Morning Report: August 2, 2017
Gary Johnson: Both Parties Are The Problem
It might be the most boring place in politics at the moment, but according to former presidential candidate Gary Johnson, the middle is the place to be for getting things done in Washington.
In an op-ed Johnson wrote:
"We need look no further than the insanity we just witnessed as the U.S. Senate tried — and spectacularly failed — to do anything with a health care system that is financially terminal. Obamacare was imposed on us by a party-line-toeing Democratic majority, and we now have a two-party duopoly so narrowly split that doing anything substantive appears impossible."
Johnson continued:
"More than one-third of Americans consider themselves neither Republicans nor Democrats, but virtually ALL of those attempting to govern in Washington are members of the two-party duopoly?
"Nowhere in these equations is there room for compromise, adult policy-making, or frankly, real concern for the consequences of action and inaction."
The entire op-ed can be read here.
Seymour Hersh Says It Was Seth Rich
In a remarkable audio recording released by WikiLeaks, containing an interview with pulitzer prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh, Hersh contends that the Intelligence Community narrative that Russia hacked the DNC servers is a lie.
Hersh claims that Seth Rich, a former DNC staffer who was murdered in Washington D. C., and who worked in the IT department and had access to the DNC servers, downloaded the controversial party emails and gave them to WikiLeaks.
In the recording, not dismissed by Hersh, he says:
"Sometime in late spring, talking about June or early summer, he (Seth Rich) makes contact with WikiLeaks...he had submitted a series of documents, of emails, of juicy emails, from the DNC, and you know by the way all this...about the DNC, hacked or not hacked, all I know is the Democrats wrote this themselves.
"All I know is he (Seth Rich) offered a sample, an extensive sample, dozens of emails on dropbox, that WikiLeaks did get the password."
Hersh continues:
"WikiLeaks got access before he was killed... I have a narrative of how began. It's a Brennan operation, with an American disinformation campaign. Even the head of the NSA, Rogers, was...telling the press that we even know who in the Russian military leaked it, I mean it was all bulls***...these guys run the NY Times."
It's been an explosive 24 hours surrounding the case that saw the mainstream media, who up until yesterday, called this a right-wing conspiracy and hoax, focused on a lawsuit stating President Trump and Fox News colluded on a narrative designed to draw attention away from the possibility that Russia hacked the DNC servers.
All of this is heating up as former IT worker Imran Awan, who worked for Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the DNC, was arrested and his computer equipment confiscated.
Stay tuned.
Doesn't Look Good For Republican Heller
Call it the fallout from the "skinny" repeal failure. Nevada Senator Dean Heller could lose his seat in 2018, according to new polling.
The internal poll shows Nevada Rep. Dina Titus in a tight race against Heller if she decides to challenge him. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Heller led Titus by just 2 points 47-45 percent.
Heller has been the subject of heavy criticism from Democrats both in Washington and Nevada over the course of the Senate’s attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
He is the only Republican senator up for re-election next year in a state won by Democrat Hillary Clinton last fall.
You may recall it was Heller who infamously sat next to President Trump two days before the Senate vote and was told by the president, "look you want to remain a senator." Heller voted for the "skinny" repeal but it might hurt him in his bid for re-election.