also make sure the sites are attached to as well. Too many Koch Bros funded sites out there spewing so much disinformation, there are some sites that pretend to be "democratic" But you can use critical thinking and objective reasoning to look past the propaganda can't you?

I do take note that many things I addressed were ignored by Whembly as he focused on a few knee jerk ones only.

**whembly**

shasolenzabi wrote:
Where were you in 2008? Democrats had the WH and both house of congress.

Voting aggressively progressive, Nader and any and all progressives I could.

Again... in the aftermath of the 2008 election, you had one of the most progressive Government possible. And, if you're a progressive, they "blew it"... except maybe for the PPACA. (they should've gone full bore with single-payor)

The economy is *stuck*... and I mostly blame Obama and the rest of the democrats for being that "stick in the mud".

Oh please how many "shut downs" did the Boehner bunch pull? then toss in recent years Ryans and Cruz and other crazoids who decided they did not want to play with Obams and they always make threats, throw tantrums and want ice cream as well to get what they want or better what they did not want Obama to get.

Because Obamy-poo and his flunky wanted their way and were WILLING PARTICIPANT to all the theater shutdowns. See... I can do that too!

BTW< TPP proved Obama is no socialist, but a corporatist in democrat clothing.

Never said he was a socialist... but, he's a left-wing idealogue who desprately tried to push his own agenda.

Who's "they". And do you have proof of that?

Mainly Republicans and some pro-corporate democrats, they do get quoted a lot about doing away or cutting Social Security, food stamps, and other programs. So you know, on Disability, my whopping Gov't budget killing income is 13,250 a year It would take 40 of me to make the 1 M1a3 cost of 8.6million up.

O.o

Ooookay. Nothing wrong with having that sort of discussion to see if we ought to be reducing defense spending, et. el.

I'm game, if you're willing to have a conversation over the increase federal bureaucratic regulations that increases the cost of doing business.

Cool?

Nothing wrong or to be ashamed about that dude. And yes, it does need an overhaul (and not the trash bucket).

Like at my monthly income I could afford the stupid Apple watch and app that some of the sillier republicans feel could replace medicare with? a program I paid into when i could work? the cheapest I-watch is 500bucks, with the cheap plastic band, 1k for the all metal edition. (Yes, the quote for that can be found.

What the holy hell are you talking about?

Republicans take "what" exactly away?

Republicans are quoted very often how they desire to cut or do away entirely with Social Security/Disability, Medicare, and other programs that barely keep anyone afloat due to the cuts they like to make so they can hand it to their wealthy pals, corporations, and the war machine.

So, I dare you to look it up yourself rather than make others do it for you. If you can't be bothered to do it, and I am one who has researched both sides, I tend to challenge people to look things up, but also make sure the sites are attached to as well. Too many Koch Bros funded sites out there spewing so much disinformation, there are some sites that pretend to be "democratic" But you can use critical thinking and objective reasoning to look past the propaganda can't you?

I have.

This is one of the hardest thing to articulate because the moment someone wants to talk about benefits / entitlements... you're immediately branded as Satan's left testicle.

I, for one, don't really have a problem with any of the welfare/entitlements.

What I *do* have a problem, is able bodied people using government welfare/entitlements as a living. That is, they'd rather just collect their benefits than work to become independent.

Furthermore, it's the Actuaries of Medicare and other programs TELLING us that at it's current projections, it's unsustainable.

So... when is it a good time to have a meaningful discussion?

Here... I'll start: Do we really need 10 carrier groups? I mean, has independent groups/the government TRULY done an analysis on whether 10 carrier groups is need to maintain our missions? Knocking it down to 9 groups would save quite a bit... no?

Now, with those savings, we should shore up Medicare and SS.

Conversely, what needed to be done to ensure Medicare/SS is operated effectively to minimize wastes and abuse?

This is part of the problem in politics these days. Everyone has their "sacred cow". And really, it goes beyond this or that party.

**shasolenzabi**

Oh the Clintons tried to go single payer, as did the original idea, but the Koch think tanks and "institiutes" all poo-poohed it as socialism, yet all our allies do it. Nixon a republican I may add, also broached the subject of single payer health care to Henry Ford back in the 1970's, Ford liked the idea that taxpayer paid health care would put an end to taking profits to pay for worker health plans, and make it easier on all companies as they would only have to pay once source, taxes, as their share of paying for health care. Again, too many in this nation have been erroneously taught Socialism = Communism, which at Nixons' time was part fo the Cold War.

Because Obamy-poo and his flunky wanted their way and were WILLING PARTICIPANT to all the theater shutdowns. See... I can do that too!

Because they instead stood up to and dared challenge the Reps to try and shut the Gov't down, it actually hurt things economically as the parks were NOT making tourist dollars all closed down.

Never said he was a socialist... but, he's a left-wing idealogue who desprately tried to push his own agenda.

With his approach during elections as that of a car salesman, and his very pro-corporate stance? I say he was no different than many politicians, beholden to those who paid for his campaign. And he had to clean up a mess left by his predecessors, the Republicans from Day 1 said they would simply not work on things with him at all.

O.o

Ooookay. Nothing wrong with having that sort of discussion to see if we ought to be reducing defense spending, et. el.

I'm game, if you're willing to have a conversation over the increase federal bureaucratic regulations that increases the cost of doing business.

Cool?

Maybe one could do so with a fresher thread so it all does not get lost here? The thing you mention is supposed to fall under the Government Oversight Agency to avoid over spending and maybe it is the corruption in DC that no regulatory agency seems capable of doing what they are supposed to do?

9/11 a major loss of money by the Pentagon, oh the lost records when that section of the Pentagon was destroyed by the Missile or plane, your choice to believe what destroyed it, but the financial records magically got to burn. Allegedly 2billion oversight was ashed.

Like at my monthly income I could afford the stupid Apple watch and app that some of the sillier republicans feel could replace medicare with? a program I paid into when i could work? the cheapest I-watch is 500bucks, with the cheap plastic band, 1k for the all metal edition. (Yes, the quote for that can be found.

**sebster**

whembly wrote:
@dogma/sebster: I get what you're saying... but, there is a distinct difference between a career politician (like those of the old days), to how pervasive the political class is now, which is primarily spurnned on by the lobbying class.

My political memory only goes back to the 80s, and my memory of US politics only goes back to the early 90s, but I can't remember a time when people weren't calling for an outsider to do magical outsider things. I even know of a few outsiders that won elections, and while a few were okay none of them ever managed to do anything magically different to the establishment candidates.

This doesn't mean I'm resigned to politics same as it always is, just that actual change comes from something a lot more meaningful than parachuting in some random person. Real change requires new policy approaches and other meaningful, substantive things.

**Ensis Ferrae**

sebster wrote:
whembly wrote:
@dogma/sebster: I get what you're saying... but, there is a distinct difference between a career politician (like those of the old days), to how pervasive the political class is now, which is primarily spurnned on by the lobbying class.

My political memory only goes back to the 80s, and my memory of US politics only goes back to the early 90s, but I can't remember a time when people weren't calling for an outsider to do magical outsider things. I even know of a few outsiders that won elections, and while a few were okay none of them ever managed to do anything magically different to the establishment candidates.

This doesn't mean I'm resigned to politics same as it always is, just that actual change comes from something a lot more meaningful than parachuting in some random person. Real change requires new policy approaches and other meaningful, substantive things.

I think though, that there are quite a number of instances where "career politician" was meant as an honorific... Usually we also use the term "Statesman" for those people. And that, I think, is something that HAS changed very drastically since the 90s

**sebster**

Ensis Ferrae wrote:
I think though, that there are quite a number of instances where "career politician" was meant as an honorific... Usually we also use the term "Statesman" for those people. And that, I think, is something that HAS changed very drastically since the 90s

I've never seen 'career politician' as anything but a slur. Statesman is used positively, but you'll never see it applied to a politician while they're still actively campaigning for office, it is usually reserved for politicians once they've left office, and even then generally only once they've been out of the game for a while.

I could be wrong, and if you can give an example that'd be really interesting.

**Ensis Ferrae**

sebster wrote:

I could be wrong, and if you can give an example that'd be really interesting.

Glad you asked, lol.

In Oregon, Mark O. Hatfield pretty much gaks gold. He's got a bunch of stuff named after him, and is generally revered as a great statesman. While I don't think "Statesman" was applied to him during his whole career, I do recall seeing, on microfiche at the library, newspaper articles from the late, late 80s (like, 87-90 or so) that used the term, and I he retired in the early 90s. Ironically, he cited partisanship as one major reason for his retirement, and that was in the 90s, well before we got where we are today

But you could very well be right about the distinction between a "statesman" and "career politician", because thinking a bit more on it, I can't really recall anyone ever calling even Mr. Hatfield a "Career politician", and I can't think of too many instances, outside of a history class (wherein a term "career politician" is used as a statement of fact, not judgement) where the term has been used positively.

**ScootyPuffJunior**

whembly wrote:

The economy is *stuck*... and I mostly blame Obama and the rest of the democrats for being that "stick in the mud".

You really had to waste time typing that sentence? I thought it goes without saying that you blame Obama and the Democrats for... well, everything.

**whembly**

ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
whembly wrote:

The economy is *stuck*... and I mostly blame Obama and the rest of the democrats for being that "stick in the mud".

You really had to waste time typing that sentence? I thought it goes without saying that you blame Obama and the Democrats for... well, everything.

Yup. Pretty much.

Don't worry, the congressional Republican doesn't escape my ire over passing the Ex-Im and TPP along with the Democrats. At times, both parties are indistinguishable and should be renamed as the 'Chamber of Commerce' party.... 'CoC' party for short.

**Frazzled**

Another person might be in jail right now.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/30/hillary-clinton-emails-us-intelligence-preparing-m/

**CptJake**

Frazzled wrote:
Another person might be in jail right now.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/30/hillary-clinton-emails-us-intelligence-preparing-m/

Seems she couldn't bothered to be burdened with two devices or with national security concerns.

**whembly**

Now ya'll see why I think HRC will win?

They're Teflon™.

**dogma**

whembly wrote:

Yup. Pretty much.

The attitude that one side of the aisle is "bad" is a large part of the reason compromise has become nearly impossible on major issues. Unfortunately the populace tends to blame politicians for this, rather than looking inwards to realize that it is the root of the problem.

**Easy E**

whembly wrote:
Easy E wrote:
I can't believe I just saw Whembly post a Gary Reynolds Instapundit post!

I thought for sure Whembly WAS Instapundit!

Nice job ignoring the content and felt necessary to impugn me.

I didn't think that was a diss?

However, I think HRC's victory lap is a bit premature. However, the Repubs at this stage aren't even serious about contesting her yet. There is still WAY, WAY too much campaigning to be done to call it yet.

However, I won't disagree that it is really hard to get things to stick to the Clinton's, but part of that is that they don't really do much to get all worked up about. Most of it is just shady stuff, not outright Nixonian levels of conspiracy and cover-up.

**whembly**

Easy E wrote:

However, I won't disagree that it is really hard to get things to stick to the Clinton's, but part of that is that they don't really do much to get all worked up about. Most of it is just shady stuff, not outright Nixonian levels of conspiracy and cover-up.

The email ordeal is gate-gate worthy.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/30/hillary-clinton-emails-us-intelligence-preparing-m/

Additionally, the IG believes HRC’s attorney has the entire collection of 33,000 emails that she gave the State Department on a thumb drive in his office. Why is this a big fething deal?
1) Having those 33,000 emails are electronic records. Easily searchable. When the States dept. asked for those records, the Clinton flunkies PRINTED the emails and gave what THEY thought the State Department needed in reams of boxes. (no meta data).

2) That is textbook definition of improper handling of classified data.

In the real world, this would disqualified HRC a long time ago.

But now? The Democrats are putting all their eggs into HRC's basket. She'll skate, and there's literally nothing she can do that stop folks from voting from her.... even if they have to hold their nose.

**streamdragon**

whembly wrote:

Additionally, the IG believes HRC’s attorney has the entire collection of 33,000 emails that she gave the State Department on a thumb drive in his office. Why is this a big fething deal?
1) Having those 33,000 emails are electronic records. Easily searchable. When the States dept. asked for those records, the Clinton flunkies PRINTED the emails and gave what THEY thought the State Department needed in reams of boxes. (no meta data).

2) That is textbook definition of improper handling of classified data.

@1: That is how evidence discovery works, generally speaking. If there was no specific format request (which can many times be legally ignored if it is not actually legally compelled), the producing party is free to provide data in whatever format. Printing email is (annoyingly for me) not uncommon, since it protects the mail recipients.

@2: Depends on the flash drive. Encrypted thumb drives are a thing.

**Tannhauser42**

It also depends on whether any of it actually is classified information. What most people think is classified actually isn't. 99% of the time it's considered "sensitive" or whatever term the particular agency uses for information they want to keep private without going to the trouble of actually classifying it, or because it doesn't meet the requirements for classification. Because it is a lot of hassle to classify stuff and handle classified data, as there are ridiculous amounts of labeling requirements for it.