Vote in November as if your life depended on it, because this time, it actually does.
19
We need to get rid of the electoral college system. This is the second time we have elected someone who did not get the popular vote and who will get us into an unnecessary war. Trump has so much bottled up anger he will use a war to release it. He should be angry with himself for his own flaws but he is a narcissist and loves himself.
44
Last night my friend hosted a #deletefacebook party.
Apparently, everyone there simultaneously deleted their Facebook accounts. Then, he said, the 30 people who showed up freaked out because they suddenly realized they had no easy way to share the event with their friends.
19
Bolton’s thinking is way out of line with that of the American public.He is a war monger and Americans do NOT want any more wars.
The unending misguided Iraq situation he praised so much was wrong—dead wrong. It has cost a lot of American lives and left many young men maimed horribly.
We must pray that this deranged individual ends the way all of Trump’s former appointees have before he and Trump destroy our world.
33
Maybe the British can find out what this firm was involved in and who benefited. Heaven knows that Trump would fight any investigation tooth and nail.
15
Shocking! A political campaign using data about voters to construct a persuasive message. If this had been done by democrats then it’s perfectly acceptable. So where is the crime here? What does it say about the paranoia that democrats have about Trump that anything he touches turns evil. What’s next?
2
When Tucker Carlson questions your judgement and insults you to your face, you know that this man is a menace to society and the world. I've watched Bolton give his insane hawkish ideas on Fox, thanking God that this man was no where near the levers of power to implement them. Now, I am truly horrified. Brace for impact people, we are going into another Iraq-type war.
27
Leaving aside Alexander Nix's interview for a moment, none of this sounds particularly illegal. What do you think marketing research companies do? They are paid to build customer profiles so advertisers can targets their messaging better. You can easily apply this same methodology to political messaging.
I'll agree this story has some bad actors. However, the only thing that sounds potentially illegal is using Facebook data without consent. This in itself is debatable because the failure to gain consent is really determined by Facebook's user agreement. Their failure to address Cambridge Analytica's policy violation is arguably more criminal than the data misusage.
I'm not saying you have to like what these people are doing but it already exists in many different contexts. I'll give you an example.
There's one research company I know that samples certain demographic profiles and pays their subjects to watch rough cuts of company advertising. While the subject is watching, they collect biometric statistics. Tracking eye movement is one. They compile a report which they deliver to the ad production company who then adjusts their ad to increase effectiveness. Changing editing and visuals for instance. This is all completely legal. The only difference is the person knew they were hooked up to a machine. The research firm was never required to explain what data they were collecting or how they were using it.
Food for thought.
2
Yet one mother hawk who spent their formative years ducking military service. What is it with these people who are so willing to send other's sons and daughters into harm's way get were cowards when it came to their time to serve their country?
29
Get a copy of the book Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer and read the whole thing. A sweeping historical analysis of the origins of the current far right/libertarian assault on our democracy funded by big money. An eye opener.
27
Thank you, NYT, for revealing yet another string attached to Mercer money: John Bolton. These revelations are coming out fast and furious after the Facebook data breach and Cambridge Analytica. This latest revelation about Bolton’s ties to the Mercer’s shows how Trump’s decisions are made: money ties. Just follow the money and soon we will see the total picture of how Trump operates. The legality of this money we shall find out via the Mueller investigation and a vigorous press.
25
So you didn't think Trump was just a glove puppet for some extremely nasty billionaires? here's the proof.
18
Hello America. In case you didn’t notice, you’re under attack. It’s called information war, psyops, etc. You are being targeted with messages that play directly on your fears, and feed you misinformation.
They target you because they can. Social media isn’t for your convenience - it is for those who want to sell you stuff, whether it be goods and services, or politicians and propaganda.
They don’t have to steal your information either. Everything you share, everything you do is tracked, saved, and used to make you a target.
Who’s doing it? Anyone with money and an agenda, whether it be sociopathic billionaires or kleptocrat rulers of nation states. Facebook doesn’t see you as a customer or client - you are the merchandise they sell.
18
What ever happened to banning foreign entities from engaging in our elections? We know that the Mercer-Delaware off shoot of C.A. is only a shell company. A Russian professor, and English CEO? Is this the price we pay for a global economy?
9
I am beginning to think the Mercer family is running the country. Trump’s campaign was in disarray until Mercer’s folks, Bannon and Conway, were brought in to run the show, and get that bad boy elected.
The Mercer family’s alt right agenda is being pushed by the extremist wing of the Republican party and via the companies in which they own an interest. Mercer’s money is behind Breitbart and Cambridge Analytica, among others.
What other nefarious activities is the Mercer family (and others of their ilk) up to that undermines democracy in the US and around the world?
We need the press (NY Times are you listening?) to shine the light on these behind-the-scenes billionaires who have an anti-democratic, right wing agenda. Their money is running the show. And they are attempting to dismantle global democracy. Tell us what the Kochs and Mercers are really up to.
80
I think we've found The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy at last; and it's bigger, uglier and more dangerous than any of us had supposed.
59
Perhaps our elected officials can now pass a law that says people's private information is theirs, and not owned or saleable by internet platforms.
21
If Mr. Bolton knew what the data was being used for, isn't that against the law?
18
And what on Earth do you people think Facebook does with your data?
20
My family in France is shocked.
My family in Australia is shocked.
But in America, the news cycle is a dumpster fire. This barely even registered before Trump packed up for Mar-a-Lago.
The only thing that keeps me sane is the vigorous activity this has spurred among Democrats (especially the youth!). The only way we can stop the rotting Trump administration further infecting America's reputation is to hamstring him in Congress.
November 6, 2018. Vote!
53
Some commenters, perhaps bots or FOX fans, are claiming that the Obama campaign used the same tactics as Cambridge Analytica. Check Snopes and other fact-checking sources. FALSE. Perhaps the Times and others need to start weeding out blatantly and verifiably false comments.
33
So where does this leave Bolton’s appointment? Can Trump really continue to endorse someone for national security advisor when it is clear he was involved in extensively sketchy data grabbing? Seems like an unwise move in light of the other already broiling controversies—Russia, prostitutes, etc...
17
Once again, this paper attempts to create a virus and inject it into the public system. Such action, you understand, is the exact opposite of what a doctor would do. Mr. Bolton's actions were legal and centered on obtaining serious tools for political advantage -- in a world where such tools are both necessary and effective. When then President Obama was running for his second term, his campaign did this -- and much more. They "ingested" all of the social media, very much including Facebook, and all to create a means to effectively target and rally and organize voters. Of course, nary a peep of criticism from this paper, both in the reporting of the event or through editorials. Of course not, there was only praise and admiration then.
6
Let's see the evidence that the Obama campaign used a benign-appearing app to mine otherwise private information from people's Facebook profiles.
16
So, to summarise:
- Facebook is funded by conservative, militaristic SuperPAC's which are in turn funded by wealthy individuals who became rich as hedge fund managers.
- This is a web which directs major funding to recruit average citizens and influence their mindset in favour of certain military strategies and financial interests under a veneer of 'free speech' and 'social networking' (Facebook mantra).
- It operates under false pretence of being 'academic research' and promotes the storage and sale of personal data of people who have no say in their data being used. We have no idea who these fund managers are working with and there is no accountability for them, for the SuperPAC's and for Facebook.
- This is likely to be the biggest covert intelligence operation ever on American citizens and has resulted in affecting American elections and miitary operations. Not only do they get away with it, but Bolton is now in charge of US National Security?
15
How exactly is the Trump campaign guilty of wrongdoing? It presumably used the contact details of Facebook members to try to sway their vote in the Presidential Elections. Since when is it a crime to try to influence the opinions of responsible adults with free-will?
8
This is a nightmare. As Trump continues to scrap the bottom of the talent barrel by hiring has-been cable news pundits and hawks, I wonder how Congress plans to fund the next wars. Forget infrastructure improvements. Entitlements? Out the window. The Iraqi War has cost us $3,000,000,000,000 so far. Then there is the human cost 4,400 American lives and 500,000 Iraqis. The moral cost of our permanent war state is incalculable.
24
I have really ceased to understand this country. How can Congress allow the nomination of a man who used Analytica for his own nefarious purposes? Unless the dominant party in Congress condones any kind of criminal behaviour, including treason, as long as it serves to keep itself in power. This does not bode well. I expect a "perpetual presidency" bid from Trump, with help from institutional thugs like Bannon, Stone, Price, Bolton, Conway and Huckabee Sanders, among others, and full support from the NRA and Trump's evangelical base.
9
What Faebook and political deep research does..
Oh I just coined a phrase. DEEP research. What is does is look into our brains before the civilizing social aspects act on it.
The do unto your neighbor part is left out of what these places/people do. So short term with no one watching it seems to work. In the end this is the part of US that gave us Lucifer. Gave and is giving us Wall Street Banks selling us bad loans hidden as good bets. Peace under walnut shell with a gun on it.
It all reminds me of a Science Fiction Story 'Ender's Game' The original. A kid was running the worlds fight for survival on masked as a game. And now not just the people in the next state are bad but our own families. We just don't see it. We will be pulling the triggers. Using bump stocks probably too.
2
what must be identified are actual techniques of psychological manipulation, each judged on its own merits. surely there is no valid objection to data collection and analysis in the abstract.
4
Cambridge Analytica has tantalized several political figures: Obama, Trump, Bolton. There have been TV arguments over why it was okay how Obama used the information versus Trump and Bolton. Some believe that using the information at all was the first mistake. As I have comprehended it, the real problem is this: The original intent for monitoring the internet was to keep the bad guys out (post-9/11); then it was to customize the user experience online. Somewhere along the line, something akin to jury tampering occurred -- BUT at the same time, there were decision points whereby the persons who were going to access information that was not their own (i.e., other people's information, which is a type of currency aka "money") had to ask for permission -- BUT at the same time, there were persons who were forthright in asking while there were others who obscured the demarcation. Then the damage was done. Now, it is possible to remove oneself from the data stream -- BUT we all will have to share the consequences. For the future, we just have to take it one day at a time and stand strong for what we believe in ... peace and goodwill. May that goal be achieved with all due diligence and speed. Thrive!
5
It's going to take more than 'peace and good will' to route out the avarice, lies and self dealing of this administration which will use any means to sway the uninformed among us. It's going to take opposition and voters turn out and the application of jail time for these wrong doers. Our information was stolen. And it's a far worse criminal case than stealing our money. Our birthright was stolen.
4
If what you say about Bolton is true--and I believe it is--and he poses the threat that he does--let's hope against hope that again, Congress will refuse to confirm him. Republicans did it once before, they can do it again.
5
Sadly, the National security advisor is not subject to hearings or confirmation, unlike most other Presidential appointments. That is precisely what makes this appointment so distressing and dangerous. Trump has an unerring eye for making choices that are most destructive to our country. He outdid himself with this one.
22
I don’t believe he needs confirmation as he an appointment by the President.
7
The National Security Advisor is an appointment by the president and does not require Senate confirmation.
5
The problem is not Face Book or Cambridge Analitica; the problem is Citizens United. campaign financing, and billionaires.
36
Son-in-law Kushner was also involved in this cyber warfare - for that is exactly what it is - warfare against “liberals” working for a better world. Bolton is a warmonger rejected by the Republican Party.
27
One commenter has the answer -- education! You don't get to vote unless you can prove you're "educated!" (Unless, of course, you vote as that commenter would like, in which case it doesn't matter whether you're educated or not -- flexibility is a virtue, after all!)
But how much education? Should a college degree be required? A Ph. D? A high school diploma? 8th grade?
Tough questions, but not as tough as this one: Who gets to answer those questions? Should we answer that question by putting it to a vote? If so, who should be allowed to vote? Do you notice a certain circularity here?
2
Re: "Beyond their conservative politics, Mr. Trump, Mr. Bolton and Cambridge Analytica all share a patron — the Mercer family of Long Island, whose patriarch, Robert L. Mercer, made a fortune at the helm of a top-yielding hedge fund."
In other words, Mercer "made" (acquired) a fortune (other people's money) without actually working. He's a parasitical drain on the real economy.
13
Please, media, put John Bolton on the front page every day, over and above Trump. Make it sound like Bolton's now running the show. It's the only hope we have to get rid of him before he leads America and the world to mayhem.
30
Those at Cambridge Analytica who misused data illegally, and those who hired them to knowingly misuse data should be charged, tried, and sent to jail for their crimes. A lot has been made about Facebook and their responsibility. It strikes me that Facebook isn’t the one who broke the law. It was Cambridge Analytica and Their Russian and American co-conspirators.
21
All the Republicans somehow flow back down to Mercer, Bannon and Putin. It almost seems as though fascists in western nations have come to know that Putin and his intelligence agencies and state banks will prop them up in elections, as long as they do their best to to destroy diplomacy and unity between the western alliances.
13
Bolton is a 'criminal', akin to his soon to become boss, seemingly oblivious to the truth and the facts explaining it. Sneaky all the way.Watch out now, these warmongers seem anxious to start a war, any war, to show how 'macho' they are; that it would create huge losses in life and treasure, and much suffering, seems just an afterthought to them, devoid of feelings towards other. What is occurring, just in case you think is the new normal, think again. An institutionalized violence is on offer, and chaos the result. If republicans in congress remain complicit in all this, history will judge them harshly. But by then, it may be too late for remedy. Even for the crying.
10
I wonder how connected Kelly Ann Conway, a pollster, is with these shenanigans. If so, what does this say about this White House? What is Bolton’s real role here? And hers?
And how does this fit with the Russian connections with CA?
I detect a bad smell....
13
Folks, don't waste your breath. Bolton, the ultimate teflon-chicken-hawk will be back at picking a fight with some country and help start another war. Start preparing your sons and daughters for the next round of "we support the troops" and needlessly spending our tax dollars.
3
John Bolton v. Nikki Haley. Can't wait.
1
Seems like Bolton may have had a hand in manipulating the election. Was he too connected to the Russians hacking effort? Looks like another maneuver on Trumps part to obstruct justice. Certainly Mueller will be looking closely at Bolton and his Super Pac.
5
The Senate MUST reject ....perhaps their own self preservation will force them to do the right thing.
3
This appointment is not subject to Senate approval. He is already in the job.
1
Alienated voters wanted to "shake things up" by voting for Trump. Now, the pillars of our democracy are crumbling at their foundations. And no one is more at risk than they are. Congratulations on their sheer recklessness.
18
The government officials that have been elected to high office mean to do us harm. We must vote them out in 2018 and 2020.
12
My bet is that Mr. Bolton Will NOT be able to get a security clearance.
2
Having worked indirectly with a firm producing extensive research for consumer products 35 years ago, when mainframe computers were first deployed by Madison Ave, I was fascinated by this concept. The research then was rudimentary but incredibly extensive via asking thousands of questions of millions of participants about a simple product, say toothpaste. That same firm grew to be the leading analytics firm in the country today and the industry has thousands of firms specializing in areas such as politics. Nothing new here and where they get from is really no concern to their clients and the fact that Facebook allowed this and how many more firms - thousands I suspect to mine those facebook users putting themselves out there naked in a sense every day. But the firms who do market research provide a culled target research result that the client can then do what they want. We already know President Obama ran successful campaigns using social media, electronic communications for outreach and used market research to do so - nothing sinister here.
5
Believe it or not, this story has been languishing for over a year:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/04/20/kahneman-tversky-invisible-mi...
"Since the electoral surprise of November 8, 2016, the magical tale of behavioral science making the world a better place has been replaced by a darker story in the public mind. It has been widely reported that Trump’s team, as adviser Jared Kushner puts it, “played Moneyball” with the election. ... There is an interesting slippage in the presentation between Nix saying that hundreds of thousands of people have filled out Cambridge Analytica’s questionnaires and his claiming they have this amount of data on every American adult. It is either an empty boast or there is a disturbing story to be told about how they acquired this information. "
So it takes a whistleblower to spur the media to start investigating. We're all in trouble.
6
Yup. Connect the dots. Trump, Cambridge Analytica, Facebook. Bolton, Manafort, Bannon, Russians, people indicted by the Special Prosecutor.
8
Another draft dodging chest beating Republican war monger.
8
So Bolton is a political sleaze, as well as a jingoistic war-monger and dangerous demagogue...?
Why am I not surprised?
7
Bolton is a good friend of Israel. What a big surprise.
Is there any corrupt politician who is not a good fiend of Israel?
3
Is fox news covering this story?
Then, beloved NYT readers, it does not exist to most americans.
5
"“The Bolton PAC was obsessed with how America was becoming limp wristed and spineless and it wanted research and messaging for national security issues,” Mr. Wylie said."
This use of Cambridge Analytica's theories using stolen FB data is one of the scariest stories I've read, be it the Trump campaign or the Bolton super PAC.
But the fact that John Bolton think Americans have gone soft and he needs FB fake news to toughen them up to accept his fringe foreign policy views should freak out every American.
John Bolton seems to be a man so obsessed with an ideology that he'll stop at nothing to--legal or illegal--to push that ideology to the max.
At the core, he simply wants to repeat in DRNK and Iran, what he did for Iraq: create regime change, not based on defense, but on offense, because America--like most America firsters---thinks it's worthy to rule the world.
The combo of Trump and Bolton, both of whom are really pushing fake news--not the press--want to indulge their dictatorial personalities.
It's a threat we should all be deeply alarmed about.
11
America is circling the drain. The isolationist, racist, white nationalists that have taken over our country — like the boiling frog metaphor — are in the minority among voters but they have their Grand Dragon Trump to lead the way into the sewer of rats. The United States has some of the most sophisticated military hardware and we are still heading into worldwide irrelevance.
And that was before John Bolton was tapped to be the National Security Advisor. Not only was he a plague spreading hate and war-mongering language around the United Nations, we now find out — thanks to the crack team of investigative reporters at the NYT — he has been Stephen K. Bannon's evil twin at Cambridge Analytica.
At what point will ANY Republican in Congress realize they have been had by the darkest forces ever seen in Washington D.C.? They swallowed the bait of the RNC, the NRA, ALEC (the gang of corporate lobbbyists who write most of the bills introduced by Republican members of the House and Senate).
The party of anti-science, anti-education, anti-environment, and anti-middle class has created this monster — both the Repugnant Party and Trump — and it will take years, maybe decades, to clean up the mess. And it was all for power at the expense of the country; at the expense of our relationships around the globe; and, John Bolton — while not the root cause of it — is the lightning rod poster child of what is wrong in America today.
Indeed, Trump's evil twin.
30
As long as the Mueller investigation of collusion is ongoing - doesn't being a patron of Cambridge Analytica raise red flags in terms of security clearance?
16
The Mercers have shown up in the Russia nexus far too frequently. Computer genius, hedge fund billionaire and wannabe oligarch, he's working on a secret weapon to manipulate democracy - personalized targeting of our deepest fears and needs.
I pray Mr. Mueller finds Robert and Rebekah of interest. Unlike the other clowns in this tragicomedy, they're very clever and have covered their tracks well. Perhaps we'll see justice before Trump and Bolton start WWIII.
15
Psychological profiles are useless if they cannot be used in targeted advertising. This is a regulatory choke point that we should now be considering.
1
Interesting how the Mercers, Adelson, Koch et al, all use their surplus wealth and tax breaks to massively fund these anti-American organizations and people looking to undermine American citizens through nefarious means - and still have billions left over.
Cambridge Analytica is proof positive of the evil one can do by invading our privacy and activities on the Internet, by FB and others harvesting apparently innocuous data about us. Yes, good can be done. But as Nicholas Kristof points out in another NYT Opinion piece, conflict is more profitable - same applies to the data pilfered from us at every click and keystroke. They're nothing less than cyber-stalkers What's the danger? "We could lose our nation because of it" - I heard someone say on CNN.
Who else is misusing the data CA used - the Russians? The Chinese? Oligarchs and Plutocrats? Our own POTUS? Insurance companies? Banks? Facebook's business model is selling our info to all of them for profit. The difference with CA is they got the same info essentially without paying for it.
As for Alexander Nix, he is now available to work for the trump 2020 campaign. Incredibly the tactics Mr. Nix brags about using against adversaries would have had no effect applied to trump. Go figure.
12
I keep hoping for light at the end at the tunnel, but if the 2018 elections are a bust, I think it's over for America. I never thought our institutions were so fragile and so susceptible to demagogues. But CA and the nonsense media (Fox et al) are undermining our democracy at a rapid clip, and I'm furious. I hope enough of us are ready to fight.
14
The Cambridge Analytica files scandal investigation is not yet finished when we got this nomination to a critical security post with such severe implications in the American foreign policies. John Bolton is not adding class to U.S. international leadership; on the contrary will rather confirm the ˙macho˙-like Trump˙s own style. Very likely even the Pentagon won't follow suit the warmongering late Trump moves including the tariffs on Chinese products. Incredible as this may sound, the last resort cold mind could come from the soldiers. Let˙s wait for what˙s positive in all this rather 19th century mess.
2
'So if you’re a young woman in New Hampshire with a specific kind of personality and a particular set of issues that you care about, our research allows us to connect with that voter in a way that truly resonates with her.”'
Except it is not really about what 'resonates with her' so much as it is about trying to drive her opinion in a certain direction.
The whole game shows contempt for American citizens and for the democratic system. Voters are seen as weak minded, malleable pawns to be bent to the purposes of this cabal of very rich people who certainly do not have the well being of the average American as their concern.
15
It's strange that the person-
John Bolton-who first compromises the US security and undermines the sanctity of democratic process by snapping up the potentially explosive Cambridge Analyrica data is now rewarded by the top national security adviser position in the Trump administration. One could well guess how secured the US is in the hands of people being probed for the same offense of undermining US national security and the election integrity?
14
Shouldn't Congress be investigating Bolton's PAC dealings with Cambridge Analytica?
https://newrepublic.com/minutes/147637/john-bolton-now-part-cambridge-an...
14
Are the Mercers James Bond bad guys for real?
Rather than a missile or a laser beam to destroy the free world its big data and social media.
My name is Mueller, Robert S. Mueller.
23
A new low for even the Trump circus—an appointee who’s discredited and toxic even before he redecorates his office or books military transport for a family getaway.
47
Bolton: ties to Mercer’s, NRA, Russia, and Cambridge Analytica
Keene, the Pres of the NRA, appointed Bolton to the “NRA international affairs committee” which has ties to the Russian guns rights group “The Right to Bear Arms”.
“The Right to Bear Arms” was established with the help of Alexander Torshin. Torshin is deputy head of Russia's central bank and reports have also linked him to Russian organized crime and he has very close ties to Putin. He served as the deputy speaker of Russia's Parliament for more than a decade and also spent time on Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee, a state body that includes the director of Russia's internal security service.
The FBI is reportedly investigating whether Torshin illegally funneled money to the NRA to assist the Trump campaign in 2016, as McClatchy reported in January.
Torshin also met with Don Jr. just 3 weeks before the famous Trump Tower meeting about “adoptions” in which he was getting “dirt on Hillary”.
36
None of this is terribly complicated. Certainly not remotely as complex as that.
All this is true -- and there's more too.
However, the people that need to understand consume little more than Fox News and, alas, Fox News won't be sorting this out for anyone.
In fact, today I learned one of the founders of Fox News moved to Russia in 2012 to start a Fox News-like show over there. Wonder if he still talks to Hannity....
I'm not sure the center will hold.
4
Interesting how many roads lead back to the Mercer’s. Bannon, Cambridge, Trump and now we find out Bolton has a history with them. Who really influences Trump, Putin or Mercer & is there a difference? Meanwhile Bannon’s been in Europe riling up the fascistly inclined. What a set of swamp creatures, eh.
41
The headline states that Mr. Bolton was a "beneficiary" of CA. How so? Where in the story is it elucidated how he "benefited"? The story states that Boton's PAC spent $1.2 million. What "benefit" did Bolton derive? How did Tillis benefot from CA work product? Articles like this, which use a deceptive headline, make it all too easy for President Trump refer to such stories as "fake news."
1
Presumably a PAC was to influence elections. And he benefited via the targeting of voters using CA/FB!
What a disgusting bunch of cronies in crime in and about the White House!
5
The takeaway is that Hillary didn't hire these guys but instead just relied on faulty pollsters.
4
These are serious issues. They exemplify politics in the current age -- done by both sides. Power, or even the pursuit of it, corrupts. Very few are exempt, and I doubt any resident of the White House has fully avoided it. To not say so is to an abdication of responsibility by a serious paper like the Times. I think the Times has sought to tell the story. But when it comes to Trump a lot of distortion is present. It's part of the Trump Derangement Syndrome.
I am afraid that the Times is assisting in raising the hysteria around All Things Trump. Please do your part in helping to lower the heat in the rhetoric. The terror I read in these comments is scary.
The Times has an ethical obligation to help, instead of fanning the flames on fury. If Trump has reason to be removed from office, he will be.
2
The Times is doing stellar work! It’s not the Times alarming the populace! It’s the criminal conspiracy surrounding the White House and how the criminals got in!
12
I fully support the reporting of the Times. Trump is not an ordinary person; he is senile and deranged and is a danger to the world with his "scattergun policies". Indeed, the world has to be afraid, very afraid. I live in Brisbane, Australia, and can see where this madman is heading - destruction of the world with his scary collection of warmongers, and we are in direct line of fire if North Korea wishes to give the West a lesson. Only with a strong, free media will you Americans see the light and get rid of this madman.
5
We have reason to be "terrified." Apart from the obvious fact that Bolton is an irresponsible warmonger, which given Trump's volatility, nasty personality and instability makes him dangerous in the context of Trump, there appears to be a transnational, far right wing conspiracy using psy-ops, the subversion of democratic elections, fear-mongering and electoral rhetoric to spew hatred across Europe and America. These people are stirring up race hatred here and in Europe. There is a sharp rise in antisemitism - always the canary in the coal mine for bad trouble, civil violence and war - and far right wing demagogues are rising in Eastern Europe, threatening the West; and one is ensconced in the White House.
If you are not terrified you're asleep.
6
And people thought 1984 was a work of fiction. The only thing Orwell got wrong was the date.
36
The social media platforms, facebook google and twitter have made this easy, so long as they are paid hundreds of millions of dollars. I am sure all the their founders are liberal but the Pandora's box has been hacked by the robber baron right wing fanatics like Koch and Mercers and their paid flunkies like Bolton Rubio Trump Cruz and Ryan
11
Not surprising. Unfortunately, it is not likely that Bolton will be sent to prison for it. My greatest hope is that Donald Trump will spend the rest of his life in prison, but, alas, that is probably not going to happen. Trump is currently betting everything that the roar of his ignorant base, as cued by Fox News, will protect him. Fox News, as it spews forth the Big Lie to defend Trump, is safe because the First Amendment protects Big Lie conspirators just as it protects the comical falsehoods more typical of the supermarket check-out tabloids. I have neglected to count how many times, over the years, I have noted while waiting in the check-out line that one of those tabloids was announcing that some famous person in politics or entertainment was in the terminal stages of dying -- near death, as they say. As far as I am aware, they are all still alive. Oh, and speaking of the National Inquirer, its owner is reportedly a personal friend of Donald Trump.
12
What will it take before House and Senate Democrats stand up, en masse, firmly united in the immediate and urgent call for the impeachment and prosecution of Trump and the prosecution of most of his administration and his family?
We don't need Mueller's report any more. The public evidence is already overwhelming. Democratic politicians seem to be waiting for Americans to become convinced of Trump guilt. That's now how it works, Dems! The GOP and Putin know that. They know that you SHAPE public opinion -- not trail after it. When you start calling president guilty...when you demand immediate impeachment...that's when public opinion starts to move to where it needs to be to save our country. Right now, the average American is a bit under-engaged with the news and probably fooling himself into thinking that things can't be that bad if Democrats and the TV news commenters aren't lighting their hair on fire every day.
Our country's survival is hanging in the balance. This is not an overreaction...not hyperbole. We are hanging by a thread, and when we fall we may inadvertently take the world down with us. No one who lives on this earth should be sleeping soundly until Trump, his cabinet and the GOP are removed from office, prosecuted and put where they all belong -- behind bars -- so that we can reclaim the rule of law and reclaim democracy.
24
In case you hadn't noticed Democrats don't have the numbers. We need the REPUBLICANS to stand up and demand respect for the United States of America, for our people and for our ideals.
5
The truth is that conservative or liberal, most people are tired of war, as it marks the 15th. Anniversary of George W. Bush going into Iraq, where almost 4500 have died, where we still remain today, and where the cost has surpassed $3 trillion, and counting. Individual personalities have their own families, lives, relations to the military, but in the end, it is the television that shows the death, devastation, and ravages of war. The pictures, just like the ones that started to come in during the Vietnam War, are what affected people's idea of war, and the ongoing ones as well!
10
Distract, distract with more and more insane conduct. But Mr. Muller subpoenaed your business record, pal. And hookers are suing you. We are keeping our eyes on the prize, not your clown show of musical chairs.
Your tax returns are next. Be afraid.
21
Thank you Matthew Rosenberg. This is superb if harrowing journalism. While Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scurry around in damage control mode, the propagandist-in-chief appoints the criminals responsible to the highest offices in the land.
15
It's not the USA who are in trouble. The whole world is in serious troiuble, with this obnóxios man at the White House. John Bolton? My God...
26
Deliciously pertinent. We can't begin to credit any of the waves of s shock which rebound upon this information. We are responsible for our government.
1
Let me get this straight.
The Bolton SuperPAC is funded by the Mercer’s, who own Cambridge Analytica.
And the same SuperPAC group hired Cambridge Analytica to do psychographic data gathering from millions of Facebook and other media users.
And now the SuperPAC is saying they didn't KNOW what Cambridge Analytica was doing?
“With respect to any allegations of impropriety, the John Bolton Super PAC was completely unaware of anything Cambridge Analytica did until recent press reports,” Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for Bolton, said Fridays adding that the super PAC has not worked with the data science firm since 2016.” ~ WaPo 3-23-18
24
My God, I thought we were rid of this man. Is he like the locusts that live for years underground only to re-appear when the rain comes?
52
Another Fox News chicken hawk. Great just what we need.
What's next?
Sean Hannity as Secretary of Defense?
34
And what is wrong with him in this position? Specifics, please.....
Do your own homework.
1
Sean Hannity is an uneducated halfwit. Is that specific enough?
3
Another psychotic to be concerned with, harvesting and mining information from innocent people on Facebook. No wonder Trump wants him in his administration, he's much like him too.
13
Big Brother is alive and well. No doubt the House Intelligence Committee led by Rep. Nunes and the various Republicans will be picking lint out of their navels rather than ask the 20 or so Republicans as well as Messrs. Bannon, Stone, Kushner and Trump using Cambridge Analytica to advise their campaigns to appear under oath for questioning.
Of course, it will seem less funny to them when they receive invitations from Mr. Mueller.
27
Facebook is like a bank with a lot of assets in the vault. The Mercers, Bannon, Bolton and Trump are in a way like bank robbers, intentionally going after the assets. One can blame Facebook but the real break in ethics rests not with the bank but the bank robbers: the board members of Cambridge Analytica
12
With this news, you've got to see that the Mercers are, to a rather amazing degree, well on their way to taking over the US gov.
20
The Mercers are said to have wads of money, and bizarre but unspecified ideological beliefs, but little else has really been reported about them. They appear to be secretive. Why are there no investigative journalists looking into the Mercers more minutely? As they are wealthy, they have to have left some sort of trail.
14
New Yorker 2017 Jane Meyer articles on Mercers and Kochs' in archives. Just look/read/ understand.
3
Trump surrounding himself with fellow trigger-happy folks, who believe this is their playground and everyone, their toys!
A pundit recently predicted, he wouldn't be surprised if we found ourselves in a new war by September. With mind-boggling turnover, a National Security Dept in disarray, a mercurial NSA nominee,who wouldn't hesitate appeasing the President by any measure and an impulsive, puerile man-child playing President.Need I say more?!
...Meanwhile, Congress sits back idly observing as WE keep tumbling!
7
The Congress is owned by special interests as well...many by the Mercers and their partners in crime the Kochs. They are not going to save the Republic. Don't look for help there.
12
Trump needs to go.
15
Right winger who wants war with someone. The only good he will be is giving Putin a hard time.
1
If Bolton gives Putin a hard time, Trump will fire Bolton.
3
Bolton was an early participant in a massive criminal conspiracy to undermine our democratic republic.
So it makes perfect sense that Trump would appoint him to lead or National Security.
What a dangerous irony that our "national security" is in his and Trump's hands.
16
There’s no question mass propaganda works, witness the success of the “Rainbow Coalition” these past two decades just by relentlessly pounding the point home in public education and via New York City’s mass-media central. Excellent example of cultural Marxism’s “moulding of tomorrow’s civilization”.
An interesting thesis, but this sort of thing, micro-managing political ads to specific psychological profiles gleaned from social media (so much that’s delusional or self-serving), seems a bit tenuous at best.
It would seem that Trump thumping everyone in the GOP lineup, successfully fighting off the constant DNC-RNC Politburo and Neo-Marxist media attacks, and then going at it with Hillary as only he could made the difference. In short, she wasn’t up to it. His energy level was at least an order of magnitude greater.
But who knows. Makes an entertaining parlor game and certainly sells newspapers, about all it’s really good for in the end.
1
I consider myself a Marxist, or at least a Marxist of sorts. It has been my repeated complaint that what passes for Today’s Left if utterly devoid of Marxist grounding. I have complained a number of times in these comments sections, for which I am grateful, That Today’s Left is a feel-good Left, a Left in name only. The idea of Wall Street Marxism is simply a contradiction in terms.
2
So the privacy laws here were clearly violated.
Facebook probably knew and didn’t care.
Cambridge Analytica clearly knew and didn’t care.
It’s management didn’t care.
I seriously doubt it’s owners and founders, as well as the people who hired the firm, didn’t know they were violating privacy laws and-by extension-election meddling.
The questions I have are these:
Why hasn’t someone been arrested already? Both in the US and the UK?
Why haven’t the Mercers, father and daughter, been charged?
Isn’t all this illegal to the point of felony?
Why the delay?
What are our authorities waiting for?
21
If any of us 'common folk' had done anything remotely resembling something like this we would already be in jail. Puts all those "lock her up" chants in perspective, especially considering who was at the helm while this was taking place.
9
This is nefarious. I feel that our country is in peril. Hopefully, this is just a big TV show, and it will be cancelled. Soon. And no re-runs.
9
bolton - a real COWARD just like his new boss. both were draft dodgers for the vietnam war. Now their big tough guys who want to send your sons and daughters off to war to prove their machismo. how pathetic.
27
You will only be free once you learn digital encryption. Both governments and corporations desperately want you to remain ignorant of the tools you need to protect yourself online. Learn and use encryption! After all, governments and corporations certainly use it.
4
The facts being what they are, would any of this matter if Trump hadn’t won the election? I doubt it. If Hillary had won, the use of data harvesting and extrapolation for political purposes would instead probably be lauded as a brilliant example of human deduction and creative campaigning. A same hammer is praised when it hits the nail on the head, cursed when it strikes the thumb of the one swinging it.
3
Except that Hillary didn't do that, as far as you know. "Everybody's doing it" is not a good excuse here.
7
No, actually the republicans in congress would have numerous committees and investigations going on right now if Hillary had won using Trumps tactics. It would be a real circus with the republican leadership whipping up phony outrage and the talking heads at Fox like Bolton red in the face and spraying spittle all over the place.
8
The only difference between this an “Big Brother” of 1984 is that someone is making a lot of money off this.
6
"I went home with the waitress, the way I always do. How was I to know, she was with the Russians too." Warren Zevon
17
This is all starting to feel like an 1984 Apple commercial...
6
A word of advice for those concerned about how easy it is to have your personal information used by Facebook and Google and similar “platform” companies.
If you read the privacy policies, you’ll come to understand that within the complexity of the legalese-specifically referring to the nature of the technical nature of cloud services-that basically you sign away all privacy simply by using the products and services. In spite of what they say.
Both Facebook and Google are now conceived of as “platforms”, rather than as services.
Ever notice how you can use Facebook or Google to sign into other apps?
Don’t.
Go into the privacy settings on both services, find the “platform” section, and do two things.
I link all your connected apps and services.
Shut the platforms off entirely.
It’s going to make your life more difficult on balance. Many integrations will no longer work as they did before. You’ll have to create new passwords for all your previously connected apps and services.
But it’s better security anyway-and will seriously cut down on the ability of data miners to access and use your data.
It’s a small way to protect yourself.
8
I’ve already been doing what you say. Never joined Facebook. Yes, it means I have to sign in everywhere. And when I leave the web, I delete all my cookies and history. Every single time.
Gosh, we are doomed as a society....
2
Why isn't there more focus on Rebekah Mercer, who funded Breitbart and Cambridge Analytica in her sinister plan for an anti-democratic ideology to take over the country through manipulation? America owes Trump's election victory in significant part to the Bannon-Conway team as a driving force in strategy and tactics behind the focus on mobilizing fringe resentments and hatreds for a winning coalition. If the Mercers, Kochs, and Trump succeed, America will be a country more under the control of unaccountable oligarchs like in Putin's Russia.
23
The definition of evil seems to fit Mr. Bolton: profoundly immoral and malevolent.
Checks and balance protection against rogue individuals taking is going extinct in our country.
13
Does anyone find it odd - and inappropriate - that our new National Security Adviser has a PAC? I mean, don't we pay NSAs to perform rational, non-partisan analysis and provide that kind of advice to the President?
Bolton is an extreme ideologue and an extreme partisan. The worst type of person to be National Security Adviser.
26
I'll give Bolton 3 months before even the republican congress demands he goes away. One of the things that will assure this is that he's bound to pick a fight with Nikki Haley, and Donald lovers Nikki Haley.
3
Seems like 2014 was the start of the end..
3
The unfortunate thing is that the people who had their emotions tweaked and controlled aren't in a position to understand the ramifications of that fact --or even recognize what was done to them.
As a nation we need to clean up this mess and then we need to invest a great deal of money into education and critical thinking.
4
I wonder if John Bolton needed this info because he had entertained a run for the Presidency himself.
Bolton is one of the men responsible for our engaging in the Iraq war. He probably found out that if he entered the race the voter profile showed that he would lose.
5
So is this a reward or a payoff?
10
How much should we bet this ends up as another "Anthony Scaramucci" debacle? Bolton will be around for several days, make a total fool out of himself and Trump (if that's possible), and then be let go out of the back door through the White House kitchen.
22
That’s our best hope, but it’s also possible Bolton and Trump will be mutual yes-men who get us into a nuclear war.
9
we can only hope
12
I knew this story was just getting started the minute I read initial article in the Guardian. Steve Bannon has certainly been a busy beaver since connecting with the Mercer family and their funding Planning, preparing and manipulating for his malevolent plans to"Make America great again". Fancying himself a self declared Traditionalist he brings us closer to a broken world order that he hopes to align with his Ultra Nationalist views. This is the direct result of the the ruling on Citizens United. Unleashing Super Pacs funded by the billionaires like the Mercers who are using their money to push their political leanings and agendas on the masses by coordinating with the likes of Steve Bannon. They are buying politicians who are beholding to them, while pumping millions into research that will produce ways to psychologically manipulate the masses to vote for their selected candidate. Thus seeing the population just as minions and their votes ripe for picking . The big question is where does this leave democracy or is democracy just an illusion?
77
prompting calls or prompting cowardice, struggle to see the difference. America is off the cliff, if it falls a little faster or a little slower, it's not getting back up when it lands
7
We are now getting the sense of what it really means to be a Republican politician. It is 1984 come to life, with double speak, blatant and knowing manipulation of the masses and using mass media to corrupt the true believers. There is ample evidence that the Republicans also invited in operators from Russia to assist in their program. We’re so naive to think all is groovy when these serious authoritarian attempts to derail our democracy are occurring right now in our face. All we now need is another useless and dangerous war from a know-nothing president and his greedy entourage who only care about stuffing as much money in their pockets as they can. Don’t fall asleep. Don’t look the other way. Danger lurks for our country and it is feeling very real.
49
Be VERY careful calling this just a Republican Problem ....
Have you looked up how many times Google accessed the White House during Obama's terms? Facebook isn't the only Internet Titan building detailed profiles of everyone. In fact, Facebook can't hold a candle to what
Google knows about you.
2
"Academic Research" - that's the magic phrase! Use it and Facebook will turn a blind eye and allow propaganda and manipulation for money. Given the platform this was inevitable. Shame on you Facebook.
We need to inoculate ourselves or at least future generations! We need to teach in our schools how to recognize propaganda, and we need to use history's examples to teach how turning groups into the "other" leads inevitably to abuse, racism, and war.
18
Bolton was a Vietnam era draft evader (he hid out in the National Guard when his draft number came up), and later becomes a warmonger. He should gone to 'Nam if he's so fond of war.
Trump is becoming progressively unhinged; the last thing we need is a bellicose adviser whispering that we need to confrontation and conflict in North Korea and Iran. That is, like that brilliant escapade Dolton supported in Iraq.
Under Bush, the Senate refused to confirm, so Dolton did all his damage as an interim appointment. Will the Senate really confirm this deranged draft dodger?
This country is sinking so fast it's unbelievable.
26
Major problem, George.
It is my understanding that this position does not require Senate confirmation, that the prez can pick whoever he chooses.
Egads!
1
His position does NOT need senate confirmation: the NSAdvisor is appointed solely at the whim of POTUS.
5
Hate to tell you, no confirmation is needed.
3
It’s not “data harvesting “, it’s identity theft.
37
Well, this is positively Orwellian. Good God, if I wasn’t afraid for our democracy before, I sure am now.
Is this what you meant by making America great again, Trump voters? Is this the “winning” you were promised and if so, are you tired of it yet?
27
Just when you thought things couldn't get any more messy and dangerous.
Get 45 out now, please, Mr. Mueller!
20
Bolton is a very unstable and vengeful, angry man. His view of the world is myopic and extremely hostile. He is suspicious of everyone and that doesn't promote diplomacy or trusting relationships- in or out of the country and it's allies. Bolton is intractable in every view he spews. With this new info. of data mining I hope he's out of the White House faster than Flynn. Muller, please put him on your investigation. The integrity of the future of the US is counting on you. Deems need to get on TV or Tweet and declare Muller's position be protected.
20
Facebook remains complicit.
25
For those who read Stephen King's 'IT'.... Do you remember the Town of Derry and the monster that took the children...... all the while the townspeople were in a daze. With what's happening in our country I feel that we Americans are the adults of Derry.. This is much scarier than his book.
9
By the time all this is all uncovered, it will fill a 2000 page book, complete with 3D flow charts to document all the crimes of trump and his ban of crooks and traitors.
17
Media manipulation will likely continue in every possible venue, with ongoing involvement of the Russians. The CA discussion of “entrapment” is especially unnerving.
In a nuclearized, hyper-militaristic world, we need steady, cool-headed, intelligent analysis and leadership. Does Trump/Bolton inspire confidence? What I hear is: “FIRE.......AIM.......READY!.......Watch Fox News to see what happens when the target, and the rest of the world, reacts.”
Robert Mueller.....work like your hair is on fire!
13
This stuff (so-called psychographs from Cambridge Analytica, paid for by Bolton's so-called Super PAC (is it super, I doubt it)) would be useless if people just became a bit more skeptical and thoughtful about the information that they receive. Also, since when did sociology (this is basically what it is) become so predictable and scientific. Sounds like Bolton had a pretty cushy (albeit boring) job after he left the UN. Set up a company with money from a billionaire, get a salary (presumably) and spend money for other people to do stupid research. Bolton should get a real job. (Uh-oh, he's got one now. We're in trouble.)
8
Brilliant, insightful, and terribly frightening.
Thank you Matt Rosenberg
12
In all of the articles I've read about this, I've yet to read if there's one study showing how much or whether this data actually influenced any Facebook users.
3
Advertisement is a valuable asset and has been used to manipulate consumers for several hundred years. No additional studies are required. It is a basic fact.
3
It's time for an alternative to Facebook. Make it like owning a Porsche versus a Fiat.
2
There's nothing wrong with being conscientious, but in Bolton's research, conscientiousness is a characteristic of authoritarianism. He's coaxing out a more pronounced form of authoritarianism from people that have verifiable traits.
5
I agree with you. I'm as conscientious as all-get-out: in fact, the words has been used to describe me in various reports by my bosses. But I'm a skeptic and rebel at heart.
Conscientious:
"governed by conscience; controlled by or done according to one's inner sense of what is right; principled"
Authoritarianism:
"the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom"
4
Bolton wants us to be more militaristic ! A mystifying desire. We have BEEN engaged in continual undeclared wars since WW II.
I wonder if Cambridge’s analysis could help us better understand the voters who elected a mental infant and liar as president. “ Inquiring Minds Whant To Know”.
18
God bless the New York Times.
God bless Robert Mueller, who certainly must have Bolton on his radar screen now, if he did not before.
32
Never ceases to amaze how much of this groups accusations against others apply to themselves.
Meanwhile, everyone is saying Bolton is dangerous.. but I think like everyone else he will flee in a few months to higher ground for safety.
hahahaha!
5
I'd bet anything that ol' John has never been in a real fight in his entire life. It's true for every big war hawk. Draft dodgers the lot of them. Still trying to prove to daddy they're a "real man" - while the real men and women pay for it with their lives.
You simple can't get any lower that John Bolton.
He and Trump are nothing but misery machines.
34
Amen to that........
5
who is shocked by this? now is the time to give every white house employee a military uniform,sunglasses and a braided hat. the evolution has morphed.
6
O.K., who uses Facebook? If you do, then you're part of the problem. Give away your info, and you are asking for it. Be smart, Americans.
11
Law enforcement should investigate Robert L. Mercer, his daughter and their companies for political campaign fraud and campaign law abuses and violations. The Mercers are largely to blame for the political fiasco that Americans find ourselves in since Donald Trump became president. The Mercers are likely co-conspirators with the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin. The Mercers helped create a deep state.
23
Maybe they are being investigated.
2
Perhaps The Mercer Family hasn't purchased everyone's ethics with multi- milliion dollar donations: Surely there's a group of journalists and legal and investigative experts, who are determined to expose this too-powerfully rich family. Were they suddenly empowered by the Citizen's United decision, or were they lurking and scheming in the background all along? Bolton, Bannon, all the Mercer larvae should be targeted too.
20
Let’s never forget Bolton was a vocal supporter of the Iraq invasion and a believer of false intelligence reports. And he couldn’t pass a Senate confirmation. And he believes in attacking North Korea. And he made a speech encouraging Russians to have more guns. And.......on and on he goes. He’s an aggressive man with a temper working for Trump who has uncontrollable impulses.
Is this situation any cause for worry??
22
"Patron" pretty much describes the role of oligarchs in American politics.
6
I do believe that George Orwell has been usurped... No one would ever believe all this in a novel or movie plot.
13
Actually, watch Season 4 of House of Cards. One of the subplots - using social media and the Internet to influence elections -- is quite prescient.
3
Check out the Guardian's articles on Cambridge Analytica, especially the interview with Brittany Kaiser.
9
Why do Republicans know voter fraud and Fake News exists? Because they're the ones that do it!!!
20
This is letting the fox into the chicken coop. And letting him move in to have all the chicken he can get.
3
Crooks are hiring crooks.
10
When I first saw "Cambridge Analytica" pop up in the news, as if it were a household name, I thought maybe a high-end escort? Either that or a drag queen.
Anyway, who is actually influenced to vote one way or another by firms like this one? Could the Times please dig up such a person and get him/her to explain how he/she was persuaded to change his/her vote?
There are literally millions of them. The whole 'Crooked Hilary' disinformation campaign (with handcuffs through the O's) and the 'Lock Her Up' chant were orchestrated by Cambridge Analytica (Steve Bannon), paid for by Bolton's PAC with Mercer's money, then seeded into Facebook through micro-targeted individual postings. View the British Channel 4 documentaries.
2
I'm drowning in swamp!
5
This is letting the fox into the chicken coop. And
1
Well, Bannon's plan to bring about the ultimate downfall of our country (and the workd) so the great rebirth can begin seems like it's working.
7
Is it? Cambridge Analytica says this only works if they can melt into the background. In Nigeria, the opponent was using the Axelrod's hopeful, positive change platform, but Bannon's plan is to deform humanity in order to rule over it with CA.
I think when folks figure out who's pushing evil and who is pushing hope, they will begin to rope the right dopes.
1
Of course. Trump is surrounding himself with people who will agree with him and make him feel like a big man on campus. No surprise here.
3
John Bolton is the man America needs at this crucial time. He is the diplomat's diplomat; an foreign policy expert; an intelligent inelligence analyst. I am surprised he has mot taken a more active role until now. Better late than never. But he will be unleashed and America's foes will cower. So what if he used Facebook data. If a liberal used it it would not be a problem. At any rate, Americans will rest peacefully knowing Bolton is advising national security. Thank you.
1
Ha ha! Good one. How’s the weather in Russia?
10
I can't tell if this is parody or not
10
If a Democrat did it the Republicans would be drafting the articles of impeachment right now, and I think you know that but just don’t care because you are blinded by fear.
8
Thank you NYTs for reporting what we Americans need to know.Will not affect ts base, but hopefully will help get the vote out in 2018 and 2020.We need to all come together,get the vote out,and get our country back!
20
Perhaps Donald doesn't want Mr. Bolton's advice. Maybe he just wants to keep him close by. Cambridge Analytica is a huge. It worked back in 2014 for a NC Senator. Work done outside the country. Its my guess Mueller himself is hoping it's not so.
4
This is using military PSYOP against your own country to gather votes; this is not only unethical and disgusting, it's illegal.
46
We need an International War Crimes Tribunal to put all members of the Republican Party on trial for these crimes against humanity. Shame! Shame!!
11
Special Counsel Robert Mueller, here's your great chance to go for the jugular. Subpoena Bolton. The old lady will sing just like Flynn. And he has just been appointed by Trump. Inference Trump colluded.
28
Collaborated.
6
Agreed, but please do not disparage old ladies by comparing Bolton to them.
11
All who continue to use Facebook are complicit. Ignorance is not knowing. Stupidity is knowing and doing it regardless of that knowledge.
17
This is insane. Not even a bad joke: a guy (why not calling him a con man or criminal) is becoming national security advisor, a man who obviously harmed national security.
But on the other side: this is Trump‘s Team pattern. Just take Scott Pruitt - EPA head destroying the EPA, or Finke destroying national park services.
The chickens voted their own personal butcher. And the heads are rolling.
29
@AmbJohnBolton If, as a consequence of Bolton's advice to our unstable President, we are thrust into a war, he should be armed with a slingshot and be the first person sent to wherever the front line is established.
11
“The firm took the psychographic profiles it was building off the Facebook data at the time and combined them with voter databases and other sets of data”.
As a pollster with over 35 years of experience I can guess what they did.: the psychographic profile questions assembled by Cambridge Analytica’s Russian professor, were inserted into surveys done by Kelly Anne Conway, who was a pollster before. In key states. You then identify psycho profiles of target voters (e.g swing independents). You have already established what kinds of Facebook profiles link with what psych profiles. You then run ads aimed at Facebook users with these psych profiles which predictively tells you the ads are aimed at the target voters. Anyone wonder why Trump has never touched Ms. Conway? The only one left of the original gang. She might tell all. Keep her close.
21
This is brutal criminal behavior. Psychological torture!! Why haven't trump and Bolton been arrested yet??
3
More cold comfort from other perceptive people commenting here about this hideous situation Never think that Trump has reached the limit of his worst. It just keeps going on and on. I surely hope that Mueller is taking his time to be extremely thorough in having enough evidence to prosecute Trump to the fullest extent of the law--and achieve a conviction with the severest penalty. The world can then breathe an immense sigh of relief. I hope...
17
1984
What more need be said???
8
And congress just sits there...........
24
Don't BLAME Facebook or Cambridge ... Blame the hundreds of millions of people who were stupid enough to post their every single thought and action in an internet chat room!
7
aaron
of course i blame facebook and Cambridge. you cant just blam the victim but the people who actually took illegal action and knew what they were doings was wrong and unethical
And "poorly informed" enough to be so easily swayed.
2
Manchurian advisers to the Manchurian president supported by Manchurian Voters hooked on being "liked" on Facebook...
9
Have to wonder if that temporary demand for voting records by the “election fraud commission” was simply a means of measuring success of the Cambridge Analytica methods. They rather quickly ended after a brief period of activity. All they’d need to measure was a representative sample in a few states.
20
I agree with "Pete" of Brooklyn that the Times and other major news sources need to provide specific, real examples of data harvesting and psychographic profiling.
People on Facebook need to know exactly how that company and its paying accomplices like Cambridge Analytica are figuratively climbing inside the lives and minds of users.
I'd like to see a story every day from now to November detailing exactly how these privacy-stealing acted to compromise a particular individual — without your identifying the victim, of course.
Real-life examples could make a much stronger impression on citizens with only a layperson's understanding of the details and personal profile that can be hacked from an innocent, naíve user of social media, and that user's interactions with "friends" and "likes" and "recommends" activities.
The Times needs to show us how, for example, "Jane of Hackensack" was shown to be vulnerable to persuasion on the subject of military spending, for example, or oil pipelines, or interpretation of the 2nd Amendment, or the death penalty, or climate change, etc.
Specific examples have impact. Esoteric discussions of metadata and demographic correlation and the like are beyond the practical understanding or attention span of most.
Zuckerberg and his ilk are riding around inside our underwear, and they won't leave unless forcibly evicted by informed users of online resources.
26
What Brian H. Bragg asked for is critically important and helpful. People who were targeted on FB have no idea. And the rest of us need the specifics too.
5
Zuckerberg's tepid "mea culpa" is a wake up call. We need Congressional
oversight of social media. F-book iis the largest purveyor of news in the world and has ZERO journalistic standards. And there is evidence that F-book and Twitter quickly deleted Russian accounts/ads so their version of the data is the only one.
Cambridge professors tried to sue Cambridge Analytics' founder 4 years ago. They understood what was going on was a threat to liberal democracy.
It was their research model that was being lifted.
And trump used CA to microtarget 10-20 million voters in swing states, including which cities to visit. The number of voters in specific counties to impact the Electoral College was so calculated that it led to speculation of ballot tampering.
Mercers are a perfect example of why democracies need a prgoressive tax to prevent this type of power in the hands of a few.
27
Make America More Militaristic? hardly seems possible. yesterday Congress increased the Pentagon war budget to bipartisan applause. we have operations going in some seven countries right now. we have not won a war my entire life [ok ok we'll always have Grenada] but worship of the military is higher than ever during my 66 years. good time to be a defense contractor and build death machines, bad time to be an American citizen and feel responsibility as we lose our democracy to military Empire. Funny thing. when I was growing up adults would say 'you kids are bringing us to ruin like the Roman Republic". haha. Well it wasn't sex,drugs or rock and roll which destroyed us... it was blatant conquest and will to dominate the world through force.
18
This country needs to split up in order to save the best principles on which it was founded. Seriously. How about a new country called New England, comprising of the New England and Mid-Atlantic states?
9
yes, please...
1
Well- there are plenty of other areas I would not want to leave behind!
Democratic candidates should proudly pound the fact that the economy has done slightly better under Dem presidents. Look at the stock market under the influence of Trump's trade war and his just plain war rants.
Yes, and Cascadia in the west, and we can give Texas back to Mexico, for starts.
Write a story on who was targeted in the C.A. data scandal. The massive SBC herd was targeted on FB, they are the largest block of FB users, they overwhelmingly voted trump, sheryl sandberg headlined their largest summit last year, and they are coordinating something terrible with the 70th anniversary of the creation of Israel.
6
Through his ignorant policy guidance on Central America for the Reagan Admin. in the 1980s, John Bolton created the Mara Salva Trucha criminal gang known today as MS-13. That's is called one of Bolton's gifts that keeps on giving. All the security bills jus go to the U.S. taxpayer.
23
Bolton also conspired with Putin to creat ISIS.
2
The Mercers and the Kochs have made themselves into our overlords, with the eager assistance and support of the Republican Party, and possibly Putin. None of these people have any accountability to the ordinary American voter, whose destiny is now in their evil hands, now including the warmonger John Bolton. I am literally praying that Congress flips to the Democrats this fall.
48
Whatever happened to Trump's vaunted "extreme vetting" program?
10
More odious dots connected. Did Bolton know the data was obtained illegally? Highly likely. But, Mueller's list of perpetrators grows daily. So, unfortunately, Bolton's going to be toward the bottom of the list.
Bolton is the 2018 version of Dr. Strangelove, who thinks a nuclear war is winnable. Time to head somewhere out of the nuclear line of fire. Seriously.
12
America is standing at a serious and dangerous crossroads.
We can clean up the corrupt swamp that is the Trump White House with the inlets that lead to the brakish marshes of the Repulican Senate and Repulican House OR we can allow the corruption to stand and give future campaigners the idea that American voters are as unethical and corrupt as the leaders they elect into office.
NO one has the right to destroy the privacy of others in order to use the results of that destruction against them.
However the public is as much at fault with the posting of their entire lives online for any and all to see without thought that it just might be used against them. "I", from the beginning, have limited my social media presence and I watched with joy the number of criminals who brought themselves down with it; but I feared for the rest of those who using it, nonchalantly, didn't consider the outcome. Now my fears are out in the open and we can continue to allow the vultures in the swamp to swoop in and pick at America's body before she is even dead OR we can fight back with fire and shovels, bulldozers and our collective voices and force the cleanup of the corrupted governments around us because it is a swamp with many levels--local, state and Federal.
6
Very scary indeed , talk about the " deep state" nefarious use of data to target people easily influenced by specific ads designed to predict the behavior of American voters . The stache may be comical but behind is a calculating guy backed by big big money , the man is very dangerous , the bad part is he never never gives up working his agenda .
13
During the 1976 Republican convention, Ronald Reagan said this: "I'm convinced that today the majority of Americans want what those first Americans wanted: A better life for themselves and their children; a minimum of government authority." It is Reagan who planted this seed--that it is government authority that is in opposition of what most Americans want.
The seed grew into a full-fledged forest of distrustful Americans. Those Americans grew increasingly resentful as their wages, incomes, and stagnated, while the Republican party emphasized that too much of their income was going to fund Planned Parenthood and contraception; pay for abortions of promiscous, irresponsible women; pay for welfare to undeserving, lazy Americans and worse, illegal immigrants; that their jobs were being stolen by illegal immigrants. These are the blatant messages that have been broadcast far and wide for more than 40 years now, and these messages resonate with millions of Americans, who in turn, vote Republican because R's are anti-government and anti-abortion, which allows them to claim the moral highground.
So I've said it before, I'll say it again. It's the Facebook platform itself that allows, encourages like-minded folks to find other like-minded folks, who are in turned emboldened by the idea that they are not alone in their 1) distrust of government; 2) resentment/hatred of their fellow Americans, and are convinced they hold the moral high ground. They're never held accountable.
14
I don't really have much of a problem with the sort of data analysis that Cambridge did. What does bother me is the sneaky way they harvested that data, gathering personal information from a social media company's network of people without their consent, and then beaming targeted propaganda at them to influence their thinking. Are we all a bunch of lab rats? Will Facebook sell my personal profile to anyone with the money? Never forget that social media outlets weren't formed for social interaction; they were formed to collect marketable information about us.
I left Facebook in disgust right after the last election. I'm now less inclined to regret that decision, and I am not likely to ever go back.
4
Basically, this whole affair is a modernization of the Frank Capra film, "Meet John Doe."
1
It’s no wonder these folks are all so fond of Putin, they are the same type of people. They believe their ends justify their means, they distrust Representative Democracy and they crave authority.
9
I want to know which politicians Cambridge Analytica bribed using the techniques they described. Also, were the brides and extortion techniques used in the US and the UK and overseen by Bolton and or Bannon?
4
These guys are enough to make fathers and mothers cry.
2
These companies did nothing illegal nor unethical. They laid out thier terms, people agreed and their data was use in accordance with the mutually agreed on contract. Did you read the terms of writing comments on the NYT? Do you know who takes the Washington Post's users' data? I'll give you hint, it's a company that is exponentially worse than Facebook and has the same name name as a rain forest.
2
Please read some more articles about Cambridge Analytica. You do not seem to understand why what they did was illegal AND unethical.
1) They deceived Facebook users by telling them their data would be used for "academic research" (which has rules governing privacy and security of its own) when instead it was used for political purposes
2) They then obtained data from the contacts of those Facebook users. In those cases (49 million Facebook users), those users neither gave permission nor knew their data was being used by a third party.
Even the terms of Facebook do not allow these uses and that is why it is both illegal AND unethical. I am not a Facebook user but I do read all the small print of everything I sign and I can tell you that even someone like me would not have caught this because Cambridge Analytica ACTIVELY deceived people. They were not honest about their intentions. I also work with patient medical data regularly so understand full well issues about privacy, confidentiality, and research.
3
If you substitute all the references to King George III in the Declaration of Independence with the phrase Powerful, Private Sector, Financial Interests, you have effectively created a contemporary document. A document that exposes for all a very real enemy. This time the enemy are powerful, private sector finacial interests which are typaically domestic. Private sector money has no place in politics other than a ten dollar maximum contribution for all entities for elections in their own districts of voter registration.
11
Mr. Mercer got Trump elected. He is the real President.
11
Bolton doesn't believe in freedom, he believes in mind control.
We now have two chicken hawk war mongers- Trump and Bolton, who have never served in war, creating policy.
Be careful, America.
Vote.
Vote them out.
33
"Time is of the essence."
2
Well, we haven't come for from Cheney, Rumsfeld, Feith et all who led us to a devastating war in Iraq. These people aren't going away, the GOP is their shield, and your children are their fodder.
9
Thanks, Citizens United!
12
It all began with the internet, and "innocent" tracking of our shopping habits and website visit habits, in order to channel advertisements our way that would lure us into buying, spending. Then it went rogue with harvesting of other information, for political purposes. God help us. Trump likes to talk a good conspiracy theory, but he is part and parcel of the new political harvesting, as are so many others. When did politics become so shady that people will do anything, take away civil liberties and privacy even -- ANYTHING to get elected.
9
Why is there no principled stance by the Republican Party? Probably because they have all used Cambridge Analytica. That along with the funding of the Mercers, the Kochs and others is how they all got to and stay in power. They also know this machine can be turned against them with the flip of a switch. Thanks Citizen United! "Vast right wing conspiracy"?
19
Is there anyone in power right now that didn't get there by leeching money off the backs of middle-class America, lying, cheating, and double-dealing the entire way? That's where all the money to fund these privacy-invading, mass-manipulating propaganda campaigns ultimately came from: the morass of wealthy donors with unscrupulous morals and self-serving ideals.
Well it's been said before, but ... looks like we're going to need a bigger swamp.
6
Everyone should remember that as John Bolton talks war and national defense that when it came to sign up for the war in Vietnam he instead signed up for law school.His beating the drums for war in Iraq was disastrous as he joined in the neocon chorus.Their vigorous defense of this deadly adventure even extended to having Colin Powell present false information.If there is anyone who has no credibility it is John Bolton.If he protests ask him where they found nuclear material in Iraq!
9
Trump and corruption is endless. Trump and the rest of the traitors to our values as a democracy must be removed from office
4
I sooo look forward to the Midterm elections! I can't wait for the millions of 'messages' based upon 'psychographic profiles' delivered daily into our homes!
It could be said that Cambridge Analytica gives a fancy and fraudulent name to spewed propaganda which is delivered in a specific manner.
I look forward to the Mercers and their millions of dollars buying votes through Cambridge Analytica. Bolton can argue for bombs away. Trump can argue for more hate and division. The GOP can join the chorus and whip up voter desire for more Hillary email investigations.
It will all be permitted because it's all allowed under current election laws regarding PACs and spending. Yeah, blame Facebook because it's all Their fault.
What an absolute mess. Add in Russian Twitter bots and trolls and America is going to have the nastiest cyber campaign warfare ever.
5
Yes, but at least many more of us will be more inclined to take what we see online from a more critical, informed perspective. I am very grateful for factual, deep digging journalism.
3
Who is surprised? Not me.
Read Jane Mayer’s Dark Money and you’ll be nauseous for a week. This all points to power, greed and money. For a very select few individuals.
16
Many questions to be asked and dots to be connected. Since the Mercers were or are supporting Bannon, Bolton and Cambridge Analytica, what are the Mercer's goals? What do they hope to achieve? Who or what else do they support? Do the Mercers have ties to Putin?
Also, "sorry" doesn't cut it? Mr. Zuckerberg. He hasn't exactly been forthcoming with information and/or taking responsibility for Facebook actions. What is Zuckerberg's agenda other than making money? Is anyone pulling his strings?
12
Cheney, Bush, Trump and Bolton...all willing to rush to war from a pedestal, all talk, false bravado, yet all having dodged the opportunity to serve themselves. Hypocrisy from top to bottom, shedding the US's credibility and standing in the world. It's unfathomable that this is happening under Congress' watch and a devolving sense of American Progress. Dark times.
6
Since the scope of Mueller's inquiry is limited to Russia's tampering in the 2016 elections, doesn't the accumulating evidence about domestic rigging warrant the appointment of a second special prosecutor? As described herein the fraudulent methods and extensive operations employed by the Kochs, Mercers, and Adelson dwarf the capacities of the Putin gang to subvert our democratic institutions. Russia will never change, and we cannot change Russia. But we can and must eradicate the more powerful & insidious homegrown corruption.
8
I hope everyone, those on the left, the right and center will now take elections seriously. And that Presidential elections isn't just about the man but the Supreme Court nominees who help shape our governance. All of this stems back to 2010 Robert's court on Citizen's United. It help legitimize the cementing of the American Oligarchy and the pathway to foreign manipulation.
We now know how easy it is for foreign entities to manipulate billionaires into doing their bidding, we see that every day with Trump, Jared Kushner, we see that in Betsy Devos, and we can trace it back to Flynn, Guiliani, and now Bolton.
As soon as we get big money out of government, shine a light on these roaches, the sooner we can reclaim sanity to our republic.
9
More hawks. More conflict. Another war. Let their sons and daughters, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins put on the uniform and go the the front lines. Better yet, demand that the suits be forced to spend a few weeks in combat. In the interim, send them to Afghanistan, aka our near-two decade mission to help bleed our blood and treasury dry.
5
Back to the draft!
2
With ANY kind of advertisements, particularly in Political Ads, I always ask myself: "where's the beef?" Who is paying for this ad's spin, and what do they really want?
Thank you, Mr. Rosenberg, for a very edifying, if not horrifying article. While I knew the name "Bolton", and a bit of his presence, I had no idea of the depth of his involvement with the very people I feel are leading our Nation in the wrong direction.
I don't "do" Facebook. I never saw what was so cool, or a big deal, about Social Media. If I want to "connect" with a friend, I call them on the phone (!) or write them an email. What I learned years ago is that a Path works Two Ways. I can't believe that people are clueless enough to think that whatever they send out into "cyberspace" isn't collected by something larger than them - that will indeed try to control them, however they can. Well, now that "larger thing" has a face, and a Cast of Characters; Bolton, Bannon, Mercer, and Cambridge Analytica.
"Limp wristed and spineless" may be the way these wealthy power brokers see "your average American", but I'm betting they are wrong. Like the Wizard of Oz, you throw back the curtain and turn up the lights, and - Voila !! - what has been frightening or controlling you is a shrimpy little nothing, no better than the Emperor's New Clothes.
May the revelation of this Data Hack and Breach wake more Americans up, and kick these kind of rich cyber bullies out of business.
10
Trump refused to consider Bolton for an Administration appointment early on because, reportedly, he didn't like Bolton's Georges Clemenceau--like mustache.
Now he's the new National Security Advisor, still sporting the mustache. Which raises the specter of Bolton's first briefing:
"Mr. President, I think the time has come to bomb (fill in name of country)," Bolton says.
"Not so fast," Trump replies. "You gotta get rid of that ridiculous-looking 'stache before I bomb anything. Now getoutahere and clean up your face or don't come back."
4
Bolton is dangerous because of oligarchs like Mercer, Prince, and the Kochs who have a number of rabid attack dogs in their stables. His Cambridge Analytica association is predictable. They are evil using “mind control” and invasion of privacy on a grand scale weaponized to corrupt our elections. Bolton got America into the Iraq War through lies misdirection and duplicity. Now he’s in place to endanger the whole planet, because his boss is unprepared, uninformed and gullible. Madness!
9
Hope all remember the propaganda of the Nazis.
5
“behavioral microtargeting with psychographic messaging.”
Translation, Computer aided Propaganda to manipulate the masses...
And how many will be informed of this manipulation? Or will this be spun as "fake news"?
4
I think Cambridge Analytica is the center of this spy novel. I wonder whether this company is in fact from its inception a Russian covert operation. It was central to the Right wing messaging that moved the republican party to a simi racist organization using propaganda which increasingly looks like it came from the GRU.
5
The Times needs to be more specific about this issue and exactly what "harvesting" means.
If the issue - as I understand it - is that Cambridge Analytica effectively stole data from a Facebook app developer to build it's model, running counter to Facebook's T's and C's, that's a serious issue.
However if the issue is that CA used available Facebook profile data to build out micro-targeting and addressable messaging strategies (no matter how dissagreable the final message was), that's essentially the reality of today's marketing and political advertising climate.
2
Citizens United must be reversed by a constitutional amendment. Until it is, campaign finance laws are a cruel joke.
13
Cambridge Analytica is just an alter ego of Rebekah Mercer. Let's not forget to call out the traitors in our midst.
51
At this point, there is not one Trump appointee, hiree or employee, who hasn't been compromised in some manner. Then again taking one look at Trump himself that fact shouldn't come as a surprise or shock to anyone...
12
Trump effectively swaps out Steve Bannon for a man who really does know how to deconstruct nation States and doesn’t need pseudo intellectual theories to do justify it.
All in time for the mid-term elections (if we have them).
15
And by the Mercer family as indicated in the article.
6
The Bolton Pak used Cambridge Analytica to make Americans have a more militaristic worldview.
May I presume that the Bolton PAK is financed by the arms industry?
13
Ah, Bolton. Who made a video praising "freedom of speech" under Putin while touting Russian made guns; who was the one to tell Dade County to "stop the count" in Bush v Gore and who of course is a warmonger's delight. He may well be in Putin's pocket--the video suggests this. He has also been on Fox News as a pundit, so that may be why Trump chose him.
I also heard that he had a rather messy sex life. Perfect pal for Donald Trump.
22
Trump is surrounding himself with individuals he can use to justify his current and future hostile hawkish acts. He's also shopping for known alums with pedigrees such as Olsen for his stable of horses to work his defense team as chaos continues to ensue. Hopefully the smart ones like Olsen will perceive Trump's position(s) are essentially indefensible.
5
In 1998 I agreed there was a "vast right-wing conspiracy." Now it's getting better documented. Thank you to the NY Times and your fellow investigative journalists. We need you more than ever.
24
John Bolton's SuperPAC hired Cambridge Analytica. Color me shocked that like recognized like.
Once again, all paths lead to the Mercers. But of course, it's not just about them, however often their names come up as we dig deeper into this administration's shady dealings. It's about the money, stupid. Until either Congress or our willfully blind Supreme Court majority recognizes the true cost of equating money with speech, we will continue to suffer the corruption of our government at the hands of fanatical special interests, whether they be the Mercers, the Kochs or the NRA.
16
Everything I continue to read about Cambridge and the campaign seems to come back to the Mercers. Why are they not being more exposed and shamed for the damage that they have done to this country?
25
“War becomes perpetual when used as a rationale for peace,” Norman Solomon.
“Peace becomes perpetual when used as a rationale for survival.” Yours truly.
4
Dear Lord, what have we become?
15
1984 anyone...
Every time you think it can't get worse it does. There is a vast right-wing conspiracy, just not quite the one Hillary thought it was at the time - this is worse.
I feel like our democracy is on a knife edge. I happen to live in London these days, and watching this from abroad is stomach churning folks. Of course the UK's Brexit idiocy isn't any better, and no doubt brought to you by the same, or similar, band of miscreants.
17
We are ruled by oligarchs.
Only with serious, radical campaign finance reform will we have a chance of being free people. We must insist the Democrats promise to enact such reforms, and then once we elect them, hold them to their promise.
26
How about a new party that isn't beholden to the rich? The Dems are just as bad as the Repubs and we have given both parties ample chances to do the right thing. Did the Dems close Gitmo or shut down Afghanistan when they had the power? Of course, not. Barack ended up being at war longer than any other U.S. president.
To me the use of psychological profiling for political purposes - to use it to manipulate people against their best interests, is deeply troubling. The fact that some people might give it away does not diminish my concern, because they are also manipulated into giving it away. And the same data that are used to target voters can also be used by ethically challenged politicians against individuals in the population once those politicians are in power.
11
As I understand it, Bolton's patron and Cambridge Analytics's owner, Robert Mercer, made his billions at Renaissance Technologies, the hedge fund, essentially through super fast computerized stock trading that could profit from tiny gyrations in stock prices that ordinary investors had no way to benefit from. This is nothing but the contemporary version of the medieval practice of coin shaving—cutting tiny amounts of precious metals from coins and then passing them off as regular coins, pocketing the differences. Coin shaving used to be a crime punishable by death. Mercer has to be seen as a dangerous outlaw.
72
You are incorrect and need to get your facts straight. You are referring to high frequency trading - HFT. Renaissance Technologies was not and is not a HFT firm. Renaissance makes use of sophisticated mathematical models to predict changes in prices of various financial instruments. The founder of Renaissance is James Simons a brilliant PhD mathematician and practitioner of quantitative finance.
1
Get YOUR facts straight: Bolton and Mercer are Enemies of The People!
4
An this was illegal how? The reality of all this faux outrage is that if you have a Facebook account, they gain inside details of the most private aspects of your life. If users had even a small understanding of the current capabilities of machine learning usage on that data they would probably delete their Facebook account. It is time the government regulate Facebook and other Tech giants (Google, Amazon, etc) and their use of this private data. Thankfully Europe is already moving in that direction.
9
It is against the Laws of the Internet for republicans to use high tech. Mueller must prosecute!
Didn’t the DNC use the same company for data in the 2012 election?
The Republicans just caught up to what the Dems we’re doing. However, Facebook is the devil for selling our info.
The Dems didn't have Russia as a partner in the '16 escapades.
7
Yes, the election was rigged. To whose favor - we now understand.
11
Money is not speech.
End Citizens United NOW.
53
George Orwell was off by about thirty years.
22
The only teeny shred of hope I have is that Trump won't be able to tolerate sharing the spotlight with Bolton's ego and will boot him out sooner than later.
19
Facebook is a 'surveillance' company. It sells personal info - that's its business model. No chance of it changing; how would it make money otherwise?
btw: PACs don't exist in other nations.
21
Snowden's shares caused me terror because it always depends on who you let control that dashboard. Bolton has access to everyone's profiles in Prism and otherwise! A man who would weaponize disinformation campaigns running the NSA? I hope to good there's someone there who will warn us if he does such a thing. Another Snowden?
9
So, why don't people call this what it is? In a word, mass brainwashing. When certain personalities, or weaknesses, are targeted and then these people are bombarded with propaganda that might validate or feed those weaknesses, as in the case of the negative ads about HRC, there is no other word for this kind of activity. It's not unlike the techniques used in Nazi Germany which are still employed today by Fox News. It's one thing trying to sell a product, but when it's used to actually manipulate thoughts and opinions as it was used by the Trump campaign, I find it very disturbing. We all should find it very disturbing.
50
Who wants to bet he's been nominated for the position because he bought compromising information on the administration and congress and is blackmailing them?
5
I think he took their money, and now they are all in this disinformation campaign scandal together! Finally, I know why the GOP doesn't sing. Caged with their own dirty birdies!
3
Bolton, another cadet bone-spurs. To avoid the draft he served in the National Guard, back when they didn't take them to fight in foreign wars. He said he didn't want to die in a rice paddy. Well, guess what, none of the drafted poor kids (my cousin, one of them, later died of heroin overdose) didn't want to either. I have hated this man since the 1st time I saw him. These guys are always willing to have someone else or someone else's kids fight for some stupid reason.
49
Bolton -- one of the worst chicken hawks of the Bush era. If he loves war so much, maybe he should put on a uniform and go serve in Afghanistan for a year.
Why does seem like most of these "conservatives" seem to get less wise as they grow old? Is it because they have lived in a faux reality bubble their whole lives and have never had to face the consequences of real tragedy like war?
45
Did you know: That when your FB Friends use "Login with Facebook" in external apps and websites that FB releases all of YOUR bio information to that app without any action from you (default ON, unless you disable it). Don't believe that? Go into FB app on your device, access settings, then choose account settings, then scroll down to Apps, select that. You will be on a page with header Apps and Websites. Second item is "Apps others use". It reads"People who can see your info can bring it with them when they use apps. Use this setting to control the categories of information people can bring with them" (about YOU). You may want to disable that completely. but do click on the link and view what has been shared about you. Birthday, bio, hometown, "current city" (where you are), many more goodies... You may also want to turn off the "Platform" which allows apps to logon to FB and harvest your friends data... Then go into Ads, and see which advertisers have been given your info.
35
Thank you Maddy. Your instructions on how to modify access to my personal information on FB was very helpful.
Seeing all the ways FB collects and disseminates my personal info was surprising and scary.
10
That's very valuable information and guidance. But it's hardly worth the bother for many. A simpler alternative is one I followed many years ago, after the profile I left bare was hacked and perverted: Close your account. It's not truly simple because you need to request it in writing and wait ninety days. But I can report from personal experience, it can feel good registering your protest. You are bombarded with less manipulation/propaganda, spend more time actually talking to people and might actually look up from your device, saving on neck, hand and eye strain. It also feels good not having to come up with so much happy talk, mainly because when it comes to Facebook, I'm positively grumpy.
6
A much, much better choice is to logon to Facebook, and after finding the "Delete My Account" button, click on it.
2
I guess he needed to, first, steal our private information, so he could then better protect us from thieves such as himself, as our National Security Advisor?
16
If the average blue collar American was better educated, none of this would have ever taken place.
17
The swamp gets deeper and nuclear threat gets closer. God help us all.
29
This guy isn’t even in the position yet and he’s already a candidate for a Mueller subpoena. Congratulations President Complicit.
55
Say what you want about Wolff's "Fire and Fury," but it reveals Bolton was a leading candidate for the job, but chose McMaster as the default due to Jared's pressure (pg. 189). This is what the book says about Bolton's interview:
"John Bolton, the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Bannon's constant choice, made is aggressive light-up-the-world, go-to-war-pitch."
Vote in November 2018 for the sake of humanity.
45
Also know that in a recent interview Bannon said that everything in “Fire and Fury” is TRUE. Bannon did not make any attempt to deny or modify or nuance the contents of that book. He specifically stated that to the extent that he, Steve Bannon, had personal knowledge of the events discussed in “Fire and Fury”, the book accurately describes them all...not just those in which Bannon directly participated.
Think about that.
6
Cambridge Analytica is so enamored with its own techniques for bending and warping the human will toward the company's own miserable clients that it feeds those customers with talking points to openly brag about how the despicable work was performed. Somehow, this sounds familiar.
It's got Stephen Bannon's fingerprints all over it. After all, he helped invent and lead Cambridge Analytica. And he himself performs the seamiest of political hatchet jobs and then can't help but publicly boast of it in hearing range of his own dupes.
By God, does no one in this racket have any sense of shame or decency? It's fallen victim to the same forces as our crumbling rights and democracy.
22
The Mercers (Cambridge Analytica) wanted Bolton as Secretary of State during Trump's transition, according to news reports at the time. How ironic that Trump has appointed Bolton days after Cambridge Analytica's dark deeds were exposed. How many other Republican politicians connected to the Mercers and Bannon have benefited from CA's data harvests? Possibly Lee Zeldin, for whom Bannon hosted a fundraiser this winter? Zeldin boasted yesterday about voting against the budget, despite the fact that the new Gateway tunnel would be important to his LI constituents, many of whom work in NYC.
12
I personally think electronic social media like FB is creepy. Gobbs of businesses harvest and use data from the web. If the acquisition of the data was not illegal, caveat emptor. The social media user is the accountable entity.
6
Another distraction is created to draw attention away from the money trail. It is very likely Mercer's hedge fund used this data harvesting and stands on the fence of insider trading. Then utilizing this data usury politically and covertly was a natural progression to affect market reflexes. Now comes facebook as a big pocket source for the raw material or data distracting from the actual use and abuse. Data mining about a company's employees is insider trading in all industries including covert. The laws in the US will now be applied only to those that cannot defend themselves very much like the new Russia.
4
"The Bolton PAC was obsessed"... “That really meant making people more militaristic in their worldview... That’s what they said they wanted, anyway.”
The selection Bolton, a long-term uber-hawk, as National Security Advisor, someone with no qualms about invasion of privacy and data harvesting to spread his propaganda, is unacceptable.
While I am aware that all sorts of persuasion are presented to the public to change their vote, Bolton and Mercer have taken it to new lows -- psychologically profiling unwitting people, based on personal information harvested from Facebook, and creating ads to, in Bolton's case, ramp up fear of "the other" and encourage more military violence. Both men used the info. to elect Trump.
Their wealth makes it possible to contribute extraordinary amounts to candidates, and to pay huge amounts for political subterfuge.
We've been focusing on Russian interference in elections, a real thing, but now must look at wealthy Americans who act without impunity to have their way.
Having all elections paid for by the government, with free ad and debate time mandatory; and other contributions, soft or hard, forbidden, could certainly help reduce the buying of votes.
But then we've still got Bolton, a man of dubious character who probably can influence Trump, but at what price to us, and the world.
38
Having all elections paid for by the government, with free ad and debate time mandatory; and other contributions, soft or hard, forbidden, could cer................
It is never going to happen. The media makes too much money with the present set-up to ever agree to a change.
The media would certainly fight against losing ad revenue, however, during debates, they don't run ads.
I live in France now, where, happily, the value of everything is not in dollars or euros.
Sure, the government-owned stations do earn ad revenue, but it's a relatively recent development, and ads are shown less frequently.
The government does pay for elections here, including debate and ad time. Funds do have to be raised for pamphlets and posters. Sarkozy is in tremendous hot water now for daring to take funds from dictator Kadafi to pay for promoting himself.
The French work very hard for their money -- also at school, and take budgeting seriously.
But not everything has a dollar-value attached to it. Friendship, family, relationships with the vendors in your quarter, funding a generous safety net, fair elections, modesty, are perhaps higher on the list than wages. The idea of "every man for himself!" is not part of the mindset.
A Congress is needed with courage to fight the media, stand up to all special interest groups and insist, "Donating to campaigns is to be minimal, otherwise the donor and the recipient will be charged with a Federal crime."
I think Americans want honest elections where the brightest, not the best fund-raiser, can win. But there is no political will to change things.
1
Bolton'll be enough to make Trump seem thoughtful and well-balanced, but as soon as Bolton steals some thunder he'll be history -- if Facebook doesn't get him first.
6
This President truly has no shame to the levels to which he will sink to perpetuate and protect his criminal activities and blatant attempts to corrupt our government.
17
So this is the end-game of capitalism.
20
What we are learning about Trump and his apparatchiks' hijacking/hacking of our election should remind us of Hannah Arendt's warning (the unthinkable can happen) and cause us to make sure our representatives (house and senate) and those charged with investigating whether our election and security laws have been broken lawfully act to remove the hijackers from office ..... NOW.... before the hijackers/hackers start a war meant to distract us from their hijacking/hacking themselves into power, which may allow them to keep themselves in power. The future of our country and democracy is at stake.
13
Scary. This used to be called brain-washing.
14
It's disinformation, Bolton's favorite tool. Now we are to believe what he claims NSA has revealed? For real? No way. He's a maniacal lair.
6
Surprised that Trump didn't discover that Bolton essentially engaged a de facto foreign agent (Cambridge) during yet another extensive background check. Oh wait, that means Trump probably will give him a signing bonus...
11
“Now and then, sporadically, a sweet voice sounds in the very center of my heart: “Have no fears. I shall make laws and establish order. I am God. Have faith.” But all at once comes a heavy growl … and the sweet voice is silenced: “Stop your boasting! I shall undo your laws, ruin your order, and obliterate you. I am chaos!”
Kazantzakis, Nikos. "Report to Greco" Chap. 1
4
Bolton's use of Cambridge Analytica is highly concerning. If you've watched the videos captured by a reporter of how Cambridge Analytica does business it is unfathomable that anyone of integrity or who upholds ethical business behavior would hire this company. No one pays for service without checking into a business first, no one. Bolton has been revealed. Thank you NYT for providing information for our consideration.
35
Makes Bolton the perfect guy for Trump to launch some dang war somewhere he can call his own. Unethical, self possessed, and ready to prey on our deepest fears. We are losing the war for our democracy, but it ain’t over till it’s over.
12
You mean: Mercers/Koch's $$ through CA to Bolton to Trump. Who is 'using' who?? And aren't they all using us (US). Bolton was not an unknowing client-he, like Bannon/Conway/Pence/Trump's et al are deeply invested in the efforts of the far-right to take over and control the United States.
8
Good luck, guys, good luck and all the best...
9
what a surprise - another vietnam draft dodging republican hawk. I'm safe now, so I'll be a really tough guy. Just like his boss.
20
Bolton has declared warfare on decency, civility and anything that diminishes the use of brute force. He is Max Boot x100 ( even Boot understands force has limitations ). Bolton paired with Trump and Kushner is biblical -- this is the stuff of the Apocalypse.
9
At least with the big lie "macro-propaganda" used by Trump, you know the source. This micro-propaganda was designed to not leave any fingerprints and definitely qualifies for attempted brain washing. What is this preoccupation with militarism about and why and how did the Mercers and Bolton find each other? This should disqualify Bolton from NSC position.
9
To a great extent the United States is deserving of this disaster. Despite the clear evidence and past history of conservatives willing to subvert the constitution in order to gain power voters continue to put them in office. The current situation is clear proof that the American people are too dumb to be given the responsibility of voting.
12
And we now have a "President" and Congress openly trying to destroy the US through their actions. Or lack thereof. It's War. Be Ready.
10
Yes, you are right. The Republicans, due to voter suppression, racism, and just bad policies(tax cuts for the already rich, yay!) are not deserving of a single vote, but there you are. (stole that from Martin Amis mostly).
3
Back to the future. 1984
2
So, if ever there were a time for Congress to step up to the plate, it is now. Get those Republican heads out of the sand and stop worrying about your jobs. The fate of the country and the world is at stake. The very lives of your spouses, your children, your loved ones...
18
With FB it was all about the money, and with Cambridge Analytica/SCL it was all about spreading fake news, false flags, lies, and political propaganda. Trump and Putin ran a hate campaign as well inciting civil unrest and violence as well as purposefully dividing Americans.
FB is going to end up paying the penalty for compromising 50 million users' data and FB users should realize no matter how many times they press the privacy button on their data it is FB's property and they will sell it to the highest bidder always.
Our social media needs to be regulated by the FCC especially as far as posting political news or ads. FB doesn't even verity or publish the source of their ads and that needs to be done. Even after the Putin attack and Zuckerberg testifying in front of the Senate Intel Committee he refused to publish the source of his ads aka big revenue.
We can thank Citizens United for PAC's and big donors buying up the GOP and American legislation and Trump, who IS the State Department, plus Kushner are busy doing 'let's make a deal' foreign policy making.
Psycho-graphing has its limitations thankfully, especially since there are so many people who just lie about their accomplishments or social activities or education, etc. They can be who they want to be and create an Internet identity that is not the reality of their real place in society. Who they are on the Internet is not even close to who they are in reality. Anyone paying for this service should use Bitcoins.
6
“That really meant making people more militaristic in their worldview,”
They succeeded.
6
Hopefully this will help derail his confirmation. Make no mistake: Bolton is an extremely dangerous man who will make war far more likely if he sits as NSA chief.
My home is in central Seoul. Millions of people in my city will be in harm’s way when Bolton emboldens Trump to “punch North Korea in the nose,” a euphemism for a preemptive attack which will no doubt invite retaliation.
It is that retaliation which could easily lead to miscalculation and a far wider war. Both the US and the DPRK (North Korea) are driven by the military philosophy that “no one hits me and gets away with it!”, which is a recipe for disaster.
North Korea’s Kim dynasty have nukes so they won’t go the way of Muammar al-Gaddafi or Saddam Hussein. The US leadership seems not only to not understand that, but also foolishly thinks their own actions will not be met with any reactions. God help us.
5
There is no confirmation for Bolen's position. He is in. Done deal until Trump sends him packing or we send Trump packing.
5
No confirmation necessary!
yes, no confirmation, but if he can't get a security clearance, then he can't be nsa advisor
1
What did Cambridge do that was illegal?
1
Stole 50 million users data from Facebook under guise of college research. Participated in subversion of our constitution and help Trump steal the election. Other than that, nothing much.
9
Working for republicans is against the laws of the Internet.
1
Are you looking for specific legislation written/passed into law by our federal or state governments? Maybe it is not too late to get legislators that will be concerned and motivated to write/pass legislation to correct the problem. The details that are coming to the surface now, though they began in the early 2000s, have been developed to damaging extent now.
It may be time for laws now? Write your legislators! Good luck!
Vote!
1
Let's not forget that Facebook, the corporation, had its own employees embedded into Cambridge Analytica to help them make better and more targeted ad buys on "The Platform".
America as we know it may not make it to November. These traitors must be stopped. To paraphrase John Dean's statement to Richard Nixon on March 21st, 1973:
"There (is) a cancer growing on (America) and if the cancer (is) not removed that the (country itself will) be killed by it. I also told him that it was important that this cancer (be) removed immediately because it was growing more deadly every day…"
Or as George Santayana wrote in "The Life of Reason" in 1905-06 "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
To the people who are well informed and clearly see America's slide into an authoritarian fascist dictatorship, time is running out.
11
Surprised? Nope. Republicans have been using Cambridge Analytica services even before Trump, as far back as Ted Cruz. It is all very incestuous and I am so saddened because relatives I know work at Facebook and many relatives of mine use Facebook to stay in touch, share stories photos vdos, all heathy innocent stuff. Facebook allowed it to happen, that is the saddest thing, thank goodness we do not have an account and we do not waste time on FB.
10
No thanks to OUR Supreme Court for the disastrous Citizen's United Decision which enabled kleptocrat Robert L. Mercer and his venal daughter Rebekah to BUY out our Democracy via Cambridge Analytica, and War Monger John Bolton. If we get out of this Presidency intact, which at the moment is sadly debatable, Citizens United must go or America, the great Democratic Experiment, will go and be merely a Dream, we once had. Unimaginably strange days ahead of us.
44
Another Republican chicken-hawk in the mold of Cheney and Trump.
Though Bolton supported the Vietnam War, he declined to enter combat duty, instead enlisting in the National Guard and attending law school after his 1970 graduation. "I confess I had no desire to die in a Southeast Asian rice paddy," Bolton wrote of his decision in the 25th reunion book. "I considered the war in Vietnam already lost."
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2005/apr/28/boltons-conservative-ideol...
8
How many corrupt people in Trump-world will have to parade in front of Americans, before---(smack on forehead)---maybe, just maybe!-- it dawns on them that this odious administration is poisoning our country?
(Including McConnell and Ryan, and all the Rep. holding the door wide open for them).
6
John Bolton, a guy to pursue war with Korea. More likely, war with Iran. He's been undermining the U.S. for decades, most recently with "deepdive research" via FB psychographic profiles. He's the most frightening Trump associate, by far. It's appalling that he'll be a National Security Advisor.
So where is this "deep state" that CA, Bannon, Mercers, Trump Org., now Bolton and possibly the RNC, promoted through their use of 'psychographic profiles' of FB users? Turns out, it is themselves.
Trump endless corruption has one of the largest casts of all time. Why do the RNC and Congress continue to sit on their hands...? Some reasons may be coming to light.
Trump documents, 400 legally obtained, show the RNC was/is deeply involved in vote meddling, having been compromised by their PACs accepting very large sums of money from pro-Putin foreign businessmen. These Trump documents appear to show a money trail that ties Russian money to several top Republican leaders.' It won't surprise, if true. I'll be looking to verify: http://www.bluedotdaily.com/hundreds-of-trump-documents-leaked-shows-mon...
3
“But it is the harvesting of Facebook data that has cast the harshest spotlight on Cambridge..”
It must be so well known that Obama’s team worked directly with Facebook in 2012 to reach the same end that the Times feels it doesn’t need to mention it?
2
What is your source for this information?
4
President Obama was allowed to use Facebook. Trump was prohibited from using Facebook (or Twitter). Makes all the difference!
Another example of Whataboutism. Cambridge Analytica was founded in 2013, didn't exist in 2012. Are you saying it's okay for either party to do this?
8
Hey right wing deep state conspiracy theorists: here it is. It's your team. Surprise surprise.
11
What is it going to take for the GOP to get the message that something not just poisonous but truly terrifying took hold of the 2016 election?
Thanks to NYTimes reporting, we now know (as many suspected) that contrary to Cambridge Analytica's earlier assertions, psychographic data harvested from Facebook was not just a bug in its system that no longer exists, it was a feature to be sold for multimillions. And exploited to sway the thoughts and ideas of millions Americans reminiscent of Big Brother in the terrifying science fiction of my youth.
Granted, we do not yet know for sure that this data was funneled to the Russian trolls that Mueller fingered, although there is a tantalizing reference in the indictment to an unnamed Texan who may have "unwittingly" passed it on. But can anyone really believe--what with all the presaging by the Trump campaign of the Russian DNC email hacking--that linking up the Russia trolls with the means to focus their messaging didn't happen?
The far bigger mystery is the GOP's willingness to keep its head in the sand. Jim Comey and Andy McCabe didn't have anything to do with this one, so there's no Deep State conspiracy they can point to this time. So what are you going to say now, GOP leaders? And more to the point, what are you going to do? Or is this Brave New World way of campaigning your enlightened idea of America's future?
5
"The far bigger mystery is the GOP's willingness to keep its head in the sand."
This is not a mystery: In for a dime, in for a dollar...
The GOP did not (initially) want Trump to be president because they listened to the (contradictory) utterances that fell out of his mouth and thought he actually stood for things--things they frequently did not stand for.
It turns out that Trump doesn't stand for anything except his own ego and his own bank balance. When the GOP (who don't personally stand for much either) figured this out, they realized that he would do just fine as the signer of bills their monied overlords want enacted as laws.
As long as no one has come for Trump yet, they can continue trying to pass bills and reverse regulations--no sense in rocking the boat as far as it goes. When it looks unavoidable that Trump is a truly toxic brand, their shock will rival Captain Renault's on hearing that there was gambling going on inside Rick's.
3
U seem to “inter-mate” this is a political problem for Bolton. How so??
U suggesting what was good for the goose in ‘08 & ‘12 (voter Facebook data mining) is not good for the gander in ‘16?? Sounds like astute marketing to me.
Individuals joining all these social media web sites are voluntarily providing their personal data. What did they think was going to happen w/ it???? If Ur going to use it (Facebook, etc.) Ur going to lose it (privacy).
The rules prohibit Facebook from being used by republicans or against Democrats. Read the rules!! This is treason and Russian mind control.
1
John Bolton so eerily resembles Donald Trump in so many worst, possible ways. Perhaps that is why he was selected in the first place. Trump is so desperate, he needs a clone by his side for a plethora of unhealthy reasons.
Every day since January 2017, I become increasingly more nervous and concerned for this country's welfare, the world's welfare and my very own welfare.
5
Help us all from where this is all heading within an administration in America. Who would have thought all of this was possible.
4
Sadly, none of this is a surprise. Donald Trump is unfit for this job. His instincts are only centered on himself and his whacky conspiracy theories. Mr. Trump is a mean, ignorant person who cares nothing for the people he serves. And, the Mercers are some of the most dangerous people -- I never thought I would think any family could be more dangerous than the Koch brothers -- on the planet who are only concerned with money, money, money and so they are a perfect match for Mr. Trump.
8
I can only imagine the colour of the air in the Oval Office now this story has broken. I’m not an American, but may I ask when the impeachment process might begin for all our sakes?
6
Who's up for a Civil War Pt 2 - People who care about humanity and those who don't.
4
Who knew that Cambridge Analytica would be the name of the Deep State?
9
Tea Pot Dome was all about major oil barons determining for themselves the structure of the future western oil system. With no bid leases. They were taking the US off of coal and putting it on an oil economy, Oil being the New Coal.
Now Data Is the New Oil in service of same. Tap what you can and run like crazy until someone tries to stop you. Standard Oil want so far as to cast Sinclair the evil one by having Mickey Mouse take down Oil Can Harry. Who's gonna get away and who's gonna be left holdling the can?
5
Technology, Data and the Internet rightfully belong to the Democratic Party. Mr. Mueller must prosecute!!
Are we amazed? Keep going Mr. Mueller and add Bolton to the list.
11
Bolton must be thumbing driving his way through Prism's data looking for a way to shut down Mueller's mission. RIGHT NOW!
2
So, Mr Bolton had his fingers in the voter manipulation, he heavily defended the military strategy taken in Iraq (that actually helped create ISIS) and wanted to bomb both Iran and North Korea. A neocon zealot and a hawkish populist - I'm sure this is going to end well!
10
I do believe Mr. Bolton is trying for a pardon and taxpayer-subsidized legal aid. Doubt he can get a security clearance.
4
Could it be possible that Bolton used data he got from CA to target Donald Trump and manipulate him into adopting Bolton's world view. Could Putin be doing a similar thing? Trump's lack in intellectual capacity would render him particularly malleable physiological manipulation.
3
It is not necessary to "target" Trump! He and his supporters are part of that 'world view' Bolton is not the source of the infection-it goes back further-and involves more people with more wealth (and who are less obvious).
Wow. I didn't see that coming.
4
Is there no GOP member in Congress who has the courage to protest the appointment of this warmonger?
11
We need something to keep Bolton out of the west wing. Please keep it up NY times - for the sake of our republic. Keep digging and writing.
3
Let us turn our attention to the men behind the curtain.
Robert Mercer. This nihilist makes the Koch brothers look like Boy Scouts.
You want 'deep state'? Look no further.
18
Bolton? Dirty tricks? Iran Contra? 30 years ago? So what else is new?
2
Bolton and his ilk have militaristic worldviews, yet never served in the actual military. Like bone-spur Trump, and all the rich white boys, Bolton got an exemption from the experience. It's just imaginary play to them.
9
Nice work NYT. Keep at it.
5
The labyrinthine nexus between Trump’s campaign staff, Russian hackers and bloggers, Breitbart, and now Cambridge Analytics drives to the inescapable conclusion that this election was a bloodless coup. Add to the toxic soup the quislings of a Republican Congress and at seventy years old I like millions sense a tectonic shift in our landscape that dwarfs the Nixon debacle and even the deadly lies that led to the Iraq war, a war that saw no uprising against it and so emboldened those like Bolton who proposed it as a step toward military hegemony across the Middle East. Like chicken hawks everywhere Bolton and his predecessors Cheney and Kissinger monger war to save their presidents from catastrophic domestic failure. 9/11 was a gift of Bin Laden to Bush whose tenure after one year was as failed and confused and authoritarian as Trump’s, and thereby led to legislation that crashed global wealth by two-thirds. I don’t subscribe to theological explanations of world events but this sure feels like End of Days and if not yet that it’s at least a call for divine intervention. Deus ex machina brethren. Let us pray in our shared foxhole.
8
Thank you NYT and Mr. Rosenberg for going where no other major news source is willing to go.
"Cambridge Analytica, which grew out of the London-based SCL Group, was founded in 2014 with a $15 million investment from Mr. Mercer, whose daughter Rebekah sits on the firm’s board of directors. Stephen K. Bannon was also a co-founder."
Please continue your coverage of the Mercer influence and increasing control over our endangered democracy. Jane Mayer has been heroic, but alone, it is not enough. Her remarkable article one year ago in The New Yorker was prescient.
http://www.newyorker.com/.../the-reclusive-hedge-fund-tycoon-behind-the-......
11
Hamilton, Madison and the rest of the framers of our Constitution were against the formation of a standing army yet here's Bolton claiming we need a "more militaristic worldview," a direct threat to the stability of our government.
Hamliton wrote: "But in a country, where the perpetual menacings of danger oblige the government to be always prepared to repel it, her armies must be numerous enough for instant defense. The continual necessity for his services enhances the importance of the soldier and proportionably degrades the condition of the citizen. The military state becomes elevated above the civil. The inhabitants of territories often the theatre of war, are unavoidably subjected to frequent infringements on their rights, which serve to weaken their sense of those rights; and by degrees, the people are brought to consider the soldiery not only as their protectors but as their superiors."
We are in desperate need of a nation-wide conversation, the narrative of our government is hemmed in by dominant voices in the media propelled by partisan ideology.
Time for a new Constitutional Convention and the first thing on the agenda: How do we return political parties back into social clubs? When political parties control all ballot access, gerrymander voting districts, monopolize Congress and befuddle the POTUS, they've gone too far. Political parties are not mentioned once in the US Constitution; now they've become a threat to our ability to self-govern.
5
So much of what passes as principle in the conservative world boils down to the same old: The end justifies the means.
3
The addition of uber hawk Bolton to an already unstable and chaotic White House along with talk of Trump becoming his own chief of staff is another step towards dictatorship. Don't depend on a spineless Congress to stop it. When you think that things can't worse with the Trump administration...they do.
Additionally, when you conflate Russian meddling in the election, along with this new revelation about "psycho targeting" of voters, gerrymandering by Republicans and voter dis-enfranchisement, one can see that the 77,000 votes that made the difference in the last election was easily attained. It's not likely that the election will be declared invalid and fraudulent but steps must be taken to ensure that this can never happen again. That is, if we survive this increasingly out-of-control presidency.
8
Our modern technologically-based society continues on the path predicted by many a science fiction plot, to a world dominated by a tiny few, tiny in number, but with immense power. We have allowed social media to enjoy immense influence over our lives, as we have allowed tech companies to patent genes, and otherwise abscond with our humanity. There will be armies of workers someday that will literally be owned by corporations. All this happens with a succession of seemingly small developments, including judicial precedents, each an ominous step covered by little rewards tossed to the masses.
3
Democracy has checks and balances to keep our beautiful America from falling apart. Where are they? We need to get out and vote in November.
3
What we really need is a psychographic profile of John Bolton, some way to reshape his world view with the right messaging. The other possibility is a clinical diagnosis with medical treatment options. If there is such a treatment to restore rationality, they should put it in the White House water supply. Everyone there probably needs help.
9
Ho Hum! I not impressed. Whatever Cambridge or anyone else does, each voter makes up his or her own mind. Since Colonial times politicians have tried to pander to supporters and to find new supporters. The more successful politicians find all manner of ways to connect with the electorate. Is there any way to know that Cambridge or any other analytic think tank really has any effect at all? Maybe, maybe not. Blaming Cambridge, et al, is a convenient excuse for losing elections and avoiding the hard work and courage to find a program that appeals broadly to a large segment of the electorate.
4
And to what level does this take "free speech"? Pinpointed messages to malleable human groups. Can't tell what an individual might do, but can pretty much predict what a group of them will do/think/believe.
But Republicans have been doing this for decades with the the religious right group. Now they own the votes of the Churches of the Republican Way (white Mormons, Catholics, and Evangelicals).
3
Can this get any worse......!!
3
I know the word "free" strikes a cord with many, but this is the issue with growing entitlement culture . So someone actually had an expectation of getting a free service like facebook, and somehow not suspect FB is working behind the scenes to monetize your every move? This is simple, you don't like how you are treated, then move on from FB.... And remember the old adage " there is no free lunch"!
2
Slowly, all the pieces of the cataclysmic puzzle are coming together, and yet all we hear from the Republicans is the sound of crickets.
"Why didn't we do something?" That will be the question long asked after this whole debacle, which risks a catastrophe never yet seen on this planet.
Anyone who still says that the Iraq War was a good choice is insane, and certainly had no skin that game. Bolton is that person.
This is utter lunacy brought upon the world. All care of Fox News, and ratings, apparently.
14
Fox News is Rupert Murdoch and whatever will get high ratings. Got him in trouble in England. Don't we have laws against against fomenting stupidity. Watching Fox is like reading the pulp magazines at the grocery store checkout.
1
More evidence of underhanded Republican tactics to win elections at all costs. Cheating, stealing, it doesn’t matter, as long as they win the elections. The GOP has sold its soul while abandoning its principles. As the Republican ship sinks into Trump’s muck, let’s hope impulsive reactionaries like Trump and Bolton don’t take down the rest of country.
11
The next war won't be a yellow ribbon magnet war that allows the comfort of cheering on the the troops from afar.
We're all going to be in the next one, and it has already begun.
6
This would make a great John Grisham story. But in real life, I am incredibly, beyond disturbed. The privacy invasion coupled with a premeditated act on brainwashing and swaying minds of free thinking people leaves me speechless and utterly disgusted. If nothing comes of this, will we still be the United States of America?
538
Jason Bourne would be quicker.
The USGOV via the CIA and military has been stealing elections and overthrowing governments around the world for the last 70 years. For starters there's Haiti, Dominican Rep, Congo, Nicaragua, Chile, Iran, Vietnam, Cuba, Colombia, Panama and on and on. See any decent library for all the thrilling, documented details. A small violin plays for American "democracy".
3
Well, actually anyone who has been paying attention to what Facebook and similar companies has been doing, would have seen long ago that their sole purpose is to make money from our data. While they can be beneficial in disseminating information to all of us who have spent any time on them, the price we pay is extremely high. My suggestion? Take a good course in critical thinking. Read Population Bomb, Ben Bagdikian. It couldn't be more relevent now! After you've done that, let's start a forum right here to explore how we can create social media that does what it was originally intended to do - serve the public good.
4
The Cambridge Analytica (CA) revelations are deeply disturbing. The misuse of Facebook data moving from and Oxford "professor" for academic "study" and illegally shared with CA are reason for prosecution. Hopefully this is now being pursued.
No one should be surprised by Bolton's early involvement using CA. All off this points to the fact that a certain group of people feel very threatened by the "browning" of American and will do anything to try to stop it.
6
Trump seems to simply be hiring the people with the loudest voices spewing the most ludicrous bombast. This one takes the cake. The diplomat-baiting uber-hawk is now national security advisor and the head of the spy agency is the top diplomat. What could possibly go right?
9
WOW, it seems that with Bolton now being Trump's NSA, the political situation in the White House has gone from bad to worse. With not one but two arrogant, selfrighteous, callous, corrupt and dishonest men in the White House it has become a scary situation. Leaders of the free world certainly do not trust neither one of them.
It is unbelievable that the Republicans in Congress support that duo!
Their silence makes them complicit in the destruction of this country caused by Trump and his ilk in the White House.
Lastly, when will the people who voted for Trump wake up and smell the stench that is emitted by our leader and his cabinet. A trade war on the horizon, with the cost of living rising, the destruction of our natural resources, with water and air pollution on the rise, why are the Trump supporters not worried about what kind of world their children are inheriting? Sad to say but right now the future in the US looks mighty grim.
14
Why haven't the lucrative federal contracts that Trump gave Cambridge immediately after the election been COMPLETELY REVOKED ??
This is a dark, evil company that is destroying democracies in several countries and destabilizing the globe!
1
Stories like this are prime examples of why we need a strong, free, press. Where’s Trump’s claims of fake news now?
5
No need to read or learn from history, when our President can manufacture it all by himself and export his "product" globally. With every new White House appointment comes another social and economic wedge that contributes to solidifying the divides blessed by Trump and his flock of unethical, sycophantic, weaponized media acolytes. By harvesting additional minions like John Bolton, The House of Trump slithers this country -- and everyone on our planet -- ever closer to an unnecessary, stupid, and "ultimate" global conflict. Should we let Them all dine on Trump steaks and sip his wines under some mountain, until the supplies and fun run out? (Then the nematodes could rule and perhaps our biosphere might evolve unhindered by living, wanna-be fossils.) Trumps, Kushners, Bannon, Bolton (et al), and ALL the rest of us -- especially those who choose to remain silent in the shadow of this emergent and escalating social/political catastrophe -- are all in the game. Button, Button... who's got the Button?
5
Fascism is on the march in America... How could Trump take on this sleaze knowing he profited from the invaded privacy of 50 million Americans??? Trump traitor...and his Republican allies will not lift a finger to stop him. It's amazing how fast a country can sink..
Mr. Mueller had better act soon or it may be too late.
16
If psychographics are how rabid right wingers suborn democracy, why can’t the liberal faction do the same to balance it all out?
Rhetorical question, to be honest. Dirty tricks are best left to dirty minds.
2
Because the weak corporate democrats who are in "power" were paid to lose by the very same donors who pay aggressively libertarian republicans to run roughshod over them
Another reminder that whatever ever the right-wing says about anything you need to know the opposite is true.
5
We users of social media need to take responsibility, now that we know we are prey for sophisticated mind control: we must be deeply skeptical of any advocacy post, even from trusted friends and family, and use the many fact checking tools that are proliferating. We humans have not been prepared for such advanced and targeted manipulation, but we still have brains and adaptive skills and need to deploy them.
364
Maybe we should build a big beautiful wall around Facebook? It’s seemingly porous beyond repair; allowing mental rapists and gangsters like Bolton and Bannon to pour over the border of what used to be our private lives.
10
What is sad is that Trump seems to be re-lining his Cabinet only with people who appear on Fox News. If all he watched were the Kardashians, we'd probably have them nominated instead. Pathetic. And scary.
6
So our new NSA had knowledge of and helped fund a foreign company stealing data on American citizens. Cool.
8
He'll fit right in White House.
All these people are fanatics doing God's work - that is why they have no boundaries. They are not normal. They will do anything to accomplish their semi-religious goals. You can't talk to them and they have a psychopathic ability to rationalize every action. If you stand in their way - or disagree with them - they will not think twice about killing you. They see everything in existential terms. They're called Republicans and they own the guns.
9
"the best people..."
4
The Mercer's are like one giant octopus that have their tentacles into everything, Trump , Bannon, Cambridge and now Bolton
2
We are truly heading towards the White-Man-Run insane asylum of The Handmaid's Tale.
1
Cambridge Analytica and the Facebook data heist are all about propaganda. Bannon and Bolton and the Mercers want to control America through propaganda campaigns that demonize the opposition and gloss over their own faults. Hitler and Goebbels did this in the 30s and 40s. Franco did it. Stalin did it. This is what America has come to.
20
The most important class we need to give our children is Civics.
The general population is taking this crazy administration in stride because they just don't understand what is really going on. Friends look at me like I am a wild eyed nut when I say my concern is the destruction of our agencies and institutions and the mass retirement of those with deep knowledge.
They don't get it and they won't until it is too late.
34
Who needs the USIC, NIC, NCP, NVTC, CIA, FBI, NCC,DCAC, NGIC,and about another 20 security and spy agencies, when you can visit Facebook and pay to have all the information you need on your citizens!
5
So, Bolton is Trump's pick to replace McMaster! All connected through SCL, Trump, Bannon, Oakes, Russia, Mercers, Cambridge Analytica, etc. A bunch of war-mongerers determined to keep America embroiled in war after war, by manipulating Trump's beloved "uneducated" Americans with stolen data, propaganda, and money, money, money - largely thanks to the incredibly damaging Citizens United decision which allowed these American oligarchs to finance the destruction of democracy with "dark money."
Time to remove the Trump/Pence cabal. We could replace it with a temporary, bi-partisan "caretaker government" - equal numbers of Dems and GOPers to run things until we can hold a new, untainted, legitimate election.
An election with machines that provide paper ballots, cyber-safe vote recording and receipts to each voter, and a ban on ALL political ads on FB, Twitter and other social media for some period to ensure nobody can repeat the successful 2016 cyber-coup of our election.
We also MUST complete the investigation of the 2016 tampering - fully - otherwise we will never know even half of the dirty tricks used to hurt our country - we will probably never know all of it - people with that much money and that much to lose will ensure that, but we need to try.
In the meantime, neither Mr. Bolton nor anyone else connected to the data-theft and/or psy-ops used to twist the minds of Americans should be allowed any role in our government. We deserve better.
6
Very Orwellian. And these people, certainly Bannon and the Mercers, expect their "deep state" theory to be taken seriously when they deploy such techniques? That Bolton would pay to use them is unsurprising because broadly employed manipulation is required to promulgate his belligerent world view.
8
John Bolton is one of the most dangerous men ever produced this country. He is a self-serving demagogue who is more likely Trump’s separated-at-birth twin. Does it come as any surprise that he was involved with Cambridge Analytica? No. Is it likely he will turn up in the unfolding Russia investigation by Mueller? He most likely already has. Make no mistake about it: Trump is hunkering down for battle with the American people and our way of life and he is surrounding himself with all those individuals who most likely have something to lose just as Trump does.
13
Where does their money come from? Where does a PAC get $1.2 million to spend on data collection and voter targeting? I am guessing that it is not from thousands of small donations sent by ordinary citizens eager to perpetuate the oligarchy.
Democrats in Congress: It is past time to start drafting campaign spending laws that limit what can be spent on elections by all parties involved, from PACs to lobbyists to campaigns themselves.
You are going to be joined by many new Democrats after November 2018 and you need to start working on the legislation you are going to pass when you have a veto-proof majority.
We voters will make Trump a lame duck, but you folks are going to have to step up and do what we elect you to do. And the first thing to do is to get big money out of American elections.
20
I agree campaign finance laws need to be overhauled but every time it’s tried it ends up helping special interests even more. Wonder why that is?
A key component of campaign finance law should be a prohibition of every member of Congress or those at high levels of office from founding, working for or contributing significantly to a PAC or special interest group for 10 years after leaving office, or maybe even for life.
But who in Congress is going to agree to that?
2
If anyone recalls watching the video of the 2004 tsunami that devastated Hat Rai Lay beach, the tide went out uncharacteristically far while many of the tourists played in the tide pools..not knowing what devastation was coming. I’m getting the feeling America is watching the tide go out further and further...
5
It is great good fortune that this has come out now, with plenty of time for an investigation, well before the next elections. Bravo free press!
687
We can celebrate this early disclosure of Bolton's affinity for mind games. And given that Trump has an affinity for hirees with slimy morals, there are very likely more Bolton exposures to come. But to what end? None immediate. The National Security Advisor post does not require Congressional approval. The new guy is installed the minute the president says he is. Bolton comes pre-wrapped in the kind of seamy morality that Trump favors.
5
Yes and please remember to thank Carole Cadwalladr @ The Guardian/Observer. They broke the Cambridge Analytica story with some superb reporting.
Bruce Mellon
18
Doug, while I am grateful for this timely information, I maintain that Trump’s daily turbulence prevents us from really thinking about what he, and the powers behind him, are doing, and the long term sgnificance of their actions.
6
Is article states "The firm took the psychographic profiles it was building off the Facebook data at the same time and combined them with voter databases and other sets of data." Are these "voter databases" by any chance the ones that were hacked during the campaign?
3
I just re-read the disclaimer that NYT uses for people wishing an account to post comments. Seems boilerplate for the net media. So if one does not un-check the default, NYT can be paid to forward correspondence... but how will NYT know when other analytics provided the target/payload combination?
Not too far removed from filling out the slip for the free vacation in the lobby of the pizza shop.... the one with the check boxes for interests; does one really have any control for how many junk mail lists to which your address gets appended?
There is nothing new under the sun.
6
Is there anyone in this “administration” that does not have a Mercernary connection with Russia?
10
The USA will be in ashes before Mueller's team finishes its work unless GOP smells the coffee.
6
You can't make this stuff up!
5
Just a web of nastiness.
Bob Mueller may need more staff.
10
More proof of trump's fealty to Putin. Mr. Mueller needs to immediately remove trump and his Russian cronies and assume power as a caretaker pending the return of Secretary Clinton!! Treason!!
2
This administration looks like it was handpicked by Putin himself (including the president obviously ),
4
Bolton is a Godzilla like creature. You believe the forces of good have dispatched him and that he's gone for good. Then the sequel comes out and he re-emerges. Unfortunately, this time, he's hiding among equally terrifying creatures and if we are to get rid of one, we must rid ourselves of all!
5
When will it all end and what sort of America will we have left when it does end?
479
good question!
2
Makes me think of a line from the song Springsteen sang that night in Pennsylvania before the 2016 election: "It's a long way home." How prescient he was that night. And how do we find our way home after recent revelations and those still to come? I guess we start with a Democratic Congress.
2
Are you referring to an apocalyptic end to human species? Between the climate and potential for nuclear war, one can realistically wonder about survival.
Imagine my surprise at reading that John Bolton was reaching across the ocean to a Russian academic in order to swipe personal data and advance a reclusive billionaire's wacko political agenda. Why, one might almost get the impression that the guys yelling loudest about globalism, Big Government, and the Deep State were the very people pushing globalism, BG, and a Deep State.
13
Bolton hasn’t even been shown his office yet, but already he’s lost the legitimacy to serve the American people.
8
I'm pretty sure with further investigation will discover Mercer and Bolton's Cambridge Analytica involvement was a little before 2014. The Washington Post reported back in 2014 on Bolton's PAC and their mysterious ability to raise $3 million dollars from hyper "targeted" email campaigns the likes that no other political committee was able to do during the time.
It's seems old that Bolton who was just out of a job, would suddenly acquire the ability to do that level of targeted fund raising (with no previous grass roots level donor list). No to mention, while Bolton is certainly a political player, he is not genius. This stinks much like Trump, as being a puppet.
I'm sure we'll get around to connecting the dots, with Mercer and his hedge fund's involvement with Russian Oligarchs and Putin, as soon as Congress stops sitting on the Panama papers. My bet is Mueller will get there first.
30
This coverage of Cambridge Analytics feels very disingenuous. It was "genius" when the Obama used Facebook to seek to persuade voters to support him (as reported in these pages - http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/magazine/the-obama-campaigns-digital-m.... But when the other side uses Facebook, it's evil and terrible.
2
The U.S. government has been data mining a lot longer than Facebook. While the minions yell for Mark Zukerberg's head, people like Bolton, and consequently, this administration, abuse data, denies foreign involvement in our elections and looks the other way at Putin's dirty dealings. Not to say that Facebook shouldn't make the necessary adjustments needed to protect personal information, but if those who are screaming for accuntability from the social media company are not also demanding the same from our government something is seriously askance.
274
One necessary point, the government data is protected by Federal laws, regulations and codes - NEVER has the 50 million pieces of governmental data been used to usurp the minds of those who are open to suggestion to swing a national, state, county or local election.
Private sector (Facebook) and party PACs, Party billionaires and candidate political managers are working under No Laws - therefore the business environment is roaming rogue over all of the data that was dumped with No One's permission;
ONLY when Facebook was called back to D.C. this week did "sonny" decide "HE" would present Facebook's EXCUSE" to the committees.
Whether brainwashed by education, social media or the bliss of being emotionally, mentally ignorant - the private sector has risen the bar, your decision is What Should You Believe?
You all dismiss too many things 1984 IS the script for this President and the billionaires that are trying to make all citizens of the U.S. political zombies.
5
You are correct about U.S. Government data mining. Does the name Clapper sound familiar? It should, as he was the darling of CNN, but has recently run into some new problems. This from the NYTimes in 2013:
https://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/making-alberto-gonzales-...
I wonder: which political persuasion linked to the government do you imagine likes to dig into your personal affairs and data mine the most? And, which political persuasion has, in the past, tried to make life difficult for more transparent, legitimate data collection such as the Census or for information about gun violence.
You're absolutely correct, there does need to be more attention paid to your concern, but I believe conservatives like things just the way they are.
1
The new WH theme:
Oh what a tangled web we weave....
4
Dangerously manipulative... reaffirms POTUS isn't trustworthy, and is covering his tracks. Keeping potential leaks close and under special protection??! SMELLS LIKE IT!
2
It’s been clear all along that the GOP members fighting the Mueller investigation hardest are in deep with Cambridge Analytica. Ted Cruz is just one of their beneficiaries. They should all be totally exposed before they shut Mueller down. Thank you NYT!
3
I wonder what members of the Trump Base are thinking now, after hearing how crudely and cynically they were manipulated by these GOP ideologues and sycophants?
Oh, silly me: of course they'll never hear these recent revelations about Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and Bolton, since Faux News will certainly not 'cover' this story in any credible way, since, as they'll tell you over and over and over again (sort of like Goebbels), it's all just Fake News!
Heaven help the good old US of A!
4
Just a web of nastiness.
Bob Mueller needs more staff.
The Swamp thickens . . .
4
When the dots are identified and connected you have a web of Republicans and their secretive donors: THIS IS THE DARK STATE that their own followers are talking about and accusing Democrats like Clinton of being part of...
With no oversight and no check on funding, these are the people who lean towards fascism. If Hillary had won they would have built their own little armies. Just watch the rise of HItler documentaries and you will get an idea. The street violence for the most part is not there yet, but there is time for that.
We were shopping at Costco's last night and walked by a massive gun safe for sale, about 7' tall. It advertised that it held up to 79 Assault rifles (long guns). The inside of the door held sleeves for 16 handguns. There was plenty of room for ammo and cleaning kits.
We stopped and checked it out. Who would need a gun safe that big? Then we looked knowingly at each other. "At least the guns will be kept out of the wrong hands," my wife said. "If they remember to lock it," I replied. Then we laughed and walked over to the next aisle where they were selling twenty pound bags of oranges... Welcome to 'Merica...
3
Does this mean the Mercer's and Bannon have picked Bolton?
30
It means Bolton hopes to take over the Prism stream and accuse US of everything!
1
Bolton is not a patriot, as he styles himself. He is a traitor to American interests, and a plotter to essentially stage a bloodless coup of our nation. His appointment to the White House was designed to bypass any Congressional oversight. This is an extremely dangerous bomb-thrower (literally). Americans, and especially Congress should rise up in cacophonous objection to this man and his extremist positions. If we find ourselves in another disastrous, lengthy, stupid conflict, we can blame Bolton--and Emperor Donald the Dumb, who seems to recruit his sycophantic toadies right off the Fox News screen.
Did we ever, ever have such a dysfunctional presidency?
250
Yes.
Bush
Clinton
Reagan
Nixon
Yes. Vertually every one.
Obama was known as no dramma obama. Con Don is making it up by million times. A clueless narcissist with zero governance abilities has turned our nation a joke (his six bankruptcies prove the point). He attracts the worst as they match his bully character. It is a shame and disgrace.
24
Trump is certainly doing a good job stuffing our leadership with the very worst humanity can offer. If there is a God, please send meteor.
10
Well, Trump sure knows how to pick the ones who picked him out to lead their Plutodic effort to keep rich people making their bloody money!
Previously, the failures who lost their oil leases when Tea Pot Dome blew their lids fled to Paris. Bad boys, where you gonna go?
2
We really need to bring back the draft. Too few people invest family skin in our military these days. It’s too easy for chickenhawks like Bolton to send other folks’ kids off to die badly in pointless foreign wars.
10
For the love of democracy, everyone please DELETE FACEBOOK
5
So he has benefited from activity from a treasonous group in bed with Russia! No wonder Mr. Bolton is no longer an anti-Russia hawk, but a sycophant to Putin's greatest admirer.
5
So, it seems age has not softened the raging heart darkness that envelops Bolton. Together with Trump, they could do a lot of damage before being stopped at the ballot box. Mueller needs to pick up the pace and bring this insanity to an decisive end, sooner, rather than later.
60
These kinds of revelations make it unlikely that John Bolton will be able to receive a top level security clearance. How effective can he be as NSA without it?
69
Bolton can still receive a top level clearance from trump.
1
I hope you are right that they will withhold clearance for Bolton. He did pay people to use stolen data (which is a crime) to attack the people of our country to manipulate our citizens using psy-ops into (yet another) an unnecessary war or two (which should be a criminal charge), so we can hope.
Bolton is just one of the many characters who got away with it when they started the Iraq war with fake "evidence" - of course they think they are entitled to do it again, using even more unconscionable methods. The ability to manipulate portions of the populace with propaganda is the main reason for the GOP's ongoing attack on public education.
Their game is simple - the less people know, and the less they are capable of critical thinking, the more they look to places like Fox and Facebook, where the ideologues and "pundits" feed them carefully culled information and tell them what their opinions should be. Through constant repetition of short talking points across platforms by a menu of familiar "voices," the war-mongers and power-seekers distort reality and create a level of constant fear and uncertainty that makes their audience seek authoritarian voices to tell them what to do. They use attractive people on "opinion" shows to create the impression of "friends," and lots of "experts" in uniforms to reassure of experience and authoritative confidence while reminding that everything is "life or death."
Trump "loves the poorly educated." You can bet Bolton does too.
3
I think the president can waive clearance.
Thank you the New York Times for doing an invaluable work.
359
The idea behind “behavioral microtargeting with psychographic messaging” is scary. I would like to see hard examples more because it’s otherwise left to our imaginations and assumptions.
16
The number of people who can even be charitably regarded as obstacles to Trump's worst "instincts" is growing smaller by the day. Meanwhile, evidence mounts that Cambridge Analytica's harvesting of Facebook data has aided not only the Trump campaign in 2016, but likely many other Republican campaigns for House and Senate as well.
Now we see that Bolton, who makes Rudy Guilliani look like a pacifist, is tightly linked to CA and the Mercers, who are working hard to make the Koch Brothers look benign.
38
They were also involved with swaying the Brexit vote, that's why Britain is investigating them. They also got several federal defense contracts right after Trump got in.....this is unbelievable corruption, and destabilization of our democracy!!
3
Congressional action on impeachment is now official.
Notice to the world:
Trump is desperate. John Bolton only offers a military attack instead of diplomatic relations. And Trump has the nuclear codes.
19
I dunno. If Congress and Facebook allowed it, not sure why anyone looking to influence the world in their own way wouldnt access the data.
I bet there are other groups aside from this firm creating profiles. This all seems so detached from the universe of activity. Microtargeting is THE thing all businesses are doing too via these platforms.
2
The firm took the psychographic profiles it was building off the Facebook data at the time and combined them with voter databases and other sets of data. Staff from SCL’s elections division, which through a convoluted corporate structure was interchangeable with Cambridge, discussed what they were doing at a meeting in July 2014 with another contractor for the Bolton PAC, according to an agenda of the meeting obtained by The Times
This is what we've become - insider groups, powerful wealthy individuals, and corporations who are wealthy enough to be able to find all the loopholes (legal or otherwise) and manipulate We The People who are utterly powerless. Some say, well we're not powerless, we can vote the bast___ds out - but we now know that even our votes are compromised.
And these powerful groups and individuals get the generous permanent tax cuts that their paid lackey's in Congress have just handed them.
31
Democracy has its price. Those who can afford it can control it. Education is the only safe way to run a democracy. When education gets trumped by mind manipulation democracy becomes kleptocracy, oligarchy or dictatorship. Be careful Americans. Support education and be mindful of where you get your information.
934
It's a lot less expensive and self-fulfilling to simply make political bribery illegal again.
McCutcheon and Citizen's United have ripped the bandage off the conceit that the Buckley v Valeo and Bellotti decisions of the 1970s were sunshine-sanitizing perspectives of campaighn finance. We now have legalized bribery of politicians by a global (YES GLOBAL) oligarchy who can even influence elections with unlimited funds via completely opaque Super PACs.
19
JohnJam said: "Democracy has its price. Those who can afford it can control it. Education is the only safe way to run a democracy."
IMHO, you are both right and wrong. You are wrong, in as much as there is a simpler and more immediate antidote to the disease of money's corrosive effect on politics; and you are right but incomplete re the longer term importance of education in fighting this disease.
The more immediate fix is legislation controlling campaign financing, a solution found in virtually every other western democracy. The fundamental democratic notion of "one person, one vote" is destroyed at its heart by the fact that the rich and the corporations they control are allowed to greatly multiply the power of their votes by pumping unlimited sums into the game. Given the premise that money does in fact influence the outcome, it is self evident that this is fundamentally undemocratic.
As for education, the 2016 election has sharply highlighted a college education as a crucial factor affecting votes. The ONLY out is to grasp that today college education MUST be free for all who have the smarts. Our ancestors grasped that free primary and secondary education was an economic and political requirement. It is long past time to grasp the same is NOW true of tertiary education.
Yeah, I know, America is not yet ready for the education solution; the campaign financing solution is more politically viable.
5
Agree that education is vitally important in civilized societies. However, all of the people in the present administration have had great educations-West Point/Harvard Law. (Pompeo-Harvard-denies climate change).
Early education and family structure/support is essential in preparing students to learn from advanced studies.
Betsy DeVos is full steam ahead in attempting to dismantle 'government schools' despite her lack of knowledge in education.
4
John Bolton was involved in something unsavory?
9
Well, that's handy. Let's get all of our colluders into one place, so we can nail them all and jail them all.
12
Cambridge Analytica is a criminal enterprise. Its crimes, among others, are interference with the electoral process and theft of personal data. Its founders, Steve Bannon and Robert Mercer should be tried for these crimes and, if convicted, go to jail. Those who used them, Trump, Bolton, etc. are out to to win at any cost. This whole wretched cabal involving the usual slimy suspects gets worse each day.
And where is the Republican Congress? Outraged? Holding hearings? Speaking out? No, they sit by like the three monkeys. Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil - unless, of course, it involves a Democrat. Once again, the Republican credo is: PARTY OVER COUNTRY AND WIN AT ANY PRICE.
493
My question for the GOP is: What is the win, exactly? You are destroying America as we know it. Again, towards what end?
2
Its impossible to understand why this country has such old insane people who have to be in charge. They create there own doomsday scenario and other peoples children fight there endless wars Bolton and the new swamp residents care nothing for Americans they only want power to destroy American way of life.
Tomorrow we march against having our children slaughtered in schools, we will educate our fellow citizens and we will use the law to change the gerrymandering system and we will VOTE to change the face of this country. WE are woke now and forever
114
I'm simultaneously petrified and intellectually intrigued by the thought that something as simple as receiving a little more affection as a child may have been the difference in the life of a man who appears to be hellbent on the destruction of human life. He's obviously bereft of something. There's a gaping hole in his soul that not only prevents him from assembling even a morsel of compassion but compels him to completely discount the privacy rights and well-being of millions, in the name of what? Patriotism? Religion? Is it unfathomable to me that the unadministered cure for the psychopathy of Bolton and people of his ilk could be something as simple as a hug.
24
It's more than a hug. It's living with people who adore and care for you, day after day.
1
It kills me that people like this are rewarded with money and power while people like me who play by the rules, pay my fair share, and even devote my career to life-saving research into PTSD to counter-affect the results of these war-mongerers' twisted sense of aggrievement and purpose get underpaid, disrespected (egghead who is suckling at the government research teat), and minimized.
2
The supposed incident with Trump and the peeing prostitutes on the Obama bed in Moscow was to me a very revealing aspect of Trump. I mean who would have that fixation and desire to strike at the Obamas in that manner? I am postulating that Donald was a bed wetter and learned to lie in the face of grueling embarrassment laid on the kid. I can think of no other deep reason for that act. His meanness comes from never really ever being able to get even.
1
Bolton, Bannon, and Trump -- three peas in a pod that is filled with bombast, hubris, machismo, and a lot of hot air.
In his 25th reunion comments Bolton wrote, "I confess I had no desire to die in a Southeast Asian rice paddy. I considered the war in Vietnam already lost."
But, of course, he has no qualms in sending your kids to war in Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, North Korea, and anywhere else you'd like to go.
And, of course, we all know that a bone spur in an unspecified leg prevented our Groper-in-Chief from military service. He too will send your kid to any one of five different countries. Which past President has given our kids that much choice.
52
See ya, Facebook. My activity will not be used for the perpetration of evil.
27
2014! The PutinTrump initiative and that Moscow beauty pageant ... Some of the memes of the 2016 campaign arose from early CA work. We hope Mueller's team is ahead of us, not behind us.
Treachery, pure and simple. Starting wars is the way of autocrats when they are in trouble.
Bolton is worse than the cowardly warmonger now in violation of his oath of office, our contemptible "Commander in Chief". Be very frightened; this includes you, Trumpians, who think resentment is free and easy. It is putting you and your children in clear and present danger.
"He was credibly accused of manipulating US intelligence on weapons of mass destruction prior to the Iraq war and of abusive treatment of his subordinates. He once “joked” about knocking 10 stories off the UN building in New York"
"Bolton’s staff prepared a speech alleging that Cuba had an active biological weapons program. This wasn’t true, and the State Department’s lead bioweapons analyst at the time would not sign off on the claim. ... Bolton then called the analyst into his office, screamed at him, and then sent for his boss."
"This was cruel and unprofessional, but also dangerous. ... Bolton’s assault ... had a “chilling effect” throughout the department, freezing out dissent on proliferation issues beyond Cuba. ... Bolton ... politicized intelligence used to justify the decision to attack Iraq."
https://www.vox.com/world/2018/3/22/17153338/john-bolton-national-securi...
Bombs away!
60
If a PAC coordinates with a candidate/campaign, they break the law? So will Bolton look good in orange? We know the Trump team will. So many trails of illegal behavior. Financial, FEC, influence peddling, money laundering, failure to register, we're having trouble keeping up. It's not fun anymore. And bringing on all the recycled crazies is just not right. Trump isn't even a creative crook.
18
So wait...in the wake of the realization that the Trump machine was using citizen data acquired through Cambridge Analytica, Trump gets rid of his respected National Security Adviser and hires the founder of the super PAC that hired Cambridge Analytica in the first place?
Anyone else's head spinning?
1557
These are the epitome of the dirty dozen!
1
Birds of a feather stick together.
1
Yes, my head is spinning. I never thought I'd see power like this "unchecked" by a complicit Republican Party. Never. I honestly do not understand Republicans in Congress who are saying things like Graham that support the President's pick of Bolton. I feel like I'm reading the news of a foreign country I'm visiting and having culture shock.
I keep telling myself, there must be something I do not understand. Not because of Trump, because I get that. But because of people like Ryan, McConnell, Graham. Terrifying.
19
I live in North Carolina. I well remember Thom Tillis's Senate campaign in 2014, and how much his ads disgusted me... but I guess my "psychographic profile" wasn't the one being "microtargeted." In any case, the proof is in the pudding -- Tillis won, and the Senate added another Tea Party automaton to its ranks.
It's mind-boggling to find out now that the whole thing was engineered by Cambridge Analytica, and that John Bolton (architect of the war in Iraq and advocate of war with Iran) was a key player in this shadowy cabal that included Steve Bannon, the Mercers, the tacit (if not outright) support of the Kremlin, and ultimately one Donald J. Trump. This is the very definition of a vast right-wing conspiracy.
I swear, I would probably dismiss this all as some paranoid liberal fantasy if I weren't reading about it in the pages of the New York Times.
74
I'm with you from here in Chapel Hill. Unfortunately, their tactics wouldn't work without the generation-spanning, nationwide push by libertarians to dumb-down, and promote self-defeating policies of an electorate too stupid and authoritarian to question the soylent green being fed them by the mastery-hating rightwing media outlets.
2
Let’s see, the man was part of the team which opened Pandora’s Box with W and Cheney, shouted down everyone at the UN who didn’t agree with him, joined the propagandist horde at Fox News, viewed and shared data he knew was stolen from Facebook, continually advised the new president on foreign policy, and finally got a White House job despite the fact the president was scared of what was under the mustache. This administration is quite possibly the scariest group on the planet, because instead of preventing conflict with equally bad governments like China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, they appear to want to push us toward escalating violence with them. All because the president has a debt he can’t, or won’t, pay? What a scary mess.
21
Will Congress permit Bolton, with his pax America theory and illegal activities to be the National Security Advisor. Republicans promises us that there would be adults in the room to tame Trump's vile instincts. They are gone.
6
Obviously, Trump doesn't want to be PRESIDENT. He is running a COUP enabled by Republicans and staffed with frightening people like Bolton.
10
Anyone who saw the movie Social Network knows the amoral nature of Mark Zuckerberg. And let's not forget the misogyny which is now coming to the fore! What is happening now should not surprise anyone. That the courts in this country sided with Zuckerberg over the Winklevoss twins whose idea he stole after they paid him to bring their concept to life shows that we too share the amorality. OK - the Winklevoss twins were not the most sympathetic duo - but their treatment tells us a lot about our society. And I have to say the list of miscreant that crawled out of Harvard, where this all started, makes my skin crawl. That Sean Spicer is welcomed while Chelsea Manning is rejected tells it all.
5
It all seems to come back to the Mercers. I wonder if they get over to Russia very often? Roger Stone and Cambridge Analytica certainly seem to have plenty of Russian connections. What is our "conservative" oligarchy trying to accomplish with this massive brainwashing machine they have built?
8
The rich have developed sets of tools that target and exploit the vulnerabilities of democracy is ways heretofore unimagined....
One of the few countertools are the press, and academia, both of which have been targeted by those very same rich....
We have been naïve... Yes, there is evil in the world. And hyper-vigilance is required to counteract it.
Your jobs? Know ! And Act !
2
Great. Another unethical person becomes one of our president's senior advisors.
2
Wasn't the original, so-called "harvesting" of the massive Facebook personal data improper, if not criminal? If so, did /is Bolton's PAC use/using illicitly obtained information through its contractual relationship with Cambridge? Did Bolton and his PAC know, or should have, about the possibly nefarious origins surrounding the acquisition of all that FB data?
Please NYT, and Mr. Rosenberg, with the highly provocative appointment by Trump of Bolton to head the National Security Council, further reporting on these issues are of paramount importance. Truly, "time is of the essence"! Thank you much.
5
Another addition to the basket of rotten apples.
1
America is watching its so-called "Hire Only the Best" president work his way from mediocre, uninformed and incapable to the yet-to-be indicted and proven criminal class for advisers.
It's simply thrilling to watch as we build our family fallout shelter,
(Won't really help, but gives us something to do.)
1
...and NPR reported yesterday that Bolton appeared in a 2013 Russian video promoting a Russian gun rights organization, The Right to Bear Arms, at the behest of then-NRA president, David Keene, and Alexander Torshin. Torshin is a Kremlin-connected, Russian banker, the founder of Right to Bear Arms, a lifetime member of NRA and a close friend of Keene's. As Robert Mueller's team is supposedly investigating NRA contributions funneled illegally via Russia to the Trump 2016 campaign and is, undoubtedly, aware of these alleged Torshin-Bolton-NRA data points, the FBI should withhold Bolton's top-secret security clearance until the results of the Mueller investigation are disclosed.
12
So, that is interesting, I wonder how much dirt the NRA has on Trump? Did the NRA call Putin and have him tell Trump no to gun reform? This entire web of deceit makes me sick
1
We are seeing a legit coup de' tat by the GOP to take over the US government. How do we stop it when 40% of the population cheers it on?
3
If you think it looks bad as an America you should see the view from outside.
I never would have thought that the people that would undermine the Constitution and try to steal the peoples' democracy would be Americans...let alone be willing to work with America's greatest adversary and enemy Putin.
The world is in utter disbelief at what is happening to America. When it does sink in that America is lost, and all countries who do not want to be ruled by oligarchs and authoritarians will have to make a stand, we will, and we will fight to the last person to uphold what was once America's values.
I would wish America luck, however I think that ship may have sailed unless Trump and his band of extremists and traitors is challenged very soon.
1807
OUR United States of America is not lost, Robert. You had better pay attention to what's happening in YOUR country because the same Robber Barons are trying to take you over, too.
4
This is not even about Putin, although the corporate media would like us to buy that lie. This is about Americans and British executives and political people who have between undermining things and pointing the finger at Russia. It was working, until this came out.Strange, corporate media is not saying that these people were messing with our elections, but I guess you have to be Russian, otherwise the corporate media is mum.
4
I am appalled at what is happening to my country. Of course, I was with the majority who voted for Hillary. But anyway. . . I look at the order of succession to the presidency and wouldn't want anyone on that list to become president if we could manage to oust Trump. We are in deep do-do indeed.
12
Wow. Another piece of the puzzle? Another war monger who favors force over diplomacy, surveillance of citizens and fear as a social control mechanism. What is the next move toward fascism on this chess board?
134
Looking at China and admiring their political system.
As much as I would like Trump's election to be the result of these slimy practices. Could it be this use of data is not effective but convinces the donors, the Mercers, Koch and their ilk to give millions. This does make money for the Boltons, Bannon et al. Just saying......
5
I think these practices were highly effective based on people I would consider “vulnerable” who had previously but politically uninvolved but over the past few years became rabid in beliefs, parroting remarks from radio, tv or the internet that were sensational and unsupported. Btw, I think Fox News, Limbaugh, Hannity are part of this, at least being fed the innuendo and lines to hit these vulnerable people and build an echo chamber. I witnessed it in my own family
Bolton and the Trump campaign benefited from Facebook's mistakes. That is how Fox News and Russia attacked our election process in an election they won by a fraction of a percent.
Zuckerberg has said oops, he is so sorry, but he needs to do what Experian finally did and tell each and every one of his 50 Million Facebook users who were hacked that they were one of the victims of this data theft.
I use Facebook (reluctantly, and only since 2015). So does all of my family. Our banks and Target, Home Depot, Yahoo, and several of our medical providers have informed us when our data was taken form their sites. Facebook can and must do likewise.
John 'Ramsay' Bolton is in this position in large part because of the misuse of Facebook by Cambridge and Russian troll bots. Oh, what lovely wars we can look forward to now, along with our troops still in his Iraq.
10
The passion of the few to rule the many... It is on brazen display these days. #democracythwarted
15
Does this violate the Fourth Amendment?
5
The RNC, Fox News, the Mercer’s, The NRA it is all one big ball of corruption, collusion and fraud on the American people
I guess it will be Bolton’s time in the Mueller barrel next
There really are no “good” people in this administration and no brave republicans in congress
191
well, at least the data accomplished something worthwhile: keeping Bolton from running for office.
1
This man is one of the most dangerous men of our time, and that's saying something. He shunned service during Vietnam but seeks to induct your children into even bigger armed services fighting multiple wars in faraway places. What a world.
1311
Bolton not only shunned service in Vietnam but he had the audacity to tell Russians what they needed to do internally to advance guns. Let's hope Republicans will pay the cost of their negligence in the midterms, before we do. Bolton's appointment is a stain on democracy.
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/22/595897412/john-boltons-curious-appearance...
9
Classic Chicken Hawk.
Right out of the Dick Cheney mold.
The first one to send other peoples sons and daughters to war.
The man is a disgrace.
9
No one has to join the military. Its time to quote Nancy Reagan and just say No.
4
When one takes their sword into negotiations, one eventually uses .
IF the world will survive the war mongers assembled by Trump-Pence, it will be astonishing.
The Cabinet of Trump must muster the courage, strengthen their collective wrists, and use the 25th Amendment to remove Trump who is a anger not only to the USA, but to the entire world.
5
This might might pass as a plot for a thriller novel, except it's far more insidious.
Along with every commercial on Tv beyond cars and booze focusing on violent video games and armed forces recruitment, this dark 'psychographic' targeting to get people to think more militaristically is grooming our kids and grandkids - especially those in lower economic classes - to die in the endless war.
With the help of a company, Facebook, millions are invisibly herded like hogs to slaughter by people like the Mercers, who are out to protect their money from the losers they want to herd off to battle.
We have become a sick nation. Not because we're limp-wristed and weak. It's because we have devalued our own self worth as human beings, allowing ourselves to become digital profiles for very dangerous people to manipulate.
It's not too late to wake up - but it's close.
16
Where are those Conservatives always shouting about "Big Government" and "Deep State" and "Domestic Spying" etc.?
Remember folks, when Conservatives complain about something, it means they are actually DOING IT.
61
It might be time for some congressional committee to say hello to Mr. Mercer and have him introduce himself and his underhanded doings. His daughter is welcome to come along.
20
We know that Cambridge Analyitica developed adds and campaign messages based on their research on Facebook users. What we don't know is what this says about Trump's base. Who are they and why are they so loyal? What fears do they have and what are personality traits are we looking at?
6
There's nothing really surprising here among Trump's supporters: it's just the usual misogyny, racism, fear/hatred of women, etc. you know, the usual stuff.
1
According to research, conservative's brains are wired to be more fearful than liberals. You can see this in the way they are so in love with their guns and their conspiracy theories. They are loyal because they are afraid and they still believe the big lie that Trump will somehow make/keep them safe. The CA research was used to prey on their fears.
This country is in serious trouble. It is almost inappropriate to ridicule Mr. Trump-he is placing us in danger mode with the appointment of John Bolton.
Our lives - in every sense- are truly in danger.
1045
Not to mention the lives of millions of other innocent people around the world
4
According to this article Bolton KNEW What Cambridge Analytica was going to do and did. Troubling? Not for the GOP. Now we have two dangerous men at the controls.
And Trump is worried about a "deep state?"
13
Dear Jesus,
I know we ask for a lot, but please let Bolton's use of the personal data of 50 million Americans, misappropriated from Facebook, torpedo his appointment as national security advisor.
54
So the question now is whether the Senate will have the spine to reject the nomination of an evil warhawk or will Mitch McConnell and his Republican supplicants continue to be a limp-wristed stooges for The Donald?
4
National Security Advisor does NOT require Senate approval.
National security advisor does not need Senate confirmation, as we learned when Michael Flynn was chosen by Trump for that position.
The NYT's should do an article with advertising experts to make it clear how Cambridge Analytica, Bolton, Bannon and company used the Facebook data to change minds and influence votes.
3
How cunning.
When Bolton leads our troops to a murderous shaughter think about Facebook.
Thank you, Mr. Zuckerberg. NOT.
7
Since Cambridge Analytica bragged in the "clandestine video" about their contacts with Ukraine, and their stated use of surrogates to do their dirty work, is it far fetched to surmise they hired Russian agents to setup bots and false news?
8
Its always the 'Patriots' who overthrow their government, assume they know whats best. All they need now is to throw a little religion into the soup.
5
So Bolton knew he was using Facebook data he had no right to?? What was the purpose of this? To find "cult minded" voters??
4
Not only is Bolton a dangerous blowhard (bring to mind anyone else in the WH?), but he's aggressive. It's rich to learn that Bolton PAC pioneered the use of Cambridge Analytica data to advance right-wing campaigns. He's really the kind of guy to be an 'honest broker' in presenting foreign policy options to the President.
This Mercer-Bannon-Bolton stew is putrid, and we are eating it.
332
Time to regurgitate!
Of course he was. Facebook: infecting your brain, and life, just like a zombie virus. Enough, people.
30
All of this is perfectly legal until the data found it way to the Russians. The collusion of Cambridge Analytica, Jared Kushner, John Bolton, Julian Assange and Guccifer .02 is the illegal interference of a foreign country in the targeting and Botification of fake messages slandering Hillary Clinton and promoting Putin's "useful idiot"...Donald J. Trump. Facebook made a nice profit, Cambridge Analytica made a nice profit, Jared Kushner got a White House job that allows him to sell services in exchange for Real Estate loans, John Bolton gets a White House position and an opportunity to start one or maybe even two wars, Trump gets an Impeachment (and maybe a divorce). We, the people of the United States of America, get to witness the downfall of one of the world's great democracies...our own.
624
Bingo!
You said ...." All of this perfectly legal until data found its way to the Russians" .
Wrong!! It was not legal to collect data from users telling them it was for academic research and then sell it for political purposes. Cambridge Analytica essentially stole the users's data
3
they canadians and british that were involved and active were legally as problematic. there's nothing inherently insidious about being russian. other than that the top, most aggressive bad guys in this situation happen to speak the language.
Figures. Will fit in perfectly with the bannon/trump wing even though bannon's gone.
6
What makes you think he is really "gone"?
2
The Headline: "Bolton Was Early Beneficiary of Cambridge Analytica’s Facebook Data"
Words fail me. Completely.
233
So, Congress, as well as the authorities in Great (used to be) Britain, will scrutinize Facebook and Cambridge Analytica. But what about Robert Mercer, the person with the dark money that is funding and driving the perversion undermining democracy? Oh right, you can't bite the hand that feeds you.
137
Welcome to the cesspool of humanity that has taken over OUR government, Ladies and Gentlemen. It gets worse by the day.
The Con Don knows he's losing the control he thinks he had over the masses. He will stop at nothing to try to keep the attention on himself. He thinks starting WW3 would get him into the history books and doesn't care what history says about him.
The Con Don and his Robber Baron brethren are a immediate threat to civilization and civility.
WE THE PEOPLE are the only ones who can/will stop him.
He is probably causing all this chaos right now because of the "March for Our Lives" tomorrow. He doesn't want the press/media to cover it. However, the press/media ignore it at their own peril. Good People across America and the world who do not want guns in schools or WW3 had better get our and support OUR young people.
Find a march/demonstration near you at the link below:
https://event.marchforourlives.com/event/march-our-lives-events/search/
170
Bolton's use of Facebook data is the least of our worries. He's a war monger. Ah, let's bring back that magic from the Bush years. Don't we all look upon our excursions into Iraq and Afghanistan with such nostalgia?
To Bolton all problems seem to be solvable with the use of enough military force. He doesn't promote the buildup of military force in order to avoid the need to use it. He wants to use it. And now he will have the ear of the president who can be influenced all too easily.
108
It's interesting how all these Trump allies are all interconnected by one strand or another of the Mueller probe -- down to how they choose to "influence" voters.
The only exception here appears to be the Russian connection, which Bolton does not seem to share. Or at least not yet. Given a little more time, Mueller may even make that clear.
But let's hope not too much more time. Trump's America is starting to look downright terrifying.
139
Check out Bolton's work for the NRA in Russia!
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/22/595897412/john-boltons-curious-appearance...
5
Cambridge Analytica also did "American voter research" for Lukoil - the Russian fossil fuel company connected to Putin, his oligarchs, et al. Why would a Russian oil company want detailed info on micro-targeting American voters? Gee, I wonder... Putin, Bolton, Trump/Pence, Bannon, Mercer, Oakes, Cambridge Analytica, SCL - ALL connected.
6
I fear for our country.
4
I grew up in an age where it was important to be against the "Establishment"...so coined "anti-establishment".
I've never joined Facebook as I deemed it part of the Establishment even "Big Brotherish" and have been disheartened to see the lemmings of my children's generation embrace it thoughtlessly and recklessly.
Perhaps the only positive that will come out of this breach of Facebook users apathy towards their own privacy will be the view that this "Establishment" is definitely not working in their best interests.
12
if you have to ask who "The Man" is it might just be you or someone sitting just next side to you.
I had the dubious honor of spending time with Ambassador Bolton in 2004 and he is a person who exhibited bombastic views back then which remain in place to this very day. I hope the readers understand that he was a recess appointment by GW Bush for a good reason which has to do with his tortured view of the world and diplomacy.
his connections to the Mercer family and Cambridge Analytica are no surprise. He will do whatever it takes to legitimize his views of the world. It is fitting that Donald Trump appoints him to a position which requires no Congressional oversite because even in this time of Trump I sincerely doubt he would be approved.
184
It’s also interesting how the story about Saudi Arabia getting a massive military loan disappeared from the news once it became clear Bolton was ushered in. The Saudi’s jumped in, charmed the president(with Kushner lurking in the background), and walked away fatter and happier knowing the new re-formed administration has their back. While a rejuvenated and forward looking Saudi Arabia is a good thing, how is giving them arms going to stabilize anything? Are there any adults who aren’t war-hawks surrounding our man-child President?
12
Our form of democratic governance is under threat from sources internally and externally to our country. When elected officials fail to act, now it is the strength of investigative journalism that must step up in defense of our way of life. Thank you NyTimes, WaPo and others for getting the facts of what's happening. It is up to us, the general population to read, understand and then act to prevent the slide towards dictatorship that's currently underway with Trump, the GOP and their billionaire puppet masters.
56
Perhaps, only perhaps, newspapers are major corporations, and they also do deepdive research" so that money can best be spent as they search for their own "audience of target" consumers? Trump's just another corportion, it seems.
1
“The Bolton PAC was obsessed with how America was becoming limp wristed and spineless and it wanted research and messaging for national security issues,” Mr. Wylie said.
“That really meant making people more militaristic in their worldview,” he added. “That’s what they said they wanted, anyway.”
----
Welcome to the real axis of evil: right-wing American ideologues organ-harvesting America's brains with fear and loathing via FascistBook with stolen goods looking to make war all over the world while collapsing America's infrastructure.
Bolton-Bannon-Mercers-Trump 2018....with Kremlin love from Russia.
Vote on November 6 2018 to rid America of these bellicose foreign invaders.
1083
I just hope we don't all get blown sky-high before then.
12
Pretty sure I caught one of his flaming online ads for someone primarying a Republican. It was none stop explosions and evil music all the way. Way to stay the same, Bolton!
I ran down a man whose work online used the following URL to say how sorry his clients were that were Gabby got shot. "giffordsislying" I got him on the phone and he was completely unable to say for whom he worked or what the job paid. Check into CCC, the political wheel of Steve Christy.
5
"Spot on" Socrates! I could not have said it better myself!
11