Did you ever wonder what some of the obnoxious trolls claiming to be Obama supporters are hoping to accomplish by insulting the supporters of Hillary Clinton? Their tactics aren’t likely to win converts, and seem designed to make enemies.

Maybe they aren’t really Obama supporters after all.

Maybe they are a special breed of GOP trolls called “ratfuckers.”

Part I

Ratfucking is an American slang term for political sabotage or dirty tricks. It was first brought to public attention during the Watergate scandal investigation that during the 1972 presidential campaign the Nixon campaign committee maintained a “dirty tricks” unit focused on discrediting Nixon’s strongest challengers.  Read more 

Interesting comment on today’s “Must Read” segment over at Josh Marshall’s TPM (bows in reverence to THE most cited blog in the US media in recent days.) Topic, of course, is the US Attorney selective elimination program, and down in the comments surfaces an interesting item. Anybody know if this is true?

Rove has no privelege. Executive privelege, according to a 8-0 SCOTUS decision in the Nixon case, applies only to the POTUS and VP, and only on matters of diplomacy [and] military concern.

Rove is a political rat that has no real constitutional protection.
Posted by: bob

Personally I think the whole “executive privilege” thing is a crock o’prime grade-A shit. The executive branch is in Article II of the Constitution for a reason, dammit. The Founders considered Congress the primary organ of government; the executive branch exists only to carry out (“cause to be faithfully executed”) the will of the people as expressed by their elected representatives. (Hell, we could replace the president with a robot for that matter, although this might lead to other unanticipated problems. But I digress.)  Read more 

Ford pardoning Nixon was worse than a deal; it was a favor for a friend. Another emmbargoed scoop from court biographer “staff writer” Bob Woodward:

Months before Richard M. Nixon set a relatively unknown Michigan congressman named Gerald R. Ford on the path to the White House, Nixon turned to Ford, who called himself the embattled president’s “only real friend,” to get him out of trouble.

“Anytime you want me to do anything, under any circumstances, you give me a call, Mr. President,” [Ford] told Nixon during that May 1, 1973, conversation.

World-class teabagging! So, why did Ford pardon Nixon?  Read more 

First, MyDD. Now, Josh:

For my part, I can’t help but see Ford in a basically positive light and think he did the country an important service in balancing the ship of state after the trauma and shame of the Nixon years. But I’m curious how much that view is tied to my not having lived (or lived with sufficient awareness — I was 5 and 6) through the period. Thoughts?

Je repete:  Read more 

This is a strong piece from start to finish. There are a couple of messages we should put out into the mix a lot more often. Like this:

Now the people who have left the media stream are of two groups. One are those that inhabit the 1980’s and 1990’s world of micro-broadcast. These people are largely adjuncts of the ruling order, including religious radio and religious broadcast, and the marginal fox news viewer, and the right wing blogosphere, which is now merely a component of a verticly integrated system to pump out message. However, these people are self-selected because they are supporters of the Bush project.

The other group, however, represents a coming wave, not a passing one. Thus, when a powerful image occurs, they might be shocked, but they return to their previous political position rapidly. They have a narrative which is attacking, rather than being attacked. They recognize themselves as part of a growing future, rather than an ebbing past.

This combination is grinding Bush, who is the ultimate post-modern President.  Read more