by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley

The Democratic Party’s Grand Inquisition has move leftward, targeting 2016 Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, whose political crime was to attend an RT dinner in Russia, the year before. The Democrats are trying to yoke her into their fake “Russiagate” conspiracy. Stein is “the perfect foil. She can simultaneously be blamed for Clinton’s loss while feeding the anti-Russia frenzy.”

Freedom Rider: Democrats Smear Jill Stein

by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley

“The Democrats have shamefully praised the intelligence apparatus, shown love for an FBI director and joined the chorus for war and American intervention around the world.”

Democrats hate the left more than they hate the right. Democrats are allegedly the counter weight to the right wing in America when in reality their goal is to replicate the same policies. The subterfuge inherent in the political duopoly allows them to live off the pretense of defending the people from the neo-liberal forces they in fact support.

Their hatred is most evident when people who are truly on the left dare to make the case for political change. When Al Gore and Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost presidential races in the Electoral College, Democratic Party scorn was directed solely at the Green Party and their voters.

In both elections there were far more instances of registered Democrats voting for George W. Bush and Donald Trump respectively. One would think that they would be marked for condemnation. Instead the Democrats show their true colors, excusing and placating the turncoats in order to make the case for “lesser evil” neo-liberalism and imperialism.

“The subterfuge inherent in the political duopoly allows them to live off the pretense of defending the people from the neo-liberal forces they in fact support.”

The Russiagate phenomenon makes Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein an even bigger target. Stein visited Russia in 2015 and attended the RT network’s anniversary dinner. She was seated at the same table with Vladimir Putin, although the two never spoke.

This simple act is now being included among the flimsy so-called evidence that the Russian government interfered in the election. The war party is an important part of the duopoly and leading Democrats are reveling in their opportunity to make political hay.

Congressman Adam Schiff is ranking minority member of the House Intelligence Committee and a leader in the charge against Russia and now Stein. “Jill Stein was also in Russia attending the RT function, so we’re going to need to look at any efforts the Russians made through whatever means to influence our elections.” It isn’t clear how Stein’s presence in Moscow impacted the election but truth isn’t the point.

“We have a right to visit any nation and interact with anyone we choose and to question presidents, congress and elite punditry.”

The Democrats’ urge to destabilize the entire system in order to do the work of the war party is dangerous for many reasons. It now gives them an even bigger out. They can continue their attack on the rights of nations and people all over the world and simultaneously blame the Russian government for their own abject political failures.

Donald Trump Jr. and others involved in his father’s campaign are now targets of investigation because of their amateurish contacts with Russian citizens. The Senate Judiciary Committee demanded that Trump the younger provide them with any communication he had with 41 individuals and entities and they included Jill Stein’s name among them. The list also includes Putin, his foreign secretary, the ambassador to the United States, the Ritz Carlton hotel and the oligarch who bankrolled Trump’s Miss Universe pageant in Moscow.

“There is no legitimate reason for Stein’s name to be on this list.”

Every other person, business or organization on the list is a Russian government official, played some role on the Trump campaign, or are or are mentioned in stories about election hacking. There is no legitimate reason for Stein’s name to be on this list. She makes clear that she has had no contact with the Trump family or campaign. She is being thrown under the bus in a classic smear tactic.

Rank and file Democrats have lost all sense of logic and common sense in their post-election trauma. They are always predisposed to attack anyone who points out the obvious deficiencies in the party they cling to with such devotion. The years of anti-Russian propaganda and willingness to censure anyone daring to do what they will not has primed them for this moment.

Ever since Election Day they have shamefully praised the intelligence apparatus, shown love for an FBI director and joined the chorus for war and American intervention around the world. Jill Stein is now the perfect foil. She can simultaneously be blamed for Clinton’s loss while feeding the anti-Russia frenzy.

“Stein is being thrown under the bus in a classic smear tactic.”

It is important for the left to defend Stein at this moment. She and all Americans have a right to disagree with their government’s foreign policy. We have a right to visit any nation and interact with anyone we choose and to question presidents, congress and elite punditry. We should be able to do so without fear of harassment or legal jeopardy.

American provocations against Russia go back to the collapse of the Soviet Union and are responsible for the possibility of a hot war. It is important to say so and to act in solidarity with those who become targets when they act on their right to freedom of movement and speech.

The notion that Russia is a hostile power is a concoction of the corporate media and the war loving members of the duopoly. If they attempt to silence or smear Stein or anyone else they must be met with staunch opposition.