The Main Stream Media Coverage of Hillary Clinton’s Growing E-mail Problems Has Been “Incremental” BUT NOT Proportional

[The slightly new & improved edition at @ 3:30 PM Sunday]

NY Times’ & Washington Post’s editorials hammered Hillary Clinton  ---  But under the circumstances, it was the LEAST that they could do  

The liberal/ progressive MSM still hasn’t gotten to the essence of Hillary Clinton’s E-mail “mistake” ---  In the exercise of her duties as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton’s E-mail practices violated the law & damaged U.S. national security

Also ---  EVERYBODY in the media needs to realize that when Hillary talks about concerns that she had about the "privacy" of her "personal" E-mails, she really means the "secrecy" that she wanted for all her of E-mails, "personal" AND "official"

This morning on the Howie Kurtz media show on Fox News, one of Kurtz' guests said that the main stream media has been on the Hillary Clinton E-mails story from the beginning ( with Kurtz pointing out that it was the NY Times that first broke the story).  That panelist then said that the MSM has been on top of the story in an incremental way, to the extent that as the E-mail and private server story grew, the MSM's coverage and criticism of HRC's hand in it grew.  

I completely disagree for reasons that are stated at the back-end of this post;  but in any case, here's where some of the main stream media is on Clinton's E-mails and private server problems lately.

THE WASHINGTON POST & NY TIMES

According to the WaPo’s editorial board --  “HILLARY CLINTON’S use of a private email server while secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 has been justifiably criticized as an error of judgment. What the new report from the State Department inspector general makes clear is that it also was not a casual oversight. Ms. Clinton had plenty of warnings to use official government communications methods, so as to make sure that her records were properly preserved and to minimize cybersecurity risks. She ignored them….” (See “Clinton’s inexcusable, willful disregard for the rules” by Washington Post  Editorial Board, 5/25/16,  Washington Post/ The Post's View [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/clintons-inexcusable-willful-disregard-for-the-rules/2016/05/25/0089e942-22ae-11e6-9e7f-57890b612299_story.html]).

Then even the New York Times Editorial Board spoke up with this:  “Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the presidency just got harder with the release of the State Department inspector general’s finding that “significant security risks” were posed by her decision to use a private email server for personal and official business while she was secretary of state. Contrary to Mrs. Clinton’s claims that the department had “allowed” the arrangement, the inspector general also found that she had not sought or received approval to use the server….”  ( See “Hillary Clinton, Drowning in Email” by NY Times Editorial Board, 5/26/16, New York Times/ The Opinion Pages/ Editorial [http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/opinion/hillary-clinton-drowning-in-email.html?_r=1]).

Even liberal columnists like Dana Millbank jumped onto the Hillary Clinton E-mails pille-up [See “Why the new report on Hillary Clinton’s email is so damning” by Dana Millbank, 5/27/16, Washington Post/ Opinions [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-the-new-report-on-hillary-clintons-email-is-so-damning/2016/05/27/e02d4f3a-2402-11e6-aa84-42391ba52c91_story.html]).

A POUND SHORT & A DAY LATE

All of the above hand-wringing is essentially a day late and a pound short….    At this stage, the reports, observations and critiques by the MSM, like those shown above, are but a MILD censure of the Democratic Party front-runner.

They still don’t get it.

Even without any finding of criminal fault or punishment  ---  if the Main Stream Media had any sense of “proportionality” whatsoever  ---  they would already be like a national media chorus shouting aloud that  Hillary Clinton is completely DISQUALIFIED for any further public service  ---  and  ---  HILLARY CLINTON IS ABSOLUTELY UN-QUALIFIED TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

It is already obvious that ---  in the exercise of her duties as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton’s E-mail practices violated various rules, and arguably even the law itself; and in so doing she damaged U.S. national security.

WHEN HILLARY SAYS "PRIVACY" SHE REALLY MEANS "SECRECY"

As for HRC's serial excuses for her E-mails & private server "mistake"  ---   forget any of her talk about "convenience" --- there was never anything convenient about how Hillary had arranged her E-mails and other had-held communications while she was Sec/State.  And when HRC talks about her "privacy" what she really means is that everything that she does is HER business only; and it really doesn't matter whether it was government business, private business or monkey business.  As far as Hillary was concerned, it was all "private"; and for her that means "secret."

In Hillary-world,  national secrets aren't important, but her own personal secrets are very, very important. And that's another reason why she should be DIS-qualified to ever be president or anything else involving the public trust.

Amid chatter about Councilman Gentile becoming a Judge, Republican City Council Candidate Bob Capano speaks out & gets kudos from Brooklyn Young Republicans

Prospective City Council Candidate Capano Attacks City Hall Policies in Sheepshead Bay speech

Brooklyn’s Young Republicans say Bob Capano’s leadership in New York City is essential in these times

Earlier this week there was a flurry of commentary about the City Councilmember  from the 43^rd Council District, Vincent Gentile, going through the preliminaries in preparation for the consideration of his candidacy to the Civil Court bench in the current election cycle. 

It is against that backdrop that Bob Capano, the long-time Republican activist and a potential candidate for the City Council in Brooklyn's 43rd district (Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights & parts of Bensonhurst), which will be vacated by Vincent Gentile no later than next year due to term limits, continued his appearances at Brooklyn Republican clubs to outline a message that he hopes the GOP will pick up and deliver to voters over the next two years.

According to a variety of sources, Capano most recently spoke to the Brooklyn Young Republicans on Wednesday, May 18^th at their meeting in the Sheepshead Bay offices of the Eaton and Torrenzano law firm.  

President of the Brooklyn Young Republicans Vito DiGiovanni said, "It was an absolute pleasure to have Bob come speak to our club. He is a conservative role model that every young

Republican should look up to. His leadership in New York City is essential today."

Following his speech, Mr. Capano's took numerous questions about the direction of our city, and delivered a message to Brooklyn Republicans that Capano believes will engage new voters and younger residents in the borough.  Capano also said, "It is clear that Vito DiGiovanni and the Brooklyn Young Republicans are not only committed to growing the Republican party, but also improving our local neighborhoods. They are smart, dedicated, and passionate and I look forward to working closely with them for our borough and city."

MORE ABOUT WHAT CAPANO SAID TO BROOKLYN YRS

As part of his remarks, Capano spoke about the nickel bag fee that was recently passed by the New York City Council. He said, "When people just want to get home to their families as quickly as possible after working all day, they will now have to deal with longer lines in stores as cashiers will have to count each bag used to know how much to add to the bill. All of these nickels will add up, especially for seniors, those on fixed incomes, and middle-class New Yorkers just trying to make ends meet. I expect the 28 Council Members who voted for this to face serious primary and general election challenges next year. Brooklynites and New Yorkers already have enough stress and aggravation in their lives, and it already costs too much to live here without City Hall making it worse with laws like this one." Capano has been on various New York media outlets, including Curtis Sliwa's Drive at Five show on WABC radio, 1010 WINS, Channel 2, Channel 9, Channel 7, and Good Day New York on Fox 5 with Greg Kelly and Rosanna Scotto opposing this legislation. 

Capano also attacked the criminal justice policies of City Hall that have "created an environment that has emboldened criminals and has made the job of police officers more dangerous." He cited recent proposals by City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito to de-criminalize many quality of life crimes and erasing open warrants for criminal offenders. "I am confident that the vast majority of Brooklynites and New Yorkers, regardless of political party affiliation, do not want to go back to the David Dinkins bad old days", Capano declared. He also expressed outrage that many Brooklyn democratic elected officials and leaders have not stood up to the City Council Speakers' proposals. Capano said Republicans "must make it clear that we will defend the NYPD and give them the tools and support to keep our neighborhoods safe."

Finally, Capano, who was also a high school social studies teacher in Brooklyn, stated that the city administration is taking our city in the wrong direction with public and private education. He noted that this is another issue that cuts across political party lines as all parents want the best education for their children. Capano attacked the Mayor and Chancellor for loosening student suspension regulations in public schools, stating that allowing disruptive students to stay in classrooms without consequences hurts the education of other students trying to learn. He said state statistics support his claim, "There were almost 16,000 violent incidents in NYC public schools last year- an increase of 23%, and the highest level in a decade. There was also a 48.4% increase in assaults that resulted in serious injury. We must change public school policies to create a stronger learning environment in our public schools." He also supported education tax credits and an increase to the cap on charter schools, which the Mayor and City Council Speaker have opposed. Capano noted that he is the product of both public and private schools in Bay Ridge, attending P.S. 185, P.S. 104, St. Patrick's, and Xaverian High school.  

   

INVITATION TO CONTROVERSIAL ASSEMBLY CANDIDATE TO SPEAK AT BROOKLYN YR CLUB CAUSES STORM AMONG ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS

It seems simple enough  ---   “JOIN THE BROOKLYN YOUNG REPUBLICAN CLUB AT OUR NEXT MEETING ON SUNDAY MAY 29,2016 WITH GUEST SPEAKER NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY CANDIDATE JANINE MATERNA....”  [Today’s E-mail Invitation from the Brooklyn Young Republican Club]

Here’s the rub:  Janine Materna is running against an incumbent GOP Member of the NYS Assembly, Ron Castorina Jr.;   both Assemblyman Castorina and candidate Janine Materna are from Staten Island: and they are running in Staten Island’s 62nd Assembly District, which has no connection to Brooklyn whatsoever

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Neither Ron Castorina nor key members of the Staten Island GOP establishment are amused that the Brooklyn Young Republican Club, which is lined up behind the Marty Golden faction, invited Janine Materna to speak 

After the word got out that Janine Materna was going to appear as a “speaker” at the Brooklyn YR    Club meeting at the No Quarter Tavern in Bay Ridge, set for 4PM to 6PM on  Sunday May 29th, several Staten Island Republicans complained to Marty Golden and his Chief of Staff Gerry Kassar.  At first, Golden and/or his folks said they would take care of business and head off the problem.  Unfortunately, there was no such business and nobody headed off the problem.  Either Golden or one of his peeps called Castorina or his rep and told them that nothing could be done --  the Brooklyn YR Club is an independent and distinct organization, not formally affiliate with the Brooklyn GOP. 

Independent Brooklyn YR Club has long history of inviting candidates In contested GOP primaries -- and from districts wholly outside of Brooklyn 

                                                                                        

A spokesperson for the Brooklyn Young Republican Club seemed completely surprised  that anybody thought the invitation to Janine Materna was in any way unusual or problematic. 

That spokesperson first noted that in 2013 the Brooklyn YR Club invited all of the GOP mayoral candidates to speak before the GOP primary.  He also specifically pointed out that in 2010 both Michael Grimm and Michael  Allegretti appeared before the Brooklyn YR Club even though the Brooklyn & Staten Island GOP organizations both had endorsed Allegretti.  Also mentioned  was the fact that in 2010, the Brooklyn YR Club invited the candidate from the 49^th AD  LaGuardia Club to speak on several occasions, even though State Senator Marty Golden and the Brooklyn GOP Organization were backing another candidate.

When I confronted the Brooklyn YR Club spokesperson that he had no business inviting people from races that are wholly outside of Brooklyn; and that the Materna-Castorina district is only in Staten Island, he corrected me by talking about how often Wave Chan appeared at his club.  He noted that Chan was running against Sheldon Silver in an all-Manhattan district  --  and that Chan often noted how he was getting more support from Brooklyn Republicans than their Manhattan counterparts. 

Most interesting thing in the interview --  No requests by Golden to cancel the Materna speech

When I asked the spokesperson about Golden or anybody from his staff asking the Brooklyn YR Club not to let Janine Materna speak, he seemed honestly and completely surprised.  “Nobody asked me, but I’m not the President of the club.”  When I probed more closely, he opined that there would be no reason for Golden to ask that, because his Brooklyn YR Club is completely independent pf other political organizations.

In case you forgot, the Brooklyn GOP case in court just keeps going & going & going

Now that Gene Berardelli's proxy by proxy testimony is over ---  things might begin to get interesting

Gerry O'Brien testifies today, but he's telling everybody ---  wait 'til you hear from Diane Haslett-Rudiano.....  (Oh boy, that'll be good !!!)

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I can say more, but I've been sworn to secrecy.....

NOW IT’S REAL: Bob Capano’s Opposition to Bags Fees Hits Television

Bob Capano has appeared in two television news reports about the proposed plastic and paper bags fee ordinance – likely to be passed as early as tomorrow

In City Council Testimony ---  Capano complains about proposed city ordinance that will cost New Yorkers in both time and money

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CAPANO APPEARED ON EYEWITNESS NEWS TONITE

According to ABC print report on this story:  “It looks like you'll soon be charged for every plastic bag you use at the grocery store….   A New York City Council committee voted to recommend a five cent fee, but protesters are making their voices heard…. It's a proposed law that has been talked about for more than two years, giving people a financial incentive to switch over to reusable bags at grocery stores….   The law took a big step toward reality Wednesday, with passage likely Thursday….  (See “Plastic bag fee could be passed in New York City Thursday” by Rob Nelson, 5/4/16,  Eyewitness News/ abc7New York  [http://abc7ny.com/politics/plastic-bag-fee-could-be-passed-in-new-york-city-thursday/1323510/][with link to video report that appeared on Eyewitness News program]).

The Nelson article for ABC News also noted that  “Critics, though, worry about both the financial and logistical impact of the move.”  No doubt, that line refers to part of Rob Nelson’s on screen interview with Bob Capano, which was broadcast on  the ABC News Eywitness News program earlier this evening. 

CAPANO APPEARED ON WPIX LAST NITE

Bob Capano also appeared on a segment of the Channel 11 (WPIX-TV) news at 10:00 last night.  On air, Bob Capano talked about the upcoming City Council vote on the Viverito- Lander bill,saying that would impose a five cent fee on bags at retail stores and supermarkets. 

LATE REPORT ON  “J*P UPDATES”  

Capano also continued to get his word out in other mediums. Earlier today this appeared in an article on the “JP Updates” blog:  “….  Bob Capano, who is a store manager for a Gristedes supermarket, announced on Tuesday that he was moving toward a run for the city council to represent the 43^rd district. He is a vocal opponent of the proposed bill, saying it will cost New Yorkers more time in lines at retail registers as well as money….  ‘Regarding the money aspect, according to the bill, if businesses do not charge a nickel for each bag, they will be fined by the city. So, as we fulfill the requirement of this legislation, it will be literally an example of nickel and diming New Yorkers. As we all know, it already costs too much to live in New York City. These nickels add up, especially for seniors, those on fixed incomes, and middle-class New Yorkers just trying to make ends meet,” Capano told JP in an email. “This bill should not be recycled as it was by reducing the fee from 10 cents to five cents — it should be trashed.’…  Capano will be testifying against the legislation at the hearing on Wednesday….” (See “City Council to Hear Bill Proposal Imposing 5-Cent Bag Fee for New Yorkers” by Chris Cruz, 5/4/16, J*P Updates [http://jpupdates.com/2016/05/04/city-council-to-hear-bill-proposal-imposing-5-cent-bag-fee-for-new-yorkers/]).