NPR: 4 US senators - Reed, Schumer (D), McCain, Graham (R) - call for election investigation

[ucrdem]

heard this last night. This is getting real!
.....................
"Sen. Jack Reed Wants To Examine Claims Of Russian Cyberattacks"
December 11, 20165:18 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered

Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island was one of four senators to write a letter calling for a further look into the CIA's conclusion that Russia tried to help the election of Donald Trump.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This weekend, we're following news of President-elect Donald Trump's emerging Cabinet and the CIA's claim that Russia interfered in U.S. elections in favor of Donald Trump. Seven Democratic U.S. senators signed a letter yesterday saying they want some of this new information declassified. Donald Trump speaking to Fox News says he does not believe it and that Democrats are just trying to make excuses for their losses.

{snip}

MARTIN: As of this morning, though, Democrats are not the only ones expressing concern. Two Republicans - John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina - joined New York Democrat and incoming Minority Leader Charles Schumer and Rhode Island's Jack Reed on a separate statement saying that the CIA's reports of Russian interference should be taken seriously.

Senator John McCain told CBS he was baffled by the president-elect's response. Senator McCain said he wants a special committee to investigate alleged Russian interference.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHN MCCAIN: It's going to require congressional involvement. It's going to require in-depth and - by the way, the Russians have interfered in a lot of other elections. The Russians have hacked into some of our most secret military information.

{snip}

REED: Well, the intelligence community has done a careful assessment of the facts, and they have reached with a high sense of confidence a conclusion that there was penetration of both the Democratic organization and the Republican organization but that it appears that only information detrimental to the Democratic candidate was released, raising questions of, one, the motivation of the Russians - also questions of going forward, of the integrity of our campaign system not just in this past election but future elections.

So these are serious questions that have to be looked at closely. I'm very pleased that Chairman McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham recognize this and are taking a leadership role along with Senator Schumer. But this is a question of significant importance not just for the moment but for the future of the country and our democratic process.

more: http://www.npr.org/2016/12/11/505187932/sen-jack-reed-wants-to-examine-claims-of-russian-cyberattacks
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Whoa.

[ucrdem]

1. NYT, today: "Wide-ranging investigation of Russian meddling ahead, McCain says"

McCain Calls Russian Hacking a ‘Form of Warfare’

Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Monday that there was “no doubt about the hacking” by Russian intelligence services into Democratic campaign accounts, which he called “another form of warfare.”

Appearing on “CBS This Morning” with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the next minority leader, Mr. McCain said the wide-ranging investigation of Russian meddling in the election would include his committee as well as the Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees.

He said a Senate investigation would be necessary despite President Obama having already ordered up an inquiry, as that one would not be completed before the end of the Obama administration. The implication was that the new Trump administration would not follow through.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/12/us/politics/donald-trump-transition.html?_r=0

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Trouble in Trumptown, bigly!

[treestar]

2. all that time and effort investigating

Benghazi and emails while this was going on.

[ucrdem]

3. Hard to believe isn't it?

I still can't fathom how Russia of all places manged to penetrate our 30+ intel agencies and influence US politics, not without 29 holding the door open for them anyway

[Uponthegears]

4. Let me guess

This "bipartisanship" continues only so long as everyone plays nice and does not seek to set aside the election.

That's okay, though, because by golly those same suburbanites who weren't convinced to vote for Hillary instead of a racist hate-mongering joke of a human being by three solid weeks of "Groper Don" speeches, well, well, well, . . . I bet they'll vote for us "next time" if they find out that the "Russkies" were working for Trump behind the scenes.

Clearly Russia interfered to help put Trump in the White House. BUT if you're not prepared for revolution (and NONE of you are), if your not prepared to stop this inauguration (and NONE of you are), if you're just looking for the latest "sure thing" issue to bring those precious suburbanites back to the fold, then you should know this . . . it won't work.

[ucrdem]

5. The suburbanites are already in the fold.

Clinton won the popular vote by 2+ points and that's only counting the votes that didn't get swiped. She conveniently "lost" by exactly 1% in three GOP-governed states, only one of them an actual swing state, the other two solidly blue until Nov. 8. She was leading in WI by 6 points for months and then poof, Trump had a great leap forward of 8 points on election day. Hmm.

The big picture is that whatever it takes to set this election right will help and this seems to be helpful.

[Uponthegears]

6. You don't have to convince me

That there is something (trying to be nice here) "fishy" about this election. There are the raw numbers you mentioned already, but also the fact that (contrary to popular belief) California is not some freak outlier full of nothing by raving liberals/feminists/(insert whatever demonized group you want here). How in the world does Hillary romp and stomp in California in every single economic demographic, and win by 3 million plus votes and lose among every economic demographic but working people all across the Midwest? Working people in California are hurting too. AND it's not like they are social liberals either. California passed a gay marriage ban by referendum. They capped taxes. The adopted the most onerous three strike bill in the country. Damn, in this last election, they just voted to speed up executions. There is a serious "Southern" streak in California too. There's nothing I can see to explain the difference.

I understand that things are horrible in the Rust Belt, but they've been that way for decades. People in Ohio didn't just wake up and say "Gosh, my life just started sucking these past 8 years and I'm not going to vote for another Democrat." Those people voted for Hillary

The Midwesterners who voted for Trump AREN'T HURTING AT ALL. They are NO different than their California counterparts.

It just didn't f'n happen. Something's wrong

That being said, you are whistling past the graveyard when it comes to suburbia. We have won the suburban vote exactly twice in presidential elections post-Bill, both time by a candidate whose equal will never be seen again. We have lost it in every other election. We have lost the House almost entirely because districts are gerrymandered to include enough suburbanites to outweigh every other group. They have not been in the fold since they left to vote for Reagan and the fact that Bill won them by pushing such tripe as welfare reform, the death penalty, mandatory minimums, etc. doesn't change anything. The moved to the suburbs to get away from us, they buy guns like candy because they are scared of us, they open schools where the only black face they see are the children of families who "love education as much as they do" (translation, will drive their kids across town).

THEY are the "deplorables."

THEY are the ones who put Trump in office.

[duffyduff]

8. It wouldn't surprise me in the least she won every single state. Trump was that bad a candidate.

n/t

[triron]

9. I think you have that right.

[AgadorSparticus]

7. They should ALL be alarmed and asking for an inquiry.