# The Republican Agenda 2021 and Forward



## Huntn

​

*Post Delinquent Donny, some points to consider:*

*Trumpettes-* Ok so we know that Trump followers are hostile to the democratic process or... are they just gullible victims, attractived to  hate speech, xenophobia, anarchy, and destruction of the Federal Govt? Can you call them real members of the GOP, or were they there because of Incompetent Donald the hater, the white privaledge promoter, the anarchist with the _make me the Emperor_ vibe?
*Congressional Republikans-* Would you label them as hostile to our democratic process?  I don’t know the exact number of GOP Representatives currently hold office in Congress, but 147 seems kind of a high percentage. Enough to label the GOP as anti-Democratic?https://www.vox.com/2021/1/6/22218058/republicans-objections-election-results
Then there are the _“God fearing” _*Evangelicals* who typically identify with Republicans, how are they in the democracy department? The answer has to be based on percentages. Over half? Over half are a little confused about the reported words of God in their bibles, have forgotten what their savior Jesus Christ taught, or have they been seduced by Beelzebub  himself? 
And finally how is a country like the United States with its Constitution, Bill of Rights, highly touted equal opportunity, liberty for all, land of the free and home of the brave supposed to move ahead with a sizable portion of the populace deciding that democracy is not all it’s cracked up to be when they can’t get their way, shoving their self serving, hypocritical views and religion down the rest of our throats??


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## lizkat

A lot of "Trumpettes" are not that at all, just policy-oriented Republicans or more often now, libertarians who dislike usual array of Democratic Party's proposals for a heftier support of social contracts with Americans.  We can call those voters brainwashed in a way,  but they believe that robust military capability, low taxes, deregulation and "small government" are what to expect --and all to expect-- from a President and the Congress.

They voted for Trump because "not a Democrat".  That's all.  There could be an element of racism in there for sure, but it's associated to crap from the 80s:  they're "against welfare cheats" and and there's that lingering assumption from Reagan era that benefits recipients are not white and rural but Black and urban.  And they're against candidates who are "soft on crime".   Willie Horton ad elected Bush 41, even if the guy likely was a far better choice for the USA than Dukakis...

The other ones, the Trump-rally base...  no clue what will happen to them.  They are enough to form some flavor of Tea Party cohort in the House, I guess, but maybe not with the same clout that the House Freedom Caucus has had,  and that people like Cruz and Rand hope they'd have going forward. 

McConnell would not mind seeing a rump GOP caucus fade away in the House, turning into a few strident loners.   The larger caucus they have right now makes it very difficult for bipartisan efforts on key legislation that even Republican Senators have supported,  e.g. immigration reform.

======

I don't think all Republicans are hostile to the democratic process.  Not at all.  They differ on policy issues.   When they had a platform, even in 2016,  it was easier to see that.  More recently they've afraid to reveal their positions on issues because of Trump and because of Trump's followers showing readiness to primary from even farther right.   There are a lot of House members who have worked even during the Trump era across the aisle on low-profile issues together though, for example in getting funding for research on Lyme disease and help in ridding water supplies of PFOA.   Whatever doesn't get a lot of headlines has a better chance at getting addressed in that way.   So I guess clickbait headlines have their uses.  I wish we didn't have to rely on under-radar good works though in such polarized times.  It's just...  stupid.

=====

Evangelicals are likely in turmoil at the moment.  In theory they got what they wanted from Trump and they knew what he was and held their nose, so...   now he's gone, so..  meh?

There are a lot of left leaning people of faith active in US politics who are as sick of right wingers claiming God takes a side as there were left leaning people getting sick of right wingers claiming the American flag belongs to the Republican Party.   More of them may emerge during the Biden administration.   The Black church had a lot to do with turning out Democratic ticket votes in 2020.

======

On your last point there, what's up with democracy itself in the USA now,  who knows?    Let's talk after the Senate trial of Trump's second impeachment?  Not sure that's something to peg a debate on but I will be interested to see if some Senators think so.

 It's a problem when a "side" starts thinking it's an option to declare someone else's politics fundamentally illegitimate just because of a party label.   But that has been the intention of the Christian nationalists since the 1990s...  to establish white Christians as the true and trustworthy leaders in all segments of our culture and economy, and to marginalize the "Americanness" of those who are not on board that train, even if those other Americans are or are becoming a majority. 

It sure went too far when Trump and his followers attempted to overthrow the line of succession in his own sitting government even as it met to confirm the victory of his successor in an election he lost. They were asserting "so what if you won, you are not worthy of winning so we're ensuring now that you actually lose."   

Whatever you call that (aside from insurrection and sedition), it is not democracy.


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## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> And finally how is a country like the United States with its Constitution, Bill of Rights, highly touted equal opportunity, liberty for all, land of the free and home of the brave supposed to move ahead with a sizable portion of the populace deciding that democracy is not all it’s cracked up to be when they can’t get their way, shoving their self serving, hypocritical views and religion down the rest of our throats??



The Constitution gives a lot of power to the President. It also has multiple ways to get rid of a dangerous President. Unfortunately, the founders didn’t seem to have foreseen that political party supersedes everything, allowing the leader of one party to have basically unlimited power with no accountability.

In some ways, I really do hope Trump starts his own political party and that it gets a lot of traction. 3 parties might be what we need. Plus, Democrats would dominate for a decade or more if votes were split that way.


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## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> The Constitution gives a lot of power to the President. It also has multiple ways to get rid of a dangerous President. Unfortunately, the founders didn’t seem to have foreseen that political part supersedes everything, allowing the leader of one party to have basically unlimited power with no accountability.
> 
> In some ways, I really do hope Trump starts his own political party and that it gets a lot of traction. 3 parties might be what we need. Plus, Democrats would dominate for a decade or more if votes were split that way.



Honestly, I only see one legal way to dump a bad President, impeachment, and everyone has seen when Congress is divided, or half filled with people who think of their party before the right thing to do, the President as it stands is invulnerable to the consequences of his/her nefarious deeds.


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## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> Honestly, I only see one legal way to dump a bad President, impeachment, and everyone has seen when Congress is divided, or half filled with people who think of their party before the right thing to do, the President as it stands is invulnerable to the consequences of his/her nefarious deeds.



25th amendment is another way...


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## Huntn

*CPAC 2021- *This morning on MSNBC they showed a clip of a 2 people representing the conference, making an announcement to the crowd to _wear your masks_, and were vigorously booed. Then there were the clips of approved speakers liars (the usual culprits Cruz, Jordan, Gaetz, etc) fire hosing the crowd with orange Kool Aid, who drunk on their FACIST ANTI-AMERICAN Trumpland poison were maniacally cheering.

If you believe in the fundamentals upon which the United States of America was founded, these people are a danger to the Nation.


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## Thomas Veil

Huntn said:


> *Trumpettes-* Ok so we know that Trump followers are hostile to the democratic process or... are they just gullible victims, attractived to  hate speech, xenophobia, anarchy, and destruction of the Federal Govt? Can you call them real members of the GOP, or were they there because of Incompetent Donald the hater, the white privaledge promoter, the anarchist with the _make me the Emperor_ vibe?



Ultimately, does it make a difference why? It doesn't matter whether the driver who kills someone was drunk or just careless/distracted. The victim is just as dead.



Huntn said:


> *Congressional Republikans-* Would you label them as hostile to our democratic process?  I don’t know the exact number of GOP Representatives currently hold office in Congress, but 147 seems kind of a high percentage. Enough to label the GOP as anti-Democratic?https://www.vox.com/2021/1/6/22218058/republicans-objections-election-results



Yes. As far as I'm concerned, the vast majority of Congressional GOP are traitors operating openly and largely without consequence.



Huntn said:


> Then there are the _“God fearing” _*Evangelicals* who typically identify with Republicans, how are they in the democracy department? The answer has to be based on percentages. Over half? Over half are a little confused about the reported words of God in their bibles, have forgotten what their savior Jesus Christ taught, or have they been seduced by Beelzebub
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> himself?



I don't have a good answer for this except that it's scary to see what the so-called Moral Majority has become.



Huntn said:


> And finally how is a country like the United States with its Constitution, Bill of Rights, highly touted equal opportunity, liberty for all, land of the free and home of the brave supposed to move ahead with a sizable portion of the populace deciding that democracy is not all it’s cracked up to be when they can’t get their way, shoving their self serving, hypocritical views and religion down the rest of our throats??



Good question. I don't have an answer for this one either, but I do say that things are going to keep getting worse as long as we keep letting propaganda operations like Fox and OAN and Newsman and Sinclair, and their internet equivalents, operate without consequence. 

For many years I kept hearing liberals say that the solution to _bad_ free speech is _more_ free speech...basically responding to propaganda with facts. I think we can see now that that's worked like gangbusters. 

Of course, we don't want to become the kind of country where only one kind of opinion is allowed. But we have to recognize that our dedication to the First Amendment has been weaponized and used against us. 

What's the solution? I don't know...maybe a return to the Equal Time rule? Maybe more Dominion-type lawsuits against "news" organizations that blatantly lie and deceive? Maybe the categorization of such speech as hate speech...or at the very least equating it with crying "fire" in a crowded theater with the motive of inducing panic...thereby making such speech prosecutable?

I don't know. All I can tell you is that I'm uncomfortable with any of those solutions...and the only reason I even consider them is that I'm way _more_ uncomfortable with our country turning into a fascist state.


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## JayMysteri0

You guys write so much, and they cover it with so fewer words...
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1365761577312522241/


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## Thomas Veil

“Continue to do exactly what we did in the last election”?

Jesus. They _do_ want a civil war, don’t they?

Because if they go into every election with this entitled attitude of “The only reason we ‘lost’ is the other side cheated,” that’s what’s gonna happen.


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## SuperMatt

Thomas Veil said:


> “Continue to do exactly what we did in the last election”?
> 
> Jesus. They _do_ want a civil war, don’t they?
> 
> Because if they go into every election with this entitled attitude of “The only reason we ‘lost’ is the other side cheated,” that’s what’s gonna happen.



Have national rules for elections; states don’t get to make up their own rules because they clearly cannot be trusted. Anybody who passes a law to make it harder for people to vote should be arrested. They are a traitor to a democracy.

Also, let’s end the idiotic electoral college. Made by racists, and still loved by racists.


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## JayMysteri0

I am going to say that an important part of the agenda is relying on ONLY letting this sort of person the ability to vote
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1365843530724372488/
_"The 19th POTUS"_    






This is the thing that I think is ultimately hilarious.

SOME people actually demanded some sort of intelligence test before OTHERS were allowed to vote.

I wonder how that would work out for SOME now?


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## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> I am going to say that an important part of the agenda is relying on ONLY letting this sort of person the ability to vote
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1365843530724372488/
> 
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> This is the thing that I think is ultimately hilarious.
> 
> SOME people actually demanded some sort of intelligence test before OTHERS allowed to vote.
> 
> I wonder how that would work out for SOME now?



Capcha for voting Which of the following items are fictional


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## JayMysteri0

P_X said:


> Capcha for voting Which of the following items are fictional



Correct answer:  EVERYTHING you read online.


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## Huntn

The Corrupt Republican’s latest excuse for voter suppression:
_*Restore confidence in elections*_

..._among our base who don’t like to loose in a fair election_, while destroying democracy in the United States of America. No biggy, right? 

THIS IS UNHEARD OF BUT NOT SURPRISING, and considering the Corrupt GOP*,  mostly expected.

*I was going to include the word _new_, but this is not new, it‘s just an acceleration of a decades long tactic to hold onto power bending Lady Liberty over and having their way with her, while declaring she asked for it.

As far as the Republican Party is concerned Fair Elections is anathema. And of a huge significance at CPAC 2021, The Head Despicable, Donald J  announced he has no interest in leaving the GOP, but of taking it over completely Which has already appeared to have happened.

The question becomes what percentage of Republicans will leave him or are they all just as hostile to the principles the Nation was founded upon as he is? Principles such a honesty, integrity, democracy, fair elections, liberty, civil rights, level playing fields, equal legal rights, fairness under the law. Today’s GOP has declared itself hostile to the idea America as most of us understand it.

And more disturbing, you can ask what the **** do they see in this mentally ill POS? If these people prevail, the country is in the most danger of imploding since 1776.

https://www.salon.com/2021/02/27/re...ppression-253-restrictive-bills-in-43-states/


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## JayMysteri0

It certainly isn't in electing competent governance...
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1366415906428100615/


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## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> It certainly isn't in electing competent governance...
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1366415906428100615/



They have nobody better than Desantis? I mean that's a pretty short bench.

Imagine Trump with De Santis as the running mate


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## JayMysteri0

P_X said:


> They have nobody better than Desantis? I mean that's a pretty short bench.
> 
> Imagine Trump with De Santis as the running mate



The real concern is in trying to imagine ANY of those people being selected as the nominee.

My eyes are still hurting from all the eye rolling strain when someone in PRSI would post for the umpteenth time that "if the dems had run anyone else but Hilary" excuse.  ANY of those individuals is the republican version of that phrase.  Those same people who uttered the "Hilary" excuse will be the among to first to hire any of those incompetents.


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## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> It certainly isn't in electing competent governance...
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1366415906428100615/



But look at all the other contenders, even Desantes, Trump swamps them all, and the rest... will probably settle for:


​


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## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1366709267361898498/

All the while intentionally refusing to acknowledge they are continually moving to become the domestic threat ( 1/6/21 anyone? ) that they claim others are.


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## JayMysteri0




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## fooferdoggie

Well tomorrow trump becomes what is it the 17th prescient of the United States? what happens to these idiots when trump dies not become god tomorrow? what's left?


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## Huntn

Democrats take the lead on protecting voter rights at the Federal level, while the GOP is busy, busy, busy, trying to suppress the vote of anyone who they feel would vote against them:



			House passes landmark election bill as parties war over voting rights – UnFox News
		


_The Democratic effort aims to block bills in Republican-majority state legislaturesthat would limit mail-in voting, cut back on early voting, impose new voter identification requirements and take other steps that would make voting more difficult.

In Georgia, for example, a bill moving through the Legislature would, among other things, wipe out a day of Sunday voting frequently used by Black congregations, drastically reduce the number of drop boxes available for voters to deposit ballots and impose criminal penalties on groups that give food or water to people standing in line to vote.

People in Georgia, especially in largely Black communities, have “had to wait in extraordinarily long lines to vote, putting in an entire shift, eight hours, standing on their feet,” said Nsé Ufot, chief executive of the New Georgia Project. A law that would “criminally prosecute volunteers who are providing water and snacks,” she said, “is evil — evil and racist.”_


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## Thomas Veil

I hope the Justice Department will sue to overturn as many of these as possible. What I’m less confident of is, now that the Supreme Court has defanged the Voting Rights Act, what basis there would be for such lawsuits... not to mention their chances in a heavily conservative Supreme Court.


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## JayMysteri0

It's been an agenda since the 'southern strat' and they ain't stoppin' with it now.



> Paul Gosar Spoke At A White Nationalist Conference. The GOP Doesn't Care.
> 
> 
> The congressman was the keynote speaker at a conference run by a virulent racist and anti-Semite. HuffPost tried to find a Republican lawmaker to rebuke him.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.huffpost.com





> Last week a sitting U.S. congressman delivered a keynote speech at a white nationalist conference in Florida.
> 
> “Wow, what a group,” Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) said as he took his place behind a podium emblazoned with the letters “AFPAC” — an acronym for America First Political Action Conference, the second annual gathering of the white nationalist “groyper” movement.
> 
> After speaking about “cancel culture,” Big Tech’s supposed censorship of right-wingers, and the need for a big border wall to keep “America First,” Gosar said goodbye to the AFPAC crowd, who’d traveled from across the country to attend the secret gathering inside the Hilton Orlando.
> 
> “May God bless you,” Gosar said. “And may God bless the United States of America.”
> 
> The crowd — a motley crew of unabashed racists and anti-Semites — broke into a chant of “Gosar! Gosar!” to which the congressman responded with a wave, a smile and what looked like an earnest, heartfelt “Thank you.”
> 
> AFPAC’s organizer, white nationalist figurehead Nick Fuentes, took the stage next, telling the crowd that “white people are done being bullied” and that America needs to protect its “white demographic core.”




I think what's telling is when someone fails to realize again that when a 'majority' claims to being bullied, it demonstrates an awareness of being the bully & afraid of the possible receipts when they aren't the majority.



> The next day, Fuentes and Gosar sat down for coffee, according to a photo Fuentes posted to Twitter.
> 
> “Great meeting today with Congressman Gosar,” tweeted Fuentes, a 22-year-old Holocaust denier who once compared Jews killed in Nazi gas chambers to cookies baking in an oven. “America is truly uncancelled.”




Greaatt company there congressman.   



> In the week since AFPAC, the Republican Party has yet to rebuke Gosar. HuffPost this week reached out to the offices of seven prominent Republican politicians — including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) — to see whether they would condemn Gosar for attending an explicitly white nationalist conference. None responded.
> 
> HuffPost also contacted the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Republican National Committee, asking whether they would condemn the congressman.
> 
> Only the RNC responded, sending a boilerplate statement that did not specifically reprimand Gosar at all. “There is no place for anti-Semitism or racism in the Republican Party,” RNC spokesman Tommy Piggot said. “We condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”




Rrrrrriiiiigggghhhtttt...


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## Huntn

From Hulugu at MRs:
Post in thread 'Anti-Democratic Forces Working Hard In America'
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...working-hard-in-america.2282597/post-29659990


hulugu said:


> Worth noting that Arizona's attorney general Mark Brnovich argued in front of the Supreme Court in defense of two Arizona laws intended to make voting more difficult.
> 
> The two laws make so-called "ballot harvesting" illegal, and prohibit out-of-precinct voting. Democrats have argued that the laws violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act—which Republicans have attempted to take apart piece-by-piece.
> 
> During arguments, the attorney for Arizona's GOP was asked by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, “What’s the interest of the Arizona RNC in keeping, say, the out-of-precinct ballot disqualification rules on the books?"
> 
> “Because it puts us at a competitive disadvantage relative to Democrats,” said Michael Carvin, the lawyer defending the state's restrictions. "Politics is a zero-sum game. And every extra vote they get through unlawful interpretation of Section 2 hurts us, it’s the difference between winning an election 50-49 and losing an election 51 to 50."
> 
> All the blather about voting integrity was exposed as an attempt to rewrite the rules of elections, and let the GOP win more votes in Arizona—51 to 50.
> 
> And, the yammering about voting integrity from the GOP is scam.




If you follow the Republican argument it is based on one thing, _we are at a disadvantage _in that voters are not choosing them during elections, at least not enough to win, and their solution is to suppress the vote of the demographics who don’t choose them. They will not acknowledge that their disadvantage, is based on hostility to their ideas, and being rejected by the majority of voters, _so please judge, let us cheat, think of us as an endangered species that needs protection_ (my take ).

This is completely contrary to the concept of legitimate and fair elections. We can’t win elections based on the merits of our platform, so we need _other mechanism _to make it more difficult for our political adversaries to vote, because we deserve to win, even when the majority don’t support us. _Your Honor, enable our one-sided political welfare program.  _

When it comes to elections, you have to make voting easy, not harder, for everyone, and you know Republicans want convenience too, although I suppose if they told their base, _we need really long lines to win, slash mail-in balloting, early voting, and reduce polling places, _the rank and file would be on board if that is what it takes to for their candidate to win. However when it comes to reducing polling places, Republicans have just reduced those locations in perceived enemy territory. When it comes to voter rights, the GOP is not about equal opportunity, but suppression of the enemy.

So Republicans, no one, should get an institution advantage if their ideas don’t have enough merit to win an election. This is really a heinous, shocking, anti-Democratic argument they are pushing. They have become the Anti-Democracy party in America.


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## Yoused

In the my ass needs teeth-marks,

*In what can only be called the pettiest of petty bullshit, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) forced Senate staffers to read the entire 628-page COVID bill aloud on the Senate floor, Thursday, delaying the debate and vote on the bill.

… this might be the best part: Once the reading of the legislation was complete, the Senate would normally have 20 hours to debate on the bill (but) … Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen proposed that the debate time on Friday be shortened from 20 hours to three and because no one, not even dumbass Ron Johnson was around to contest the proposal, the bill reading slowed down nothing.*​


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## SuperMatt

Yoused said:


> In the my ass needs teeth-marks,
> 
> *In what can only be called the pettiest of petty bullshit, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) forced Senate staffers to read the entire 628-page COVID bill aloud on the Senate floor, Thursday, delaying the debate and vote on the bill.*​​*… this might be the best part: Once the reading of the legislation was complete, the Senate would normally have 20 hours to debate on the bill (but) … Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen proposed that the debate time on Friday be shortened from 20 hours to three and because no one, not even dumbass Ron Johnson was around to contest the proposal, the bill reading slowed down nothing.*​



These guys court the religious vote, and do stuff that is cruel to their fellow humans. What pukes.


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## Huntn

Yoused said:


> In the my ass needs teeth-marks,
> 
> *In what can only be called the pettiest of petty bullshit, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) forced Senate staffers to read the entire 628-page COVID bill aloud on the Senate floor, Thursday, delaying the debate and vote on the bill.*​​*… this might be the best part: Once the reading of the legislation was complete, the Senate would normally have 20 hours to debate on the bill (but) … Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen proposed that the debate time on Friday be shortened from 20 hours to three and because no one, not even dumbass Ron Johnson was around to contest the proposal, the bill reading slowed down nothing.*​



I love the language in your link,  among other things:

_Even Trump’s favorite underwear, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), told reporters he wasn’t sitting around to listen to the clerks reading the bill._


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## JayMysteri0

The future


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## JayMysteri0

Also, no shit Sherlock / NYT...





The death of "Bipartisanship" has been on the republican agenda for decades.


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## JayMysteri0

OUCH!!!!


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## JayMysteri0

Another part of the agenda, getting dragged for being who they are on social media



> People are responding to GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy's Tweet, which began with 'Dear President Biden'



https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1369084827031367680/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1369126157954744324/

and...
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1369123274437791747/


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## JayMysteri0

Posted in wrong thread


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## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1369447831908593667/

Meanwhile back at the...



> Pressing his luck, GOP's Gosar tweets white nationalist's motto
> 
> 
> This week, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) thought it'd be a good idea to use social media to echo a white nationalist's motto. Why are GOP leaders silent?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.msnbc.com





> Less than two weeks after speaking at a conference organized by white nationalist Nick Fuentes, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) tweeted a meme on Monday that referenced Fuentes' battle cry. The meme shows a man telling a prostitute to "tell everyone America first is inevitable." ... "America first is inevitable" is Fuentes' slogan, which he invoked during a speech at a far-right event last year and in a tweet that included a photo of him and Gosar together at his America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC) in February.





> Paul Gosar had already earned a reputation for being one of Congress' most right-wing members. The Arizonan made headlines in January, for example, when he argued that the Jan. 6 insurrectionist attack should be seen as an example of "leftist violence." This came on the heels of Gosar going even further than most GOP lawmakers in insisting that Donald Trump won last year's election, reality be damned.
> 
> The congressman has also gained attention for following "out-and-out white nationalists" on Twitter, balking at a resolution condemning QAnon, and disseminating manipulated anti-Obama content via social media.
> 
> Gosar also appeared at a right-wing gathering a few years ago and was asked whether the United States was headed for a second civil war. "We're in it," the Arizonan reportedly replied. "We just haven't started shooting at each other yet.'"





> But last month, the six-term GOP lawmaker went even further by associating himself with Nick Fuentes.
> 
> As we discussed last week, Fuentes has called for "a homeland" for white people, engaged in Holocaust denialism, rallied rioters outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, and found himself permanently suspended from YouTube for promoting hate speech.
> 
> Fuentes is also a white nationalist who hosted a political gathering a few weeks ago called the America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC). Ordinarily, that wouldn't be especially noteworthy, since fringe extremists hold random events all the time, but in this case, Fuentes' conference featured a sitting Republican congressman: Gosar delivered the keynote address at the gathering.
> 
> After the congressman spoke, Fuentes delivered some additional remarks of his own, spending 67 minutes "mocking a disabled member of Congress, calling the Jan. 6 riots 'awesome' and demanding protection for the country's 'White demographic core.'"
> 
> Gosar and Fuentes also apparently met for coffee the day after the event.


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## lizkat

JayMysteri0 said:


> Also, no shit Sherlock / NYT...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The death of "Bipartisanship" has been on the republican agenda for decades.






Yeah, same as GOP attitude towards "small government"...   the Rs want bipartisanship when they don't have enough votes to pass something,  and they want a welfare state when the benefits under consideration are deregulation and corporate tax breaks for megabusiness interests, or tax breaks for the 1% of Americans who now own  30% of all household wealth compared to the bottom 50% who own just 1% of all household wealth...      otherwise the Rs want zero social contract investment,  and bipartisanship can go hang.

All this because only the elections that the GOP manages to win (somehow) are presumed to have consequences.  Everything else gets talking points meant to delegitimize both "big government" and Democratic Party goals or achievements. In fact one could conclude that democracy itself is out of favor among Republicans, since they can't get it to work for them very well any more.

They're still at it:  Liz Cheney just went there with public statements that the Dems could have had bipartisan support for the American Rescue Plan in the House if they'd just made a more reasonable stimulus bill.     The GOP's idea of "more reasonable" had been focused on how can't afford to engage in such egregious "welfare spending".  And why exactly is that sudden call to prudence?   the voters handed control of the WH, House and Senate to the Democrats, that's why.

 So it's only certain elections --ones they win!--  that the Rs figure should have consequences. The ones in 2018 and 2020 when the voters handed the GOP its hat for having supported the likes of Trump and his hijacked party apparently don't count in the minds of Republicans,  who btw have just moved a part of their spring retreat events to Mar a Lago.  The party is signaling not only a "drop dead" attitude towards bipartisanship but the same towards anti-Trump conservatives, even while the ever-narcissistic Trump yelled at them to stop using his likeness in their fundraising appeals, and will obviously interfere however he likes as the 2022 campaigns take shape.

Anyway Republicans saying anything about bipartisanship and how the majority should pay more heed to the minority is completely risible, since Mitch McConnell went on record after Obama's election with intent to make him a one term president, and after Obama's re-electon went on record saying he would continue to block all Democratic-led initiatives.   The Rs must think that just because we have short attention spans we can't look up their past behavior in archives of public records.


----------



## SuperMatt

lizkat said:


> Yeah, same as GOP attitude towards "small government"...   the Rs want bipartisanship when they don't have enough votes to pass something,  and they want a welfare state when the benefits under consideration are deregulation and corporate tax breaks for megabusiness interests, or tax breaks for the 1% of Americans who now own  30% of all household wealth compared to the bottom 50% who own just 1% of all household wealth...      otherwise the Rs want zero social contract investment,  and bipartisanship can go hang.
> 
> All this because only the elections that the GOP manages to win (somehow) are presumed to have consequences.  Everything else gets talking points meant to delegitimize both "big government" and Democratic Party goals or achievements. In fact one could conclude that democracy itself is out of favor among Republicans, since they can't get it to work for them very well any more.
> 
> They're still at it:  Liz Cheney just went there with public statements that the Dems could have had bipartisan support for the American Rescue Plan in the House if they'd just made a more reasonable stimulus bill.     The GOP's idea of "more reasonable" had been focused on how can't afford to engage in such egregious "welfare spending".  And why exactly is that sudden call to prudence?   the voters handed control of the WH, House and Senate to the Democrats, that's why.
> 
> So it's only certain elections --ones they win!--  that the Rs figure should have consequences. The ones in 2018 and 2020 when the voters handed the GOP its hat for having supported the likes of Trump and his hijacked party apparently don't count in the minds of Republicans,  who btw have just moved a part of their spring retreat events to Mar a Lago.  The party is signaling not only a "drop dead" attitude towards bipartisanship but the same towards anti-Trump conservatives, even while the ever-narcissistic Trump yelled at them to stop using his likeness in their fundraising appeals, and will obviously interfere however he likes as the 2022 campaigns take shape.
> 
> Anyway Republicans saying anything about bipartisanship and how the majority should pay more heed to the minority is completely risible, since Mitch McConnell went on record after Obama's election with intent to make him a one term president, and after Obama's re-electon went on record saying he would continue to block all Democratic-led initiatives.   The Rs must think that just because we have short attention spans we can't look up their past behavior in archives of public records.



The Republicans f-ed it up. The bill was $1.9 trillion, and they came back with something 1/4th the size? Come on man... I posted in another thread - 59% of GOP voters support the bill that passed the Senate. ZERO GOP Senators did. Gee, I wonder why 4 GOP Senators have ALREADY announced they’re retiring in 2022 instead of going for re-election?


----------



## SuperMatt

Fox News guy: “y u open border and not skools?“

Jen Psaki:
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1369729288883298307/


----------



## User.45

SuperMatt said:


> Fox News guy: “y u open border and not skools?“
> 
> Jen Psaki:
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1369729288883298307/



OMG. Dunno, did the dude expect Psaki to claim victim and run aways. He got schooled on schools, and it might be just me but I would <NOT> like myself to be in the dude's optical situation.


----------



## JayMysteri0

P_X said:


> OMG. Dunno, did the dude expect Psaki to claim victim and run aways. He got schooled on schools, and it might be just me but I would like myself to be in the dude's optical situation.



First.  Nepotism.

Second.  It's press conferences.  This guy has gone how many years without seeing one that had facts & stuff?  You have to understand he might be thrown by that, and thrown by the person actually knowing her shit & ready to call you out on yours.

It's a new day hacks, get used to it.


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> First.  Nepotism.
> 
> Second.  It's press conferences.  This guy has gone how many years without seeing one that had facts & stuff?  You have to understand he might be thrown by that, and thrown by the person actually knowing her shit & ready to call you out on yours.
> 
> It's a new day hacks, get used to it.



That's been my impression too. He ran out of ammunition the moment he got a coherent response. Pathetic


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> First.  Nepotism.
> 
> Second.  It's press conferences.  This guy has gone how many years without seeing one that had facts & stuff?  You have to understand he might be thrown by that, and thrown by the person actually knowing her shit & ready to call you out on yours.
> 
> It's a new day hacks, get used to it.



For 4 years he threw softballs to Trump‘s minions. Now that he’s supposed to ask a “tough” question of the Dems, he has literally no clue how to do it. On Fox they set up straw men of all the “crazy liberal ideas” and they’re all in on the joke… when they have to actually take on a reasonable person who isn’t in their bubble, they are absolutely out of their depth. Jen should encourage Doocy to ask more questions.


----------



## JayMysteri0

_It's Facebook day_




"Strangely, no one's returning my phone calls.  I know they can call back, they're all getting new iPhones suddenly."


----------



## JayMysteri0

FFS this person is an idiot.




When you crow proudly you came in first place in a race you were the only one to show up for.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> FFS this person is an idiot.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When you crow proudly you came in first place in a race you were the only one to show up for.



Wait, she ran unopposed and only got 75%? So 25% of people wrote in another name? That’s pretty sad.


----------



## fooferdoggie

JayMysteri0 said:


> FFS this person is an idiot.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When you crow proudly you came in first place in a race you were the only one to show up for.



also when you opponent ran off after lots of death threats from you crazy white supremacist supporters no less.


----------



## lizkat

Apparently part of the GOP agenda for 2021 and forward is to emphasize the difference between law enforcement against white folk versus against people of color?  And also to emphasize rightness of derogating the latter as disrespectful of country but taking pride in the former as "patriots?"

We have GOP US Senator Ron Johnson (Wisconsin) now saying he wasn't afraid during the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th because the attackers "love their country"  but that if the insurrectionists had been members of Black Lives Matter, he'd have been concerned.









						Sen. Ron Johnson wasn't worried during Capitol attack because rioters weren't BLM or antifa
					

"Those were people that love this country, that...would never do anything to break the law."




					www.motherjones.com
				




And we also have the Kentucky state senate having passed a law that criminalizes provocative speech hurled at police officers...  despite the fact most legal experts say such a bill violates the First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments...  one can hope that the governor, who happens to be a Democrat, will not sign the bill even if the Kentucky House is stupid enough to pass it next.









						'How dare you': Kentucky Democrats lash out over bill criminalizing police insults, but bill passes state Senate
					

Sen. Gerald Neal, D-Louisville, viewed the bill as a "backhand slap" to the constituents of his district who have protested for racial justice.



					www.usatoday.com
				




It occurs to me that one of the hallmarks of a dictatorship is making it a crime to insult the government.  This did not escape the framers of the USA's constitution.  There's a reason why the First Amendment is the first one.   I remember reading that Niyazov, the first president of Turkmenistan --one of the republics declaring independence in the autumn of 1991 after the Soviet Union had collapsed--  had a law passed early in December of that same year that criminalized speaking ill of him or the new government, most of the ministers of which were men who had held similar positions in the provincial government under the USSR.   Niyazov was well known and considered popular at that time in Turkmenistan, and he had observed that during the summer, over 90% of the residents still wanted a strong USSR but that by autumn a similarly high percentage had read the handwriting on the wall for the Soviet Union's dissolution,  and had joined the bandwagon for independence.   So by December,  having been acclaimed as the republic's first president,  Niyazov took care to cement his "popularity" into criminal law before it had a chance to evaporate.  He ruled entirely by enforcing a cultish adoration of himself until his death in 2006,  having been declared President for Life in 1999 by a Parliament that he had hand-picked.   So in a nutshell the cautionary aura around laws that criminalize negative speech about a government or its agents.  

Anyway that move on the part of the KY Senate is an asinine gesture meant primarily to appeal to a white supemacist component of Kentucky's voter rolls.   Proper training of police officials includes teaching how to deflect verbal abuse without escalating the "conversation" and to just let it roll on by,  since we do have the right of free speech in the USA:  the hard limits on protected speech --including the grey area of "fighting words"--  are not as generous to "hurt feelings" as one might expect or even hope sometimes. 

Still it becomes more clear now that the Republican Party is completely open and shameless about their attachment to and encouragement of white supremacy as essential in their view of how to retain power going forward.   Even while Trump was president there were certain limits and talking points or phrases the GOP pols used to maintain some distance between Trump's problematic rally base and the party itself.   No more.   Trump isn't president now but he still has that following and the Republicans fear if they don't show a 100% buy-in to the attitudes of that base,  Trump can split the party and destroy the GOP's ability to win elections for decades ahead.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> The Republicans f-ed it up. The bill was $1.9 trillion, and they came back with something 1/4th the size? Come on man... I posted in another thread - 59% of GOP voters support the bill that passed the Senate. ZERO GOP Senators did. Gee, I wonder why 4 GOP Senators have ALREADY announced they’re retiring in 2022 instead of going for re-election?



Now they can be reminded by everyone when they run for re-election how they said naw, when it came to helping out citizens in need. For the Republucans out there, considering No Republican voted for this bill, please rip up your check when you get it, ok?


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1373757020961128448/


----------



## lizkat

^^  yah, the Republicans don't even know how they sound to real people any more.    Their talking points grow more shopworn by the day, especially those uttered by now minority leader McConnell in the Senate.   McConnell's remarks upon occasion of Walsh's confirmation as Biden's Secretary of Labor:



> Some Republicans expressed concerns that Walsh would favor organized labor. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said he opposed Walsh’s confirmation because “the Biden administration has already signaled they will ask him to implement* a variety of policies that do not serve the long-term interests of a majority of workers.”*
> 
> “Pro-worker prosperity does not entail having big-government politicians or big-labor bosses micromanage every aspect of the economy to suit liberal fads,” McConnell said Monday.




re my bolding:   like the GOP has a clue what might ever serve long term interests of a majority of workers...   the fall from grace of the middle class started in 1980 with the ascension of Ronald Reagan appealing to blue collar workers with coded racist lingo but shoving both the GOP's economic and social policy way right from where Nixon had earlier located it.

Perhaps McConnell's ability to do arithmetic is slipping too.  The Senate vote to confirm was 68-29, so it wasn't just Dems voting for Walsh's confirmation.

(source Boston Globe )








						Senate confirms Walsh as labor secretary; Janey becomes acting Boston mayor - The Boston Globe
					

Martin J. Walsh is the final department secretary in the Biden administration to be confirmed and his influence as a Cabinet member is likely to be enhanced by his longtime relationship with the president.




					www.bostonglobe.com


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1374388682078052352/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1374388682078052352/



How dare you post that racist meme here, Jay? Gotta love hurt for that one …


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> ^^  yah, the Republicans don't even know how they sound to real people any more.    Their talking points grow more shopworn by the day, especially those uttered by now minority leader McConnell in the Senate.   McConnell's remarks upon occasion of Walsh's confirmation as Biden's Secretary of Labor:
> 
> 
> 
> re my bolding:   like the GOP has a clue what might ever serve long term interests of a majority of workers...   the fall from grace of the middle class started in 1980 with the ascension of Ronald Reagan appealing to blue collar workers with coded racist lingo but shoving both the GOP's economic and social policy way right from where Nixon had earlier located it.
> 
> Perhaps McConnell's ability to do arithmetic is slipping too.  The Senate vote to confirm was 68-29, so it wasn't just Dems voting for Walsh's confirmation.
> 
> (source Boston Globe )
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Senate confirms Walsh as labor secretary; Janey becomes acting Boston mayor - The Boston Globe
> 
> 
> Martin J. Walsh is the final department secretary in the Biden administration to be confirmed and his influence as a Cabinet member is likely to be enhanced by his longtime relationship with the president.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.bostonglobe.com



Their base seems to understand, or have a puzzled look, but have faith.


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> Their base seems to understand, or have a puzzled look, but have faith.




One problem is that we all have an attention span of about 15 seconds...  and the other is the successful selling-in by the GOP to its base that the Democrats are the very devil when it comes to "law and order" and  "right to life" and "morality".    This despite all the asterisks that attach to their tired tropes in reality.   Meanwhile when it comes to economic or taxation policy, their legislative efforts only serve to widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

A danger ensuing from the Trump era is the hollowing out of government agencies, with loss of institutional memory and abilitiy for cross-agency communication and cohesion.    We don't even know yet what the Biden administration is encountering along those lines, but it will take years to repair.

In the meantime the GOP's goal has been to weaken regulatory agencies' rulemaking ability, then point to agency uselessness, defund them as "wasteful",   eventually abolish agency functions in the name of efficiency and "free enterprise" and so leave industry to regulate itself.  Somehow they manage to convince their base this is in voters' interests,  when in fact it only serves to focus power at the top of the executive branch and inner circles of advisors. 

 Then when a Democrat lands in the White House or gains control of one or both houses of Congress,  the GOP flips a switch and starts whining about "big government" usurpation of the people's rights.


----------



## User.45

lizkat said:


> One problem is that we all have an attention span of about 15 seconds...  and the other is the successful selling-in by the GOP to its base that the Democrats are the very devil when it comes to "law and order" and  "right to life" and "morality".    This despite all the asterisks that attach to their tired tropes in reality.   Meanwhile when it comes to economic or taxation policy, their legislative efforts only serve to widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
> 
> A danger ensuing from the Trump era is the hollowing out of government agencies, with loss of institutional memory and abilitiy for cross-agency communication and cohesion.    We don't even know yet what the Biden administration is encountering along those lines, but it will take years to repair.
> 
> In the meantime the GOP's goal has been to weaken regulatory agencies' rulemaking ability, then point to agency uselessness, defund them as "wasteful",   eventually abolish agency functions in the name of efficiency and "free enterprise" and so leave industry to regulate itself.  Somehow they manage to convince their base this is in voters' interests,  when in fact it only serves to focus power at the top of the executive branch and inner circles of advisors.
> 
> Then when a Democrat lands in the White House or gains control of one or both houses of Congress,  the GOP flips a switch and starts whining about "big government" usurpation of the people's rights.




This reminded me of a conversation about the FDA. I was really pissed at the FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn misrepresenting convalescent plasma data in a press conf featuring him and Trump. Since this took place in the presence of Trump, and the mistakes in the statistical interpretation was so amateurish that even a 2nd year medical student is expected to be able to point out the difference, I consider it an effect of Trump. When I mentioned this to my frenemy at MR, his responses were: "Trump cannot corrupt the FDA it's already been corrupt without him." Again, in retrospect, these comments are so blatantly insane, it a sign of masochism that I continued this conversation with him.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

The Republicans need to just rename the party The Contrarians and have their 2 point platform.  If the Democrats are for it they are against it.  If something polls popular among the middle class and below they are against it.


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> One problem is that we all have an attention span of about 15 seconds...  and the other is the successful selling-in by the GOP to its base that the Democrats are the very devil when it comes to "law and order" and  "right to life" and "morality".    This despite all the asterisks that attach to their tired tropes in reality.   Meanwhile when it comes to economic or taxation policy, their legislative efforts only serve to widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
> 
> A danger ensuing from the Trump era is the hollowing out of government agencies, with loss of institutional memory and abilitiy for cross-agency communication and cohesion.    We don't even know yet what the Biden administration is encountering along those lines, but it will take years to repair.
> 
> In the meantime the GOP's goal has been to weaken regulatory agencies' rulemaking ability, then point to agency uselessness, defund them as "wasteful",   eventually abolish agency functions in the name of efficiency and "free enterprise" and so leave industry to regulate itself.  Somehow they manage to convince their base this is in voters' interests,  when in fact it only serves to focus power at the top of the executive branch and inner circles of advisors.
> 
> Then when a Democrat lands in the White House or gains control of one or both houses of Congress,  the GOP flips a switch and starts whining about "big government" usurpation of the people's rights.



The GOP has become an evil, anti-democrati, anti-patriotic (if patriotism has not been redefined as looking out for your perceived self interest of holding power) organization that depends on co-conspirators and lots of dummies at home who they can appeal to based on wedge issues while they suck the life blood out of them.


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> The GOP has become an evil, anti-democrati, anti-patriotic (if patriotism has not been redefined as looking out for your perceived self interest of holding power) organization that depends on co-conspirators and lots of dummies at home who they can appeal to based on wedge issues while they suck the life blood out of them.




It's not like the Republican Party did not see how inevitable their chosen path forward would become,  particularly from the time of Newt Gingrich forward.    They walked into the need for anti-democratic maneuvering with eyes wide open, embracing also the fact that they risked eventual outright fracture of their party over the so-called "Conservative Dilemma":  basically that their economic policies --siding with the wealthy-- would not only widen the wealth gap between those elites and ordinary Americans, but would eventually run into headwinds at election time. 

The GOP movers and shakers always knew that their anti-tax, anti-labor and anti-regulatory stances meant to attract big business and wealthy stakeholders would not appeal to the middle class if the spotlight was on such issues.  So they adopted a much sharper focus on things with more emotional bandwidth,  including gun rights, anti-abortion, "law and order", with dog-whistled appeals to white supremacy and xenophobia thrown in to appeal to more southern and rural voters.

And as of the 90s, the leaders of the Republican Party became relentless in enforcing platform discipline within that party, which of course led to incessant primaries from the right as time went on.    Few casual followers of American politics today may remember that Nixon and even Bush 41 were both far more progressive in terms of social contract policy than the GOP became after 1992, but it's quite true that neither of those guys could even land a spot on the presidential ballots of today's Republican Party. 

What's interesting now though is the fissuring of the GOP at state party levels and sometimes versus the RNC or vis-a-vis Donald Trump.   Some states' party officials have swung way right in support of Trump,  and the RNC continues to try to keep the pro-Trump electorate on board even while paying lip service to "rule of law" --while having winked at Trump's big lies about election fraud in 2020.

That requirement for Republican pols and officlals to thread needles in order not just to win elections but keep the party from a formal fracture puts a whole new spin on what "conservative dilemma" translates to for 2021 and forward. I mean we're talking about a party that essentially sheds / shreds aspects of our Constitution now whenever rule of law gets in the way of their need to suppress voter rights in the interests of retaining power.

 For the time being, some on the far right --ever since Trump's first impeachment--  have adopted a kind of circus attitude, i.e. "pay no mind since this whole thing is obviously just theater" because it actually helps the pro-Trump cause: to reduce interest of the citizens in taking Congress seriously.   It's mind boggling to realize that elected Congress critters are thus participating in an effort to make the Presidency the sole source of American federal power. 

There's been an assumption there, of course,  that Republicans would retain the White House,  and so maybe Trump's "president for life"  jokes were never really a joke, not to Trump and certainly not to his most devoted followers.     So it's no wonder the uproar when American voters turned up in enough numbers in 2020 to say "uh, no" and make it stick. 

The question now, even as investigations and criminal charges continue regarding the January 6th insurrection,  is whether the GOP can even find a platform to replace the cult of personality they signed up for with Donald Trump.   Apparently they're not sure, since over 250 pieces of voter-suppressive legislation have been thrown into the hopper at state level since the 2020 elections.   So the "conservative dilemma" continues, and the answer the GOP is coming up with so far is just to bet the house on anti-democracy and to hell with policy platforms.

 I'm not at all sure American voters will sit still for this.   A lot of people have had epiphanies about the role of federal government since the coronavirus landed here and got shoved under the rug by Trump in the early days.   People remembered better responses to negative events in past administrations, whether the problem was financial or a matter of public health.    Suddenly the idea of drowning government in the bathtub wasn't so amusing any more, even as it became apparent that Trump and the GOP before him had made strong strides in that direction...  the whole idea was for nobody to be home when the phone rang at an agency.   So it came to pass, but as it turns out, Americans didn't like that when it became a reality instead of a goal.  Now the Dems can run the table (unless they refuse to deal with the filibuster at all), and the GOP is left to try to pick up the pieces.  So far it's a waiting game to see what comes of the insurrection investigations and what Trump's legal situations will morph into as he tries to plan his own future, in or out of official Republican politics.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> It's not like the Republican Party did not see how inevitable their chosen path forward would become,  particularly from the time of Newt Gingrich forward.    They walked into the need for anti-democratic maneuvering with eyes wide open, embracing also the fact that they risked eventual outright fracture of their party over the so-called "Conservative Dilemma":  basically that their economic policies --siding with the wealthy-- would not only widen the wealth gap between those elites and ordinary Americans, but would eventually run into headwinds at election time.
> 
> The GOP movers and shakers always knew that their anti-tax, anti-labor and anti-regulatory stances meant to attract big business and wealthy stakeholders would not appeal to the middle class if the spotlight was on such issues.  So they adopted a much sharper focus on things with more emotional bandwidth,  including gun rights, anti-abortion, "law and order", with dog-whistled appeals to white supremacy and xenophobia thrown in to appeal to more southern and rural voters.
> 
> And as of the 90s, the leaders of the Republican Party became relentless in enforcing platform discipline within that party, which of course led to incessant primaries from the right as time went on.    Few casual followers of American politics today may remember that Nixon and even Bush 41 were both far more progressive in terms of social contract policy than the GOP became after 1992, but it's quite true that neither of those guys could even land a spot on the presidential ballots of today's Republican Party.
> 
> What's interesting now though is the fissuring of the GOP at state party levels and sometimes versus the RNC or vis-a-vis Donald Trump.   Some states' party officials have swung way right in support of Trump,  and the RNC continues to try to keep the pro-Trump electorate on board even while paying lip service to "rule of law" --while having winked at Trump's big lies about election fraud in 2020.
> 
> That requirement for Republican pols and officlals to thread needles in order not just to win elections but keep the party from a formal fracture puts a whole new spin on what "conservative dilemma" translates to for 2021 and forward. I mean we're talking about a party that essentially sheds / shreds aspects of our Constitution now whenever rule of law gets in the way of their need to suppress voter rights in the interests of retaining power.
> 
> For the time being, some on the far right --ever since Trump's first impeachment--  have adopted a kind of circus attitude, i.e. "pay no mind since this whole thing is obviously just theater" because it actually helps the pro-Trump cause: to reduce interest of the citizens in taking Congress seriously.   It's mind boggling to realize that elected Congress critters are thus participating in an effort to make the Presidency the sole source of American federal power.
> 
> There's been an assumption there, of course,  that Republicans would retain the White House,  and so maybe Trump's "president for life"  jokes were never really a joke, not to Trump and certainly not to his most devoted followers.     So it's no wonder the uproar when American voters turned up in enough numbers in 2020 to say "uh, no" and make it stick.
> 
> The question now, even as investigations and criminal charges continue regarding the January 6th insurrection,  is whether the GOP can even find a platform to replace the cult of personality they signed up for with Donald Trump.   Apparently they're not sure, since over 250 pieces of voter-suppressive legislation have been thrown into the hopper at state level since the 2020 elections.   So the "conservative dilemma" continues, and the answer the GOP is coming up with so far is just to bet the house on anti-democracy and to hell with policy platforms.
> 
> I'm not at all sure American voters will sit still for this.   A lot of people have had epiphanies about the role of federal government since the coronavirus landed here and got shoved under the rug by Trump in the early days.   People remembered better responses to negative events in past administrations, whether the problem was financial or a matter of public health.    Suddenly the idea of drowning government in the bathtub wasn't so amusing any more, even as it became apparent that Trump and the GOP before him had made strong strides in that direction...  the whole idea was for nobody to be home when the phone rang at an agency.   So it came to pass, but as it turns out, Americans didn't like that when it became a reality instead of a goal.  Now the Dems can run the table (unless they refuse to deal with the filibuster at all), and the GOP is left to try to pick up the pieces.  So far it's a waiting game to see what comes of the insurrection investigations and what Trump's legal situations will morph into as he tries to plan his own future, in or out of official Republican politics.




The GOP’s current platform is 100% fearmongering, which in a perverse way has managed to somewhat keep it as a viable party because, as you alluded to, the decades of “stick with us and our policies and everybody will be better off” has proven to be the lie it always was. To that end, the GOP does actually owe Trump a great deal of gratitude because his tactic of lie and divide with authority put some wind back in the party’s deflated sails. It shouldn’t be all that surprising that many Republican politicians are doubling down on that tactic. It’s all they have.

Unfortunately it has also exposed the true amount of rubes we have in this country. I’m not all that shocked by the white supremacists, but the proudly ignorant count is alarming, especially coming from a group of people claiming to not trust any politicians, yet they'll blindly believe the country's most successful conman (with mountains of proof of it) just because he didn't come from the world of politics. I’d say far more deplorables were created by Trump than were there before he took office. People who might have known or behaved better before suddenly went “Did you hear what he just said? We can get away with that now in a position of authority? Fuck yeah! I don’t even have to think now before I speak. This shit is going to be easy!”


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I’d say far more deplorables were created by Trump than were there before he took office. People who might have known or behaved better before suddenly went “Did you hear what he just said? We can get away with that now in a position of authority? Fuck yeah! I don’t even have to think now before I speak. This shit is going to be easy!”




....  yeah....  Trump set such a swell example.  I remember saying in 2016 that I wouldn't let someone like him into my living room if I had kids in the house and that would have included his on-TV appearances.    How little did I know how far I could double down on that as time went on!

And it's not like we weren't warned, but the warnings HRC offered on "the deplorables" and Trump's appeal to them was mocked all over the planet.   People (and including media outlets for sure) do hear just what they want to hear, and sometimes they just want a quotable gaffe and could not care less whether the actual remark has merit or should be taken with a grain (or long ton) of salt.

Of course there were other reasons so many people chose not to vote for the Democrat in 2016.   Would love to hear some of them go on record more openly than they did around their kitchen tables in 2020 though,  when they had changed their minds and --in combination with not just covid-19 but major Democratic Party turnout efforts--  things went bad for Trump's re-election expectations. 

Still, it must be embarrassing for any minds-now-changed deplorables to cop to having voted for Trump even once, somehow thinking that things could possibly go well for the USA with him at the helm and a raft of own-agenda cabinet picks at the ready.      But Clinton had been a most-hated figure per the far right for decades, so a lot of that vote was more against her than for Trump, in my own view.   Had he been more an average GOP pick running against her,  say Jeb Bush or John Kasich,  Hillary Clinton might have won just on reduced turnout from the right-leaners.  But the pots stirred by the right against her for so long really boiled over in 2016 and helped put him over the top in 2016. 

What's not surprising though as you say is how many more deplorables came out of the woodwork during four years of the Deplorable in Chief.


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> It's not like the Republican Party did not see how inevitable their chosen path forward would become,  particularly from the time of Newt Gingrich forward.    They walked into the need for anti-democratic maneuvering with eyes wide open, embracing also the fact that they risked eventual outright fracture of their party over the so-called "Conservative Dilemma":  basically that their economic policies --siding with the wealthy-- would not only widen the wealth gap between those elites and ordinary Americans, but would eventually run into headwinds at election time.
> 
> The GOP movers and shakers always knew that their anti-tax, anti-labor and anti-regulatory stances meant to attract big business and wealthy stakeholders would not appeal to the middle class if the spotlight was on such issues.  So they adopted a much sharper focus on things with more emotional bandwidth,  including gun rights, anti-abortion, "law and order", with dog-whistled appeals to white supremacy and xenophobia thrown in to appeal to more southern and rural voters.
> 
> And as of the 90s, the leaders of the Republican Party became relentless in enforcing platform discipline within that party, which of course led to incessant primaries from the right as time went on.    Few casual followers of American politics today may remember that Nixon and even Bush 41 were both far more progressive in terms of social contract policy than the GOP became after 1992, but it's quite true that neither of those guys could even land a spot on the presidential ballots of today's Republican Party.
> 
> What's interesting now though is the fissuring of the GOP at state party levels and sometimes versus the RNC or vis-a-vis Donald Trump.   Some states' party officials have swung way right in support of Trump,  and the RNC continues to try to keep the pro-Trump electorate on board even while paying lip service to "rule of law" --while having winked at Trump's big lies about election fraud in 2020.
> 
> That requirement for Republican pols and officlals to thread needles in order not just to win elections but keep the party from a formal fracture puts a whole new spin on what "conservative dilemma" translates to for 2021 and forward. I mean we're talking about a party that essentially sheds / shreds aspects of our Constitution now whenever rule of law gets in the way of their need to suppress voter rights in the interests of retaining power.
> 
> For the time being, some on the far right --ever since Trump's first impeachment--  have adopted a kind of circus attitude, i.e. "pay no mind since this whole thing is obviously just theater" because it actually helps the pro-Trump cause: to reduce interest of the citizens in taking Congress seriously.   It's mind boggling to realize that elected Congress critters are thus participating in an effort to make the Presidency the sole source of American federal power.
> 
> There's been an assumption there, of course,  that Republicans would retain the White House,  and so maybe Trump's "president for life"  jokes were never really a joke, not to Trump and certainly not to his most devoted followers.     So it's no wonder the uproar when American voters turned up in enough numbers in 2020 to say "uh, no" and make it stick.
> 
> The question now, even as investigations and criminal charges continue regarding the January 6th insurrection,  is whether the GOP can even find a platform to replace the cult of personality they signed up for with Donald Trump.   Apparently they're not sure, since over 250 pieces of voter-suppressive legislation have been thrown into the hopper at state level since the 2020 elections.   So the "conservative dilemma" continues, and the answer the GOP is coming up with so far is just to bet the house on anti-democracy and to hell with policy platforms.
> 
> I'm not at all sure American voters will sit still for this.   A lot of people have had epiphanies about the role of federal government since the coronavirus landed here and got shoved under the rug by Trump in the early days.   People remembered better responses to negative events in past administrations, whether the problem was financial or a matter of public health.    Suddenly the idea of drowning government in the bathtub wasn't so amusing any more, even as it became apparent that Trump and the GOP before him had made strong strides in that direction...  the whole idea was for nobody to be home when the phone rang at an agency.   So it came to pass, but as it turns out, Americans didn't like that when it became a reality instead of a goal.  Now the Dems can run the table (unless they refuse to deal with the filibuster at all), and the GOP is left to try to pick up the pieces.  So far it's a waiting game to see what comes of the insurrection investigations and what Trump's legal situations will morph into as he tries to plan his own future, in or out of official Republican politics.



The country is at a critical juncture where Republicons have decided where they control State legislatures they can toss out any election results that don‘t favor their party, fuck the voters, fuck democracy, seize power and hold on dearly, and can imagine this as the beginning of a revolution whether it be hard or soft.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1375621822880739343/


----------



## Yoused

*A large container ship tried to do some fancy drifting* in the Suez Canal – got stuck sideways, blocking all the other traffic from getting past. A _lot of other_ traffic.

The is now talk of renaming the ship "The McConnell".


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> The country is at a critical juncture where Republicons have decided where they control State legislatures they can toss out any election results that don‘t favor their party, fuck the voters, fuck democracy, seize power and hold on dearly, and can imagine this as the beginning of a revolution whether it be hard or soft.




Yep.   What else could one think when there are over 250 bills pending in GOP-controlled state legislatures in the USA now that are meant to make it harder to vote.     Georgia's offering made it through both state chambers and so is seen to be a template for other states where the GOP wants to roll things back to the Jim Crow era,  one studied voter-inconvenience at a time.     The governor of Georgia signed that bill into law in his office,* in front of a painting of a plantation*, in case anyone still doesn't get the picture.









						Georgia governor signed a voter suppression law under a painting of a slave plantation | Will Bunch
					

An investigation into a legacy of Georgia's white supremacy hiding in plain sight behind the state's new Jim Crow-style voting law.




					www.inquirer.com


----------



## Huntn

*March 2021*- In further signs of Republicon mental impairment, some Prominent party members are striking out against the idea of COVID passports, and/or they are just up to their usual fun and games trying to convince the lowest denominator, their base that such a logical response to a deadly pandemic would be violation of individual liberty, along with a common theme of desperation: _evil, evil Joe Biden, _The imagined concerns are: he’ll take your guns and then molest your kids and spouses in that order. 

Regarding the latter and who they last backed, Corrupt _grab’m by the ****, Storm The Capitol for the win! _Donny, talk about projection.  You must recognize this kind of manipulation is a sickness, highly contagious in today’s GOP, not that manipulating their dullards can’t be fun, but the idea that this kind of poison will win over a majority of Americans.

God help us, if we collectively are not smart enough to avoid falling for this kind of partisan bilge.

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/covid-vaccine-republicans-passports/2021/03/31/id/1015873/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56522408
This is just another in the avalanche of signs including their latest patriotic scheme to neuter democratic elections, that it’s time for this virulent political party to be retired from holding public office.


----------



## Yoused

Huntn said:


> This is just another in the avalanche of signs including their latest patriotic scheme to neuter democratic elections



I think the word you are looking for there is "crapalanche".


----------



## JayMysteri0

At what point does common sense enter any conversation with the republican agenda?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1378741837989576707/


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> At what point does common sense enter any conversation with the republican agenda?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1378741837989576707/



I'm no economist, but I'd personally wouldn't look for economic advice from the consistently worst performing state on this matter...


----------



## JayMysteri0

P_X said:


> I'm no economist, but I'd personally wouldn't look for economic advice from the consistently worst performing state on this matter...



I'm still trying to grasp the repeated republican playbook.  You can't do anything for the country until you cut taxes.  The taxes that are used to pay for such things.

I'm no math genius, but in this case I don't have to be.

I just have to NOT be a republican.

After all, the tell was that the governor said, "Democrats should pay for", because no republican gives a shit about the country as a whole.


----------



## leekohler2

Oops, wrong forum.


----------



## Alli

P_X said:


> I'm no economist, but I'd personally wouldn't look for economic advice from the consistently worst performing state on this matter...



And that's why Alabama's state motto is "thank goodness for Mississippi."


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> At what point does common sense enter any conversation with the republican agenda?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1378741837989576707/



The good ole rip you off trickle down as the tax cuts have to go to the wealthy.


----------



## JayMysteri0

THIS will make for sadness.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1379204428717301761/

...And yes, THIS guy will STILL be a dick one should NOT count on...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1379207779617959936/


----------



## Thomas Veil

Manchin must be so frustrating for Democrats to have to work with. It’s like having another Susan Collins you have to talk to and cajole...except he’s _supposedly_ already on your side.

(All right, I think Siri is a little anti-Asian racist. I typed “Manchin” and it “corrected” it to “Manchu”.)


----------



## User.45

Following thread title:


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1379400243951833093/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1378848267954483201/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1378500036343005185/



> No Longer Available
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.wdsu.com




I wonder why the republicans didn't run on this as part of their agenda?


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1379400243951833093/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1378848267954483201/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1378500036343005185/
> 
> 
> 
> I wonder why the republicans didn't run on this as part of their agenda?



They’ll run against it to say they oppose government spending. Then, when it passes, they will take credit for the positive outcomes in their State(s). They already tried to pull that  with the COVID bill they all opposed.


----------



## User.45

I love this paradox, if they took care of problem #1, they wouldn't have problem #2. But what do I know.


----------



## Huntn

In a nutshell the problem with the 21st Century GOzP, they don’t bare their souls until they are retired while their party ends up in the likes of... Lucifer. And they think coming clean deserves kudos after they handed over the reins, like their God will give them an atta’boy. And from what constitutes today’s Republicans, their answer regarding anyone who speaks the truth? _TRAITORS_ or _THEY’ve lost their minds! _What a way to go through life. 

Boehner called Cruz ‘Lucifer in the flesh’​https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/28/politics/john-boehner-ted-cruz-lucifer-stanford/index.html


----------



## User.45

Huntn said:


> In a nutshell the problem with the 21st Century GOzP, they don’t bare their souls until they are retired while their party ends up in the likes of... Lucifer. And they think coming clean deserves kudos after they handed over the reins, like their God will give them an atta’boy. And from what constitutes today’s Republicans, their answer regarding anyone who speaks the truth? _TRAITORS_ or _THEY’ve lost their minds! _What a way to go through life.
> 
> Boehner calls Cruz ‘Lucifer in the flesh’​https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/28/politics/john-boehner-ted-cruz-lucifer-stanford/index.html



This article didn't age very well


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1381971493769379840/


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1382042243981320195/



> President-Elect Joe Biden Hits 80 Million Votes In Year Of Record Turnout
> 
> 
> The 2020 presidential election saw the most votes in U.S. history at 156 million and counting, and the highest participation rate since 1900.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.npr.org




To paraphrase:  "Denial is a helluva drug".


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1381971493769379840/



My ****** god... this should be a parody of the psycho American family, wrapping themselves in the corrupted flag, but it is too close to the reality.


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1382042243981320195/
> 
> 
> 
> To paraphrase:  "Denial is a helluva drug".



I like this version of McConnell That smirk is replaced by this masked facies that somehow still manages to signal fear 
As a guy from a party that failed to win popular vote nearly every modern presidential election, his claims of "nobody wanting reform" is doubly hilarious. They even failed to keep power by their own gerrymandered standards, which makes schadenfreude even sweeter.

I know he's trying to rile up GOP voters, too bad that math is really murky at best with the new GQP wing. I think this is why there's so much fear in his voice.


----------



## Thomas Veil

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1381971493769379840/



Those poor children. Their brains must be already shrinking from being washed so much.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Huntn said:


> In a nutshell the problem with the 21st Century GOzP, they don’t bare their souls until they are retired while their party ends up in the likes of... Lucifer. And they think coming clean deserves kudos after they handed over the reins, like their God will give them an atta’boy. And from what constitutes today’s Republicans, their answer regarding anyone who speaks the truth? _TRAITORS_ or _THEY’ve lost their minds! _What a way to go through life.
> 
> Boehner calls Cruz ‘Lucifer in the flesh’​https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/28/politics/john-boehner-ted-cruz-lucifer-stanford/index.html



Did you miss the part about one of Boehner's "colleagues" holding a knife to his throat?

Cruz is such an asshole. He reacted to Boehner's criticism of him by basically calling Boehner  a drunk. 

His claims of representing the people are totally delusional.


----------



## SuperMatt

I listened to an interview with boehner and he really held the tea party in contempt. Then, he said even worse things about the trump movement and folks like Ted Cruz. But I still don't like him. He kept saying that a leader without followers is just a person taking a walk. That was his excuse for promoting tea party ideas that he knew were bad policy.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> I listened to an interview with boehner and he really held the tea party in contempt. Then, he said even worse things about the trump movement and folks like Ted Cruz. But I still don't like him. He kept saying that a leader without followers is just a person taking a walk. That was his excuse for promoting tea party ideas that he knew were bad policy.



When he was in an important position, he was with them at least publicly and with his actions.


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> When he was in an important position, he was with them at least publicly and with his actions.



Exactly. He admitted as much during the interview. But he kept excusing it with that stupid line about leadership. That’s not really leadership if you’re letting them lead you.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1382364064752357377/


----------



## SuperMatt

Tucker Carlson spreading lies about Kristen Clarke, President Biden’s nominee to head the civil rights division of the Department of Justice....

Republicans are scared of her!









						Opinion | Why Tucker Carlson Is Obsessed With Kristen Clarke (Published 2021)
					

She’s a fighter for civil rights. Of course Fox News is trying to smear her.




					www.nytimes.com


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1382364064752357377/



I saw a good one on reddit: [many] conservatives think that the law should protect but not bind in-group personse, but also the law should bind but not protect out-group persons. This tweet explains this ideology well.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> Tucker Carlson spreading lies about Kristen Clarke, President Biden’s nominee to head the civil rights division of the Department of Justice....
> 
> Republicans are scared of her!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Opinion | Why Tucker Carlson Is Obsessed With Kristen Clarke (Published 2021)
> 
> 
> She’s a fighter for civil rights. Of course Fox News is trying to smear her.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com



You should see those Texas boys in action.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Finally taking those baby steps to actually try governing, even if it goes against their nature...



> Senate breaks filibuster on Asian-American hate crime bill
> 
> 
> WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate opened debate Wednesday on legislation confronting the <a href="https://apnews...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> apnews.com





> Typically, the Democratic-sponsored COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act might quickly face a filibuster, opposed by Republicans who prefer a different approach. But under the Senate leaders’ agreement struck at the start of the year, Republicans and Democrats pledged to try to at least try to debate bills to see if they could reach agreement through the legislative process.
> 
> Senators voted overwhelmingly, 92-6, to proceed Wednesday to consideration of the bill.






> Senate Republicans have panned the legislation for various shortcomings, but most were reluctant to exercise the filibuster to block it. Opposing it could expose senators to claims they are being racially insensitive.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1382497753691983872/


----------



## JayMysteri0

I was reading this article, and one particular thing jumped out at me



> Moderate Republicans want Senator Biden back
> 
> 
> Biden’s long Senate history is looming over his administration’s next big legislative push.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.vox.com






> Last week, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, one of the main Cabinet secretaries leading discussions with members, said that the main disagreements between Democrats and Republicans on infrastructure are the scale of the plan and how to pay for it. *Biden’s pay-for proposal is raising the corporate tax rate to 28 percent, which many Republicans see as an undoing of their 2017 tax cut bil*l. *Republicans are also poised to unveil their own infrastructure counteroffer, the price tag of which could be $600 billion to $800 billion and be paid for using a gas tax or other mileage fees*.




Here's an infrastructure plan that would help EVERYONE.  Citizens & businesses, but the group that already handed businesses a break that one can question they needed, thinks any such plan should be put ON the citizens they DON'T want to give a break to.  At least hide your contempt for the American people!  Then make mouth noises about concern for the forgotten voices of America.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> I was reading this article, and one particular thing jumped out at me
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's an infrastructure plan that would help EVERYONE.  Citizens & businesses, but the group that already handed businesses a break that one can question they needed, thinks any such plan should be put ON the citizens they DON'T want to give a break to.  At least hide your contempt for the American people!  Then make mouth noises about concern for the forgotten voices of America.



Wow, they’re gonna pay for it with a regressive tax instead of a progressive tax? They REALLY haven’t learned anything. Just keep taking a dump on average Americans to save money for the billionaires. F them all.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> Wow, they’re gonna pay for it with a regressive tax instead of a progressive tax? They REALLY haven’t learned anything. Just keep taking a dump on average Americans to save money for the billionaires. F them all.



Oh yeah.

The R's know who is most affected by a gas tax.

Then will rail about how high gas taxes are, and it's dems fault.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Oh yeah.
> 
> The R's know who is most affected by a gas tax.
> 
> Then will rail about how high gas taxes are, and it's dems fault.



I like how they are threatening the mileage fee too. They don’t want those crazy liberals with their electric cars to get off without paying the tax.


----------



## JayMysteri0

What the   ing ety ?!

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1382886393156878338/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1382905563143495681/

At what point do we officially get to call people ing evil?  Are they that desperate for attention?


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> What the   ing ety ?!
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1382886393156878338/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1382905563143495681/
> 
> At what point do we officially get to call people ing evil?  Are they that desperate for attention?



They took the whole “Party of No” a bit seriously.


----------



## JayMysteri0

When you pivot from tanking your pillow business

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1383485777858887687/


----------



## JayMysteri0

THIS all fucking day & everyday  from this point on.

or to translate into "Jay" speak...

"Eat a dick, and then grow one of your own."


----------



## JayMysteri0

To emphasize the previous

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1384139202581860355/


----------



## shadow puppet

This is what happens when you can't stop smoking crack.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1384233733817978880/


----------



## Thomas Veil

JayMysteri0 said:


> THIS all fucking day & everyday  from this point on.
> 
> or to translate into "Jay" speak...
> 
> "Eat a dick, and then grow one of your own."



This.

Liberals need to learn how to talk the talk.

"Conservatives are coming for your freedoms. The freedom to go shopping without fear of being gunned down. The freedom to vote by mail without jumping through a Republican-made obstacle course. _You_ can't have the state automatically mail a ballot to your home, but _they_ can have all the guns they want. Heck, at the rate things are going, if conservatives have their way your kids might not live long enough to _need_ a ballot."


----------



## thekev

shadow puppet said:


> This is what happens when you can't stop smoking crack.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1384233733817978880/




She also uses the phrase "low IQ" for Maxine Waters. This should be sufficient to tell you (or rather everyone) that Brigitte Gabriel is a jackass.


----------



## User.45

thekev said:


> She also uses the phrase "low IQ" for Maxine Waters. This should be sufficient to tell you (or rather everyone) that Brigitte Gabriel is a jackass.



Ironically, I've never met a smart person yet who called someone else  "low IQ." And I worked with a bunch of psychologists specializing in IQ testing in a previous life.


----------



## JayMysteri0

P_X said:


> Ironically, I've never met a smart person yet who called someone else  "low IQ." And I worked with a bunch of psychologists specializing in IQ testing in a previous life.



I think there's a phrase somewhere, that basically says a fool call others 'stupid', to convince themselves they are smart.


----------



## lizkat

JayMysteri0 said:


> I wonder why the republicans didn't run on this as part of their agenda?




Part and parcel of why the Republicans declined to formulate an official platform in the 2020 convention, past "Trump da man".  They know that GOP leadership is out of step with not only the majority of Americans but a growing percentage of their own base on matters of policy and in particular big ticket items like infrastructure and health care.

The interesting thing now though is that the Dems are starting to take advantage of the growing split between CORPORATE America and the Republicans' reluctance to rein in their own fringe.


----------



## thekev

P_X said:


> Ironically, I've never met a smart person yet who called someone else  "low IQ."




It's one of a small number of things where, as soon as someone says it, I assume it's likely that they're a jackass. Ignoring that believe they can assess such a thing through simple observations (and without training to administer an IQ test), they are still looking down on others on the (assumed) basis of personal traits rather than actions. 



P_X said:


> And I worked with a bunch of psychologists specializing in IQ testing in a previous life.




That phrasing is extremely funny. People sometimes use it when referring to prior careers, but the way you state it, it sounds like they just act like they once did this.


----------



## User.45

thekev said:


> It's one of a small number of things where, as soon as someone says it, I assume it's likely that they're a jackass. Ignoring that believe they can assess such a thing through simple observations (and without training to administer an IQ test), they are still looking down on others on the (assumed) basis of personal traits rather than actions.



Agree. People don't understand IQ tests. Most actually have a very poor understanding of standardized tests in general. Which is ironic, because understanding how tests are normalized makes you a much better test taker. There's a saying that once the benchmark becomes the goal measure, it stops being predictive of the object it was originally designed to measure. I share your suspicion towards people who use the term at all... To me it's only a tool to identify what some people will have difficulties with. It never replaces effort. 


thekev said:


> That phrasing is extremely funny. People sometimes use it when referring to prior careers, but the way you state it, it sounds like they just act like they once did this.



Yup I missed a comma Although, I think studying IQ is a "past life" activity for some of them too.


----------



## thekev

P_X said:


> I share your suspicion towards people who use the term at all... To me it's only a tool to identify what some people will have difficulties with. It never replaces effort.




It's partly but not exclusively that. When people use the term "low IQ", it indicates both an assertion and an attempt to apply a stigma or social penalty. Even if they were to administer an IQ prior to issuing their statement as a justification (which, as you point out, is still flawed), using the results in this manner would still be firmly in the realm of jerk behavior.



P_X said:


> Yup I missed a comma Although, I think studying IQ is a "past life" activity for some of them too.




It turned out so much better that way. English is highly susceptible to weird perturbations, and some of them are really funny.


----------



## User.45

thekev said:


> It's partly but not exclusively that. When people use the term "low IQ", it indicates *both an assertion and an attempt to apply a stigma or social penalty.* Even if they were to administer an IQ prior to issuing their statement as a justification (which, as you point out, is still flawed), using the results in this manner would still be firmly in the realm of jerk behavior.



With and the implication that the person who uses the term, does not have a "low IQ", aware such, and is an arbiter of IQ. Each of these notions is hilarious on its own in the era of people identifying with their on-line quiz IQ test results



thekev said:


> It turned out so much better that way. English is highly susceptible to weird perturbations, and some of them are really funny.



Long, awkward sentences with compound words you can make up on the fly. That's what my mind was shaped to work with. Takes extra effort to deviate from that.


----------



## thekev

P_X said:


> With and the implication that the person who uses the term, does not have a "low IQ", aware such, and is an arbiter of IQ. Each of these notions is hilarious on its own in the era of people identifying with their on-line quiz IQ test results




I get that. I used to find it funny, but it gets annoying fast if you find yourself interacting with such people.



P_X said:


> Long, awkward sentences with compound words you can make up on the fly. That's what my mind was shaped to work with. Takes extra effort to deviate from that.




This is common in first and second drafts of academic literature. I've rewritten quite a few of those sentences for other people. It can be difficult, because you have to determine both the correctness of the original statement and whether the editing alters the semantics rather than just sentence structure.


----------



## User.45

thekev said:


> I get that. I used to find it funny, but it gets annoying fast if you find yourself interacting with such people.
> 
> 
> 
> This is common in first and second drafts of academic literature. I've rewritten quite a few of those sentences for other people. It can be difficult, because you have to determine both the correctness of the original statement and whether the editing alters the semantics rather than just sentence structure.



We are so off, BTW, but the irony is that this conversation covers the essence of the current GQP policy agenda. Nothing


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1384504971765420032/

Amen!


----------



## JayMysteri0

Still their ultimate fallback

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1384468241876197383/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1384472426256375812/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1384554580927782920/


----------



## thekev

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1384504971765420032/
> 
> Amen!




It's also the opposite of their attitude last election, where they used phrases like "elections have consequences", "fuck your feelings", etc. It's also Republicans who like to complain about participation trophies.


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1384554580927782920/





> This is literally the entire reason the Electoral College exists in the first place. Rural states wanted assurances of the limits of federal power over their sovereignty in order to join the union.



I partially agree with this notion (not from a historical perspective) that you want to have some checks and balances so smaller / weaker states are not left behind, but... The electoral college + the senate together is too much power for the very "smaller / weaker" states. I think it's reasonable to keep one of these, but the result of both being kept is minority rule. From a fairness perspective, forcing presidential candidates to be more inclusive for the values of America, removing the electoral college, or distributing electoral votes proportionately would be a better solution. Senate could still serve to balance the presidential power of the plurality of voters with state-level interests. If the system would not allow (or even reward) such polarizing presidential candidates, the senate should not be such a battle ground either.


----------



## User.191

I find it especially sickening that the GOP has now decided to pivot from attacking the gays to now attacking children with their anti-trans stance.

It's one thing to fight trans kids on sports, but quite another when you make it illegal to allow trans kids access to the gender affirming care they so desperately need.

The GOP today are a party of hate. And that saddens me because it means there's no proper yang for the ying that is the DNC.


----------



## SuperMatt

MissNomer said:


> I find it especially sickening that the GOP has now decided to pivot from attacking the gays to now attacking children with their anti-trans stance.
> 
> It's one thing to fight trans kids on sports, but quite another when you make it illegal to allow trans kids access to the gender affirming care they so desperately need.
> 
> The GOP today are a party of hate. And that saddens me because it means there's no proper yang for the ying that is the DNC.



I heard a story on the radio yesterday (I was in my car around 3:30 yesterday so it must have been “the daily”). The person being interviewed believes that the raft of anti-trans bills is just the next fight in the culture wars. He thought they started shortly after Roe v Wade, and included such hits as anti-gay bills like the “defense of marriage” or “don’t ask don’t tell” stuff.

They played audio of witnesses talking about the anti-trans bills in various legislatures. The opponents’ experts far outnumbered those speaking in favor of the bills. And the supporters were multiple psychologists and psychiatrists with decades of experience with transgender individuals. The main expert witness of the supporters was an anesthesiologist who had never treated a single transgender person.

They also pointed out that nobody had lodged a single complaint of a trans athlete making things unfair for other girl athletes. The whole thing hurts transgender children and has no positive effect. It is 100% culture war. Transgender people are just the latest punching bag of the right-wing ’s.


----------



## User.191

SuperMatt said:


> I heard a story on the radio yesterday (I was in my car around 3:30 yesterday so it must have been “the daily”). The person being interviewed believes that the raft of anti-trans bills is just the next fight in the culture wars. He thought they started shortly after Roe v Wade, and included such hits as anti-gay bills like the “defense of marriage” or “don’t ask don’t tell” stuff.
> 
> They played audio of witnesses talking about the anti-trans bills in various legislatures. The opponents’ experts far outnumbered those speaking in favor of the bills. And the supporters were multiple psychologists and psychiatrists with decades of experience with transgender individuals. The main expert witness of the supporters was an anesthesiologist who had never treated a single transgender person.
> 
> They also pointed out that nobody had lodged a single complaint of a trans athlete making things unfair for other girl athletes. The whole thing hurts transgender children and has no positive effect. It is 100% culture war. Transgender people are just the latest punching bag of the right-wing ’s.



The GOP does love to ban things they don't like, but then wail that the Democrats practise "Cancel culture".

I know of two kids who are undergoing treatment now - I knew them before and now after and I can tell you that both of them (one is transitioning to female, the other to male) are utterly thriving since they started the process, whereas before they were both withdrawn and miserable.

The GOP is going to be directly responsible to multiple suicides with this sort of legislation. And, of course, they won't give shit.


----------



## JayMysteri0

So, here a thing...

Republicans don't like being lumped together as one big monolith, especially on contentious issues on race, policing, etc

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1386339603750301698/

But, here we are 

46% have told a poll they are racist assholes.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> So, here a thing...
> 
> Republicans don't like being lumped together as one big monolith, especially on contentious issues on race, policing, etc
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1386339603750301698/
> 
> But, here we are
> 
> 46% have told a poll they are racist assholes.



Only 46% - actually lower that I thought. Good sign?


----------



## JayMysteri0

When someone looks at part of that agenda & goes "Christie please", before they shoot him on TV live.
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1386705461030711296/


----------



## JayMysteri0

I guess it's on
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1387449253434380290/


----------



## JayMysteri0

I'm going to go on record & add stupidity is a tentpole of any agenda going into the future

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1387255022438780932/


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> I'm going to go on record & add stupidity is a tentpole of any agenda going into the future
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1387255022438780932/



I'd assume his intention is to debunk conspiracy theories, but the response is awesome


----------



## JayMysteri0

P_X said:


> I'd assume his intention is to debunk conspiracy theories, but the response is awesome



I loved this response

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1387430871616077824/

So.  Hypothetical time.

Say the guy said "yes" sarcastically.  The pol & others believe him, DON'T get the vaccine, they get covid.

Is the guy responsible because of his sarcasm?

Because I'd love to hear someone being blamed, and their defense is "can't you tell sarcasm?"

Worked for that other guy suggesting injecting stuff.


----------



## thekev

P_X said:


> I'd assume his intention is to debunk conspiracy theories, but the response is awesome




That seems likely, based on his tone of voice and mention of "patient's request". He may have some wacky constituents that happened to ask that.


----------



## User.45

thekev said:


> That seems likely, based on his tone of voice and mention of "patient's request". He may have some wacky constituents that happened to ask that.



That's what i suspect. He's a lawyer and they like to ask questions like this. But I'd love to hear the context, because you can't tell anymore...


----------



## JayMysteri0

A thread.  I recommend you click it, and follow down the rabbit hole.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1387493542935867395/

Why?  It gets very interesting.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1387493569007689729/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> A thread.  I recommend you click it, and follow down the rabbit hole.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1387493542935867395/
> 
> Why?  It gets very interesting.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1387493569007689729/



Shouldn’t the GOP be in favor of auditing the results? They are very in favor of it in states that voted for Biden. Shouldn’t there be an independent audit authority (maybe Internationally there already is, right?) to check out things like this? I say, bring such an authority in to audit the states that Republicans are mad about, with the caveat that they also audit Kentucky and South Carolina and any other state Democrats want audited.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Shouldn’t the GOP be in favor of auditing the results? They are very in favor of it in states that voted for Biden. Shouldn’t there be an independent audit authority (maybe Internationally there already is, right?) to check out things like this? I say, bring such an authority in to audit the states that Republicans are mad about, with the caveat that they also audit Kentucky and South Carolina and any other state Democrats want audited.




I don’t remember who it was, but I believe a Republican congressman upset by his own party’s hyper partisan recount and audit demands said they shouldn’t just question Trump losing in those states, but should also question any Republican in those states winning. Why are only Republican losses being questioned?


----------



## JayMysteri0

I said earlier that stupidity is an important part of that agenda, let's include denial as well.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1388855116728610819/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1388626364232654855/


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> I said earlier that stupidity is an important part of that agenda, let's include denial as well.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1388855116728610819/
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1388626364232654855/



To repeat myself, by the AM after the election, the county-wide data projected a Biden win within a 1500 vote margin of error for GA, AZ, MI, WI, etc. So here are the consistencies:
1. Overall Trump over performed predictions in OH, FL, NC and TX, but the presidential outcomes of GA, AZ, MI, WI, PA were adequately predicted prior to the election.
2. If an election is stolen, why allow the senate majority hang on a GA second round?
3. Based on county-wide projections, the data had already fallen in place by the AM after the election.
4. This takes us to consistencies: if there are machines being hacked the cause, you would see variabilities and anomalous counts that are discrepant from the expectations based on demographics (and polling). So, for such consistencies to persist, you have to have access to the entire system evenly. That's like a pretty massive breach that would be much more likely to be picked up.
5. Mail-in ballot preferences were absolutely correlated to political preference given Trump's telling people to vote in person (in retrospect it was just plain stupid).
6. If mail-in ballots are problematic, why would they tell their voters to use them for GA's second round? They inadvertently legitimized mail-in ballots there.

At the end of the day if I wanted to assess irregularities I'd assess PA, where Dems really really outperormed projections (by 10,000s). Yet PA is interestingly not the focus. Wonder why....

My MR frenemy "a self-proclaimed liberal leaning neutral" (horse shit) whined about PA breaking its own constitution to expand voting. When I reminded him that A) PA's constitution has a health clause that is up for interpretation B) the expansion was voted for by a republican majority in PA's legislature C) it interestingly received no opposition within the timeframe of appeal, but only after Trump lost and thas was immediately thrown out by PA supreme court. His response: "it's still unconstitutional."

Now, I snooped this dude's social media and I think this really shows you a lot about this mindset:
Original tweet included a set of photos comparing the response to BLM vs. Capitol with a conclusion I 100% agree with. Dude's response below:







After seeing this tweet, I had to verify that he is indeed black. This was just the most absurd comment, but the conclusion was hilariously accurate. If just "asking" police worked, Floyd would still be alive, which takes us to how funny it is when somebody fails to comprehend this in the same post they are claiming the other has limited cognitive abilities. These inconsistencies in thought really makes me think about that this is a manifestation of mental health issues.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1388886456492494853/

You know at Black cookouts they just show up with spicier potato salad.


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1388886456492494853/
> 
> You know at Black cookouts they just show up with spicier potato salad.



The level of desperation is comparable to that of Instagram influencers renting out the same fake private jet set for a photoshoot.


----------



## DT

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1388886456492494853/
> 
> You know at Black cookouts they just show up with spicier potato salad.




Dude on the left, one of those statements on this T-shirt is not correct ...


----------



## Thomas Veil

MissNomer said:


> The GOP does love to ban things they don't like, but then wail that the Democrats practise "Cancel culture".
> 
> I know of two kids who are undergoing treatment now - I knew them before and now after and I can tell you that both of them (one is transitioning to female, the other to male) are utterly thriving since they started the process, whereas before they were both withdrawn and miserable.
> 
> The GOP is going to be directly responsible to multiple suicides with this sort of legislation. And, of course, they won't give shit.



I've referred to them in the past as the American Taliban, and I think I'm going to have to start doing that more often. Like the other Taliban, they are fanatical in their ideology, fear any idea that's new to them, treat women atrociously, and harbor terrorists.

To me, the real Republican party is Mitt Romney and John Kasich. _This_ thing, the thing that rose from the tea party, is the American Taliban.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1388931637170352138/



> ‘There’s a lot of crazy going on’: Pro-Trump lawyer blows up key GOP race
> 
> 
> Lin Wood’s smash-mouth bid to become South Carolina party chair is rattling one of the Republican Party’s most important states.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.politico.com


----------



## User.45

Bret Stephens is such an unimpressive opinionist my eyes start hurting the moment I see his name on an OpEd:


> The subject was health care. Greece has a public health care system that, in theory, guarantees its citizens access to necessary medical care.
> Practice, however, is another matter. Patients in Greek public hospitals, Tsipras explained, would first have to slip a doctor “an envelope with a certain amount of money” before they could expect to get treatment. The government, he added, underpaid its doctors and then looked the other way as they topped up their income with bribes.






> Take a close look at any country or locality in which the government offers allegedly free or highly subsidized goods and you’ll usually discover that there’s a catch.






> France’s subsidized day care is, by all accounts, fantastic for working parents who get their children into it. Except there’s a perpetual shortage of slots. In Sweden, a raft of laws protects tenants from excessively high rent. Except wait times for apartments can be as long as 20 years. In Britain, the National Health Service is a source of pride. Except that, even before the pandemic, one in six patients faced wait times of more than 18 weeks for routine treatment.



These are just really really unimpressive and weak points as in everything I've read thus far from this guy. 









						Opinion | Biden’s Plan Promises Permanent Decline (Published 2021)
					

There’s always a catch when the government gives things “free.”




					www.nytimes.com


----------



## SuperMatt

P_X said:


> Bret Stephens is such an unimpressive opinionist my eyes start hurting the moment I see his name on an OpEd:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> These are just really really unimpressive and weak points as in everything I've read thus far from this guy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Opinion | Biden’s Plan Promises Permanent Decline (Published 2021)
> 
> 
> There’s always a catch when the government gives things “free.”
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com



Hilarious that he fails to acknowledge the possibility that Greece’s massive corruption and tax avoidance are part of (come on we know they are MOST of) the problem and not the social service itself. He’s found minor nits to pick in certain countries focusing on certain services with systems that are otherwise doing quite well for their citizens.

Like you said, worthless “points” that are misleading and lazy.


----------



## User.45

SuperMatt said:


> Hilarious that he fails to acknowledge the possibility that Greece’s massive corruption and tax avoidance are part of (come on we know they are MOST of) the problem and not the social service itself. He’s found minor nits to pick in certain countries focusing on certain services with systems that are otherwise doing quite well for their citizens.
> 
> Like you said, worthless “points” that are misleading and lazy.



Provider fees are responsible for like 5% of healthcare expenditure, so claiming that socialized medicine will drive down physician salaries leading to corruption is - as you said - simply really really lazy. These very people always fail to mention that we pay 2-4x on administrative stuff compared to Canada (and actually compared to ANY nation in the world):


> *Results: *U.S. insurers and providers spent $812 billion on administration, amounting to $2497 per capita (34.2% of national health expenditures) versus $551 per capita (17.0%) in Canada: $844 versus $146 on insurers' overhead; $933 versus $196 for hospital administration; $255 versus $123 for nursing home, home care, and hospice administration; and $465 versus $87 for physicians' insurance-related costs. Of the 3.2-percentage point increase in administration's share of U.S. health expenditures since 1999, 2.4 percentage points was due to growth in private insurers' overhead, mostly because of high overhead in their Medicare and Medicaid managed-care plans.











						Health Care Administrative Costs in the United States and Canada, 2017 - PubMed
					

None.




					pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
				




(My father's friend is an OBGYN in Canada who used to practice in the USA. He told me that he's much better off financially in Canada given the much much much lower malpractice insurance fees.)

Or his point about people waiting 18 months for elective procedures in 2020 during the pandemic, when those wait times have been also much longer in the USA. It's intellectually lazy to plain dishonest. And when I look at his schooling (BA from UChicago, MSc from the London School of Economics), i think it's the latter.


----------



## Pumbaa

P_X said:


> Bret Stephens is such an unimpressive opinionist my eyes start hurting the moment I see his name on an OpEd:
> 
> These are just really really unimpressive and weak points as in everything I've read thus far from this guy.



No kidding!



> In Sweden, a raft of laws protects tenants from excessively high rent. Except wait times for apartments can be as long as 20 years.



lol. Two decades in the queue is not for getting an apartment to rent, it is for getting something very specific to rent.

Sure, the housing situation here sucks. Demand far exceeds supply yet people keep moving to the cities anyways. We’re building apartments like crazy but nowhere enough to keep up with the demand. If you are a newcomer you pretty much have to either buy something or get an apartment with higher rent than people are accustomed to. Given the current ridiculously low interest rates, the monthly expenses for “owning” an apartment are lower than for renting a high rent apartment…

Attaching the 2020 stats from the official Stockholm Housing Agency. Y axis is number of contracts, X axis number of years in the queue the lucky renter had. Hopefully a good illustration of how ridiculously disingenuous the “as long as 20 years” wait time is, as well as of that not everything is perfect.


----------



## User.45

Pumbaa said:


> No kidding!
> 
> 
> lol. Two decades in the queue is not for getting an apartment to rent, it is for getting something very specific to rent.
> 
> Sure, the housing situation here sucks. Demand far exceeds supply yet people keep moving to the cities anyways. We’re building apartments like crazy but nowhere enough to keep up with the demand. If you are a newcomer you pretty much have to either buy something or get an apartment with higher rent than people are accustomed to. Given the current ridiculously low interest rates, the monthly expenses for “owning” an apartment are lower than for renting a high rent apartment…
> 
> Attaching the 2020 stats from the official Stockholm Housing Agency. Y axis is number of contracts, X axis number of years in the queue the lucky renter had. Hopefully a good illustration of how ridiculously disingenuous the “as long as 20 years” wait time is, as well as of that not everything is perfect.
> 
> View attachment 4897



I know... Or the french being unhappy... Just imagine how pissed the Yellow Vests would be if they lived in America...

All of these examples are to claim that Biden's infrastructure plan will toss America into pERmANeNt DEcLInE!!!!111!!!!!


----------



## Pumbaa

P_X said:


> I know... Or the french being unhappy... Just imagine how pissed the Yellow Vests would be if they lived in America...
> 
> All of these examples are to claim that Biden's infrastructure plan will toss America into pERmANeNt DEcLInE!!!!111!!!!!



The french are just being french. 

In any case, it sure looks like the US already is in pERmANeNt DEcLInE!!!!111!!!!!, at least for as long as GQP, the party of No, got power to wield.


----------



## User.45

Pumbaa said:


> The french are just being french.
> 
> In any case, it sure looks like the US already is in pERmANeNt DEcLInE!!!!111!!!!!, at least for as long as GQP, the party of No, got power to wield.



The thing is, as a European who was born in one of those countries labeled as shit holes by Trump, these racists don't understand that "white immigration" doesn't happen because the social insecurity in the USA lacks the appeal from a European perspective.


----------



## Pumbaa

P_X said:


> The thing is, as a European who was born in one of those countries labeled as shit holes by Trump, these racists don't understand that "white immigration" doesn't happen because the social insecurity in the USA lacks the appeal from a European perspective.



Amen.

The frequent mass shootings and the 2A wackos aren’t really helping either.


----------



## thekev

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1388886456492494853/
> 
> You know at Black cookouts* they just show up with spicier potato salad.*




mmmmmm...spicier potato salad


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1389777523874037768/


----------



## SuperMatt

I found a copy of the Republican Agenda for the future!


----------



## JayMysteri0

Yup, nothing "sus" here, all completely bipartisan and for the good of ALL those in the state of Florida

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1390268388493103104/



https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1390321531457314817/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Yup, nothing "sus" here, all completely bipartisan and for the good of ALL those in the state of Florida
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1390268388493103104/
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1390321531457314817/




That's probably his most Trumpy move to date.  Not sure if it's enough to advance to the front of the queue of presidential hopefuls though.  I think he's going to need to do more than that if he's hoping to beat sexually assaulting minors.


----------



## JayMysteri0

What the real agenda is, while the clowns dance in front of the cameras hoping to "trigger the libs"....

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1391531131904970755/


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> What the real agenda is, while the clowns dance in front of the cameras hoping to "trigger the libs"....
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1391531131904970755/



I’ve been harping about this for a while, the end of democracy in the US...  Congressional Democrats need to be on this NOW. It’s a fight for the soul of the Nation. The next major election, when this happens what will Democrats do, say “oh well, it was nice while it lasted“ or hit the streets with more than a peaceful protest? We have to rouse the corporatists out of their ivory towers.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Huntn said:


> I’ve been harping about this for a while, the end of democracy in the US...  Congressional Democrats need to be on this NOW. It’s a fight for the soul of the Nation. The next major election, when this happens what will Democrats do, say “oh well, it was nice while it lasted“ or hit the streets with more than a peaceful protest? We have to rouse the corporatists out of their ivory towers.



Actually a "peaceful protest" will probably be illegal, or like in Portland just walking too fast will make a "peaceful protest" into a riot then heavy hand & citizen patrols in their cars will come in to take over.


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> Yup, nothing "sus" here, all completely bipartisan and for the good of ALL those in the state of Florida
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1390268388493103104/
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1390321531457314817/



Another PIECE OF SHIT Trumpette. I want to hear him address the people of his state as to why it should be illegal to provide water to people standing in a long line doing their Constitutional  duty. Or even why there is an issue with Mail in ballots, other than _it does not benefit the GOP Turds running for office? _

Does  this bill include the ability of the Legislature to throw out the results of any election result they don’t like??


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> Another PIECE OF SHIT Trumpette. I want to hear him address the people of his state as to why it should be illegal to provide water to people standing in a long line doing their Constitutional  duty. Or even why there is an issue with Mail in ballots, other than _it does not benefit the GOP Turds running for office? _
> 
> Does  this bill include the ability of the Legislature to throw out the results of any election result they don’t like??



These people are idiots. Some of these rules will definitely harm minority voters (in precincts with many voters and not enough polling places/machines). But the mail-in restrictions will most likely hurt Republicans. They trend older and are heavy users of mail ballots. What’s the saying? Cutting off your nose to spite your face?


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1388886456492494853/
> 
> You know at Black cookouts they just show up with spicier potato salad.



Improved that T Shirt list:

_God Damned I’m angry about  something and everything! _
_White Privileged, but too stupid to know what that is Exactly._
_Proud Racist._
_Don’t Like Sharing._
_Only like democracy when I get my way._
_Who needs compromise when I have my AK-cock to flash for the cameras?_
_Real Stupid or so biased and insensed, it makes me stupid._
_Patriotic just for my advantage._
_I like pretending I’m superior and am a fountain of half assed, self serving wisdom._
_Don’t like level playing fields, prefer them slanted away from me._
_Straight LGBT-phobic._
_Proud  Sexist. Women belong in the kitchen and in my bed, with a cold beer ready after a hard day of digging ditches. They better be grateful!_
_I get really pissed off when feriners work/study their asses off, get ahead of me, and try to steal America from the native Americans Whites. It’s just not right!_
_Did I mention   racist?_
_Proud Republican Trumpette doing a great job of acting as sociopathic and self serving narcissistic as the Head POS._
_Too stupid to realize I’m a pawn and that fascism may not be good for me._
_But I’m a huge fan of corruption when my pea brain perceives advantage for myself._
_Did I mention My Precious!? _
_Male too stupid to realize I’m giving the gender a bad rap._
_How else can I piss you off today? _

Fucking racist crackers. The confederate flag is a nice touch that cements the vibe. These are the perfect sheep to bend over and offer their fealty asses to The Head POS. And that shirt says it all from a perspective standpoint, oh, the insecurity. But I admit I have always been pissed by the thought of white straight males walking among us... at least the real stupid ones.


----------



## JayMysteri0

An oldie but goodie


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Joe Walsh brought up a good semi-comforting point about perception on his show. More and more people are leaving the Republican party because of Trump and Trumpism. So while the Republicans appear to be going Trumpy they are also representing a lot less people. “Half the country” for either party has been a lie for a long time, but now even more so. The GOP is shrinking rapidly.


----------



## Huntn

Posted today at the other place. I admit I do repeat some common themes on this topic.  


LordeOurMother said:


> I'm from the USA, but I've lived in the UK since I was 17. Nobody here would admit it because I've kept my accent, but culturally I feel much more British than American and politics is a huge reason why... the centre in the USA is nonexistent, and your 'right wing' is the fringiest of the fringe, not representing anything even remotely resembling conservatism.
> 
> People like to imagine that the democrats are somehow more reasonable but even they have some odd tendencies, why are people being accosted for not wearing masks outdoors? This is silly stuff.
> 
> Joe Biden himself has been a great president so far though.



My opinion...politically the Democrats represent, occupy the Center and Left, they are the only ones looking at society as a whole or care at all about working class citizens, the environment, and a viable path forward for humanity. In this neighborhood, truth and honesty actually means something.

The GOP for all practical purposes no longer exists replace by the cCOT (corrupt Cult of Trump). Whoever might have once been called Republicans and continues to support the name, because it’s certainly not the movement from the mid 20th century*,  have broken bad, throwing in the towel regarding EVERY principle the country was founded upon.

*The GOP was not all that wonderful in the mid 20th Century, but today they are decidedly worse. They fought hard against the New Deal, persecuted citizens trying to root out Communists in our midsts, and stood against every law designed to give working class citizens a break. Their ideal business model is to rely on a large gullible slave class to support the relatively few worthy.

Now since Trump showed up, it’s about hard core lying and fooling the dummies. At this moment they are actively working to dismantle democratic elections so they can hold power into perpetuity. In that space called the GOP, the leadership is occupied by conniving liars, converted co-conspirators, sheep too fearful to speak up, and a few that have a spine, but will be ejected from that space because they are adult, realistic, and can at least identify the most dangerous national villain of our lifetime, possibly in the Nation’s history. He has single handedly drawn out from under rocks a group of citizens more than willing to take the country down, turning it into a fascist State.

Need evidence? Jan 6, 2021 The most alarming, transparent, and half assed attempt to corrupt an election result in our history, (I think). What do we hear from the GOP about this? NOTHING. What insurrection? Poor picked on Donny! Can’t upset their Lord and Master. I’ll go further, if the Joint Chiefs of Staff had been willing, we would have seen a declaration of martial law, and Donny would still be haunting the White House in 2021.

The real question is how much support does Corrupt Donny still have? As long as the GOP remains politically viable, they will be actively overdosing their supporters with enough psychedelic poison that they become the the Walking Trump, living in a fog, shambling about, only becoming aroused to eat anyone who does not show felty to their corrupt messiah, while leadership gleefully walks their zombies on leashes down the primrose path. This until enough Americans have had enough and put an end to it. To be clear, I am not advocating violence, but an overwhelming rejection of the putrescence that represents the GOP politics today.

There is talk of the GOP splitting, but I won’t hold my breath for that.

My fingers are crossed that we see Trump indited before 2022 and the primary source of this malfeasance is removed from political considerstion.



Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Joe Walsh brought up a good semi-comforting point about perception on his show. More and more people are leaving the Republican party because of Trump and Trumpism. So while the Republicans appear to be going Trumpy they are also representing a lot less people. “Half the country” for either party has been a lie for a long time, but now even more so. The GOP is shrinking rapidly.



There is talk today of the GOP splitting. I won’t hold my breath for that, but let the Trumpettes stand alone and see how many elections they win. The problem with this rational is that we could still see a sizable groups picking Corrupt Trumpism over any Democrat/liberal.


----------



## User.45

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Joe Walsh brought up a good semi-comforting point about perception on his show. More and more people are leaving the Republican party because of Trump and Trumpism. So while the Republicans appear to be going Trumpy they are also representing a lot less people. “Half the country” for either party has been a lie for a long time, but now even more so. The GOP is shrinking rapidly.



And one thing is very important to note. The 2020 election was essentially lost by he democrats on the level of the house, got tied on the level of the Senate, so the only clear and overwhelming Dem victory was the presidency (this is why it's so ridiculous to contest a presidential election results, but not that of the congress). Meaning, many devout Republicans still voted republican but not Trump, indicating that they wanted to get rid of him too. So this present GOP pledge for Trump may insanely backfire on a house and senate level as those who cross voted in 2020 may abandon the GOP on these levels too. WHile 2022 is worrisome for the Dems who may lose the congress as a whole, I just don't see the Trumpists re-energize without trump being a candidate. So I think 2022 is really on the Dems to lose by their constituents being complacent.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

P_X said:


> And one thing is very important to note. The 2020 election was essentially lost by he democrats on the level of the house, got tied on the level of the Senate, so the only clear and overwhelming Dem victory was the presidency (this is why it's so ridiculous to contest a presidential election results, but not that of the congress). Meaning, many devout Republicans still voted republican but not Trump, indicating that they wanted to get rid of him too. So this present GOP pledge for Trump may insanely backfire on a house and senate level as those who cross voted in 2020 may abandon the GOP on these levels too. WHile 2022 is worrisome for the Dems who may lose the congress as a whole, I just don't see the Trumpists re-energize without trump being a candidate. So I think 2022 is really on the Dems to lose by their constituents being complacent.




One of my concerns is Democrats only have a razor thin majority in Congress and at least 2 house members who seem to want to join with Republicans in obstructing everything, their only platform aside from Trump is God. If the people see Congress as getting nothing done again then that’s only going to make Trump’s message stronger. To many he’s still seen as an outsider and have the belief that only an outsider can get things done.

One of my big concerns is there is still a housing shortage, construction costs are way up, and what do you think it going to happen when the eviction moratorium ends? Housing chaos.

On top of that there’s the article I posted saying we need to let in more immigrants because of overall population growth concerns. Unlike newborns who come into this country with housing already provided by the parents (usually), more immigrants need more new housing. That’s just going to compound the housing crisis, never mind the people who just don’t want them here for other reasons.


----------



## Huntn

Posted from the other place replying to a PRSI winner:


Herdfan said:


> I honestly think you have this backwards.  Trump happened because the GOP leadership was a trainwreck who was not doing what the voters wanted.  They elected him for no other reason than he listened to them and echoed their concerns.   Did he fix every issue they had, of course not.  But he did keep a lot of promises.



I'll question the judgement of anyone who argues that Trump was a net positive. He was a fucking 4 year train wreck for anyone who cherishes the United States as the founding fathers intended it to be.

Trump is a sociopathic lying bag of shit . Maybe the Koolaid addicts think he did some wonderful things for them, but name them if you dare. What did he do for America except trash it for his personal gain?

The Don's total concern as he worked to dismantle the Federal Govt, was enriching himself, firing competence and replacing it with crooked lackeys, and  turning DC into his own personal stream of revenue. In 200 years, this nation came as close to the destruction of it's ideals, the rules of law, equal rights, democracy all headed for the dumpster under his putrid watch.

And even with him lurking in the shadows, the GOP sycophants are still working hard to push his corrupt agenda. Christ, the election was stolen from him, and there was no insurrection on 6 Jan 2021. No it was the news media who created the false narratives to dishonor his Lordship.


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> Posted from the other place replying to a PRSI winner:
> 
> I'll question the judgement of anyone who argues that Trump was a net positive. He was a fucking 4 year train wreck for anyone who cherishes the United States as the founding fathers intended it to be.
> 
> Trump is a sociopathic lying bag of shit . Maybe the Koolaid addicts think he did some wonderful things for them, but name them if you dare. What did he do for America except trash it for his personal gain?
> 
> The Don's total concern as he worked to dismantle the Federal Govt, was enriching himself, firing competence and replacing it with crooked lackeys, and  turning DC into his own personal stream of revenue. In 200 years, this nation came as close to the destruction of it's ideals, the rules of law, equal rights, democracy all headed for the dumpster under his putrid watch.
> 
> And even with him lurking in the shadows, the GOP sycophants are still working hard to push his corrupt agenda. Christ, the election was stolen from him, and there was no insurrection on 6 Jan 2021. No it was the news media who created the false narratives to dishonor his Lordship.



The complete lack of critical thinking ability is leading these sheep to think Trump actually did something for them when it comes to policies. He attempted a number of xenophobic executive orders, most of which were neutered or outright killed because they were unconstitutional.

But if you ignore the policies, Trump did something VERY big for these folks. He made racism, xenophobia, and misogyny seem ok. Because if the president is spouting such things every day, it’s ok for them to do it too. They should admit as much.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> The complete lack of critical thinking ability is leading these sheep to think Trump actually did something for them when it comes to policies. He attempted a number of xenophobic executive orders, most of which were neutered or outright killed because they were unconstitutional.
> 
> But if you ignore the policies, Trump did something VERY big for these folks. He made racism, xenophobia, and misogyny seem ok. Because if the president is spouting such things every day, it’s ok for them to do it too. They should admit as much.



Yes Donny Delinquent made racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and immorality politically correct to the losers who never wanted to give that stuff up In the first place. Most alarming is having watched the GOP change it stripes to accommodate their pack of losers. If you all recall the GOP has been on Russia’s case as the hawks they have historically  been, until...



Butt more like:

...then they just averted their eyes while toasting His Lowness.  ​


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> Yes Donny Delinquent made racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and immorality politically correct to the losers who never wanted to give that stuff up In the first place. Most alarming is having watched the GOP change it stripes to accommodate their pack of losers. If you all recall the GOP has been on Russia’s case as the hawks they have historically  been, until...
> 
> View attachment 5130
> 
> Butt more like:
> View attachment 5131
> ...then they just averted their eyes while toasting His Lowness.  ​



As soon as he lost the election, these “very fine people” started complaining about cancel culture because they knew they were going to be called out for hate speech once again.


----------



## SuperMatt

Oh no! Biden cancelled God!

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1390468604190154752/

Reminds me of this quote from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:



> “Now it is such a bizarrely improbable coincidence that anything so mind-bogglingly useful could have evolved purely by chance that some thinkers have chosen to see it as the final and clinching proof of the non-existence of God.​The argument goes something like this: "I refuse to prove that I exist,'" says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."​"But," says Man, "The Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED."​"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't thought of that," and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.​"Oh, that was easy," says Man, and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing.”​


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> Oh no! Biden cancelled God!
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1390468604190154752/
> 
> Reminds me of this quote from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:



The version I "heard" or "read" somewhere on Facebook from some hurt guy...

"Biden asked God to wear a mask, and God was like  "


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> Oh no! Biden cancelled God!
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1390468604190154752/
> 
> Reminds me of this quote from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:



What’s the deal about the Babel fish? I’m too lazy today to research it, actually have to attack a clogged bath tub drain. 









						Rev. Graham reacts to Biden leaving 'God' out of prayer proclamation: 'There is no one else to pray to'
					

Reverend Franklin Graham reacted on “Fox News Primetime” Thursday to President Biden being the first commander-in-chief to omit "God" from his address on the National Day of Prayer




					www.foxnews.com
				




Franklin Graham is not his father’s son, philosophically. He’s a ****ing idiot.









						Franklin Graham says Republicans who voted to impeach are like Judas
					

Franklin Graham, son of the late Rev. Billy Graham, compared the 10 Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of impeachment on Wednesday to Judas, who betrayed Jesus Christ.




					www.dailymail.co.uk
				




As far as _no one else to pray to but God_, this is poppycock. As long as God insists on hiding in the realm of  faith, there are as many entities as you can think of to pray to and there is nothing to be said to counter it. Why you might ask? IT’s FAITH! This in a nutshell is the essence of religious fervor. It’s illogical, it’s the equivalent to arguing against the purple dragon living in my garage.  Personally, if I choose something to venerate,  I like some form of Mother Earth.


----------



## SuperMatt

Ah, the Babel fish. Here is an excerpt from just before the quote I posted earlier that should explain it:



> "The Babel fish is small, yellow, leech-like, and probably the oddest thing in the Universe. It feeds on brainwave energy received not from its own carrier, but from those around it. It absorbs all unconscious mental frequencies from this brainwave energy to nourish itself with. It then excretes into the mind of its carrier a telepathic matrix formed by combining the conscious thought frequencies with nerve signals picked up from the speech centres of the brain which has supplied them. The practical upshot of all this is that if you stick a Babel fish in your ear you can instantly understand anything said to you in any form of language. The speech patterns you actually hear decode the brainwave matrix which has been fed into your mind by your Babel fish.












						Babel Fish
					

Probably the oddest thing in the Universe.The GuideThe Babel fish is a small, bright yellow fish, which can be placed in someone's ear in order for them to be able to hear any language translated into their first language. Ford Prefect puts one in Arthur Dent's ear at the beginning of the story...




					hitchhikers.fandom.com
				




And there has been an online translation website called babel fish for many years... probably surpassed by Google translate a long time ago.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Not really part of the 'r' agenda, but more of the mindset.

Starting with if we really needed Space Force, to who was put in charge.

via Twitter


> A Space Force lieutenant colonel was removed from his command after criticizing the United States military on a conservative podcast
> 
> According to a US Defense Department official, “Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, Space Operations Command commander, relieved Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier of command of the 11th Space Warning Squadron, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, May 14, due to loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead.”




https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1393929992824926210/

The 'r' take on this

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1393757845158604801/

A different take

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1393923724152381441/

The take I like

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1393949021849354241/


----------



## JayMysteri0

I guess outright leaving the country wasn't working out, so a lateral move was decided

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395536341149143041/


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> I guess outright leaving the country wasn't working out, so a lateral move was decided
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395536341149143041/



Considering how blue coastal counties tend to be, this could majorly backfire when the real estate value is transiently driven down in greater Idaho's coast, followed by a blue influx for lower taxes


----------



## Huntn

P_X said:


> Considering how blue coastal counties tend to be, this could majorly backfire when the real estate value is transiently driven down in greater Idaho's coast, followed by a blue influx for lower taxes
> View attachment 5293



I look at these seas of red and can only wonder about the average intelligence of these Trump morons who picked a corrupt shit to tear down DC. But it’s not only about stupidity, but it’s really about selfishness, embracing corruption, gullibility,  shooting one’s self in the foot or the head, anti-democracy. Oh, I just answered my own question.  

When you are a bottom dweller chicken vesting yourself in a big bad wolf as likely to eat you as do something that benefits you, especially when you imagine benefit , I have to believe we are dealing with a goup of anarchists, who are hostile to the idea of democracy and Federal authority, and vesting themselves in a destructive shit is a way to counter such authority they view as foreign (far away in DC) even though they are represented.


----------



## JayMysteri0

'R's, please let this "cancel culture" thing go.  You aren't good at it, and it makes you look like the "snowflakes" you supposedly so hate.

And NOT bright

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395524167781527552/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395721018707046410/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395740097354547203/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395757655432572931/


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> 'R's, please let this "cancel culture" thing go.  You aren't good at it, and it makes you look like the "snowflakes" you supposedly so hate.
> 
> And NOT bright
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395524167781527552/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395721018707046410/
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395740097354547203/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395757655432572931/



Worth a "cynical or stupid" analysis. 
"He earned bachelor's degrees in Philosophy and History from the University of Florida in 2012 and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law in 2017.[2]"

My verdict: cynical. He just thinks his constituents are THIS dumb.


----------



## User.45

Huntn said:


> I look at these seas of red and can only wonder about the average intelligence of these Trump morons who picked a corrupt shit to tear down DC. But it’s not only about stupidity, but it’s really about selfishness, embracing corruption, gullibility,  shooting one’s self in the foot or the head, anti-democracy. Oh, I just answered my own question.
> 
> When you are a bottom dweller chicken vesting yourself in a big bad wolf as likely to eat you as do something that benefits you, especially when you imagine benefit , I have to believe we are dealing with a goup of anarchists, who are hostile to the idea of democracy and Federal authority, and vesting themselves in a destructive shit is a way to counter such authority they view as foreign (far away in DC) even though they are represented.




The self-perceived bad-assery is one factor, but being inexperienced and uneducated about the world outside the USA also adds to this. This is a 2010 map showing passports per capita. Suggesting, than in the bible belt 60-80% of people never (or at least not in the last 10 years) left the USA. 







BTW, Idaho's low taxes and low income will def draw in the california folks to the coasts.  I'm quite certain that Greater Idaho would become blue within a decade


----------



## JayMysteri0

This story is so F'N ewww I don't want to read anymore past the headlines.
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395730834037039109/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395761945375125522/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395737288718655489/


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> This story is so F'N ewww I don't want to read anymore past the headlines.
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395730834037039109/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395761945375125522/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395737288718655489/



Where do they find these people?!


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> This story is so F'N ewww I don't want to read anymore past the headlines.
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395730834037039109/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395761945375125522/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395737288718655489/




We need something like the doomsday clock but for waning American exceptionalism.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> We need something like the doomsday clock but for waning American exceptionalism.



I guess we could try that.

Since obviously with this sort, the clock on American decency in the 'r' party seems to have expired.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> I guess we could try that.
> 
> Since obviously with this sort, the clock on American decency in the 'r' party seems to have expired.




Don't forget these are the same people claiming this is a Christian country.  It's astonishing how many hypocrites to their own stated values they produce and give a free pass to.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Also remember it isn't just those doing the voting that have to be as stupid AF

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395756654369587202/


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> Also remember it isn't just those doing the voting that have to be as stupid AF
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1395756654369587202/



 He's such a deep listener to science, he opted out of the vaccine too referring to the "low mortality rates". Forgot to consider that with his thoracic level paralysis probably a higher mortality rate applies to him. Not that this guy screams of a person who tends to make good decisions...


----------



## Huntn

Today in GOP COT World we are observing an abundance of Me>We fantasyland greed. I can get everything I want, you get nothing, and we can remain an efficient, effective, and strife free country. Or we beat you liberals into submission as we have our way with you and still remain a country. Or, I want my State to be it’s own country so (corrupt) conservatism or lying, cheating, psychotic fascist Trumpism can rule over it.

These attitudes coming from the Cult are decidedly anti-patriotic and anti-democratic, and unfortunately something will have to break. 70 million losers who voted for Trump appears to be too large a number to fix the problem, or am I being overly pessimistic?

When I think of patriotism I think of efforts for the common good. There is no such thing in the US today that’s a myth, except possibly coming from the Democrats.*

The country is split into tribal corporatism, tribal politics, and a large white privileged group that under Trump crosses economic lines. Breaking bad for Donnie has made for some very strange bed fellows. All of these tribes, none of them, or hardly any of them think of  Country as having common goals such as lifting the masses up and improving the standard of living across the board. On the corporate front virtually all that concerns the CEOs, CFOs, stockholders is their $$$ piece of the pie. And the other people out there can go to hell as there is no theme of the Nation being a team where we mutually push each other in the right direction and are happy about doing so. It’s all about, Me, Mine and what are you going to try to take from me?

And Capitalism, might possibly be on its last legs. Let’s see if the war on socialism ever gets started and we end up with a revolution on our hands...

*Some of you will laugh, but I don’t care. When it comes to a political party that serves most of our citizens, the closest thing we have today,  would be the Democrats. It is certainly not the Republicans emulating carpet baggers, and trying to legislate the real stealing of elections. Nor would it be the Trump _tear down DC and rob you blind in broad daylight_ faction. If you want sane or mostly sane , you have to look left.

We are far from a functional country. There is a large portion of us (looking to the right) trying to dismantle the country as we talk about it. This is a historic time where some of us, depending on how long this takes,  will watch the USA unravel, or careen to the edge and pull back. It’s careening right now. The Biden win was just a single battle in the war that’s not over for the soul of the Nation.


----------



## JayMysteri0

For your entertainment once again, courtesy of John Fugelsang & the self unaware






https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1396116526026067973/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1396235718670929920/


----------



## JayMysteri0

This is why mocking occurs

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1396303789913636864/


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1397236776373211139/

If you ever need your flesh to crawl, there's your place


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1397236776373211139/
> 
> If you ever need your flesh to crawl, there's your place



I’m not religious, but this is the perfect background to described the battle for the soul of America with the Donny Creep crowd looking to put a stake in it. Hmm, maybe a better analogy is they are looking to sink their blood sucking fangs in its neck and change it.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Have to say, at least Jenner is honest. 

Putting it out there right now for everyone, absolutely zero intention of doing anything resembling responsible governing.  Just about the feels.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1397994938340573184/

She will happily shit on those who supported her in her time of transition, for those whose shit on her during that time for their political support.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Have to say, at least Jenner is honest.
> 
> Putting it out there right now for everyone, absolutely zero intention of doing anything resembling responsible governing.  Just about the feels.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1397994938340573184/
> 
> She will happily shit on those who supported her in her time of transition, for those whose shit on her during that time for their political support.




She would quickly get defeated if the face/palm meme decides to run.


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> Have to say, at least Jenner is honest.
> 
> Putting it out there right now for everyone, absolutely zero intention of doing anything resembling responsible governing.  Just about the feels.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1397994938340573184/
> 
> She will happily shit on those who supported her in her time of transition, for those whose shit on her during that time for their political support.



She forgot Free Beer!


----------



## JayMysteri0

P_X said:


> She forgot Free Beer!



No she didn't.  It's CA, good chance it might be craft beer.

Real murican's don't drink that crap!


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> No she didn't.  It's CA, good chance it might be craft beer.
> 
> Real murican's don't drink that crap!



If you ask me, since we moved here the two things that made America a better place were legalizing gay marriage and craft beer becoming a thing. Bud/Coors are miserable excuses for beer.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> No she didn't.  It's CA, good chance it might be craft beer.
> 
> Real murican's don't drink that crap!




Don't forget according to Republicans Biden is going to have everybody drinking "plant-based beer".  So clearly we don't know what they have been drinking, but given recent history they should probably stop.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> No she didn't.  It's CA, good chance it might be craft beer.
> 
> Real murican's don't drink that crap!



I know a guy who gets a laugh by always calling craft beer “crap” beer as he drinks his Coors Light.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Florida reminding you why there is a phrase "Florida man", again.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1397964990032891907/






'We' actually means 'They'.  You know 'They',  The group of politicians you want to pass laws that insure they don't win future elections.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Florida reminding you why there is a phrase "Florida man", again.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1397964990032891907/
> 
> 
> 'We' actually means 'They'.  You know 'They',  The group of politicians you want to pass laws that insure they don't win future elections.



Biden is drawing attention to this hypocrisy too:

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1397985945589268487/


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> Florida reminding you why there is a phrase "Florida man", again.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1397964990032891907/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 'We' actually means 'They'.  You know 'They',  The group of politicians you want to pass laws that insure they don't win future elections.



"Teacher bonuses" 

This is cringe AF even if it was a stock photo.


----------



## User.45

SuperMatt said:


> Biden is drawing attention to this hypocrisy too:
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1397985945589268487/



I found Biden's joke about this surprisingly funny and lighthearted. He does have some jokes in him after all.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Yup, sounds about right

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1398792662363295746/


----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## JayMysteri0

So there's some belief that a certain guy maybe facing some legal consequences in August, so...



> Trump Has Reportedly Been Telling People He’s Going to Be President Again by August, Which Would Suggest He’s Planning a Coup (Or Has Fully Descended Into Madness)
> 
> 
> Meanwhile, his craziest supporters believe he’s going to be president again soon, too.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.vanityfair.com






> Is *Donald Trump* ever going to be president again? In theory, should he set aside the fact that he actually hated _being_ president, and decide to run again in 2024, and should tens of millions of Americans lose their minds and cast their votes for a wannabe dictator who is probably at this moment ranting to a garden hose about how he beat *Joe Biden,* he could make his way back to the White House in January 2025. Is he going to be president as early as this August? No! Obviously! Why? Well, there’s the minor matter of the fact that Biden‘s first term doesn’t expire for another 1,329 days, making it impossible for Trump to take over any time before then, unless he is planning a coup. Which it sounds like he might be, insomuch as one can plan a coup from the omelet station at Mar-a-Lago.
> 
> According to _New York Times_ reporter *Maggie Haberman,* Trump has apparently been “telling a number of people he’s in contact with that he expects he will get reinstated [as president] by August.” Though we said it mere moments ago, it bears repeating that one is not simply “reinstated” as president of the United States as though their being booted from the White House was simply a mistake; again, the only way Trump could become president again by the end of the summer would be if he was scheming something that falls under the umbrella of treason. Sane people know this. Yet while Trump is assuredly not going to come within 1,000 feet of the Oval Office any time soon—or ever again!—some of his craziest supporters appear to worryingly believe he might.


----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## lizkat

^^^^  On the money there.


----------



## JayMysteri0

THIS is the republican agenda.  No policy.  No desire to govern.  Just say whatever the hell it is, that the most angry & frustrated want to hear


----------



## Pumbaa

JayMysteri0 said:


> THIS is the republican agenda.  No policy.  No desire to govern.  Just say whatever the hell it is, that the most angry & frustrated want to hear



Ah, yes, the good ole she “tells it like it is” even when it isn’t.

Fauci is “a fraud and a liar” and CDC can’t ever be trusted by the people because they “lied” once, Meanwhile “tells it like it is”:ers like Trump and Greene who regularly gets caught lying can not only be trusted, but are the future of the Republican America.


----------



## lizkat

Still it's hard to tell whether rising evangelical dismay about the state of the Republican Party will have some positive impact on either the party's minority faction now --the true conservatives--  or perhaps more importantly to the society we live in,  take a more reflective tone in private and public with respect to entanglement in hyperpartisan secular politics. 

Good read in the Atlantic on this, in the form of an interview with former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam.  He's now a visiting professor in political science at Vanderbilt University, and has a book out recently, "Faithful Presence".   Interview was by Emma Goldman who covers the nexus of politics, policy and religion for The Atlantic.









						The Evangelical Politician Who Doesn’t Recognize His Faith—Or His Party
					

Bill Haslam, the former governor of Tennessee, is trying to figure out how religious Republicans got so extreme.




					www.theatlantic.com
				






> *Green: *Do you resonate at all with the narrative that Christians are being pushed out of the public square?
> 
> *Haslam:* I actually would come at it the other way. Scripture says that if the meat has gone bad, it’s not the meat’s fault. It’s the salt’s fault. This is a moment for us to say, “If the salt’s lost that saltiness, how did that happen?” rather than drawing up battle lines against the other side.
> 
> *Green: *I’m never one to discount a good Sermon on the Mount riff, but just to translate that out of Christianese: How, exactly, do you hope Christians would demonstrate what it means to be a follower of Jesus in political life?
> 
> *Haslam: *[A line in the Epistle of] James says wisdom that’s from above is first pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere. Now, if you and I walked down Broadway in Nashville and we said, “Describe what Christians are like in the public square,” I don’t think we would get “pure, peaceable, and gentle.” We surely wouldn’t get “open to reason.” My point is, Christians are acting just like everyone else. We’re just as likely to send a nasty message on the internet. We’re just as likely to think we’ve won a battle because we have the most clever rhetoric on Twitter.






> *[Greene]* ...
> I just think the reality is that we’re in a place in our politics where, for people who don’t know that much about what it means to be a Christian, the first thing that pops into their head is Trump—including his way of treating other people. Do you think that evangelicals’ widespread support for President Trump has damaged the witness of the Church?
> 
> *Haslam:* I do think your question is fair. There have been a lot of people, particularly younger people, whom I’ve talked with who say, “If that’s what the Church is, then I don’t really want to be a part of it.” There’s been damage to the Church by the identification with this political cause—that’s really, really fair. But, again, how did we get here, where people who claim that their faith is the most important thing in their life are having their political actions look very different from what they say they believe? I think that’s a disease that can infect people from both parties.




Heh, Haslam can say that last there, perhaps not wanting to close the door entirely on possible future politlical endeavors of his own,  but the fact now since Biden's ascension is that people of the faith on the left are coming more into focus in the public square, and it's not hard to notice that for a lot of them, their actions are more aligned with their religious ideals than have been those of so many evangelicals on the right during the Trump era.

And it's this that the RNC will eventually have to reckon with:  how many evangelicals may take a breath now and glance back long enough to wonder how the hell they followed a guy like Trump to where they too have helped take the Republican Party?


----------



## User.45

Pumbaa said:


> Ah, yes, the good ole she “tells it like it is” even when it isn’t.
> 
> Fauci is “a fraud and a liar” and CDC can’t ever be trusted by the people because they “lied” once, Meanwhile “tells it like it is”:ers like Trump and Greene who regularly gets caught lying can not only be trusted, but are the future of the Republican America.



Yup, this is the double standard that baffles me. My MR frenemy did this. He set ridiculous and arbitrary standards for Fauci but let egregious failures of basic human decency slide from his critics. Explanation: Fauci isn't a politician vs. you EXPECT a politician to lie.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Who could have predicted TODAY's republican party?






- In 1997


----------



## JayMysteri0

Why do republicans hate it when others protest?

Historically it's led to others getting shit the republicans would rather the others NOT have.


----------



## lizkat

JayMysteri0 said:


> Why do republicans hate it when others protest?
> 
> Historically it's led to others getting shit the republicans would rather the others NOT have.




Most of the Republican Party of today in the USA (and especially their zealous Trump followers) are not only not conservative but they are not even really "republicans": their political stance is not that of a group with strong ommon interests,  rather they are focused on a personality cult that some in the leadership think will keep their voters in the fold, even when they end up voting against their own actual interests.

The more coherent ones are essentially libertarians and the rest of them are variously nativists somewhat akin to members of the Know-Nothing party of the mid-1850s, or even worse.   Some are completely devoid of actual political inclinations, not even devoted anti-establishmentarians, just celebrity-minded exhibitionists and hangers-on of Trump, with a lot of them seeming to suffer from contrarianism gone over to outright oppositional defiance.   And then there are the ones who really bear watching...  the ones like that but with a lot of money and no more sense of what it is to be a struggling American today than a visitor from Mars.  The ones who bought bus tickets for insurrectionists heading to the Capitol on January 6th, for instance.  The ones who sustain or manage propaganda machines that have enthralled so many voters on the right and continue to spew lies about events of the past five years as well as current news.

Some of the followers and their congressional representatives (shoved farther to the right every two years by eat-your-own primaries in red districts lack even the intellectual flair of members of the so-called Know-Nothings, who despite all their xenophobia and their anti-this and anti-that were in some respects pretty progressive:  anti-slavery, in favor of organizing for labor rights and also favoring federal government investment in what they saw as the common good.   The Know-Nothings today would be run out of the shreds of the Tea Party faction of the Rs in the House for harboring such inclinations.

Honestly it's dismaying how the Rs can't seem to extricate themselves from a set of power-grabbing, power-maintaining principles that have in the past 40 years completely overrun their onetime grasp of a set of coherent fiscal and social principles, no matter if some of the rest of us even then saw them as ol' fuddy-duddies or relics of a bygone era of capitalism spun off the industrial revolution. 

That there's no evident moral compass nor any apparent self-check -- a "how'm I doin'??" inquiry--  being done by either leaders or followers in today's controlling GOP faction is pretty alarming.  They seem literally a creature made solely of obstructionism and power lust.  The passive-reactive response of their followers has given the leadership tunnel vision that cannot end well for the party.  I wouldn't care about that so much except that we're still a two-party country and it's not good that one of them has lost any real sense of the needs of the people it seems to have in thrall.


----------



## Yoused

JayMysteri0 said:


> Who could have predicted TODAY's republican party?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> - In 1997



It was actually '95 – St. Carl died in '96.

But, speaking of astronomy,

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1402388019420741633/


----------



## lizkat

Yoused said:


> But, speaking of astronomy,
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1402388019420741633/




Kudos to the agency rep for not just cracking up before saying to Gohmert that they'd have to look into it and get back to him. 

Adventures of Alice in Wonderland,  our guidebook to the USA in the era of Trump. How did we get here.  How can such antics be real?  Or is that the point of the anti-government crowd, to make federal government processes a circus entertainment and so just an object of ridicule until some authoritarian can manage to disband the whole thing on that very argument,  and  then run it top down like Trump thought he could do.

Not unrelated:  I read that nearly 30% of Republican respondents to a recent poll believe Trump will be reinstated as president by the end of this year.  Even more startling, the same poll said 13% of Democrats responding also think that.   Overall, 19% buy into it.









						3 In 10 Republicans Believe Wacky Conspiracy Theory Trump Will Be ‘Reinstated’ As President This Year, Poll Shows
					

While most Americans dismiss the possibility, a significant chunk of Republicans believe Trump is on his way back to the White House.




					www.forbes.com
				




On the other hand Eric Trump's wife Lara says it ain't gonna happen.   Still one toe in reality there in the Trump family I guess.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Constituents somehow disappointed to find their elected official actually doesn't govern, but instead fund raises & seeks attention saying stupid things.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1402971803669127168/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Ladies & Gentlemen, Texas brings you...



> 'The Dumbest Guy in Congress' Asks U.S. Forest Service If It Can Change Moon's Orbit
> 
> 
> Why didn’t we think of that?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.rollingstone.com





> Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who admitted recently that some consider him “the dumbest guy in Congress,” appears intent on proving those people right. On Tuesday, the Republican congressman asked a representative of the U.S. Forest Service, tasked with managing America’s national forests and grasslands, if the agency might consider branching out, so to speak.
> 
> “I understand from what’s been testified to, the Forest Service and the [Bureau of Land Management], you want very much to work on the issue of climate change. I was informed by the past director of NASA that they’ve found the moon’s orbit is changing slightly and so is the Earth’s orbit around the sun. We know there’s been significant solar flare activity, and so — is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moon’s orbit, or the Earth’s orbit around the sun?” Gohmert inquired. “Obviously that would have profound effects on our climate.”
> 
> It’s true that the moon is currently drifting away from Earth at rate of roughly 3.8 centimeters per year, a speed that has fluctuated for the last, oh, 4.5 billion years or so. And, though Gohmert didn’t say it outright, it’s also true that the speed of “lunar retreat,” as scientists call the phenomenon, has at times coincided with major changes to the Earth’s climate, like the melting of the glaciers. But it’s changes to the Earth’s climate that cause fluctuations in the rate of lunar retreat, rather than lunar retreat causing fluctuations in the Earth’s climate. Which is another way of saying: If the Forest Service’s efforts at combating climate change were so wildly successful that they managed to stop the melting of Earth’s glaciers in its tracks, those efforts could, theoretically, have an impact on the moon’s orbit, per Gohmert’s request.
> 
> But it was unclear what Gohmert hoped the Forest Service might be able to do, at this juncture, about the complicated gravitational dance the moon and Earth have been locked in for several million millennia. Still, Jennifer Eberlien, associate deputy chief for the National Forest System, did her best to humor Gohmert’s inquiry, very nearly keeping a straight face as she answered. “I would have to follow-up with you on that one, Mr. Gohmert,” Eberlien said.
> 
> Eberlien had been invited to testify before the House National Resources Committee about the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act (SOAR Act) and the Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development Act (the SHRED Act), and to generally voice the agency’s “strong support” of the committee’s efforts to encourage the recreational use of federal lands, so one can understand why she might have been unprepared to field Gohmert’s query about the moon.
> 
> The Texas Republican, for what it’s worth, seemed open to waiting for an answer. “Yeah, well, if you figure out a way that you, in the Forest Service, can make that change, I’d like to know,” Gohmert said.


----------



## lizkat

Ugh...  maybe it's time for Texas to revive _*The Honeymooners*_, and have Louis Gohmert stand in for Alice Kramden.

_"One of these days, Alice...  bang, zoom, you're goin' to the moon!"_


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> Ladies & Gentlemen, Texas brings you...



Who fed this to this idiot, QAnon or did he just pull it out of his brilliant ass?


----------



## Yoused

Huntn said:


> Who fed this to this idiot, QAnon or did he just pull it out of his brilliant ass?




His subsequent claim was that he was fully aware of the absurdity of the question, that he was trying to illustrate that climate change is enormous and so totally out of our control that we should just ignore it and attend to other stuff. Which, while not completely beyond the pale, when one goes out there, one should encourage dealing with the causes of climate change anyway, because even if we cannot succeed in mitigating the problem, the things we would do in trying are things that we should be doing in the first place, to make our global ecosystem less broken. Louis wants to go beyond the wrong pale.


----------



## Huntn

Yoused said:


> His subsequent claim was that he was fully aware of the absurdity of the question, that he was trying to illustrate that climate change is enormous and so totally out of our control that we should just ignore it and attend to other stuff. Which, while not completely beyond the pale, when one goes out there, one should encourage dealing with the causes of climate change anyway, because even if we cannot succeed in mitigating the problem, the things we would do in trying are things that we should be doing in the first place, to make our global ecosystem less broken. Louis wants to go beyond the wrong pale.



There are degrees of warming and the sooner we get on our good behavior maybe we can avoid a couple degrees of baking.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1404226180685828097/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

New study sheds light on the link between right-wing ideology, cognitive performance, and motivation
					

There are a number of studies which demonstrate a critical link between endorsement of right-wing ideologies and poorer performance on cognitive tasks. ...




					www.psypost.org
				




The only people possibly shocked by this are right wing.  Also they’ll never be aware of the study or care to be aware of it.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Ohio Republicans close to imposing near-total ban on municipal broadband
					

Bill's 10Mbps standard could make 98% of Ohio ineligible for municipal networks.




					arstechnica.com
				




Because you don’t need to block funding for something you outright ban.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Ohio Republicans close to imposing near-total ban on municipal broadband
> 
> 
> Bill's 10Mbps standard could make 98% of Ohio ineligible for municipal networks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> arstechnica.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Because you don’t need to block funding for something you outright ban.



This party the COT and now maybe we can add The Stone Age Party ((new age Luddites?) is pure poison, hopelessly marching backwards towards The Stone Age


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1405526265830862851/

Nothing says 'macho tough guy' like threatening to send a 'hit squad' after a woman who challenges you.


----------



## JayMysteri0

To make things a little stranger...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1405183917959925771/

Now if only we could get a NK defector to rail against liberals...   

..and this made me laugh so I'm throwing it in.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1405184893416624128/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> This party the COT and now maybe we can add The Stone Age Party ((new age Luddites?) is pure poison, hopelessly marching backwards towards The Stone Age




If they could get away with it, and at this point will probably attempt, they'd impose a Communist China type law where every house needs to be outfitted with a speaker completely controlled by the government that will pipe Fox News through throughout the day.


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1405526265830862851/
> 
> Nothing says 'macho tough guy' like threatening to send a 'hit squad' after a woman who challenges you.



Calling the FBI:
_“I really don't want to have to end anybody's life for the good of the people of the United States of America. ... But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done," William Braddock says in the clip_


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> Calling the FBI:
> _“I really don't want to have to end anybody's life for the good of the people of the United States of America. ... But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done," William Braddock says in the clip_




Maybe that's announcing an intention to commit suicide.  For the good of the people.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy




----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> This party the COT and now maybe we can add The Stone Age Party ((new age Luddites?) is pure poison, hopelessly marching backwards towards The Stone Age




Well none of them live where there's a shortage of high speed broadband already,  so it's easy for them to vote with the behemoths against communities willing to roll their own instead of forking out for monopolistic pricing.


----------



## User.168

.


----------



## SuperMatt

theSeb said:


> The agenda is mostly around grifting more and more money from their corporate overlords whilst lying to their constituents about how they are making their lives better and how they are protecting them from uppity people who made the mistake of not being born white males and from liberal socialist communists. They no longer live in the real world.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ohio Republicans close to imposing near-total ban on municipal broadband
> 
> 
> Bill's 10Mbps standard could make 98% of Ohio ineligible for municipal networks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> arstechnica.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is bad for everyone, but the republican voters will cheer.



The folks that scream “States’ Rights!” whenever the federal government tries to do anything, will trample on the self-governing rights of cities and municipalities in their own states.

I cannot fathom how this is legal. It is the definition of pure corruption. The state legislators get paid directly by big broadband to do this,

We are getting closer and closer to Russia’s system. Maybe that’s what the right-wingers truly want. But the oligarchs should be careful. Because if a Putin-like figure takes over, he can be a kingmaker and they could go from billionaire living in a mansion straight to jail if the leader doesn’t get what he wants.


----------



## User.168

.


----------



## Thomas Veil

theSeb said:


> Ohio Republicans close to imposing near-total ban on municipal broadband
> 
> 
> Bill's 10Mbps standard could make 98% of Ohio ineligible for municipal networks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> arstechnica.com




ALEC strikes again.

NBC just covered this same crap in North Carolina.









						Some N.C. residents still fight for internet access
					

“This is critical infrastructure like the highways that we drive on,” one city official said.




					www.nbcnews.com
				




It’s mob racketeering now.  And we need to use RICO laws to go after it.


----------



## Yoused

Thomas Veil said:


> we need to use RICO laws to go after it.



Actually, some 8 or so years ago, the FCC included municipal broadband in their net neutrality regulation package, preventing states from pulling this sort of shenanigan. Pai reversed most of what they did, but it should be possible now to roll back the rollback.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Uh oh.  Obama issued a "not acceptable" towards Republicans using the filibuster to block voting rights reform bills.  Nothing stings the party of Trump more than a "not acceptable" hurled at them.  I can't believe Obama lost his shit like that.  It's a dark day for Democrats.  I hope he apologizes so we can start rebuilding the respect Republicans have shown Democrats for the past several decades.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Uh oh.  Obama issued a "not acceptable" towards Republicans using the filibuster to block voting rights reform bills.  Nothing stings the party of Trump more than a "not acceptable" hurled at them.  I can't believe Obama lost his shit like that.  It's a dark day for Democrats.  I hope he apologizes so we can start rebuilding the respect Republicans have shown Democrats for the past several decades.




Rumors are starting to circulate that Biden plans to follow in Obama’s lead with an even more divisive “not cool, man”. So I guess Democrats are just throwing decorum out the window with these insults. What a bloodbath. Thank God we have Manchin there to hopefully calm things down with his pragmatic beliefs that haven’t been grounded in reality for at least 12 years.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I find it odd that the Republicans are calling the voting bill a Democrat power grab and the party of "not acceptable" is largely letting them get away with it.

Which of the following could be considered a power grab.

1.  Helping people to vote
2.  Preventing people from voting


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I find it odd that the Republicans are calling the voting bill a Democrat power grab and the party of "not acceptable" is largely letting them get away with it.
> 
> Which of the following could be considered a power grab.
> 
> 1.  Helping people to vote
> 2.  Preventing people from voting



They brought John Thune (R) onto the News Hour last night to defend the Republican blocking of the bill. He claimed it was about States’ rights. He also claimed there were things in there specifically meant to help Democrats, but I don’t think he named any.


----------



## thekev

SuperMatt said:


> They brought John Thune (R) onto the News Hour last night to defend the Republican blocking of the bill. He claimed it was about States’ rights. He also claimed there were things in there specifically meant to help Democrats, but I don’t think he named any.




He's a jackass, much like the rest of them. They didn't care about their "states' rights" nonsense for the previous four years. They rediscovered it now, because it happens to benefit them again. Part of the problem is that disingenuous double-speak seems to be considered acceptable conduct.


----------



## Pumbaa

SuperMatt said:


> They brought John Thune (R) onto the News Hour last night to defend the Republican blocking of the bill. He claimed it was about States’ rights. He also claimed there were things in there specifically meant to help Democrats, but I don’t think he named any.



Ah, yes, it was about “States’ rights”. Just like the Civil War. /s


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> They brought John Thune (R) onto the News Hour last night to defend the Republican blocking of the bill. He claimed it was about States’ rights. He also claimed there were things in there specifically meant to help Democrats, but I don’t think he named any.




I think it would help if we got a complete list of the MANY new state laws and rules being proposed or passed and what was there previously.  Big bonus if we could get an explanation for why each was changed or should be.  

Beyond that, all we know is Trump lost and now Republicans seem to have the single purpose of changing the rules. Also should be noted, after no massive voter fraud has been found.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I find it odd that the Republicans are calling the voting bill a Democrat power grab and the party of "not acceptable" is largely letting them get away with it.
> 
> Which of the following could be considered a power grab.
> 
> 1.  Helping people to vote
> 2.  Preventing people from voting



Voters Rights? GOP: Hell No we are not going to discuss it! That would be ….Federalizing voting!!!


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> Voters Rights? GOP: Hell No we are not going to discuss it! That would be ….Federalizing voting!!!




They have the right to stop you from voting.  It’s part of the 2nd amendment that was written in invisible ink.   I’m sure Cyber Ninjas will be presenting proof of that any day now.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Some fun facts quoted in a Salon article.  

The 50 Democratic senators who support the For the People Act (or least Sen. Joe Manchin's compromise proposal keeping some key elements of the bill while excluding others) represent 43 million more Americans than the 50 Republican senators who oppose it, according to data compiled by Alex Tausanovitch of the Center for American Progress. Yet because of the 60-vote requirement to pass most legislation, 41 Republican senators representing just 21 percent of the country can block the bill from moving forward, even though it's supported by 68 percent of the public, according to recent polling.

As one Congressman put it, it's ironic that Republicans are using their favorite minority congressional voting tool to block the rights of minority voters.  

So for Democrats playing the home game, Republicans win whether in the majority or the minority.  When they aren't forcing their legislation through they're forcing their obstruction through.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Some fun facts quoted in a Salon article.
> 
> The 50 Democratic senators who support the For the People Act (or least Sen. Joe Manchin's compromise proposal keeping some key elements of the bill while excluding others) represent 43 million more Americans than the 50 Republican senators who oppose it, according to data compiled by Alex Tausanovitch of the Center for American Progress. Yet because of the 60-vote requirement to pass most legislation, 41 Republican senators representing just 21 percent of the country can block the bill from moving forward, even though it's supported by 68 percent of the public, according to recent polling.
> 
> As one Congressman put it, it's ironic that Republicans are using their favorite minority congressional voting tool to block the rights of minority voters.
> 
> So for Democrats playing the home game, Republicans win whether in the majority or the minority.  When they aren't forcing their legislation through they're forcing their obstruction through.



Democrats worried about the GOP forcing legislation through if they kill the filibuster should look honestly at what the GOP did when they had power: nothing. Their entire strategy is to block everything and pass nothing. The one thing they will actually do is cut taxes for billionaires… and they don’t need a supermajority for that because it’s considered reconciliation. So kill the filibuster now and start implementing the will of 70% of Americans instead of the will of 50 old white dudes from the middle of nowhere.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Democrats worried about the GOP forcing legislation through if they kill the filibuster should look honestly at what the GOP did when they had power: nothing. Their entire strategy is to block everything and pass nothing. The one thing they will actually do is cut taxes for billionaires… and they don’t need a supermajority for that because it’s considered reconciliation. So kill the filibuster now and start implementing the will of 70% of Americans instead of the will of 50 old white dudes from the middle of nowhere.




What the self-defeatist moderates say is once the Republicans have power again they'll just reverse what the Democrats forced through by killing the filibuster.  Really?  How's that reversing the ACA going? (although that is a bad example because beyond rhetoric Republicans actually prefer it over anything else being proposed that is short of "screw everybody!").    

What you do is force popular legislation through and then kick back and laugh as Republicans try to reverse it or word salad try to justify the attempt.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> What the self-defeatist moderates say is once the Republicans have power again they'll just reverse what the Democrats forced through by killing the filibuster.  Really?  How's that reversing the ACA going? (although that is a bad example because beyond rhetoric Republicans actually prefer it over anything else being proposed that is short of "screw everybody!").
> 
> What you do is force popular legislation through and then kick back and laugh as Republicans try to reverse it or word salad try to justify the attempt.



Exactly!!! We saw this happen already when the Dems passed the COVID relief bill. The GOP members all voted against it, but then started tweeting to their constituents “look what I did for you up in Washington!” as if they voted to pass the thing. There are a number of Democratic priorities that are popular with close to a supermajority of Americans … but the GOP is blocking them. There is no way in hell they will repeal stuff that is popular after the fact.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I said in another post a while back that we should allow Republicans to sign a letter that they are just going to unilaterally block anything Democrats try to do and then they don’t even have to show up.

I would like to add to that, that we should also allow them to sign a letter saying they are going to respond to anything and everything Democrats are trying to do with “Democrat power grab”, “woke”, or “socialist”. That way they can both not show up and also STFU.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I said in another post a while back that we should allow Republicans to sign a letter that they are just going to unilaterally block anything Democrats try to do and then they don’t even have to show up.
> 
> I would like to add to that, that we should also allow them to sign a letter saying they are going to respond to anything and everything Democrats are trying to do with “Democrat power grab”, “woke”, or “socialist”. That way they can both not show up and also STFU.



The COT is pure mentally ill, self destructive, country destroying poison.


----------



## Hrafn

Huntn said:


> The COT is pure mentally ill, self destructive, country destroying poison.



That's just a funny way to spell _Patriots_


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

"’Critical race theory‘ is the perfect name to piss off people who play dipshit anger bingo. All 3 words will set them off." - Trae Crowder.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1408835686933925888/




THIS  all day, EVERYDAY!!

Bonus shittery:
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1408820038044426241/


> How Deceptive Campaign Fund-Raising Ensnares Older People (Published 2021)
> 
> 
> Older Americans, a critical source of political donations, often fall victim to aggressive and misleading digital practices. A broad Times analysis points to the scope of the problem.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> "’Critical race theory‘ is the perfect name to piss off people who play dipshit anger bingo. All 3 words will set them off." - Trae Crowder.











						1 truth and 3 lies about Critical Race Theory
					

Between now and November 2022, you will be hearing a lot about Critical Race Theory (CRT). On Saturday night, former President Trump bashed CRT during his first rally since leaving the White House. Last week, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the "END CRT Act




					popular.info
				




Pretty decent explanation of what CRT is (and isn’t) and also how the right is trying to use it to influence the 2022 elections.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> 1 truth and 3 lies about Critical Race Theory
> 
> 
> Between now and November 2022, you will be hearing a lot about Critical Race Theory (CRT). On Saturday night, former President Trump bashed CRT during his first rally since leaving the White House. Last week, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the "END CRT Act
> 
> 
> 
> 
> popular.info
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pretty decent explanation of what CRT is (and isn’t) and also how the right is trying to use it to influence the 2022 elections.




But as that joke pointed out, just those words strung together are going to trigger some on the right. They aren’t going to bother to find out the facts about it and their media is just going to feed into the outrage about those words and how it can be shown in the most negative (for their viewers) light.

It’s kind of a grotesque extension of special snowflake parenting, you’ll achieve great things just because you are alive and the playing field is level for everybody.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy




----------



## SuperMatt

This article compares the new anti-CRT laws to Russian policies to whitewash their history of genocide. One thing the author noticed is that this is all about feelings:



> But the most common feature among the laws, and the one most familiar to a student of repressive memory laws elsewhere in the world, is their attention to feelings. Four of five of them, in almost identical language, proscribe any curricular activities that would give rise to “discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of the individual’s race or sex.”
> 
> History is not therapy, and discomfort is part of growing up. As a teacher, I cannot exclude the possibility, for example, that my non-Jewish students will feel psychological distress in learning how little the United States did for Jewish refugees in the 1930s. I know from my experience teaching the Holocaust that it often causes psychological discomfort for students to learn that Hitler admired Jim Crow and the myth of the Wild West. Teachers in high schools cannot exclude the possibility that the history of slavery, lynchings and voter suppression will make some non-Black students uncomfortable. The new memory laws invite teachers to self-censor, on the basis of what students might feel — or say they feel. The memory laws place censorial power in the hands of students and their parents. It is not exactly unusual for white people in America to express the view that they are being treated unfairly; now such an opinion could bring history classes to a halt.




The people wearing shirts saying “F*** your Feelings” are passing laws banning the teaching of any truths that make them feel bad.


Here is the link: I used a code so you should not be paywalled if you want to read it without a NYT subscription.









						The War on History Is a War on Democracy (Published 2021)
					

A scholar of totalitarianism argues that new laws restricting the discussion of race in American schools have dire precedents in Europe.




					www.nytimes.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Texas Sheriffs React To Gov. Abbott's Call For Jailers To Aid Border Counties
					

Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a call for qualified current and former county jailers to assist border sheriffs with operating detention facilities and providing jail beds.




					www.tpr.org
				




The last 2 paragraphs show this is a response to a problem that doesn’t actually exist, unlike their power grid and Ted Cruz….and for Republicans the fact Texas is turning bluer by the minute.  Quick, somebody make some party of Lincoln statement which in comparative history terms is like Italy trying to use “the country of Julius Caesar!” as some kind of pertinent rallying cry.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy




----------



## Alli

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> View attachment 6492



She is a sick woman.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Aaaand speaking of Russia:









						My very brief night on the town: A movie screening with Seb Gorka and Devin Nunes
					

Salon reporter was booted from the venue and Devin Nunes never showed: Can Seb Gorka even drive his Mustang?




					www.salon.com
				




Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the voting booth! This summer’s blockbuster is a combination of Hitchcockian intrigue and Lynchian bizarreness. Yes, it’s Russiagate: The Movie!


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Speaking of Russiagate, after the NSA said they are not reading Tucker Carlson's emails at least one member of the liberal media applied their mental gymnastics to translate it as they not reading HIS emails.  They are reading a foreign agent's emails who happens to be in contact with Tucker Carlson.  So they are reading that agent's emails and Tucker's responses just happen to be part of it.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Some interesting (scary) insight on Joe Walsh’s latest podcast. For those who don’t know Joe is a former Tea Party congressman who turned anti-Trump. He has publicly apologized for his role in the rise of Trump as a Tea Party member and has made it his life mission to fight Trump and his cult. He recently lost his radio show because the station owner is pro Trump and most of the content of Joe’s show was anti Trump. He still engages with thousands of Trump supporters via social media in hopes he can open their eyes and help them to leave the cult.

He still has many government insider contacts and is being told that Trump at this time is planning to run again in 2024. Do you have full confidence he won’t win again? What do you think will happen if its another close loss? Do you think Biden and the Democrats can accomplish enough things in 4 years to squash all the anger on the right?

Short of Trump landing in prison all these legal cases and even convictions of his associates won’t mean shit. It will just embolden Trump and his supporters as Trump being the victim of a witch hunt.

Trump supporters know exactly who he is and what he does. They don’t support him despite his extreme moral, ethical, and legal flaws and lies. They support him because of those things because they wish they could get away with the same thing. He’s the ultimate hero of sticking it to the system, a system they feel screwed them too. So don’t think all these lawsuits are going to change any minds.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Speaking of Russiagate, after the NSA said they are not reading Tucker Carlson's emails at least one member of the liberal media applied their mental gymnastics to translate it as they not reading HIS emails.  They are reading a foreign agent's emails who happens to be in contact with Tucker Carlson.  So they are reading that agent's emails and Tucker's responses just happen to be part of it.



So, why is Tucker Carlson emailing a foreign agent? And doesn’t he know that foreign agents’ emails are most likely monitored by the NSA?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperBillionaire said:


> So, why is Tucker Carlson emailing a foreign agent? And doesn’t he know that foreign agents’ emails are most likely monitored by the NSA?




That's not what anyone is saying happened other than a liberal commentator hypothesizing. 

The NSA said they aren't reading Tucker's emails.  Full stop.  Everything beyond that is fan fiction.


----------



## User.191

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> That's not what anyone is saying happened other than a liberal commentator hypothesizing.
> 
> The NSA said they aren't reading Tucker's emails.  Full stop.  Everything beyond that is fan fiction.




Not that it would surprise me hearing that he did. He's a particular nasty piece of work with less morals than a swamp rat.


----------



## Alli

I like how they can’t investigate what happened on 1/6, but they can investigate the imaginary surveillance on Tucker.


----------



## JayMysteri0

If you want the final ultimate statement for this thread...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1412851928502095876/


----------



## fooferdoggie

Also republican candidates are running only on trying to make it possible to change election results. it is getting so blatant and ugly trump really has let loose the Kracken.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Some interesting (scary) insight on Joe Walsh’s latest podcast. For those who don’t know Joe is a former Tea Party congressman who turned anti-Trump. He has publicly apologized for his role in the rise of Trump as a Tea Party member and has made it his life mission to fight Trump and his cult. He recently lost his radio show because the station owner is pro Trump and most of the content of Joe’s show was anti Trump. He still engages with thousands of Trump supporters via social media in hopes he can open their eyes and help them to leave the cult.
> 
> He still has many government insider contacts and is being told that Trump at this time is planning to run again in 2024. Do you have full confidence he won’t win again? What do you think will happen if its another close loss? Do you think Biden and the Democrats can accomplish enough things in 4 years to squash all the anger on the right?
> 
> Short of Trump landing in prison all these legal cases and even convictions of his associates won’t mean shit. It will just embolden Trump and his supporters as Trump being the victim of a witch hunt.
> 
> Trump supporters know exactly who he is and what he does. They don’t support him despite  his extreme moral, ethical, and legal flaws and lies. They support him because of those things because they wish they could get away with the same thing. He’s the ultimate hero of sticking it to the system, a system they feel screwed them too. So don’t think all these lawsuits are going to change any minds.




Still, the chance of Trump getting the 2024 nomination seems practically nil to me for a number of reasons --  age, physical and mental health issues,  pending criminal investigations,  the high levels of the RNC are more in flux than may seem to be the case, at least while Liz Cheney is still out there shocking people by insisting on speaking truthfully about who won the 2020 election and what January 6th was about...

And it remains to be seen how the evangelical vote sorts out in 2022.   I don't think Trump's best days are ahead of him on the political circuit.    If they were, he'd already have a robust social media site grabbing mainstream media headlines every day.   Not happening. 

On the other hand anything can happen in American politics and it's not like the Democrats don't have a raft of problems.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I feel like a big part of the Republican agenda is having a big fish bowl full of folded up papers with concepts they know absolutely nothing about written on them which they pull from at random and then instantly issue a proudly ignorant statement about it.  It’s like a giant trigger word salad or ink blot test where all they ever see is evil socialism.


----------



## User.45

lizkat said:


> Still, the chance of Trump getting the 2024 nomination seems practically nil to me for a number of reasons --  age, physical and mental health issues,  pending criminal investigations,  the high levels of the RNC are more in flux than may seem to be the case, at least while Liz Cheney is still out there shocking people by insisting on speaking truthfully about who won the 2020 election and what January 6th was about...
> 
> And it remains to be seen how the evangelical vote sorts out in 2022.   I don't think Trump's best days are ahead of him on the political circuit.    If they were, he'd already have a robust social media site grabbing mainstream media headlines every day.   Not happening.
> 
> On the other hand anything can happen in American politics and it's not like the Democrats don't have a raft of problems.



Agree. The GOP's only two chances are:
1) People getting pissed about DNC impotence in the senate
2) Voter suppression

Trump will be a yuuuge 2024 headache because
1) The issues you listed with his mental, physical, financial and legal health
2) Losing his platform to keep hardcore voters engaged (to be frank his appeal dissipated the moment he got owned by the libs)
3) Trump's approval of a candidate will be used to galvanize the majority of people who can't stand Trump. Trumps disapproval of a candidate would lose hardcore trumpists. 

I also don't see how DeSantis' anti CRT efforts won't backfire when he'll be confronted with Florida's past as the lynching capital of the early 20th century where the legal system actually protected lynchers and fulfilled what fascists of the same era would proudly declare to be rule by terror (i.e. terrorism).


----------



## lizkat

It remains to be seen whether news media outlets decline to give Trump's self-publicizing stunts and rally appearances for 2022 GOP candidates enough oxygen to reignite the flagging interest of some of his own former supporters. 

The editors of some newspapers with online presence have vowed not to provide any more coverage of claims by Trump or his supporters that he won the 2020 election or that it was stolen from him.   Some papers though will probably not be able to resist testing the value of clickbait headlines and pieces about "the former guy"  as the midterms approach and meanwhile news consumption in general appears to be declining.


----------



## JayMysteri0

One of the phrases I live by is "K.I.S.S." or Keep It Simple Stupid.

With republicans like MTG, Boebert, and the _wunderkind_ Cawthorn, it's Keep It Super Stupid.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1414739601403654144/


----------



## Thomas Veil

JayMysteri0 said:


> One of the phrases I live by is "K.I.S.S." or Keep It Simple Stupid.
> 
> With republicans like MTG, Boebert, and the _wunderkind_ Cawthorn, it's Keep It Super Stupid.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1414739601403654144/



The idiot Cawthorn probably still thinks “Obamacare” death panels are gonna drag your grandma away to her doom. 

As far as Trump goes, I give him less than a 50-50 chance of re-election. I think enough people are tired of his antics. I’m more worried about gullible voters going for DeSantis if he gets the nomination.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Thomas Veil said:


> The idiot Cawthorn probably still thinks “Obamacare” death panels are gonna drag your grandma away to her doom.
> 
> As far as Trump goes, I give him less than a 50-50 chance of re-election. I think enough people are tired of his antics. I’m more worried about gullible voters going for DeSantis if he gets the nomination.



Yeah, I'd be careful not to take bets yet...



> Trump easily wins CPAC 2024 GOP presidential nomination straw poll
> 
> 
> Former Presidentv Donald Trump easily won the 2024 GOP presidential nomination poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) gathering this weekend in Texas.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.foxnews.com





> DALLAS – Former President Donald Trump easily won the 2024 GOP presidential nomination poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) gathering this weekend in Texas.
> 
> Trump, who’s repeatedly flirted with making another presidential run in 2024 to try and return to the White House, captured 70% of ballots cast in the anonymous straw poll, according to results announced by CPAC on Sunday afternoon.
> 
> That's a boost from the 55% support he won in the hypothetical 2024 Republican primary matchup straw poll at CPAC Orlando in late February.




The plan seems to be to push enough suppression thru, as they eagerly supplicate to the former president, so he can avoid future legal jeopardy.


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> One of the phrases I live by is "K.I.S.S." or Keep It Simple Stupid.
> 
> With republicans like MTG, Boebert, and the _wunderkind_ Cawthorn, it's Keep It Super Stupid.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1414739601403654144/




Biden isn't wrong about taking the vaccine to the community. My wife and I have been taking care of patients regularly who experienced medical disasters due to simple lack of transportation. I listened in on a zoom call with our local Black community leaders so I know that something like this would make sense.  While Cawthorne broke his spine to ever have to experience transportation issues, so somehow managed to still miss the nuances. Also, he sounds drunk here.


----------



## User.45

Thomas Veil said:


> As far as Trump goes, I give him less than a 50-50 chance of re-election. I think enough people are tired of his antics. I’m more worried about gullible voters going for DeSantis if he gets the nomination.





JayMysteri0 said:


> Yeah, I'd be careful not to take bets yet...
> The plan seems to be to push enough suppression thru, as they eagerly supplicate to the former president, so he can avoid future legal jeopardy.




I'll take @Thomas Veil's position here. Trump running again has so much hazard encoded I have yet to see that route less risky for the GOP than running like an actual palatable candidate.


----------



## lizkat

P_X said:


> I'll take @Thomas Veil's position here. Trump running agains has so much hazard encoded I have yet to see that rout less risky for the GOP than running like an actual palatable candidate.




Yeah.   tbh i think the RNC is just hedging by making Trump their nominal head of party again.   They don't really want him. He's a pile of trouble, clearly.  Having a President who thinks he is a King turns out to be an insurmountable problem vis a vis original text in our Constitution.

But the Republicans do want votes, so they want the Trump supporters to stay active and motivated to turn out "against socialism, marxism, communism" through at least the midterm elections,  which the GOP hopes will flip the House or Senate gavel back to them.

Their problem though is that Trump is an unreliable assistant to the party when it comes to Congressional races.  He's probably going to do in his own chances at a 2024 nomination by how he behaves running up to the midterms.  Those, for an opposition party,  which is now the GOP,  are supposed to be races with the focus on Congressional candidates proposing policy changes based on what their party can plausibly disparage of the current majority party's policymaking.

The thing is, they probably need to sharpen the focus a little past being "against socialism, marxism, communism"... but so far they're just treading water and spouting platitudes about Trump to keep the base interested.

But anyway Trump is not about policy stuff, he's about "look at me,  I can put anyone in a House or Senate seat by endorsing them."  He wants the spotlight of being at stump speeches because he lacks a social media platform. And so he's gonna be out there on the hustings in 2022 still talking about how Joe Biden stole "the election" and should be investigated (the way he talked for four years about Hillary Clinton as if he hadn't even won the 2016 election!) and crucially in 2022 for GOP concerns, he'll be ranting about how there's been so much voter fraud _*that you can't even believe election results*_.

Mind you, that is certainly not what the 2022 GOP Congressional candidates want their potential voters to start thinking about.  Why turn out to vote anyway if the results aren't credible?

And that is not the message the Dem candidates will be pitching.  They'll be talking about GOP state legislation that attempts to suppress votes.  And they'll be offering rides to polls and before that rides to the DMV to get photo ID or whatever else is needed to enable registration to vote in 2022.

So looking past the midterms to 2024,  I'd be surprised if Trump's a nominee for anything again, ever.


----------



## JayMysteri0

I'm sorry, was anyone NOT sure of what I said about cawthorn, SOME republicans, and 'keeping it super stupid'?



> Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn deletes swastika tweet after criticism, media questions
> 
> 
> A tweet featuring a picture of Nazis by Western North Carolina's Republican member of Congress Madison Cawthorn has been deleted following criticism of people on Twitter.
> 
> 
> 
> www.citizen-times.com





> A tweet featuring a picture of Nazis by Western North Carolina's Republican member of Congress Madison Cawthorn has been deleted following criticism by people on Twitter.
> 
> Cawthorn posted the tweet just before 9 p.m. July 9, promoting flying the flag and criticizing Black Lives Matter members quoted as linking racists with the practice of flag flying.
> 
> "The American flag symbolizes unity, patriotism, independence, pride, and love for our country. BLM continues to expose their radical hatred of this country," tweeted Cawthorn, who represents North Carolina's far-western 11th District, including Asheville.
> 
> He linked to a July 8 New York Post story "BLM chapter calls American flag ‘symbol of hatred’ only used by racists."
> 
> The main image for the article — and the main one for his tweet — showed members of the National Socialist Movement in 2008 marching from the Washington Monument to the grounds of the United States Capitol Building. One man wears a shirt that says "skinhead" while he holds the hand of a boy with a shirt with a large swastika, the symbol of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany during the World War II.





> People responding to the tweet criticized the picture, asking what message the congressman was intending to send.
> 
> Following July 12 questions sent by the Citizen Times to Cawthorn spokesman Micah Bock about the tweet, it was pulled from Twitter.
> 
> "Rep. Cawthorn has denounced fascism in all its forms," Bock said in a statement responding to the Citizen Times. "The American flag has stood for freedom since the founding of our nation, and the BLM movement would do well to remember that during World War II, the flag waved proudly as American soldiers destroyed Nazism in Europe."
> 
> Bock confirmed Cawthorn pulled the tweet, but declined to say why, instead referring the Citizen Times back to the statement.




Ladies & Gentlemen, A future of the republican party...  

For those of you doubting the previous president & his chances for re election...  I refer you to anything said about the man in 2016 when he oozed down that escalator.  2020 was the wakeup call for republicans that the majority of the country isn't in agreement with them, so they will want to rerun 2016 when no one took orange would be dictator seriously, by curbing as much of the vote of opposing Americans as possible.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> I'm sorry, was anyone NOT sure of what I said about cawthorn, SOME republicans, and 'keeping it super stupid'?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ladies & Gentlemen, A future of the republican party...
> 
> For those of you doubting the previous president & his chances for re election...  I refer you to anything said about the man in 2016 when he oozed down that escalator.  2020 was the wakeup call for republicans that the majority of the country isn't in agreement with them, so they will want to rerun 2016 when no one took orange would be dictator seriously, by curbing as much of the vote of opposing Americans as possible.



And considering that a number of states now put rules in place that basically allow their (gerrymandered) legislatures to decide the winner of an election instead of the voters, I hope everybody is ready for 4 more years of the orange man.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Seriously, republicans are damned to determined to make me change that mantra for them...

It will no longer be K.I.S.S. or Keep It Super Stupid, but they want to make it K.I.S.S. M.E.  or Keep it Super Stupid Malicious Evil



> Tennessee abandons vaccine outreach to minors — not just for COVID-19
> 
> 
> Tennessee halted all vaccine outreach to minors, not just for COVID-19, amid pressure from Republican lawmakers. A vaccine expert was also fired.
> 
> 
> 
> www.tennessean.com





> The Tennessee Department of Health will halt all adolescent vaccine outreach – not just for coronavirus, but all diseases – amid pressure from Republican state lawmakers, according to an internal report and agency emails obtained by the Tennessean. If the health department must issue any information about vaccines, staff are instructed to strip the agency logo off the documents.
> 
> The health department will also stop all COVID-19 vaccine events on school property, despite holding at least one such event this month. The decisions to end vaccine outreach and school events come directly from Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey, the internal report states.
> 
> Additionally, the health department will take steps to ensure it no longer sends postcards or other notices reminding teenagers to get their second dose of the coronavirus vaccines. Postcards will still be sent to adults, but teens will be excluded from the mailing list so the postcards are not “potentially interpreted as solicitation to minors,” the report states.
> 
> These changes to Tennessee’s vaccination strategy, detailed in an COVID-19 report distributed to health department staff on Friday, then reiterated in a mass email on Monday, illustrate how the state government continues to dial back efforts to vaccinate minors against coronavirus. This state's approach to vaccinations will not only lessen efforts to inoculate young people against coronavirus, and could also hamper the capacity to vaccinate adults and protect children from other infectious diseases.
> 
> And these changes will take effect just as the coronavirus pandemic shows new signs of spread in Tennessee. After months of declining infections, the average number of new cases per day has more than doubled in the past two weeks – from 177 to 418. The average test positivity rate has jumped from 2.2% to 5.4% in the same time period.




WTF?!!!  



> The changes to Tennessee's vaccination strategy will impact the majority of the Volunteer State, which lags behind most of the nation in the race to immunity. Only 38% of Tennesseans are fully vaccinated, and at the current pace the state won't be 50% vaccinated until March, according to health department estimates. The agency holds responsibility for public health in 89 of Tennessee’s 95 counties, excluding major metropolitan areas where local agencies wield more authority.
> 
> 'No proactive outreach regarding routine vaccines'​After the health department's internal COVID-19 report was circulated on Friday, the rollback of vaccine outreach was further detailed in a Monday email from agency Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tim Jones.
> 
> Jones told staff they should conduct "no proactive outreach regarding routine vaccines" and "no outreach whatsoever regarding the HPV vaccine."
> 
> Staff were also told not to do any "pre-planning" for flu shots events at schools. Any information released about back-to-school vaccinations should come from the Tennessee Department of Education, not the Tennessee Department of Health, Jones wrote.
> 
> "Any kinds of informational sheets or other materials that we make available for dissemination should have the TDH logo removed," Jones wrote.






> Decisions to ratchet back outreach comes amid pressure from conservative lawmakers, who have embraced misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine, said Dr. Michelle Fiscus, Tennessee's former top vaccine official.
> 
> Fiscus was fired without explanation on Monday. Fiscus said she was scapegoated to appease lawmakers, who had described routine vaccine outreach as “reprehensible.”
> 
> “This is a failure of public health to protect the people of Tennessee and that is what is ‘reprehensible,’ Fiscus said Monday. “When the people elected and appointed to lead this state put their political gains ahead of the public good, they have betrayed the people who have trusted them with their lives.”
> 
> After this story published online, the Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement offering a “strong and enduring endorsement” of vaccines. The organization also celebrated Fiscus as a “tireless champion for children and vaccines.”
> 
> "Actions that weaken Tennessee’s overall public health readiness are clearly a step in the wrong direction at the wrong time,” said chapter President Dr. Anna Morad in the statement.




THIS is why you don't let politicians interfere with public health matters.  Feelings from a side take over, where science should be leading the way.


----------



## JayMysteri0

When the Q wing of the party decides to get an early start on eating it's own tail



> Qanon Thinks the Senate Candidate Who Supports Them Might Just Worship the Devil
> 
> 
> Jackson Lahmeyer has been accused of Satanism and child sex trafficking by QAnon after posting a photograph of his daughter wearing red shoes
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jezebel.com





> An evangelical pastor hoping to unseat Oklahoma Senator James Lankford by embracing QAnon has, ironically, been accused of devil worship and child sex trafficking by QAnon after he posted a photograph of his daughter wearing red shoes—an unequivocal sign that one is a Satan-worshipping pedophile to the fringe conspiracy group. Who would have thought that a group that finds Satanists and child traffickers behind every pizza oven would turn on one of their own over some inconsequential detail!
> 
> Not Jackson Lahmeyer, who has spent months on the conspiracy circuit with Michael Flynn and Lin Wood, and who has had to deny via social media that he is involved in “Child Sex Trafficking [sic], pedophilia, or devil worship” as well as allegations that he is a “creation worshipper” and a “new world order globalist.” (I am not delusional enough to be familiar with the latter terms but they sure sound like a lot of words that would certainly titillate people looking to _Da Vinci Code_ every political photograph they see in order to bolster their own sense of self-importance.) However, perhaps those validation seekers wouldn’t be quite so rabid if power-hungry philistines like Flynn and Wood weren’t holding conferences to get them all riled up with religious leaders like Lahmeyer attempting to win elections by going along with it. Per _Vice_:





> _“[Lahmneyer] has sought and secured the endorsement of Flynn and Wood, both of whom are held in high esteem by QAnon followers. Bennett’s endorsement is seen as another signal that embracing conspiracy theories is no longer fatal to a successful run for Congress. Lahmeyer has appeared on stage at a number of the conspiracy conferences organized by Tulsa businessman Clay Clark in recent months, and is scheduled to appear at several more in the coming months.”_









> But even in his denial of Satanist child sex trafficking and defense of his toddler’s footwear, Lahmneyer is careful to blame just one conspiracy theorist and not the lot of them, whose votes he presumably still needs. “It was a harmless post but there is an individual out there who has been spreading things about me that are not true,” Lahmeyer wrote on Facebook.
> 
> Lahmeyer entered the race after his opponent refused to repeat lies about fraud in the 2020 elections, which lost him the support of the Oklahoma Republican Party Chair, who pivoted support to Lahmeyer. Thus far, Lahmeyer appears to be running on a platform that consists mostly of pretending to believe in stolen elections, anti-trans bigotry, anti-vax rhetoric, and nodding while people make shit up on conference stages. But perhaps in order to compromise with his voter base, he should add mandatory beige footwear for his and all other children to the ticket as well. After all, if you’re not going to agree with these shrieking Facebook people every time they see Satan behind a tree election fraud in a functioning Democracy, then what use are you?


----------



## JayMysteri0

Also, whenever you can, ...ALWAYS embellish

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1415293689799270406/


----------



## lizkat

JayMysteri0 said:


> Also, whenever you can, ...ALWAYS embellish
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1415293689799270406/




Right?  Well once the GOP decided facts don't matter, right-leaning journos signed up in droves.

Gee, every time I turn around now another media outlet or reporter from one of them is talking about Carlson.  It's like he's the new Donald Trump, a substitute fallback any time a slow news cycle pops up...

And when will  mainstream media realize that they're helping Carlson play the "TV host converts to politician" card?  Name recognition is everything in politics,  so Carlson's now doubling down on that "for free" -- as both a well known TV host and as subject of other media outlets' reporting.   Doesn't matter if coverage by other media outlets is favorable, a put-down or carefully just short of libelous, it's a spotlight that keeps Carlson's name in the public view even for those who never watch Fox.

Who knew that journos would latch onto one of their own (well sorta their own) after they swore off giving oxygen to every little bit of blather emanating from "the former guy"?   But of course they needed something to fill column inches and empty on-air slots...  and of course Fox News doesn't mind one of their guys breaking the old rule about journos "not becoming the story".   And of course the longer this goes on,  the more newsworthy Carlson might seem.  Ugh.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Saw an article with pictures of looting happening in South Africa and two thoughts instantly sprung to mind.

1. Republicans will instantly think “black people” and not investigate further.

2. Within 6 months a Republican politician or conservation news “reporter” will show the pictures or footage from South Africa and say it was filmed in the US.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Saw an article with pictures of looting happening in South Africa and two thoughts instantly sprung to mind.
> 
> 1. Republicans will instantly think “black people” and not investigate further.
> 
> 2. Within 6 months a Republican politician or conservation news “reporter” will show the pictures or footage from South Africa and say it was filmed in the US.




Sometimes that stuff originates with a private citizen putting something up on social media and mischaracterizing it...  and then some media outlet picks it up and splashes it on page one without checking out the source.    Happened notoriously to Breitbart when they [supposedly] picked up some guy's false attribution of a Cavaliers' victory parade to some Trump rally in Jacksonville.    Oops.   Or anyway that's how they told it when it was noticed.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> Sometimes that stuff originates with a private citizen putting something up on social media and mischaracterizing it...  and then some media outlet picks it up and splashes it on page one without checking out the source.    Happened notoriously to Breitbart when they [supposedly] picked up some guy's false attribution of a Cavaliers' victory parade to some Trump rally in Jacksonville.    Oops.   Or anyway that's how they told it when it was noticed.




I honestly don’t think they care at this point. Like their leader, they’ll find imagery that fits their narrative and just roll with it. At best you’ll maybe get “Well, maybe that didn’t happen where and when I said it did, but it’s still happening!” long after the image has been burned into their supporters' brains and they’ll just continue to accept it as originally advertised.

A lot of people voted for Trump because they were tired of politicians’ lies but then Trump, Republicans, and their media shifted to just telling even bigger and easily disproven lies and their base went “That’s more like it!”. Just like youth is wasted on the young, an advanced brain is wasted on humans.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Saw an article with pictures of looting happening in South Africa and two thoughts instantly sprung to mind.
> 
> 1. Republicans will instantly think “black people” and not investigate further.
> 
> 2. Within 6 months a Republican politician or conservation news “reporter” will show the pictures or footage from South Africa and say it was filmed in the US.



Well, it does seem like a situation that group would identify with

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1415296889956802561/

Although the reasons for it are more complex



> S.African govt plans troop surge to quell unrest -reports
> 
> 
> South Africa plans to deploy up to 25,000 soldiers in two provinces where security forces are struggling to quell days of looting, arson and violence, its defence minister told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, according to local news channel eNCA.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.reuters.com




Summary

Worst violence in years breaks out after Zuma jailing
Anger at post-apartheid inequalities underpins riots
Residents organise to protect property, confront looters
Presidency considers further military deployment


----------



## JayMysteri0

45 Jr =


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Well, it does seem like a situation that group would identify with
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1415296889956802561/
> 
> Although the reasons for it are more complex
> 
> 
> 
> Summary
> Worst violence in years breaks out after Zuma jailing
> Anger at post-apartheid inequalities underpins riots
> Residents organise to protect property, confront looters
> Presidency considers further military deployment




It sounds like they slowly slid back into white supremacy economically with the key difference being a lot less white people.  Our white supremacists would probably look at that and go "So why can't we pull that off?  We've got the numbers."


----------



## JayMysteri0

FFS -the projection & rationalization
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1415532324888879109/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Watching as Chris Hayes covers this disturbing story...



> https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article252829818.html





> Two Bay Area men have been indicted on charges of plotting to blow up the Democratic headquarters building in Sacramento because of their belief that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election, and authorities have seized 49 weapons — including machine guns and bombs, court records say.
> 
> A federal grand jury in San Francisco indicted two men — Ian Benjamin Rogers of Napa and Jarrod Copeland, a former resident of Vallejo who recently moved to Sacramento — on charges of conspiracy to destroy a building, possession of destructive devices and machine guns and obstruction of justice.
> 
> The two men allegedly began plotting attacks on Nov. 25, following Trump’s loss to President Joe Biden, court papers say.
> 
> “By November 29, 2020, they had identified the John L. Burton Democratic Headquarters in Sacramento, California, as their first target, and made plans to attack it using incendiary devices,” according to the indictment, which was unsealed this week. “Rogers and Copeland believed that the attacks would start what they called a ‘movement.’
> 
> “They discussed the attack in detail and on numerous occasions.”




What caught my eye was something that was found amongst the men's possessions.





What caught my attention was in another thread there's lamenting about identifying some 45 supporters as racists, when SOME proudly want everyone to know they are.  Like these guys who decided against going after George Soros, and instead blowing up DNC headquarters...

WTF?!!!

This is the group crying about progressives?  Who's trying to blow up shit & possibly kill, based on a lie?


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> Watching as Chris Hayes covers this disturbing story...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What caught my eye was something that was found amongst the men's possessions.
> 
> View attachment 7200
> 
> What caught my attention was in another thread there's lamenting about identifying some 45 supporters as racists, when SOME proudly want everyone to know they are.  Like these guys who decided against going after George Soros, and instead blowing up DNC headquarters...
> 
> WTF?!!!
> 
> This is the group crying about progressives?  Who's trying to blow up shit & possibly kill, based on a lie?



There are always going to be kooks, Koolaid drinkers, misfits society’s goal has to be reducing them to negligible manageable numbers. While this kind of news is always alarming and I am not making light of it, I am really concerned about the Trump Patriots trying to “legally” dismantle US democracy in State Houses around the country,


----------



## Thomas Veil

JayMysteri0 said:


> Watching as Chris Hayes covers this disturbing story...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What caught my eye was something that was found amongst the men's possessions.
> 
> View attachment 7200
> 
> What caught my attention was in another thread there's lamenting about identifying some 45 supporters as racists, when SOME proudly want everyone to know they are.  Like these guys who decided against going after George Soros, and instead blowing up DNC headquarters...
> 
> WTF?!!!
> 
> This is the group crying about progressives?  Who's trying to blow up shit & possibly kill, based on a lie?



Waitaminit…Scott Free—Mr. Miracle—has one of these cards?

I mean, I know the guy was raised on Apokolips, but he always struck me as more of a liberal type.

Darkseid, on the other hand, would _definitely_ have one of these white privilege cards.


----------



## lizkat

Can't these guys in the GOP come up with some reasonable alternatives to Trump lackeys if they're moving on from The Don himself?

OK I admit that in this piece about potential GOP candidates starting to make the rounds already in Iowa, the array of photos at the top triggered me.    Way too soon ever to see even one of Pompeo's mug shots in a piece about future of GOP politics.  The AP had to go and lay in six of them.  And I was dumb enough to scroll through them.   Anyway, some Iowans may be ready to move on from Trump, but one could hope they'd find a candidate more worthy of what used to be the Republican banner than Mike Pompeo or for that matter some of Trump's other erstwhile lackeys now trying to emerge from the shadow of their former boss.









						GOP 2024 contenders enter Iowa, wary of Trump's long shadow
					

URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — Ambitious Republicans are starting to make moves in Iowa, long a proving ground for future presidents...




					apnews.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I actually feel bad for conservatives.  They aren't all lunatics, but even for the ones who aren't it's like a never ending parade of "Well, I guess I need to align myself with this idiot because it's all we got."  

And it's not as simples as just switching teams.  As an example, let's say the Democrats did something crazy like align themselves with Wall St., corporations, and the military.  Of course that would neeeeever happen because they are the party of the working class, but lets say did.  As crazy and unlikely as that is, are going to go join the Republican party as a result?  Fuck no.   There's countless reasons you wouldn't and the same can be said for Republicans towards the Democrat party.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I actually feel bad for conservatives.  They aren't all lunatics, but even for the ones who aren't it's like a never ending parade of "Well, I guess I need to align myself with this idiot because it's all we got."
> 
> And it's not as simples as just switching teams.  As an example, let's say the Democrats did something crazy like align themselves with Wall St., corporations, and the military.  Of course that would neeeeever happen because they are the party of the working class, but lets say did.  As crazy and unlikely as that is, are going to go join the Republican party as a result?  Fuck no.   There's countless reasons you wouldn't and the same can be said for Republicans towards the Democrat party.




It's true that it's hard to switch parties.  It's probably why the drift is to ditching party reggie and going out as independent, except in states where primaries are closed and "permanent" registration switching is intentionally made difficult.

It's the combination of long tradition of just two major parties, often having policy alignments at 180º,  so the general attitude towards third parties is negative:  "this is just not the right time" -- well it's never going to be the right time from the standpoint of the Rs or Ds, eh?--   and only now more states are starting to experiment with ranked choice voting...   all that has added up to keeping just two parties jockeying for the upper hand, while industries give to both sides -- they found a way of legalizing bribery, basically--   and so it's a long time already that actual governance has been divorced from outcome of elections on big ticket issues. 

 It's exiciting to think that we could be on the verge of switching that up with more ranked choice voting, and as people become more disgusted with the stagnating effects of gerrymandering efforts to keep one or the other of two parties in power ad infinitum while "nothing happens" no matter who wins.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> It's true that it's hard to switch parties.  It's probably why the drift is to ditching party reggie and going out as independent, except in states where primaries are closed and "permanent" registration switching is intentionally made difficult.
> 
> It's the combination of long tradition of just two major parties, often having policy alignments at 180º,  so the general attitude towards third parties is negative:  "this is just not the right time" -- well it's never going to be the right time from the standpoint of the Rs or Ds, eh?--   and only now more states are starting to experiment with ranked choice voting...   all that has added up to keeping just two parties jockeying for the upper hand, while industries give to both sides -- they found a way of legalizing bribery, basically--   and so it's a long time already that actual governance has been divorced from outcome of elections on big ticket issues.
> 
> It's exiciting to think that we could be on the verge of switching that up with more ranked choice voting, and as people become more disgusted with the stagnating effects of gerrymandering efforts to keep one or the other of two parties in power ad infinitum while "nothing happens" no matter who wins.




I'd like to see a new progressive party form but more than likely if we get a viable 3rd party it will be centrists moderates.  I feel like that will just usher in the era of polite obstruction and snail pace incrementalism.  Of course an insatiable greed at the top will mostly likely force a far left or far right to take hold.  I fully believe we'll probably have to put a 3d of their population in pine boxes before they throw up the white flag and go "OK, we get it.  We got a little greedy.  Take what you need."


----------



## lizkat

Well I think it was the prospect of hordes of homeless and starving people in the streets -- and so the spectre of "no wall high enough"--  that persuaded Republicans to go along with the level of stimulus plans that have so far been deployed in the USA versus effects of the pandemic. 

Even now we are not out of the woods on housing issues.   The moratorium on eviction is ending, landlords want their money, not everyone even with past unemployment assistance, a current job (and monthly checks to provide for kids in the household),  can necessarily come up with back rent or mortgage payments while paying the current housing costs with utilities. 

Meanwhile the housing that's being built is often not affordable, or not in the right place to house people working in lower income jobs where higher income people work or visit and expect restaurants, hotels, fast food and etc facilities to be staffed up.   This puts extra stress on roads and bridges as well as public transportation facilities, on which the USA is perennially behind the curve.

And it's true that crime is rising and no one's sure what the root causes of its exacerbation are at this point.   Philadephia just hit the 300 mark on homicides for this year.  This is July.  That's a figure that a lot of cities used to try hard to manage not to hit by year's end for god's sake.  A lot of it is down to proliferation of guns.   Some of it is reactive to stressors of covid-19.  Vaccination efforts continue but meanwhile Rs resist Biden's efforts to improve vaccination rates,  some of them getting into fear-mongering against door-to-door face to face efforts to inform people of benefits of vaccination:









						Misinformation about vaccine door-knocking is spreading. But neighborhood outreach has worked around Philly.
					

A new spate of misinformation in response to federal vaccination efforts comes as the need to increase the nation’s middling vaccination rate takes on urgency in the face of the delta variant.




					www.inquirer.com
				






> South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster last week sought to prohibit door-to-door vaccination outreach in his state, while North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn baselessly suggested that the canvassing would lead to the creation of a system to seize citizens’ firearms or Bibles. Tweeted Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan: “What’s next? Knocking on your door to see if you own a gun?”




That kind of stuff is not helpful.  The door-knocking information provision gig is volunteer based and not some centralized operation.  These guys like Cawthorn and Jordan are just opportunists looking to rouse knee-jerk reflexes via social media and keep their own names famliar in advance of the next round of elections.   Their own constituents should be calling them out on this when it comes to attempts to interfere with a public health initiative.

The federal government can't micromanage big ticket items like housing or transportation or even public health campaigns,   we know it's terrible at that.   It can provide incentives and guidance and assistance and funds when that's what's missing.  

But the Constitution does say that government's job is to provide for the general welfare of the people.  It's meant to do that where it's inefficient or impossible for states to manage certain aspects of that welfare.   The Republicans need to back off from their idea of shrinking government down to the point where all it does is provide a military force and diplomatic service.   National security depends also on public health, which certainly includes adequate shelter and basic sustenance. 

We are free to travel from state to state in the USA, but much of the population has lost economic mobility and is stuck wherever they are with whatever state laws govern their plight in terms of food, shelter and often wages as well.  So it's laughable to think our mighty military, which is all volunteer, is endlessly capable in terms of its human resources to keep defending the USA abroad,  when the Republican party thinks the key to everything is bootstrapping yourself from the cradle to status of an entrepreneur ready to climb high up the ladder and bitch about taxes. 

So we have some problems and a lot of them are attitudinal and should not be partisan in the sense they are right now.  Maybe we do need a centrist party, or at least two major parties who can get back to conducting business in civil fashion instead of ill-advisedly leading their partisans to verbal battles royal over who's a bigger piece of sh^t on Twitter or Facebook in an endless campaign of opposition to "the other side".


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I actually feel bad for conservatives.  They aren't all lunatics, but even for the ones who aren't it's like a never ending parade of "Well, I guess I need to align myself with this idiot because it's all we got."
> 
> And it's not as simples as just switching teams.  As an example, let's say the Democrats did something crazy like align themselves with Wall St., corporations, and the military.  Of course that would neeeeever happen because they are the party of the working class, but lets say did.  As crazy and unlikely as that is, are going to go join the Republican party as a result?  Fuck no.   There's countless reasons you wouldn't and the same can be said for Republicans towards the Democrat party.



If your Conservative party breaks bad, you need to find or create something that aligns with your views, and stay away from  a bunch of self destructive, nation destructive, democracy destructive, liars, cheats, and thieving fascists.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

"In Holland you can smoke weed while fucking a hooker in front of a cop".    

So many threads I could have put this in but I put it here because the right is so obsessed with FREEDOM right now.   Also important to note this came out before Trump won...oh how we've evolved, no.


----------



## lizkat

Hope the Dems are paying attention to something besides whether the filibuster will yet come into play in the Senate...  because the Rs ain't just playin' when it comes to advancing their agenda outside the realm of the FEDERAL government...









						Christie nabs role courting big donors for Republican governors group
					

The former New Jersey governor is set to co-chair the Republican Governors Association's Victory 2022 Board.




					www.politico.com
				






> Given the size of the electoral map — there are 38 governors races on the ballot in 2021 and 2022 — top Republicans say they are looking for an avenue to raise more money.






> The move comes as Christie openly ponders a 2024 presidential bid. During a May appearance on the conservative “Ruthless” podcast, Christie said that should he run, he would not defer to former President Donald Trump, who is weighing a comeback.






> The RGA position is a potentially valuable one for Christie, giving him entrée to the party’s most sought-after donors as other would-be 2024 hopefuls begin to cultivate finance networks. Christie chaired the RGA following his 2013 reelection win, which preceded his unsuccessful 2016 presidential effort several years later.
> 
> The job will also keep him in the national spotlight. Christie has been a regular guest on ABC’s “This Week,” and recently announced he would be authoring a forthcoming book, “Republican Rescue: Saving the Party from Truth Deniers, Conspiracy Theorists, and the Dangerous Policies of Joe Biden.” The book is to be published in November by Threshold Editions, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1418710612759171072/

An explainer of sorts


> Rep. Eric Swalwell posted a heated text exchange with Tucker Carlson and said the Fox News host is 'losing his mind that I won't return his calls'
> 
> 
> "Coward," Carlson wrote after Swalwell declined to call him, saying the Fox News host had smeared his family.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.businessinsider.com


----------



## lizkat

The Republicans are still in thrall to Trump and to the vocal contingent of their electorate that supports him, but they're starting to realize that their "agenda"  (as policy-free as it still really is) needs to do an about-face on vaccination.   So they've lined up a bunch of their front-facing elected officials to roll out the new pitch that goes like "it's a free country yeah so we're against vax passports and other coercions but it's responsible to get vaccinated..." 

And then there's the entertaining Sean Hannity, trying to make Fox's late hit on supporting vaccination sound otherwise:



> “*Just like we’ve been saying*, please take COVID seriously. Enough people have died. We don’t need any more deaths. Research like crazy. Talk to your doctor,” Fox News’s Sean Hannity said last night. “It absolutely makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated.”
> 
> Hannity’s “just like we’ve been saying” is doing a lot of work. He reportedly called the pandemic a “hoax” early on, and his colleague Tucker Carlson continues to cast doubt on vaccines, including on yesterday’s program. But Hannity is not alone now. His statement comes as several other major conservatives are speaking up too.












						Suddenly, Conservatives Care About Vaccines
					

A number of leaders on the right suddenly urged their audiences to get vaccinated in the past day. Why now?




					www.theatlantic.com
				




Anyway it probably boils down to the fact that if covid variants continue to catch on with more contagious effect,  even Republicans realize their voters' anti-vax bias could end up with the Rs being blamed for any necessary shutdowns of parts of the economy as we go forward towards midterm elections...


----------



## SuperMatt

lizkat said:


> The Republicans are still in thrall to Trump and to the vocal contingent of their electorate that supports him, but they're starting to realize that their "agenda"  (as policy-free as it still really is) needs to do an about-face on vaccination.   So they've lined up a bunch of their front-facing elected officials to roll out the new pitch that goes like "it's a free country yeah so we're against vax passports and other coercions but it's responsible to get vaccinated..."
> 
> And then there's the entertaining Sean Hannity, trying to make Fox's late hit on supporting vaccination sound otherwise:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Suddenly, Conservatives Care About Vaccines
> 
> 
> A number of leaders on the right suddenly urged their audiences to get vaccinated in the past day. Why now?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.theatlantic.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anyway it probably boils down to the fact that if covid variants continue to catch on with more contagious effect,  even Republicans realize their voters' anti-vax bias could end up with the Rs being blamed for any necessary shutdowns of parts of the economy as we go forward towards midterm elections...



It’s also hard to win elections when all your usual voters are dead.


----------



## lizkat

SuperMatt said:


> It’s also hard to win elections when all your usual voters are dead.




Yeah this is a backup plan in case Plan A (installing election override options via state legislatures) doesn't work everywhere.


----------



## JayMysteri0

The lack of creativity remains

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1418998006209290244/


----------



## JayMysteri0

> Donald Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis leaves GOP; official called her election claims 'a joke'
> 
> 
> In a November email, a GOP attorney said Ellis and fellow Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani were pushing conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
> 
> 
> 
> www.usatoday.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> The Republicans are still in thrall to Trump and to the vocal contingent of their electorate that supports him, but they're starting to realize that their "agenda"  (as policy-free as it still really is) needs to do an about-face on vaccination.   So they've lined up a bunch of their front-facing elected officials to roll out the new pitch that goes like "it's a free country yeah so we're against vax passports and other coercions but it's responsible to get vaccinated..."
> 
> And then there's the entertaining Sean Hannity, trying to make Fox's late hit on supporting vaccination sound otherwise:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Suddenly, Conservatives Care About Vaccines
> 
> 
> A number of leaders on the right suddenly urged their audiences to get vaccinated in the past day. Why now?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.theatlantic.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anyway it probably boils down to the fact that if covid variants continue to catch on with more contagious effect,  even Republicans realize their voters' anti-vax bias could end up with the Rs being blamed for any necessary shutdowns of parts of the economy as we go forward towards midterm elections...




The cynical view here is that the only reason they are doing this is so they can get some soundbites to counter the left advertising that nearly the entire right is telling people to not get vaccinated as things get worse.  They can dig up that soundbite and go "No we didn't!".  Pretty close before and after that soundbite they're still sowing distrust and hesitancy about getting vaccinated.  

They're playing both sides and if nothing else has been proven over the last 5 years it's that their voters are pretty immune to blatant contrary facts that don't fit their narrative.   You could have a representative on camera saying "You should get vaccinated.  But I sure as hell wouldn't" and in hindsight they'll only give credit to the half that fits their narrative outcome and completely ignore the half that contradicts it.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Spare Us Your Covid Hypocrisy, Republicans
					

Some GOP leaders have done an about-face on vaccines. But they’re to blame for the pandemic’s ongoing spread—and always will be.




					www.thenation.com


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> The lack of creativity remains
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1418998006209290244/



I might be becoming a bigot of white male politicians of the conservative bent, they are starting to look alike to me.  The man visually strikes me like an idiot, I expect to see a confederate flag, camo, and an AK mounted over his fireplace. He’s got the same angry, _I’m a wannabe Nazi _face as Matt Gaetz.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Huntn said:


> I might be becoming a bigot of white male politicians of the conservative bent, they are starting to look alike to me.  The man visually strikes like an idiot, I expect to see a confederate flag, camo, and an AK mounted over his fireplace. He’s got the same angry, _I’m a wannabe Nazi _face as Matt Gaetz.



There's a bit of a similar type who are running these days.  It isn't just white haired cynical old White businessmen running anymore.  No we have younger zealots who believe they've been wronged by women, LGBTQ, and PoC who dare to demand to be treated they way they have been all this time.


----------



## lizkat

JayMysteri0 said:


> There's a bit of a similar type who are running these days.  It isn't just white haired cynical old White businessmen running anymore.  No we have younger zealots who believe they've been wronged by women, LGBTQ, and PoC who dare to demand to be treated they way they have been all this time.




And let's not forget that J.D. Vance has a book out that he wants to keep making royalties on. 

But another thing to remember is he does have some connections to Republican power structures... his wife is a lawyer who has clerked for both Kavanaugh (before he came to the high court) and for Chief Justice John Roberts. 

Vance has also gotten support from conservative high dollar donor Robert Mercer.   Mercer has a lot of claims to fame including his knowledge of AI, his skills at poker and his former stewardship of hedge fund Renaissance Technologies, but he's best known in political circles as having deep pockets for right wing causes and associated media operations.

In short J.D. Vance probably already looks like he'd make a great pawn in the Senate for ultra right movers and shakers in the USA.  Anyway his name-dropping value as far as connections go certainl  appear to leave those of the likes of Matt Gaetz in the dust.   What might do him in though is sticking to Donald Trump after initially not thinking much of The Don...


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Fox News attacks the Biden administration for implementing Fox’s own vaccine policy for its employees
					






					www.mediamatters.org


----------



## lizkat

JayMysteri0 said:


> The lack of creativity remains
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1418998006209290244/




Politico has a magazine piece up suggesting that despite all JD Vance's self promotion, apologies for flip-flops on Trump (yeah now he loves The Don, you betcha),  and running around trying to look less like a former venture capitalist and more like a prospective US Senator from Ohio, a lot of people in his home state don't even know who he is.

Some who do recognize Vance's name aren't sure how much they care for a guy who wrote a book about "hillbillies" that became a best seller among "elites".... especially when Vance himself has been hanging out with Hollywood types and high dollar political donors.

(Cn u spl "sellout"?!?  Inquiring hillbllly minds might wanna know).​​This whole gig of Vance coming from hillbilly background on up tto success --hrough venture capitalism to best seller novel lists and now to his his currently well bankrolled political endeavor-- is pretty rich in some minds.  I mean it's hard to get much more elite than a United States Senator,  and yet he's talking about being a man of the people, the same as his now idol The Don used to talk. 

On the other hand, some Ohioans now say they think they should read Vance's book.  So go figure, which is what pollsters will be doing...

The GOP primary field vying to get the nod for the seat of retiring Senator Rob Portman is pretty crowded.    Sharp elbows for Trump in those primaries, but potentially less enthusiasm among independent voters for a pro-Trump candidate in the general election of 2022 , could open up a tantalizing opportunity for the Dems to pick up the seat.  Time will tell.  But Ohio did get redder in 2020 and it leans red for 2022 as well, so frontrunner Tim Ryan on the less crowded Dem side shouldn't hold his breath.









						The Beltway Can’t Stop Talking About Him. The Voters He Needs Barely Know Him.
					

In conversations with Ohio voters, it seems J.D. Vance's national brand hasn’t broken through.




					www.politico.com
				




Vance's reputation for flip-flopping on support for Trump is a big deal. First he wasn't gonna run because he disapproved of Trump, now he's running and competing with two front-runners to become known as the most Trumpy guy in Ohio.    Lotsa luck...  as a Salon piece from earlier in July pointed out,  a lot of Ohio voters figure all these guys are just kissing Trump's behind, not so much his ring or their own views on the role of federal government anyway.   And some of them haven't forgotten Trump's broken promises about jobs "coming back" to Ohio.









						Ohio GOP Senate candidates are humiliating themselves for Trump
					

Longtime Ohio Republican politicos told Salon the best candidate in the race may be none of the above.




					www.salon.com
				




And for a note from the in-crowd in Ohio politics, namely the current and very Republican Floor Majority Leader in Ohio's state legislature,  an op-ed in the Cincinnati Enquirer warned voters off Vance in no uncertain terms.









						Opinion: Don't buy what J.D. Vance is selling
					

How can we expect J.D. Vance to represent us as Ohioans when he has thumbed his nose at us in the past and parroted offensive liberal narratives?



					www.cincinnati.com
				




From near the wrap of that piece:



> Throughout 2016 and beyond, Vance compared Trump voters to drug addicts and described the average Trump voter as unmarried or in a failed marriage, having abandoned their faith in God, not highly educated, from fractured families, and easily lured by inspirational messages. How can we expect Vance to represent us as Ohioans when he has thumbed his nose at us in the past and parroted offensive liberal narratives?




Whew.  So that's why Vance has sorta been doing an apology tour, after scrubbing his social media of his own former takes on Trump.  I don't care how creative the Vance ads get --the ones paid for with $10 million from a Super PAC formed by his former boss and billionaire Peter Thiel--   that's a lotta backstory to bury in big money while apparently hoping to sound like a die-hard Trump fan and a man of the people.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1421184913659895808/

Here's the "good" part

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1421184915933220870/

House republicans voted against better security, to insure something like 1/6 is less likely to happen.

Talk about voting against your own best interests.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1421184913659895808/
> 
> Here's the "good" part
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1421184915933220870/
> 
> House republicans voted against better security, to insure something like 1/6 is less likely to happen.
> 
> Talk about voting against your own best interests.




This is their logic (I'm not joking).  What happened on 1/6 wasn't an insurrection.  So they won't vote for anything to help prevent something from happening in the future that didn't actually happen.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> This is their logic (I'm not joking).  What happened on 1/6 wasn't an insurrection.  So they won't vote for anything to help prevent something from happening in the future that didn't actually happen.



So their "logic" is, "don't fix what ain't broke"?





_How many times did you see police run for their lives at a BLM protest? _

That sounds about right.

Which is why I posted it here.


----------



## Pumbaa

JayMysteri0 said:


> So their "logic" is, "don't fix what ain't broke"?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _How many times did you see police run for their lives at a BLM protest? _
> 
> That sounds about right.
> 
> Which is why I posted it here.



Oh, they’re not running for their lives. They’re leading the charge!


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

The next successful firebrand Republican candidate will run on the slogan "I'm a lying piece of shit".  They'll end every rally with "But what do I know?  I'm a lying piece of shit."  They will be praised for their refreshing honesty and how they reflect the average voter.  Their slogan shirt will be really popular in rural America.


----------



## Alli

JayMysteri0 said:


> So their "logic" is, "don't fix what ain't broke"?



Unless you’re talking about voting, and then you better put all kinds of measures in place so that nobody can cheat in a future election.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Alli said:


> Unless you’re talking about voting, and then you better put all kinds of measures in place so that nobody can cheat in a future election.



That logic would be in keeping, since 'the right' people aren't voting enough to win.  That needs to be fixed.


----------



## JayMysteri0

No, it isn't fake.

Yes, it's stupid.  It's a 45 relation.






Yes, let's imagine if you had to show a card to vote, and watch brain's explode.  Thank goodness something like that hasn't actually happe-   

Bonus jokes
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1421604744858984450/


----------



## Alli

JayMysteri0 said:


> Yes, it's stupid. It's a 45 relation.



The child is an idiot.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> No, it isn't fake.
> 
> Yes, it's stupid.  It's a 45 relation.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, let's imagine if you had to show a card to vote, and watch brain's explode.  Thank goodness something like that hasn't actually happe-
> 
> Bonus jokes
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1421604744858984450/




I'm still trying to figure out if the slights the left was hurling at the right pre Trump were on par with what the right is doing nowBeing on the left it is kind of a blind spot, but I know they felt that way even before Hillary lit the deplorables fuse.  I feel it was largely the left wondering why people on the right seem to vote against their own best interests mixed with insults at the religious right and corporate shill politicians (of which there are many Democrats who also fit that bill), but I don't it was anywhere near the "literally everybody on the left is a communist" that the right is promoting now.  But again, could be a blind spot, and I'm maybe being biased.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Heard a comedian say people who believed Hitler (and Trump) are like guys who go to a strip club and when they stripper hits on them they think "I know they are probably bullshitting me, but maybe...!"


----------



## JayMysteri0

> Poll exposes unease among Republicans
> 
> 
> One faction’s continuing focus on former President Donald Trump as a leader could be driving a wedge deeper for those who say their party is “pretty much a disaster.”
> 
> 
> 
> www.yorkdispatch.com






> *Support for Trump:* Other Republicans disagree. The poll shows that Trump remains a commanding figure in the party. While most former presidents tend to cede the spotlight after leaving office, Trump has continued to assert his power, holding rallies, making endorsements and teasing a 2024 comeback run.
> 
> While 60% of the public overall has an unfavorable view of Trump, 76% of Republicans view him favorably. And most would like to see him maintain at least some degree of influence over the GOP going forward.
> 
> Nearly half of Republicans, 47%, say that Trump should exert “a lot” of influence over the future of the party, and another 34% say he should have “a little” influence. Just 18% say Trump should have none at all.
> 
> “I think he did a lot of good for the party,” said George Hunter, 61, who lives in Washington state outside Seattle and runs an online store. Hunter was among the minority of Republicans who said he felt optimistic about the party’s future given what he sees as Democrats’ failures on crime, foreign policy and the economy and his expectation that Republicans will sweep contests next November.
> 
> “After the next election, I think things will be better. I think the Democrats will lose their majorities. That way Biden will get less done than he wants,” he said.






> *Priorities:* As for the 2020 election, the poll shows that 62% of Republicans say it’s “extremely” or “very” important that investigations into the election continue, even though no substantiated evidence has emerged to support Trump’s claims of mass election fraud, which have been dismissed by numerous judges, including some he appointed, state election officials and his own attorney general.
> 
> Just 38%, in contrast, say it’s “extremely” or “very” important to continue investigations into the events of Jan. 6, when a group of Trump’s supporters violently stormed the Capitol building, trying to halt the transition of power.
> 
> Like Democrats, few Republicans, only 10%, say democracy is working “extremely” or “very” well in the country today. But Republicans are more negative than Democrats; 63% of Republicans say democracy is not working well.
> 
> Just 17% say they think the nation is headed in the right direction.








> Wide partisan divide on whether voting is a fundamental right or a privilege with responsibilities
> 
> 
> 57% of Americans view voting as “a fundamental right for every adult U.S. citizen and should not be restricted in any way.”
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.pewresearch.org





> As political battles continue around the nation over voting access and restrictions, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that a majority of Americans (57%) say voting is “a fundamental right for every adult U.S. citizen and should not be restricted in any way.”
> 
> Fewer (42%) express the view that “voting is a privilege that comes with responsibilities and can be limited if adult U.S. citizens don’t meet some requirements.”
> 
> Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents overwhelmingly say voting is a fundamental right that should not be restricted in any way – 78% hold this view, while fewer than a quarter (21%) say it is a privilege. Two-thirds of Republicans and Republican leaners say voting is a privilege that can be limited if requirements are not met, compared with about half as many (32%) who say it is a fundamental right.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


>



Voting is a privilege? What are the conditions? Sounds a bit like a WHITE privilege to me.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> Voting is a privilege? What are the conditions? Sounds a bit like a WHITE privilege to me.



It's not so much a White privilege.  It's a privilege that SOME republicans would prefer to allow for SOME voters dependent on whether or not they vote republican.  Their skin color is irrelevant.

It just so happens that for SOME reason more PoC tend to NOT vote republican.  As long as that is their stance, that is an issue for SOME.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> It's not so much a White privilege.  It's a privilege that SOME republicans would prefer to allow for SOME voters dependent on whether or not they vote republican.  Their skin color is irrelevant.
> 
> It just so happens that for SOME reason more PoC tend to NOT vote republican.  As long as that is their stance, that is an issue for SOME.



More about voting - and about Joe Manchin.









						Democracy Probably F*cked, Thanks to Supreme Leader Joe Manchin
					

It's your Sunday show rundown!




					www.wonkette.com


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I'm still trying to figure out if the slights the left was hurling at the right pre Trump were on par with what the right is doing nowBeing on the left it is kind of a blind spot, but I know they felt that way even before Hillary lit the deplorables fuse.  I feel it was largely the left wondering why people on the right seem to vote against their own best interests mixed with insults at the religious right and corporate shill politicians (of which there are many Democrats who also fit that bill), but I don't it was anywhere near the "literally everybody on the left is a communist" that the right is promoting now.  But again, could be a blind spot, and I'm maybe being biased.




It was even by Clinton's own admission that her "basket of deplorables" remark helped cost her the election.   But it's interesting to focus for a minute on the part of her remark that got left out of the meme.  Her remark in its entirety per a Time mag transcript is below.  The bolding is mine



> “You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right?” Clinton said. “The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic—you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up.”
> 
> She said *the other half of Trump’s supporters “feel that the government has let them down” and are “desperate for change.”
> 
> “Those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well,*” she said.




As for what's going on with the Republicans now, part of their vitriol about commies is about trying to peel away Hispanic voters by appealing to the anti-communist sentiment of former Cubans (and other immigrants from leftist governments where revolutions "of the people" went bad in the hands of  leaders turned into dictators). 

The Republican Party seems pretty wary of outspoken progressives like AOC,  whom they've hammered on from day one.   She's just one congressperson (and one of only four Democratic Socialists of America seated in Congress, as Democrats)  yet from the day she was sworn in,  if you listen to Republican bullhorns,  you'd think she had swept into Congress with an army waiting out on the lawn for her signal to rise up and take charge of the entire federal government. 

Meanwhile her own party leader looks at Ocasio-Cortez askance half the time over concerns that she and her fellow DSA members might have the power to split the Democratic Party one of these days.  That might even be true if the party doesn't abandon its failed policy of moving right by degrees in order to sweep up a few crumbs off a GOP-run table controlled by the Senate's filibuster no matter who sits in the White House. The DSA organization's median age now is 33, so it's not like democratic socialism is a thing that will disappear with the generation of Bernie Sanders, and so the Democrats do seem to realize that, even if change is still slow inside the DNC and in state committees.

But to certain Republicans,  AOC may seem like a real threat just by being who she is as an American: a person of deep religious faith, a person of color, appropriately educated for her government service with a double-major degree cum laude in international relations and economics, , a woman who has worked "downscale" as a bartender (ahem, as had the illustrious former Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner), and someone who is eloquent about social justice issues and big ticket legislative items, a young woman who is responsive and assertive on social media, where she has a following on Twitter exceeding 12 million accounts.

The real nightmare for the GOP is that there are already many. many more people --voters and potential candideates for office--  with the talents, education, faith, work ethic and social media savvy of AOC floating around the country.   And only some of them are Republicans. 

Hence the godblasted ramp-up of voter suppression laws.  That's the Republicans' trump card for at least 2022, or so they hope.  Everything else is eye candy, shiny objects, chaff in the wind, all meant to confuse any well-constructed Democratic Party missiles.   But should those things fail then the GOP figures the bottom lines are 1) dampen the vote count and 2) empower the state to call an election "if necessary".


----------



## JayMysteri0

Wow.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1423277944349339649/


----------



## JayMysteri0

For the group that hates masks, but historically have been wearing them in the U.S. for decades

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1423994764823781400/

Disclaimer before anyone complains:
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1424054927207198725/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Hey, it is A plan.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1425483543485026306/


----------



## JayMysteri0

The agenda also seemingly includes constantly forgetting to report income, expenditures, and possible conflicts of interest.  Perfectly on brand for the law & order crowd who thinks those less well off keep getting too much money from the gov't.

The latest
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1428187219362258946/

In case you're not seeing the pattern, there was this guy who had a problem with timely reporting


> Rand Paul reveals in late financial disclosure that his wife bought stock in company behind remdesivir in February 2020
> 
> 
> Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky revealed Wednesday that his wife in February 2020 purchased up to $15,000 in stock in Gilead Sciences, the maker of the antiviral drug remdesivir.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cnn.com




But back to our first contestant who seemingly prefers to use others money for personal spending
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1428010642255056904/

A refresher where you might have heard something similar before


> Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Washington ‘outsider,’ spent donations on insider expenses
> 
> 
> Marjorie Taylor Greene spent campaign money on a steak dinner, exclusive club membership and other expenses at odds with her self-cultivated image of Washington outsider.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.ajc.com




Electing a fine class of public officials there


----------



## JayMysteri0

Once again, forgetting to disclose monies made outside of congress








> Matt Gaetz busts deadline for disclosing $25,000 in profits from his Trumpian book 'Firebrand'
> 
> 
> Gaetz's book described the lawmaker's active social life and praised the MAGA movement and former President Donald Trump.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.businessinsider.com




Seems to be a recurring pattern forming


----------



## JayMysteri0

Remember when a certain group of people got butthurt over another group of people supposedly disrespecting the American flag?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1429140392306515977/

Yeah,  ...   I guess the disrespect depends on what group of people are doing it.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1429270805762826242/

_Do not get me started on those two._  _Dewey, Cheatum, & Howe_.


----------



## Alli

JayMysteri0 said:


> Remember when a certain group of people got butthurt over another group of people supposedly disrespecting the American flag?



Most of them (all of them?) wouldn’t know the proper rules of caring for the flag if their lives depended on it.

I can remember a time when they might have faced a fine or jail for doing that to the flag.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Tucker Carlson plays dumb on TV — but his stupidity is strategically weaponized
					

The Fox News host's arguments are maddeningly stupid on purpose. He's trying to destroy rational discourse itself




					www.salon.com
				




TL;DR 

The right isn't trying to deal in facts.  Fact-checking them is pointless.  They're just filling the air with stupidity noise so that people don't know what to believe, factual or not.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Flashback:


----------



## lizkat

Basically the Republican agenda going forward has just a few talking points left now, to keep it simple.

1. The Democratic Party doesn't offer legitimate American political opposition.  

2.  The era of forebearance, or self-restraint from maximum exercise of raw and partisan political power, is so over.

3.   Unfavorable outcomes of elections are due to fraud on part of the opposition.

4.   The way to reduce aleged voter fraud is to make it harder to vote if one favors the opposition.

5.   As a fallback, it's critical to have state laws that afford an effective declaration that the GOP candidate has won.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Tucker Carlson plays dumb on TV — but his stupidity is strategically weaponized
> 
> 
> The Fox News host's arguments are maddeningly stupid on purpose. He's trying to destroy rational discourse itself
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> TL;DR
> 
> The right isn't trying to deal in facts.  Fact-checking them is pointless.  They're just filling the air with stupidity noise so that people don't know what to believe, factual or not.



Their followers have installed funnels in their throats so the Koolaid flows without impediment.


----------



## lizkat

On some issues though, the right is starting to fracture.  Afghan refugees, for instance.









						The Latest G.O.P. Schism: How to Handle Afghan Evacuees
					

The resettlement of Afghan allies in the U.S. is revealing an internal divide between the party’s anti-immigrant wing and other conservatives who want to help the refugees.




					www.nytimes.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> On some issues though, the right is starting to fracture.  Afghan refugees, for instance.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Latest G.O.P. Schism: How to Handle Afghan Evacuees
> 
> 
> The resettlement of Afghan allies in the U.S. is revealing an internal divide between the party’s anti-immigrant wing and other conservatives who want to help the refugees.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com




I'm sure the suicide bombings at the Kabul airport today will be filtered through Tucker Carlson as "These are the exact people Democrats want to let into our country!"


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I'm sure the suicide bombings at the Kabul airport today will be filtered through Tucker Carlson as "These are the exact people Democrats want to let into our country!"




That won't daunt the spirits or take the sparkle off the activities of Americans right now preparing to welcome Afghans to the USA.   They're not putting political labels on their endeavors, just doing what Americans have done in past and still manage to do when the need arises, despite whatever people like Tucker Carlson or Stephen Miller may think or even try to make impossible.









						Minnesota Communities And Organizations Prepare For Afghan Refugee Arrivals
					

The Minnesota Department of Human Services reports 35 Afghan refugees have already arrived as of August 16 and up to 65 refugees have been granted Special Immigrant Visas.




					minnesota.cbslocal.com
				








__





						Memphis organizations prepare to welcome, assist Afghan refugees
					





					www.msn.com
				












						Afghans in North Texas Prepare to Welcome Refugees
					

Hundreds of Afghan refugees with special immigration visas are expected to resettle in North Texas and many Afghanistan natives who relocated to the state years before are preparing to welcome them.




					www.nbcdfw.com
				












						Northeast Ohio prepares to welcome Afghan refugees - Ohio News Time
					

Cleveland is on the US State Department’s list of settlement cities, and Akron has one family already airlifted from a war-torn country. Cleveland — Kabul’s airport in Afghanistan is lined with more people every day, even when shooters are firing into the surrounding air. They are desperate to...




					ohionewstime.com


----------



## SuperMatt

lizkat said:


> That won't daunt the spirits or take the sparkle off the activities of Americans right now preparing to welcome Afghans to the USA.   They're not putting political labels on their endeavors, just doing what Americans have done in past and still manage to do when the need arises, despite whatever people like Tucker Carlson or Stephen Miller may think or even try to make impossible.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Minnesota Communities And Organizations Prepare For Afghan Refugee Arrivals
> 
> 
> The Minnesota Department of Human Services reports 35 Afghan refugees have already arrived as of August 16 and up to 65 refugees have been granted Special Immigrant Visas.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> minnesota.cbslocal.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Memphis organizations prepare to welcome, assist Afghan refugees
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.msn.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Afghans in North Texas Prepare to Welcome Refugees
> 
> 
> Hundreds of Afghan refugees with special immigration visas are expected to resettle in North Texas and many Afghanistan natives who relocated to the state years before are preparing to welcome them.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nbcdfw.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Northeast Ohio prepares to welcome Afghan refugees - Ohio News Time
> 
> 
> Cleveland is on the US State Department’s list of settlement cities, and Akron has one family already airlifted from a war-torn country. Cleveland — Kabul’s airport in Afghanistan is lined with more people every day, even when shooters are firing into the surrounding air. They are desperate to...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ohionewstime.com



Congress needs to act to increase the numbers of refugees we can take in ASAP.


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> The agenda also seemingly includes constantly forgetting to report income, expenditures, and possible conflicts of interest.  Perfectly on brand for the law & order crowd who thinks those less well off keep getting too much money from the gov't.
> 
> The latest
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1428187219362258946/




Edit: Is that the guy who swings his dick around minors?


----------



## SuperMatt

This is their agenda in a nutshell:









						Supreme Court Ends Biden’s Eviction Moratorium
					

The ruling followed political and legal maneuvering by the administration to retain protections for tenants. It puts hundreds of thousands at risk of being put out of their homes.




					www.nytimes.com
				




Screw over the poor and make sure we are ruled by the rich for at least the next century. The Supreme Court is killing voting rights, ruling almost 100% of the time in favor of corporations, and now kicking who knows how many people out onto the street to become homeless.

Look at this and know - this is the true Republican agenda. This is what Mitch McConnell wanted. This is why he was willing to break his word on court nominees. He is bought and paid for and will fight until his last breath to permanently entrench the rich as rulers of America.

With the power of the vote diluted, and the population moving more and more into cities, we will have at least 26 states that hold a small fraction of our nation’s population but will completely control the Senate. You will never pass voting rights or any other legislation that is good for the middle class or below in America.

Our country is headed for a massive crisis, and unless people like Manchin and Sinema pull their heads out of their asses, it will happen without even a whimper from the Democratic Party. Makes you wonder how many Democrats are also in bed with the billionaires.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> This is their agenda in a nutshell:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Supreme Court Ends Biden’s Eviction Moratorium
> 
> 
> The ruling followed political and legal maneuvering by the administration to retain protections for tenants. It puts hundreds of thousands at risk of being put out of their homes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Screw over the poor and make sure we are ruled by the rich for at least the next century. The Supreme Court is killing voting rights, ruling almost 100% of the time in favor of corporations, and now kicking who knows how many people out onto the street to become homeless.
> 
> Look at this and know - this is the true Republican agenda. This is what Mitch McConnell wanted. This is why he was willing to break his word on court nominees. He is bought and paid for and will fight until his last breath to permanently entrench the rich as rulers of America.
> 
> With the power of the vote diluted, and the population moving more and more into cities, we will have at least 26 states that hold a small fraction of our nation’s population but will completely control the Senate. You will never pass voting rights or any other legislation that is good for the middle class or below in America.
> 
> Our country is headed for a massive crisis, and unless people like Manchin and Sinema pull their heads out of their asses, it will happen without even a whimper from the Democratic Party. Makes you wonder how many Democrats are also in bed with the billionaires.




I listened to a recent interview with Robert Reich who said when one side is leaning heavily towards fascism there’s no point in being moderate or hoping for bipartisan approval.

These people, including Biden, are living in a fantasy world that doesn’t currently exist but might be part of their past they long to return to. This is dangerous ignorance. They have the power to stop it. The right has no incentive to stop it. If they succeed I will have more anger towards those who just sat by and let it happen based on their pipedream of civility. Again, no incentive for the right to be civil. The strength in their party is doing the opposite.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> This is their agenda in a nutshell:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Supreme Court Ends Biden’s Eviction Moratorium
> 
> 
> The ruling followed political and legal maneuvering by the administration to retain protections for tenants. It puts hundreds of thousands at risk of being put out of their homes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Screw over the poor and make sure we are ruled by the rich for at least the next century. The Supreme Court is killing voting rights, ruling almost 100% of the time in favor of corporations, and now kicking who knows how many people out onto the street to become homeless.
> 
> Look at this and know - this is the true Republican agenda. This is what Mitch McConnell wanted. This is why he was willing to break his word on court nominees. He is bought and paid for and will fight until his last breath to permanently entrench the rich as rulers of America.
> 
> With the power of the vote diluted, and the population moving more and more into cities, we will have at least 26 states that hold a small fraction of our nation’s population but will completely control the Senate. You will never pass voting rights or any other legislation that is good for the middle class or below in America.
> 
> Our country is headed for a massive crisis, and unless people like Manchin and Sinema pull their heads out of their asses, it will happen without even a whimper from the Democratic Party. Makes you wonder how many Democrats are also in bed with the billionaires.



Will not be surprised if we see a civil war. Maybe we'll split across middle. But I think I’m living in the wrong damned State for this to happen.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> Will not be surprised if we see a civil war. Maybe we'll split across middle. But I think I’m living in the wrong damned State for this to happen.




I take some amount of comfort that a lot of people just don’t have time for this shit. By “this shit” I mean, as shocking as it may seem on here, a huge percentage of the population doesn’t pay attention that much to politics. In the context of a civil war that means many won’t give enough of a shit to pick up arms and fight….or are fully onboard with either side enough to do so.

Personally, I don’t think the right has even presented a definition of exactly what it is they’re fighting for/against. Interestingly the last time “they’re trying to destroy our way of life!” was widely used was by slave owners in the south pre-civil war. That was actually a valid point back then, like it or not. I don’t know what that applies to now, but they're still attempting to use it.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Heard an interview with the journalist who wrote Cruelty is the Point. Among his many observations, in regards to politicians, demonizing states and cities is only the luxury of Republican politicians. Republicans are currently a tiny tent party mostly only pandering to a small demographic. They’re not concerned about offending people outside that group, whereas Democrats need to seem more all-inclusive and sympathetic to most groups of people. That’s why when there is some crisis in a red state you won’t hear a Democrat politician say something like “That’s what you get for living in a red state! You should leave!”.

Of course individual citizens from both sides engage in that type behavior. It’s a different game for politicians.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I take some amount of comfort that a lot of people just don’t have time for this shit. By “this shit” I mean, as shocking as it may seem on here, a huge percentage of the population doesn’t pay attention that much to politics. In the context of a civil war that means many won’t give enough of a shit to pick up arms and fight….or are fully onboard with either side enough to do so.
> 
> Personally, I don’t think the right has even presented a definition of exactly what it is they’re fighting for/against. Interestingly the last time “they’re trying to destroy our way of life!” was widely used was by slave owners in the south pre-civil war. That was actually a valid point back then, like it or not. I don’t know what that applies to now, but they're still attempting to use it.



I’m not sure of the exact sequence, but my impression is that just prior to the Civil War, slavery had not been outlawed in existing States, but it was being hindered in new territories.  The Southern States decided to break away because they saw the writing on the wall?  …and fired the first shots.

Of interest, Lincoln provoked the South by resuppling Ft Sumter:
Behind a pay wall, try reader mode: 


			https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/who-is-to-blame-for-first-shot/2011/04/04/AF1M5uHD_story.html
		


_How Lincoln responded to the first crisis of his administration reveals a great deal about the newly inaugurated president’s political skills and the complex issues he faced during the secession crisis. One of Lincoln’s aims was to prevent the Border States from leaving the Union. He knew that if the Union undertook military action, it would be seen as the aggressor and as the initiator of a war between the states. Lincoln also worried that England or France might recognize the nascent Confederacy, especially if it was attacked by Northern forces. While Lincoln hoped to avoid war, he knew that if it came, it would be better for the Union to be seen as responding to Southern aggression._


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Posted another thread about this guy doing Karen metal.  I guess metalizing is his thing and here's one that probably fits this thread.  I thought right wing Christian liberal bashing was a little more nuanced, but man, was I wrong.  Even minus the metalizing.  If people fear we're becoming a Godless nation it's not because of people losing faith.  It's because packed it up and left after seeing clowns like this.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Not saying this applies to all conservatives, but it occurred to me that we used to lock up our dangerously mentally ill people in asylums. Then we closed the asylums and they made their way to prison. Now we just turn them into Republicans.  And the way things are heading, they probably see the need for unhinged armed people.  You know, for if their voting supression doesn't work out in their favor.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I heard an interview with a religious scholar who said all these right-wing Christians are heretics along with a long list of how they aren’t doing what Jesus would do, and he didn’t say it with righteous anger. He was just stating fact.

If they are claiming they are bypassing Jesus and going straight to God they picked the wrong religion. Jews, Christians, and Muslims all believe in the same God. Christianity – “Christ” is in the name. Christ is Jesus. Probably the closest to going straight to God is Judaism, but they probably won’t convert to that because Jews don’t believe Jesus was the son of God and they credit Jews for killing him, the guy they claim to be worshipping while completely ignoring his teachings. Get your shit straight.

If Christianity was a business Jesus would be the boss and these people think they deserve employee of the month by not doing what the boss tells them to do while driving away customers.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Posted another thread about this guy doing Karen metal.  I guess metalizing is his thing and here's one that probably fits this thread.  I thought right wing Christian liberal bashing was a little more nuanced, but man, was I wrong.  Even minus the metalizing.  If people fear we're becoming a Godless nation it's not because of people losing faith.  It's because packed it up and left after seeing clowns like this.



I watch a buffoon  like this, wondering how  many like minded idiots are drinking this guy’s Koolaid and it makes me fearful for the future of our species.



Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Not saying this applies to all conservatives, but it occurred to me that we used to lock up our dangerously mentally ill people in asylums. Then we closed the asylums and they made their way to prison. Now we just turn them into Republicans.  And the way things are heading, they probably see the need for unhinged armed people.  You know, for if their voting supression doesn't work out in their favor.



Somewhere along the line, as our society has lost its integrity, we (conservatives)  decided that mental hospitals were too expensive to fund, jail was a more economic means of dealing with the mentally ill. It’s all tied into to this _we are paying to much in taxes _which is the conservative “freedom“ road map away from responsibility. Can’t afford social programs or social safety nets either. And just think how much more the 1% can make trashing the environment and using slave labor. See, there is a unified master plan being executed, while we the sheep just hoof it down the shoot to our shearing.


----------



## JayMysteri0

FFS
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1433793831904948224/


----------



## JayMysteri0

FF'NS
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1434890240095924226/


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> FFS
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1433793831904948224/



Replace patriots with idiots and you have the blueprint to Boeberts whole ideology.


----------



## JayMysteri0

An update on the further misadventures of one Mrs. Boebert







> Colorado's redistricting committee questioned about changes to draft congressional map
> 
> 
> The changes to the 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts could put Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert in a race against Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.9news.com





> COLORADO, USA — The Colorado Independent Redistricting Committee released a revised congressional district map Friday evening – the map was created using 2020 Census data, public comment and input from the congressional commission.
> 
> The most notable changes are in the 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts. In the new proposed map, the 2nd District now extends from Boulder and Larimer counties to Moffat and Garfield.
> 
> "That 2nd Congressional District now is going to go all the way up to that congressional boundary of the state, which is a very different population than what we’ve historically thought of as that 2nd Congressional District based around Boulder," said Dr. Robert Preuhs, a professor and chair of political science at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
> 
> The changes to the 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts could put Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert in a race against Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse.


----------



## Alli

> The changes to the 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts could put Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert in a race against Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse.



If people vote for her over Neguse, it’s time to burn down the state.


----------



## dukebound85

Alli said:


> If people vote for her over Neguse, it’s time to burn down the state.



just give me heads up to get out of here lol


----------



## Deleted member 215

Well, it’s interesting reading the headlines right now:

Republicans in Texas ban abortion and pass a new voting restrictions bill!

Democrats in Virginia…remove a statue. 

And then it’s very possible California’s governor will soon be a Republican. Come on, Dems, step it up! How about if Newsom survives the recall, we get rid of this bullshit recall law? When the Republicans lose, they immediately pass laws making it harder for them to lose. Maybe Democrats should taking notes…


----------



## Huntn

TBL said:


> Well, it’s interesting reading the headlines right now:
> 
> Republicans in Texas ban abortion and pass a new voting restrictions bill!
> 
> Democrats in Virginia…remove a statue.
> 
> And then it’s very possible California’s governor will soon be a Republican. Come on, Dems, step it up! How about if Newsom survives the recall, we get rid of this bullshit recall law? When the Republicans lose, they immediately pass laws making it harder for them to lose. Maybe Democrats should taking notes…



Well yes, but those kinds of laws subvert democracy. The real problem are the dumb shits back home who elect racist, power hungery ass hole, conmen to lead us straight into the toilet.

This fight is with fellow citizens, it’s why we are in deep shit as a country if there enough democracy saboteur supporters  poking holes in the hull of the ship.


----------



## JayMysteri0

This pattern continues...


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signs social media "censorship" bill into law
					

The legislation aims to stop social media companies from banning users based solely on their political opinions.




					www.cbsnews.com


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Texas Governor Greg Abbott signs social media "censorship" bill into law
> 
> 
> The legislation aims to stop social media companies from banning users based solely on their political opinions.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cbsnews.com



This is so funny because it is literally the government taking away freedom of speech, and claiming to do the opposite. Will newspapers now be required to print every single letter to the editor they receive? Will it be illegal for a company to delete offensive comments from below a news article?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> This is so funny because it is literally the government taking away freedom of speech, and claiming to do the opposite. Will newspapers now be required to print every single letter to the editor they receive? Will it be illegal for a company to delete offensive comments from below a news article?




This is because every attempt they’ve made to make their own social media platform has instantly become a cesspool of hatred, racism, and misogyny. But instead of trying to brute force your way back into civilized society, how about you first back the fuck up and realize your base is perfectly represented on your failed platforms. Not all conservatives get cancelled or banned on long established and successful social media, just the assholes you’ve already dug multiple holes for. Go talk to them there.

Basically this is like a terrorist cell demanding they should be able to set up their training camp in the middle of Disneyland.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Texas Governor Greg Abbott signs social media "censorship" bill into law
> 
> 
> The legislation aims to stop social media companies from banning users based solely on their political opinions.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cbsnews.com



These fuckers… 
NO ONE has been banned for solely expressing their political opinions. A round of Koolaid on the house for you Texas suckers!


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> These fuckers…
> NO ONE has been banned for solely expressing their political opinions. A round of Koolaid on the house for you Texas suckers!




It’s easy to go “These dumbasses don’t know what the law says. lol.” They know damn well what the law says and means. They just don’t give a shit and they’ve extended their minority rule to include any insane idea that is the opposite of Democrats.

Poll after poll after poll after poll shows a majority of Americans agree with a lot of Democrats’ platforms and proposals. Sure, Republicans agree less but it’s still over 50%. Neither party will really push those into actual policy, but Republicans are now taking widely unpopular views and pushing those through the legislative process. Most people don’t want abortions made illegal, unmasked and unvaccinated people running amuck, and hatred and ignorant conspiracy theories ruling social media…and that’s regardless of political leanings, but this is what the GOP has decided should be the gold standard in their platform of democracy destruction.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> It’s easy to go “These dumbasses don’t know what the law says. lol.” They know damn well what the law says and means. They just don’t give a shit and they’ve extended their minority rule to include any insane idea that is the opposite of Democrats.
> 
> Poll after poll after poll after poll shows a majority of Americans agree with a lot of Democrats’ platforms and proposals. Sure, Republicans agree less but it’s still over 50%. Neither party will really push those into actual policy, but Republicans are now taking widely unpopular views and pushing those through the legislative process. Most people don’t want abortions made illegal, unmasked and unvaccinated people running amuck, and hatred and ignorant conspiracy theories ruling social media…and that’s regardless of political leanings, but this is what the GOP has decided should be the gold standard in their platform of democracy destruction.



Once people see their policies in action, they will run away faster from the GOP.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> It’s easy to go “These dumbasses don’t know what the law says. lol.” They know damn well what the law says and means. They just don’t give a shit and they’ve extended their minority rule to include any insane idea that is the opposite of Democrats.
> 
> Poll after poll after poll after poll shows a majority of Americans agree with a lot of Democrats’ platforms and proposals. Sure, Republicans agree less but it’s still over 50%. Neither party will really push those into actual policy, but Republicans are now taking widely unpopular views and pushing those through the legislative process. Most people don’t want abortions made illegal, unmasked and unvaccinated people running amuck, and hatred and ignorant conspiracy theories ruling social media…and that’s regardless of political leanings, but this is what the GOP has decided should be the gold standard in their platform of democracy destruction.



And the _good people_ back home reelect them, validating them. This is embracing the madness, and those Christians among them are cheerfully damning their own souls (by their own standards that have been corrupted).


----------



## JayMysteri0

For those claiming it's becoming like a cult I counter with...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1437477421188632582/


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> For those claiming it's becoming like a cult I counter with...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1437477421188632582/



Replace Trump with a smiling Devil and the effect will be complete. 

​


----------



## JayMysteri0

Wha?

That middle statistic about the communist manifesto I thought was striking, so I was wondering if it was true.

This is where it comes from...

The statistic comes from a group called the "Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation".  They certainly wouldn't have a bias would they, which might skew a result and who they might choose to ask?



> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation - Wikipedia
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> en.wikipedia.org





> In 1991, Senator Steve Symms and Representative Dana Rohrabacher, both of whom are from the Republican Party, introduced concurring resolutions in the United States Congress urging the construction of "an International Memorial to the Victims of Communism at an appropriate location within the boundaries of the District of Columbia and for the appointment of a commission to oversee the design, construction and all other pertinent details of the memorial."[4][5]
> 
> In 1993, Rohrabacher and fellow Republican Senator Jesse Helms sponsored amendments to the FRIENDSHIP Act of 1993 which authorized such construction.[6] The act was signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton on December 17, 1993.[7] It cited "the deaths of over 100,000,000 victims in an unprecedented imperial holocaust" and resolved that "the sacrifices of these victims should be permanently memorialized so that never again will nations and peoples allow so evil a tyranny to terrorize the world."[3]






> In April 2020, the organization announced they would be adding the global victims of the COVID-19 pandemic to their death toll of Communism, blaming the Chinese government for the outbreak and every death caused by it.




With Mike Pence speaking, the "patriot" who meant to overthrow an election for his boss, but couldn't think of a way to do it and not suffer possible legal issues.  Sarah Huckabee... I don't need to say anything, except the speech will have lies in it.  And of course Ben Carson, he of...






Yeah, this guy on education...


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Wha?
> 
> That middle statistic about the communist manifesto I thought was striking, so I was wondering if it was true.
> 
> This is where it comes from...
> 
> The statistic comes from a group called the "Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation".  They certainly wouldn't have a bias would they, which might skew a result and who they might choose to ask?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> With Mike Pence speaking, the "patriot" who meant to overthrow an election for his boss, but couldn't think of a way to do it and not suffer possible legal issues.  Sarah Huckabee... I don't need to say anything, except the speech will have lies in it.  And of course Ben Carson, he of...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, this guy on education...



This part:



> In April 2020, the organization announced they would be adding the global victims of the COVID-19 pandemic to their death toll of Communism, blaming the Chinese government for the outbreak and every death caused by it.



They want to blame the person who dropped a lit match for a house burning down. What they fail to mention is that they run the fire department, and they were called early enough to put out the fire. Instead, they denied there was a fire. Then they finally admitted there was a fire, but didn’t send any help because they insisted the fire wasn’t dangerous. Then they arrested the neighbors when they came over with their garden hoses to try and put it out… and so on.

But sure, it was all the fault of the person who dropped the lit match.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Democrats Face New Hurdle After Republicans Gerrymander All Left-Leaning Voters Into Single House District
					

WASHINGTON—Scrambling to respond to the sudden shift in electoral realities, Democrats reportedly faced new hurdles Wednesday after Republicans gerrymandered all left-leaning voters into a single House district stretching across the country. “Democrats were already looking at significant...




					www.theonion.com


----------



## SuperMatt

Anthony Gonzalez, a Republican from Ohio is not seeking reelection to the House of Representatives in 2022. He was supposed to be a rising star in the party. However, he voted to impeach Trump and would not embrace the 2020 election lies. He has endured many threats since then, and expects a Trump-supporter in his next primary. So, he is out.

To me, this is yet more evidence that the party is becoming (or has already become) a cult.









						Ohio House Republican, Calling Trump ‘a Cancer,’ Bows Out of 2022
					

Representative Anthony Gonzalez, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump, is the first of the group to retire rather than face a stiff primary challenge.




					www.nytimes.com


----------



## JayMysteri0

Inspired fashion choices
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1438497963899342854/


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> Anthony Gonzalez, a Republican from Ohio is not seeking reelection to the House of Representatives in 2022. He was supposed to be a rising star in the party. However, he voted to impeach Trump and would not embrace the 2020 election lies. He has endured many threats since then, and expects a Trump-supporter in his next primary. So, he is out.
> 
> To me, this is yet more evidence that the party is becoming (or has already become) a cult.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ohio House Republican, Calling Trump ‘a Cancer,’ Bows Out of 2022
> 
> 
> Representative Anthony Gonzalez, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump, is the first of the group to retire rather than face a stiff primary challenge.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com




Which means things can only get worse
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1438672984571617282/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Anthony Gonzalez, a Republican from Ohio is not seeking reelection to the House of Representatives in 2022. He was supposed to be a rising star in the party. However, he voted to impeach Trump and would not embrace the 2020 election lies. He has endured many threats since then, and expects a Trump-supporter in his next primary. So, he is out.
> 
> To me, this is yet more evidence that the party is becoming (or has already become) a cult.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ohio House Republican, Calling Trump ‘a Cancer,’ Bows Out of 2022
> 
> 
> Representative Anthony Gonzalez, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump, is the first of the group to retire rather than face a stiff primary challenge.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com




This is why I think it’s dangerous for Democrats to fall asleep at the wheel just because Trump is no longer President.   I haven’t heard of even one anti-Trump Republican politician who isn’t under threat by his supporters or a Trump supporting candidate.  Certainly a Democrat would be under similar threat but I think less so than a Republican who isn’t a Trump sycophant.  It’s kind of like the mafia having an unwritten respect for the feds.  They’re just doing their job, but to break ranks within the organization is the highest of crimes.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> This is why I think it’s dangerous for Democrats to fall asleep at the wheel just because Trump is no longer President.   I haven’t heard of even one anti-Trump Republican politician who isn’t under threat by his supporters or a Trump supporting candidate.  Certainly a Democrat would be under similar threat but I think less so than a Republican who isn’t a Trump sycophant.  It’s kind of like the mafia having an unwritten respect for the feds.  They’re just doing their job, but to break ranks within the organization is the highest of crimes.



I think Democrats should press their advantage. Larry Elder went all in with Trump, and it backfired. Sure, there are some areas with majorities that still love Trump. But I think he is becoming less and less popular, and people still want to get out and vote against him. Since he’s not running, that means voting against other passengers on the Trump train.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Democrats Face New Hurdle After Republicans Gerrymander All Left-Leaning Voters Into Single House District
> 
> 
> WASHINGTON—Scrambling to respond to the sudden shift in electoral realities, Democrats reportedly faced new hurdles Wednesday after Republicans gerrymandered all left-leaning voters into a single House district stretching across the country. “Democrats were already looking at significant...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.theonion.com



I don’t consider this funny because if there was a way…


----------



## Pumbaa

Huntn said:


> I don’t consider this funny because if there was a way…



If they don’t get greedy à la The Onion’s interstate district and instead stick to one such district per state, then…


----------



## shadow puppet

Not sure which thread this goes in but MTG is obviously smoking crack.  Bannon's face says everything. 

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1438908804004032519/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

https://www.salon.com/2021/09/17/oc...-later-how-against-inequality-made-the-worse/

In summary, the OWS movement woke everybody up, including those on the right, to the fact that the reason people aren’t getting ahead is the wealth hoarding at the top, not poor people. The GOP can no longer lie about the causes or their constituents’ economic problems so they have to distract them by leaning heavy on hatred and bigotry. Sounds about right.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Wait.  What?

Have some just decided what parts of this whole experiment they don't like ( separation of church & state ) and use gov't to change it?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1439005600030076934/

I mean, are we NOT caring about anyone who doesn't follow the same Bible or God, that is entitled to go to PUBLIC school?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1439008164179894274/

FFS the pandering!


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> Wait.  What?
> 
> Have some just decided what parts of this whole experiment they don't like ( separation of church & state ) and use gov't to change it?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1439005600030076934/
> 
> I mean, are we NOT caring about anyone who doesn't follow the same Bible or God, that is entitled to go to PUBLIC school?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1439008164179894274/
> 
> FFS the pandering!



This is the kind of shit the Christian Right is pulling,  undermining the Constitution, erasing religious freedom and turning the US into a Christian theocracy though unconstitutional legislation. _Sure we have the separation clause, let’s just ignore it while we take away non-Christian rights. Their souls will be saved, hurrah! …_but don’t forget about control, compliance, power, and wealth. This is why our Founding Fathers created seperation of church and state.  Freedom of religion can’t exist when one religion gets to turn it’s standards into laws that all are supposed to follow.

However, it must be acknowledged, this situation exists because we have allowed a collection of anti-democratic, anti-Constitutional theists willing to subvert our Republic in the name of their religion, to be elected into positions of power.  Shame on the collective us.  

Don’t get me wrong Christianity has some good aspects even though It equates to worshiping the invisible dragon who lives in your garage. It’s a good dragon, until it’s intent on eating you. We have close friends who are Christens, but the caveat is we don’t talk religion with them nor they to us, yet I am quite certain our friendship exists because all parties are willing to set the differences aside. Yet I wonder what kind of unconstitutional laws they support in the name of their religious standards.


----------



## Alli

I swear, if these whackjobs ever manage to return prayer to public schools I will spend my last dime purchasing copies of the Satanic bible and sending them to every school I can find.


----------



## lizkat

Alli said:


> I swear, if these whackjobs ever manage to return prayer to public schools I will spend my last dime purchasing copies of the Satanic bible and sending them to every school I can find.




Yeah,  "prayer in school" would cover a lot of bases.   The reactionary proponents of returning prayer to public schools have serious tunnel vision and never realize that the stuff they agitate for is circumscribed to their own particular views of any perceived "right" they pitch..  but in reality if prayer in public schools were to be permitted, then do people understand that copies of the Qu'ran might even be provided free?   And surely someone would reprint this wonderful little book I did get free at a produce store up in Ithaca one day...   wonder how THOSE would fly in some public school in the deep south of the 2020s.   EDIT:  or for that matter, the deep north of my own damn county in upstate NYS.

​
​


​


----------



## Thomas Veil

JayMysteri0 said:


> Inspired fashion choices
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1438497963899342854/



LOL. The link to the original shirt is dead because "copyright violation".





__





						Viralstyle
					

Viralstyle Is the 100% Free Way to Sell High-quality T-shirts.




					viralstyle.com
				




I'm pretty sure the complaint didn't come from the British or the Nazis, so that only leaves...

(BTW, if that isn't Clooney in that shirt, it should be.)


----------



## Huntn

Pennsylvania Republicans subpoena  voter records to plot how best to disenfranchise voters and steal the 2022 election:









						Pa. GOP lawmakers to subpoena personal information on every voter in controversial 2020 election review | Spotlight PA
					

The GOP lawmakers have crafted a sweeping subpoena, requesting among other information the name, address, and partial social security number of every voter registered as of November 2020.




					www.spotlightpa.org


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> I swear, if these whackjobs ever manage to return prayer to public schools I will spend my last dime purchasing copies of the Satanic bible and sending them to every school I can find.



Suggested group prayer (link), very popular with today’s crop of Republicans:

_Jesus I ask thee,
To strengthen my Will
And Punish Those
That Cross my Path
Lead me to Treasures
I’m eager to reach
Then feed my Desire,
Indulgence and Spite
I’ll Sacrifice Everything
For Glimpse of Your Might_


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> Inspired fashion choices
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1438497963899342854/



The US Military is soliciting new names for 11 bases named after Southern Generals. Listening to my Sat morning NPR show someone commented, _Hey you lost The Civil War, let’s name a base after you._


----------



## Alli

Huntn said:


> Suggested group prayer (link), very popular with today’s crop of Republicans:
> 
> _Jesus I ask thee,
> To strengthen my Will
> And Punish Those
> That Cross my Path
> Lead me to Treasures
> I’m eager to reach
> Then feed my Desire,
> Indulgence and Spite
> I’ll Sacrifice Everything
> For Glimpse of Your Might_



Substitute “Jesus” for “Satan” or “Donald.”


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1439269816448258048/

Yup, that's him!

Believer in mandated AIDS vaccines, ...because why wouldn't there be?


----------



## ronntaylor

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1439269816448258048/
> 
> Yup, that's him!
> 
> Believer in mandated AIDS vaccines, ...because why wouldn't there be?



What a dumb ass! My family in Georgia, even the "non-political" ones can't stand him. Unfortunately half of them live in deep Red areas.


----------



## Thomas Veil

That ad is hilariously stupid. They _should_ run that as a skit on SNL.


----------



## Huntn

Alli said:


> Substitute “Jesus” for “Satan” or “Donald.”



Actually the original prayer is to Satan, I edited it,


----------



## JayMysteri0

One thing I hear trotted out is how heartland or rural America is this mythical "true" or "forgotten" America, which is one reason why Ted Koppel headed out what Mayberry is supposedly based on.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Some excerpts taken from a Salon article about Hillary's "deploarbles" comments falling well short of the reality 5 years later.

Hillary Clinton and so many other American political insiders are deeply invested in the familiar, nostalgia-colored mores of American politics. To acknowledge the existential threat of the Jim Crow Republicans and the Trumpist movement is too traumatic and terrifying for the political class to properly contemplate. Indifference, fantasy  and soothing lies about how everything will inevitably be OK in America appear to offer a much easier path than doing the difficult and dangerous work required to save American democracy. 

But in fact, words have actual meanings. Fascism cannot be separated from violence, and it is incoherent beyond its fantasies of dominance and power and its desire to vanquish democracy and the truth. *In the final analysis, there is no way to negotiate with fascists, because for them victory is all that matters. Reasonable compromise with such a force in a liberal democratic society is impossible, and any quest for it amounts to surrender. *

America's political elites remain deeply and compulsively attached to the dream, hope and delusion that "traditional" Republicans will soon salvage the Republican Party and make it respectable and honorable again. In fact, the Republican Party's "honorable" past is greatly exaggerated. Supposedly "reasonable" Republicans may have backed away from Donald Trump's most egregious efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but they supported almost all of his policy goals.They were fully complicit, in other words, with his personal and political evil and destruction.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Some excerpts taken from a Salon article about Hillary's "deploarbles" comments falling well short of the reality 5 years later.
> 
> Hillary Clinton and so many other American political insiders are deeply invested in the familiar, nostalgia-colored mores of American politics. To acknowledge the existential threat of the Jim Crow Republicans and the Trumpist movement is too traumatic and terrifying for the political class to properly contemplate. Indifference, fantasy  and soothing lies about how everything will inevitably be OK in America appear to offer a much easier path than doing the difficult and dangerous work required to save American democracy.
> 
> But in fact, words have actual meanings. Fascism cannot be separated from violence, and it is incoherent beyond its fantasies of dominance and power and its desire to vanquish democracy and the truth. *In the final analysis, there is no way to negotiate with fascists, because for them victory is all that matters. Reasonable compromise with such a force in a liberal democratic society is impossible, and any quest for it amounts to surrender. *
> 
> America's political elites remain deeply and compulsively attached to the dream, hope and delusion that "traditional" Republicans will soon salvage the Republican Party and make it respectable and honorable again. In fact, the Republican Party's "honorable" past is greatly exaggerated. Supposedly "reasonable" Republicans may have backed away from Donald Trump's most egregious efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but they supported almost all of his policy goals.They were fully complicit, in other words, with his personal and political evil and destruction.




This may seem a bit hyperbolic but I also haven’t seen any evidence that it isn’t true.

Even pre-Trump conservatives that still dare to dip their toes in liberal debate pools seem to not want to talk about Trump or Trumpism. It could be because they know they’ll be met with a hailstorm of disapproval, but I think more likely its that they haven’t come to terms with the fact that their party has been replaced by an authoritarian cult.

Biden’s current ratings are pretty low, but whether you agree with those ratings and the reasons or not, the horrifying fact is the only other alternative right now is the authoritarian cult and I fully believe a good percentage of the population is willing to flush our democracy down the toilet just because they blame Biden entirely for our 20 year failure in Afghanistan or they are tired of wearing masks.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Biden’s current ratings are pretty low, but whether you agree with those ratings and the reasons or not, the horrifying fact is the only other alternative right now is the authoritarian cult and I fully believe a good percentage of the population is willing to flush our democracy down the toilet just because they blame Biden entirely for our 20 year failure in Afghanistan or they are tired of wearing masks.



Over 60% of people support mask and vaccine rules. This number is considerably higher than Biden's approval rating. That says to me that masks/vaccines are not hurting him. It is Afghanistan, and perhaps people feel he could have found a way to convince anti-vaxxers to get the vaccine already. The Afghanistan dip will definitely be gone by 2024. As for his handling of the pandemic? If his mandates really increase the number of people getting vaccinated, his approval will go up there too.

The anti-mask, anti-vax people appear to be less than 1/3rd of the population, and maybe even lower. But they sure are loud and annoying.









						Majority Back Vaccine, Mask Mandates | Monmouth University Polling Institute
					

Public support in both red states and blue states




					www.monmouth.edu


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Over 60% of people support mask and vaccine rules. This number is considerably higher than Biden's approval rating. That says to me that masks/vaccines are not hurting him. It is Afghanistan, and perhaps people feel he could have found a way to convince anti-vaxxers to get the vaccine already. The Afghanistan dip will definitely be gone by 2024. As for his handling of the pandemic? If his mandates really increase the number of people getting vaccinated, his approval will go up there too.
> 
> The anti-mask, anti-vax people appear to be less than 1/3rd of the population, and maybe even lower. But they sure are loud and annoying.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Majority Back Vaccine, Mask Mandates | Monmouth University Polling Institute
> 
> 
> Public support in both red states and blue states
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.monmouth.edu




Think about all the comparatively moderate Trump supporters who have said “I don’t agree with him on everything”. Now think about the mountain of things they had to somehow ignore or “disagree” on and yet still support him. Their threshold for what is tolerable from an alternative to Trump is extremely low.


----------



## Huntn

If you are a conservative liar censored on Social Media, no worries! The Texas State Attorney General has your back: _We support the right of Kool Aid drinkers to spin their yarns on Social Media without consequence because it helps us, the ruling party._









						Tech Groups Sue Texas Over Social Media Censorship Law | Houston Public Media
					

Net Choice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association say the law violates the constitutional rights of social media platforms themselves.




					www.houstonpublicmedia.org


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> If you are a conservative liar censored on Social Media, no worries! The Texas State Attorney General has your back: _We support the right of Kool Aid drinkers to spin their yarns on Social Media without consequence because it helps us, the ruling party._
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tech Groups Sue Texas Over Social Media Censorship Law | Houston Public Media
> 
> 
> Net Choice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association say the law violates the constitutional rights of social media platforms themselves.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.houstonpublicmedia.org




Since lying to their base for at least the past 4 decades has been a heavy component of their winning strategy, it should come as no surprise that they consider this the highest form of protected speech.

To make a distinction, Democrat politicians lie about the level they are going to fight for or against something. The reality ranges from not at all to not much. Republicans lie about the cause of all your problems. The reality is whatever they are leaning heavy on probably doesn’t even make the top 10 reason list and is likely one of the most farthest removed reasons.


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> If you are a conservative liar censored on Social Media, no worries! The Texas State Attorney General has your back: _We support the right of Kool Aid drinkers to spin their yarns on Social Media without consequence because it helps us, the ruling party._
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tech Groups Sue Texas Over Social Media Censorship Law | Houston Public Media
> 
> 
> Net Choice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association say the law violates the constitutional rights of social media platforms themselves.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.houstonpublicmedia.org



There should be a penalty for state legislatures that intentionally pass unconstitutional laws. Maybe if they pass X number of them, then in the future, every law they pass has to go through a judicial review panel before it can become law? We used to have that for voting restrictions (before the right wing SCOTUS judges killed it).


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> There should be a penalty for state legislatures that intentionally pass unconstitutional laws. Maybe if they pass X number of them, then in the future, every law they pass has to go through a judicial review panel before it can become law? We used to have that for voting restrictions (before the right wing SCOTUS judges killed it).




I believe some states were put on some kind of supervised probation from passing new voting laws due to repeatedly passing racist voter suppression laws. Unsurprisingly it’s the usual suspects and always Republicans behind it. Enough with this shit already. If this has been part of your history at all you should have to first prove there was massive voter fraud before you make ANY changes.

This is another issue with our duopoly. We’re giving one party passes on being unconstitutional just to have the illusion that one party isn’t running everything.

I read one defense that is feasible for the “we’re not racists!” crowd. They really don’t hate minorities. It’s that when more people vote and minorities vote it tends to favor Democrats. They really don’t care about the race of the people. They are just a group of people that can cause Republican losses.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I believe some states were put on some kind of supervised probation from passing new voting laws due to repeatedly passing racist voter suppression laws.



The Supreme Court killed that aspect of the voting rights act a few years back. I believe we never would have had a President Trump if the Supreme Court hadn’t overturned this key provision of the voting rights act. 









						8 Years On, John Roberts’ Disastrous Voting Rights Ruling Is Wreaking Havoc
					

The Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in 2013 and brought back the old politics of the past.




					www.huffpost.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> The Supreme Court killed that aspect of the voting rights act a few years back. I believe we never would have had a President Trump if the Supreme Court hadn’t overturned this key provision of the voting rights act.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 8 Years On, John Roberts’ Disastrous Voting Rights Ruling Is Wreaking Havoc
> 
> 
> The Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in 2013 and brought back the old politics of the past.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.huffpost.com




This shit really shouldn’t be that complicated. Without doing any research, I feel like if you started removing these geography specific voting laws one by one, each would make it more likely a Democrat would win until that’s the only possible outcome. I’m not saying we should be ruled by Democrats or one party. I’m saying if the only way you can win is through convoluted and repressive bullshit then you should cease to exist as a major party because you clearly aren’t representing anywhere near the majority of anything. Another party that represents more people should replace it.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> This shit really shouldn’t be that complicated. Without doing any research, I feel like if you started removing these geography specific voting laws one by one, each would make it more likely a Democrat would win until that’s the only possible outcome. I’m not saying we should be ruled by Democrats or one party. I’m saying if the only way you can win is through convoluted and repressive bullshit then you should cease to exist as a major party because you clearly aren’t representing anywhere near the majority of anything. Another party that represents more people should replace it.



Exactly. The GOP cannot win in a democracy. So they are destroying democracy. Imagine if Trump’s entire cabinet and the GOP Secretaries of State all worked with him in 2020 to overturn the election. Well, the 2021 election laws are set up to allow exactly that to be possible in the future.

If a minority is running a country, and voting no longer is possible, only revolution remains. You can see this in other countries around the world, and many times in world history.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Exactly. The GOP cannot win in a democracy. So they are destroying democracy. Imagine if Trump’s entire cabinet and the GOP Secretaries of State all worked with him in 2020 to overturn the election. Well, the 2021 election laws are set up to allow exactly that to be possible in the future.
> 
> If a minority is running a country, and voting no longer is possible, only revolution remains. You can see this in other countries around the world, and many times in world history.




If shit goes down maybe herdfan will let us all move into his place.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Since lying to their base for at least the past 4 decades has been a heavy component of their winning strategy, it should come as no surprise that they consider this the highest form of protected speech.
> 
> To make a distinction, Democrat politicians lie about the level they are going to fight for or against something. The reality ranges from not at all to not much. Republicans lie about the cause of all your problems. The reality is whatever they are leaning heavy on probably doesn’t even make the top 10 reason list and is likely one of the most farthest removed reasons.



Democrats have been pushing since Biden’s election. They don’t have enough of a majority. There need to be more people in Congress aligned with their goals.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> There should be a penalty for state legislatures that intentionally pass unconstitutional laws. Maybe if they pass X number of them, then in the future, every law they pass has to go through a judicial review panel before it can become law? We used to have that for voting restrictions (before the right wing SCOTUS judges killed it).



I remember Southern State(s) under Federal supervision for voting rights, while the State claimed prejudice was no longer a thing. What a variety of Republican controlled states are illustrating now is that the assault on our democracy and against voter rights  is in full swing. It’s a full court press. If the Democrats, independents, and the people don’t engage in time, the Republicans will have rigged the system in their favor.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Hey look who's back in the news for things we've already covered



> Rep. Lauren Boebert used campaign funds for rent and utilities, new filing shows
> 
> 
> Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert paid utility and rent bills with campaign funds, according to a new filing the Republican lawmaker made this week with the Federal Election Commission.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cnn.com





> (CNN)Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert paid utility and rent bills with campaign funds, according to a new filing the Republican lawmaker made this week with the Federal Election Commission.
> 
> The report, submitted to the FEC on Tuesday, details a series of four payments this year totaling $6,650 to John Pacheco, whose address is the same as Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado -- the gun-themed restaurant that Boebert owns. The payments are described as rent and utilities that had been erroneously billed to campaign.
> 
> Boeber refused to answer CNN's questions Thursday. In an email, her spokesman Ben Stout said the funds in question "were reimbursed months ago when Rep. Boebert self-reported the error."
> 
> It is against the law to use campaign funds for personal use. And Adav Noti, a top official with the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, said using donors' money to pay rent and utilities is a "flagrant violation."
> 
> "There are some gray areas in campaign finance law, and this is really not one of them," added Noti, a former associate general counsel at the FEC.
> 
> But how federal regulators respond, he said, depends on the circumstances and whether payments represented an intentional attempt to misuse campaign dollars or were the result of sloppy compliance processes within the campaign.




Seems that's a lot of amending going on with Boebert, who you would think would know better as a business person.  A person who's business hasn't made money in the last two years, didn't pay unemployment taxes, but suddenly did when things were erroneously billed to her campaign.

Lets not forget also her campaign travels.



> Rep. Lauren Boebert received $22,000 worth of gas reimbursements while running for Congress
> 
> 
> That amount of money in gas would be enough in the tank to take 14 trips from Seattle to DC, or circumvent Earth 1.5 times.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.businessinsider.com





> Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado raked in an eye-popping total of more than $22,000 in gas-mileage reimbursements from her campaign for Congress in 2020.
> 
> The rather large sum, which can be seen in campaign-finance data on the website OpenSecrets, was first reported by The Denver Post and the local blog Colorado Pols.
> 
> While Boebert amassed a total of $2,989,510 in her campaign for office, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, the gas-reimbursement figure is remarkably high given the travel habits of her predecessor on the campaign trail and her relative lack of events during the pandemic.
> 
> Boebert's gas reimbursement dwarfs the amount Rep. Scott Tipton spent on travel while campaigning in the same district for a decade. Before Boebert defeated Tipton in last year's GOP primary for the seat, he claimed a total of $9,797 for travel over 10 years, including airfare, according to The Denver Post.




With very few actual campaign dates scheduled, Boebert somehow traveled *IN* Colorado, 1 & a half times the span of the globe.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Evidently the agenda now seems to be "burn it all down" because they didn't win...



> Republicans Filibuster Bill Averting Government Shutdown, Debt Default
> 
> 
> Congress has only a few days to act before the federal government shuts down and begins furloughing workers in the middle of a pandemic.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.huffpost.com





> Senate Republicans blocked a House-passed bill on Monday that would have averted a government shutdown as well as an unprecedented default on U.S. debt holdings that could roil financial markets and disrupt basic government operations.
> 
> The vote on the measure fell along party lines, well short of the 60 needed to advance. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) changed his vote to “yes” at the last minute, a procedural move that allows him to bring the bill up for a vote again.
> 
> “The Republican Party has solidified itself as the party of default, and it will be the American people who pay the price,” Schumer said afterward. He called the vote “one of the most reckless, one of the most irresponsible votes I have seen taken place in the Senate.”
> 
> What happens next regarding government funding, the more immediate problem, is unclear. The government is funded through Sept. 30, meaning lawmakers only have a few days to act before the federal government begins furloughing workers in the middle of a pandemic.
> 
> The House voted last week to fund the government through Dec. 3 and suspend the debt ceiling, the legal limit on the amount of money the government can borrow, through December 2022. But Senate Republicans have refused to back an increase to the debt ceiling despite helping to rack up trillions of dollars in debt under the previous administration.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Evidently the agenda now seems to be "burn it all down" because they didn't win...



Just kill the filibuster, then pass voting rights legislation. When Republicans can’t rig elections, they can’t win. So then there’s little chance of them getting a majority anymore.


----------



## Hrafn

JayMysteri0 said:


> Evidently the agenda now seems to be "burn it all down" because they didn't win...



That's been SOP for the past... 40 years as far as I can tell.  Bipartisan means "libs go along with refuclitard policies because it's mostly still in the interest of the public." 

Refuctlicants are: F* your feelings.

I'm a little bothered, tonight.


----------



## ronntaylor

SuperMatt said:


> Just kill the filibuster, then pass voting rights legislation. When Republicans can’t rig elections, they can’t win. So then there’s little chance of them getting a majority anymore.



Schumer doesn't have every Democrat. So it won't happen. Let the default happen and see if the GOP gets the blame. Both sides will get criticized, but the Dems can't afford to give ground. It's really a lose-lose situation. But the strategy is to lose as little as possible *or* pull off a surprise win. I think the former is more likely and the latter is a dream with the current Dem leadership.


----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1443318804210143239/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Was not aware this happened



> ‘Incendiary device’ failed to ignite, sparing Travis County Democrats office after vandalism, arson attempt
> 
> 
> Austin Police were notified about the fire on East 6th and Navasota Streets in East Austin at about 2:18 a.m.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.kxan.com





> AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Fire Department is investigating possible arson after a witness saw a fire at the offices of the Travis County Democratic Party on Wednesday morning.
> 
> Austin police and AFD were notified about the fire on East Sixth and Navasota streets in east Austin at about 2:18 a.m.
> 
> Capt. Brandon Jennings with AFD said the suspect, an unidentified man wearing a gray shirt, black shorts with black and grey tennis shoes with a flag bandanna and mask, was seen on surveillance footage throwing something at the door of the building twice. On the second try, the object broke the door’s window, Jennings said.
> 
> The suspect then put something, what AFD is calling the “incendiary device,” inside the door near a stack of papers. Jennings said it was then the fire started to be visible, but the incendiary device did not catch fire, just the papers it was near.
> 
> Employees from a neighboring business were able to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher before the flames from the papers could spread, Jennings said.
> 
> When asked if the damage could have been worse, Jennings replied, “Absolutely.”
> 
> “The use of an incendiary device like this is to throw it at something once you light it, the liquid comes out and catches on fire, the fire spreads upward and outward and causes more damage,” Jennings said.
> 
> Jennings referred to the device as its common name, a Molotov cocktail.




After the Biden bus attack, I guess this is a direction for the more inspired rabid membership



> Katie Naranjo, the chairperson of the Travis County Democratic Party, said the suspect left a “threatening note” next to the building and said the incident was politically motivated.
> 
> “When you leave a threatening note, the intent is to try to terrorize people,” she said. “Anyone who wears an American flag as a bandanna, and then throws a Molotov cocktail into a building is a coward. We call on everyone to denounce this behavior.”
> 
> Jennings said there was another vandalism incident two hours at the Granger building that appeared to be done by the same person. The Granger building houses county offices like the county attorney’s office and the district attorney’s office.


----------



## Alli

JayMysteri0 said:


> Was not aware this happened



Watched the videos on Maddow last night. I have a feeling they’ll get the guy pretty quickly.


----------



## Roller

Alli said:


> Watched the videos on Maddow last night. I have a feeling they’ll get the guy pretty quickly.



Maybe, but they still haven't caught the guy who left the pipe bombs in Washington on January 5.


----------



## Alli

Alli said:


> Watched the videos on Maddow last night. I have a feeling they’ll get the guy pretty quickly.



And they caught him. Bravo!


----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## Hrafn

JayMysteri0 said:


>



Do we have a 'well, duh' emoji?


----------



## JayMysteri0

I think at some point we have to accept that some people have moved themselves to a completely different reality, where the same things that happen to many of us, somehow happen differently for them because they need it to.  Case in point, how Josh Hawley sees things in his protected bubble, versus what actually happens.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1445528654142836738/



> Josh Hawley Defends Violent "Protests" And Harassment Of School Boards By Misinformed Parents
> 
> 
> Critical Race Theory isn’t taught in public K-12 schools. Unfortunately, far-right activists have told parents otherwise, and school boards are facing threats from parents who believe their kids are learning upsetting facts. Now, federal law enforcement is having to take action to protect...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hillreporter.com





> Critical Race Theory isn’t taught in public K-12 schools. Unfortunately, far-right activists have told parents otherwise, and school boards are facing threats from parents who believe their kids are learning upsetting facts. Now, federal law enforcement is having to take action to protect teachers and school staff, and Representative Josh Hawley (R-MO) isn’t happy about it.




There are school personnel being attacked, getting death threats, and more so the DoJ is finally stepping in.  Hawley thinks it's just concerned parents voicing their concerns, and does NOT want school personnel protected.  Instead in his world it's the FBI cracking down on innocent CRT protestors for no reason.  Jan 6th was just a time to get out with the family and do a little protesting.  What could happen?  All because in his world where he stokes & helps direct this shit, he isn't affected by it, so why not fan the flames?


----------



## SuperMatt

Trump’s administration raised the national debt by $8 Trillion. Republicans voted to raise the debt ceiling 3 times while Trump was president. This is complete and utter bullshit, period. It‘s just a game, trying to hold the entire country hostage for their own political gain. Shame on them.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1445810174757720067/


----------



## JayMysteri0

THIS is the republican agenda going into 2022



> Kari Lake, Trump's pick for Arizona governor, says she wouldn't have certified Biden's win
> 
> 
> Despite the Maricopa County election audit upholding Biden's victory, some Republicans have continued to claim the election was stolen from Trump.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.newsweek.com





> Kari Lake, a Republican running to become the next governor of Arizona who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, said that she wouldn't have certified Joe Biden's win in Arizona, even as the GOP-backed audit upheld his victory.
> 
> Lake, a former news anchor in Phoenix, said people have "witnessed things that were wrong" with the election while appearing on the right-wing network One America News.
> 
> "Considering how much already at the time information we had about serious irregularities and problems with the election, I would not have certified it right then," Lake said.
> 
> Lake is running in a crowded primary field that has attracted notable Republican candidates including Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee and former Congressman Matt Salmon. Incumbent GOP Governor Doug Ducey is not eligible to run for a third consecutive term.




Electing ( somehow missing the irony ) individuals who would unashamedly crap away democracy in the name of cult like partisanship.

It's boggling to see an individual proudly say that out loud, and not laughed off & shamed away from any platform.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Republicans say McConnell 'blinked' on debt ceiling to save filibuster
					

"Republicans are folding here," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the ranking member of the Budget Committee, said in a rare criticism of McConnell. "This is a complete capitulation."




					www.nbcnews.com
				




I realized this about 2 seconds after it was announced and news is just figuring it out days later. 

I was more appalled Democrats were only threatening to do a one time override of the filibuster just to pay for Trump’s budget Republicans passed without a whimper of debt outrage. Everything else?  They’ll leave the filibuster alone.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Republicans say McConnell 'blinked' on debt ceiling to save filibuster
> 
> 
> "Republicans are folding here," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the ranking member of the Budget Committee, said in a rare criticism of McConnell. "This is a complete capitulation."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nbcnews.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I realized this about 2 seconds after it was announced and news is just figuring it out days later.
> 
> I was more appalled Democrats were only threatening to do a one time override of the filibuster just to pay for Trump’s budget Republicans passed without a whimper of debt outrage. Everything else?  They’ll leave the filibuster alone.




Not sure the budget and debt ceiling are the reasons to hang keeping or ditching a filibuster on.   I'm not sold on ditching it anyway.

Be that as it may...  passing a budget via reconciliation across the two chambers and meanwhile entangling a separate debate over whether to actually spring for what was appropriated in the previous session's budget is just a total crock of horse manure.  

Make a debt ceiling rise automatic when appropriations are voted on and would require such a rise.  Then in approving appropriations, Congress does in fact at that moment commit the USA to obligations and is seen as doing so.    As it is now, they don't seem to regard a prior budget as even a lick and a promise, just a set of programs (and dollar figures proposed for them) that some prior session of Congress was foolish enough to approve. 

Both parties help sustain this arrangement so they can blame the other for political gain down the road.  It's smoke and mirrors,  and we're stupid to let them get away with it all this time...   especially since actual default would be incredibly damaging,  and the two parties --now both with severe internal fissures-- appear to loathe each other enough to test brinkmanship on the debt ceiling question farther than has ever been done before. 

December could be a real train wreck.  It's already looking economically bleak because of supply chain and labor issues that no one has a handle on, and that most Americans don't understand are ALREADY making the holiday shopping season problematic. Throw in uncertainty as we try to open up schools and community life more fully but meanwhile head into the traditional flu season, unsure about whether we've seen the last of really bad covid variant spikes for awhile.

 And now the Senate has kicked the appropriations and debt ceiling finale down the road into December just for extra drama?   A pox on both parties in both houses for putting political gamesmanship ahead of the interests of the American people.  

What's starting to look good to some Americans are those days in the wayback, when lawmakers met for a couple months a year and otherwise had day jobs like farming or running a store.  These congress critters make five or six times what a retail clerk makes, and the leadership posts pay even more.   For what?   To fill up empty slots in 24/7 cable news with their soundbites?   A pox on the media too!


----------



## ronntaylor

Fucking do away with both the "Debt ceiling" and the ultimate segregationist tool, the filibuster. I'm not worried about the rethugicans using the lack of a filibuster once they're back in the majority. They get away with their bullshit whenever they're in control anyway.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Something to keep in mind when discussing the 'r' agenda, and that is the thinking that inspires the more extreme amongst them.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1447210275325849602/
_From the Iowa former 2X impeached president's rally_

1.  The entitled thinking born from decades privilege that says if things don't go their way, there will be some 'civil war'.  Because 'civil wars' worked out great in the past in this country for the side that wanted it.    It's amazing how casually one side loves throwing out the terms 'civil war', 'nazism', and more so casually.  As if blissfully unaware of the true price paid when such things occurred.

2.  The overwhelming need to be the victim.  To the point that they will intentionally place themselves in such positions so that if the position they put themselves in is addressed, it's time to scream "stop being mean to me".  "You HAVE to like me as I am or else!  I don't have to nice to you, it's MY right!"

So if you don't like their cherished leader whom the majority of the country did NOT, you MUST not like them as well.

No.  If you're not liked it isn't solely based on who you have hitched your wagon to.  It might be because you are an unpleasant person who sees a "civil war" on the way, because you didn't get your way.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Something to keep in mind when discussing the 'r' agenda, and that is the thinking that inspires the more extreme amongst them.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1447210275325849602/
> _From the Iowa former 2X impeached president's rally_
> 
> 1.  The entitled thinking born from decades privilege that says if things don't go their way, there will be some 'civil war'.  Because 'civil wars' worked out great in the past in this country for the side that wanted it.    It's amazing how casually one side loves throwing out the terms 'civil war', 'nazism', and more so casually.  As if blissfully unaware of the true price paid when such things occurred.
> 
> 2.  The overwhelming need to be the victim.  To the point that they will intentionally place themselves in such positions so that if the position they put themselves in is addressed, it's time to scream "stop being mean to me".  "You HAVE to like me as I am or else!  I don't have to nice to you, it's MY right!"
> 
> So if you don't like their cherished leader whom the majority of the country did NOT, you MUST not like them as well.
> 
> No.  If you're not liked it isn't solely based on who you have hitched your wagon to.  It might be because you are an unpleasant person who sees a "civil war" on the way, because you didn't get your way.




Even if you take Trumpism and Democracy dismantling out of it, I fail to see how Republican platforms and policy is going to lead to anything other than civil war when given oxygen long enough. They preach hatred and divisiveness and on policy they are screw everybody except the rich. People regardless of political leanings are tired of living check to check while watching the rich get exponentially richer. The only masses calming tool Republicans seem to be willing to use is tax cuts. That extra $100 (or whatever) a month in your paycheck isn’t going to come anywhere near offsetting the cost of housing, healthcare, higher education, and childcare. A major percentage of the population isn’t going to feel they are substantially better off under complete Republican rule.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Even if you take Trumpism and Democracy dismantling out of it, I fail to see how Republican platforms and policy is going to lead to anything other than civil war when given oxygen long enough. They preach hatred and divisiveness and on policy they are screw everybody except the rich. People regardless of political leanings are tired of living check to check while watching the rich get exponentially richer. The only masses calming tool Republicans seem to be willing to use is tax cuts. That extra $100 (or whatever) a month in your paycheck isn’t going to come anywhere near offsetting the cost of housing, healthcare, higher education, and childcare. A major percentage of the population isn’t going to feel they are substantially better off under complete Republican rule.



Which is why spotlighted on who often is the one calling for a civil war, and how well it works out for them.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1447990489442029580/





Why is she wearing FLAG pins about a security clearance in the Dept of Energy?


----------



## lizkat

Man.  The Republican Party was always going to have problems trying to detach from Trump when his perceived usefulness ended. 

But now they're eventually going to go down in flames as a serious political party at all,  because they can't even detach enough sane Republican officials from all the insanity that Trump and his authoritarian followers managed to stir up. 

K-street still writes the big ticket legislation in the USA.   They speak with industry dollars.   Those guys don't like the level of pure unpredicability that seems to accrue to any of the pro-Trumpers these days.  Markets don't like massive uncertainty very much for very long,  and the idea of Trump actually ever returning to hold the nuke codes in hand again is anathema to American industry (heh, except maybe to AT&T, the corporate dolts with enough idiocy on board still to be claiming they are not who made OANN a viable fake news outlet by funding its startup).


----------



## JayMysteri0

One thing they need to work on in their next agenda, "sweat the details"!  Get your crap right!






Tries to make a point about the president's failing plan that hasn't passed yet, and uses a pic of empty shelves of a grocery store that has the price in pound.

For...



No wonder some of them are so bad at gov't, want to be in gov't, then go on instead about culture war issues.  Details matter.  It's hard.  Running gov't is hard.  Grifting not so hard, ...these days.

Then whines about liberals when she gots clowned for it across social media.

How hard is it to pick a photo with empty shelves with the prices in American dollars?

But I guess when you're making up crap to fit in with the other kids, facts ain't going to mean a thing.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1448297879160901640/


----------



## Pumbaa

JayMysteri0 said:


> One thing they need to work on in their next agenda, "sweat the details"!  Get your crap right!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tries to make a point about the president's failing plan that hasn't passed yet, and uses a pic of empty shelves of a grocery store that has the price in pound.
> 
> For...
> 
> 
> 
> Then whines about liberals when she gots clowned for it across social media.
> 
> How hard is it to pick a photo with empty shelves with the prices in American dollars?
> 
> But I guess when you're making up crap to fit in with the other kids, facts ain't going to mean a thing.



Reminds me of the scary pictures of “Biden’s America”, showing things happening on Trump’s watch.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Another part of the current agenda that we keep leaving out, ...ignorance.






If they don't understand something, it must be bad.

Bonus points for one of the congress people possibly more ignorant, MTG nodding along.  Or trying to stay awake, it's hard to tell with her, as she has nothing to do in congress anyways.


----------



## JayMysteri0

So before we start, just go ahead & put your face in your palm.  Done?  Good.  Enjoy.






"D.J. Karen"


----------



## JayMysteri0

Something to consider if you ever update that agenda...


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Something to consider if you ever update that agenda...




You also can’t have record low unemployment while half the country lives around or below the poverty line and claim people aren’t getting ahead because they’re lazy.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

The QAnon playbook: Republicans make school board meetings the new battleground
					

GOP takes a page from QAnon: Using concern for kids to push authoritarianism




					www.salon.com
				




TL;DR

Start with "it's all about protecting the children" and then proceed to be a multi-purpose nonsensical asshole.  And yes, without any irony they don't see mask or vaccine mandates as protecting the children.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Revisited Louis CK’s “Of course…but maybe” bit which contrasts the just way of thinking about things against darker thoughts. Of course we should protect kids with peanut allergies…but maybe if touching a peanut kills you you’re supposed to die. Of course getting killed or injured in a foreign war is tragic…but maybe if you go to a foreign country and get shot by the guy you were just shooting at it’s a tiny bit your fault. Of course slavery was the worst…but maybe mankind’s greatest achievements are the result of throwing endless amounts of human suffering at it.

This made me realize how much right-wing media leans on the “but maybe” side of the argument.

Of course the vast majority of wealth is held by those at the top….but maybe the only expanded wealth you could have access to is given to the poor and immigrants.

Of course voting is an important part of democracy…but maybe if the results don’t land in your favor you don’t have to accept them and can call it a fraud.

Of course the cost of healthcare in this country is astronomical…but maybe massive unchecked price gouging is the only thing that drives innovation.

Of course higher education helps people get ahead in life….but maybe that’s only for the rich and we should make dumb people a protected class in lieu of higher wages.

Of course racism is a problem…but maybe an equal problem is white people living under the oppression of being called out on their racism related shit.

Of course white people commit crimes...but maybe not being white or an American makes you predisposed to being a criminal.


----------



## Roller

lizkat said:


> Man.  The Republican Party was always going to have problems trying to detach from Trump when his perceived usefulness ended.
> 
> But now they're eventually going to go down in flames as a serious political party at all,  because they can't even detach enough sane Republican officials from all the insanity that Trump and his authoritarian followers managed to stir up.
> 
> K-street still writes the big ticket legislation in the USA.   They speak with industry dollars.   Those guys don't like the level of pure unpredicability that seems to accrue to any of the pro-Trumpers these days.  Markets don't like massive uncertainty very much for very long,  and the idea of Trump actually ever returning to hold the nuke codes in hand again is anathema to American industry (heh, except maybe to AT&T, the corporate dolts with enough idiocy on board still to be claiming they are not who made OANN a viable fake news outlet by funding its startup).



The Republican Party stopped being a serious entity (in the sense of being committed to effective governance for the betterment of the country and a devotion to democratic principles) years ago, though it's worse than ever. Their only goal now is to retain and/or grab power, regardless of what it takes. Yes, business people and markets don't like instability, but they were mostly fine with Trump and the Republicans who gave them corporate tax cuts.

Nothing will change until the people who vote for Republicans realize the people they're putting into office don't care about them. I believe they represent a sizable percentage of the Republican electorate, but their voices are drowned out by an increasingly militant faction. And, the longer we go without meaningful legislation like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act,  the more likely Republicans will reach their aims by gerrymandering and/or overturning election results outright.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1449011681133268993/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Possible future fashion choice?


----------



## JayMysteri0

> Reminder: If you ban mask mandates, outlaw abortions, dictate what educators can teach in schools, and stop people from voting, you're not the party of "limited government."



-Robert Reich


----------



## lizkat

JayMysteri0 said:


> Possible future fashion choice?




 Gaetz and Taylor Greene's joint effort to hog the pro Trump spotlight for 2022 races must be backfiring. Their superPAC is running out of dough already, MTG's Dem opponent in Georgia has noticed with glee.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1449798597550223364/


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1449773745774612480/
Well, THAT Francis guy isn't getting THEIR vote.


----------



## JayMysteri0

...And here you go...
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1449796687803920386/

To think at some point, there used to be congress people who wanted a productive congress.


----------



## lizkat

JayMysteri0 said:


> To think at some point, there used to be congress people who wanted a productive congress.




In a sane country, Senator Ron Johnson might be in the dock for treason by now, and not just for being someone who celebrates obstruction of legislation that a majority of the American people favor.

Anyway aside from more than a few members of Congress in both chambers, we now have civilian apologists for the insurrection trying to comb through all evidence and discredit every bit of it,  one way or another. 

_Well it wasn't this, or it wasn't that, or "they didn't realize...."_​
We used to talk about the spirit of America.   Now maybe time to look at what was the spirit of the damn incursion into the Capitol on January 6, 2021.   It was incited by Trump to prevent the legitimate accession of his duly elected successor to the American presidency.  Whoever was for that attack --on a joint session of Congress that was following a Constitutional obligation at that time--  was walking in the shadow of Trump's treasonous intentions.    And now we have Trump followers in and outside of Congress still trying to dismiss that or even worse, advocate for its merit.

 Senator Schatz of Hawaii has apparently had enough of all that wordsmithing by the pro-Trump contingent.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1449557209617108992/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1449773745774612480/
> Well, THAT Francis guy isn't getting THEIR vote.



Why do American Christians hate socialism so much? Read the New Testament. The early christians were literally communists, with a common purse, selling all their belongings, and giving to whoever needed it.

If you disagree with the Pope on everything, can you still call yourself a Catholic? The American Catholic Church should break from Rome. They can become American Orthodox or something.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Why do American Christians hate socialism so much? Read the New Testament. The early christians were literally communists, with a common purse, selling all their belongings, and giving to whoever needed it.
> 
> If you disagree with the Pope on everything, can you still call yourself a Catholic? The American Catholic Church should break from Rome. They can become American Orthodox or something.




Read an interview with a religious scholar who said today’s political Christians are a bunch of heretics. It’s the religious equivalent of “I have a black friend. So I can’t be racist.”


----------



## GermanSuplex

Republicans are having a strange time of it.. Still pretending Trump is Jesus, but now President Vulva Neck is telling his people to get behind his big stupid lie, or else. 

So today I see Senator Bill Cassidy said Trump is a loser he won’t for. Wow! I am pleased to see someone speaking out, even if not firmly. It’s better than going in the other direction. And it’s actually pretty ballsy right now. He’s a Senator who voted to impeach President Chicken Skin Neck for his redneck terror cult on January 6. And now this, as Trump’s nonsense is gaining traction. 

I wonder if this is a McConnell-backed plan to slowly start turning against Trump. With a year to go, republicans are getting progressively more insane and culty. And with Trump drumming up the big lie and campaigning for or against his own party* members, they don’t have much time to pull back. I think Trump, running himself or not, also drums up as many people to vote against him as he does for him, and McConnell and McCarthy desperately want him to move on so they can have a normal midterm where they gain seats. But there‘s a good chance Trump demanding his own folks* run to the right of lunacy will result in bad candidates who lose, but the redistricting could help them.

Of course, if republicans win, they’ll just say it’s proof that election integrity** laws work, and how America spoke against Biden, but if they lose, they’ll say it’s proof they need more racist voter suppression laws and proof Trump in 2020. President Gobble Neck will celebrate and claim he’s the reason republicans won, or he will say the loss is proof he was cheated.

Pure insanity with these folks. That’s not even to mention their vile and racist white replacement theory going mainstream, their anti-women faux-religious stances, fraudulent “audits”, indictments, January 6 findings, folks like Matt Gaetz, Gym Jordache and Marge. McCarthy is weak and neutered and scared of both Trump and the Jan. 6 committee…. I can see McCarthy and Trump having a falling out at some point.

I could keep rambling, but this stuff is far more salacious than that True Crime story they’re doing on the Clinton impeachment scandal.


----------



## SuperMatt

Their agenda today? Destroying democracy:

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1450911872266510345/

Even Manchin thinks voting rights should be protected. The GOP knows they are a minority party, and instead of trying to reach out to win new voters, they are trying to stop non-Republicans from voting.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Texas will lead, where the rest of the scared 'r' party will go






That the rest of the party on a national level will do their level best to support, by even refusing to discuss voting issues...



> Voting Rights Legislation Filibustered By Republicans For A Third Time
> 
> 
> Will Democrats now finally change filibuster rules to protect voting rights?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.huffpost.com





> For the third time this year, Senate Republicans filibustered voting rights legislation meant to override new voting restrictions in Republican-run states that affirm former President Donald Trump’s lies about election fraud.
> 
> The party-line vote *blocking debate* on the Freedom to Vote Act came after months of negotiations among Democrats to craft a compromise voting rights bill that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) claimed could get Republican support. But Manchin failed to convince a single Republican to support the bill, let alone allow the Senate to debate the bill.
> 
> “Let there be no mistake: Senate Republicans blocking debate today is an implicit endorsement of the horrid new voter suppression and election subversion laws pushed in Republican states across the country,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the floor after the vote.
> 
> It is now up to the 50 members of the Senate Democratic caucus to decide whether or not to change the Senate’s filibuster rules to provide a path forward on what Democratic leadership has called must-pass voting rights legislation.




The one guy who has been the greatest obstacle to voting rights is the man behind the latest thing the republicans absolutely voted against, that he said they would NOT vote against.  If it wasn't clear catering to Manchin is a losing cause, today showed it.  He has no more fucking clue about voting, what his voters want, or anything else.  Don't cater to the man!  For all the supposed worry about what if Manchin isn't re elected as a dem, worried about a lost seat, stop worrying.  It's ALREADY a lost seat!  Now Manchin is supposedly considering pulling a Lieberman!  Manchin is NOT a team player, unless the team is team Manchin.  Not even Team USA.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Texas will lead, where the rest of the scared 'r' party will go
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That the rest of the party on a national level will do their level best to support, by even refusing to discuss voting issues...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The one guy who has been the greatest obstacle to voting rights is the man behind the latest thing the republicans absolutely voted against, that he said they would NOT vote against.  If it wasn't clear catering to Manchin is a losing cause, today showed it.  He has no more fucking clue about voting, what his voters want, or anything else.  Don't cater to the man!  For all the supposed worry about what if Manchin isn't re elected as a dem, worried about a lost seat, stop worrying.  It's ALREADY a lost seat!  Now Manchin is supposedly considering pulling a Lieberman!  Manchin is NOT a team player, unless the team is team Manchin.  Not even Team USA.



Kill the gosh-darn filibuster already. Screw the GOP. They are trying to cheat their way into power.


----------



## Alli

SuperMatt said:


> Kill the gosh-darn filibuster already. Screw the GOP. They are trying to cheat their way into power.



That won’t happen. The only way things can change is if everyone votes in the midterms and we start replacing some of the Rs who are trying to turn the country back to another era.


----------



## SuperMatt

Alli said:


> That won’t happen. The only way things can change is if everyone votes in the midterms and we start replacing some of the Rs who are trying to turn the country back to another era.



Yeah but everybody CAN’T vote in the midterms. That’s the whole point. “Vote the bums out” only works if you can vote. The GOP is making that difficult for Democrats specifically.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> Yeah but everybody CAN’T vote in the midterms. That’s the whole point. “Vote the bums out” only works if you can vote. The GOP is making that difficult for Democrats specifically.



It may need to happen though.  As I said, where scared Texas 'r's lead, others will follow

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1451216149501431811/

This shit will NOT stop, unless they are stopped.  Getting rid of the filibuster which was made to allow for this shit to happen, needs to go, despite the future risks involved.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> It may need to happen though.  As I said, where scared Texas 'r's lead, others will follow
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1451216149501431811/
> 
> This shit will NOT stop, unless they are stopped.  Getting rid of the filibuster which was made to allow for this shit to happen, needs to go, despite the future risks involved.



Exactly. Democrats in the Senate need to kill the filibuster and pass voting reform so that we, the people, can actually have a voice in future elections. If not, Democrats might never get a Senate majority again.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Technically it's unfair to put this here, as there are more than enough corporate dems.

However this is the system the 'r's will happily to continue to push, all the while mouthing concerns about Americans & their kitchen tables.






That is until such entities decide to do what's best for them, that isn't politically expedient for the 'r's, then it's time for some good ol' hated vehemently 'gov't overreach'.  If anything though, we're seeing how fed up some workers are, and realizing that have to use this trying time to get themselves heard.  Unsurprisingly, NOT a peep from the 'r's during this time, while even the administration is showing support for the workers.  Quite the opposite from this time last year when the former administration was only willing to use their power during a pandemic to keep meat packing plants open at the risk of the plants' workers.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> It may need to happen though.  As I said, where scared Texas 'r's lead, others will follow
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1451216149501431811/
> 
> This shit will NOT stop, unless they are stopped.  Getting rid of the filibuster which was made to allow for this shit to happen, needs to go, despite the future risks involved.



An op-ed from Colby King in the Washington Post lays out the case for voting rights being the MOST important issue today.



			https://wapo.st/3C8W1rZ
		




> Closing polling locations is not a matter of conserving real estate. Purging voting rolls is not done in pursuit of tidy paperwork. Limiting vote-by-mail isn’t aimed at giving postal workers a break. And none of these voting restrictions are about “election integrity.”






> A majority of Senate (with the vice president’s tiebreaking vote) and House members have signed on to protect those hard-fought rights.
> But Senate Republicans, clearly outvoted but equally determined, have a relic of Jim Crow in their arsenal — the filibuster. Their 50 votes prevented the Senate from reaching the required 60-vote supermajority to overcome the long-standing filibuster rule.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1453393225482338306/


----------



## SuperMatt

The only thing Republicans have to offer right now is “Let’s Go Brandon” - an allusion to an obscene slogan. That’s literally ALL they have to offer?



			https://wapo.st/3kb6Hzp
		

(paywall removed)



> Democrats coalesce around a plan to raise taxes on those making more than $10 million a year, to crack down on tax cheating by the richest fraction of 1 percent of Americans and to make sure Fortune 500 companies can no longer pay zero in taxes. And Republicans reply: Let’s go Brandon.
> 
> Could the contrast be any greater? Half of America’s leaders are trying to govern, and the other half are hurling vulgarities.






> Do voters want a competently governed America with better airports and a reliable power grid? An America where parents can afford child care, old folks can get hearing aids and all tots can go to free pre-K?
> 
> Or do they want an unstable America of ill-mannered insults, conspiracy theories, rageful attacks on educators, irrational opposition to lifesaving vaccinations, ham-handed attempts to suppress voting, and extreme abortion bans without exceptions for rape or incest?




They figured out a way to allude to the F word without saying it. That is what they are PROUD of, and pat themselves on the back for being such geniuses. What a pathetic excuse for a political party.


----------



## Thomas Veil

The GOP in this country is not just utterly worthless, it's acutely poisonous.

However, as insults go, "Let's go Brandon" is lame beyond belief. Yes, I get its hidden meaning, but it's just _stupid. _Below even, "I know you are, but what am I?"

Wow, they managed to come up with a phrase with the same number of syllables as "Fuck Joe Biden" and sounds _very vaguely_ like it? That takes a real Rhodes scholar to come up with, that does. Hell, "Truck Fump" may be goofy, but it's cleverer than _that_.

The GOP. Can't come up with legislation to help you or me, but boy are they inventive with kindergarten insults.


----------



## Pumbaa

Thomas Veil said:


> The GOP in this country is not just utterly worthless, it's acutely poisonous.
> 
> However, as insults go, "Let's go Brandon" is lame beyond belief. Yes, I get its hidden meaning, but it's just _stupid. _Below even, "I know you are, but what am I?"
> 
> Wow, they managed to come up with a phrase with the same number of syllables as "Fuck Joe Biden" and sounds _very vaguely_ like it? That takes a real Rhodes scholar to come up with, that does. Hell, "Truck Fump" may be goofy, but it's cleverer than _that_.
> 
> The GOP. Can't come up with legislation to help you or me, but boy are they inventive with kindergarten insults.



Nah, it is way worse than that. It is more than a coded way to say “Fuck Joe Biden”. They believe it is evidence that the fake news mainstream media is lying to hide criticism of Joe Biden.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Remember the "good ol' days" when THIS crowd was telling the "liberal crybabies" to get over their feelings?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1454461586018603012/


> How 'Let's Go Brandon' became code for insulting Joe Biden
> 
> 
> WASHINGTON (AP) — When Republican Rep. Bill Posey of Florida ended an Oct. 21 House floor speech with a fist pump and the phrase “Let’s go, Brandon!” it may have seemed cryptic and weird to many who were listening.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> apnews.com




Now THEIR feelings are the only thing they are concerned with to the point it bleeds into their jobs, participating in entertainment, or the the only seeming bit of governance ( besides shouting voter fraud & Biden didn't win, all the while proving Biden did win by more votes ) they can motivate themselves to attempt.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Trump is the real winner in Virginia’s governor race. If Youngkin loses, Trump will blame him for not fully embracing his orangemost. If Youngkin wins, he’ll claim it was ALL due to his endorsement.

The old “take credit for everything and blame for nothing” approach he’s mastered.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Looks like Youngkin is going to win VA. And the message should be “republicans don’t need Trump to win”. Which could be good or bad, because Youngkin did not reject Trumpism, just tried to keep Trump at arm’s length. He’s now free to embrace him, so we will see how this plays out.

It also means suburbanites didn’t reject Trump’s policies, they rejected him.

Biden had an excellent first six months, the last four haven’t been too good. They’ve got to pick up the momentum, keep it and fight back harder against the GQP’s lies and racism. Youngkin won on CRT, which isn’t even a thing in VA. It would be like democrats running on banning Republicans teaching Critical Incest Theory. Not a thing. I say we try anyways. 

Not to diminish Youngkin’s victory, but it’s normal for VA to flip-flop their governors. Hopefully we won’t have to hear any stupid voter fraud arguments. Now, democrats need to pressure Youngkin if his election was as secure as Trump’s. Keep pressing him on his support for the big lie.

*The race hasn’t even been called, and Trump is already claiming credit for tonight. For what, I don’t know; Youngkin outperformed him.

**A big f-you to Joe Manchin. He’s not a democrat-equivelant of a RINO (DINO?); he made some tough votes with dems during Trump’s term, which was not an easy thing to do if you’re from WV. But he and his buddy from AZ have prevented democrats from advancing the Biden agenda, which would have given democrats a HUGE boost this evening. The average American has a short memory; that stimulus and vaccination push was months ago; masks, gas prices and inflation are today. I guess it’s refreshing to know there are independents who will vote for Biden and Obama, but also Youngkin. Or Trump and Obama. They are either fiercely independent or stupid, but I honestly think they’re true independents and largely intelligent.

Thanks for listening to another rant…


----------



## Thomas Veil

GermanSuplex said:


> ...Biden had an excellent first six months, the last four haven’t been too good. They’ve got to pick up the momentum, keep it and fight back harder against the GQP’s lies and racism.




There are many, many factors that drive popularity, but I keep noticing one consistent factor: this inverse ratio of gas prices<-->popularity. 

For a segment of the populace it's as simple as that (stupid as that sounds). If the price of gas were to drop to $1.50/gallon nationwide, you'd see Biden and the Democrats' popularity start to rise again.


----------



## User.45

Thomas Veil said:


> There are many, many factors that drive popularity, but I keep noticing one consistent factor: this inverse ratio of gas prices<-->popularity.
> 
> For a segment of the populace it's as simple as that (stupid as that sounds). If the price of gas were to drop to $1.50/gallon nationwide, you'd see Biden and the Democrats' popularity start to rise again.



Spot on. Someone wrote their Master's thesis on this. There does seem to be data to corroborate your statement. Low gas price favors incumbent. 



			https://digital.library.txstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10877/3719/fulltext.pdf?sequence=1&sa=U&ei=n8dbU5DHOMnNsga3moGABA&ved=0CCAQFjAB&usg=AFQjCNHnAiiCvt24nxbjFKJecjMmfXB5Ig


----------



## Herdfan

Thomas Veil said:


> There are many, many factors that drive popularity, but I keep noticing one consistent factor: this inverse ratio of gas prices<-->popularity.
> 
> For a segment of the populace it's as simple as that (stupid as that sounds). If the price of gas were to drop to $1.50/gallon nationwide, you'd see Biden and the Democrats' popularity start to rise again.




If my FB feed is any indication, then yeah that's a thing.  Recently the posts even include little stickers on the pumps of Biden pointing at the price with the caption "I did that".

But gas prices aren't going to be the issue, inflation is.  And it is going to get ugly.  Prices are rising, especially at the grocery store and people are going to look to the Administration to fix it.  And if they don't, look for an absolute bloodbath come midterms that won't be based on CRT, Trans policies or any other social issue.  It will be an economic issue and it will hit hard.


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> Remember the "good ol' days" when THIS crowd was telling the "liberal crybabies" to get over their feelings?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1454461586018603012/
> 
> 
> Now THEIR feelings are the only thing they are concerned with to the point it bleeds into their jobs, participating in entertainment, or the the only seeming bit of governance ( besides shouting voter fraud & Biden didn't win, all the while proving Biden did win by more votes ) they can motivate themselves to attempt.



As I said before, this let's go Brandon thing is like the guy who finally finds a joke people laugh at and instead of trying to come up with the next good one, he changes his name to Brandon. After this many repeats, it only impresses as weak and immature. 

-----


I'll be frank, I'm irritated by people trying to draw major conclusions from this set of elections. VA is the South, let's not pretend it isn't. NoVA might be a liberal powerhouse thanks to the FedGov, but without it, this state is a sea of red. That said, there's nothing surprising. Reps vote R, Dems vote policy/performance. Simple as that. Inflation is still tightly attached to the changes in world economy as an aftermath of COVID. Unless you're deliberately trying to kill people (sigh), there's a limit on how much control an admin has over it.


----------



## Hrafn

Herdfan said:


> If my FB feed is any indication, then yeah that's a thing.  Recently the posts even include little stickers on the pumps of Biden pointing at the price with the caption "I did that".
> 
> But gas prices aren't going to be the issue, inflation is.  And it is going to get ugly.  Prices are rising, especially at the grocery store and people are going to look to the Administration to fix it.  And if they don't, look for an absolute bloodbath come midterms that won't be based on CRT, Trans policies or any other social issue.  It will be an economic issue and it will hit hard.



You are a "lets go braden" so GFY.  I used to think, hey Herdfan is human right, but FU


----------



## User.45

Hrafn said:


> You are a "lets go braden" so GFY.  I used to think, hey Herdfan is human right, but FU



That's actually the punchline in this joke. The people who whinged for 4 years about civility and their, and _only_ _their_ feelings now drop these principles at the first opportunity they find. To be fair though, I understand if somebody doesn't like "Brandon," but Brandon got where he is, because he isn't a troll.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Herdfan said:


> If my FB feed is any indication, then yeah that's a thing.  Recently the posts even include little stickers on the pumps of Biden pointing at the price with the caption "I did that".
> 
> But gas prices aren't going to be the issue, inflation is.  And it is going to get ugly.  Prices are rising, especially at the grocery store and people are going to look to the Administration to fix it.  And if they don't, look for an absolute bloodbath come midterms …




Which is another thing I think voters can often be ridiculous about. Even if the situation isn’t the president’s fault, even if Biden (or Obama or Bush) do whatever is in their power to alleviate the situation, a subset of voters won’t be satisfied, they’ll just be mad _because_. They’ll be angry that the situation happened in the first place, as if it’s Biden himself who started the logjam at the Long Beach ports, or Bush who somehow forced OPEC to cut oil production.

This subset doesn’t understand the simple concept that _shit happens_ and _you deal with it as best you can_. No, we’ve gotta find an individual to blame and string them up and that will solve everything.

And that’s usually the President. Yes, “the buck stops here,” but a lot of people today are in _such_ a pissy mood that if someone cuts them off in traffic it’s somehow Biden’s fault.

People need to chill and understand that government can only do so much and that especially now making our government as divisive as possible ensures it not being able to do _anything_.


----------



## Herdfan

Hrafn said:


> You are a "lets go braden" so GFY.  I used to think, hey Herdfan is human right, but FU




When Robert Di Niro can say Fuck Trump at an award's show, I think Let's go Brandon is pretty tame.

There is a thread on this very board called something like TF Guy meaning Trump.  So you can't have it both ways.  Sorry.


----------



## Huntn

Herdfan said:


> If my FB feed is any indication, then yeah that's a thing.  Recently the posts even include little stickers on the pumps of Biden pointing at the price with the caption "I did that".
> 
> But gas prices aren't going to be the issue, inflation is.  And it is going to get ugly.  Prices are rising, especially at the grocery store and people are going to look to the Administration to fix it.  And if they don't, look for an absolute bloodbath come midterms that won't be based on CRT, Trans policies or any other social issue.  It will be an economic issue and it will hit hard.



We all know what happened with the price of gasoline during the Trump Administration yes? Huge fracking production in the States while the Saudis kept their production up to try to drive the frackers out of business, resulting in a glut of gas and very low prices at the pump. This happened independent of anything Trump and what is happening now is independent of what Biden has done. Today‘s market with inflation is a direct result of what occurred on Trump’s watch, don’t forget the pandemic under Trumo’s watch, and what is happening would be happening with gas prices if Trump had been re-elected, but sure, blame Biden (A general comment).

Oh, I was thrilled when Biden won and kicked Mr Cancer out, but I truly think we are surrounded by FUCKING Dummies, who appear to be blind, not seeing  the Democrats working their asses off to give average citizens a break, voting rights, prescription drug costs, child care, paid leave, social safety nets, and ignoring virtually all of the Congressional Republicans screaming no, No, NOOOO!!! Wake up, these latter politicians are hostile to working class citizens.

And then there are the usual Right Wing, Big Business players with their Koolaid ads screaming that tax increase on the rich, will stall America, although  they don’t say ”rich“. They want the dummies to think their sub >$100k annual income taxes will be going up, and most likely succeeding in scaring them.

As a pessimist, do you know what I think?  2022 will tell us our  fate. Unless there is some kind of miracle, and the Republicans take the Congress back, followed by The Head Piece of Shit or some other vile, poisonous ignoramus Surrogate like a Green or Gaetz winning the Presidency, we are headed towards some kind of fascist, dystopian future, wrapped in the flag, pretending to be a democracy, while I continue to mull over moving to Ireland.

No I don’t have to do that, I’m almost 70, but I might be around for another 20 years. Unless there is a revolution, I can sit in my corner in relative comfort as the America I thought I knew slips away. The United States of America  has/had it all, setting an incredible standard, yet  we are literally watching it dissolve because of human greed, self interest, and outright stupidity, don’t forget racism and xenophobia,  alive and thriving.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Perhaps 'huffing' is now part of that agenda?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1457837943201189895/


----------



## JayMysteri0

In some cases, it's just become a 'Mad libs' of bitching passed off as any kind of discussion

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1457476476534624257/


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> Perhaps 'huffing' is now part of that agenda?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1457837943201189895/



Orange Koolaid…


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

The latest far-right conspiracy is the Virginia governor win was a false flag win, meaning the Democrats let them have it so it would take attention away from them stealing Trump's election.    

There's no reasoning with or working with these people.  There's no shovel out there for you to dig down to their level of stupidity because they own all those shovels and are never done digging even further.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> The latest far-right conspiracy is the Virginia governor win was a false flag win, meaning the Democrats let them have it so it would take attention away from them stealing Trump's election.
> 
> There's no reasoning with or working with these people.  There's no shovel out there for you to dig down to their level of stupidity because they own all those shovels and are never done digging even further.



They should audit the results then. Get the Cyber Ninjas and any other kind of ninjas they can find. Maybe they can track down Youngkin’s son and find out why he tried to vote illegally.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Beacause Trump is an unfiltered idiot, he just doubled down on party over country with his latest tantrum over Republicans who voted to pass the infrastructure bill which he is more upset that a bill didn't pass (or was even submitted?) while he was President.  But at least this gave him the opportunity to call it socialist.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Beacause Trump is an unfiltered idiot, he just doubled down on party over country with his latest tantrum over Republicans who voted to pass the infrastructure bill which he is more upset that a bill didn't pass (or was even submitted?) while he was President.  But at least this gave him the opportunity to call it socialist.



I believe the specifics were over him being investigated for his , and we all know how much he hates that.  He'd rather shaft the country, then let an investigation that his own party would actively tank, carry on.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1458239272541114386/



> Trump, angry over House investigations, blows up infrastructure meeting
> 
> 
> President Trump abruptly blew up an infrastructure meeting with Democratic leaders at the White House on Wednesday and declared that bipartisan cooperation was impossible while House committees are investigating him, underscoring the increasing combustibility between two warring branches of…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.latimes.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> I believe the specifics were over him being investigated for his , and we all know how much he hates that.  He'd rather shaft the country, then let an investigation that his own party would actively tank, carry on.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1458239272541114386/





What an asshat, but this isn't surprising.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Herdfan said:


> There is a thread on this very board called something like TF Guy meaning Trump.  So you can't have it both ways.  Sorry.



There is?  

Holy Spit! 

Somebody made a copy of a thread I started about about political TFG, based on the phrase and the meme






For clarification:

I know since I literally included the Hot Tub Time Machine gif 





and the first post was...



> So instead of clogging up the TFM thread with *individuals* who's claim to shame is political, I present...




About a certain lawyer who can't tell a Four Seasons from a hotel or landscaping business.

I'd appreciate you linking to the thread who started a similar titled thread meaning our 2X impeached former president, I'll ask @Eric if one of our titles could be changed.


----------



## JayMysteri0

It's an agenda that says even if something good is done for YOU & OTHERS, if it's done by / and with democrats, it's completely UNacceptable!

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1458500912104804355/

How fanatical do you have to be to be party / politics over people at all costs?



> Marjorie Taylor Greene shared phone numbers of Republicans – so one sent calls to her
> 
> 
> They say 13 is unlucky for some, and controversial Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene certainly made the “wrong call” when she posted the phone numbers of House representatives who supported President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill.Pun most definitely intended.The Georgia...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.indy100.com





> They say 13 is unlucky for some, and controversial Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene certainly made the “wrong call” when she posted the phone numbers of House representatives who supported President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill.
> 
> Pun most definitely intended.
> 
> The Georgia congresswoman shared the numbers – which are publicly available – on Twitter on Saturday, a day after the House of Representatives approved Biden’s $1.2 trillion plan for improvements to roads, bridges and other “hard infrastructure”.
> 
> Tweeting the details, Greene wrote: “These are the 13 ‘Republicans’ who handed over their voting cards to Nancy Pelosi to pass Joe Biden’s Communist takeover of America via so-called infrastructure”.
> 
> One of them, Michigan’s Fred Upton, went on to share information about one of the voicemails he received for supporting Biden’s support package.
> 
> “I hope you die. I hope everybody in your f**king family dies,” it said, calling him a “f**king piece of s*** traitor”.
> 
> Mr Upton described the call – which he said did not come from a constituent – as a “real step back”, noting that Greene had tweeted out his number to her 456,000 followers.




Even if it can be made to spite yourself



> However, according to _POLITICO _reporter Olivia Beavers, the office of one Republican mentioned in Greene’s post decided to redirect all of their incoming calls to the Georgia politician’s office.
> 
> “She can answer the phones,” the source said.




This is NOT a group of people in a political party in the least bit interested in governing.  It's a group of zealous fanatics who would deny their own anything good or of use in the name of petty politics & high school antics.


----------



## JayMysteri0

All you need to know about the crowd that "hates big gov't", because it intrudes on personal freedoms and life... And how they will use gov't when they can.



> Goddard school district orders 29 books removed from circulation
> 
> 
> The list of books includes several well-known novels, including “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.
> 
> 
> 
> www.kmuw.org





> *WICHITA, Kansas —* The Goddard school district has removed more than two dozen books from circulation in the district’s school libraries, citing national attention and challenges to the books elsewhere.
> 
> The list of books includes several well-known novels, including “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.
> 
> It also includes “Fences,” a play by August Wilson that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1987, and “They Called Themselves the K.K.K.,” a historical look at how the white supremacist group took root in America.
> 
> Julie Cannizzo, assistant superintendent for academic affairs in Goddard, sent an email to principals and librarians last week with the list of 29 books.
> 
> “At this time, the district is not in a position to know if the books contained on this list meet our educational goals or not,” Cannizzo wrote in the email. “Additionally, we need to gain a better understanding of the processes utilized to select books for our school libraries.
> 
> “For these reasons, please do not allow any of these books to be checked out while we are in the process of gathering more information. If a book on this list is currently checked out, please do (not) allow it to be checked out again once it's returned.”
> 
> Cannizzo said in the email that the district is assembling a committee to “rate the content of the books on the list” and to review the selection process. She did not say how long the process is expected to take.




_Cannizzo said Tuesday that one parent objected to language he found offensive in “The Hate U Give,” a novel about the aftermath of a police officer killing a Black teenager. The parent then submitted a list of books he questioned, and district officials agreed to halt checkouts and complete a review.

"We're not banning these books or anything like that as a district," she said. "It was just brought to our attention that that list of books may have content that's unsuitable for children."_



> "We're not banning these books or anything like that as a district," she said. "It was just brought to our attention that that list of books may have content that's unsuitable for children."
> 
> Cannizzo said she plans to meet with school librarians this week. She wouldn't say when or if the books would return to circulation.
> 
> “We haven’t even evaluated these books," she said. "I couldn’t even tell you what these books have in them or why someone may find them offensive or not."




Their own rules?



> A Goddard district policy adopted in 2016 spells out procedures for challenging textbooks, library books or instructional materials. Anyone with a complaint about a book is directed to meet first with the school principal and submit a “request for review” form.
> 
> If a challenge isn’t resolved at the school level, it goes to the superintendent and then the school board. Board members may forward a complaint to a review committee made up of the building principal, media specialist, two subject area specialists and two community members.


----------



## Thomas Veil

So wait…the _parent_?

As in _singular? _

They’re circumventing their own policy and doing this on the basis of _one_ complaint??

This is what I mean by calling what they do bullying. They’ve put enough fear into people that complaints, mere complaints, make them fold like a cheap card table. “Doing the right thing” be damned, we don’t want to arouse the ire of the white nationalist types.


----------



## SuperMatt

Thomas Veil said:


> So wait…the _parent_?
> 
> As in _singular? _
> 
> They’re circumventing their own policy and doing this on the basis of _one_ complaint??
> 
> This is what I mean by calling what they do bullying. They’ve put enough fear into people that complaints, mere complaints, make them fold like a cheap card table. “Doing the right thing” be damned, we don’t want to arouse the ire of the white nationalist types.



A lot of schools have antI-bullying initiatives. Maybe they should make the parents a part of them.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Update:



> Book challenge from Goddard parent far from isolated incident
> 
> 
> A Goddard parent's challenge was far from an isolated incident as across the country, certain books have long been facing challenges and bans.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.kwch.com





> WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Several books that were challenged by a Goddard parent will remain in circulation. *That was the decision Goddard Public Schools made Wednesday night* after a parent questioned the language and graphics from a specific book that their child had checked out from a school library. That challenge was far from an isolated incident as across the country, certain books have long been facing challenges and bans.
> 
> The *American Library Association* recorded a 60 percent increase in the number of book challenges in September compared to a year earlier. Many of those books deal with racial or LGBTQ issues. This is also playing out in a Kansas City, Mo. school district that removed two books as they wait to resolve a challenge.
> 
> “It’s not a good idea to try to limit access to information and to all forms of literature. It sets a bad precedent,’ said Goddard Public Library Director April Hernandez. “Once you start down that road, it’s really hard. What are we going to get rid of next?”




_Note:  "The hate you give" is listed as a book with 444 pages.  That one parent is doing a lot of reading to submit a list of books that they find something objectionable with._



Thomas Veil said:


> So wait…the _parent_?
> 
> As in _singular? _
> 
> They’re circumventing their own policy and doing this on the basis of _one_ complaint??
> 
> This is what I mean by calling what they do bullying. They’ve put enough fear into people that complaints, mere complaints, make them fold like a cheap card table. “Doing the right thing” be damned, we don’t want to arouse the ire of the white nationalist types.




My unfounded impression from reading various articles is that 'THE parent' is just the pretense to get the ball rolling on a recently increased conservative agenda involving schools.  My gut instinct says that one parent wasn't actually reading 'The hate you give' on the bus to work or on break, for personal enjoyment or education, and suddenly came across something that so concerned them being taught to their kids.  

Concerned parents have suddenly picked up reading a lot of material for youths during the pandemic.  That is when they aren't railing against CRT, masks, or vaccines.  Remember the 'old days', when someone else was doing something like this & they would scream, "Why aren't you working"?

This consistently involves "parent(s)" reading material that specifically seem to be concerned with, then "finding" something that needs to be reported.  Since "CRT" this has become a supposed more urgent issue, which is why rules that would normally discourage such behavior seem to be being ignored in the rush to do something to impress some people.

To me the telling thing is such rules are intended for parents to review the reading material that teachers ask of their students, and the parents can review & raise their issues.  What we are more often seeing is parents supposedly reading books that may seem like unusual choices for them, and having said books removed for EVERYONE.  That's your bright red flare telling what the real intentions are.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Update:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Note:  "The hate you give" is listed as a book with 444 pages.  That one parent is doing a lot of reading to submit a list of books that they find something objectionable with._
> 
> 
> 
> My unfounded impression from reading various articles is that 'THE parent' is just the pretense to get the ball rolling on a recently increased conservative agenda involving schools.  My gut instinct says that one parent wasn't actually reading 'The hate you give' on the bus to work or on break, for personal enjoyment or education, and suddenly came across something that so concerned them being taught to their kids.
> 
> Concerned parents have suddenly picked up reading a lot of material for youths during the pandemic.  That is when they aren't railing against CRT, masks, or vaccines.  Remember the 'old days', when someone else was doing something like this & they would scream, "Why aren't you working"?
> 
> This consistently involves "parent(s)" reading material that specifically seem to be concerned with, then "finding" something that needs to be reported.  Since "CRT" this has become a supposed more urgent issue, which is why rules that would normally discourage such behavior seem to be being ignored in the rush to do something to impress some people.
> 
> To me the telling thing is such rules are intended for parents to review the reading material that teachers ask of their students, and the parents can review & raise their issues.  What we are more often seeing is parents supposedly reading books that may seem like unusual choices for them, and having said books removed for EVERYONE.  That's your bright red flare telling what the real intentions are.



There appears to be a pattern here. Books involving anybody not white, cisgender, and straight are the ones being targeted. I remember as a kid reading sexual content in the Isaac Asimov book *Robots of Dawn*, and yet… I don’t see it on any lists put forward by these censors.

Speaking of Asimov, I love this quote: 



> Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.


----------



## Thomas Veil

So how far away do you think we are from book burning? I'd wager closer than any of us would've thought a few years ago.


----------



## SuperMatt

Thomas Veil said:


> So how far away do you think we are from book burning? I'd wager closer than any of us would've thought a few years ago.



Not sure if the burning has commenced yet, but some school board members in Virginia are advocating for it:









						Does anyone here have an issue with teaching or even discussing CRT?
					

Simply teach the truth. Starting with Africans being brought over to Jamestown, Virginia against their will and sold as slaves in 1619. Why whitewash the past? Tell and teach the truth to children, the younger the better.




					talkedabout.com


----------



## JayMysteri0

While dems keep leaning on a constituency to turn out in greater & greater numbers, while not doing what it takes to protect that turnout...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1460279786081820676/

And



> Georgia GOP Legislator Fighting to Keep Power From Black Dems
> 
> 
> Fight over Gwinnett County government signals what could come elsewhere
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.theroot.com





> From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
> In a stealth move this week, state Sen. Clint Dixon orchestrated an attempt to nearly double the number of commission seats, neuter the power of the county’s newly elected chairwoman and make the school board, which also flipped to Democrats, nonpartisan.
> 
> The reason for this late push, according to Dixon, is the pressing desire to give Gwinnett residents more representation in the most diverse county in the state. There was no such desire last year when Republicans controlled the commission.
> 
> Since then, an epic election cycle for Democrats flipped the balance of power decisively in Gwinnett, the second most populous county in the state with roughly a million residents. Democrats now command the county school board, hold every seat on the county commission and lead the sheriff’s department, the District Attorney’s office and several other elected positions.
> 
> The makeup of the new Democratic political class in Gwinnett is just as notable. Many of the Democratic winners are decades younger than the elected officials they replaced. And every one of them is Black.


----------



## ronntaylor

JayMysteri0 said:


> While dems keep leaning on a constituency to turn out in greater & greater numbers, while not doing what it takes to protect that turnout...



At a certain point, Black Dems will stop coming out. Especially Black women. They're the most reliable Dem voters and are never taken care of. Whiners think they should just shut up and be quiet while their rights are trampled on. Some inane trickle-up-democracy I suppose. The thing is this: hurting Black voters essentially hurts Dem voters and pols. Any scheme that targets Black Dem voters hurts *all* Dem voters. We've seen it with how these schemes depresses the youth vote, working class vote and now college/campus voters. It even hurts a large enough number of older white GOP-leaning voters with voter ID laws. GOP states that are making it harder to vote by mail will ensnare some of their own constituencies. Just as long as it hurts Dems voters more, they don't care.


----------



## Huntn

I know I’ve been a fountain of pessimism lately on these topics, but how can it be otherwise? Does anyone see a rainbow on the horizon?

In Texas on NPR they are talking about the blue wave that crashed before it ever reached the shore.    Beto‘s running for Governor, I won’t hold my breath. It‘s not as if the Republican Party is withering away and on it’s last legs. It’s a cancer that seems to be winning.

I predict that all the worst characteristics of humanity will prevail, best described as stupid and corruption for self benefit. My sincere hope is that we get what we deserve, and that can go in either direction.


----------



## Thomas Veil

*Casper Star-Tribune: Wyoming GOP votes to no longer recognize Liz Cheney as a party member reality.* _<-- Fixed that for them_









						Casper Star-Tribune: Wyoming GOP votes to no longer recognize Liz Cheney as a party member
					

The Wyoming Republican Party voted over the weekend to no longer recognize Rep. Liz Cheney as a member of the party, the Casper Star-Tribune reported, a new instance of GOP blowback as Cheney continues to speak out against former President Donald Trump.




					www.cnn.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Thomas Veil said:


> *Casper Star-Tribune: Wyoming GOP votes to no longer recognize Liz Cheney as a party member reality.* _<-- Fixed that for them_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Casper Star-Tribune: Wyoming GOP votes to no longer recognize Liz Cheney as a party member
> 
> 
> The Wyoming Republican Party voted over the weekend to no longer recognize Rep. Liz Cheney as a member of the party, the Casper Star-Tribune reported, a new instance of GOP blowback as Cheney continues to speak out against former President Donald Trump.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cnn.com




Good.  This is starting the groundwork  so we can reclassify the status of the GOP from a political party to a terrorist cult.  Let the death threats begin, I mean continue!


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GOP adds enough seats to flip House through redistricting alone
					

Republicans have already gerrymandered enough seats to flip the House and they're just getting started.




					www.salon.com


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> GOP adds enough seats to flip House through redistricting alone
> 
> 
> Republicans have already gerrymandered enough seats to flip the House and they're just getting started.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com



When a minority party tries to take control, the results are almost always disastrous. If you make elections a mockery, or try a military coup, etc… the majority will find a way to make their voices heard.

Gerrymandering a 60% or more majority of seats in a legislature when you have less than 50% of the overall votes... you are going to have an uprising if you keep that up very long.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Problem is, _they_ have all the guns.


----------



## SuperMatt

Thomas Veil said:


> Problem is, _they_ have all the guns.



It doesn’t have to be violent.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> GOP adds enough seats to flip House through redistricting alone
> 
> 
> Republicans have already gerrymandered enough seats to flip the House and they're just getting started.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com



Is there any reason to not believe this country is fucked at the hands of the  GOP? It’s going to take a miracle or a revolution.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> It doesn’t have to be violent.




How's that police reform going after all those protests?  

It appears the only thing that's going to come from that after the Rittenhouse case (pending verdict) is protests can now be a shooting gallery for people on the right.  It will happen and the mental illness card will get played, another thing we are doing absolutely nothing about.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> When a minority party tries to take control, the results are almost always disastrous. If you make elections a mockery, or try a military coup, etc… the majority will find a way to make their voices heard.
> 
> Gerrymandering a 60% or more majority of seats in a legislature when you have less than 50% of the overall votes... you are going to have an uprising if you keep that up very long.




We’ll find out how many cherish their democracy or don’t at some point.


Thomas Veil said:


> Problem is, _they_ have all the guns.






SuperMatt said:


> It doesn’t have to be violent.



What if they make it violent? Trump wanted martial law and the military told him to fuck off. What happens next time? When lies prevail, when truth means nothing and a majority does not care or a significant % can break all the rules and the majority averts their eyes, where does that leave us? Screwed, that’s where.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> We’ll find out how many cherish their democracy or don’t at some point.
> 
> 
> 
> What if they make it violent? Trump wanted martial law and the military told him to fuck off. What happens next time? When lies prevail, when truth means nothing and a majority does not care or a significant % can break all the rules and the majority averts their eyes, where does that leave us? Screwed, that’s where.




The right has been arming themselves with guns. The left has been arming themselves with moral authority participation trophies.


----------



## SuperMatt

There are effective non-violent means of demonstration. The civil rights movement in America during the mid-20th century comes to mind.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> There are effective non-violent means of demonstration. The civil rights movement in America during the mid-20th century comes to mind.




That was half a century ago.  I couldn't tell you the last time demonstrations have been effective here...or waged against anything near Trumpism and partnering with a completely ineffective political party that is just as beholden to big money as the alternative.  I think we are unparalleled times, at least in the US.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> There are effective non-violent means of demonstration. The civil rights movement in America during the mid-20th century comes to mind.



I’m not saying that is not possible, but when you have people in charge who view breaking rules as a path to continue to hold power, all bets are off.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Listened to a discussion between 2 anti-Trump Republicans who when they pressed Trump supporters on exactly what it is they want it came down to essentially the same thing.  The reason nobody can point to an exact period that America was great before is becuase it's different for everybody and it's largely tied to people's rose-colored memories of their childhood.  For them, that is when America was last great.  Basically they are mad the corner market from their childhood is now an Indian fusion restaurant. 

They didn't mention this, but I think it's important to note that during your childhood you are pretty much responsibility-free and, short of being dirt poor or in an abusive family, the reason your childhood memories are so rose-colored is because you didn't have responsibilities weighing you down.  So there's a good chance your memories are divorced from greater realities that weren't so great but didn't really affect you.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> That was half a century ago.  I couldn't tell you the last time demonstrations have been effective here...or waged against anything near Trumpism and partnering with a completely ineffective political party that is just as beholden to big money as the alternative.  I think we are unparalleled times, at least in the US.



So after only 50 years, humanity has changed so much that now violence is the only answer? Given the thousands of years of human existence, I find that hard to believe. That being said, we do resort to violence more often than we change things peacefully. Humanity has quite a penchant for violence.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> So after only 50 years, humanity has changed so much that now violence is the only answer? Given the thousands of years of human existence, I find that hard to believe. That being said, we do resort to violence more often than we change things peacefully. Humanity has quite a penchant for violence.




It might be a bit hyperbolic at this point, but fall of an empire? I can’t think of anybody looking to us for leadership at this point. We’re more like a spectacle of lunatics running the asylum.

Trump is the result of decades of failures of both parties, Republicans failure to tell their constituents the truth and Democrats failure to pass economic middle class and below legislation because it pissed off the rich and corporations. Of course there’s some exceptions in there, but not a lot.  Some thought we would be ok because we had guardrails but Trump started removing them and the Republican party went “Wait, we can do that?” and thus far it looks like they can.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> It might be a bit hyperbolic at this point, but fall of an empire? I can’t think of anybody looking to us for leadership at this point. We’re more like a spectacle of lunatics running the asylum.
> 
> *Trump is the result of decades of failures of both parties,* Republicans failure to tell their constituents the truth and Democrats failure to pass economic middle class and below legislation because it pissed off the rich and corporations. Of course there’s some exceptions in there, but not a lot.  Some thought we would be ok because we had guardrails but Trump started removing them and the Republican party went “Wait, we can do that?” and thus far it looks like they can.



One thing I don’t care for are equivalence arguments that try to make it sound like they are all alike. Not accusing you, unless you are specifically saying that they are, but there are distinct unrefutable differences that place Democrats on top of Republicans, and make them a better political party more  suited to functioning in a democracy. Lieing and breaking rules for the win is unacceptable, and this is what we have in the Republican Party of 2016. . It’s undebatable.

So it  can be said _years of failure,_but you can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip  if you do not have a super majority of support to get things done.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> One thing I don’t care for are equivalence arguments that try to make it sound like they are all alike. Not accusing you, unless you are specifically saying that they are, but there are distinct unrefutable differences that place Democrats on top of Republicans, and make them a better political party more  suited to functioning in a democracy. Lieing and breaking rules for the win is unacceptable, and this is what we have in the Republican Party of 2016. . It’s undebatable.
> 
> So it  can be said _years of failure,_but you can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip  if you do not have a super majority of support to get things done.





I'm not saying they are equal and the same, but I am saying if Democrats actually delivered on their promises, or I don't know, stopped catering to Wall St. and new big money,  then they wouldn't have a razor-thin majority in Congress right now.  If they can't get anything done then they are just a party of platitudes with a track record of doing the opposite of that.  Manchin and Sinema don't explain away decades of failures, or maybe I should say wins for the ruling class but little for everybody else.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I'm not saying they are equal and the same, but I am saying if Democrats actually delivered on their promises, or I don't know, stopped catering to Wall St. and new big money,  then they wouldn't have a razor-thin majority in Congress right now.  If they can't get anything done then they are just a party of platitudes with a track record of doing the opposite of that.  Manchin and Sinema don't explain away decades of failures, or maybe I should say wins for the ruling class but little for everybody else.



Democrats should have more belief in progressive policies. They get into power and they start to believe “if we pass progressive policies, voters will hate us and switch to Republicans!” Then they pass watered-down policies or none at all, and then lose, and assume the tiny bit they moved the needle towards a better society is the reason they lost. In reality, it’s the fact they only passed a milquetoast version of the policy. Republicans will always say everything is too progressive, but when Dems lose, it‘s usually because of tepid turnout… the result of not passing the legislation their voters actually want. If every Democrat was like Sanders or Jayapal, we’d have universal healthcare by now.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Democrats should have more belief in progressive policies. They get into power and they start to believe “if we pass progressive policies, voters will hate us and switch to Republicans!” Then they pass watered-down policies or none at all, and then lose, and assume the tiny bit they moved the needle towards a better society is the reason they lost. In reality, it’s the fact they only passed a milquetoast version of the policy. Republicans will always say everything is too progressive, but when Dems lose, it‘s usually because of tepid turnout… the result of not passing the legislation their voters actually want. If every Democrat was like Sanders or Jayapal, we’d have universal healthcare by now.




It seems like when Republicans have the opportunity they will pass whatever the hell they want with no regard to possible negative fallout.  When Democrats have the opportunity they first micro analyze all the possible groups they could piss off to the point that it becomes inaction.  I'm undecided if that is because they are that dense or are that corrupt, a la Manchin and Sinema.   

I think Republican politicians were telling even bigger lies and excuses and their constituents were finally wising up.  Unfortunately, they glommed unto an even bigger liar and excuse maker like a bunch of lie addicts who fell off the wagon when introduced to weapons-grade lies.  I think Democrats are starting to wake up to their politicians' lies and excuses but I'm unsure where their allegiance will go as a result.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> It seems like when Republicans have the opportunity they will pass whatever the hell they want with no regard to possible negative fallout.  When Democrats have the opportunity they first micro analyze all the possible groups they could piss off to the point that it becomes inaction.  I'm undecided if that is because they are that dense or are that corrupt, a la Manchin and Sinema.
> 
> I think Republican politicians were telling even bigger lies and excuses and their constituents were finally wising up.  Unfortunately, they glommed unto an even bigger liar and excuse maker like a bunch of lie addicts who fell off the wagon when introduced to weapons-grade lies.  I think Democrats are starting to wake up to their politicians' lies and excuses but I'm unsure where their allegiance will go as a result.



What did Republicans pass (on the federal level) from 2017-2020? All I remember was a tax cut. That’s it. Their platform is “Washington is broken; keep government out of our lives!” It’s easy to pass nothing, and convincing their voters that doing so is a good thing is a triumph of advertising and brainwashing.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> What did Republicans pass (on the federal level) from 2017-2020? All I remember was a tax cut. That’s it. Their platform is “Washington is broken; keep government out of our lives!” It’s easy to pass nothing, and convincing their voters that doing so is a good thing is a triumph of advertising and brainwashing.




I probably should have included brick wall obstruction in my statement about Republicans, but there was also the supreme court appointee they fast-tracked through when they successfully blocked Obama from doing the same with a lot more left to go on his presidency.  And they couldn't give less of a shit about the blatant hypocrisy of it.  I can't say Democrats would do the same in a similar situation.  They'd probably take some "that's not what you do in a civilized society" stance.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I probably should have included brick wall obstruction in my statement about Republicans, but there was also the supreme court appointee they fast-tracked through when they successfully blocked Obama from doing the same with a lot more left to go on his presidency.  And they couldn't give less of a shit about the blatant hypocrisy of it.  I can't say Democrats would do the same in a similar situation.  They'd probably take some "that's not what you do in a civilized society" stance.



Court nominees are not laws. I’m talking about actually doing something. And not all nominees end up being what you think… Justice Roberts is starting to side with the “liberal” judges more and more often as time goes on.

The Republican method is MUCH easier to accomplish, since it involves no new ideas, or taking a risk passing any laws… just sit on your butts for your term, making connections with the wealthy so you can get positions on corporate boards or making speeches or consulting for millions when you get out.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Court nominees are not laws. I’m talking about actually doing something. And not all nominees end up being what you think… Justice Roberts is starting to side with the “liberal” judges more and more often as time goes on.
> 
> The Republican method is MUCH easier to accomplish, since it involves no new ideas, or taking a risk passing any laws… just sit on your butts for your term, making connections with the wealthy so you can get positions on corporate boards or making speeches or consulting for millions when you get out.




Not disagreeing that it’s easier to just block everything, but they are also deferring to the state level…all kinds of voter supression laws and gerrymandering and I haven’t heard peep lately on the Texas abortion ban.  Doesn’t matter who has harder work to do. Republicans are getting what they want done.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Not disagreeing that it’s easier to just block everything, but they are also deferring to the state level…all kinds of voter supression laws and gerrymandering and I haven’t heard peep lately on the Texas abortion ban.  Doesn’t matter who has harder work to do. Republicans are getting what they want done.



Yep, they screwed themselves with the abortion ban. 2/3‘s of people don’t want abortion banned. They should have stayed with their “block everything” strategy, because abortion being illegal is going to energize the left, while at the same time, the ”pro-life” folks don’t have motivation because they already got what they wanted. They never really wanted an abortion ban. What they wanted was a wedge issue to turn out voters. This is going to backfire big-time, I think. It should motivate local and state races too: do you want the GOP to take over your state and ban abortion? If not, you’d better get off your ass and get to the polls.

Without an exception for rape, it is (sadly) only a matter of time before somebody is raped and unable to get an abortion because 6 weeks passed. That is going to hit every news outlet in the world, and make Republicans look like garbage. The bigger question is: if most Republicans are older and addicted to Facebook and Fox, will they even know what happened?


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I'm not saying they are equal and the same, but I am saying if Democrats actually delivered on their promises, or I don't know, stopped catering to Wall St. and new big money,  then they wouldn't have a razor-thin majority in Congress right now.  If they can't get anything done then they are just a party of platitudes with a track record of doing the opposite of that.  Manchin and Sinema don't explain away decades of failures, or maybe I should say wins for the ruling class but little for everybody else.






SuperMatt said:


> Democrats should have more belief in progressive policies. They get into power and they start to believe “if we pass progressive policies, voters will hate us and switch to Republicans!” Then they pass watered-down policies or none at all, and then lose, and assume the tiny bit they moved the needle towards a better society is the reason they lost. In reality, it’s the fact they only passed a milquetoast version of the policy. Republicans will always say everything is too progressive, but when Dems lose, it‘s usually because of tepid turnout… the result of not passing the legislation their voters actually want. If every Democrat was like Sanders or Jayapal, we’d have universal healthcare by now.



This situation exists Imo because we are teetering on a ball with basically halves of the country pulling in opposite directions. The democrats do not have a comfortable majority at all, barely have a majority, and with the hard core corrupt Republican inspired gerrymandering going on that will most likely eliminate that Democratic majority in 2022, which btw is kind of making me lose my mind, (I think we are going to Hell literally), the democrats in Congress don’t have carte blanche to do anything including  2 sinister DINOS fucking up their agenda, so it’s absolutely NO SURPRISE they are having difficulty getting their agenda passed.

There is a feeling that _if_ _we all get ourselves voted out, there will be no progressive agenda period_ which is also mixed in with political survival instincts, but that does not make the sentiment any less true.

How can anyone be mad at the democrats if you see the situation clearly?  If you want to be mad, there are a great number of citizens who are just too stupid, too selfish, not engaged or don’t give a damn to recognize the dire straights Democracy is in within the United States In 2021. That’s on the collective us.

And there is an angry philosophical part of me that says if we are too stupid, then fuck us, we deserve the shit headed our way, what better way to learn a lesson, after the fact, finally recognizing your country has turned into a fascist state. There will be plenty of time for boo hoos and self reflection afterwards. 

And there  is hardcore shit going on such as the law passed in Georgia allowing a board of elections to be replaced by the legislature is the kind of shit that will cause this country to unravel.




__





						Does Georgia's new election law allow Republicans to overturn election results? No.
					





					www.msn.com
				




How do you deal with a political party that has broken bad? The only way out is to elect more democrats or start a revolution.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> This situation exists Imo because we are teetering on a ball with basically halves of the country pulling in opposite directions. The democrats do not have a comfortable majority at all, barely have a majority, and with the hard core corrupt Republican inspired gerrymandering going on that will most likely eliminate that Democratic majority in 2022, which btw is kind of making me lose my mind, (I think we are going to Hell literally), the democrats in Congress don’t have carte blanche to do anything including  2 sinister DINOS fucking up their agenda, so it’s absolutely NO SURPRISE they are having difficulty getting their agenda passed.
> 
> There is a feeling that _if_ _we all get ourselves voted out, there will be no progressive agenda period_ which is also mixed in with political survival instincts, but that does not make the sentiment any less true.
> 
> How can anyone be mad at the democrats if you see the situation clearly?  If you want to be mad, there are a great number of citizens who are just too stupid, too selfish, not engaged or don’t give a damn to recognize the dire straights Democracy is in within the United States In 2021. That’s on the collective us.
> 
> And there is an angry philosophical part of me that says if we are too stupid, then fuck us, we deserve the shit headed our way, what better way to learn a lesson, after the fact, finally recognizing your country has turned into a fascist state. There will be plenty of time for boo hoos and self reflection afterwards.
> 
> And there  is hardcore shit going on such as the law passed in Georgia allowing a board of elections to be replaced by the legislature is the kind of shit that will cause this country to unravel.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Does Georgia's new election law allow Republicans to overturn election results? No.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.msn.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How do you deal with a political party that has broken bad? The only way out is to elect more democrats or start a revolution.




If authoritarian Trumpism takes over I’m curious what solutions they are actually going to offer that actually work. Trump is an idiot but those on the right who have been in politics for a while are well aware that they’ve been offering scapegoats for decades that aren’t the actual cause of the problems. If they somehow eliminated those scapegoats it still wouldn’t solve anything. The greed they’ve funneled to the top for decades has also made things substantially worse. I fail to see how violence and a police state isn’t going to be a serious component of their control. It’s the only thing left in their toolbox when they don’t have solutions based on reality and as defenders of the rich reality is their enemy.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> If authoritarian Trumpism takes over I’m curious what solutions they are actually going to offer that actually work. Trump is an idiot but those on the right who have been in politics for a while are well aware that they’ve been offering scapegoats for decades that aren’t the actual cause of the problems. If they somehow eliminated those scapegoats it still wouldn’t solve anything. The greed they’ve funneled to the top for decades has also made things substantially worse. I fail to see how violence and a police state isn’t going to be a serious component of their control. It’s the only thing left in their toolbox when they don’t have solutions based on reality and as defenders of the rich reality is their enemy.



The entirety of this post is based on a political party, the Republicans who no longer respect the law or the spirit of our Constitution. I’m not predicting this will happen, but it seems to be a distinct possibility in our near future Based soley on how the GOP has morphed into the Party of Trump, and whatever you can get away with is ok by them. 

We either have leadership who honors and follows the law in good faith or they are a bunch of corrupt, back stabbing MoFos, get away with whatever you can with the support of their base, and who’s intent is to hold power at all costs. Then it becomes might makes right, fuck the law, and any obstacle to my holding power. Exaggeration? The signs are there, that this is the game at the State level. 

Worst case…
As long as a majority are in control or comfortable, we will watch our liberties dissolve, real liberties,  not the Right Wing _my liber-tay to walk over you _bull shit, but things like voters rights, equality under the law, and free speech, and people in jail just because they represent a threat to the regime. 

When the fascists sieze control, at some point the seizing might trigger large scale violence, but maybe not. This woukd have to be  where due process goes out the window, and it’s going to take significant numbers of people to start suffering before we ever see a revolution.

Of course what do I know? If Trump comes back because the election was actually stolen, who knows, the military could stage a coup. At this point between a corrupt Trump government (based on a stolen election) and a military coup with the promise of returning to Democracy, what would you choose? It would be a difficult choice.

And Revolution is a tough choice anyway because it could mean a lot of ”Haves” lose everything they’ve got, including their lives.


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> The entirety of this post is based on a political party, the Republicans who no longer respect the law or the spirit of our Constitution. I’m not predicting this will happen, but it seems to be a distinct possibility in our near future Based soley on how the GOP has morphed into the Party of Trump, and whatever you can get away with is ok by them.
> 
> We either have leadership who honors and follows the law in good faith or they are a bunch of corrupt, back stabbing MoFos, get away with whatever you can with the support of their base, and who’s intent is to hold power at all costs. Then it becomes might makes right, fuck the law, and any obstacle to my holding power. Exaggeration? The signs are there, that this is the game at the State level.
> 
> Worst case…
> As long as a majority are in control or comfortable, we will watch our liberties dissolve, real liberties,  not the Right Wing _my liber-tay to walk over you _bull shit, but things like voters rights, equality under the law, and free speech, and people in jail just because they represent a threat to the regime.
> 
> When the fascists sieze control, at some point the seizing might trigger large scale violence, but maybe not. This woukd have to be  where due process goes out the window, and it’s going to take significant numbers of people to start suffering before we ever see a revolution.
> 
> Of course what do I know? If Trump comes back because the election was actually stolen, who knows, the military could stage a coup. At this point between a corrupt Trump government (based on a stolen election) and a military coup with the promise of returning to Democracy, what would you choose? It would be a difficult choice.
> 
> And Revolution is a tough choice anyway because it could mean a lot of ”Haves” lose everything they’ve got, including their lives.



I heard an interview on the radio about why autocrats leading countries with apparent different forms of government and different priorities tend to stick together. Belarus working with Russia working with Syria, etc, etc. Their shared interest is that they need each other to handle the sanctions from the rest of the world.

So, it makes sense that Trump would befriend Putin and Kim Jong-Un. He could ruin the relationships with all our allies and then work with the autocrats to form their own bloc.

It is a disgusting conclusion to arrive at.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> The entirety of this post is based on a political party, the Republicans who no longer respect the law or the spirit of our Constitution. I’m not predicting this will happen, but it seems to be a distinct possibility in our near future Based soley on how the GOP has morphed into the Party of Trump, and whatever you can get away with is ok by them.
> 
> We either have leadership who honors and follows the law in good faith or they are a bunch of corrupt, back stabbing MoFos, get away with whatever you can with the support of their base, and who’s intent is to hold power at all costs. Then it becomes might makes right, fuck the law, and any obstacle to my holding power. Exaggeration? The signs are there, that this is the game at the State level.
> 
> Worst case…
> As long as a majority are in control or comfortable, we will watch our liberties dissolve, real liberties,  not the Right Wing _my liber-tay to walk over you _bull shit, but things like voters rights, equality under the law, and free speech, and people in jail just because they represent a threat to the regime.
> 
> When the fascists sieze control, at some point the seizing might trigger large scale violence, but maybe not. This woukd have to be  where due process goes out the window, and it’s going to take significant numbers of people to start suffering before we ever see a revolution.
> 
> Of course what do I know? If Trump comes back because the election was actually stolen, who knows, the military could stage a coup. At this point between a corrupt Trump government (based on a stolen election) and a military coup with the promise of returning to Democracy, what would you choose? It would be a difficult choice.
> 
> And Revolution is a tough choice anyway because it could mean a lot of ”Haves” lose everything they’ve got, including their lives.




I think part of the problem is both parties are cowering to or not taking the deplorables seriously. Republicans are getting death threats and I think on some level Democrats are “a potential voter is a potential voter”. So most people in authority aren’t taking the Trump threat seriously. What needs to be done is both parties need to tell the Trump supporters to grow the fuck up and this isn’t about them. It’s about him. He’s not above the law. If they can’t handle that than too bad. If they think an attack on Trump is an attack on them then they need to seriously take a step back and get a grip on reality. Period.  He should seriously be convicted of treason with the mess he's created.  In an attempt to supposedly make America great again, all he's done is turn it into a moral shit hole country.


----------



## SuperMatt

Wisconsin is going ahead with full-on autocracy.









						Wisconsin Republicans Push to Take Over the State’s Elections
					

Led by Senator Ron Johnson, G.O.P. officials want to eliminate a bipartisan elections agency — and maybe send its members to jail.




					www.nytimes.com
				






> And last week, Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican, said that G.O.P. state lawmakers should unilaterally assert control of federal elections, claiming that they had the authority to do so even if Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, stood in their way — an extraordinary legal argument debunked by a 1932 Supreme Court decision and a 1964 ruling from the Wisconsin Supreme Court. His suggestion was nonetheless echoed by Michael Gableman, a conservative former State Supreme Court justice who is conducting the Legislature’s election inquiry.
> 
> Republican control of Wisconsin elections is necessary, Mr. Johnson said in an interview on Wednesday, because he believes Democrats cheat.
> 
> “Do I expect Democrats to follow the rules?” said the senator, who over the past year has promoted fringe theories on topics like the Capitol riot and Covid vaccines. “Unfortunately, I probably don’t expect them to follow the rules. And other people don’t either, and that’s the problem.”




Because he thinks Democrats will cheat, he thinks he can just “take over” the entire elections system. Is everybody ready for elections like they have in Belarus, where “80%” of voters picked Lukashenko even though it’s obvious he didn’t even get a majority?

I forgot to mention - the Republicans also want to charge the bipartisan elections commission with felonies. So they are literally advocating for sending the people in charge of free and fair elections to prison.



> Then the Trump-aligned sheriff of Racine County, the state’s fifth most populous county, recommended felony charges against five of the six members of the election commission for guidance they had given to municipal clerks early in the pandemic. The Republican majority leader of the State Senate later seemed to give a green light to that proposal, saying that “prosecutors around the state”should determine whether to bring charges.




This is extremely dangerous, and that it is even being CONSIDERED should chill people to the bone. American can be the next autocracy if we don’t step up.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> Wisconsin is going ahead with full-on autocracy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wisconsin Republicans Push to Take Over the State’s Elections
> 
> 
> Led by Senator Ron Johnson, G.O.P. officials want to eliminate a bipartisan elections agency — and maybe send its members to jail.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Because he thinks Democrats will cheat, he thinks he can just “take over” the entire elections system. Is everybody ready for elections like they have in Belarus, where “80%” of voters picked Lukashenko even though it’s obvious he didn’t even get a majority?



Unless there is serious pushback to this nonsense we are fucked. Ok, I get kudos for stating the obvious. The sad thing is that when I think of Wisconsin, I think liberal State. The cancer is spreading everywhere. Maybe it is just time for US Democracy to die or be reborn? It is in our collective hands.


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> Unless there is serious pushback to this nonsense we are fucked. Ok, I get kudos for stating the obvious. The sad thing is that when I think of Wisconsin, I think liberal State. The cancer is spreading everywhere. Maybe it is just time for US Democracy to die or be reborn? It is in our collective hands.



Wisconsin is an example of extreme gerrymandering. The state is slightly more liberal than conservative, but in 2011 the Republicans created a situation where they can get a supermajority in the legislature despite a minority of votes statewide.









						Unlike 2011, Gerrymandered Maps in Wisconsin Won’t Sneak Up on Voters
					

Republicans won’t have the map-drawing dominance they had in 2011, but national groups are still watching closely.




					upnorthnewswi.com
				




Gerrymandering should be illegal. It is anti-democratic.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> Wisconsin is an example of extreme gerrymandering. The state is slightly more liberal than conservative, but in 2011 they created a situation where they can get a supermajority in the legislature despite a minority of votes statewide.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Unlike 2011, Gerrymandered Maps in Wisconsin Won’t Sneak Up on Voters
> 
> 
> Republicans won’t have the map-drawing dominance they had in 2011, but national groups are still watching closely.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> upnorthnewswi.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gerrymandering should be illegal. It is anti-democratic.



Well this is so obviously undemocratic, you could say we are already screwed if this is now the satus quo. I don’t see a solution other than protests in the street or revolution, however I am not advocating the latter as it could likely equate to the _burn it down and start over _solution. I’m advocating that the majority get off there asses and actually do something physical, march on your State houses.

It’s like this, when you are dealing with a corrupt, rule breaking party, who claim,  _now that we created them, these are the unbreakable rules, _we are now Russia, and talking to Republicans is a waste of time. And convincing the masses this is bad for them, for some reason, seems like that’s an impossibility. Maybe this is our destiny until some large groups actually stand up against corruption.

Ironically it might this kind of blatant stealing of future elections that will trigger the physical stuggle for the soul of America. It is especially heinous that those who are in the process of stealing elections claim that 2020 was stolen. This is the ultimate Kool-aid for selfish dummies.


----------



## Herdfan

SuperMatt said:


> Gerrymandering should be illegal. It is anti-democratic.




While I agree, do you worry that some of the heavily minority districts would go away and cause there to be less minority representation in Congress?


----------



## SuperMatt

Herdfan said:


> While I agree, do you worry that some of the heavily minority districts would go away and cause there to be less minority representation in Congress?




With GOP-led gerrymandering in Wisconsin (for example) the number of black members in their state legislature DECREASED. And they only have 2 latino representatives despite the rapidly growing population in the state.

Wisconsin got a gerrymandering map thrown out because it split a mostly Latino district in two, hoping to remove that latino member from the legislature.

*I don’t know who is spreading the lie that gerrymandering somehow leads to more minority representatives in government. The exact opposite is true.*









						Opinion | Gerrymandering's burdens are borne by communities of color
					

Americans deserve a government that mirrors more than the Mayflower.




					www.nbcnews.com
				






			https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/09/how-a-widespread-practice-to-politically-empower-african-americans-might-actually-harm-them/
		










						Does the Anti-Gerrymandering Campaign Threaten Minority Voting Rights?
					

We tested the theory — which has been put forward by both Democrats and Republicans.




					www.brennancenter.org


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I honestly think a lot of Republican politicians and voters can’t see past the next election. This is 100% a sporting event to them and they don’t care about or can see consequences down the road.

People can pull plenty of failed socialist/communist states out of their ass. Are there any examples of successful authoritarian states where people love their existence and think it’s awesome?

BTW. The mentality that makes people believe in the American dream is the same mentality that makes people believe the horse shit Republicans are selling, opposite sides of the same coin. Ignore evidence, statistics, and facts. Just go with what you want to believe.


----------



## Huntn

Herdfan said:


> While I agree, do you worry that some of the heavily minority districts would go away and cause there to be less minority representation in Congress?




Voting precincts should be established by non-partisan commissions based on logical geographic boundaries, not ensuring your unpopular party wins elections that it should not.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> ensuring your unpopular party wins elections that it should not.




But that’s Republican’s entire platform right now.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> But that’s Republican’s entire platform right now.



The GOP is the equivalent of human beings who has been turned into vampires, except these vampires no longer feels the need to hide in the shadows. The GOP exists as a political force because rural areas whites  have been turned, arguably broken bad along with their masters, and the con artists, and there are  enough of these down home  ___________(fill in the blank), idiots, dummies, racists, evangelists, infiltrators, selfish anti-democracy zealots who care nothing about the Constitution and blatant corruption and dishonesty as long as they perceive their prejudices are catered too.

Sadly in the case of these “winners”, prejudice trumps all. The total focus of turning to the GOP and feeling  favored is based on the worst aspects of humanity, racism, extreme evangelism, a variety of prejudices that have really nothing to do with quality of life, but are directly related to the dark side of mankind. This has gone so far that blatant lies, and destruction or transformation of the Federal Govt into a fascist organization is A-Ok, even if they make me their bitch, I’m good as long as _I get to exert my prejudices on others_.

Otherwise, the Democrats would be the easy choice for average struggling citizens, But see, they (Democrats and liberals) spend too much time catering to “unworthy“ struggling citizens like LGBT, minorities, and immigrants. This is anathema, kryptonite to the racist and/or, corrupted pseudo-Christian  brain.

The GOP exists today only because of the dark side of humanity. Have you listened to how the average Republican politician raves these days, fabricating all manner of offenses to appeal to the dummies back home? Most of their lower class minions, because of their prejudices, willingly back a party who views them as glorified slaves.

In essence:
_As long as I can kick some nigger, fereigner, or fag  in the ass as I see fit or shove my pseudo-Christianity down your throat, I’m good with GOP no matter how big a pack of crooks and liars they are, no matter if our democracy turns into a smoking ruin, I can be me. _


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> The GOP is the equivalent of human beings who has been turned into vampires, except these vampires no longer feels the need to hide in the shadows. The GOP exists as a political force because rural areas whites  have been turned, arguably broken bad along with their masters, and the con artists, and there are  enough of these down home  ___________(fill in the blank), idiots, dummies, racists, evangelists, infiltrators, selfish anti-democracy zealots who care nothing about the Constitution and blatant corruption and dishonesty as long as they perceive their prejudices are catered too.
> 
> Sadly in the case of these “winners”, prejudice trumps all. The total focus of turning to the GOP and feeling  favored is based on the worst aspects of humanity, racism, extreme evangelism, a variety of prejudices that have really nothing to do with quality of life, but are directly related to the dark side of mankind. This has gone so far that blatant lies, and destruction or transformation of the Federal Govt into a fascist organization is A-Ok, even if they make me their bitch, I’m good as long as _I get to exert my prejudices on others_.
> 
> Otherwise, the Democrats would be the easy choice for average struggling citizens, But see, they (Democrats and liberals) spend too much time catering to “unworthy“ struggling citizens like LGBT, minorities, and immigrants. This is anathema, kryptonite to the racist and/or, corrupted pseudo-Christian  brain.
> 
> The GOP exists today only because of the dark side of humanity. Have you listened to how the average Republican politician raves these days, fabricating all manner of offenses to appeal to the dummies back home? Most of their lower class minions, because of their prejudices, willingly back a party who views them as glorified slaves.
> 
> In essence:
> _As long as I can kick some nigger, fereigner, or fag  in the ass as I see fit or shove my pseudo-Christianity down your throat, I’m good with GOP no matter how big a pack of crooks and liars they are, no matter if our democracy turns into a smoking ruin, I can be me. _



Growing up in WNY, most people were “conservative” in the sense of saving money and being pretty religious….. but also strongly in favor of unions, as union members themselves. When a lot of companies decided to move production overseas, the laid-off workers were upset at them initially, but I saw the GOP worked with the big companies to demonize the unions and blame them instead of the greedy business owners. So, over time, a lot of people became easy targets for a charlatan like Trump, promising to bring back the “good old days” of American manufacturing… and making scapegoats as fake reasons for the problems.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> Growing up in WNY, most people were “conservative” in the sense of saving money and being pretty religious….. but also strongly in favor of unions, as union members themselves. When a lot of companies decided to move production overseas, the laid-off workers were upset at them initially, but I saw the GOP worked with the big companies to demonize the unions and blame them instead of the greedy business owners. So, over time, a lot of people became easy targets for a charlatan like Trump, promising to bring back the “good old days” of American manufacturing… and making scapegoats as fake reasons for the problems.



I agree and my point has been and will continue to be prejudice robs human beings of their good sense. This is why charlatans can easily find an angle to influence prejudiced people. And I admit it can be argued we are all prejudice in some manner, to some degree, but it is specifically those dark prejudices that make the Trump minions easy to control In the political arena.

One example, could you ever have imagined people who describe themselves as devote Christians every embracing a scum bag like Trump? It’s freaking mind boggling.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

It’s sad that we seem to only use the term that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it in reference to extreme cases like Hitler.  People in power have been pointing their fingers at the poor and immigrants as the cause of all our problems probably for at least all of recorded history while they consolidate even more wealth and power and yet a good chunk of the population still buys their bullshit. Their limitless greed has brought us to this tipping point when they could have pumped the breaks on their raping and pillaging of the economy a long time ago and they’d still be doing great.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> I agree and my point has been and will continue to be prejudice robs human beings of their good sense. This is why charlatans can easily find an angle to influence prejudiced people. And I admit it can be argued we are all prejudice in some manner, to some degree, but it is specifically those dark prejudices that make the Trump minions easy to control In the political arena.
> 
> One example, could you ever have imagined people who describe themselves as devote Christians every embracing a scum bag like Trump? It’s freaking mind boggling.




I think a key difference between people on the left and people on the right is people on the left want everybody to do better including those we don’t agree with and possibly don’t even like, with some exceptions.  People on the right want to punish or withhold from people who aren’t part of their group believing that is the only way people in their group will benefit and it will reinforce some kind of superiority, earned or birthright.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> It’s sad that we seem to only use the term that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it in reference to extreme cases like Hitler.  People in power have been pointing their fingers at the poor and immigrants as the cause of all our problems probably for at least all of recorded history while they consolidate even more wealth and power and yet a good chunk of the population still buys their bullshit. Their limitless greed has brought us to this tipping point when they could have pumped the breaks on their raping and pillaging of the economy a long time ago and they’d still be doing great.



Agreed. And some of the super-rich offer nothing valuable to the world. If Amazon went out of business tomorrow, everything sold there would still be available. You’d just buy it from another site on the internet, or buy it at a local store. We don’t NEED a new toothbrush delivered by drone in less than 4 hours. But people LOVE convenience. That convenience is destroying the planet, hurting workers around the globe, and a very, very few people are profiting from it, big-time.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Agreed. And some of the super-rich offer nothing valuable to the world. If Amazon went out of business tomorrow, everything sold there would still be available. You’d just buy it from another site on the internet, or buy it at a local store. We don’t NEED a new toothbrush delivered by drone in less than 4 hours. But people LOVE convenience. That convenience is destroying the planet, hurting workers around the globe, and a very, very few people are profiting from it, big-time.




…and Elon Musk frequently makes or loses billions of dollars in a day by literally doing nothing.  Sorry, sometimes that happens because he fires off a Tweet.  So I guess that’s not literally nothing. He crafted a Tweet worth billions.


----------



## JayMysteri0

NOTE:  Absolutely NOTHING about health benefits, because well...


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> NOTE:  Absolutely NOTHING about health benefits, because well...



It should say _Can’t Afford To Retire? Come  join us in steerage, we have plenty of available oars.  _I find it interesting the difference in wages between Texas and Minnesota. I don’t know the lastest update but when our Grandson had worked at Whatabutger, they wanted to start him at $9 an hour, he told them $10, and just before he in the quit they had raised it to $12. In Minnesota they are paying fast food workers $15-17 an hour.


----------



## JayMysteri0

> The real story behind Madison Cawthorn switching Congressional districts
> 
> 
> Congressman Madison Cawthorn made national news last week by announcing he would jump ship and run in a different district next year — and by the luck of the draw,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.themountaineer.com





> Congressman Madison Cawthorn made national news last week by announcing he would jump ship and run in a different district next year — and by the luck of the draw, his first public debut since the political bombshell happened to be right here in Haywood County.
> 
> Cawthorn had been booked as the keynote speaker for the Haywood GOPs Saturday night Fall Fling weeks ago, but his appearance took on new import at the 11th hour. Anticipation was rampant over what Cawthorn would tell the crowd about giving up his home seat in WNC and instead running for Congress in an adjacent district to the east.
> 
> “I understand it is an unconventional move. It’s not something most people would do. I had a very safe re-election in this seat,” Cawthorn said, addressing the issue about half-way through his 10-minute speech. “But I genuinely believe we live in dire times, and it calls for unconventional measures to save this nation.”
> 
> Indeed, Cawthorn has been nothing if not unconventional his first year in Washington as the youngest member of Congress. He’s branded himself as an anti-establishment Republican, unabashedly aligned with the Trump-wing of the party.
> 
> Still, Cawthorn’s move seemed puzzling. Why give up a safe run as an incumbent in your own mountain district to run in a newly created district that reaches to the outskirts of Charlotte?
> 
> But Cawthorn had clearly done the math. Newly drawn lines for North Carolina’s Congressional districts shuffled the deck chairs for Cawthorn’s home territory — renaming it from District 11 to District 14. It still leans Republican, but slightly less so now.
> 
> The new lines for District 14 rope in Watauga County — home to liberal-leaning Boone and Appalachian State University — while jettisoning the conservative strongholds of McDowell, Rutherford and Polk.
> 
> In Cawthorn’s old District 11, 56% of voters went for Trump in 2020. But in the newly drawn District 14, Trump support was 53.8%. Meanwhile, the newly drawn District 13 that Cawthorn is switching to favored Trump by 60%.
> 
> “Both are safe districts, but the 13th is safer,” said Chris Cooper, a political analyst and director of WCU’s Public Policy Institute.
> That alone doesn’t explain Cawthorn’s jump, however.
> 
> “This is where the normal calculus doesn’t apply,” Cooper said. “Madison Cawthorn’s gotten to wherever he’s gotten by challenging norms and drawing attention.”






> Wide open race​Opponents within Cawthorn’s party had lined up to run against him in the GOP primary. So far, three had publicly announced, but with Cawthorn out of the picture, that dynamic is bound to change given the now wide-open race.
> 
> “The field will widen quickly,” Cooper said. “The Democratic field is already huge, and the Republican field is going to expand.”
> In 2020, the district had the third largest candidate field of any Congressional seat in the nation. And with the newly drawn district lines making it more competitive, that’s bound to be the case again.
> 
> The filing period for candidates officially opens Dec. 6, but announcements are likely to come sooner by candidates hoping to get out in front of the competition.
> 
> Geographically, the new District 14 will be a tougher one to conquer than the old District 11, however. With the inclusion of Watauga, it now reaches from Murphy to Boone — a 4.5-hour drive from one end to the other.
> 
> “The district is more idiosyncratic than most because of its sheer size,” Cooper said, also noting that Boone isn’t in Asheville’s orbit as much as the rest of WNC.




So if gerrymandering can't come to your rescue ( enough ), instead of trying to become a better candidate to represent those that you want to vote for you, ...run?  Elsewhere?  Where there's more party affiliation to carry you, over say having to have even the slightest minute degree of substance of an elected official.

Yeah.

That sounds about right for the agenda.

Future of the party everyone.


----------



## Yoused

I encountered 



Spoiler: this right-wing cartoon









 in a sometime-dark place and, after a moment, noticed something hilariously wrong with it. Can anyone tell me what I noticed?


----------



## Pumbaa

Yoused said:


> I encountered
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: this right-wing cartoon
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 9958​
> 
> 
> in a sometime-dark place and, after a moment, noticed something hilariously wrong with it. Can anyone tell me what I noticed?



No idea. It’s a right-wing cartoon so it makes perfect sense, can’t have the left steering, that would be ridiculous.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Tucker Carlson Late To Work After Being Murdered By Hordes Of Violent Minorities Again
					

WASHINGTON—Huffing and puffing as he sprinted in over 30 minutes late to his 8 a.m. morning meeting, Tucker Carlson told coworkers he was late to work Monday because he got held up being murdered by hordes of violent minorities again. “Hello everyone, I know I’m late, I would have been here on...




					www.theonion.com


----------



## JayMysteri0

I know 'privilege' can be a heady thing, especially with various sorts escaping responsibility for their actions, but don't get carried away people...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1462959147876503559/

Why the F' is anyone walking around with the banner of a 2X impeached former president?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> I know 'privilege' can be a heady thing,




I think part of the problem is “privileged” in better times is usually associated with the rich, elite, or royalty. So using that same term on somebody who is several hundred pegs down the ladder from that with common problems can seem a bit much, but I don’t know what a better alternative term would be.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I think part of the problem is “privileged” in better times is usually associated with the rich, elite, or royalty. So using that same term on somebody who is several hundred pegs down the ladder from that with common problems can seem a bit much, but I don’t know what a better alternative term would be.



If you are thinking of "privileged" or "privilege" as a title, then yeah you're right.

With the basic definition though...



> priv-i-lege
> 
> noun: *privilege*; plural noun: *privileges*
> 
> a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.
> "education is a right, not a privilege"




What we saw there pretty much fit the case.  The person was exercising their right to prance around in a banner in a public space, no matter what others thought.  But when filmed they suddenly gained the rights of privacy no one else had, by being filmed in public prancing with said banner.  They also gained the special ability or privilege to strike & possibly destroy another person's property, because... 

They're special?  In a banner prancing about in an airport kind of way?


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1463727931973410825/


----------



## User.168

.


----------



## SuperMatt

theSeb said:


> The Republican agenda going forward can be summed up by this story that I happened to notice today
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lara Trump says rise in turkey prices is part of left-wing plot to destroy Thanksgiving — The Independent
> 
> 
> ‘They don’t want us to have any shared traditions, like Thanksgiving,’ says Fox News guest
> 
> 
> 
> 
> apple.news



Turkey is $.48 a pound here. Last year it was $.49 a pound... so I guess the left-wing plot didn’t succeed in my neck of the woods.


----------



## JayMysteri0

And now, a brief holiday warning message for those embracing the seeming republican agenda 2021...


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1463920328237719565/


----------



## JayMysteri0

The other part of the agenda is to keep things as classy as they've been since some guy announced grabbing women by the 'p', and Evangelicals suddenly didn't care.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1463903881553920004/

What's a little racism amongst co workers amirite?  If THEY can't take a joke, it doesn't mean the person telling the joke is a joke right?


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> The other part of the agenda is to keep things as classy as they've been since some guy announced grabbing women by the 'p', and Evangelicals suddenly didn't care.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1463903881553920004/
> 
> What's a little racism amongst co workers amirite?  If THEY can't take a joke, it doesn't mean the person telling the joke is a joke right?



She's so proud of her bigotry.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> The other part of the agenda is to keep things as classy as they've been since some guy announced grabbing women by the 'p', and Evangelicals suddenly didn't care.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1463903881553920004/
> 
> What's a little racism amongst co workers amirite?  If THEY can't take a joke, it doesn't mean the person telling the joke is a joke right?



She has issued an apology. For that I give her a sliver of respect… and makes me lose even more respect for minority leader McCarthy who could have demanded the same from Paul Gosar instead of backing his disgusting behavior.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1464289590282498050/


----------



## Citysnaps

JayMysteri0 said:


> I know 'privilege' can be a heady thing, especially with various sorts escaping responsibility for their actions, but don't get carried away people...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1462959147876503559/
> 
> Why the F' is anyone walking around with the banner of a 2X impeached former president?




One down, many more nut jobs to go.


----------



## Roller

SuperMatt said:


> She has issued an apology. For that I give her a sliver of respect… and makes me lose even more respect for minority leader McCarthy who could have demanded the same from Paul Gosar instead of backing his disgusting behavior.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1464289590282498050/



Boebert deserves and gets no respect from me. First, she just apologized to the Muslim community, when her statement should have had no such qualification. Second, she knows what she's doing — say something offensive that reflects her true opinion and stirs up her base, and then issue just enough of a retraction to make it seem that she's contrite.


----------



## Thomas Veil

theSeb said:


> The Republican agenda going forward can be summed up by this story that I happened to notice today
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lara Trump says rise in turkey prices is part of left-wing plot to destroy Thanksgiving — The Independent
> 
> 
> ‘They don’t want us to have any shared traditions, like Thanksgiving,’ says Fox News guest
> 
> 
> 
> 
> apple.news



Jesus H. Christ. Really? Everything is a left-wing plot today. 

I'm surprised they haven't caught on to the left-wing plot to destroy cheese crackers.

_(Shhh!)_


----------



## BigMcGuire

Thomas Veil said:


> Jesus H. Christ. Really? Everything is a left-wing plot today.
> 
> I'm surprised they haven't caught on to the left-wing plot to destroy cheese crackers.
> 
> _(Shhh!)_



For the love of everything political - not the cheez-its!


----------



## BigMcGuire

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1463727931973410825/



My wife has to drive to the university every other day (52 miles one way) and we’re really feeling the gas prices - all people can think about these days. Costco lines at 5:30am are longer than I’ve ever seen them. Interesting to see how people are reacting.

One thing for sure, my wife and I are going electric for our next car even if the prices go back down with this reserve dump.

I do know people I talk to blame Biden for the gas prices - claiming that instead of making us an oil producer, he shut all that down - which is why the prices are rising. What little time I’ve spent looking into that, I can’t imagine that would be the cause of gas prices rising so rapidly over the last 4-5 months, in the winter/fall nonetheless. I’d like to think presidents don’t have that much power…


----------



## Herdfan

SuperMatt said:


> Agreed. And some of the super-rich offer nothing valuable to the world. If Amazon went out of business tomorrow, everything sold there would still be available. You’d just buy it from another site on the internet, or buy it at a local store. We don’t NEED a new toothbrush delivered by drone in less than 4 hours. But people LOVE convenience. That convenience is destroying the planet, hurting workers around the globe, and a very, very few people are profiting from it, big-time.




I agree.  But at the same time, the same people who complain because their job went overseas, love their $49 Blu-Ray Player attached to their $249 50" HDTV.  

As for Amazon, yes I use them.  But IF I can find it somewhere else and that somewhere takes Paypal, I will probably buy it from them.  Make me enter all my info over again?, then probably going with Amazon.  Price isn't the only determining factor.

I don't know how things are where you all live, but local stores have very little sitting on the shelves for me to buy.


----------



## Herdfan

BigMcGuire said:


> My wife has to drive to the university every other day (52 miles one way) and we’re really feeling the gas prices - all people can think about these days. Costco lines at 5:30am are longer than I’ve ever seen them. Interesting to see how people are reacting.
> 
> *One thing for sure, my wife and I are going electric for our next car even if the prices go back down with this reserve dump.
> *
> I do know people I talk to blame Biden for the gas prices - claiming that instead of making us an oil producer, he shut all that down - which is why the prices are rising. What little time I’ve spent looking into that, I can’t imagine that would be the cause of gas prices rising so rapidly over the last 4-5 months, in the winter/fall nonetheless. I’d like to think presidents don’t have that much power…




That reserve dump isn't going to move the needle.  He released 50M barrels.  We consume 20M barrels a day.  Less than 3 days worth.


----------



## SuperMatt

BigMcGuire said:


> My wife has to drive to the university every other day (52 miles one way) and we’re really feeling the gas prices - all people can think about these days. Costco lines at 5:30am are longer than I’ve ever seen them. Interesting to see how people are reacting.
> 
> One thing for sure, my wife and I are going electric for our next car even if the prices go back down with this reserve dump.
> 
> I do know people I talk to blame Biden for the gas prices - claiming that instead of making us an oil producer, he shut all that down - which is why the prices are rising. What little time I’ve spent looking into that, I can’t imagine that would be the cause of gas prices rising so rapidly over the last 4-5 months, in the winter/fall nonetheless. I’d like to think presidents don’t have that much power…



If rising gas prices make people go electric, good. It’s like raising the price of cigarettes from .50 a pack to 5.00 a pack made people quit smoking.


----------



## User.45

BigMcGuire said:


> My wife has to drive to the university every other day (52 miles one way) and we’re really feeling the gas prices - all people can think about these days. Costco lines at 5:30am are longer than I’ve ever seen them. Interesting to see how people are reacting.
> 
> One thing for sure, my wife and I are going electric for our next car even if the prices go back down with this reserve dump.
> 
> I do know people I talk to blame Biden for the gas prices - claiming that instead of making us an oil producer, he shut all that down - which is why the prices are rising. What little time I’ve spent looking into that, I can’t imagine that would be the cause of gas prices rising so rapidly over the last 4-5 months, in the winter/fall nonetheless. I’d like to think presidents don’t have that much power…



Exactly. Gas prices are manipulated left and right. America developed a transportation infrastructure that is unjustifiably dependent on gasoline. The issue is debt. the true costs of gasoline use aren’t covered in the gas pricing, so people are essentially complaining about the down payment on their loans they take out at the biosphere’s expense.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> She has issued an apology. For that I give her a sliver of respect… and makes me lose even more respect for minority leader McCarthy who could have demanded the same from Paul Gosar instead of backing his disgusting behavior.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1464289590282498050/



One small little detail, just to make this all that much more disgusting...

None of it is true.



> Ilhan Omar: Boebert is a ‘buffoon’ and ‘bigot’ for ‘made up’ anti-Muslim story
> 
> 
> ‘Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout,’ says Omar after Boebert claims to have joked about terrorism when sharing elevator
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.theguardian.com









Is it possible to invent "unnecessary racism"?


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> One small little detail, just to make this all that much more disgusting...
> 
> None of it is true.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is it possible to invent "unnecessary racism"?



This is the least surprising aspect of the story. It sounded made up (or at least embellished) from the start. The most surprising is Boebert’s apology.


----------



## User.45

SuperMatt said:


> This is the least surprising aspect of the story. It sounded made up (or at least embellished) from the start. The most surprising is Boebert’s apology.



Ladies and gentlemen: trollservativism. 
Step 1: post obnoxious shit
Step 2: get social media clout
Step 3: convert clout to cash
Step 4: use outrage to claim victimhood
Step 5: return to Step 1.


----------



## JayMysteri0

BigMcGuire said:


> My wife has to drive to the university every other day (52 miles one way) and we’re really feeling the gas prices - all people can think about these days. Costco lines at 5:30am are longer than I’ve ever seen them. Interesting to see how people are reacting.
> 
> One thing for sure, my wife and I are going electric for our next car even if the prices go back down with this reserve dump.
> 
> I do know people I talk to blame Biden for the gas prices - claiming that instead of making us an oil producer, he shut all that down - which is why the prices are rising. What little time I’ve spent looking into that, I can’t imagine that would be the cause of gas prices rising so rapidly over the last 4-5 months, in the winter/fall nonetheless. I’d like to think presidents don’t have that much power…



The reason it's a focus is because it's a great topic for popular media.  It doesn't matter who the administration is, the price of gas is a topic that gets hurled at either party.  It's an easy digestible topic that doesn't need content added to it, to explain it.  Did you buy that large SUV or truck when gas was high, yet still thought gas wouldn't return to those prices for some reason?  Yup.  Then you must be easily outraged.  Does it matter it's at high compared to 2014?  Did people really think oil companies weren't getting their money back, when we had negative $ prices on oil & gas earlier?  Do they get mad at companies pulling record profits & NOT increasing production?  It's always been easier to focus at the guy in charge of the country, as if they have control over such things.  If the last guy was still in office he'd be demonizing & threatening some kind of executive action, because businesses suddenly lose their rights to do stuff when that party is mad.

You are right, there's a laundry list of reasons why gas prices are high, but the bulk of the country isn't big on reading.  Just ask many about what's in the infrastructure bill...






Gas prices are an easy layup for the opposing party, and something for everyone to throw at the guy in charge's feet.

Unfortunately for Biden's dropping numbers, this is something he can't ignore, and has to be seen trying anything to alleviate.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> The reason it's a focus is because it's a great topic for popular media.  It doesn't matter who the administration is, the price of gas is a topic that gets hurled at either party.  It's an easy digestible topic that doesn't need content added to it, to explain it.  Did you buy that large SUV or truck when gas was high, yet still thought gas wouldn't return to those prices for some reason?  Yup.  Then you must be easily outraged.  Does it matter it's at high compared to 2014?  Did people really think oil companies weren't getting their money back, when we had negative $ prices on oil & gas earlier?  Do they get mad at companies pulling record profits & NOT increasing production?  It's always been easier to focus at the guy in charge of the country, as if they have control over such things.  If the last guy was still in office he'd be demonizing & threatening some kind of executive action, because businesses suddenly lose their rights to do stuff when that party is mad.
> 
> You are right, there's a laundry list of reasons why gas prices are high, but the bulk of the country isn't big on reading.  Just ask many about what's in the infrastructure bill...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gas prices are an easy layup for the opposing party, and something for everyone to throw at the guy in charge's feet.
> 
> Unfortunately for Biden's dropping numbers, this is something he can't ignore, and has to be seen trying anything to alleviate.



More tax credits for electric vehicles is in the build back better plan, but Manchin opposes that. Maybe if they put a tax break in for coal-powered cars, Manchin will compromise? Then just leave Manchin with the problem of getting such vehicles made…

Once we get enough EVs on the roads, gas prices will cease to be such a driver of votes.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> More tax credits for electric vehicles is in the build back better plan, but Manchin opposes that. Maybe if they put a tax break in for coal-powered cars, Manchin will compromise? Then just leave Manchin with the problem of getting such vehicles made…
> 
> Once we get enough EVs on the roads, gas prices will cease to be such a driver of votes.



Progressives have really seen this gas price spike as a call to arms.  With more & more experts pointing out that if the country wants to free itself from bad actors like Russia & Saudi Arabia, EVs are the way to go.  Unfortunately as we all know it's more talk than substance.  As many want to stay on the path of least resistance, and others want to stay on the path that's always made them money in the PAST.  We can only hope that the infrastructure for more charging areas makes owning & operating an EV less difficult.  For individuals like myself how live in townhomes, having a garage to charge your car is not an option.  Which means you have to find a place that has open ( in my case high end malls or a Publix ) to charge your car.  Not exactly the most convenient solution compared to the seeming gas stations at every corner in the city.

The less said about Manchin the better.  At this point, the likes of him & Sinema should only be used to promote electing more democrats, so they can be cast back to irrelevancy & turfed out.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Progressives have really seen this gas price spike as a call to arms.  With more & more experts pointing out that if the country wants to free itself from bad actors like Russia & Saudi Arabia, EVs are the way to go.  Unfortunately as we all know it's more talk than substance.  As many want to stay on the path of least resistance, and others want to stay on the path that's always made them money in the PAST.  We can only hope that the infrastructure for more charging areas makes owning & operating an EV less difficult.  For individuals like myself how live in townhomes, having a garage to charge your car is not an option.  Which means you have to find a place that has open ( in my case high end malls or a Publix ) to charge your car.  Not exactly the most convenient solution compared to the seeming gas stations at every corner in the city.
> 
> The less said about Manchin the better.  At this point, the likes of him & Sinema should only be used to promote electing more democrats, so they can be cast back to irrelevancy & turfed out.



Yes we need to take the EV infrastructure seriously. Neighborhoods without garages need chargers for street parking spots. Workplaces need chargers for employees.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Wait.  This dog whistling troll has been peddling this same story for a few months to anyone that will listen?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1465739389448093696/

FFS


----------



## Thomas Veil

Boebert is truly a sick, hateful woman.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Wait.  This dog whistling troll has been peddling this same story for a few months to anyone that will listen?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1465739389448093696/
> 
> FFS



She doesn’t have a lot of material; she has to recycle her …


----------



## SuperMatt

Thomas Veil said:


> Boebert is truly a sick, hateful woman.



She is playing to the bigots in the party. Those who called Obama a Muslim sympathizer and think “the jihad squad” is a funny name. John McCain had enough humanity to shut down people like that when he ran for president. But the bigotry sells. McCain lost, and Trump, who embraced it, won. Is it surprising that other grifters like Boebert and MTG are following in his footsteps?

This road is dangerous; it leads to violence against people based on their religion, ethnicity, even their names or what they wear.

This anti-Muslim bigotry is a problem in France as well.









						France election: Who is Eric Zemmour and why is he so controversial?
					

With five months to go before France's next presidential election, a new personality has burst onto the scene: Eric Zemmour. #UncoveringEurope




					www.euronews.com


----------



## Herdfan

SuperMatt said:


> If rising gas prices make people go electric, good. It’s like raising the price of cigarettes from .50 a pack to 5.00 a pack made people quit smoking.




Then why do I always end up behind the guy who is ticked they don't have his brand in a box and he makes the clerk scramble looking for something he might chose.  He ranks only behind lottery guy in C-store annoyances. 

It is refreshing to not smell smoke everywhere you go.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1466566152470028300/

Mr. Cotton is still looking for what's left of his ass that was just handed to him.  Call your mom, Tom.  You just got spanked by another woman.


----------



## JayMysteri0

The 'r' agenda for the crazy part, will involve the local press apologizing for them, because they've embarrassed their constituents.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1466456324435238912/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> The 'r' agenda for the crazy part, will involve the local press apologizing for them, because they've embarrassed their constituents.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1466456324435238912/



If anybody needs a sliver of respect, I’ve now withdrawn the one I temporarily extended to Ms. Boebert…


----------



## SuperMatt

The anti-vaccine, anti-mask agenda may lead to poor health outcomes for Republican devotées in the future.

73% of people who identify as Republicans trusted their doctors in 2010. Ten years later, that went down to 60%.









						Republicans Less Trusting of Doctor's Advice Than in the Past
					

Fewer Republicans today than in 2010 say they are confident in the accuracy of their doctor's advice. Democrats' trust has steadily grown since 2002.




					news.gallup.com
				




Some more indicators of Republicans' (lack of) trust in scientists and doctors:









						Trust in Medical Scientists Has Grown in U.S., but Mainly Among Democrats
					

About six-in-ten Americans believe social distancing measures are helping a lot to slow the spread of coronavirus in the nation.




					www.pewresearch.org


----------



## SuperMatt

The Republican agenda is a return to Jim Crow, according to this twitter thread:

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468239713928724494/

Is this twitter thread too alarmist? Or just rightly pointing out lessons from history that apply today?


----------



## GermanSuplex

Republicans have hate and white grievance as an issue, and not much else. They’re literally trying to go back 50 years by invading the womb and trying to cut back the voting power of not just minorities, but anyone who disagrees with them and their dumb cult leader.

Meanwhile, you have stereotypes of sleazy criminals like Roger Stone and Steve Bannon running around, breaking the law and scheming, going totally free as pseudo-celebs within the party. And nobody of note in the GOP says anything.

And they’re winning.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Tis the season for Christmas whining to begin, so...


----------



## JayMysteri0

Lastly, remember this fuckery

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468561450092404739/


----------



## GermanSuplex

JayMysteri0 said:


> Lastly, remember this fuckery
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468561450092404739/




The sad part is, this redneck thinks he is  just so, _so_ smart by his line of questioning. Just xenophobic and racist, and he’s pretty comfortable because he’s a senator from a deep red state. Some people have to slave for minimum wage and these old racist bastards collect a taxpayer funded lavish lifestyle just by walking around being assholes.


----------



## ronntaylor

JayMysteri0 said:


> Lastly, remember this fuckery
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468561450092404739/



Hasan is stretching the truth. Her nomination was dead because _some _"moderate" dems (lead by Virginia's Warner & Montana's Tester) didn't like her. Progressives wanted someone else entirely. And the Dem Chair of the Banking Committee, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, was a vocal supporter that specifically called out the personal attacks. In a 50-50 Senate that has unanimous GOP opposition, you can't have a single Dem not on board for a nominee.


----------



## JayMysteri0

This f- wit!

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468772702940979203/



> Cawthorn ‘likely’ violated rules by bringing candidate on House floor
> 
> 
> First-year Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) brought a GOP congressional candidate onto the House floor Tuesday night, likely in violation of House rules, Republican and Democratic sources said.Cawtho…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thehill.com




https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468778074615554054/

Meanwhile, this is happening elsewhere

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468965335944466448/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> This f- wit!
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468772702940979203/
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468778074615554054/
> 
> Meanwhile, this is happening elsewhere
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468965335944466448/



In the Capitol security “situation room..."


----------



## lizkat

As far as Republican agendas and Cawthorn are concerned, who knows what that guy was up to, he's already said from the beginning that he regards his House seat as a platform for communications, so apparently not so much a representation of his constituents' interests.

Leaving that individual Georgian's take on things aside,  the really shocking news today about Republican Agenda is that the state of Georgia has reached down into county level election administration and found ways to purge blacks from administrative slots as well as to alter voting rules in ways that tend to discriminate against people of color, e.g. voting on Sunday has been discontinued as an option in certain precincts.

*Behold now the spooling out of the reprehensible legacy of the Roberts Court.* The gutting by SCOTUS of certain provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is what has made this sort of tinkering possible. The federal oversight of changes in voting rules in certain states, of which Georgia is one, would never have permitted these changes.









						Georgia Republicans purge Black Democrats from county election boards
					

Protesters filled the meeting room of the Spalding County Board of Elections in October, upset that the board had disallowed early voting on Sundays for the Nov. 2 municipal election. A year ago, Sunday voting had been instrumental in boosting turnout of Black voters.




					www.reuters.com
				






> Now a faction of three white Republicans controlled the board – thanks to a bill passed by the Republican-led Georgia legislature earlier this year. The Spalding board’s new chairman has endorsed former president Donald Trump’s false stolen-election claims on social media.
> 
> The panel in Spalding, a rural patch south of Atlanta, is one of six county boards that Republicans have quietly reorganized in recent months through similar county-specific state legislation. The changes expanded the party’s power over choosing members of local election boards ahead of the crucial midterm Congressional elections in November 2022.







> The unusual rash of restructurings follows the state's passage of Senate Bill 202, which restricted ballot access statewide and allowed the Republican-controlled State Election Board to assume control of county boards it deems underperforming. The board immediately launched a performance review of the Democratic-leaning Fulton County board, which oversees part of Atlanta.
> 
> The Georgia restructurings are part of a national Republican effort to expand control over election administration in the wake of Trump’s false voter-fraud claims. Republican-led states such as Florida, Texas and Arizona have enacted new curbs on voter access this year. Backers of Trump’s false stolen-election claims are running campaigns for secretary of state - the top election official - in battleground states.  read more  And some Republicans in Wisconsin are seeking to eliminate the state’s bipartisan election commission and threatening its members with prosecution.


----------



## SuperMatt

lizkat said:


> As far as Republican agendas and Cawthorn are concerned, who knows what that guy was up to, he's already said from the beginning that he regards his House seat as a platform for communications, so apparently not so much a representation of his constituents' interests.
> 
> Leaving that individual Georgian's take on things aside,  the really shocking news today about Republican Agenda is that the state of Georgia has reached down into county level election administration and found ways to purge blacks from administrative slots as well as to alter voting rules in ways that tend to discriminate against people of color, e.g. voting on Sunday has been discontinued as an option in certain precincts.
> 
> *Behold now the spooling out of the reprehensible legacy of the Roberts Court.* The gutting by SCOTUS of certain provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is what has made this sort of tinkering possible. The federal oversight of changes in voting rules in certain states, of which Georgia is one, would never have permitted these changes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Georgia Republicans purge Black Democrats from county election boards
> 
> 
> Protesters filled the meeting room of the Spalding County Board of Elections in October, upset that the board had disallowed early voting on Sundays for the Nov. 2 municipal election. A year ago, Sunday voting had been instrumental in boosting turnout of Black voters.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.reuters.com



Get ready for 100% election victories, coming soon to a state near you!









						The world of 100% election victories
					

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was elected to the rubber-stamp parliament with 100% votes on Monday. He's not the only leader to win an election with ease.



					www.bbc.com
				




If they control all voting boards, they can just rubber-stamp whoever they want to win.

John Roberts’ 2013 speech about how America had changed was one of the dumbest ones ever made by a Supreme Court justice.



> It was in the South that slavery was upheld by law until uprooted by the Civil War, that the reign of Jim Crow denied African-Americans the most basic freedoms, and that state and local governments worked tirelessly to disenfranchise citizens on the basis of race. The Court invoked that history—rightly so—in sustaining the disparate coverage of the Voting Rights Act in 1966. See Katzenbach, supra, at 308 (“The constitutional propriety of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 must be judged with reference to the historical experience which it reflects.”).
> 
> But history did not end in 1965. By the time the Act was reauthorized in 2006, there had been 40 more years of it. In assessing the “current need[]” for a preclearance system that treats States differently from one another today, that history cannot be ignored. During that time, largely because of the Voting Rights Act, voting tests were abolished, disparities in voter registration and turnout due to race were erased, and African-Americans attained political office in record numbers. And yet the coverage formula that Congress reauthorized in 2006 ignores these developments, keeping the focus on decades-old data relevant to decades-old problems, rather than current data reflecting current needs.



Was he stupid enough to believe what he said? Or does he want to remove voting rights from black people? I don’t think Roberts is stupid, so logic tells me it is the latter.


----------



## lizkat

SuperMatt said:


> Get ready for 100% election victories, coming soon to a state near you!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The world of 100% election victories
> 
> 
> North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was elected to the rubber-stamp parliament with 100% votes on Monday. He's not the only leader to win an election with ease.
> 
> 
> 
> www.bbc.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If they control all voting boards, they can just rubber-stamp whoever they want to win.




That's right....  as forecast by Ronna McDaniel at the GOP's winter meeting when she said they wouldn't "tolerate" an election like the one just experienced in November of 2020.   Silly us if we thought that was a bunch of blather.



SuperMatt said:


> John Roberts’ 2013 speech about how America had changed was one of the dumbest ones ever made by a Supreme Court justice.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was in the South that slavery was upheld by law until uprooted by the Civil War, that the reign of Jim Crow denied African-Americans the most basic freedoms, and that state and local governments worked tirelessly to disenfranchise citizens on the basis of race. The Court invoked that history—rightly so—in sustaining the disparate coverage of the Voting Rights Act in 1966. See Katzenbach, supra, at 308 (“The constitutional propriety of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 must be judged with reference to the historical experience which it reflects.”).
> 
> But history did not end in 1965. By the time the Act was reauthorized in 2006, there had been 40 more years of it. In assessing the “current need[]” for a preclearance system that treats States differently from one another today, that history cannot be ignored. During that time, largely because of the Voting Rights Act, voting tests were abolished, disparities in voter registration and turnout due to race were erased, and African-Americans attained political office in record numbers. And yet the coverage formula that Congress reauthorized in 2006 ignores these developments, keeping the focus on decades-old data relevant to decades-old problems, rather than current data reflecting current needs.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Was he stupid enough to believe what he said? Or does he want to remove voting rights from black people? I don’t think Roberts is stupid, so logic tells me it is the latter.
Click to expand...



What possibly mattered more at the time of John Roberts' speech was that certain Republicans who heard it were like "holy sh^t he's right, we need to do something before it's too late".   

So that's what they've been doing and especially since the VRA restrictions on certain states' voting rule changes were lifted.

The question now, and leaving aside for a moment a best guess about Roberts' personal views,  is whether he, while wearing his Chief Justice hat,  will like his court to take the next opportunity that the Democrats offer--  by way of some lawsuit that lands at his doorstep--  to revisit his premature conclusion and reconsider things in light of the blatant examples Georgia has provided:  that there remains a reason for the feds to oversee voting rules changes in the states enumerated in that provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

 Hell if I were Roberts I'd have bought a burner phone, called up Schumer and McConnell and said "you guys need to fix this."

I do personally fault Roberts for being politically naive enough --or else for just winkin'n'blinkin'--  at the entirely predictable consequence of opening a door for white supremacists in all those VRA-enumerated states (and in others, particularly in the Trump era),  to start whacking away again at the voting rights of people who don't look and think just like they do.   I'd have thought he'd think more deeply about possible consequences to his court's legacy, if not for the rulings' probable impact on the potential electorate.

Allowing that 1965 act to be gutted in that particular way does tell us something very concrete about how reactionary the USA's "conservative" wing has become, even since Roberts was appointed by Bush 43 (who seems more moderate in retrospect with each passing year, although he was definitely a conservative politician).  I'm not at all sure Bush would think taking those provisions out of the VRA was warranted.

On the other hand we shouldn't have been shocked to see Roberts accede to diminution of federal oversight of rules involving elections, oversight of which generally resides with the states.   Before his confirmation to the bench he never made a secret of his skepticism of the need for federal laws about matters that he felt states could constitutionally resolve.   Still it was always clear the certain provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 came about because of a constitutional deprivation of specific American rights in specific states, and Roberts knows that too.   I'm not keeping a case-by-case scorecard on the guy but the gutting of the VRA will always stand out to me as a disappointment and at least somewhat surprising.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Also, this is the side that is rabidly obsessed about others needing the Lord & others being pedophiles...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1469001751986589701/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Also, this is the side that is rabidly obsessed about others needing the Lord & others being pedophiles...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1469001751986589701/




Connecting the similar dots you have to conclude that the people yelling the loudest about the stolen election are mad because their pre-voting rigging efforts to steal the election were unsuccessful. If we audited all the votes in the country I wouldn’t be shocked to find out Biden won by a landslide. I guess at least now they are fine tuning that rigging in plain sight….while the Democrat Congress sits on their hands and yells “but bipartisanship!”

It’s like both parties are taking turns making the country conclude they are toast but then somehow rise from the ashes as something worse.

Nobody should be surprised if the party of bullies takes over everything.  The nice guy winning only happens in movies.


----------



## GermanSuplex

JayMysteri0 said:


> This f- wit!
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468772702940979203/
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468778074615554054/
> 
> Meanwhile, this is happening elsewhere
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468965335944466448/



 Rules without consequences are about as useless as a crocheted condom. Unless this guy faces any consequences, then what’s the point? These people break rules all the time, and then cry “witch hunt” or “political games” when anyone tries to hold them accountable.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> Rules without consequences are about as useless as a crocheted condom. Unless this guy faces any consequences, then what’s the point? These people break rules all the time, and then cry “witch hunt” or “political games” when anyone tries to hold them accountable.




Also even just verbally disapproving of behavior is shortly followed by a barrage of death threats.  I guess we're just going to let that slide too.    No consequences for anybody on the right.


----------



## ronntaylor

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> while the Democrat Congress sits on their hands and yells “but bipartisanship!”



That is fiction. A few _possible_ Dem members are dwarfed by the vast majority of Dems in Congress.


----------



## lizkat

GermanSuplex said:


> Rules without consequences are about as useless as a crocheted condom. Unless this guy faces any consequences, then what’s the point? These people break rules all the time, and then cry “witch hunt” or “political games” when anyone tries to hold them accountable.




There were at least 10 GOP congressmen who received death threats after voting to impeach Trump.  Imagine then how some ordinary Republican elections administrator feels coming out of a county office building after enforcing  --to someone's social-media-voiced and specific dissatisfaction-- a local rule about issuance of absentee ballots or who can watch the counting from inside the offices or whatever.  

It's one thing to be rude and very much another to* threaten* people just doing their jobs. People need to get a grip. But they're not doing that, they're doubling down, so law enforcement needs to charge people who think they can do stuff like make death threats or commit actual violence over a political disappointment. They can't decry demonstrations that end up violent and at the same time excuse their own individual violence against someone whose legitimate political behavior annoys them.



GermanSuplex said:


> Rules without consequences are about as useless as a crocheted condom. Unless this guy faces any consequences, then what’s the point? These people break rules all the time, and then cry “witch hunt” or “political games” when anyone tries to hold them accountable.




As for this scofflaw Cawthorn and his like-minded buddies...  more is expected from public servants.    So their choice to ignore security regulations in the Capitol sets a terrible example that needs a swift response from the House administrators of such matters.  I don't think there's political discretion involved here, but I could be wrong.   Maybe there are just monetary consequences, as there are fines for ignoring metal detectors,  and so these showoffs get repaid by deep pocketed supporters any dough they lose when they have to shell out for violations. 

Anyway they are starting to remind me of two-year-olds who think "No means No" only when they say it.


----------



## lizkat

ronntaylor said:


> That is fiction. A few _possible_ Dem members are dwarfed by the vast majority of Dems in Congress.




Maybe, but Dems still somehow seem intimidated by the prospect of ending up with no loaf at all,  so they give half away in crumbs sometimes by withdrawing amendments (or allowing GOP ones onto the floor to begin with).  Then we call whatever is left a good bipartisan effort.  With luck and skill, something like the ACA totters off the field almost able to stand up to another bashing in the Senate.

We whine about GOP hardball and then when it's our game, we come out armed with badminton gear...  and then the Rs whine that the grass is too tall, and finallly we bring out our own weed whacker and cut whatever they're pointing at.  WTF?!

That BS yesterday about taking some teeth out of the military justice reform section, where did that come from?  Right around the time someone also said oh and by the way the Senate will never pass that OR that stipulation about women registering with Selective Service.   Boom, both of those took a hike right before the vote.

Heck, we haven't drafted anyone,  *anyone* since the 70s anyway and women are already serving in combat in the military.  We just split from what's supposedly our last big ground war scenario and are shifting to cyberdefense if you want to believe the posters for 2022 defense budgets although 768B sounds like could shuffle a whole lotta bits and bytes.

But anyway  now the Rs are suddenly in a huff about drafting women?  Into what, an office with some 65" monitors and nice desktops?  Nah, the GOP Senators were in a huff at the idea some good ol' boys might be held accountable as men _*by civilians*_ for flagrant abuse of women in the military.

Did someone forget that the American military _*reports*_ to civilian command? Did the f'g DEMS forget that? Gee.

It's still true that if you're an airframe mechanic and a woman in the military, your best friend may be the biggest wrench you can pick up with one hand and swing at the colleague who's thinking "consent" is when you miss.  And their mentors better keep passing that info along,  because the Dems of the House stood there and threw some other possible outcomes into the trash bin out of simple fear of a handful of far right wingers like Lee, Hawley, Inhofe,  out of 50 Republican Senators.

 It's stuff llike that that makes progressives (House members or voters) crazy.  It doesn't feel like _oh too bad, one of our bipartisanship efforts failed this time_, those last minute cave-ins. Those are more readily owned and by members across the aisle, publicly. Lyme disease research, clean water measures... eventually after a few false starts, those get passed. This other stuff that happens at the last minute is supposedly sponsored in bipartisan fashion but always gets yanked out of House legislation by word from particular GOP Senators. And the stuff that gets left on the cutting room floor is usually something to do with empowering people who aren't straight white males with enough dough to get from here to payday without going into debt. It just gets old and to me it still feels like the Dems allow it to happen. They allow it.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

ronntaylor said:


> That is fiction. A few _possible_ Dem members are dwarfed by the vast majority of Dems in Congress.




Not getting things done is not getting things done.  Same end result and that will probably show in the polls.  If it comes down to just 2 representatives then we should probably hit the rewind button and determine why it's even that thin of a voting margin to begin with.  If you're such a great party (which means proven track record) then you should probably have a lot more members in Congress.  This shit didn't start with Trump.  Or even Obama.  Maybe the brick wall obstruction by the Republicans did, but shifting all legislation to favor the rich and corporations didn't, and both parties are complicit.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

@Hrafn You have a history of thumbs downing my less than stellar views on the Democrat party.  Do you think I'm a Republican?  My distain for the Democrat establishment is that they've managed to advertise traditional Democrat values as extreme socialists and they have a policy and voting record to prove their true values.  What's your angle?


----------



## Hrafn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> @Hrafn You have a history of thumbs downing my less than stellar views on the Democrat party.  Do you think I'm a Republican?  My distain for the Democrat establishment is that they've managed to advertise traditional Democrat values as extreme socialists and they have a policy and voting record to prove their true values.  What's your angle?



Yeah.  You have a tendency of taking 1+1+1 and getting 47.


----------



## ronntaylor

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Not getting things done is not getting things done.



48 or 49 out of 50 Dems are moving on key legislation. That's 96% or 98% support. That's not "the Democrat Congress [sitting] on their hands and yell[ing] 'but bipartisanship!'” by a long shot. What should they do? Kill Sinema and/or Manchin? Dems criticize the GOP for forcing their members to vote lockstep. Should they turn around and demand their caucus to vote lockstep?

Their are pockets of progressive Dem voters. There are pockets of conservative Dem voters. There are pockets of moderate Dem voters. The Dem party is not a monolith by any stretch of the imagination. So-called progressives can scream, cry and whine all they want. They have to win seats and become the majority of the party or they'll have to work with what they have within the party.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Hrafn said:


> Yeah.  You have a tendency of taking 1+1+1 and getting 47.





ronntaylor said:


> 48 or 49 out of 50 Dems are moving on key legislation. That's 96% or 98% support. That's not "the Democrat Congress [sitting] on their hands and yell[ing] 'but bipartisanship!'” by a long shot. What should they do? Kill Sinema and/or Manchin? Dems criticize the GOP for forcing their members to vote lockstep. Should they turn around and demand their caucus to vote lockstep?
> 
> Their are pockets of progressive Dem voters. There are pockets of conservative Dem voters. There are pockets of moderate Dem voters. The Dem party is not a monolith by any stretch of the imagination. So-called progressives can scream, cry and whine all they want. They have to win seats and become the majority of the party or they'll have to work with what they have within the party.




Did either of you read the rest of my post or did you just read the first sentence like a clickbait at headline and go "that’s all I need to know"?


----------



## Hrafn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Did either of you read the rest of my post or did you just read the first sentence like a clickbait at headline and go "that’s all I need to know"?



No, I read it all and between your post history and posts in this thread, 1+1+1 still not 47.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Hrafn said:


> No, I read it all and between your post history and posts in this thread, 1+1+1 still not 47.




Care to be more specific?  I have no idea what you're taking issue with.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

ronntaylor said:


> 48 or 49 out of 50 Dems are moving on key legislation. That's 96% or 98% support. That's not "the Democrat Congress [sitting] on their hands and yell[ing] 'but bipartisanship!'” by a long shot. What should they do? Kill Sinema and/or Manchin? Dems criticize the GOP for forcing their members to vote lockstep. Should they turn around and demand their caucus to vote lockstep?
> 
> Their are pockets of progressive Dem voters. There are pockets of conservative Dem voters. There are pockets of moderate Dem voters. The Dem party is not a monolith by any stretch of the imagination. So-called progressives can scream, cry and whine all they want. They have to win seats and become the majority of the party or they'll have to work with what they have within the party.




We've been building towards a Trump for DECADES.  If Democrats didn't decide during the Clinton administration that they too should court big money then there wouldn't even be a Manchin or Sinema in office as Democrats. I'd say Democrats are the definition of too little too late except for the fact that they're not done reducing too little even further.


----------



## Hrafn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Care to be more specific?  I have no idea what you're taking issue with.



No. And, since you don't understand history:  <plonk>. https://www.yourdictionary.com/plonk


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Hrafn said:


> No. And, since you don't understand history:  <plonk>. https://www.yourdictionary.com/plonk




I know history didn't start 5 years ago.  That's fine.  I'll just take your dislikes as you don't care to talk about.


----------



## SuperMatt

Getting back on topic... what is the Republican agenda heading into the 2022 elections?

Is it taking over the Capitol with 4,000 “shock troops” perhaps?









						Watch: Matt Gaetz and Steve Bannon plan a GOP takeover with "4,000 shock troops" | Boing Boing
					

Matt Gaetz in on a roll this week. After his Tuesday threat to “take power” after the 2022 election, he flexed his anti-democratic bravado again yesterday, on Steve Bannon’s War R…




					boingboing.net
				




Funny how people get upset at the “extreme” members of the Democratic caucus who want things like universal healthcare. All the while, the extreme members of the GOP caucus are calling for armed revolution... and are becoming more mainstream every day.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Getting back on topic... what is the Republican agenda heading into the 2022 elections?
> 
> Is it taking over the Capitol with 4,000 “shock troops” perhaps?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Watch: Matt Gaetz and Steve Bannon plan a GOP takeover with "4,000 shock troops" | Boing Boing
> 
> 
> Matt Gaetz in on a roll this week. After his Tuesday threat to “take power” after the 2022 election, he flexed his anti-democratic bravado again yesterday, on Steve Bannon’s War R…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> boingboing.net
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Funny how people get upset at the “extreme” members of the Democratic caucus who want things like universal healthcare. All the while, the extreme members of the GOP caucus are calling for armed revolution... and are becoming more mainstream every day.




It’s funny when Republicans accuse Democrats of a power grab on individual issues when power grab seems to be Republican’s entire platform, but that’s also on brand with their “he who smelt it, dealt it” hypocrisy.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> It’s funny when Republicans accuse Democrats of a power grab on individual issues when power grab seems to be Republican’s entire platform, but that’s also on brand with their “he who smelt it, dealt it” hypocrisy.



This is what Trump constantly does, he especially likes pointing out the corruption everywhere except when looking in a mirror, and they the Republican leeches WANNA BE LIKE MR CON, spew their shit as if STUPID does not notice, or maybe it’s because the base itself buys into this charade, thinking they are so clever, nobody noticed.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Did either of you read the rest of my post or did you just read the first sentence like a clickbait at headline and go "that’s all I need to know"?



One of the problems the Dems face is they don’t have a comfortable margin by any means and 2 prominent non-team players, so getting bills passed is not a walk in the park, and they need to get something passed or look out for 2022. At least this is my impression.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> This is what Trump constantly does, he especially likes pointing out the corruption everywhere except when looking in a mirror, and they the Republican leeches WANNA BE LIKE MR CON, spew their shit as if STUPID does not notice, or maybe it’s because the base itself buys into this charade.




Like I said before, many people voted Trump in because they were tired of lying politicians but then they quickly got back to their lies addiction with an even bigger liar.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> One of the problems the Dems face is they don’t have a comfortable margin by any means and 2 prominent non-team players, so getting bills passed is not a walk in the park, and they need to get something passed or look out for 2022. At least this is my impression.




I understand the current predicament but this has been decades in the making as both parties turned all their attention to big money donors.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Like I said before, many people voted Trump in because they were tired of lying politicians but then they quickly got back to their lies addiction lies with an even bigger liar.



I just don’t get the appeal of Donny, maybe all his fans love Breaking Bad, maybe Trump is the guy who would tear down the Federal Govt, if there is appeal to that. There is definitely a rejection of authority, and the appeal of being as bad as you want to be involved with supporting such a POS. I just don’t see how they think their lives will be better once we devolve into some kind of fascist anarchy.  The absolute worst are the Evangelists, how easily corrupted.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> I just don’t get the appeal of Donny, maybe all his fans love Breaking Bad, maybe Trump is the guy who would tear down the Federal Govt, if there is appeal to that. There is definitely a rejection of authority, and the appeal of being as bad as you want to be involved with supporting such a POS. I just don’t see how they think their lives will be better once we devolve into some kind of fascist anarchy.  The absolute worst are the Evangelists, how easily corrupted.




I think Trump supporters' main motivation is retribution and they don't see much beyond that.  First let's punish people we don't agree with and then see what happens after that.


----------



## JayMysteri0

To sum it up, the 'r' agenda is to rerun the last four years of the 45th presidency, corruption & all

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1469058881590599686/



> Despite Trump Abuses, 208 House Republicans Vote Against Bill to Ensure 'No President Is Above the Law'
> 
> 
> "It's time for lawmakers of both parties in the Senate to take up the mantle and swiftly pass the Protecting Our Democracy Act," says Stand Up America's Sean Eldridge. "The integrity of our country's most powerful office is at stake."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.commondreams.org


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> To sum it up, the 'r' agenda is to rerun the last four years of the 45th presidency, corruption & all
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1469058881590599686/



This is authoritarianism. People assume THEIR guy will get into office, and when he does, they want him to be able to do whatever he wants. The destruction of voting rights in swing states is meant to assure that THEIR guy will win elections, regardless of how many votes he gets.


----------



## lizkat

SuperMatt said:


> Getting back on topic... what is the Republican agenda heading into the 2022 elections?
> 
> Is it taking over the Capitol with 4,000 “shock troops” perhaps?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Watch: Matt Gaetz and Steve Bannon plan a GOP takeover with "4,000 shock troops" | Boing Boing
> 
> 
> Matt Gaetz in on a roll this week. After his Tuesday threat to “take power” after the 2022 election, he flexed his anti-democratic bravado again yesterday, on Steve Bannon’s War R…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> boingboing.net
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Funny how people get upset at the “extreme” members of the Democratic caucus who want things like universal healthcare. All the while, the extreme members of the GOP caucus are calling for armed revolution... and are becoming more mainstream every day.




On the other hand why are the media even covering this?  It's a circus, a distraction, and a fundraiser...

 It's absurd that the Rs would even need such maneuvers as Bannon and the Trump acolyte brigade are projecting. They've gotten the country's path forward exactly 180º off kilter from plausibility, and certainly by intent, since the very idea of a peaceful transition of government is anathema to them.

It would be massively disappointing to Bannon & friends if the run-up to the 2025 inauguration of whoever wins the 2024 election is peaceful -- regardless of name and party of the incoming President.

Look, the Dems were not happy (to say the least) when Trump won election the first time. I'm not talking about demonstrators in the public but about officials in the outgoing administration.   Yet that Obama administration went to great pains to prepare one of the most thorough sets of transition briefings ever set up for an incoming American government.    A peaceful transition was a given to them.   A competent one was their mission.

But you can read _*The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy*_ (Michael Lewis) if you want to know how little that scrupulous interagency preparation for a peaceful and competent transition mattered to the feckless Trump.

For example, the agency briefers waited in vain for Trump's landing teams to show up at the scheduled meetings. They had even courteously set aside parking spaces near the agency offices.  No one bothered to show up, for days in some cases and at all in others.  In fact the Obama team  eventually had to reach out in late January to a Bush administration official to come over and brief Wilbur Ross, Trump's nominee to head up Commerce.  That guy tried to explain that Commerce was about way more than trade, it was also about the census, weather, climate science... its missions were about science and technology. Ross' reaction was 'Yeah I don't think I want to be focusing on that."​​See, Donald Trump didn't get why he even _needed_ a transition team. Mr. "I alone can fix it" had figured to wing it. Chris Christie is who pointed out to Trump and his campaign managers that by law the presidential candidates must mount a transition team. Trump then grumpily conceded the point and allowed fundraising for the purpose, but later screamed about transition managers stealing "his money".​
But again, the FACTS are that the Dems lost the WH in 2016 and did what they were supposed to do, arranged for an orderly transition for the incoming Trump administration.

There is ZERO reason to assume that the current administration would not likewise prepare for orderly transition in the even of a 2024 loss.  Zero.

More FACTS:  It is not a bunch of Democrats who stormed the Capitol in 2021 trying to prevent any transition at all,  Nor was it a bunch of Democrats in Congress who underwrote the idea of possibly overturning the 2020 election results instead of formalizing the 50 states' already certified vote totals on January 6.

Bannon and his merry band of anarchists seek airtime and money.  They tilt at windmills related to a hazy 2024 even as the primary season for 2022 elections are actually at hand.  Follow the money, dammit.  The money is about 2022. Shame on media for covering Bannon's graphic novels about some other season.


----------



## ronntaylor

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Did either of you read the rest of my post or did you just read the first sentence like a clickbait at headline and go "that’s all I need to know"?



Read entire post. The beginning was polished off with the turd droppings about "Dems & bipartisanship waah waah waah!!!"


----------



## lizkat

.....aaaaand we have Lindsey Graham still trying to baptize Joe Manchin in the name of the GOP, mentioning him 20 times in 27 minutes while talking about staving off the administration's build back program.  Hope Biden has something better to offer Joe Manchin for West Virginia than just more name recognition.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1469381281876254722/


----------



## SuperMatt

lizkat said:


> .....aaaaand we have Lindsey Graham still trying to baptize Joe Manchin in the name of the GOP, mentioning him 20 times in 27 minutes while talking about staving off the administration's build back program.  Hope Biden has something better to offer Joe Manchin for West Virginia than just more name recognition.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1469381281876254722/



All that’s left is to make it official. He’s working for the GOP already.


----------



## lizkat

Yoused said:


> *A large container ship tried to do some fancy drifting* in the Suez Canal – got stuck sideways, blocking all the other traffic from getting past. A _lot of other_ traffic.
> 
> The is now talk of renaming the ship "The McConnell".




Nearly nine months later, get this:   the same ship Ever Given, having been unstuck from the Suez after six days and then having gone on its way for some repairs,  eventually turned up in China for new cargo, and now approaches the Suez again. 

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468629016110325765/​
So to take two of "getting it right the first time," to assorted hilarious remarks (and a few side bets, probably) on social media.   Supposedly there's no reason to think the Ever Given will end up sideways again and block more of the already bollixed delivery of Xmas goodies.   The mystery will be resolved today if shipping schedules hold up.

If it does block passage again,  we could rename it the _*Ever Lovin' Manchin *_ now instead of _*The McConnell*._


----------



## JayMysteri0

Herschel Walker is trending as well as his son.  Herschel is trending because he's the latest unqualified celebrity that wants in on politics.  His son is trending because he's rocking a $1300 hoodie & an iPhone bitching about the price of gas, as if that makes him identifiable.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1470131524104163328/

Kind of sums up the party as a whole.  Can hardly wait for the complaints about the 'poors'.


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> Nearly nine months later, get this:   the same ship Ever Given, having been unstuck from the Suez after six days and then having gone on its way for some repairs,  eventually turned up in China for new cargo, and now approaches the Suez again.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1468629016110325765/​
> So to take two of "getting it right the first time," to assorted hilarious remarks (and a few side bets, probably) on social media.   Supposedly there's no reason to think the Ever Given will end up sideways again and block more of the already bollixed delivery of Xmas goodies.   The mystery will be resolved today if shipping schedules hold up.
> 
> If it does block passage again,  we could rename it the _*Ever Lovin' Manchin *_ now instead of _*The McConnell*._



I would have thought the ship would have gotten the hell fined out of it unless, it was not their fault the first time.


----------



## JayMysteri0

You really can't make this shit up.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1470462861659017225/


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> I would have thought the ship would have gotten the hell fined out of it unless, it was not their fault the first time.




Hence the moniker "The McConnell", eh?   Nothing ever his fault  

In reality, fault findings and settlements for damage on marine vessels are really complex and still get sorted out initially under very old "Admiralty Law".  But there's already been a settlement between insurers, owners and the operator. Egypt relinquished the once-seized behemoth after the settlement, and was given a 75-ton tugboat meant for help with future Suez transit issues.   

That does sounds like a Christmas tree ornament or "sweetener" on a defense appropriations bill, but whatever...  it had the desired effect because the Egyptians didn't say no to another shot for the Ever Given this week.

Let's hope there's a Christmas ornament less expensive than a 75-ton tugboat that the Ds can round up for Joe Manchin,  to keep him from becoming an actual Republican vote regarding the Build Back act's tenuous passage through the Senate.


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> You really can't make this shit up.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1470462861659017225/



With the audience the GOP plays to, it’s just too easy to keep the Con Roll’n.


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> With the audience the GOP plays to, it’s just too easy to keep the Con Roll’n.




Well it's not complicated. Whenever the feds have underwritten some project that's being celebrated,   the photo op and TV news segments of the ribbon-cutting or groundbreaking ceremony are often focused on the state's governor or else a local official.

Sure, sometimes there's a federal official there, maybe a USDA or DOT agency representative, holding a big facsimile of a check made out to the state or county, etc.   But the focus is on that local pol or governor,  and he or she is saying that the state's  Senator or Congressman has managed to extract something of all due value for hardworking taxpayers of the great state of [pick one], from among all that otherwise wasteful spending in DC.

 Feels like governors, mayors and county supervisors all take Federal Disbursement Ceremony Management 101 after they're sworn in and before they step up for public receipt of the first big federal appropriation.

I hasten to say that this approach is not used solely by Republicans.


----------



## Huntn

It’


lizkat said:


> Well it's not complicated. Whenever the feds have underwritten some project that's being celebrated,   the photo op and TV news segments of the ribbon-cutting or groundbreaking ceremony are often focused on the state's governor or else a local official.
> 
> Sure, sometimes there's a federal official there, maybe a USDA or DOT agency representative, holding a big facsimile of a check made out to the state or county, etc.   But the focus is on that local pol or governor,  and he or she is saying that the state's  Senator or Congressman has managed to extract something of all due value for hardworking taxpayers of the great state of [pick one], from among all that otherwise wasteful spending in DC.
> 
> Feels like governors, mayors and county supervisors all take Federal Disbursement Ceremony Management 101 after they're sworn in and before they step up for public receipt of the first big federal appropriation.
> 
> I hasten to say that this approach is not used solely by Republicans.



As any politician, it’s an absolute gutter play to take credit for something you opposed, that passed despite your efforts, and the dummies instead of questioning, maybe they they are oblivious of being scammed and applaud their hero.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> Well it's not complicated. Whenever the feds have underwritten some project that's being celebrated,   the photo op and TV news segments of the ribbon-cutting or groundbreaking ceremony are often focused on the state's governor or else a local official.
> 
> Sure, sometimes there's a federal official there, maybe a USDA or DOT agency representative, holding a big facsimile of a check made out to the state or county, etc.   But the focus is on that local pol or governor,  and he or she is saying that the state's  Senator or Congressman has managed to extract something of all due value for hardworking taxpayers of the great state of [pick one], from among all that otherwise wasteful spending in DC.
> 
> Feels like governors, mayors and county supervisors all take Federal Disbursement Ceremony Management 101 after they're sworn in and before they step up for public receipt of the first big federal appropriation.
> 
> I hasten to say that this approach is not used solely by Republicans.




Reminds me of a podcast I heard stating that there is zero difference between crony capitalism and capitalism. Business colluding with government is capitalism. When you don’t like the industry that is doing it then you just tack “crony” on it.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Reminds me of a podcast I heard stating that there is zero difference between crony capitalism and capitalism. Business colluding with government is capitalism. When you don’t like the industry that is doing it then you just tack “crony” on it.




That works.



Huntn said:


> As any politician, it’s an absolute gutter play to take credit for something you opposed, that passed despite your efforts, and the dummies instead of questioning, maybe they they are oblivious of being scammed and applaud their hero.




The voters may indeed do that.  Or maybe now they just shrug and mumble "they're all the same". 

But it remains true that both parties work on bringing some amendments to the floor that may even pass but will definitely end up on the cutting room floor before a bill lands on the President's desk for signature.   It's the stuff of substance for campaign ads.

Sure, pols can leave themselves open to those "He was for it before he was against it" accusations.

But those campaign ads are practically indistinguishable from the ones that claim credit for having voted for something that did land in a final bill,   and if whatever amendment a candidate voted to include in a bill didn't make it,  they just say something like "... and I'll never quit fighting for America" or whatever.

We're pretty gridlocked now for quite awhile (leaving out the problems on the horizon with this particular Supreme Court configuration),  but it could still be worse, and both Ds and Rs should definitely think twice about trying to knock down pillars of what makes gridlock possible.

Gerrymandering in a problem in both parties, but the Rs in particular have shown they're not above engineering the ability to overturn elections right into their state laws about who gets to vote, who gets to count them and who gets to decide if the vote and the counts were fair. Still, any political party can be seen as having gone too far, including in manipulation of the electoral or judicial system, and when that happens, the effect of laws with an assumed party-in-power bias to them shifts like a load of cattle in a truck taking a dead man's curve too fast.


----------



## Yoused

lizkat said:


> I hasten to say that this approach is not used solely by Republicans.



Given that the Republicans are the ones who consistently oppose spend two red cents, for the Democrats to take credit for a municipal-type project is rarely hypocritical.

Of course, a gosarian could claim, "_I was voting against all that other wasteful spending, not this here wise use of funds_", and might be able to get away with it.


----------



## lizkat

Yoused said:


> Given that the Republicans are the ones who consistently oppose spend two red cents, for the Democrats to take credit for a municipal-type project is rarely hypocritical.
> 
> Of course, a gosarian could claim, "_I was voting against all that other wasteful spending, not this here wise use of funds_", and might be able to get away with it.




Yeah it's true that with Dems, the problem is often instead that who shows up for a photo op to get public credit for some grant is one of the state's two US Senators, hogging the camera and press writeup instead of credit going to a state senator or a US House rep whose office might have done a lot of the legwork to get the grant nailed down.


----------



## Huntn

I took a longish break from MSNBC but this morning tuned in and OMG.

6 members of Congress are being investigated for being complicit in the Jan6 attacks.
Mark Meadows being held in contempt of Congress while virtually all of the rank and file Republicans vote against it.
McConnell says in a non committal way, _this will be interesting_.
While rank and file Congressional Republicans also vote against everything associated with these attacks, Comgressman Banks (R) goes as far as to say this is what Americans see when Democrats  are in charge (but he does not call it accountability) in an attempt to fool his dummies back home.
When it was happening, Hannity and Ingrams from Fox News implored Trump to intervene, but now, they are attacking the Committee. Hannity asking is there such a thing left in this country as privacy? (Regarding an attack on the Capitol?)
On a side note, Proud  Boys are trying to get themselves voted onto school boards?
Know this, the above stuff is not an imagined boogey man and  this is not politics as usual. Investigating an illegal physical attack on the Capitol building is what I would expect the Congress to do. The only reason something along the lines of accountability regarding a physical attack on the Capitol and Capitol Police is taking place is precisely because Democrats are calling the shots.

 The GOP has displayed that when  the Republicans retake Congress, they will whitewash any event that would harm their party. Accountability only matters when it harms the other side.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Circling back to the Walker's ( aka the new Diamond & Silk or Shuck & Jive ) for a moment.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1471148466076368897/


----------



## Huntn

In the gym locker room on Wed I heard a conversation:

_Those  jackasses in New York want to give illegals the vote._
_We’ve got to take it back._
_Yea, I’m ready, just waiting for the word to come down. _
I’m distinctly aware that this is not go out and vote talk, it is gun revolution talk.  I’ve got 4 guns in the house, maybe it’s time to accumulate more ammo.


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> In the gym locker room on Wed I heard a conversation:
> 
> _Those  jackasses in New York want to give illegals the vote._
> _We’ve got to take it back._
> _Yea, I’m ready, just waiting for the word to come down. _
> I’m distinctly aware that this is not go out and vote talk, it is gun revolution talk.  I’ve got 4 guns in the house, maybe it’s time to accumulate more ammo.




The real jackasses are the ones who don't understand we need immigration reform,  not least to meet labor shortages, ensure the decent treatment of and fair wages for guest workers and provide a path to permanent residence for law abiding undocumented workers. 

Some of those workers have been here working, paying taxes and improving local economies for decades, so it seems disingenuous to talk about how they should be deported because they're "trying to jump the line".  How long do you have to pay into the system and not qualify for retirement benefits before you've paid any virtual dues for having jumped a line  you didn't jump, just worked your ass off to survive the wait, same as the wait anyone with papers would endure, but for less security and less money?  And with the blessing of the USA's pols and fans of cheap labor...

Their main fault is not theirs but an understaffed and messed-up immigration adjudication system, one that winks and nods at the existence of undocumented workers unless, after hiring,  they turn up injured or sick or have the temerity to complain about wages or treatment...  and then the employer of those undocumented works just shifts gears and calls ICE to get them deported,  because he knows there are more can be rounded up from somewhere with a few more winks and nods to the right people.

 It's shameful to wink at this stuff. It enables abuses like that recently uncovered in indictments covering some bad  labor contractors  in six counties in south Georgia where --for years!-- over a hundred immigrants had been effectively treated as slaves, even sometimes forced at gunpoint to finish onion harvests with bare hands, making 20c a bucket, living with food insecurity, inadequate shelter and sanitation.  









						‘This has been happening for a long time’: Modern-day slavery uncovered in South Georgia
					

ATLANTA — A yearslong human trafficking operation trapped migrant workers in “modern-day slavery” on South Georgia farms, according to a federal indictment.




					omaha.com
				




Sure, not every undocumented worker ends up in such a hellhole, but none of us should imagine that our all-American life is free from reliance in some part on invisibly undocumented labor.  It's not like we know where our Vidalia onions come from past being stacked in a supermarket...   and so the same with people in NYC not having a clue who packs and unpacks boxes of stuff for markets and bodegas every day, or who sweeps up and takes out the trash or cleans toilets for that hole-in-wall diner or the places we brag about as a neighborhood go-to for world's best eggs and home fries or a vast number of ethnic dinner options.

I have no patience with right wingers carping about immigration issues when they're not also carping about how come Congress doesn't get off its wink-and-nod dime and get the reforms done.   We had perhaps a best shot in decades at doing that during the Bush 43 administration,  and yet his own side of the aisle shot it down.

Shame isn't even a good enough word for this stuff.  I once thought we'd get the USA's immigration issues settled in my lifetime.  Now I really wonder if a tolerance for exploitation and scapegoating has just settled permanently in American culture.  The locker room talk you overheard doesn't make me feel more optimistic.


----------



## rdrr

Huntn said:


> I took a longish break from MSNBC but this morning tuned in and OMG.
> 
> 6 members of Congress are being investigated for being complicit in the Jan6 attacks.
> Mark Meadows being held in contempt of Congress while virtually all of the rank and file Republicans vote against it.
> McConnell says in a non committal way, _this will be interesting_.
> While rank and file Congressional Republicans also vote against everything associated with these attacks, Comgressman Banks (R) goes as far as to say this is what Americans see when Democrats  are in charge (but he does not call it accountability) in an attempt to fool his dummies back home.
> When it was happening, Hannity and Ingrams from Fox News implored Trump to intervene, but now, they are attacking the Committee. Hannity asking is there such a thing left in this country as privacy? (Regarding an attack on the Capitol?)
> On a side note, Proud  Boys are trying to get themselves voted onto school boards?
> Know this, the above stuff is not an imagined boogey man and  this is not politics as usual. Investigating an illegal physical attack on the Capitol building is what I would expect the Congress to do. The only reason something along the lines of accountability regarding a physical attack on the Capitol and Capitol Police is taking place is precisely because Democrats are calling the shots.
> 
> The GOP has displayed that when  the Republicans retake Congress, they will whitewash any event that would harm their party. Accountability only matters when it harms the other side.



Imagine a world where this happened in Jan 2017, and BLM and the Woman's March stormed the capitol.  AOC was found to have texted anyone that was a known member of one of those groups with "Who is this?" 

There would have been public executions.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> The real jackasses are the ones who don't understand we need immigration reform,




This is by design on the Republican side

A).  More people here legally means less anger (other than from blatant racists)

B).  They won't be able to scapegoat illegals as the cause of all the problems in this country.  

However, as it's been proven that some on the right will believe any insane outrage trigger you throw at them, they could easily replace illegal immigrants with just about anything, no matter how far-fetched.

On that note, Alex Jones blames the recent tornadoes on weather weapons used by the Biden administration.  I shit you not.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> This is by design on the Republican side
> 
> A).  More people here legally means less anger (other than from blatant racists)
> 
> B).  They won't be able to scapegoat illegals as the cause of all the problems in this country.
> 
> However, as it's been proven that some on the right will believe any insane outrage trigger you throw at them, they could easily replace illegal immigrants with just about anything, no matter how far-fetched.
> 
> On that note, Alex Jones blames the recent tornadoes on weather weapons used by the Biden administration.  I shit you not.




Alex Jones is the epitome of a man capable of truly evil behavior. It will be hard for him ever to top his past invention and peddling of a conspiracy theory that the Sandy Hook school shootings --which resulted in the death of 20 first graders and their six admins/teachers--  were merely an elaborate hoax perpetrated by the victims' families.

 As a result of Jones' blathering, the Sandy Hook families, as if grief over losing their kin had not been enough tribulation, were harassed,  and some received death threats from fans of Jones' conspiracy theory. Of course Jones tried to skate on any reponsibility for that,  asserting"First Amendment rights" and so essentially insisting that it wasn't his problem if other people --the fans of his show!--  made death threats to still other people.

Anyway whatever Alex Jones says about the Biden administration, or anything or anyone else, should be taken with about a long ton of road salt.

It's sometimes unfortunate that our Constitutional protection of the right to free speech can protect malevolent creatures like Alex Jones.   And so it's too bad that he's still on the street, and only small comfort that his appeals against the findings of defamation lawsuits have been tossed out all the way to the Supreme Court.









						Supreme Court nixes Alex Jones' appeal in Newtown shooting case
					

Jones was fighting a Connecticut court sanction in a defamation lawsuit brought by relatives of some of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.




					www.nbcnews.com
				




Maybe, all things related to this GOP's hand in configuring the current high court, we should be grateful that the court didn't overturn the defamation lawsuits brought against Alex Jones on behalf of Sandy Hook families.  After all, the GOP that still kowtows to Trump is a Republican Party that's shown itself willing to adopt grand lies.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Let's never forget the ol' standards

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1471887110697369602/


> Trump Claims Jews Had ‘Absolute Control’ Over Congress in Antisemitic Interview
> 
> 
> “The Jewish people, in the United States, either don’t like Israel or don’t care about Israel,” he said.
> 
> 
> 
> www.thedailybeast.com


----------



## lizkat

JayMysteri0 said:


> Let's never forget the ol' standards
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1471887110697369602/





AIPAC just announced formation of a federal PAC and a super-PAC.  They said they would be supporting candidacies of both Republicans and Democrats who are "pro-Israel."





__





						AIPAC to actively fund politicians in sharp turn for Israel lobby
					





					www.msn.com
				






> “Throughout AIPAC’s history, the Board of Directors has consistently adjusted our political strategy to ensure we could remain successful in an ever-changing Washington,” she said. “The D.C. political environment has been undergoing profound change. Hyper-partisanship, high congressional turnover, and the exponential growth in the cost of campaigns now dominate the landscape. As such, the Board has decided to introduce these two new tools.”
> 
> She added that the AIPAC PAC “will highlight and support current pro-Israel Democratic and Republican members of Congress, as well as candidates for Congress.” The announcement comes 11 months before the midterm elections that will decide the majority of the House and the Senate, with dozens of competitive races taking place.




To me Trump's remarks are just the leading edge of his intention to cash in on AIPAC's goals by next encouraging his followers to donate to AIPAC with the expectation that AIPAC will then help fund a 2024 Trump campaign.

Not sure this will fly at the level of Trump rally fans who wouldn't know AIPAC from a sixpack, but there might be some big bucks evangelicals and high profile evangelical clerics who will definitely go for it, as it fits into their chosen narrative about the end times.









						Understanding the Evangelical obsession with Israel
					

It has more to do with prophecy than politics.




					www.americamagazine.org
				






> Liberty University was a hotbed for a popular theology among evangelicals called “dispensationalism,” which divides history into distinct ages or dispensations. According to this teaching, when first-century Jews rejected Jesus, a new “church age” began in which Christians would act as “God’s chosen people.” This dispensation will continue until God takes Christians to heaven, leaving the “unchosen” behind for a period of turmoil. This is known as “the rapture.”
> 
> While dispensationalism teaches that God is currently focused on the Christian church, believers in this theology assert that when the last days arrive, God will draw the Jewish people back to Israel where they will rebuild the temple and eventually accept Jesus as the rightful Messiah. This will trigger the return and reign of Jesus.




So the deal for some American evangelicals, many of whom might not even know their belief is grounded in "dispensationalism", is that Israel itself, as an actual place named in Scripture (regardless of its current secular or religious status) must be supported with fervor,  because Jews being able to gather there again is a prerequisite for their anticipated eventual acceptance of Christ as the Messiah, and the signal for Jesus to return and rule the earth.

This despite whatever Christ may have said about distinctions between his father's kingdom and planet earth, and despite whatever real estate deals Trump and his kin and cronies might have in mind for Israel and other parts of the Middle East in the meantime.

The main thing, according to Donald Trump, is Donald Trump.  Oh, and money.  AIPAC means to raise some.   Trump saw that announcement yesterday by AIPAC as either a threat or a potential bankroll.   You decide.  He's throwing it out there right now that it's Christians who support Israel, not Jews.  Trump could be seen right now as dogwhistling that Jews are important --in the evangelicals' view-- only in that a bunch of them need to have showed up in Israel by the end time, in order to call for recognition of Christ as the Messiah.

Not sure Trump's Jewish acquaintances may see things exactly the same way.   _"This should be interesting"._


----------



## ronntaylor

Huntn said:


> In the gym locker room on Wed I heard a conversation:
> 
> _Those  jackasses in New York want to give illegals the vote._
> _We’ve got to take it back._
> _Yea, I’m ready, just waiting for the word to come down. _
> I’m distinctly aware that this is not go out and vote talk, it is gun revolution talk.  I’ve got 4 guns in the house, maybe it’s time to accumulate more ammo.



The saddest part isn't the lie being spread by white supremacists/right-wingers about "illegals" voting. It's that those on the other side don't call out the lie and instead help spread it. Doesn't matter if it's intentional if it is ultimately successful in spreading the lie.

The bill referenced would give the right to vote for NYC elections to legal, documented immigrants: Green card holders and those that are legally authorized to work here. NYC wouldn't be the only locality to allow these groups to vote (IIRC there are 13-16 localities, mostly in Maryland, that allow noncitizens to vote). For a large part of our history, most states allowed so-called noncitizens to vote.


----------



## User.45

SuperMatt said:


> The anti-vaccine, anti-mask agenda may lead to poor health outcomes for Republican devotées in the future.
> 
> 73% of people who identify as Republicans trusted their doctors in 2010. Ten years later, that went down to 60%.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Republicans Less Trusting of Doctor's Advice Than in the Past
> 
> 
> Fewer Republicans today than in 2010 say they are confident in the accuracy of their doctor's advice. Democrats' trust has steadily grown since 2002.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> news.gallup.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Some more indicators of Republicans' (lack of) trust in scientists and doctors:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Trust in Medical Scientists Has Grown in U.S., but Mainly Among Democrats
> 
> 
> About six-in-ten Americans believe social distancing measures are helping a lot to slow the spread of coronavirus in the nation.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.pewresearch.org



There's a reason the South _has to pay_ physicians 2-3x more than other regions


----------



## User.45

ronntaylor said:


> For a large part of our history, most states allowed so-called noncitizens to vote.



Otherwise it would be taxation w/o representation, right?


----------



## SuperMatt

P_X said:


> Otherwise it would be taxation w/o representation, right?



Welcome to my world. It’s unconscionable that residents of DC do not get representation in Congress. Any Republican who says otherwise is a traitor to their country. They only oppose it for one reason: too many black people in DC.

The fight for statehood goes all the way to Frederick Douglass.


----------



## Huntn

ronntaylor said:


> The saddest part isn't the lie being spread by white supremacists/right-wingers about "illegals" voting. It's that those on the other side don't call out the lie and instead help spread it. Doesn't matter if it's intentional if it is ultimately successful in spreading the lie.
> 
> The bill referenced would give the right to vote for NYC elections to legal, documented immigrants: Green card holders and those that are legally authorized to work here. NYC wouldn't be the only locality to allow these groups to vote (IIRC there are 13-16 localities, mostly in Maryland, that allow noncitizens to vote). *For a large part of our history, most states allowed so-called noncitizens to vote.*



I did not know that.


----------



## SuperMatt

SuperMatt said:


> With GOP-led gerrymandering in Wisconsin (for example) the number of black members in their state legislature DECREASED. And they only have 2 latino representatives despite the rapidly growing population in the state.
> 
> Wisconsin got a gerrymandering map thrown out because it split a mostly Latino district in two, hoping to remove that latino member from the legislature.
> 
> *I don’t know who is spreading the lie that gerrymandering somehow leads to more minority representatives in government. The exact opposite is true.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Opinion | Gerrymandering's burdens are borne by communities of color
> 
> 
> Americans deserve a government that mirrors more than the Mayflower.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nbcnews.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/09/how-a-widespread-practice-to-politically-empower-african-americans-might-actually-harm-them/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Does the Anti-Gerrymandering Campaign Threaten Minority Voting Rights?
> 
> 
> We tested the theory — which has been put forward by both Democrats and Republicans.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.brennancenter.org



To counter the lies on this forum about Republican gerrymanders supposedly increasing minority representation in government, here’s more evidence from 2021 redistricting. We can see EXACTLY why the GOP doesn’t want the Voting Rights act to pass: they don’t want minorities in Congress.









						Map by Map, G.O.P. Chips Away at Black Democrats’ Power
					

Black elected officials in several states, from Congress down to the counties, have been drawn out of their districts this year or face headwinds to hold onto their seats.




					www.nytimes.com
				






> Mr. Reives is one of a growing number of Black elected officials across the country — ranging from members of Congress to county commissioners — who have been drawn out of their districts, placed in newly competitive districts or bundled into new districts where they must vie against incumbents from their own party.
> 
> Almost all of the affected lawmakers are Democrats, and most of the mapmakers are white Republicans. The G.O.P. is currently seeking to widen its advantage in states including North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia and Texas, and because partisan gerrymandering has long been difficult to disentangle from racial gerrymandering, proving the motive can be troublesome.
> 
> But the effect remains the same: less political power for communities of color.




Stop lying about GOP gerrymandering being good for minorities, or I’ll pull this car over, I swear.


----------



## User.45

SuperMatt said:


> To counter the lies on this forum about Republican gerrymanders supposedly increasing minority representation in government, here’s more evidence from 2021 redistricting. We can see EXACTLY why the GOP doesn’t want the Voting Rights act to pass: they don’t want minorities in Congress.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Map by Map, G.O.P. Chips Away at Black Democrats’ Power
> 
> 
> Black elected officials in several states, from Congress down to the counties, have been drawn out of their districts this year or face headwinds to hold onto their seats.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Stop lying about GOP gerrymandering being good for minorities, or I’ll pull this car over, I swear.



shall i guess who the source of gerrymandering good for minorities statement is?


----------



## SuperMatt

P_X said:


> shall i guess who the source of gerrymandering good for minorities statement is?





Herdfan said:


> While I agree, do you worry that some of the heavily minority districts would go away and cause there to be less minority representation in Congress?



That’s a whopper… with extra cheese.


----------



## Huntn

Joe Manchin, the worst Democrat ever, the Republican who got himself elected as a Democrat.  Why don’t you just get it over with, be honest,  and switch partys, stop pretending to be something you are not, And for the Democrats back home who elected you, they better get on the ball for the next election.









						Manchin pulls support for Biden's $1.75 trillion social spending plan
					

"I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can't. I've tried everything humanly possible," Manchin said.




					www.cbsnews.com


----------



## User.45

Huntn said:


> Joe Manchin, the worst Democrat ever, the Republican who got himself elected as a Democrat.  Why don’t you just get it over with, be honest,  and switch partys, stop pretending to be something you are not, And for the Democrats back home who elected you, they better get on the ball for the next election.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Manchin pulls support for Biden's $1.75 trillion social spending plan
> 
> 
> "I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can't. I've tried everything humanly possible," Manchin said.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cbsnews.com



Because that moment, he'd lose the once-in-a-lifetime power he just got for himself.


----------



## Yoused

Huntn said:


> Why don’t you just get it over with, be honest, and switch partys



That is a difficult thing. In truth, I suspect he may have a deal going with the Turtle: as long as he votes for Democratic leadership, the Turtle is not the person who is messing up Joe the President's agenda, and so the Rs can blame the Ds for everything that is wrong with the country. I catch a fleeting whiff of bribery.


----------



## User.45

Yoused said:


> I catch a fleeting whiff of bribery.



Zero doubt. The question whether it's corporate or political, or (most likely) both.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Ah yes, the guy who enjoys saying "the quiet part out loud", giving the republican agenda away.
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1473036074964426762/


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> Ah yes, the guy who enjoys saying "the quiet part out loud", giving the republican agenda away.
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1473036074964426762/



Drumph has said this before where it is recorded. This is not a secret, As if destroying voting rights was not bad enough, the move by some state legislatures to pass or try to pass laws that allows politicians to overturn the outcome of any election they don’t like the results of. The guise is preventing fraud, but the agenda is declaring just because we lost with  zero proof of fraud because _we like stealing elections when we are in a position to do so... the dummies back home are allowing us to do so. _


----------



## Yoused

JayMysteri0 said:


> Ah yes, the guy who enjoys saying "the quiet part out loud"



The Republican Party


Spoiler: is breaking the law


----------



## JayMysteri0

Are there really so few Black republicans, that THIS is who you want to go with?

That's not counting when his son isn't embarrassing himself on social media.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Are there really so few Black republicans, that THIS is who you want to go with?
> 
> That's not counting when his son isn't embarrassing himself on social media.



They don’t care what he says or does, as long as he continues to agree to be the right-wing’s “one black friend.”


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> Are there really so few Black republicans, that THIS is who you want to go with?
> 
> That's not counting when his son isn't embarrassing himself on social media.



I've never followed this guy, but boy. Really? At TOP someone was trying to sell him as the prototype of the RW Black intellectual. I find it insulting, TBH.


----------



## Yoused

P_X said:


> I find it insulting, TBH.



Herman Cain
Alan Keyes
Ben Carson
Candace Owens
Allen West
Clarence "uncle" Thomas
and others

It must be a wonderful time to be an A-A Republican.


----------



## Huntn

Listen people you know my usual derge: to summarize: when a majority allows a minority to corrupt the system WE ARE SCREWED. 

The ultimate irony? This is what the Right is telling their dummies, ie, _Stop The Steal. _Here wash that bull shit down with some special Koolaid. Does this feel like the 1930s in Nazi Germany to you?

Report shows the extent of Republican efforts to sabotage democracy​








						Report shows the extent of Republican efforts to sabotage democracy
					

Research identifies at least 262 bills were introduced in 41 states this year with the intent to hijack the election process




					www.theguardian.com
				




_A year that began with the violent insurrection at the US Capitol is ending with an unprecedented push to politicize, criminalize or in other ways subvert the nonpartisan administration of elections. A year-end report from pro-democracy groups identifies no fewer than 262 bills introduced in 41 states that hijack the election process.
Of those, 32 bills have become law in 17 states._
_Alarm as Texas quietly restarts controversial voting program_
_Read more_

_The largest number of bills is concentrated in precisely those states that became the focus of Trump’s Stop the Steal campaign to block the peaceful transfer of power after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. Arizona, where Trump supporters insisted on an “audit”to challenge Biden’s victory in the state, has introduced 20 subversion bills, and Georgia where Trump attempted to browbeat the top election official to find extra votes for him has introduced 15 bills.


*Texas*, whose ultra-right Republican group has made the state the ground zero of voter suppression and election interference, has introduced as many as 59 bills._


----------



## ronntaylor

JayMysteri0 said:


> Are there really so few Black republicans, that THIS is who you want to go with?



Thing is, this is a typical, modern day Black republican. My stepdad's dad was a republican till the day he died. He voted mostly for Dems though because even in the late 70s and early 80s he saw where the party was going. He wouldn't recognize today's GOP. He'd definitely recognize everything that Walker represents: "Dancing house negro!" is probably what he would use. He obviously took too many blows to the head. Don't know why his son is as dim-witted as he is though.


----------



## JayMysteri0

The agenda depends on the gov't NOT working, so the yelling of "big gov't is bad" can be made from the rooftops.  Provided of course you don't think of "big gov't" as the same thing that wants to dictate who can vote and what a woman can do with her body.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1474422189936058373/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Because this has worked out so well with for others who've been found to have ties to Turkey.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1475951138662932483/


> Dr. Oz Under Scrutiny For Alleged Political, Financial Ties To Turkish Government
> 
> 
> The celebrity doctor is also under scrutiny due to his Turkish roots and citizenship.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> radaronline.com





> Dr. Oz’s alleged ties with the Turkish Islamist government stem back to multiple encounters the television star had with members of the Turkish government – including President *Recep Erdoğan* in 2014.
> 
> Besides President Erdogan, Oz also reportedly met with numerous members of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party, including Minister of Justice *Abdulhamit Gül* in 2019.
> 
> Not even one year before their encounter, in which they stood arm-in-arm during a Turkish-heritage parade in Brooklyn, Gül was sanctioned by the United States government for leading “an entity that has engaged in serious human rights abuses.”
> 
> Oz also came under fire in 2017 when he chose to represent President Erdoğan’s bodyguards after they assaulted a group of Americans protesting the Justice and Development Party in Washington, D.C.
> 
> Aside from his alleged ties to the Turkish government, Dr. Oz has also come under scrutiny recently for false and dangerous claims he reportedly made in the past regarding weight-loss pills and COVID-19 cures.
> 
> “Information can harm — that’s the key thing we need to appreciate here,” said *Harald Schmidt*, an assistant professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania, regarding Dr. Oz’s promotion of the dangerous drug hydroxychloroquine that was once being pushed as a cure for COVID-19.
> 
> “His track record is pretty concerning. What we’ve seen so far does not instill confidence that this will help reasonable politics.”


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Because this has worked out so well with for others who've been found to have ties to Turkey.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1475951138662932483/



Another grifter jumping onto the GOP bandwagon. All aboard!


----------



## shadow puppet

This wouldn't surprise me one little bit.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1476178200178868232/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Who the current agenda attracts to consider running






I am soooooooo shocked.  /s


----------



## JayMysteri0

Never let a little bit of dishonesty and / or lack of observational skills get in the way of showing your ass online

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1475969794281246728/


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1475970592335708168/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Sounds about right to me and on many points shows the right has been planting seeds for a Trump before he even ran for office, many of the usual scapegoats demonized for decades.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Listening to some who have contact with more sane Republican Congress members in private conversations they seem to think they can just quietly hide under their desks until this whole Trump fascism thing blows over. I don’t know what leads them to think it’s just going to blow over.

Neither side is doing anything that is definitively better. The Republican side is content to hide under their desks only to pop out to vote no on everything, and while the Democrat party has 2 known cancers, Biden could executive order the shit out of everything. It’s a disgraceful dereliction of duty across the board, not just in actions/inactions, but in believing that the American people should vote to choose this as a much better option.

Second to the sit under their desk Republican politicians, is the traditional conservative Republican voter who thinks they can also sit under their desk and hide only to emerge to vote for any and all Republican politicians. Your party has already crossed the line of being able to salvage itself from the cult it has become. Your vote is just adding to the count of politicians who are either cult members or cowards. Either way, the cult just grows in strength. If you're good with that than fine, but don’t lie to yourself about what you signed off on. If anything, you should start talking about how fascism isn’t really that bad.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1476562165012250624/


----------



## Joe

JayMysteri0 said:


> Circling back to the Walker's ( aka the new Diamond & Silk or Shuck & Jive ) for a moment.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1471148466076368897/




Christian Walker, the gay Candace Owens - Once again, they play to this crazy side of conservatives just for the views, likes and follows. 

I saw one of his rants where he's going on about how conservatives like their men to be strong masculine alpha males. And liberal men are pansies. I'm like um, have you looked in the mirror bruh? A conservative gay male that is flamboyant and feminine is saying how his party likes their men to be masculine alpha males...that is when I knew that he just trolls for the follows and likes and to grift off stupid white conservatives.


----------



## JayMysteri0

At some point we need to start having a discussion about those who are chosen to represent the people.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1477651820990320640/

Boebert ( the less intelligent Palin ), emptyGreene, Dr. Oz, and now this?  WTF?!



> As Herschel Walker eyes Senate run, a turbulent past emerges
> 
> 
> ATLANTA (AP) — At first glance, Herschel Walker has a coveted political profile for a potential Senate candidate in Georgia. He was a football hero at the University of Georgia before his long NFL career.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> apnews.com





> But an Associated Press review of hundreds of pages of public records tied to Walker’s business ventures and his divorce, including many not previously reported, sheds new light on a turbulent personal history that could dog his Senate bid. The documents detail accusations that Walker repeatedly threatened his ex-wife’s life, exaggerated claims of financial success and alarmed business associates with unpredictable behavior.
> 
> Walker, now 59, has at times been open about his long struggle with mental illness, writing at length in a 2008 book about being diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, once known as multiple personality disorder. But it’s unclear how he would discuss these events as a candidate.
> 
> Walker did not respond to requests for comment. Multiple emails went unanswered, although his executive assistant confirmed they were received. AP also sent emails and left a message with his long-time attorney, who did not respond.




THIS guy is getting on a debate stage with Warnock, who's already considered one of congress' better orators?

Are standards really no longer a thing in the 'r' party?

To think some mort on MR was trying to talk this guy up solely because it's A Black guy that 45 likes.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1477697328010219526/


Life if given the chance by the some 'r's will soon imitate art.

You can see it happening


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Scariest Republican candidates to watch in 2022
					

The next wave of Republican freshmen could be the most frightening yet – and may pose a true threat to democracy.




					www.salon.com


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1477697328010219526/
> 
> 
> Life if given the chance by the some 'r's will soon imitate art.
> 
> You can see it happening



I’ve seen republicans say “banning books is bad” in response to statements made by others. But none of them stood up on their own when these anti-CRT laws started popping up, threatening the book bans and trampling other first amendment rights.

I have seen the right loudly assert their rights when feeling censored (I.e. by twitter) or feeling their religious freedom is under attack by the woke mob. But when others are literally being censored *by the government* or when their president calls to ban Muslims from America, they support it. 

This is the opposite of what the constitution is about. My private company can ban any kind of speech it wants. The government tries that? Now you’re looking at constitutional problems.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Scariest Republican candidates to watch in 2022
> 
> 
> The next wave of Republican freshmen could be the most frightening yet – and may pose a true threat to democracy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com




Still,  maybe the folks to keep an eye on right now are the critters currently "helping" run the government.   And of course some of them are Democrats, not Republicans.   And a lot of those generally escaping scrutiny may not even be government officials -- or not at the moment, or not any more, or maybe just not this year.   However, many of them either work or have worked on K street,  and before that many were either public officials or else industry executives.  Eisenhower warned us to keep watch on growth of the military industrial complex.  It's most certainly still alive and doing well for itself and its investors.









						Raytheon was supposed to have a bad year. It didn’t - The Boston Globe
					

At the start of 2021, there was uncertainty around the Waltham-based defense juggernaut. But the company’s stock has risen 25 percent, despite revenue losses due to the US pullout from Afghanistan.




					www.bostonglobe.com
				






> At the start of 2021, there was uncertainty around what lay ahead for Waltham-based Raytheon. The defense juggernaut had completed its mega-merger in 2020 with United Technologies. But the Biden administration was coming in, determined to pull out of conflicts in the Middle East and take a sharper stance against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which used Raytheon bombs to commit atrocities in Yemen, The New York Times found.
> 
> Inside Raytheon, there was some concern. Last January, Greg Hayes, the company’s CEO, told investors that he expected a major arms deal with a “Middle East” customer could be scrapped. Still, he professed a universal truth: “Peace is not going to break out in the Middle East anytime soon,” he told investors, saying defensive weapons sales to the region would “continue to see solid growth.”






> Now, nearly 12 months later, things are a lot clearer for one of Massachusetts’ largest employers. The company’s stock has risen 25 percent, despite $75 million in revenue loss due to America’s pullout from Afghanistan. Raytheon has made seminal advances in hypersonic missile technology, which could be lucrative as Washington enters an arms race with China.
> 
> Most notably, the Senate in early December rejected an amendment in the national defense bill that would have blocked a $650 million arms package to Saudi Arabia that could send 280 Raytheon-built missiles and almost 600 missile launchers to Riyadh. (President Biden signed the bill into law on Monday.)






> Anna Massoglia, an investigative researcher at OpenSecrets, a government transparency nonprofit, penned a report detailing Raytheon’s lobbying spending this year. The company has spent $12.7 million on federal lobbying in 2021, she found, making Raytheon the defense industry’s highest spender this year.
> 
> At the same time, the Government Accountability Office, a watchdog agency, found in September that Raytheon employed more former Defense Department officials — roughly 315 — than any other major defense contractor. (The revolving door between Raytheon and the government is striking. America’s current defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, is a former Raytheon board member. Mark Esper, the defense secretary under President Trump, was a former Raytheon lobbyist.)


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Was Trump just the "warm-up act"? Canadian scholar warns of "right-wing dictatorship"
					

Canadian scholar of violent conflict says U.S. "flashing with warning signals"; democracy could collapse by 2025




					www.salon.com
				




I'm just add (or expand?) that all the right is concerned with right now is regaining power.  Once they have it, they have no clue what to do with ruling over so many people.  The long in power Republicans know their decades of running interference for the rich is played out and their usual scapegoats aren't the real cause of inequality.  They have no economic plan that can fix that reality and those at the top have a death grip on maintaining the status quo to their economic benefit.  So the only tool available to them is pushing the lower classes to violence against each other, a purge that also won't solve anything.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Was Trump just the "warm-up act"? Canadian scholar warns of "right-wing dictatorship"
> 
> 
> Canadian scholar of violent conflict says U.S. "flashing with warning signals"; democracy could collapse by 2025
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm just add (or expand?) that all the right is concerned with right now is regaining power.  Once they have it, they have no clue what to do with ruling over so many people.  The long in power Republicans know their decades of running interference for the rich is played out and their usual scapegoats aren't the real cause of inequality.  They have no economic plan that can fix that reality and those at the top have a death grip on maintaining the status quo to their economic benefit.  So the only tool available to them is pushing the lower classes to violence against each other, a purge that also won't solve anything.



2022 will be the warning shot if, more likely when Republicans take back the Congress. But I can’t honestly say when the majority will actually call bull shit on the minority and take action to stop the dismantling of Democracy in the USA.

There is just as likely a chance we will continue slide towards fascism until armed conflict breaks out. I can’t offer up any speculation as to a time frame for this as V For Vendetta plays in my brain. The thing about V for Vendetta, it was completely unrealistic portrayed as a peaceful resolution to the story. I see that as highly unlikely based on how human beings tend to play.


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> 2022 will be the warning shot if, more likely when Republicans take back the Congress. But I can’t honestly say when the majority will actually call bull shit on the minority and take action to stop the dismantling of Democracy in the USA.
> 
> There is just as likely a chance we will continue slide towards fascism until armed conflict breaks out. I can’t offer up any speculation as to a time frame for this as V For Vendetta plays in my brain. The thing about V for Vendetta, it was completely unrealistic portrayed as a peaceful resolution to the story. I see that as highly unlikely based on how human beings tend to play.



If Congress is controlled by the GOP in 2022, and a Democratic candidate wins the presidency in 2024, will they refuse to certify the results? Will they select different electors and put in a Republican candidate? Will Kamala Harris be able to overrule it? If we just had popular vote winner = new President, we wouldn’t have to worry about any of those shenanigans. Our system is not well-defended against a coup. Too many different ways to circumvent the popular vote and use other mechanisms to keep power.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> 2022 will be the warning shot if, more likely when Republicans take back the Congress. But I can’t honestly say when the majority will actually call bull shit on the minority and take action to stop the dismantling of Democracy in the USA.
> 
> There is just as likely a chance we will continue slide towards fascism until armed conflict breaks out. I can’t offer up any speculation as to a time frame for this as V For Vendetta plays in my brain. The thing about V for Vendetta, it was completely unrealistic portrayed as a peaceful resolution to the story. I see that as highly unlikely based on how human beings tend to play.




The main obstruction is rich donors and people in Congress living in a corruption bubble, and it's rampant on both sides. They get an earful of “this is better for the country” from lobbyists all day long. On the right you have legacy industries and on the left you have the tech industry. For both you have Wall St and the military. Ultimately those industries want the same thing (increased profits by any means) and Congress almost always delivers.

Meanwhile we all get to watch things fall apart in slow motion because Republicans are cowards against Trumpists and Democrats are cowards against playing hardball and taking advantage of power when they have it. It's ironic that keeping the peace will probably have a violent outcome.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> The main obstruction is rich donors and people in Congress living in a corruption bubble, and it's rampant on both sides. They get an earful of “this is better for the country” from lobbyists all day long. On the right you have legacy industries and on the left you have the tech industry. For both you have Wall St and the military. Ultimately those industries want the same thing (increased profits by any means) and Congress almost always delivers.
> 
> Meanwhile we all get to watch things fall apart in slow motion because Republicans are cowards against Trumpists and Democrats are cowards against playing hardball and taking advantage of power when they have it. It's ironic that keeping the peace will probably have a violent outcome.



_The main obstruction is rich donors and people in Congress living in a corruption bubble, and it's rampant on both sides_

I’m hoping this is not your version of they are all the same. Because contrary to being the same, it’s the bad worse ones who don’t give a damn about level playing fields, equal opportunity, and democracy will end up in charge of corruption, Trump clones paying lip service to patriotism, Christianity, and democracy which will have been reduced to an illusion, transmuted into _My Power as I define it, and you, anyone who opposes me can suck it up or I have a bullet reserved for you._

To be clear, I am not Democrat, I voted Republican during one part of my life. You see nothing like this in today’s Democratic Party. Yes, the Dems need to work harder, but I’ll also remind you they are dealing with STUPID back home who are likely to vote STUPID.

As you know, I think we as a Nation are very likely screwed by… STUPID.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> If Congress is controlled by the GOP in 2022, and a Democratic candidate wins the presidency in 2024, will they refuse to certify the results? Will they select different electors and put in a Republican candidate? Will Kamala Harris be able to overrule it? If we just had popular vote winner = new President, we wouldn’t have to worry about any of those shenanigans. Our system is not well-defended against a coup. Too many different ways to circumvent the popular vote and use other mechanisms to keep power.




First let me say Republicans are worse.   

But having said that, it seems both sides want to leave our broken system alone so that they too can possibly abuse it at a future date.  But it also seems that Republicans are more than willing to abuse it when they have the opportunity without hesitation.  Democrats on the other hand throw up the bipartisan white flag when they should be abusing.  

Like I said in another post, Biden could be executive ordering the shit out of everything right now instead of watching us slide into fascism at the hands of his bipartisan wishes that Republicans have zero interest in.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> _The main obstruction is rich donors and people in Congress living in a corruption bubble, and it's rampant on both sides_
> 
> I’m hoping this is not your version of they are all the same. Because contrary to being the same, it’s the bad worse ones who don’t give a damn about level playing fields, equal opportunity, and democracy will end up in charge of corruption, Trump clones playing lip service to patriotism, Christianity, and democracy which will have been reduced to an illusion, transmuted into _My Power as I define it, and you, anyone who opposes me can suck it up or I have a bullet reserved for you._
> 
> To be clear, I am not Democrat, I voted Republican during one part of my life. You see nothing like this in today’s Democratic Party. Yes, the Dems need to work harder, but I’ll also remind you they are dealing with STUPID back home who are likely to vote STUPID.
> 
> As you know, I think we as a Nation are very likely screwed by… STUPID.




This didn’t start with Trump, maybe the stupid emerging like frogs in a rain storm, but this is the result of both parties failing the people for decades, Republicans with their lies and Democrats with their failed promises. Meanwhile throughout the rich have only gotten richer while everybody else races to the bottom. That doesn’t happen without both parties being complicit.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> This didn’t start with Trump, maybe the stupid emerging like frogs in a rain storm, but this is the result of both parties failing the people for decades, Republicans with their lies and Democrats with their failed promises. Meanwhile throughout the rich have only gotten richer while everybody else races to the bottom. That doesn’t happen without both parties being complicit.



I gave this a like, but in no way can I describe it as both sides complicit, because they are not imo, at least not in the same  manner.  Instead if I was to critique the liberal wing of humanity it would be incompetant, flawed, well meaning but selfish and  human, yes by all means. Unfortunately human also  includes all the horrendous characteristics we see in todays GOP, the dark side. It’s like Star Wars and the force, it’s whatever we decide, are compelled to do with our gift of intelligence.

And as always STUPID can’t be overestimated for the situation we find ourselves in today.
It can legitimately asked do Human beings deserve to suceed with the kinds of choices we are collectively making In 2022?


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> First let me say Republicans are worse.
> 
> But having said that, it seems both sides want to leave our broken system alone so that they too can possibly abuse it at a future date.  But it also seems that Republicans are more than willing to abuse it when they have the opportunity without hesitation.  Democrats on the other hand throw up the bipartisan white flag when they should be abusing.
> 
> Like I said in another post, *Biden could be executive ordering the shit out of everything right now* instead of watching us slide into fascism at the hands of his bipartisan wishes that Republicans have zero interest in.




Yeah but if Biden ran the place via exec orders the way Trump did,  he'd be poisoning the 2024 well big time, AND diminishing chance of holding the House in 2022.

All because the Rs are better at focusing their message du jour,  and it doesn't bother them in the least that it's hypocritical to carp about exec orders when those were Trump's favorite way of defanging agency rules and trying to go around Congress when Congress said no.

The Rs steamroll complaints about hypocrisy the same way they steamroll complaints about Trump's lies.  They read the next sentence in the talking points for today as if that script had been handed down with the Ten Commandments,  and then they move on.

The Dems respond to complaints by offering logical rebuttals.  This to a nation that elected Trump even once...


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1478441056224096260/

THIS is the "blue lives matter" crowd.






That want to *celebrate* Jan 6th


----------



## JayMysteri0

Just a reminder of how some view their jobs as ELECTED officials. 

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1478367624883060744/

It doesn't matter what the people who elected the official to office want, it's evidently what the official wants that matters.

F the people.

That is until the medical marijuana lobby swoops in, then perhaps...


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> Yeah but if Biden ran the place via exec orders the way Trump did,  he'd be poisoning the 2024 well big time, AND diminishing chance of holding the House in 2022.
> 
> All because the Rs are better at focusing their message du jour,  and it doesn't bother them in the least that it's hypocritical to carp about exec orders when those were Trump's favorite way of defanging agency rules and trying to go around Congress when Congress said no.
> 
> The Rs steamroll complaints about hypocrisy the same way they steamroll complaints about Trump's lies.  They read the next sentence in the talking points for today as if that script had been handed down with the Ten Commandments,  and then they move on.
> 
> The Dems respond to complaints by offering logical rebuttals.  This to a nation that elected Trump even once...




I think Democrats lost any chance of keeping Congress months ago. Not only would it be a historical fluke, but they’ve failed to deliver anything substantial while continuing to whittle down BBB to a withering husk that ultimately won’t do much. Now their only hope is that Trump extremists will scare off right leaning voters.

Democrats will die on the hill of trying to appeal to moderates. In today’s reality moderates are like a fire department run by water conservationist extremists. “We would have put out the fire, but you know, water. You should just be happy that we have a symbolic fire department that doesn’t actually put out fires. Be like me and try to have a house that isn’t on fire.”

I don’t know what moderates will do if a civil war breaks out. Hang a Swiss flag in front of their house thinking it will make the warring mobs leave them alone in peace?  Maybe they can stave off a public execution with "I think we can all agree the national debt is our biggest concern."


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I think Democrats lost any chance of keeping Congress months ago. Not only would it be a historical fluke, but they’ve failed to deliver anything substantial while continuing to whittle down BBB to a withering husk that ultimately won’t do much. Now their only hope is that Trump extremists will scare off right leaning voters.
> 
> Democrats will die on the hill of trying to appeal to moderates. In today’s reality moderates are like a fire department run by water conservationist extremists. “We would have put out the fire, but you know, water. You should just be happy that we have a symbolic fire department that doesn’t actually put out fires. Be like me and try to have a house that isn’t on fire.”
> 
> I don’t know what moderates will do if a civil war breaks out. Hang a Swiss flag in front of their house thinking it will make the warring mobs leave them alone in peace?  Maybe they can stave off a public execution with "I think we can all agree the national debt is our biggest concern."




It's true the indies are more likely to stay home than vote for a third party.   That works too though.  For Dems, assuming they can motivate turnout.

I've moved on for today.   Now considering the world we live in as Ars Technica sees it this afternoon.

God help us.   The goldfish and the Navy Seals aren't gonna bother.


----------



## SuperMatt

lizkat said:


> It's true the indies are more likely to stay home than vote for a third party.   That works too though.  For Dems, assuming they can motivate turnout.
> 
> I've moved on for today.   Now considering the world we live in as Ars Technica sees it this afternoon.
> 
> God help us.   The goldfish and the Navy Seals aren't gonna bother.
> 
> View attachment 10784



The SEALs are infamous for having far-right nuts within their ranks.





__





						Eddie Gallagher (Navy SEAL) - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




So yeah, this isn’t surprising at all. Go Army!


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> The SEALs are infamous for having far-right nuts within their ranks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Eddie Gallagher (Navy SEAL) - Wikipedia
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> en.wikipedia.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So yeah, this isn’t surprising at all. Go Army!




They should have to list all the other military mandated vaccines they successfully refused to take.


----------



## lizkat

SuperMatt said:


> The SEALs are infamous for having far-right nuts within their ranks.




So apparently are some of the judiciary.    There may be a lot more mischief waiting down the road in the "Religious Freedom Act" as interpreted in future by a young and ultra-"conservative" judiciary that McConnell has managed to install on the federal bench.  They'll be picking and choosing though.  They'll have to, because they won't want to end up with results that are as good for the goose as the gander. It's not like the Dems are going to sit around watching these rulings roll out without taking some as precedent for a flip side view of the 1A as "freedom FROM religion".    

 And that's where I can still hope the Roberts court still has some interest in not seeming to have gone completely partisan.


----------



## User.45

lizkat said:


> It's true the indies are more likely to stay home than vote for a third party.   That works too though.  For Dems, assuming they can motivate turnout.
> 
> I've moved on for today.   Now considering the world we live in as Ars Technica sees it this afternoon.
> 
> God help us.   The goldfish and the Navy Seals aren't gonna bother.
> 
> View attachment 10784



What's next? Soldiers refuse deployment because killing violates their religious *freedoms?! Seriously, my head is spinning.


----------



## hulugu

lizkat said:


> So apparently are some of the judiciary.    There may be a lot more mischief waiting down the road in the "Religious Freedom Act" as interpreted in future by a young and ultra-"conservative" judiciary that McConnell has managed to install on the federal bench.  They'll be picking and choosing though.  They'll have to, because they won't want to end up with results that are as good for the goose as the gander. It's not like the Dems are going to sit around watching these rulings roll out without taking some as precedent for a flip side view of the 1A as "freedom FROM religion".
> 
> And that's where I can still hope the Roberts court still has some interest in not seeming to have gone completely partisan.




Roberts has the problem that he's effectively been minimized by a reactionary right. So when he wants to save the court's reputation, the Trump branch—along with Thomas—will screw him sideways. 

Expect a completely nonsensical, hare-brained decision from the crew that ignores precedence and re-writes the law. Only for them to ignore that decision when it's convenient.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> They should have to list all the other military mandated vaccines they successfully refused to take.



Exactly. These SEALs are NOT religious, nor are they anti-vax until now. None of this makes any sense, and is clearly just a culture war battle. They filed suit in this dumbass judge’s jurisdiction intentionally… just like Stephen Miller and his racist clowns did when they opposed debt relief for black farmers.


----------



## lizkat

hulugu said:


> Roberts has the problem that he's effectively been minimized by a reactionary right. So when he wants to save the court's reputation, the Trump branch—along with Thomas—will screw him sideways.
> 
> Expect a completely nonsensical, hare-brained decision from the crew that ignores precedence and re-writes the law. Only for them to ignore that decision when it's convenient.




Roberts is still capable of eliciting support on certain points from one or another of that crew. 

Alito is _consistent_ on First Amendment issues even when the Rs would prefer he give a wink or nod to some aspects of it. The pro-Trump Rs would love to tear down the 1A-related Sullivan v NYT precedent but that's been a reach for a long long time...  partly because the self-described "originalist" justices tend to read the plainest English parts of the Constitution in the same way that so called"liberal" justices do.  

Gorsuch has occasionally raised eyebrows on the right --e.g., the McGirt v Oklahoma native lands opinion-- although not on the usual hot button issues (or, not yet).  So no one is likely to call him another David Souter any time soon and make it stick.  

Barrett may have made a point so far of not being entirely predictable but she went to her interview commended as a guaranteed overturn vote on Roe v Wade.  She could surprise on some other matters that come to the high court, probably in the same way Alito does some times.   English is English.   Some of the Constitution and the acompanying precedents in the way of interpretation are pretty plain text, so an originalist is not going to spend a lot of time conjuring up a "more original" or more right-leaning take when it's just not there.  

Roberts himself is no liberal.  He's only looking to see that the court's decisions overall on his watch do not end up screaming ALWAYS FLAMING RIGHT in big neon letters.  He disappointed Americans on gutting the VRA but sadly enough, that was expected.  He had never made a secret of his lean there.

Thomas is Thomas, yeah. 

And Kavanaugh, well...  the questions he asks as followups are one thing but the opinions he writes usually confirm him as a partisan parser of both the issue(s) and the law under scrutiny.  He is never going to be a David Souter.   His entire SCOTUS career will feature some undertow from how he still perceives his confirmation hearings as hyperpartisan Democrats' amplification of, uh, youthful indiscretions.   He thought the Ds brought hyperpartisanship to the panel from the upshot and  his fury will never fade, even if some of it is displaced anger at himself for his own past behavior.   He may intend to take it out on America until he drops. But i am not at all sure how his "lean" might develop if he can put down his cudgel after awhile and focus on the law with the mind his education helped him develop.    One can also hope he ratchets down the booze intake he's been fond of in the past. He remains a sort of black box to me really.   I do find his questions interesting and the contrast of those to some of his eventual opinions.


----------



## Thomas Veil

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1478441056224096260/



We all know the Democrats suck at messaging...but they better learn pretty fast, because the coup is close at hand.

And it's not that fucking hard. Heck, there's an entire GOP playbook--things they used to say about _us_--that you can turn around and throw in their faces.

Republicans are responsible for the decline in morals in our country: the lack of respect for our institutions (Congress, agencies, etc.); the entitlement (they think they are owed the presidency and control of Congress; the disrespect for literally half the voters in this country.
Republicans are weak on law and order: supporting the Jan. 6 conspirators and setting up the mechanism to steal the 2024 election.
Republicans are unpatriotic: creating entire 1984ish networks of liars and deceivers.
But that's only the first part of it. I confess I'm lost anymore as to how to deliver the second part, which is getting that message to media that all Americans can see and hear. CNN and Rachel Maddow alone won't cut it. Republicans are walled off and live in their own Fox-Newsmax-ONN silo, but there still must be ways to get to independents.

God help me, the only thing I can think of that will get America's attention is to imitate what Trump did: hold rallies, and lots of them. I don't know who would lead them; my wife and I were discussing just last night how Biden is too quiet and mousy. Obama is better, but he still doesn't have the forcefulness of Trump. I don't know who would lead such rallies, but he needs to be someone who will speak to us like this:






I know--that's not an ideal example. The weakness of that iconic scene is that yelling out your window isn't going to do anything. We need to be out in the streets, _en masse_.

Are the Democrats going to lead us? Or just sit around as usual and hope for the best?


----------



## lizkat

Thomas Veil said:


> Are the Democrats going to lead us? Or just sit around as usual and hope for the best?





It's late in the day for messaging to mean anything to people who are used to Trump telling them don't believe everything you hear and then telling them one whopper of a Big Lie after another without irony and apparently without objection from his cultish fans.     Not sure how many indie voters are Trump cult followers but anyway that crowd is not listening to anything, just surfing social media hangouts for new fake news.

The only tactics that can save the Dems in 2022  are 1) turning out the blue vote and 2) a raft of ACLU lawyers showing up to the counting-houses and every other after-party show the Rs decide to throw if they don't like a blue-wave outcome in a particular precinct.

As far as people go though, Stacey Abrams is a good motivator.  She does know how to persuade people to park their squabbles and get the blue vote out.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Interesting…this is a different tactic, but it does address some of my basic thoughts about messaging.



			Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
		


I’ve been wondering why they haven’t done it already. A Watergate hearing style media strategy would certainly be welcome here.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1478476576371228672/


----------



## lizkat

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1478476576371228672/





 McConnell's split from realities of the GOP's recent history is meant as a tactic but begins to look like a straight-up psychiatric issue.


----------



## Thomas Veil

lizkat said:


> McConnell's split from realities of the GOP's recent history is meant as a tactic but begins to look like a straight-up psychiatric issue.



Don’t dismiss the possibility that he’s straight up sold his soul to the devil.


----------



## User.168

.


----------



## lizkat

theSeb said:


> Those other vaccines didn't prevent diseases that caused their hero to lose an election.




... and apparently caused them and their fellow Trump fans also to lose what was left of their minds.   And for what?  For... what?

How will the next version of the Republican Party look back on their performance in the Trump era?   Folly?  Theater?  Fraud?  Self-immolation?


----------



## User.168

.


----------



## lizkat

theSeb said:


> It will be a combination of fascism, idiocracy and kleptocracy. They will get away with it because they will keep shouting "freedom" whilst restricting people's freedoms. As long as the average American can have a gun, drive a v8 pickup truck, drink awful US beer and feel superior over liberals and brown people, they will be happy. Within a few decades the corporations will become more powerful and the government will become a weak figurehead. Basically a dystopian corporate fascism as shown to us by many popular writers and film makers. I find it equally fascinating and horrifying to be privileged to watch an empire destroy itself in real time.




Well the Georgia state legislature is certainly doing its part to move things away from where voters actually matter.    They're in yet another round of proposing new state laws to amplify the effect of the ones they've already passed since 2020 to constrain the right to vote... and to enable overturn of disliked outcomes.

The vote suppression efforts have been made on the extremely ironic ground that since there was no significant fraud found in Georgia's 2020 electoral loss of the White House and of two US Senate seats, they want to make sure there won't be any fraud again any time soon either.  wtf.    After numerous investigations it was found that four fraudulent votes were cast, all four by relatives of dead people.

 A lot of this agitation for yet more restriction of voting options is just campaign fodder for state assemblymen if you ask me, and it's certainly not limited to the legislature of the state of Georgia.   It's the updated twist on "We're not soft on crime!!"









						Georgia voting law wasn’t enough for Republican legislators
					

The Georgia General Assembly will consider a new round of bills in its 2022 legislative session, including proposals for the GBI to handle fraud investigations, ban drop boxes, curtail voting touchscreens and prohibit noncitizen voting. The latest round of election bills arrives after...




					www.ajc.com
				






> *Proposed Georgia election bills*​
> Authorize the GBI [Georgia Bureau of Investigation] to investigate election-related allegations without a request from a local government.
> Eliminate absentee ballot drop boxes.
> Replace touchscreen voting computers, called ballot-marking devices, with hand-marked paper ballots. Touchscreens would remain available for those who prefer to use them.
> Ban voting by noncitizens, which is already prohibited by state law.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Speaking of the religious right, they seem to be so obsessed with God sending in a savior in the form of Trump that they are missing the equally likely possibility that he was actually sent by Satan, the master of deceit. Look at Trump's words and actions. Which side of the force do you think would be more likely to endorse them?  For a hint, which side is love thy neighbor and which is divide and conquer?  

I also believe that the end times is preceded by Satan taking over before Jesus comes down to kick his ass. But before you get all “Yay, it’s started!”, I’m pretty sure that worshipping Satan while he’s in his process of destruction isn’t the key to you getting into heaven.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Speaking of the religious right, they seem to be so obsessed with God sending in a savior in the form of Trump that they are missing the equally likely possibility that he was actually sent by Satan, the master of deceit. Look at Trump's words and actions. Which side of the force do you think would be more likely to endorse them?  For a hint, which side is love thy neighbor and which is divide and conquer?
> 
> I also believe that the end times is preceded by Satan taking over before Jesus comes down to kick his ass. But before you get all “Yay, it’s started!”, I’m pretty sure that worshipping Satan while he’s in his process of destruction isn’t the key to you getting into heaven.



Satanists are quite offended by your suggestion that they are in any way associated with Trump!


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> It's true the indies are more likely to stay home than vote for a third party.   That works too though.  For Dems, assuming they can motivate turnout.
> 
> I've moved on for today.   Now considering the world we live in as Ars Technica sees it this afternoon.
> 
> God help us.   The goldfish and the Navy Seals aren't gonna bother.
> 
> View attachment 10784



Regarding the judge who ruled that Navy Seals don’t have to be vaccinated, I’m surprised, not aware of any Christian tenant against vaccines. Is this garbage in, garbage out?

I remember  being told not asked when I was active duty. I’m not sure what would have happened  in the 1980’s  if I refused vaccination while in the USN, but do imagine it would have torpedoed the career of any one intent on making a career  (with retirement benefits) in the US military.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Speaking of the religious right, they seem to be so obsessed with God sending in a savior in the form of Trump that they are missing the equally likely possibility that he was actually sent by Satan, the master of deceit. Look at Trump's words and actions. Which side of the force do you think would be more likely to endorse them?  For a hint, which side is love thy neighbor and which is divide and conquer?
> 
> I also believe that the end times is preceded by Satan taking over before Jesus comes down to kick his ass. But before you get all “Yay, it’s started!”, I’m pretty sure that worshipping Satan while he’s in his process of destruction isn’t the key to you getting into heaven.



The problem with religious fantasies first off, is just how much you can count on the source material? Or has it been a manipulative scam and power grab from the start?
Then there is when the ”believers”:

pick, choose, and preach just the part of the fantasy they actually believe or are vested in… while ignoring the rest,
twist the meaning of said fantasy to suit their desires.
worse, make up their own shit on the fly to support their selfishness and maybe fool you some more.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Speaking of the religious right, they seem to be so obsessed with God sending in a savior in the form of Trump that they are missing the equally likely possibility that he was actually sent by Satan, the master of deceit. Look at Trump's words and actions. Which side of the force do you think would be more likely to endorse them?  For a hint, which side is love thy neighbor and which is divide and conquer?
> 
> I also believe that the end times is preceded by Satan taking over before Jesus comes down to kick his ass. But before you get all “Yay, it’s started!”, I’m pretty sure that worshipping Satan while he’s in his process of destruction isn’t the key to you getting into heaven.




Judging from a few glances in at some evangelical publications, seems to me they're about trying to hold their presumed faith-based constituency together by talking in massive generalities about politics...   sometimes running what amounts to guest opinion rather than putting their own editorial necks on the line (as one magazine did last year in making some mild rebukes of Trump and for that had fetched sharp condemnation from readers).

One such magazine currently runs a headline 'How to Disagree Nicely but Not Lose Your Convictions', which tops a piece adapted from a book called _Winsome Conviction:  Disagreeing without Dividing the Church. _ The mere fact that such a book exists suggests that the so-called "evangelical vote" has some fissures.

You know to me all this walking on eggshells around Trump-related concerns --from the GOP and from the high profile pro-Trump evangelical clerics,  and now even from some conservative pundits--   is just an extension of the naked emperor syndrome.    Only now it's even more absurd because the guy doesn't even have a throne to sit on, never mind the robes and crown that he imagined he wore while he occupied the White House.

And yet the Republican Party honchos kowtow to the possibility that Trump just forgot to get dressed this morning, (as usual?) and surely by nightfall he'll be in resplendent form once again thanks to being propped up by Fox, by his dwindling social media base and by incompetent mainstream outlets.

Too bad at least the press don't rise up as one and refuse to print Trump's name short of indictments or significant changes in health.

Maybe that would nudge the RNC's fear-meter away from the red zone, and they'd find the spine to propose some candidates capable of growing the Republican Party's potential electorate.  Sure, it would be a step back to their plans after their loss in the 2012 elections, but they were actually making some headway then in outreach to Hispanics and women, both as potential voters and candidates for office.   Trump interrupted all that and in the short term he looked good.   A tiger to ride to victory.   Dismounting is proving all hell to achieve, even though so much of Trump's presidency was meant as theater, even if also propaganda in aid of a fascist state.

It would be revitalizing to see a GOP with a plan that engaged again with the realities of American democracy while it's still largely functional.   I say largely because the press doesn't print good news, it goes for clicks and we relish providing them for tales of impending or actual disasters.  But see, despite all the angst in the USA right now, we still do elect at least our nominal governance.  The RNC must realize that despite having packed the federal bench and stacked the high court as well,  our judicial system still does put at least a few limits on how much "wink and nod" will be granted to a deluded former prez and his deluded but tiny if very loud band of followers.  So what could be better for the GOP than attracting new voters,  when this country still does actually have elections?  

There's still time for more responsible Republicans --so many have remained silent out of fear--  to call a halt to Trump worship and observe as one that the wannabe emperor appears to be stark naked and needs to be covered up with a blanket and escorted farther offstage.  Since Trump cancelled his earlier scheduled 1/6/22 press conference,  I will find right-leaning commentary on his January 15th rally in Arizona interesting, assuming that that rally takes place.  To me it will indicate a little more about the rate of disintegration of the Trump wing of the party.  Make no mistake, the RNC and nominal GOP leadership are on edge now.  More than ever they don't know what to do with this guy, or what he'll do...  and the clocks on the campaign trails are ticking.


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> ... and apparently caused them and their fellow Trump fans also to lose what was left of their minds.   And for what?  For... what?
> 
> How will the next version of the Republican Party look back on their performance in the Trump era?   Folly?  Theater?  Fraud?  Self-immolation?



I’m patiently waiting for the implosion, but if I held my breath I’d be unconscious by now.


----------



## Huntn

theSeb said:


> It will be a combination of fascism, idiocracy and kleptocracy. They will get away with it because they will keep shouting "freedom" whilst restricting people's freedoms. As long as the average American can have a gun, drive a v8 pickup truck, drink awful US beer and feel superior over liberals and brown people, they will be happy. Within a few decades the corporations will become more powerful and the government will become a weak figurehead. Basically a dystopian corporate fascism as shown to us by many popular writers and film makers. I find it equally fascinating and horrifying to be privileged to watch an empire destroy itself in real time.



So all those dystopian future imaginations we see in literature apparently are not that far fetched.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> The problem with religious fantasies first off, is just how much you can count on the source material? Or has it been a manipulative scam and power grab from the start?
> Then there is when the ”believers”:
> 
> pick, choose, and preach just the part of the fantasy they actually believe or are vested in… while ignoring the rest,
> twist the meaning of said fantasy to suit their desires.
> worse, make up their own shit on the fly to support their selfishness and maybe fool you some more.




I’m of the belief that all evangelical churches are led by conmen who weed through the Bible to find scripture they can twist to justify enriching themselves while making the members feel doing so is their only way to salvation. So it’s really not surprising that they also latched on to the country’s biggest secular conman. I also believe these people are God addicts trying to fill a massive void in their life that only gets filled with fear, hate, and resentment.


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> Judging from a few glances in at some evangelical publications, seems to me they're about trying to hold their presumed faith-based constituency together by talking in massive generalities about politics...   sometimes running what amounts to guest opinion rather than putting their own editorial necks on the line (as one magazine did last year in making some mild rebukes of Trump and for that had fetched sharp condemnation from readers).
> 
> One such magazine currently runs a headline 'How to Disagree Nicely but Not Lose Your Convictions', which tops a piece adapted from a book called _Winsome Conviction:  Disagreeing without Dividing the Church. _ The mere fact that such a book exists suggests that the so-called "evangelical vote" has some fissures.
> 
> You know to me all this walking on eggshells around Trump-related concerns --from the GOP and from the high profile pro-Trump evangelical clerics,  and now even from some conservative pundits--   is just an extension of the naked emperor syndrome.    Only now it's even more absurd because the guy doesn't even have a throne to sit on, never mind the robes and crown that he imagined he wore while he occupied the White House.
> 
> And yet the Republican Party honchos kowtow to the possibility that Trump just forgot to get dressed this morning, (as usual?) and surely by nightfall he'll be in resplendent form once again thanks to being propped up by Fox, by his dwindling social media base and by incompetent mainstream outlets.
> 
> Too bad at least the press don't rise up as one and refuse to print Trump's name short of indictments or significant changes in health.
> 
> Maybe that would nudge the RNC's fear-meter away from the red zone, and they'd find the spine to propose some candidates capable of growing the Republican Party's potential electorate.  Sure, it would be a step back to their plans after their loss in the 2012 elections, but they were actually making some headway then in outreach to Hispanics and women, both as potential voters and candidates for office.   Trump interrupted all that and in the short term he looked good.   A tiger to ride to victory.   Dismounting is proving all hell to achieve, even though so much of Trump's presidency was meant as theater, even if also propaganda in aid of a fascist state.
> 
> It would be revitalizing to see a GOP with a plan that engaged again with the realities of American democracy while it's still largely functional.   I say largely because the press doesn't print good news, it goes for clicks and we relish providing them for tales of impending or actual disasters.  But see, despite all the angst in the USA right now, we still do elect at least our nominal governance.  The RNC must realize that despite having packed the federal bench and stacked the high court as well,  our judicial system still does put at least a few limits on how much "wink and nod" will be granted to a deluded former prez and his deluded but tiny if very loud band of followers.  So what could be better for the GOP than attracting new voters,  when this country still does actually have elections?
> 
> There's still time for more responsible Republicans --so many have remained silent out of fear--  to call a halt to Trump worship and observe as one that the wannabe emperor appears to be stark naked and needs to be covered up with a blanket and escorted farther offstage.  Since Trump cancelled his earlier scheduled 1/6/22 press conference,  I will find right-leaning commentary on his January 15th rally in Arizona interesting, assuming that that rally takes place.  To me it will indicate a little more about the rate of disintegration of the Trump wing of the party.  Make no mistake, the RNC and nominal GOP leadership are on edge now.  More than ever they don't know what to do with this guy, or what he'll do...  and the clocks on the campaign trails are ticking.



Don’t count on it, the trajectory is on a _little pieces scattered about _outcome.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I’m of the belief that all evangelical churches are led by conmen who weed through the Bible to find scripture they can twist to justify enriching themselves while making the members feel doing so is their only way to salvation. So it’s really not surprising that they also latched on to the country’s biggest secular conman. I also believe these people are God addicts trying to fill a massive void in their life that only gets filled with fear, hate, and resentment.



The former are the conmen, the latter are victim/suckers.


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> The problem with religious fantasies first off, is just how much you can count on the source material? Or has it been a manipulative scam and power grab from the start?
> Then there is when the ”believers”:
> 
> pick, choose, and preach just the part of the fantasy they actually believe or are vested in… while ignoring the rest,
> twist the meaning of said fantasy to suit their desires.
> worse, make up their own shit on the fly to support their selfishness and maybe fool you some more.




Well look, we could go into this more in your thread here on competent theists...   but I'll just note that it's human nature to want to belong...  and human to want to lead...  so if it's not about a religion then it's about some secular alternative. 

Even the USSR,  during the launch of its oppressive heyday in satellite countries,  understood that and attempted to make membership in the Communist Party a clear alternative to the "crutch" of religion.  A friend of mine had a relative in the Polish diplomatic service who was called in and told "Give up your rosary and take the red card".​​Much more recently,  the RC church has got its panties in a knot over pushback from clerics and parishioners alike about the LA archbishop's criticism of social justice movements as usurpation of the place of Christianity in society.   Among scholarly circles there are suggestions that the RC church is revisiting another time when secularism was viewed as a threat and everywhere the Vatican saw conspiracies against faith. But the current Pope and that archbishop don't seem to be on quite the same page,  which is fine by me.   Meanwhile there's a lot of railing going on by some RC leaders about "wokeness" and "intersectionality" etc.​​







						Catholic critics of ‘woke’ ideology risk repeating the church’s Modernist crisis of over 100 years ago
					

The temptation is to fight the ghosts of Modernism by denigrating those working for social justice and “elites” as anti-religious co-conspirators. But this would be a disservice to the truth and to the church.




					www.americamagazine.org
				



 Safety in numbers.   Not wanting to be part of a herd.  The eternal conflict.   It's what makes being a teenager so hard, and some of that never goes away.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> Judging from a few glances in at some evangelical publications, seems to me they're about trying to hold their presumed faith-based constituency together by talking in massive generalities about politics...   sometimes running what amounts to guest opinion rather than putting their own editorial necks on the line (as one magazine did last year in making some mild rebukes of Trump and for that had fetched sharp condemnation from readers).
> 
> One such magazine currently runs a headline 'How to Disagree Nicely but Not Lose Your Convictions', which tops a piece adapted from a book called _Winsome Conviction:  Disagreeing without Dividing the Church. _ The mere fact that such a book exists suggests that the so-called "evangelical vote" has some fissures.
> 
> You know to me all this walking on eggshells around Trump-related concerns --from the GOP and from the high profile pro-Trump evangelical clerics,  and now even from some conservative pundits--   is just an extension of the naked emperor syndrome.    Only now it's even more absurd because the guy doesn't even have a throne to sit on, never mind the robes and crown that he imagined he wore while he occupied the White House.
> 
> And yet the Republican Party honchos kowtow to the possibility that Trump just forgot to get dressed this morning, (as usual?) and surely by nightfall he'll be in resplendent form once again thanks to being propped up by Fox, by his dwindling social media base and by incompetent mainstream outlets.
> 
> Too bad at least the press don't rise up as one and refuse to print Trump's name short of indictments or significant changes in health.
> 
> Maybe that would nudge the RNC's fear-meter away from the red zone, and they'd find the spine to propose some candidates capable of growing the Republican Party's potential electorate.  Sure, it would be a step back to their plans after their loss in the 2012 elections, but they were actually making some headway then in outreach to Hispanics and women, both as potential voters and candidates for office.   Trump interrupted all that and in the short term he looked good.   A tiger to ride to victory.   Dismounting is proving all hell to achieve, even though so much of Trump's presidency was meant as theater, even if also propaganda in aid of a fascist state.
> 
> It would be revitalizing to see a GOP with a plan that engaged again with the realities of American democracy while it's still largely functional.   I say largely because the press doesn't print good news, it goes for clicks and we relish providing them for tales of impending or actual disasters.  But see, despite all the angst in the USA right now, we still do elect at least our nominal governance.  The RNC must realize that despite having packed the federal bench and stacked the high court as well,  our judicial system still does put at least a few limits on how much "wink and nod" will be granted to a deluded former prez and his deluded but tiny if very loud band of followers.  So what could be better for the GOP than attracting new voters,  when this country still does actually have elections?
> 
> There's still time for more responsible Republicans --so many have remained silent out of fear--  to call a halt to Trump worship and observe as one that the wannabe emperor appears to be stark naked and needs to be covered up with a blanket and escorted farther offstage.  Since Trump cancelled his earlier scheduled 1/6/22 press conference,  I will find right-leaning commentary on his January 15th rally in Arizona interesting, assuming that that rally takes place.  To me it will indicate a little more about the rate of disintegration of the Trump wing of the party.  Make no mistake, the RNC and nominal GOP leadership are on edge now.  More than ever they don't know what to do with this guy, or what he'll do...  and the clocks on the campaign trails are ticking.




I take comfort in knowing some people didn’t vote for Trump a second time because they were tired of the chaos and are probably pretty annoyed he’s continuing to cause chaos and that’s all he’s offering. No solutions. Only more chaos.


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> Don’t count on it, the trajectory is on a _little pieces scattered about _outcome.




I disagree...  I think we don't know the trajectory.  It's like when a rocket launch's contrail is obscured by clouds.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> The former are the conmen, the latter are victim/suckers.




I admit I’ve been pretty ignorant of crumbling small town America. I’ve got my own problems, but I am also lucky enough to live in an area where there are plenty of economic opportunities and pretty much has always been, aside from some recession speedbumps. I don’t know what my mentality would be if the government only seems to come around when they want my vote, but between those times the only alternatives to marinading in misery are drugs, alcohol, and God.


----------



## User.168

.


----------



## User.168

.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

theSeb said:


> Yup, and, from reading the news, I see that this is happening in earnest in all of the swing states. If the GOP wins, I reckon they will do everything they can to ensure that they never lose again and they know that they cannot win without cheating.
> 
> Like I said before, over a year ago in PRSI, you can be sure that there are people who watched very carefully just what Trump and his administration managed to get away with and how they did it. Some were taking notes. The scariest thing for me is an intelligent Trump-like figure to emerge in the near future. The GOP now know that simply lying about everything and blaming the libs, the democrats and the brown people for everything that isn't right works and keeps a solid percentage of the US population appeased.
> 
> Populism and telling people what they want to hear is easy. Actual hard truths and real solutions requiring change are the difficult to implement things that many people don't want to hear about. But, all of this goes in circles and eventually people will get tired of the failures, the excuses and the tyranny. The question is how much permanent damage the GOP can achieve before the cycle ends.
> 
> Meanwhile, the Dems appear weak and unable to achieve anything of substance. If they are achieving anything, then it certainly isn't being publicised. It's like a perfect storm of race tensions, populism, white fear and a worldwide pandemic and I am afraid to see the aftermath. I cannot imagine scenes of armed militia with semi-automatic rifles gathering around government buildings during an election in other 1st world democracies, or political opponents threatened and assaulted on highways with vehicles. This seems to be the new norm in the US and people don't seem to be all that alarmed by it.
> 
> Meanwhile, the 6/01 investigation and all of the other investigations into Trump and his family that we were promised are moving at a glacial pace with no real results. All that the GOP need to do now is run out the clock to win the game, imo.




What pisses me off is part of the reason for the glacial pace is because they don’t want to piss off “half the country”. First off, neither party has half the country as loyalists. Second off, less than half of Republican voters are diehard Trump supporters. A good percentage of those are like the Republican cowards in Congress who are just too scared to state that they don’t support Trump. Those people won’t be loading up their ARs when Trump finally gets whats coming to him.


----------



## JayMysteri0

The agenda for Jan 6th, look at the slide in pic #2

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1479143226019827712/

Completely ignore what happened one year ago, yet continue carrying on with the thing that precipitated the events of a year ago today that you've gathered for.

Anything about governing?

Nope.

More about why you can't accept a loss that you mocked others for doing the same 4 years earlier?

Yup.

The agenda isn't about governing for the people, it's ID politics and your team has to be the winning team at ALL times no matter what.


----------



## Huntn

ZERO *One Republican showed up for the prayer vigil at the Capitol honoring 6 Jan. ABSENT without honor, the broken bad political party projecting this every chance they get to prove their fealty to the Head POS in Florida, and disprove their disinterest in Democracy. 

*I stand corrected, Liz Cheney and her Dad, the Dick showed up at least inside, not sure if the Cheneys went to the vigil.


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> Regarding the judge who ruled that Navy Seals don’t have to be vaccinated, I’m surprised, not aware of any Christian tenant against vaccines. Is this garbage in, garbage out?
> 
> I remember  being told not asked when I was active duty. I’m not sure what would have happened  in the 1980’s  if I refused vaccination while in the USN, but do imagine it would have torpedoed the career of any one intent on making a career  (with retirement benefits) in the US military.



That’s what is so absurd about this. What religion do they follow that allows them to take all vaccines EXCEPT the COVID vaccine?

They claim it’s because of abortion. What a load of crap. They took all the other vaccines, they presumably have taken all sorts of medicine and benefitted from medical research from a 1974 stem cell line.

We all know it’s about Trump-ism and right-wing virtue signaling. The judge knows it. These people don’t care about God or democracy or anything else.

Jan 6 was just the start.


GermanSuplex said:


> Looks like Youngkin is going to win VA. And the message should be “republicans don’t need Trump to win”. Which could be good or bad, because Youngkin did not reject Trumpism, just tried to keep Trump at arm’s length. He’s now free to embrace him, so we will see how this plays out.
> 
> It also means suburbanites didn’t reject Trump’s policies, they rejected him.
> 
> Biden had an excellent first six months, the last four haven’t been too good. They’ve got to pick up the momentum, keep it and fight back harder against the GQP’s lies and racism. Youngkin won on CRT, which isn’t even a thing in VA. It would be like democrats running on banning Republicans teaching Critical Incest Theory. Not a thing. I say we try anyways.
> 
> Not to diminish Youngkin’s victory, but it’s normal for VA to flip-flop their governors. Hopefully we won’t have to hear any stupid voter fraud arguments. Now, democrats need to pressure Youngkin if his election was as secure as Trump’s. Keep pressing him on his support for the big lie.
> 
> *The race hasn’t even been called, and Trump is already claiming credit for tonight. For what, I don’t know; Youngkin outperformed him.
> 
> **A big f-you to Joe Manchin. He’s not a democrat-equivelant of a RINO (DINO?); he made some tough votes with dems during Trump’s term, which was not an easy thing to do if you’re from WV. But he and his buddy from AZ have prevented democrats from advancing the Biden agenda, which would have given democrats a HUGE boost this evening. The average American has a short memory; that stimulus and vaccination push was months ago; masks, gas prices and inflation are today. I guess it’s refreshing to know there are independents who will vote for Biden and Obama, but also Youngkin. Or Trump and Obama. They are either fiercely independent or stupid, but I honestly think they’re true independents and largely intelligent.
> 
> Thanks for listening to another rant…



Glenn Youngkin during the campaign: “I’m not like Trump!”

Glenn Youngkin as Governor: Nominates Trump’s EPA Chief as Virginia’s natural resources secretary.



			Youngkin nominates Trump EPA chief Andrew Wheeler for secretary of natural resources


----------



## SuperMatt

Kevin McCarthy is promising to remove certain Democrats from committees if he becomes Speaker. He gave some lame excuses for wanting to remove Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff. When it came to removing Ilhan Omar from the foreign affairs committee, he offered no reason at all. The Breitbart interviewer followed with a suggestion to remove her from all committees, which McCarthy didn’t disagree with.

Welcome to the 2022 Republican Party. Race/religion/gender as a sole reason for committee removal? Disgusting.


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> Kevin McCarthy is promising to remove certain Democrats from committees if he becomes Speaker. He gave some lame excuses for wanting to remove Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff. When it came to removing Ilhan Omar from the foreign affairs committee, he offered no reason at all. The Breitbart interviewer followed with a suggestion to remove her from all committees, which McCarthy didn’t disagree with.
> 
> Welcome to the 2022 Republican Party. Race/religion/gender as a sole reason for committee removal? Disgusting.



Today's GOP= Fuck Democracy and FUCK YOU.  Some of us want these POSs in charge? We'll get what we've asked for.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Does this sound familiar?

"Fascism is unsustainable as a form of government. It's inherently irrational and destructive. It's an extreme form of populism based on emotions – feelings of grievance, more specifically. That's an inherently unstable foundation to attempt to run a society.

Economies need stability. Political regimes need economic stability to stay viable long-term. But fascists don't care about the long term. They care about feeding grievance addictions. They build policy around that."


----------



## SuperMatt

Lauren Boebert: Lest people think I’m only anti-Muslim, I also say offensive things to Jews!









						Rep. Lauren Boebert Asked A Group Of Jewish Capitol Visitors If They Were Doing "Reconnaissance"
					

The Colorado Republican left the visitors “confused” after a short encounter.




					www.buzzfeednews.com
				






> Rep. Lauren Boebert left a group of Jewish visitors to the Capitol bewildered Thursday morning when she asked them if they were doing "reconnaissance" after seeing them at an elevator at the Capitol.
> 
> Members of the group, which was meeting with Rep. Tom Suozzi, were wearing yarmulkes, and the person coordinating the group is Orthodox, with a traditional beard.
> 
> One witness said the group, along with other members of Congress, was waiting for an elevator. When the doors opened, Boebert stepped out of the elevator and looked the group of visitors “from head to toe,” the witness said. Boebert then asked if they were there to conduct “reconnaissance.”


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1484736061964173313/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Hypocrisy.  One of the few things the 'r' party has managed to do repeatedly & successfully.






Because if you're counting on them getting necessary shit done, forget it.  They'd only vote against it, but want credit for any good done that they tried to block.


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1484736061964173313/



It’s just too bad at least some of this stuff does not have a real impact on the GOP. Maybe it is?


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> Hypocrisy.  One of the few things the 'r' party has managed to do repeatedly & successfully.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Because if you're counting on them getting necessary shit done, forget it.  They'd only vote against it, but want credit for any good done that they tried to block.



And there are the Kool-Aid toasts from her crowd.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Just a reminder of how this man & his administration / teams sweat the details

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1484310336064868352/



Bonus laughs:  "Honorable"?  








> Kellyanne and Claudia Conway’s very complicated, very public relationship, explained
> 
> 
> Kellyanne Conway’s 16-year-old daughter has provided an ugly look into their family life, and the latest accusations are especially troubling.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.vox.com


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> Just a reminder of how this man & his administration / teams sweat the details
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1484310336064868352/
> 
> 
> 
> Bonus laughs:  "Honorable"?



The sooner DJT is out of the picture, the better for the Nation, but I’ll lament until sanity prevails, there will still be a bunch of POSDJT imitators infecting the GOP, and the way it’s going infecting Congress.

It might be a good debate as to how well the POS label transfers to citizens who either are too stupid or selfish, or sinister to applaud the dismantling of our democracy because they think some personal advantage will transfer to them. And Lord Help them, if they think their Christian God approves of their Sins. /S A couple of well placed lightening bolts might be incoming, if I believed in that stuff.


----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## JayMysteri0

I've been poking fun at Joni Ernst today, so let's continue...


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> I've been poking fun at Joni Ernst today, so let's continue...



Thanks for the posts @JayMysteri0 - Joni really comes across as a dingbat…


----------



## SuperMatt

The Republican agenda is to further divide the country using culture wars. Glenn Youngkin is clearly angling for either a Senate seat or a Presidential run. He immediately started issuing executive orders about masks and CRT upon taking office. Virginia did vote GOP this time, but the overall views of the people in the state are not in favor of these types of actions. Do any of his executive orders make Virginia safer or more prosperous? No, they just cause division and anger.

He pretended to be a happy-smiley guy during the campaign, but he’s just another mini-Trump. He will let your kids die of COVID and whitewash black people out of history, but he will smile the whole time.

Partial good news for Virginia is that there are laws that state the opposite of his executive orders, the constitution of the state says the opposite of his orders, and even rural school boards are just ignoring his anti-mask orders. Detailed article here about the mess he has created, and how many school boards are fighting back. Also, one house of the legislature is still controlled by Democrats, so if his executive orders are shut down by the courts, he is unlikely to pass this divisive agenda.



			https://wapo.st/3Izqous
		

(paywall removed)


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> The Republican agenda is to further divide the country using culture wars. Glenn Youngkin is clearly angling for either a Senate seat or a Presidential run. He immediately started issuing executive orders about masks and CRT upon taking office. Virginia did vote GOP this time, but the overall views of the people in the state are not in favor of these types of actions. Do any of his executive orders make Virginia safer or more prosperous? No, they just cause division and anger.
> 
> He pretended to be a happy-smiley guy during the campaign, but he’s just another mini-Trump. He will let your kids die of COVID and whitewash black people out of history, but he will smile the whole time.
> 
> Partial good news for Virginia is that there are laws that state the opposite of his executive orders, the constitution of the state says the opposite of his orders, and even rural school boards are just ignoring his anti-mask orders. Detailed article here about the mess he has created, and how many school boards are fighting back. Also, one house of the legislature is still controlled by Democrats, so if his executive orders are shut down by the courts, he is unlikely to pass this divisive agenda.
> 
> 
> 
> https://wapo.st/3Izqous
> 
> 
> (paywall removed)





Sometimes the government needs to be the adult or bad guy in the room when dealing with adults who have the mental stability and selfishness of a toddler. This isn’t just for health safety reasons but also to help prevent confrontations between citizens. Wearing a mask can be annoying but it hurts nobody.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Sometimes the government needs to be the adult or bad guy in the room when dealing with adults who have the mental stability and selfishness of a toddler. This isn’t just for health safety reasons but also to help prevent confrontations between citizens. Wearing a mask can be annoying but it hurts nobody.



I'm not sure how many times this can be said, but something will be hurt.  The more extremist 'R' base's feelings, and those are the most important thing to the base of late.  So elected 'r' officials have made it their sole priority to protect those feelings, and 'f' everyone else's & any actual governing.  Seemingly if you make the base FEEL happy & safe you are doing the new actual duties of elected officials.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> I'm not sure how many times this can be said, but something will be hurt.  The more extremist 'R' base's feelings, and those are the most important thing to the base of late.  So elected 'r' officials have made it their sole priority to protect those feelings, and 'f' everyone else's & any actual governing.  Seemingly if you make the base FEEL happy & safe you are doing the new actual duties of elected officials.




The only barely platform of the current Republican party is contrarianism.  Just be the opposite of Democrats on everything and shoehorn in freedom and/or patriotism as a reason and their base eats it up.


----------



## SuperMatt

Apparently, Glenn Youngkin‘s anti-mask, anti-CRT executive orders are very unpopular in Virginia. As a response, he is already having to print an op-ed in the Washington Post as damage control.

The shiny happy people routine of Youngkin convinced VA voters that he was something other than a Trump acolyte. Turns out, he absolutely is one. Oh well, they have to deal with their decision for the next few years. I hope they learn their lesson and I hope other people inclined to vote GOP look at Youngkin and see what they are truly gonna get if they vote GOP. Culture war division and a complete abdication of the responsibility of governing and caring for the people.


----------



## ronntaylor

SuperMatt said:


> Apparently, Glenn Youngkin‘s anti-mask, anti-CRT executive orders are very unpopular in Virginia. As a response, he is already having to print an op-ed in the Washington Post as damage control.
> 
> The shiny happy people routine of Youngkin convinced VA voters that he was something other than a Trump acolyte. Turns out, he absolutely is one. Oh well, they have to deal with their decision for the next few years. *I hope they learn their lesson and I hope other people inclined to vote GOP look at Youngkin and see what they are truly gonna get if they vote GOP.* Culture war division and a complete abdication of the responsibility of governing and caring for the people.



The nuts across the street from us down here in Virginia were complaining about him. Maybe y'all should have thought about his rhetoric before proudly displaying his yard signs last election cycle. They mostly care about and are swayed by promises of low/lower taxes. Everything else is so-what territory. Youngkin had the added bonus of fighting the frightful CRT/negroes & negro lovers (of course, not the polite version of the word that many use).


----------



## SuperMatt

ronntaylor said:


> The nuts across the street from us down here in Virginia were complaining about him. Maybe y'all should have thought about his rhetoric before proudly displaying his yard signs last election cycle. They mostly care about and are swayed by promises of low/lower taxes. Everything else is so-what territory. Youngkin had the added bonus of fighting the frightful CRT/negroes & negro lovers (of course, not the polite version of the word that many use).



Well, there is more fallout from his anti-CRT executive orders and subsequent op-ed in the Post…



			https://wapo.st/3rTGoR7
		

(paywall removed)



> Not only is Virginia’s new Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin banning the fictional menace of critical race theory from public schools, but he’s also turning the commonwealth into a little Stasi State. He’s setting up a tip line so parents can report to the government any school official they consider to be teaching something “divisive.”





> Youngkin, a professed fan of public school parents’ rights, exercised his own parental rights not to send his children to Virginia public schools but rather to National Cathedral School and St. Albans School, twin private all-girl and all-boy schools in D.C. under the auspices of the Episcopal Church.
> National Cathedral’s website listed Youngkin as a member of its governing board from 2016 through 2019, and he was chair of its finance committee. To their credit, both National Cathedral and St. Albans were, during that time, leaders in developing anti-racism teachings, even before the murder of George Floyd heightened national awareness of systemic racism. Youngkin’s spokeswoman, Macaulay Porter, said that Youngkin “stepped off the board after 2019” and that both schools “changed a lot over the years.”



Yep, he’s setting up thought police to prevent Virginians’ kids from learning about racism in American history, while sitting on the board of (and sending his own kids to) a school that is quite progressive in doing the exact thing he is banning.

“Rules for thee but not for me…” Youngkin’s hypocrisy has been exposed.

A minor follow up:



> Youngkin said in a statement, “If localities want to have a mask mandate, they absolutely are able to. However, parents have a right to opt out. They know what is best for their kids.”



Perhaps he doesn’t know what the word “mandate“ means. Ain’t much of a mandate if anybody can simply choose to ignore it.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

We uncovered the impact of GOP voting restrictions in one key state. It's staggering.
					

In Georgia’s most recent elections, voters were disenfranchised at an alarming rate.




					www.motherjones.com


----------



## JayMysteri0

Your daily reminder that the agenda includes doing nothing that would improve things

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1487085087254528006/



> Pittsburgh Bridge Collapses Hours Before Biden Infrastructure Visit
> 
> 
> At least 10 people sustained non-life-threatening injuries, officials said. According to an analysis, addressing the structural issues of Pittsburgh’s nearly 450 bridges would cost $458 million.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com





> PITTSBURGH — In the City of Bridges, it was not a standout. The bridge, four lanes of Forbes Avenue raised on a steel frame over a picturesque wooded ravine, carried traffic to and from the neighborhoods on the city’s East End. It was around 50 years old and, according to inspectors, in poor condition, but even by these measures was not particularly exceptional in Pittsburgh.
> 
> Then on Friday morning, hours before President Biden was scheduled to visit the city to discuss the condition of the country’s infrastructure, the bridge collapsed into the snowy hollow below. At least 10 people were injured, four of them seriously enough to require hospital attention, according to a hospital spokeswoman. But no one was killed and officials said that none of the injuries were life-threatening.
> 
> For a bridge that is routinely crowded with traffic in morning and evening rush hours, this was especially fortunate. The timing of the collapse — around 6:45 a.m. — and the fact that city schools were opening two hours late because of snow were partially to thank for that.
> 
> When the bridge fell, said Darryl Jones, the Pittsburgh fire chief, only four cars and a bus — carrying a driver and two passengers — were on it. He described a challenging rescue operation, with emergency workers rappelling down into the snowy ravine and then setting up “a daisy chain with hands just grabbing people and pulling them up.” The collapse ruptured a gas line that was quickly shut off, Chief Jones said, but it left a pungent odor lingering in the area throughout the morning.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1487123015926116354/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GOP Rep. Thomas Massie attacks Dr. Fauci — by quoting neo-Nazi convicted for child porn
					

Rep. Thomas Massie tweets "Voltaire" quote against Fauci — it really comes from a Nazi with child-porn conviction




					www.salon.com
				




I'm not even  over the wrong source of the quote, it's the balls of any Republican in office using "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize" as a warning about the left.  Does anybody in that party own a mirror?


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1488155324125261831/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1488155324125261831/




I think by their estimates the end result is going to be white people skipping down Main St. while minorities are getting arrested, deported and their businesses shut down in the background. And that’s going to solve everything. Also, somehow the minorities they are friends with will be immune from this action and will experience no difficulties in this system. The government will just know they are one of the good ones.


----------



## lizkat

The fact that Trump is still around -- not just around but still holding rallies and talking trash and inciting his followers to more of the same sh^t some of them pulled on January 6th 2021--  makes me so crazy that when I see a tweet like this from LIz Cheney I have actually caught myself (and more than once) thinking of her as a moderate Republican and so wishing there were still more "like her" around in the Republican Party.

​
Liz Cheney is in fact not a moderate Republican but a very traditional conservative, which of course only lends more weight to how far off the mark from principled conservativism Donald Trump really is, never mind the party that has followed him down the rabbit holes of narcissistic strongman inclinations.

Her tweet though, is on the money for any sane readers,  and also vexing,  because it only highlights some of the loopholes in our justice system that are there for the expessed purpose of protecting the rights of the accused.     Trump knows all those loopholes and he _*would *_do it all over again and yet he's unlikely to land in jail --even though basically having incited a treasonous coup. 

 It's beyond farce and tragedy both that Trump abuses spirit of the law in the hope of taking democracy down.   But it's mostly sad that his followers think their willingness to help him do that is an expression of democratic values.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> The fact that Trump is still around -- not just around but still holding rallies and talking trash and inciting his followers to more of the same sh^t some of them pulled on January 6th 2021--  makes me so crazy that when I see a tweet like this from LIz Cheney I have actually caught myself (and more than once) thinking of her as a moderate Republican and so wishing there were still more "like her" around in the Republican Party.
> 
> View attachment 11474​
> Liz Cheney is in fact not a moderate Republican but a very traditional conservative, which of course only lends more weight to how far off the mark from principled conservativism Donald Trump really is, never mind the party that has followed him down the rabbit holes of narcissistic strongman inclinations.
> 
> Her tweet though, is on the money for any sane readers,  and also vexing,  because it only highlights some of the loopholes in our justice system that are there for the expessed purpose of protecting the rights of the accused.     Trump knows all those loopholes and he _*would *_do it all over again and yet he's unlikely to land in jail --even though basically having incited a treasonous coup.
> 
> It's beyond farce and tragedy both that Trump abuses spirit of the law in the hope of taking democracy down.   But it's mostly sad that his followers think their willingness to help him do that is an expression of democratic values.




Trump's worst enemy in the 2024 election will be Trump, and let's hope that with a sense of poetic justice he'll go down with similar Hillary Clinton "I'll just let my experience and record speak for itself" miscalculation failure.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Trump's worst enemy in the 2024 election will be Trump, and let's hope that with a sense of poetic justice he'll go down with similar Hillary Clinton "I'll just let my experience and record speak for itself" miscalculation failure.




Hah, why wait until 2024 to hope for some failures in the pro-Trump rosters along the campaign trails?     2022 is already looking better for GOP primary candidates _*not*_ endorsed by Trump, if you go by fundraising for midterms.









						Trump’s Favorite Candidates Are Getting Crushed in Fundraising
					

All the candidates Trump endorsed against GOP incumbents—and many of his open-seat endorsements—are getting smoked in fundraising by their opponents.




					www.vice.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> Hah, why wait until 2024 to hope for some failures in the pro-Trump rosters along the campaign trails?     2022 is already looking better for GOP primary candidates _*not*_ endorsed by Trump, if you go by fundraising for midterms.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Trump’s Favorite Candidates Are Getting Crushed in Fundraising
> 
> 
> All the candidates Trump endorsed against GOP incumbents—and many of his open-seat endorsements—are getting smoked in fundraising by their opponents.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.vice.com





I’m not sure about funding amounts on this, but I heard some of his supporters were mad at him for endorsing candidates who weren’t the most insane one running, still insane but not enough for his supporters. I really hope these “too insane for even Trump” candidates aren’t the ones killing it in funding.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I’m not sure about funding amounts on this, but I heard some of his supporters were mad at him for endorsing candidates who weren’t the most insane one running, still insane but not enough for his supporters. I really hope these “too insane for even Trump” candidates aren’t the ones killing it in funding.




I hope so too.  I've misplaced my rose-colored specs, so I won't say that I assume the incumbent Rs are raising most of the dough.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> I hope so too.  I've misplaced my rose-colored specs, so I won't say that I assume the incumbent Rs are raising most of the dough.





You’d like to hope these donors realize that civil war isn’t good for business, but these are the same people who for 40 years seem aloof to the fact that the money trickled down from their economics magically appears in their bank accounts and that people might be aware of or mad about that. They don’t seem to have the gift for long-term negative outcome for the masses prediction. And I guess who can blame them as the government has largely kept them shielded from such unpleasantness….so far.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> You’d like to hope these donors realize that civil war isn’t good for business...




This.    Some of them are waking up pretty belatedly.  All those times they may have posed for photo-ops somewhere when *federal largesse* was behind a grant,  but the only people in the newspaper photos were local GOP officials and maybe a Republican state senator, all of whom were on record for decades as vehemently opposed to taxation (local or otherwise)  and to _*federal spending*_ bills.

Trump has stirred up fake civil war readiness among people deliberately held in ignorance of how the US economy actually works, for ill or for good, all these years. But to elect Donald Trump's anti-democratic picks in 2022 GOP primaries is not a solution.  Those guys still want to burn all the barns down  and then go in 2024 with a strongman to "fix this place up"  --  and some of the incumbent Rs are not quite THAT crazy.  It's probably why they'll win their primaries,  and almost certainly why their fundraising is stronger.  It's not just their incumbency.  It's their stronger grip on reality and on the practical aspects of running a business or investing in the markets.  None of those endeavors likes anarchy.

Most Americans with a dime to give to pols don't want to burn the barns down.  Our system is a mess but it still beats a fascist dictatorship hands down.  Businessmen in the USA complain about over-regulation, but they do not favor anarchy.  The businessmen sucked in by Trump are starting to make the distinction,  thanks to his crazier followers, and their wakeup call surely began on January 6, 2021.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Russia's calling again.  

Who's answering?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1488863281821356033/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1488933744354504707/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1488937713218826243/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1488938145634828296/


----------



## JayMysteri0

> A butterfly conservatory is shutting down due to right-wing harassment
> 
> 
> The National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, has been embroiled in political turmoil after fighting against the erection of a border wall.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.npr.org





> The butterflies will fly no more — or not in public view, anyway.
> 
> The National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, has announced that it's closing its doors "for the immediate future" after ongoing harassment directed at employees and the center itself.
> 
> The center, a nonprofit nature reserve nestled near the U.S.-Mexico border, unwittingly became the subject of conservative conspiracy theories and political conflict in recent years, having been locked in a years-long legal battle with the Trump administration and We Build the Wall regarding a planned border wall.
> 
> The harassment grew so great that it led the board of directors of the North American Butterfly Association, which owns and operates the butterfly center, to decide on Tuesday to close the center's doors, according to a statement released Wednesday.
> 
> "The safety of our staff and visitors is our primary concern," Jeffrey Glassberg, the NABA's president and founder, said in the news release. "We look forward to reopening, soon, when the authorities and professionals who are helping us navigate this situation give us the green light."
> 
> Though it is unclear when or if the center will reopen, employees will continue to be paid in the interim, according to Wednesday's release.





> The National Butterfly Center filed a lawsuit in 2017 after the Trump administration allegedly began construction of a wall, using chainsaws to destroy trees and other plant life, on center-owned property without permission. The 100-acre property is home to lush gardens and endangered plant life, as well as numerous nature trails that are the natural habitats of the more than 200 species of butterflies that live there.
> 
> If efforts to build a border wall on the center's property were to continue, it would greatly damage the environment and potentially harm numerous endangered species, the center has said. It would also essentially leave the center's property divided, NPR previously reported.
> 
> The center's closure announcement comes on the heels of a previous three-day shutdown Jan. 28 to 30 due to safety concerns. In a public statement, the center cited "credible threats" it was made aware of in relation to We Stand America, a right-wing rally set to be happening that same weekend in McAllen, Texas.


----------



## GermanSuplex

If Trump could ever manage to resemble the president Biden is today (literally today - I watched his jobs report speech and am watching him engage union workers in Maryland), he could have easily been a popular president with bi-partisan support. It’s so refreshing to have a sane and rational person who respects blue collar workers in the White House.

Sadly, republicans have learned they can turn out the majority of their supporters, even if they are a minority of Americans, and win on divisive social issues, many of them manufactured,


----------



## Huntn

Confirmation that the GOP is the maniacal POS political party. Yeah, I know it’s complicated maintaining “conservative” goals, keeping liberals at bay, it’s worth selling your soul to get your way.  This stands unrefutable, undeniable, unspinable. If you are a real patriot there is simply no way you can condone such a position from a political party who claims to be patriots. Carpet baggers, yes, patriots no.

G.O.P. Declares Jan. 6 Attack ‘Legitimate Political Discourse’​








						G.O.P. Declares Jan. 6 Attack ‘Legitimate Political Discourse’
					

The Republican National Committee voted to censure Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for participating in the inquiry into the deadly riot at the Capitol.




					www.nytimes.com
				




The Republican National Committee voted to censure Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for participating in the inquiry into the deadly riot at the Capitol.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Huntn said:


> Confirmation that the GOP is the maniacal POS political party. Yeah, I know it’s complicated maintaining “conservative” goals, keeping liberals at bay, it’s worth selling your soul to get your way.  This stands unrefutable, undeniable, unspinable. If you are a real patriot there is simply no way you can condone such a position from a political party who claims to be patriots. Carpet baggers, yes, patriots no.
> 
> G.O.P. Declares Jan. 6 Attack ‘Legitimate Political Discourse’​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> G.O.P. Declares Jan. 6 Attack ‘Legitimate Political Discourse’
> 
> 
> The Republican National Committee voted to censure Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for participating in the inquiry into the deadly riot at the Capitol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Republican National Committee voted to censure Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for participating in the inquiry into the deadly riot at the Capitol.




This is the same RNC that originally denounced the attacks and violence.

They are heading towards a nasty in-fight. I think they will eventually discard Trump the moment it’s politically expedient to do so, and then they’ll move back towards the center far quicker than they’ve made this lurch into a cult of personality centered around a single person’s ego.

At least that’s my hope. Pence got a standing ovation after denouncing Trump’s assertion that he could have overturned the election. That’s a good sign. Not that I have a lot of love for Pence, who was part of the reason he found himself in the crosshairs of Trump’s scheme and his violent insurrectionists.


----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1489364161440231426/

"We're all making choices"

WTF does that mean?

How about making right choices for those around you & your fellow citizens?


----------



## Huntn

GermanSuplex said:


> This is the same RNC that originally denounced the attacks and violence.
> 
> They are heading towards a nasty in-fight. I think they will eventually discard Trump the moment it’s politically expedient to do so, and then they’ll move back towards the center far quicker than they’ve made this lurch into a cult of personality centered around a single person’s ego.
> 
> At least that’s my hope. Pence got a standing ovation after denouncing Trump’s assertion that he could have overturned the election. That’s a good sign. Not that I have a lot of love for Pence, who was part of the reason he found himself in the crosshairs of Trump’s scheme and his violent insurrectionists.



They were talking about this on MSNBC, that Trump pushed both Pence and Bar to their breaking point, and although they both demeaned and corrupted themselves in his name, they finally broke away.

Still the most depressing is that we arguably have 40% of the country, with the “right” motivation who are willing to support this kind of poisonous garbage if they think they will be rewarded with a personal advantage as their prejudices are fed.

After the 1950-60s-70s almost an Age of Enlightenment when it comes to Civil Rights and LGBT progress, after 200 years of disgraceful behavior (legacy of slavery and racial oppression) it is almost completely surreal that the GOP exists today as it exists, and has broad support, the extent to which liberal ideas, ideas that actually support democracy and the Constitution, something as basic as level playing fields and equality, separation of Church and State and real Religious freedom (freedom from religion if you so desire) makes a substantial portion of our citizens choke as if they  are being held down made to swallow motor oil.

These people are pretenders, they talk the good talk when it comes to “American Ideals” and patriotism, support of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution while behind the scenes they are actively gutting these professed standards, cloaked in nonsensical double speak, or are cheerleading for it to happen in their political corner, while hoping no one notices before it’s too late. It’s as if they want to live an illusion, pretending they are good  people, while actually feeding their dark selfishness.

This is national corruption when freedom becomes my freedom at your expense, when my religious freedom allows me to walk all over you, when my views frequently based on ignorance, racism, xenophobia, and my preferred religious fantasy, are the only important consideration and alternative opinions are to be actively squashed to the point that Democracy no longer exists, but _I get my way_ or very likely after the shit has dropped _I was so blinded, I had no idea this is what I’d end up with._

There is one huge thing Trump did for the country. He made it very clear, the true state of affairs, he tore off the veneer, and you can see all of the cockroaches scurrying about their work. He successfully encouraged all of the anti-democratic racist, philosophical fascists to stop hiding and present themselves to the country and the world letting  us know what an illusion and fantasy the Beacon On The Hill actually is.


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1489364161440231426/
> 
> "We're all making choices"
> 
> WTF does that mean?
> 
> How about making right choices for those around you & your fellow citizens?



It means what a clever way of saying _Fuck You._


----------



## JayMysteri0

It does seem like a repeated thing, that the more vocal republicans seem to have a problem with documented history they don't care for.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1489702277048946698/


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1489994634994593797/

AMEN!

Keep in mind Mr. "corporations are people too", isn't the only coward standing off to the side while others take the bullets for what they all stood for once upon a time on Jan 6th.

It isn't just about the party whose committee excommunicated two other 'r's for wanting to really know what happened, it's about those like musco & the corporate freedom fighter who've stood by and let it happen.


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> It does seem like a repeated thing, that the more vocal republicans seem to have a problem with documented history they don't care for.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1489702277048946698/



Reference the image: One way, anti-democratic, anti-equality, anti-Constitutional, Wanna-Be Facist LOSERS. The types who cause advanced civilizations to destroy themselves. Is there any surprise this group is composed all White Racist, Exceedingly Male,  My Precioussss, LOSERS? No, no surprise.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1490704944218972161/


----------



## JayMysteri0

FFS
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1490726818227408902/


> National Archives seized 15 BOXES of official records from Trump home
> 
> 
> The documents and gifts, which should have been turned over to The National Archives at the end of Donald Trump's presidency, were retrieved by the agency from his Mar-a-Lago estate.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.dailymail.co.uk





> *Documents related to a president's official duties must be handed to the National Archives at the end of their presidency*
> *Archives personnel found boxes of official documents at Trump's Florida home*
> *This raises questions about Trump's adherence to Presidential Records Act *
> *Documents were handed over to the panel probing the January 6 Capitol riot after the Supreme Court denies Trump's attempt to block their release *
> *Trump had a habit of ripping up official documents, causing his staff to have to tape them together or be turned over to the National Archives in pieces *
> *A weekend report revealed Trump also had documents put in burn bags to be incinerated at the Pentagon rather than preserved*








"I'm the most transparent president in history"

"Improperly removed"


----------



## SuperMatt

Trump regularly and intentionally destroyed documents as President, in clear violation of the law, as outlined in this Washington Post article that was mentioned in the above post... here it is:



			https://wapo.st/3suTFjA
		

(paywall removed)



> Former president Donald Trump was known inside the White House for his unusual and potentially unlawful habit of tearing presidential records into shreds and tossing them on the floor — creating a headache for records management analysts who meticulously used Scotch tape to piece together fragments of paper that were sometimes as small as confetti, as Politico reported in 2018.
> But despite the Presidential Records Act — which requires the preservation of memos, letters, notes, emails, faxes and other written communications related to a president’s official duties — the former president’s infrangible shredding practices apparently continued well into the latter stages of his presidency.





> The National Archives on Monday took the unusual step of confirming the habit, saying in a statement that records turned over from the Trump White House “included paper records that had been torn up by former President Trump.” The statement came in response to a question from The Washington Post about whether some Jan. 6-related records had been ripped up and taped back together.





> Some of the documents turned over by the White House had not been reconstructed at all, according to the Archives.




So, this illegal document destruction is not being covered at all by right-wing media. That’s funny, I seem to recall them being VERY ANGRY when somebody tore up a couple pieces of paper one time:

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1225255448745533440/









						'Illegal' for Pelosi to tear up State of the Union speech, Trump claims
					

Republicans claim the Speaker violated the law by destroying an official document.




					abcnews.go.com
				




So, it was supposedly illegal for her to tear up a copy of a speech, but not a peep out of them on this latest Trump story. Color me shocked... 

I will be waiting with bated breath for Matt Gaetz to make sure Trump is held accountable for this, since “nobody is above the law” as he suggested then.


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> FFS
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1490726818227408902/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "I'm the most transparent president in history"
> 
> "Improperly removed"



Transparently corrupt, degenerative POS, and sad excuse for a humanoid-like entity, yes, that’s true.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Allow me to introduce you to a rabbit hole you can find yourself when an idiot speaks...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1490853141872771072/



> Madison Cawthorn & wife to divorce after less than a year wed as he blames job
> 
> 
> MADISON Cawthorn has announced he is divorcing his wife of less than a year and has blamed his role in Congress for the split. The Republican, 26, split up with Cristina Bayardelle after the pair w…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.the-sun.com




Seems he didn't need the left for his marriage, just his new job.

So what's the rabbit hole?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1490854333037965312/



> Conspiracy theorists are convinced Madison Cawthorn married a Russian spy
> 
> 
> Conspiracy theories about Russia and spies fly after clip resurfaces of Madison Cawthorn sharing how he met his now ew-wife.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.dailydot.com





> Earlier this month, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) revealed that he and his wife are splitting after seven months of marriage. The story attracted relatively little interest.
> 
> A resurfaced clip of Cawthorn talking about how the pair met has turned far more heads than their breakup. People are speculating that the circumstances may even be a national security concern. Cawthorn has characterized the accusations as outrageous and false. There’s no evidence that the speculation is anything but that.
> 
> Left-leaning conspiracy theorists wasted no time leaping on the rumors, however. In their minds, Cawthorn’s ex is a foreign spy and he is her target. This theory doesn’t make a lot of sense and there’s no evidence other than the admittedly strange circumstances of how and where they met to back it up.





> In an appearance on the Daily Caller, Cawthorn said that he met an American Army captain in a Russian casino while on vacation.
> 
> “We hit it off, created a really great relationship, and stayed in contact for about a year and a half.”
> 
> Later, while in Miami, Florida, the Army captain invited him to participate in a CrossFit competition.





> “It all was a sham. It was a fake CrossFit competition. He just wanted to put me in the same room with the girl who was eventually going to be my fiancée,” Cawthorn said.
> 
> “We did. Her and I hit it off. And it’s been a magical relationship ever since.”
> 
> “Madison Cawthorn’s divorce just went from boring information to national security concern,” tweeted Grant Stern, executive editor of Occupy Democrats.
> 
> “This does not sound a normal meet-cute story whatsoever. Very few of these stories involving Russia are,” Stern added.






You can't make this shit up.  These nut jobs make my tiny brain hurt.

Ah well, MAYBE their stupidity will catch up to them



> Madison Cawthorn backed the Capitol attack. Will he be barred from office? | Jan-Werner Müller
> 
> 
> We should be cautious about barring people from seeking office. But in the case of pro-insurrectionists, there is a very strong case
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.theguardian.com


----------



## JayMysteri0

The hypocrisy & irony






Burn bags?

If you can't be held responsible for violating a law for presidents SPECIFICALLY, what law can this guy be held responsible for?


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> The hypocrisy & irony
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Burn bags?
> 
> If you can't be held responsible for violating a law for presidents SPECIFICALLY, what law can this guy be held responsible for?



Hence my pessimism. We have a Congress stocked with law breaking condoners for political advantage. Is there any reason I shouldn’t say we‘re fucked?


----------



## JayMysteri0

Huntn said:


> Hence my pessimism. We have a Congress stocked with law breaking condoners for political advantage. Is there any reason I shouldn’t say we‘re fucked?



This isn't a congressional thing though.

This is a cut & dry violation of the law.

This is the Dept of Justice NOT wanting to do their job thing.

Each record carries supposedly a 3 year jail term.  Out of deference though, because all presidents have violated this rule in some small way nothing is ever noted.  

UNTIL you take 15 boxes of records & have a noted history of destroying records because you DON'T want any records.

This has to be followed up with, even if it's just insultingly fines.  Otherwise we further the slide of the office being used in the future in more authoritarian ways.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> This isn't a congressional thing though.
> 
> This is a cut & dry violation of the law.
> 
> This is the Dept of Justice NOT wanting to do their job thing.
> 
> Each record carries supposedly a 3 year jail term.  Out of deference though, because all presidents have violated this rule in some small way nothing is ever noted.
> 
> UNTIL you take 15 boxes of records & have a noted history of destroying records because you DON'T want any records.
> 
> This has to be followed up with, even if it's just insultingly fines.  Otherwise we further the slide of the office being used in the future in more authoritarian ways.




I think there’s a lot of people in government agencies who aren’t doing their job because they are scared of getting assaulted by a Trump supporter or they actually agree with them. At best the government decided that there are enough violence threatening fascists in the country that they should be respected and represented. Even if you agree with that conclusion, would they do the same if it was determined there is a big voter base of Islamic extremists or Black Panthers? Somehow I think they would manage to roll in the red carpet in those scenarios and clamp down hard on those groups.

It seems you can get away with all kinds of lawbreaking if you're white and the government determines your minions are a big enough threat.  That's the point where we start negotiating with terrorists.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I think there’s a lot of people in government agencies who aren’t doing their job because they are scared of getting assaulted by a Trump supporter or they actually agree with them. At best the government decided that there are enough violence threatening fascists in the country that they should be respected and represented. Even if you agree with that conclusion, would they do the same if it was determined there is a big voter base of Islamic extremists or Black Panthers? Somehow I think they would manage to roll in the red carpet in those scenarios and clamp down hard on those groups.
> 
> It seems you can get away with all kinds of lawbreaking if you're white and the government determines your minions are a big enough threat.  That's the point where we start negotiating with terrorists.



I get that, but we are talking Merrick Garland & co.  Some of the most protected people in the world with the ultimate gang behind them if you consider messing with them.  Threats of violence I don't believe are a concern.  I think it's a belief in upsetting old norms that the 45th president can't be bothered with.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1491073671934656513/

This administration had been a grift since the escalator ride down, and the idea that there's no responsibility for it is sickening.


----------



## SuperMatt

Legitimate Political Discourse, the TV Show:


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> I get that, but we are talking Merrick Garland & co.  Some of the most protected people in the world with the ultimate gang behind them if you consider messing with them.  Threats of violence I don't believe are a concern.  I think it's a belief in upsetting old norms that the 45th president can't be bothered with.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1491073671934656513/
> 
> This administration had been a grift since the escalator ride down, and the idea that there's no responsibility for it is sickening.




I’ll include whispering of a civil war with threats of violence. You can’t tell me Trump’s popularity with some groups of people doesn’t weigh in on what legal actions are being considered and at what rate. On some level that’s the essence of politics and stability, real or perceived. At every possible turn Trump and his supporters are constantly pushing what is legal and a right to their absolute limits which includes blatant lies being perfectly legal.

I fear the only lessons that are going to come from Trump are going to be bad ones on what you can get away with.


----------



## SuperMatt

There was a good interview with NY Times reporter Jeremy Peters about how we got from Pat Buchanan in 1992 to Sarah Palin in 2008 to the Tea Party in 2010 to Trump in 2016.









						How did the Republican Party become the party of Trump?
					

New York Times reporter Jeremy Peters says the religious right and social conservatives "got basically everything that they wanted" from Trump's presidency. Peters' new book is Insurgency.




					www.npr.org
				




Short version: The GOP platform of lower taxes and regulations for big corporations was extremely unpopular. The “Bush” wing of the party was reaching out to see what policies they could adopt to attract minority voters. The right wing of the party went straight to racial animus and “if the Democrats won it’s only because they cheated.” Interesting note: Roger Ailes of Fox News reportedly told Romney after losing in 2012 that it was because of Democrats cheating... so this narrative has been years in the making.


----------



## SuperMatt

Here’s a sign that Trump is losing support within his party.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1491135618910670851/

McConnell is siding with Cheney and Kinzinger. History has shown that Mitch only cares about holding onto power, so this is a strong sign that the GOP feels that Trump is hurting more than helping so far in 2022.

If Trump becomes a boat anchor that drags on the party, I do not shed a single tear for any of them, especially Mitch. He had the chance to convict the former President in 2 impeachment trials, preventing him from ever running again... and chose to defend him instead.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Elderly Florida voters registered as Republicans without consent
					

Elderly Florida residents say canvassers in GOP hats changed registrations without their knowledge in voting "scam."




					www.salon.com


----------



## GermanSuplex

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Elderly Florida voters registered as Republicans without consent
> 
> 
> Elderly Florida residents say canvassers in GOP hats changed registrations without their knowledge in voting "scam."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com




I posted about this in another thread. Pretty brazen, and unlike this mystery voter fraud of 2020 where millions of fishy ballots supposedly cost Trump the election, a couple reporters with a microphone uncovered more suspicious behavior in just a location or two.

We are entering a realm where skirting the laws, lying and simply using semantics that defies logic works on conservatives (BLM riots = burning down cities, Jan. 6 = “legitimate political discourse).

The only way this trend of disinformation, lies and lawlessness ends is if we have republicans who put principles above winning at all costs and start winning. I do think a GOP cleansing can gain steam, but it’s going to take them to start joining voices to denounce and discard Trump, and start propping up whatever principled conservatives they have left (there aren’t many).


----------



## SuperMatt

Because with Trump you know it can always get worse…



> The National Archives and Records Administration discovered what it believed was *classified information* in documents Donald J. Trump had taken with him from the White House as he left office, according to a person briefed on the matter.




Sure, just leave cardboard boxes full of classified information laying around Mar-a-Lago. Why not?

As for a unique ”memento” of Trump’s time as President, they also found this infamous map:



Trump might want to listen to this lecture about how it’s criminal to be negligent with government documents, especially classified ones:

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1491236780200558594/


----------



## lizkat

SuperMatt said:


> Here’s a sign that Trump is losing support within his party.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1491135618910670851/
> 
> McConnell is siding with Cheney and Kinzinger. History has shown that Mitch only cares about holding onto power, so this is a strong sign that the GOP feels that Trump is hurting more than helping so far in 2022.
> 
> If Trump becomes a boat anchor that drags on the party, I do not shed a single tear for any of them, especially Mitch. He had the chance to convict the former President in 2 impeachment trials, preventing him from ever running again... and chose to defend him instead.




McConnell is extremely cynical and self-serving when it comes to his own career, but on party matters and as a party leader his style has been that of a pulse taker and not an impulsive heart-attack maker.   So, I'd say this is one of those milestones along the way for Republicans still confused about whether you can get lost on a straight road.  The answer is yeah but only if you're still trying to follow the wrong gods home.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I fear the only lessons that are going to come from Trump are going to be bad ones on what you can get away with.




I still buy that "it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings."   She's not even warmed up yet when it comes to how that insurrection plays out versus points of law --letter and spirit-- in the USA.    What happened there was a set of crimes unlike any others this country has experienced in its history.

We don't know what the lessons are yet,  because the consequences have not yet stopped playing out.    There are members of the previous administration as well as some in the current and previous Congress who should be nervous about their own outcomes in this debacle.

And ok, maybe right now, no one really believes  that neo-Teflon Donnie will finally find out that all nonstick pans eventually lose their surface appeal.  I mean he has endured two impeachments and yet a party complicit in his blatantly pre-arranged acquittals in the Senate still hesitates to call him out on the part he played in the plotting to overturn a free and fair Presidential election.    Trump has long made Nixon's attempts to go around the Constitution look like a daycare cookie break.   Nixon's reputation has probably been jacked up a few points thanks to The Don...

So yeah,  Trump will have left an indelible stain on the fabric of our democracy and in particular on the shreds of the current version of the Republican Party.   It remains to be seen if the party can redeem itself or has to cede its tarnished banner to the Trump cult and regroup entirely.

You do have a point in that if there's no serious effort to reform the GOP, no clear renunciation of the power-at-any-cost path that has so lowered that party's standards and even their ability to formulate coherent policy,  and if voters don't just blow them out of the water at the polls over that,   then we haven't learned jack and our democracy is in serious trouble.  Probably not civil war though.   More like apathy,  and so more opportunity for more grifters and self-serving strongmen to rise to power, and from either side of the aisle.

 I still don't think we'll have learned only those bad ways to operate in the wake of Trump's anomalous presidency.   Even now the Congress is addressing with seriousness some vulnerabilities of the electoral college system and looking to close them up.   And it's not just Democrats looking to fix those issues.   Republicans too realize we can't have another near miss on peaceful transfer of power,  in part simply because language related to our election law is a little vague here and there.


----------



## GermanSuplex

I think republicans are gearing up for a huge intra-party fight. I don’t think Trump will be able to win a primary against a Republican who is not afraid of him. Trump and his sycophants wonder how Biden defeated Trump with little enthusiasm. Well, there are plenty of people who are passionate about beating Trump. I think McConnell knows this. A referendum on Trump is a winning strategy for democrats. Should
be interesting to see how this plays out.


----------



## Huntn

GermanSuplex said:


> I think republicans are gearing up for a huge intra-party fight. I don’t think Trump will be able to win a primary against a Republican who is not afraid of him. Trump and his sycophants wonder how Biden defeated Trump with little enthusiasm. Well, there are plenty of people who are passionate about beating Trump. I think McConnell knows this. A referendum on Trump is a winning strategy for democrats. Should
> be interesting to see how this plays out.



…with Trump in jail as we welcome MTG to the White House, where she issues an immediate  pardon.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Joe Walsh on what the left doesn't get: TrumpWorld "would happily burn this country down"
					

"I'm responsible for Trump," says former GOP congressman. Now he's here to warn us: The danger isn't going away




					www.salon.com
				




"I hear from thousands of Republican voters every single day. If there's one message that I try to convey to the MSNBC viewers of the world, it is the following: These people, the Trump folks, the Republican voters of today, they would happily burn this country down to get the country they want. They would happily do it. And they tell me that. I don't think the folks who watch CNN and MSNBC every night really understand that fact.

There is an echo-chamber effect among Democrats, liberals and progressives, the NPR and MSNBC types. They refuse to accept that the people living in TrumpWorld and the MAGAverse really believe what they are being told. Those Trumpists don't think they are sick. They don't think they're confused. They don't think they're lost. They think that you folks, the Democrats, the "liberals,"  are the sick and confused ones. The MAGAverse is the real world to them, and all your interventions will not help them."


----------



## Thomas Veil

GermanSuplex said:


> I don’t think Trump will be able to win a primary against a Republican who is not afraid of him.



What scares me about that is, his only  potential competitors in the Republican Party are as crazy as he is. 

*Any* R in the White House will be a disaster. Trump could at least be _occasionally_ talked out of taking some disasterous course of action, largely because there were some still establishment types on his staff who feared the consequences. If DeSantis gets in I’ve no doubt he’ll bring a bunch of his Florida friends who have no idea how Washington and the Constitution work and who frankly don’t care. The kinds of edicts DeSantis is issuing now will become presidential orders, with the full force of a Justice Department run by somebody like Madison Cawthorne.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Thomas Veil said:


> What scares me about that is, his only  potential competitors in the Republican Party are as crazy as he is.
> 
> *Any* R in the White House will be a disaster. Trump could at least be _occasionally_ talked out of taking some disasterous course of action, largely because there were some still establishment types on his staff who feared the consequences. If DeSantis gets in I’ve no doubt he’ll bring a bunch of his Florida friends who have no idea how Washington and the Constitution work and who frankly don’t care. The kinds of edicts DeSantis is issuing now will become presidential orders, with the full force of a Justice Department run by somebody like Madison Cawthorne.




The only real opposing solution to this as I see it is passing popular legislation, and well, we know how that is going.  People are exhausted (which is a fascist playbook staple) and they need to be given a legitimate positive proven results alternative.  

As the article I posted above says, Democrats, from voters to politicians aren't taking the threat seriously.   They either don't want to believe it or they think it's something the establishment status quo can successfully counter.  It sure as fuck can not.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Joe Walsh on what the left doesn't get: TrumpWorld "would happily burn this country down"
> 
> 
> "I'm responsible for Trump," says former GOP congressman. Now he's here to warn us: The danger isn't going away
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "I hear from thousands of Republican voters every single day. If there's one message that I try to convey to the MSNBC viewers of the world, it is the following: These people, the Trump folks, the Republican voters of today, they would happily burn this country down to get the country they want. They would happily do it. And they tell me that. I don't think the folks who watch CNN and MSNBC every night really understand that fact.
> 
> There is an echo-chamber effect among Democrats, liberals and progressives, the NPR and MSNBC types. They refuse to accept that the people living in TrumpWorld and the MAGAverse really believe what they are being told. Those Trumpists don't think they are sick. They don't think they're confused. They don't think they're lost. They think that you folks, the Democrats, the "liberals," are the sick and confused ones. The MAGAverse is the real world to them, and all your interventions will not help them."




I absolutely believe this. And this sector of republicans make up roughly 30 percent of the country or so.

But that’s still a minority. The question is, how do we galvanize democrats and what moderate republicans and independents are left? The loudest people in the room aren’t the majority of the room. It’s easy to see Trump rallies and things like January 6 as an insurmountable obstacle, but I don’t believe it is. There needs to be a domino effect of shaming Trump and his sycophants. Once that happens, the group will break off, some of them waking up to the fact they were in a cult, some of them may just go back to being moderate or traditional conservatives, and the remain blowhards won’t really matter.

I think the Justice Department indicting and convicting some of these goons like Giuliani, Bannon and any members of congress who actively participated in the events leading up to January 6 could be a good start.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> I absolutely believe this. And this sector of republicans make up roughly 30 percent of the country or so.
> 
> But that’s still a minority. The question is, how do we galvanize democrats and what moderate republicans and independents are left? The loudest people in the room aren’t the majority of the room. It’s easy to see Trump rallies and things like January 6 as an insurmountable obstacle, but I don’t believe it is. There needs to be a domino effect of shaming Trump and his sycophants. Once that happens, the group will break off, some of them waking up to the fact they were in a cult, some of them may just go back to being moderate or traditional conservatives, and the remain blowhards won’t really matter.
> 
> I think the Justice Department indicting and convicting some of these goons like Giuliani, Bannon and any members of congress who actively participated in the events leading up to January 6 could be a good start.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




A major issue is the left-wing establishment media keeps telling Democrat politicians they don’t need to do what actually needs to be done because they are just as corrupt as the politicians, if not more so.  The media doesn't get voted in and out of office.  

“But Machin and Sinema!”. Just stop. Next time they dare to show their face in an interview they need to be slapped with “Here’s a mountain of polls showing your constituents support what you are blocking. Here’s a mountain of reports on your corruption, including with members of your family. This has nothing to do with you being a Democrat or Republican. This has to do with you being one of the most blatantly corrupt and undemocratic members of Congress. You’ve betrayed the party and the country, and as the polls show, your constituents. Please respond with one of your preloaded word salad deflections fed to you by your donors.”

Or some shit.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Despite the inevitable "both sides iz badd" arguments, one thing is indisputable.  There exists an act / rule / law because of the acts of a previously corrupt president, that those afterwards could follow or violated on the smallest scale.  THIS former 2X impeached president that has demonstrated consistently corrupt behavior, took home stuff that belongs to the American people.  A fact this president has demonstrated he will NOT grasp, that the office is for the people NOT the individual.  The office isn't a gift shop.  Classified stuff is supposed to be classified for a reason, and stays.  Not shuttled off because again an individual 1 can't grasp the office of the President isn't a business position where questionable behavior can be hidden from investors with a short walk to the shredder.

The issue remains, the act exists because of previous corruption.  If an act so SPECIFIC can't be enforced on the SPECIFIC persons it's for, what does that tell the next psychopath that slides into office?  Better yet, we hold those in lower positions to even higher standard.  How the 'F' does that makes sense?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1492417090657021956/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1492417095992152066/



> Archives threatened to go to Congress and Justice Department to get Trump to turn over records
> 
> 
> Worried that a trove of White House records that had been brought to Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate contained classified material, a top official in the former President's orbit warned his aides last fall: Do not touch those boxes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cnn.com


----------



## ronntaylor

JayMysteri0 said:


> Despite the inevitable "both sides iz badd" arguments,



Especially coming from so-called progressives. Their heads must hurt as they perform mental gymnastics to avert reality. 48/50 (96%) of Dems in the Senate are trying to pass legislation already passed by a vast majority of/unanimous vote by Dems in the House. Yet all they can do is whine, whine, whine... </end rant>


----------



## JayMysteri0

Da Fuq?!


----------



## JayMysteri0

Not the biggest fan of Lawrence, but have to admit I chuckled watching the first 3 minutes.


----------



## Alli

JayMysteri0 said:


> Not the biggest fan of Lawrence, but have to admit I chuckled watching the first 3 minutes.



I love Lawrence. “Stunning displays of stupidity.”


----------



## Thomas Veil

Man, are people having fun with this.











​


----------



## JayMysteri0

Not to gum up the Super Bowl thread, but some of the further right wing are crushing pearls in their clutches because of the half time show.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1493247285286686720/

You need some laughs look to see why Kid Rock is trending.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1493247949039710209/

Or, Mike Pence

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1493057746542993416/

That commercial with the guys from Community about mixed nuts, really is us in this day & age.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Joe Walsh on what lies ahead: Trump is "sowing a race war" — and his followers love it | Salon.com

I’ve been following Joe’s podcasts for about a year and a half and this is one of the reasons why, a fully repentant former Tea Party representative who takes responsibility and wants to help undo the damage he has done.  

*"How do we locate Barack Obama's presidency, relative to the rise of Trumpism and neofascism?*

I say this as a white guy: Right now in America we are going through a big old course correction in how we look at and talk about our history. I say this as a white guy: I believe that white people need to feel uncomfortable. That does not work with the Republican Party base.

When it comes to Obama, it's a combination of a lot of things. The Tea Party began before Obama. The Tea Party formally began with George W. Bush and all the bailouts and the government spending. But I'm telling you what, Chauncey, because I was right there. This was when I ran for office and I was talking to thousands of those people every day: The election of Barack Obama was pouring gas on the fire that was already there. It was like their final straw. A guy named "Barack Obama" became president. A Black man became president. A guy who seems to love Muslim countries more than America became president. A guy who is a socialist became president. A guy who wants to take over our entire health care system became president. So his election inflamed my base.

*To clarify, none of what you are saying about Obama is true. You are repeating what others said and believed. *

One hundred percent. I've had to apologize for how I inflamed those fears, instead of trying to ease some of these fears.

*What does it mean for you to apologize?*

It means that I'm still young enough that I want to do something about it. There isn't anything more humbling than going on with George Stephanopoulos, on national television, and apologizing for things you said about Obama or things you said about Democrats or apologizing for helping to elect Trump, that bigoted, authoritarian traitor. To go on national TV, as I did night after night, and apologize for my role in all this is very humbling. An apology does not mean a thing unless you do something about it. Whenever I apologize — and I apologize a lot, by the way — it's a call to action. I helped divide the country, now I want to do something to try to bring people together."


----------



## JayMysteri0

Hey kids, 'r's finally found a 'no fly' list they DON'T like.

I wonder why?



> Cruz, other GOP senators oppose no-fly list for convicted unruly passengers
> 
> 
> They say it would be wrong to treat those opposed to wearing masks like terrorists.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> abcnews.go.com





> A group of Republican senators sent a letter to the Justice Department on Tuesday to express "strong opposition" to creating a federal no-fly list for unruly passengers, claiming "the majority of recent infractions on airplanes has been in relation to the mask mandate."
> 
> Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas were among those who signed a letter opposing Delta Airlines' CEO Ed Bastian's, request earlier this month that the DOJ create a "no-fly" list for passengers convicted of federal offenses relating to on-board disruptions.
> 
> 2021 saw a major spike in unruly passengers, with more than 5,981 reported cases, according to the FAA. The agency notes, of those cases, 4290 were mask-related.
> 
> "Creating a federal 'no-fly' list for unruly passengers who are skeptical of this mandate would seemingly equate them to terrorists who seek to actively take the lives of Americans and perpetrate attacks on the homeland," the GOP senators' letter said. "The [Transportation Security Administration] was created in the wake of 9/11 to protect Americans from future horrific attacks, not to regulate human behavior onboard flights."




Oh.


> The senators argued airlines could create their own no-fly lists and refuse services to unruly passengers, but that it would be an overreach for the federal government to do so.
> 
> The senators argued airlines could create their own no-fly lists and refuse services to unruly passengers, but that it would be an overreach for the federal government to do so.




Yes, the airlines could create & their own lists ( which they do ), but isn't that just the airlines being mean to people who are in their feelings about supposed masks?

Also aren't we ignoring that some of those nutters have caused physical harm?  That's a red line full stop right there!  These are NUTTERS, ignore the pandering of protecting the base still in their feelings.  These are people doing harm to others or trying ON A FRIKKIN' FLIGHT!!



> Man tries to open door during Delta flight from SLC to spread his anti-vaccine views
> 
> 
> A man is arrested after he tried to open the door on a Delta flight from SLC to Portland. He said he was trying to spread his anti-COVID vaccine views.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.sltrib.com




These nuts should NOT be on a plane EVER again!

FFS


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Hey kids, 'r's finally found a 'no fly' list they DON'T like.
> 
> I wonder why?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh.
> 
> 
> Yes, the airlines could create & their own lists ( which they do ), but isn't that just the airlines being mean to people who are in their feelings about supposed masks?
> 
> Also aren't we ignoring that some of those nutters have caused physical harm?  That's a red line full stop right there!  These are NUTTERS, ignore the pandering of protecting the base still in their feelings.  These are people doing harm to others or trying ON A FRIKKIN' FLIGHT!!
> 
> 
> 
> These nuts should NOT be on a plane EVER again!
> 
> FFS




When nutters are your entire base and platform you gotta do your best to protect them.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Hey kids, 'r's finally found a 'no fly' list they DON'T like.



They are doing this the same day that they chastised a judicial nominee for not being tough on crime because she worked to get innocent people out of jail?


----------



## SuperMatt

This candidate cuts right to the chase:

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1494332545218928642/

Seldom has somebody been so genius at distilling the Republican platform into so few words. #NailedIt


----------



## fooferdoggie

SuperMatt said:


> This candidate cuts right to the chase:
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1494332545218928642/
> 
> Seldom has somebody been so genius at distilling the Republican platform into so few words. #NailedIt



I think the order may be wrong.


----------



## SuperMatt

fooferdoggie said:


> I think the order may be wrong.



The Holy Trinity of the Republican Party…


----------



## Thomas Veil

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1494332545218928642/

We can all go home now. Parody is dead.


----------



## Yoused

fooferdoggie said:


> I think the order may be wrong.



Maybe not, though – _somebody_ has to pick the lettuce.


----------



## fooferdoggie

Yoused said:


> Maybe not, though – _somebody_ has to pick the lettuce.



guns should have been first.


----------



## SuperMatt

fooferdoggie said:


> guns should have been first.



Those guns won’t shoot by themselves. Jesus?


----------



## fooferdoggie

SuperMatt said:


> Those guns won’t shoot by themselves. Jesus?
> 
> View attachment 11782



but you need the guns to find Jesus. then shoot him on the boarder.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1495091506952159233/

FFS

To think this was the party that wanted critique AOC's knowledge of global affairs.  Imagine if she just said "I don't care about that", how Faux News would have run with that?  

Then again, we are talking about a party where quite a few have expressed their love for all things Putin, so...


----------



## lizkat

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1495091506952159233/
> 
> FFS
> 
> To think this was the party that wanted critique AOC's knowledge of global affairs.  Imagine if she just said "I don't care about that", how Faux News would have run with that?
> 
> Then again, we are talking about a party where quite a few have expressed their love for all things Putin, so...




JD Vance trying to disown his former investment banking and celebrity author lifestyle and get back down home to a decent campaign-season distillation of his hillbilly Trump votin' roots.

Well done there.  What a moron.  So well done that even Trump-votin' hillbillies might be tempted to call him a moron.  Especially if their family had hailed from Ukraine,  or for that matter from anywhere in eastern Europe where Russian tanks rolled into town to establish a new order for satellite states scarfed up into what was then the USSR.


----------



## Thomas Veil

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1495091506952159233/

You know who _does_ care about what happens to Ukraine? Polish-Americans. And Romanian-Americans. And Lithuanian-Americans. And Latvian- Estronian- and Slovak-Americans. You know--voters who have connections to bordering countries.

Guess he's writing off that whole bloc.

And hey, I got lineage from Ukraine. But he wasn't getting my vote anyway.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Your shining example of intentional malevolent cluelessness

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1494699581757702153/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Your shining example of intentional malevolent cluelessness
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1494699581757702153/



Which reminds me again that there is absolutely no need for a North and a South Dakota. One Dakota would be plenty. Combine them, make DC a state, and you don’t even need to make new U.S. flags.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1495352266655735810/


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1495425266872725506/


----------



## Eric

Wait, what?


That surely didn't age well lol from
      PoliticalHumor


----------



## Yoused

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1495352266655735810/



This is the Joe Walsh who was one of the most detestable RWers a few years ago, apparently attempting to rehabilitate himself.

*not* the Smoker You Drink the Player You Get guy


----------



## SuperMatt

Remember when this person pretended to be a Democrat?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1495762134403276801/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Remember when this person pretended to be a Democrat?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1495762134403276801/




Yeah.  Massive disappointment there.  She seems to have completely flipped.  I wonder how much if it is the result of the establishment left and media constantly slamming her while they were supposed to be on the same side.  She pretty much killed Harris' Presidential run during the debates and given her current polling numbers as VP that's probably a good thing.


----------



## Yoused

SuperMatt said:


> Remember when this person pretended to be a Democrat?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1495762134403276801/



I remember when *jkcerda* was waxing enthusiastic over her. That should tell you enough. Apparently blue dogs come from all over.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> This candidate cuts right to the chase:
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1494332545218928642/
> 
> Seldom has somebody been so genius at distilling the Republican platform into so few words. #NailedIt



You have to admit, when a candidate is so bad & around the bend, it's funny seeing people trying to make comedy from them.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1495975692080939011/

It's like a movie or something is so bad, it's good for watching the spectacle of it.  Something is so stupid, it's genius in how you can't even mock it.


----------



## Yoused

JayMysteri0 said:


> You have to admit, when a candidate is so bad & around the bend, it's funny seeing people trying to make comedy from them.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1495975692080939011/
> 
> It's like a movie or something is so bad, it's good for watching the spectacle of it.  Something is so stupid, it's genius in how you can't even mock it.



_Иисус Христос на палочке_


----------



## User.168

.


----------



## SuperMatt

theSeb said:


> Some interesting insights into a Repub agenda here
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> GOP senator's call for all Americans to pay income tax sparks criticism from White House — CNN Politics
> 
> 
> The chairman of Senate Republicans' campaign operation on Tuesday unveiled his vision for the future of the GOP, which was quickly met with a retort from the White House.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> apple.news
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The precious wall. I am surprised that this is still a campaign talking point.
> 
> 
> 
> Looks like the US is gunning to be a failed communist country. Hoping for blind patriots is probably the only way the GOP will survive in the future though.
> 
> 
> 
> Good, on the surface, or one could read it in a different way - potentially a way to remove any type of affirmative action
> 
> 
> 
> So the aim is to continue gutting the government and proclaiming that government does not work? Instead, it's obviously much better to have a selected few elites who can just say any old thing on twitter about Jesus, guns and babies, whilst living like kings. Interesting way to run a country.
> 
> 
> Sensible. Should be taken further, but it's a start
> 
> 
> 
> Need to remind voters that you are a bigoted piece of shit
> 
> 
> 
> The US is very much a globalist and it got to be as rich and powerful by meddling in politics across the globe. Suggesting that it quietly skulks away into a corner is an interesting approach and not one that I was expecting. It's like publicly admitting that we will let the sun set on our empire.
> 
> Still curious on the details of what it means that all Americans should pay taxes. Will billionaires and corporations continue taking the piss?



I think the Republicans are better off WITHOUT an explicit agenda. The first point in gigantic lettering is about making kids pledge to the flag. Not freedom for them, but forced patriotism. Forget that such forced displays were tried before and ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court because of this tiny bit of text in the Constitution called the First Amendment.

I‘d love to go on, but others should just read it themselves to see how absurd it truly is. It’s the 3000 word version of “Jesus Guns Babies”

PS - Since when do Republicans want to *raise *taxes?


----------



## Yoused

theSeb said:


> Looks like the US is gunning to be a failed communist country.



The dynamics that led to the collapse of the Eastern Bloc are not hugely different from the current situation in the US. The key similarity is how the system has become perilously top-heavy and is more and more leaching from the bottom up. When the peerage fails to adjust their extraction in order to maintain an at least apparently reasonable balance to sustain the upflow with the proper amount of backwash to the peons, the system will become unstable. This seems to be happening now: the wealthy have fully lost sight of anything other than _more_.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Republicans are going to love America to its death. They have an unhealthy relationship with this fantasized version of America they have. It's mostly a white-privilege America where they get all the same privileges without any recognition that it comes at the cost of the well-being and rights of others.

Where are his calls for wealthy corporations and individuals to pay at least the same effective tax rates as the average blue collar worker? Where are his calls to hold police to a higher standard that goes along with the funding we will provide them?


----------



## JayMysteri0

Wait.

What the religious extremist FUCK?!!

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1496511215719399431/



> Texas governor calls on citizens to report parents of transgender kids for abuse
> 
> 
> Gov. Greg Abbott said those who fail to report instances of minors receiving gender-affirming medical care could face “criminal penalties.”
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nbcnews.com


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Wait.
> 
> What the religious extremist FUCK?!!
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1496511215719399431/



I heard a discussion of this on the radio today.

Parents of transgender children in Texas already have to be prepared with a dossier of doctor’s notes, prescriptions, etc. because they fear child protective services will come after them. A big item the anti-trans people are keying on is puberty-blocking medication. The idea of the medication is that it can slightly delay puberty to give time to consider gender-change procedures. Apparently they are willing to take kids away from parents to prevent them from taking the medication.

This is reprehensible. Local authorities are already telling Abbott to sod off.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1496896055828434948/

This from the people that say checking vaccine paperwork is Nazi-like?  Here’s a hint: taking transgender kids away from their parents IS Nazi-like.


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> Wait.
> 
> What the religious extremist FUCK?!!
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1496511215719399431/



Gee, so there is more than one huge pile of shit that moves besides  DJT.  This is insanity propelled by conservatives supported by rank and file Republicans. So how much of that  smell transfers over to the base? Or maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way, how much of the  smell originates with the base?


----------



## DT

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1497307510088380419/


----------



## JayMysteri0

FFS
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1497322801560113154/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Sheepus!!


----------



## Yoused

As they go through the boxes of documents hauled back from mar-a-lardo, it looks like some of them were so very classified that there is no way to safely describe them









						Trump took documents to Mar-a-Lago that are so sensitive they may not be described in public, report says
					

Some of the classified documents that former President Trump took to Mar-a-Lago are so sensitive they might not be able to be described in public.




					www.businessinsider.com
				




whiich means they must have been about him or he would not have botiered with them. Or maybe there was material in there that someone thought could be useful for extortion/blackmail.

But this bothers me on a whole nother level: how is it that we allow our government to operate with this level of secrecy? I can understand, to some extent, military secrets and certain types of criminal investigations, but how much gets classified, by whom and about what? Is some of it secret because it would truly piss off regular, decent folk?


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1497774556848791553/

THIS    sums up the party of today oh so well!

The very type of fast food they would mock others for having, they eagerly accept because it's presented at much greater cost by their favorite con man.

Food made by workers they would mock for needing to get better jobs they gobble up at a convention they paid 1000X over normal price for.

The party that rails against wasteful "big gov't" spending, has no issue being fed McDonald's at a convention they pay thousands to go to.  

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1497775349479923715/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1497774556848791553/
> 
> THIS    sums up the party of today oh so well!
> 
> The very type of fast food they would mock others for having, they eagerly accept because it's presented at much greater cost by their favorite con man.
> 
> Food made by workers they would mock for needing to get better jobs they gobble up at a convention they paid 1000X over normal price for.
> 
> The party that rails against wasteful "big gov't" spending, has no issue being fed McDonald's at a convention they pay thousands to go to.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1497775349479923715/



Good. The Republicans deserve to be publicly humiliated, over and over. That’s one good thing that has come from Trump. We see what unprincipled cowards the Republicans truly are.


----------



## Huntn

Yoused said:


> As they go through the boxes of documents hauled back from mar-a-lardo, it looks like some of them were so very classified that there is no way to safely describe them
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Trump took documents to Mar-a-Lago that are so sensitive they may not be described in public, report says
> 
> 
> Some of the classified documents that former President Trump took to Mar-a-Lago are so sensitive they might not be able to be described in public.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.businessinsider.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> whiich means they must have been about him or he would not have botiered with them. Or maybe there was material in there that someone thought could be useful for extortion/blackmail.
> 
> But this bothers me on a whole nother level: how is it that we allow our government to operate with this level of secrecy? I can understand, to some extent, military secrets and certain types of criminal investigations, but how much gets classified, by whom and about what? Is some of it secret because it would truly piss off regular, decent folk?



I think that Trump would classify any incriminating document In a heartbeat Just like he uses executive privilege turning mechanisms which have an established reasonable  basis into a mechanism to cover up crimes.


----------



## fooferdoggie

Trump Praises Marjorie Taylor Greene, Who Just Spoke At A White Nationalist Conference​








						Trump Praises Marjorie Taylor Greene, Who Just Spoke At A White Nationalist Conference
					

In his CPAC speech, former President Donald Trump also addressed the Russian invasion of Ukraine and repeated false claims about the 2020 election being "rigged."




					www.huffpost.com


----------



## JayMysteri0

Your 'r' party today ladies & gentlemen

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1498446288601370631/


----------



## DT

JayMysteri0 said:


> Sheepus!!




Holy fuck, some of those people aren't even human.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

They're a bunch of ignorant and delusional people. While clamoring about traditional values they support a guy who paid hush money to a porn star. While advocating strict adherence to the Constitution they at best minimize and at worst glorify a mob attacking the Capitol. They gleefully promote Trump's big lie about the election without a shred of evidence, just going on the word of the pathological liar. If you ever wondered how obvious demagogues can come to power, these idiots are showing the way. The old guard of the GOP are not without their own despicable people (McConnell, Graham, etc.) but they'd better somehow take control of things before it's too late, if it's not already.


----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


>



This is brilliant, Trump is a disgusting POS, no clue how the you know who people can even lay their eyes on him without a sensation of nausea like the rest of us. He was continuing to praise Putin after the evasion started and people were dead. When I hear him talk about his strong, smart POS counterpart, it brings to mind  a  affair.

​


----------



## JayMysteri0

Huntn said:


> This is brilliant, Trump is a disgusting POS, no clue how the you know who people can even lay their eyes on him without a sensation of nausea like the rest of us. He was continuing to praise Putin after the evasion started and people were dead. When I hear him talk about his strong, smart POS counterpart, it brings to mind  a  affair.
> 
> ​



You have to remember, when 45 praises Putin, he’s in effect praising himself.  Because that’s who 45 hoped to grow up to be as el presidents for life, with republicans in power allowing him to do whatever he wanted.  He can’t see Putin doing any wrong, because it’s what he would do if given the chance.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Yoused said:


> As they go through the boxes of documents hauled back from mar-a-lardo, it looks like some of them were so very classified that there is no way to safely describe them
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Trump took documents to Mar-a-Lago that are so sensitive they may not be described in public, report says
> 
> 
> Some of the classified documents that former President Trump took to Mar-a-Lago are so sensitive they might not be able to be described in public.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.businessinsider.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> whiich means they must have been about him or he would not have botiered with them. Or maybe there was material in there that someone thought could be useful for extortion/blackmail.
> 
> But this bothers me on a whole nother level: how is it that we allow our government to operate with this level of secrecy? I can understand, to some extent, military secrets and certain types of criminal investigations, but how much gets classified, by whom and about what? Is some of it secret because it would truly piss off regular, decent folk?




Trump’s first executive order of his second term will be that all white house documents be written and printed on toilet paper and then deposited in his bathroom for safekeeping.


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> You have to remember, when 45 praises Putin, he’s in effect praising himself.  Because that’s who 45 hoped to grow up to be as el presidents for life, with republicans in power allowing him to do whatever he wanted.  He can’t see Putin doing any wrong, because it’s what he would do if given the chance.



Yep… some perspective:





​


----------



## JayMysteri0

This was a tough one.  It could either go in Texas or here.  I decided on here, because of how  it is.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1499146380673261571/



> U.S. Rep. Van Taylor ends reelection campaign after he admits to affair
> 
> 
> Taylor made the stunning announcement hours after he finished his five-way primary with 49% of the vote. Former Collin County Judge Keith Self, who finished second, is now likely to become the next congressman for the 3rd District.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.texastribune.org





> U.S. Rep. Van Taylor, R-Plano, has decided to end his reelection campaign after he was forced into a primary runoff amid 11th-hour allegations of infidelity.
> 
> Taylor made the stunning announcement Wednesday, hours after he finished his five-way primary with 49% of the vote, just missing the cutoff for winning the primary outright. The runner-up was former Collin County Judge Keith Self, who is now likely to become the next congressman for the 3rd District.





> "About a year ago, I made a horrible mistake that has caused deep hurt and pain among those I love most in this world," Taylor wrote in an email to supporters. "I had an affair, it was wrong, and it was the greatest failure of my life. I want to apologize for the pain I have caused with my indiscretion, most of all to my wife Anne and our three daughters."
> 
> The day before the primary, the conservative outlet Breitbart News posted a story that Taylor had had a monthslong affair with a Plano woman, Tania Joya, who he had paid $5,000 to keep quiet. The publication reported that she provided it a phone screen shot purporting to be communications with Taylor and a bank record showing that she deposited $5,000 into her account. The Texas Tribune has not been able to independently verify the report.




...Wait for it...



> Taylor is married with three children.
> 
> Joya is known as a former jihadist who was once married to a commander for the Islamic State. Tabloids have referred to her as “ISIS bride.”
> 
> Efforts to reach Joya were not immediately successful Wednesday.




https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1499171123451215877/


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> This was a tough one.  It could either go in Texas or here.  I decided on here, because of how  it is.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1499146380673261571/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...Wait for it...
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1499171123451215877/



It’s funny how biology screws with humans. I assume as a blackmailer, Tanis could be in trouble.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1499752602631905280/


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1499752602631905280/



We also used to have protocols and good manners in Congress between respected adults  before the GOP evolved into what it is today.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Something or someone's to keep in mind, when 'r's are signing bills to supposedly "protect" anyone.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1500079683651747843/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Perspective

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1499873959592054789/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Something or someone's to keep in mind, when 'r's are signing bills to supposedly "protect" anyone.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1500079683651747843/



The Brady Bunch is bigger than I remember.


----------



## JayMysteri0

There's always that pesky fake news video that 'r's cooperate with, that remind you about the 'r's

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1500220694159925255/


----------



## User.45

JayMysteri0 said:


> There's always that pesky fake news video that 'r's cooperate with, that remind you about the 'r's
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1500220694159925255/



Half of it is true though. Putin as a dictator is by definition a stronger leader than a democratically elected president. This is why Trump hates democracy so much.


----------



## fooferdoggie

JayMysteri0 said:


> There's always that pesky fake news video that 'r's cooperate with, that remind you about the 'r's
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1500220694159925255/



direct from the flys walking landing strip.


----------



## fooferdoggie

P_X said:


> Half of it is true though. Putin as a dictator is by definition a stronger leader than a democratically elected president. This is why Trump hates democracy so much.



exactly trump wanted to be a dictator so bad.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Senate GOP Agenda Would Hike Taxes on Poorest 40% by Average of $1,000
					

By contrast, the plan unveiled by Republican Sen. Rick Scott would not increase taxes on the top 1% by a single penny.




					www.commondreams.org
				




Hey, they finally have a platform!!  

And when you vote for them to stick it to libtards you are also endorsing this tax plan.  But I guess you’re probably not poor.  Economically you probably are but you’re rich in Jesus!


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Senate GOP Agenda Would Hike Taxes on Poorest 40% by Average of $1,000
> 
> 
> By contrast, the plan unveiled by Republican Sen. Rick Scott would not increase taxes on the top 1% by a single penny.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.commondreams.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hey, they finally have a platform!!
> 
> And when you vote for them to stick it to libtards you are also endorsing this tax plan.  But I guess you’re probably not poor.  Economically you probably are but you’re rich in Jesus!



I hope this turns out to be political suicide by the GOP. A lot of people vote Republican solely because of low taxes.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> I hope this turns out to be political suicide by the GOP. A lot of people vote Republican solely because of low taxes.



Probably not.

You have to remember those particular republican voters think they are voting for lower taxers, oblivious they are voting for a party that will allow companies to nickle & dime them, raise prices as they wish, and shield them from legal liabilities.  So yes, big gov't is out of their pockets, and starved of money to do anything for it's poorer constituents.  But yeah, their paycheck is bigger to pay for more expensive things.

Also to cover up for that, if any of those voters wisen up, 



"LET'S GET READY FOR A CULTURE WAAAARRRR!!!!"


----------



## ronntaylor

SuperMatt said:


> I hope this turns out to be political suicide by the GOP. A lot of people vote Republican solely because of low taxes.



@JayMysteri0 beat me to the punch. Sadly many will buy into the lie that taxes will be lowered. Aspirational delusions and all.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Ladies & Gentlemen, part of your republican starting line...
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1500956960858021888/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Prohibit?

'R's want to make laws restricting the movements of non criminals?  Because of pregnancy?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1501328930296397825/



> Missouri Bill Would Prevent Out-of-State Abortions
> 
> 
> A Planned Parenthood spokesperson called Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman’s anti-abortion plan “wild.”
> 
> 
> 
> www.thedailybeast.com




Ballsy.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1501618139548864513/

Yet, for some republicans that's going to make for a great campaign to run for secretary of state.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1501618139548864513/
> 
> Yet, for some republicans that's going to make for a great campaign to run for secretary of state.




And.,,









						In rare rebuke, GOP leader calls for Tina Peters to suspend campaign after indictment
					

The indictment threatens to upend the party's chances in a key race and spoil its broader message.




					www.axios.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Listening to Joe Walsh’s latest podcast episode he asked that people never forget all the right-wing politicians and news personalities who reflexively sided with Putin the minute he invaded Ukraine. Sighting his own experience in Congress, he mentioned how representatives often ask for constituents’ polls or focus groups on an issue before they chime in with their opinion. There are times when something is just flat out wrong and you don’t need to test the wind to call it out. This is one of those times. These representatives are weak contrarian drones void of any moral compass.

Also interesting to note, if politicians pay so much attention to polls they seem to not give a fuck about them when it comes to spending any money to help the average American. For that they only pay attention to lobbyists.


----------



## SuperMatt

Another superstar of the Republican Party.









						US Rep. Madison Cawthorn calls Ukrainian president 'thug.'
					

'Thug' remarks from the North Carolina Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn are out of step with the view of GOP voters.




					www.wral.com
				




Why does anybody vote for these people again?


----------



## JayMysteri0

From the champions of "freedom", "Liberty", and "self responsibility over the rights of others", come the makers of a future dystopia that removes personal rights....



> Red States Are Now Trying to Trap Residents Into Their Own Laws
> 
> 
> “It really goes against basic understanding of being an American,” one law professor told Jezebel.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jezebel.com





> As if it weren’t bad enough to have your own state ban basic health care options, red states are now trying to prohibit their residents from traveling to _other_ places to access procedures Republicans don’t like.
> 
> Missouri is trying to prevent its residents from having out-of-state abortions. Idaho is trying to prevent parents from taking their trans kids to other states for gender-affirming procedures. This is the unprecedented and, frankly, crazy result of the Supreme Court giving its blessing to Texas’ six-week abortion ban, which is enforced with a bounty hunter provision that encourages citizens to spy on and sue each other.
> 
> For more than six months, Texas has allowed private citizens to sue anyone who aids or abets an abortion in the state and, as a result, abortion providers have halted all abortions after six weeks. Banning abortion that early in pregnancy is (for now) unconstitutional, but the Supreme Court has repeatedly refused to block S.B. 8, owing to its novel enforcement mechanism.





> Now, after seeing the legal success of Texas’s “sue-thy-neighbor” bill, Republican lawmakers are attempting to use its framework to not only ban abortion and gender-affirming care, but prohibit people from leaving their home states to obtain these life-saving procedures in elsewhere. That these proposals to trap people in their states are coming from the allegedly pro-freedom and anti-government interference party would be a funny bout of irony if the proposals weren’t so deadly.






> This week, the Idaho House passed H.B. 675, which would make it a felony punishable by up to life in state prison to provide transgender teens with puberty-blockers, hormones, and gender-affirming surgeries. It would also ban parents or guardians of trans teens from taking them out of state for this care. The bill now heads to the Idaho Senate.
> 
> In Missouri, state Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman attached an eight-page amendment to H.B. 1677—a bill originally about prescription drug prices—which would allow private citizens to sue anyone who performs an abortion on a Missouri resident, possesses or distributes abortion pills, and aids or abets a Missouri abortion patient regardless of where the abortion is performed. The majority of Missouri residents who get abortions have traveled to Illinois and other states for care. The Missouri bill has not yet had a floor vote.




Because nothing says "freedom" like the state giving itself the right to prevent the movements of citizens for "reasons".  It's like finding reasons to "own" someone?



> Any lawsuits filed under bills like these would rely on surveillance of people’s movements and medical care. On first reading, both seem unconstitutional. But that’s what experts said about S.B. 8 when it initially came before the court in September, and the Supreme Court upheld it. Legal experts said the same about _Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization_, the case that will likely overturn or severely hamper _Roe v. Wade_. That case involves a 2018 Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks, well before Roe’s standard of fetal viability which is about 22-24 weeks of pregnancy. The only thing that has changed since 2018 is the ideological balance of the Supreme Court.
> 
> “It was only a matter of time, honestly. Using the mechanism of private enforcement first seen in SB 8, Missouri has gone further—allowing individuals to sue those who provide aid to those seeking an abortion, including abortions that would be conducted outside of Missouri’s jurisdictional boundaries,” said Melissa Murray, a professor at New York University School of Law and an expert in reproductive rights and family law.






> These attempts at legislating activities across state lines seem illegal on their face because states don’t have that power—only Congress does. But, since the Supreme Court’s ultra-conservative supermajority has shown no interest in protecting privacy rights like abortion, what’s to say the Bill of Rights and other amendments are just another nuisance to be ignored?
> 
> If these hostage schemes prove successful, gerrymandered conservative legislators could use the framework to ban other fundamental freedoms like the ability to marry the partner of your choosing or even use birth control. In _Roe v. Wade_, the Supreme Court reaffirmed a constitutional right to privacy rooted in the 14th Amendment that it originally found in a 1965 case, _Griswold v. Connecticut_, that allowed married couples to use birth control. Landmark cases legalizing same-sex relationships (_Lawrence v. Texas_, 2003) and marriage equality (_Obergefell v. Hodges_, 2015) flow from the legal reasoning in both _Roe_ and _Griswold_. If the Supreme Court overturns _Roe_ in the term ending this June, those precedents would also be at risk and we could see states move to ban gay residents from getting married in other states. This is not a hypothetical concern: One Texas lawmaker asked the state Attorney General in October for his legal opinion on whether private citizens have to recognize same-sex marriages in the state.




So from the party that endorse caravans of truckers to travel freely possibly unvaccinated to protest disappearing mask mandates, ...comes you're not going anywhere because of a culture war or religious belief.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> Another superstar of the Republican Party.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> US Rep. Madison Cawthorn calls Ukrainian president 'thug.'
> 
> 
> 'Thug' remarks from the North Carolina Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn are out of step with the view of GOP voters.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.wral.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Why does anybody vote for these people again?



Also...





"Law & Order"!!!!

for thee...


----------



## JayMysteri0

Then:


> Hillary Clinton suggests Russians are 'grooming' Tulsi Gabbard for third-party run | CNN Politics
> 
> 
> Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said Thursday the Russians are currently "grooming" a Democrat running in the presidential primary to run as a third-party candidate and champion their interests.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cnn.com






> Gabbard sues Hillary Clinton over 'Russian asset' smear
> 
> 
> Gabbard alleges that Clinton’s suggestion that she is favored by Russians was “retribution.”
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.politico.com




Now:
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1502081652129865728/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> From the champions of "freedom", "Liberty", and "self responsibility over the rights of others", come the makers of a future dystopia that removes personal rights....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Because nothing says "freedom" like the state giving itself the right to prevent the movements of citizens for "reasons".  It's like finding reasons to "own" someone?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So from the party that endorse caravans of truckers to travel freely possibly unvaccinated to protest disappearing mask mandates, ...comes you're not going anywhere because of a culture war or religious belief.



Life in prison for getting medical care for your trans child? What the  is wrong with these people?


----------



## JayMysteri0

Huh?!
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1503171879129001992/


Making America look great again everywhere else.


----------



## Huntn

I’m not a Liz Cheney fan, but at least she has a line in the sand based on some recognizable human   moral standard. At least with Cheney and Romney, you can get back to _we disagree with your politics_, instead of _YOUR AN INSANE, SELF DESTRUCTIVE, WORLD DESTRUCTIVE, POISONOUS  PUTIN LICKING, ASS HOLE!_
Republican donors line up behind Liz Cheney as she takes on Trump​
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/14/politics/liz-cheney-trump-republican-fundraiser/index.html




JayMysteri0 said:


> Huh?!
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1503171879129001992/
> 
> 
> Making America look great again everywhere else.



LOSER! Is this the candidate who told Trump she loved him, when he endorsed her? What an insult to say _your man Trump_, LOL.


----------



## Thomas Veil

Here in Ohio where there will be a Senate seat open, there is a battle going on among Republicans in which many of them are racing to kiss Trump's ass and declare the others to be fake Trumpkins. To be sure, some of them like J. D. Vance have been critical of Trump in the past. But it's amusing (and nauseating) to watch them set up this circular firing squad where they are shooting at each other _and_ competing to give Trump a hand job.



JayMysteri0 said:


> Then:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now:
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1502081652129865728/



When I was down south a couple of years ago, I saw several billboards that were in support of Tulsi Gabbard. Knowing little about her except that she is a "Democrat", I couldn't understand that. Now I can.


----------



## JayMysteri0

The current agenda?

Do nothing or say nothing about the current agenda going on with your party.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1503699207932325893/

When self preservation outweighs everything else, but you think you can fool someone into thinking that isn't your only concern.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Bonus F- ery
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1503727785558351882/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Bonus F- ery
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1503727785558351882/



That ABC news release also puts it as if the White House is intentionally stopping things. Terribly written…


----------



## JayMysteri0

My mind still reels from back at "the other place", someone tried to use Herschel Walker as a counter to various arguments.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1504200870510088193/

Similar to republicans in GA, Herschel Walker or his son should NEVER be used as a counter to any argument.  Unless it's an argument for the power of celebrity allowing one to fall UP "the ladder of success" despite themselves.


----------



## Huntn

These Are the 8 Republicans Who Voted Against Ending Russia's Trade Status​


			These Are the 8 Republicans Who Voted Against Ending Russia's Trade Status
		




GOP Trump Winners ​Just eight House Republicans voted against ending Russia's special trade status on Thursday, due to Moscow invasion of Ukraine. Above, Representatives Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado), Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), who were among the eight Republicans, listen as Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on October 21, 2021 in Washington, D.C.


----------



## SuperMatt

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce the top two Republican candidates to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate!

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1504957031932907523/


----------



## JayMysteri0

I see being an asshole is still at the top of the agenda

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1506290612580102147/


----------



## Huntn

The GOP is clearly nostalgic for the good ole days, the good ole Nazi Days, and rightfully appear as a group of blatant racists. Instead of lamenting that their agenda is not accepted, they have decided to criminalize/kill democracy as long as the pack of racist dopes at the State level continue to elect them, giving them the power to do so. This is the agenda of today’s GOP: Hold Power At All Costs, FUCK DEMOCRACY. The last article the Senator confident of the safety of his racism let’s the cat out of the bag. 
Republicans Are Criminalizing The Democratic Process For People Of Color​








						Republican State Legislatures Are Criminalizing Democracy
					

After an election loss and years of mass demonstrations, Republican states are rushing to create new crimes related to voting and protesting.




					www.huffpost.com
				




_The GOP has sought for years to limit the right to protest and curb access to the vote. But both efforts have intensified across the country in 2021. So far this year, eight states, including Montana, have passed laws that create new criminal penalties related to protesting, according to the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, which tracks such legislation. At the same time, Republicans have enacted new laws that create or strengthen criminal penalties related to voting or election practices in at least half a dozen states. Many of these laws, like Montana’s, have explicitly criminalized or strengthened criminal penalties on the practice of returning ballots on behalf of voters._

GOP Sen. Mike Braun Says Interracial Marriage Should Be Left To The States​








						GOP Sen. Mike Braun Says Interracial Marriage Should Be Left To The States
					

"That's the beauty of the system," said the Indiana senator, who later walked back his comments.




					www.huffpost.com
				




_Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) said Tuesday that he believes interracial marriage should not be legal nationwide and that individual states should decide whether to allow it. 
“So you would be OK with the Supreme Court leaving the question of interracial marriage to the states?” reporter Dan Carden of The Times of Northwest Indiana asked Braun.

“Yes,” the senator replied on the call with Indiana reporters. “I think that’s something ― if you’re not wanting the Supreme Court to weigh in on issues like that, you’re not going to be able to have your cake and eat it too. I think that’s hypocritical.”
The Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage nationwide in 1967, in the landmark case Loving v. Virginia.
The world Braun would return to is what same-sex couples faced until 2015 — their marriage was not recognized federally and might be legal in one state but not the next. That sort of discrimination had ramifications in all corners of life, including medical decisions and family planning. 

Braun later walked back his comments, claiming he misunderstood the question._


----------



## fooferdoggie

Huntn said:


> GOP Sen. Mike Braun Says Interracial Marriage Should Be Left To The States​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> GOP Sen. Mike Braun Says Interracial Marriage Should Be Left To The States
> 
> 
> "That's the beauty of the system," said the Indiana senator, who later walked back his comments.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.huffpost.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) said Tuesday that he believes interracial marriage should not be legal nationwide and that individual states should decide whether to allow it.
> “So you would be OK with the Supreme Court leaving the question of interracial marriage to the states?” reporter Dan Carden of The Times of Northwest Indiana asked Braun._



this blarney racist might as well have racist tattooed on his forehead. what a idiot to bring this up.


----------



## GermanSuplex

fooferdoggie said:


> this blarney racist might as well have racist tattooed on his forehead. what a idiot to bring this up.




Ugh. You get tired of hearing tripe like this come out of the mouths of elected officials. What a scumbag. And people wonder why cons are labeled racist?

In other news.... proving that you can jerk Trump off until the cows come home, but once they do, you're out...

Mo Brooks crime? Wanting to focus on the future and move on from the 2020 elections.









						Trump yanks endorsement of Alabama Senate candidate Brooks, who said to get past 2020
					

Mo Brooks' Republican Senate campaign has been struggling, and now the former president has pulled his endorsement, citing a dispute over the 2020 election.




					www.npr.org


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Listening to Joe Walsh talk about the Trump supporters he engages with daily, they’ve removed the veneer. They don’t care about democracy, the constitution or general law and order. The only law and order they care about is the police cracking down on people they don’t like.

I also think it’s telling that when you hurl socialism or communism at a lefty they’ll generally say that the label doesn’t fit the situation and possibly explain the difference. When you hurl authoritarianism or fascism at a Trump supporter you’ll either get crickets or possibly due to ignorance they’ll explain what they want completely oblivious that they just described authoritarianism.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1506999644227842056/


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Listening to Joe Walsh talk about the Trump supporters he engages with daily, they’ve removed the veneer. They don’t care about democracy, the constitution or general law and order. The only law and order they care about is the police cracking down on people they don’t like.
> 
> I also think it’s telling that when you hurl socialism or communism at a lefty they’ll generally say that the label doesn’t fit the situation and possibly explain the difference. When you hurl authoritarianism or fascism at a Trump supporter you’ll either get crickets or possibly due to ignorance they’ll explain what they want completely oblivious that they just described authoritarianism.



And… it’s about them holding power at all costs and a group of people in the USA described as the GOP base, whether they know it or not are fiunctioning as a direct threat to the Constitution and Democracy in the US, and maybe willing to incite a Revolution to get their _me, Me, ME, FUCK YOU!!!_ way. Equal Rights? No way, can’t afford it.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> And… it’s about them holding power at all costs and a group of people in the USA described as the GOP base, whether they know it or not are fiunctioning as a direct threat to the Constitution and Democracy in the US, and maybe willing to incite a Revolution to get their _me, Me, ME, FUCK YOU!!!_ way. Equal Rights? No way, can’t afford it.




Democrats are mostly in denial about the gravity of the threat, but I think a lot of establishment Republicans are too. They probably believe that just because they sit under the same roof for now that their more sane and traditional right-wing agenda will do well under Trumpism. Trumpism RINOs will get burned on the same stake as Democrats.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Democrats are mostly in denial about the gravity of the threat, but I think a lot of establishment Republicans are too. They probably believe that just because they sit under the same roof for now that their more sane and traditional right-wing agenda will do well under Trumpism. Trumpism RINOs will get burned on the same stake as Democrats.



Anyone who pays just a little attention should understand  the USA is facing the most serious threat to its existence since the Civil War and it is ongoing, nothing that is receding.


----------



## GermanSuplex

So I see that Trump is now suing Hillary Clinton. So not only is he NOT moving on from 2020, he's going to try to further his case by doubling-down (which is nothing new) and going back to 2016.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

GermanSuplex said:


> So I see that Trump is now suing Hillary Clinton.



Yes, it's over "spurious" Russian collusion claims in the 2016 election. But Trump's campaign chairman shared campaign and polling information with a Russian business associate who the Treasury Dept. said in turn shared this with Russian intelligence services. Like most of what Trump does, this sounds like total nonsense just meant to provoke reaction in his base of deplorables. I bet that if it ever comes to a case, once the defense asks for documents or calls Trump to testify the suit will be dropped.

What kind of a lawyer would agree to participate in a charade like this?


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Huntn said:


> Anyone who pays just a little attention should understand  the USA is facing the most serious threat to its existence since the Civil War and it is ongoing, nothing that is receding.



If we ever get to a 2024 presidential debate and Trump is involved, or one of his reprehensible clones, the Dems should drop the "when they go low we go high" attitude. For instance, they seem ineffective in countering the claim that the GOP is better for business. Trump left the economy in a shambles, due in part to his disastrous handling of the pandemic, and he increased the national debt due in part to his tax cuts. His ballyhooed tariff war with China was a failure, as were a long list of his personal businesses, belying the myth that he's a successful businessman (as opposed to playing one on t.v.).


----------



## SuperMatt

GermanSuplex said:


> So I see that Trump is now suing Hillary Clinton. So not only is he NOT moving on from 2020, he's going to try to further his case by doubling-down (which is nothing new) and going back to 2016.



What a pathetic excuse for a human being… not as pathetic as those willing to do anything for a chance to lick his boots though.

Whatever reputation-washing William Barr attempts with his book, we can never forget his many crimes, beginning with mischaracterizing the Mueller Report in a way that gave Republicans an excuse NOT to impeach, despite Mueller himself testifying and telling them “I can’t convict; that’s why I gave YOU this report.”

We could have gotten rid of Trump then and there.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

GermanSuplex said:


> So I see that Trump is now suing Hillary Clinton. So not only is he NOT moving on from 2020, he's going to try to further his case by doubling-down (which is nothing new) and going back to 2016.



Lindsey Graham is getting grief on Twitter for saying "As Ukraine burns, President Biden is talking about Charlottesville and domestic politics. Very sad."
Lindsey Graham’s Attempted Smear Of Onetime Buddy Biden Spectacularly Backfires

So Lindsey, are you criticizing your golf buddy for dredging up 2016 politics while Ukraine burns, you know, the Ukraine that your golf buddy tried to blackmail?
Lindsey?...Hello?...


----------



## JayMysteri0

This clearly demonstrates an important part of the agenda since 45. 

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1507866776830423063/

Qualified, competent, or intelligence is no longer a factor in some candidates, but just a basic ability to burble out what sounds like a pleasing talking point.  Why?  Because stupidity goes well with blind loyalty.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> This clearly demonstrates an important part of the agenda since 45.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1507866776830423063/
> 
> Qualified, competent, or intelligence is no longer a factor in some candidates, but just a basic ability to burble out what sounds like a pleasing talking point.  Why?  Because stupidity goes well with blind loyalty.



I remember when he was just famous for being part of the most lopsided trade in NFL history. Ah, the innocent days of our youth…


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1508048417083338753/

You'll forgive some of us, if we have our doubts...


----------



## fooferdoggie

trump is a hole in one. you notice he did not say trump grabbed the ball rode his golf cart to the hole and dropped the ball in.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SMH

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1508141843900416008/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1508164628764925959/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1508086607269830667/


> GOP's new plan: Raise taxes on working people, end Social Security and Medicare
> 
> 
> Rick Scott believes he can get elected president on a program of making inequality great again. He may be right
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com




In case you're still fuzzy on the 'r' agenda, let me use the above to make one important point very clear.

IF you are not wealthy, you are not of much worth to the party outside of keeping the party in power.

Anyone who suggests congress "talk about fixing" anything, is smiling in your face & telling you they know a 'do nothing' congress will do exactly that... NOTHING.  Which would sunset medicare & social security, two things the more extreme of the party don't care for, since it does NOT benefit the wealthy.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> SMH
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1508141843900416008/
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1508164628764925959/
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1508086607269830667/
> 
> 
> In case you're still fuzzy on the 'r' agenda, let me use the above to make one important point very clear.
> 
> IF you are not wealthy, you are not of much worth to the party outside of keeping the party in power.
> 
> Anyone who suggests congress "talk about fixing" anything, is smiling in your face & telling you they know a 'do nothing' congress will do exactly that... NOTHING.  Which would sunset medicare & social security, two things the more extreme of the party don't care for, since it does NOT benefit the wealthy.



The Republican party leadership needs to create a platform, and quick. Scott cannot figure out that raising taxes and getting rid of social security in Florida, the retirement capital of the nation, is a bad idea?

Rick Scott is everything wrong with America. He committed billions in Medicare fraud. Although his COMPANY was convicted of 14 felonies, he got a $10 million “golden parachute” and left with about $350 million worth of stock. This is a man who should be in prison right now. A walking indictment of the ”justice system” that applies to the wealthy and connected in America.


----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Trump-backed Nevada GOPer preps "fraud" challenges over 220 days early
					

Adam Laxalt "attempting to overturn this election before a single ballot has been cast," Democratic opponent says.




					www.salon.com


----------



## fooferdoggie

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Trump-backed Nevada GOPer preps "fraud" challenges over 220 days early
> 
> 
> Adam Laxalt "attempting to overturn this election before a single ballot has been cast," Democratic opponent says.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com



why not 6 years ahead of time what a looser.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1509190660104011798/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

On the latest episode of the muckraker podcast he talked about the agenda of the modern Republican party of which Trump isn’t a fluke - more of a next phase, the protection and expansion of the wealth and power of those at the top.

The bottom is about to fall out on capitalism. There are countless signs of this but the most glaring is a lot of focus has been put on home ownership being key to wealth, current and future. Well, most people can’t afford to buy a house and a large reason for that is equity firms scooping them up to rent back out.

For the average citizen there are 2 main ways to attempt to tip the scales back towards more equality. The first is voting people out of office who prop up the failing system. It’s fairly well known by now that Republicans are attempting to dismantle democracy and that type of voting from happening.

The second option for the average citizen is violent revolution against those at the top. That’s when the top turns to authoritarianism to crush any lower level rebellion. Obviously with Trumpism this is where Republicans are leaning and unfortunately there’s a lot of useful idiots eating that shit up.

Fascism is the fan favorite of insecure males. Their economic situation may not improve but at least they get to go crack some skulls. Fascism never offers solutions, only enemies (Fox News anyone?). Their list of enemies on standby is long and never ending. Reminds me of the Onion headline “North Korea Declares Sun Rising Act of War.”


----------



## JayMysteri0

SMH

What an inspiration.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1509926969475014694/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1509941469888532483/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1510018943402094601/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1510011089550991363/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1510008293208510471/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> SMH
> 
> What an inspiration.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1509926969475014694/
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1509941469888532483/
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1510018943402094601/
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1510011089550991363/
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1510008293208510471/




The right has shifted from hating skillfully crafted lies to loving easily disproven blatant lies.  They find it refreshing.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1510225792030195714/

Sadly yes.

It still is, always has been, about control.


----------



## GermanSuplex

You’ve got direct evidence of Trump’s involvement in January 6 - which any rational person saw playing out in the open anyways. You have a member of congress accusing his peers of cocaine-fueled sex orgies. Another is holding events with white nationalists. You’ve got racist Republican jackasses grandstanding with their bigotry during confirmation hearings for a black female judge. You’ve got Trump giving “perfect interviews” where he’s again begging a hostile foreign nation - one engaged in war crimes, no less - for help in digging up dirt on his political opponents. A Supreme Court justice who’s wife is engaged in the coup plot at the highest levels, who was a lone dissent in aiding the January 6 committee with a ruling on Trump’s records.

That’s before you get to their homophobic Florida bill, their dumb war with Disney, border paranoia, promoting Russian propaganda, and I’m sure I’m forgetting several more.

This is one of the two major political parties. How anyone manages to take that seriously is beyond me.


----------



## Edd

GermanSuplex said:


> You’ve got direct evidence of Trump’s involvement in January 6 - which any rational person saw playing out in the open anyways. You have a member of congress accusing his peers of cocaine-fueled sex orgies. Another is holding events with white nationalists. You’ve got racist Republican jackasses grandstanding with their bigotry during confirmation hearings for a black female judge. You’ve got Trump giving “perfect interviews” where he’s again begging a hostile foreign nation - one engaged in war crimes, no less - for help in digging up dirt on his political opponents. A Supreme Court justice who’s wife is engaged in the coup plot at the highest levels, who was a lone dissent in aiding the January 6 committee with a ruling on Trump’s records.
> 
> That’s before you get to their homophobic Florida bill, their dumb war with Disney, border paranoia, promoting Russian propaganda, and I’m sure I’m forgetting several more.
> 
> This is one of the two major political parties. How anyone manages to take that seriously is beyond me.



“Cocaine-fueled orgies” sounds like the coolest thing about the Republican Party. Put that front and center and they could get my vote.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> You’ve got direct evidence of Trump’s involvement in January 6 - which any rational person saw playing out in the open anyways. You have a member of congress accusing his peers of cocaine-fueled sex orgies. Another is holding events with white nationalists. You’ve got racist Republican jackasses grandstanding with their bigotry during confirmation hearings for a black female judge. You’ve got Trump giving “perfect interviews” where he’s again begging a hostile foreign nation - one engaged in war crimes, no less - for help in digging up dirt on his political opponents. A Supreme Court justice who’s wife is engaged in the coup plot at the highest levels, who was a lone dissent in aiding the January 6 committee with a ruling on Trump’s records.
> 
> That’s before you get to their homophobic Florida bill, their dumb war with Disney, border paranoia, promoting Russian propaganda, and I’m sure I’m forgetting several more.
> 
> This is one of the two major political parties. How anyone manages to take that seriously is beyond me.




The problem is despite all that their voters feel their candidates will bring order to all the chaos. They won’t, but that’s what they believe. They’ll just continue to rotate through their standard scapegoats – minorities, immigrants, and the poor.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1511091885200363530/

Also, I know I shouldn't add this, but...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1511095810305536017/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Another part of the agenda?

Use "big guv't" that r's supposedly hate so much, to enact punitive laws on things THEY hate.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1511430981122670595/



> Oklahoma Bans Abortions in Almost All Cases — New Law Makes Performing Them a Felony
> 
> 
> Oklahoma lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that would ban abortions in almost all cases and make performing them a felony
> 
> 
> 
> 
> people.com


----------



## JayMysteri0

Oh, Tennessee...






When you go all out for an agenda, and can't see past your own hatred & stupidity.


----------



## JayMysteri0

The eventual goal of the agenda given away from their big event


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

The guy who brought us CRT panic offers a new far-right agenda: Destroy public education
					

Christopher Rufo used "critical race theory" as a Trojan horse. Now he wants to sack the city and win the war




					www.salon.com
				




More marching orders for the hordes of useful idiot patriot larpers.


----------



## fooferdoggie

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> The guy who brought us CRT panic offers a new far-right agenda: Destroy public education
> 
> 
> Christopher Rufo used "critical race theory" as a Trojan horse. Now he wants to sack the city and win the war
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> More marching orders for the hordes of useful idiot patriot larpers.



so is this guy just in it for the power trip? or the profit?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

fooferdoggie said:


> so is this guy just in it for the power trip? or the profit?




A lot of people say they don’t know why anybody would want to get into political office today. It’s too much of a shit show. They aren’t looking at it the right way. People who seek office today, at least on the right, are seeing it as a power and personal wealth building opportunity causing and running the shit show, and as some have pointed out, there’s no other job on earth that the MTGs and Matt Gaetzs of the world could get rewarded well by being their knuckle dragging asshole selves. They are quite the inspiration to assholes everywhere.  Plus those at the top get to continue to economically rape and pillage while the country gets distracted by these retards.


----------



## JayMysteri0

It's also an agenda driven by pettiness






Disney ( also Marvel ) hasn't had copyright issues before, because they've counted on being Disney to get their way.  The only way they could not get their way isn't based on concern who may have a possibly legitimate claim ( see Kirby, Ditko, or other earlier Marvel creators NOT direct Disney properties ), but because they could "stick it" to someone else who didn't ride partisan train & obey.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SMH

This is who may represent Georgia



> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Herschel Walker Claims 'There's No Food on the Shelf' in U.S., Slams Biden
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.msn.com




But also...



> Herschel Walker’s no-show looms large over Senate GOP debate
> 
> 
> Former football great Herschel Walker skipped the first major Republican U.S. Senate debate, but his absence at the event in Gainesville on Saturday helped shape the back-and-forth among the five candidates who showed up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.ajc.com




There are people who want to elect this dumb blatantly lying


----------



## ronntaylor

JayMysteri0 said:


> There are people who want to elect this dumb blatantly lying



Some hope he's the GOP candidate. I think they should remember 2016. Warnock would destroy him in debates. And probably has a good chance of watching HW take the oath as the next Senator from Georgia. Dems should not treat this as an easy win. Too much at stake and too many shenanigans by GA officials.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Russia Airs Its Ultimate ‘Revenge Plan’ for America
					

Battered and infuriated by sanctions over the war in Ukraine, Putin’s henchmen are plotting their master plan for revenge on live television.



					www.thedailybeast.com
				




Prepare for some next level Russian pro Trump election tampering.  

For the rubes on the right they’ll see this as Putin considering Trump an equal strongman leader when in reality he’s saying Trump is the worst possible person on earth to lead the US.  He doesn’t want a strong or equal leader in the US.   He wants the US to be humiliated and knocked out of power.


----------



## Eric




----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Eric said:


> View attachment 13161




Right-wingers using slurs, spreading lies, and attempting to trigger people - "Lighten up!"

Same right wingers hearing facts - "Stop attacking me! We need to pass laws against that!"


----------



## JayMysteri0

Filed under: Places I can scratch off the vacation list

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1513703552895565827/


----------



## GermanSuplex

Yikes. Glad I rarely visit the south.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Filed under: Places I can scratch off the vacation list
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1513703552895565827/





When you have nothing of relevance or value to contribute to the country, and nor are you expected to, this is the kind of thing they come up with. Bless their heart. I think it's fitting that one of the country’s biggest poverty-stricken welfare states dedicates a month to celebrating losers and being on the wrong side of history. “This is what kicked off our race to the bottom, a race we repeatedly win.”


----------



## fooferdoggie

JayMysteri0 said:


> Filed under: Places I can scratch off the vacation list
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1513703552895565827/



again Tennessee hold my beer moment.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1513976684206305289/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Let's circle back to the previous claim by a lying idiot that grocery store shelves were bare.  Seems there is a possibility for that, and a surprising reason.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514001776827314176/

Yeah, this guy, doing stunts

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514238263803883523/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514233160086794247/

When political hackery & theatre are more important than actually doing your job.  So instead you spend all your time looking desperatey to punish anyone to appease an aging fleeting base.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Let's circle back to the previous claim by a lying idiot that grocery store shelves were bare.  Seems there is a possibility for that, and a surprising reason.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514001776827314176/
> 
> Yeah, this guy, doing stunts
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514238263803883523/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514233160086794247/
> 
> When political hackery & theatre are more important than actually doing your job.  So instead you spend all your time looking desperatey to punish anyone to appease an aging fleeting base.





So, does double inspections qualify as small government or deregulation?  I'm so confused.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> So, does double inspections qualify as small government or deregulation?  I'm so confused.



It's "freedumb"!!

Dumb because sadly it won't be the last dumb stunt Abbot reaches for, as he isn't comfortably leading in his polls.



> Greg Abbott Job Approval Trend
> 
> 
> Public opinion polling and analysis from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> texaspolitics.utexas.edu




Supposedly an incumbent should at least be hitting close to 50% or higher, or independents will tend to swing towards the newer choice.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Let's circle back to the previous claim by a lying idiot that grocery store shelves were bare.  Seems there is a possibility for that, and a surprising reason.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514001776827314176/
> 
> Yeah, this guy, doing stunts
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514238263803883523/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514233160086794247/
> 
> When political hackery & theatre are more important than actually doing your job.  So instead you spend all your time looking desperatey to punish anyone to appease an aging fleeting base.



I heard about this on the radio. Yet another political stunt at the expense of the people of Texas. 

There are many articles (especially among military-focused websites) concerning his mistreatment of the Texas National Guard. He took them away from jobs and families to put on a show of “toughness” at the border... but they didn’t actually boost border security. Here’s one from “Task and Purpose” - a site focusing on military news.









						Army National Guardsmen babysat huge Texas ranches nowhere near the US-Mexico border
					

It’s pretty boring just standing there for eight hours.”




					taskandpurpose.com
				




This is an inexcusable abuse of power. If Texans vote to keep this guy as governor, I have to wonder if they’ll ever learn. That being said, with 15% of Texas absentee ballots being tossed due to new voting rules, perhaps he will win anyway. As Texas’ population grows, cheating the electoral system is probably the only way to prevent the state from going to the Democrats.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> It's "freedumb"!!
> 
> Dumb because sadly it won't be the last dumb stunt Abbot reaches for, as he isn't comfortably leading in his polls.
> 
> 
> 
> Supposedly an incumbent should at least be hitting close to 50% or higher, or independents will tend to swing towards the newer choice.



Who are the 44% of people who APPROVE of him? WTF....


----------



## shadow puppet

This guy gets it.


__
		https://www.tiktok.com/video/7085754205155151147


----------



## JayMysteri0

FFS
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514401981070204928/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> FFS
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514401981070204928/



If truckers really wanted a worthwhile protest, blocking the Texas governor’s mansion might actually get them some attention. It would certainly be much more effective than driving in circles around the DC beltway to protest expired mask mandates. But then again, these truckers seem like they are more worried about making a living. The ones encircling DC seemed to be semi-retired based on the average age and the willingness to waste weeks of time for nothing.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> If truckers really wanted a worthwhile protest, blocking the Texas governor’s mansion might actually get them some attention. It would certainly be much more effective than driving in circles around the DC beltway to protest expired mask mandates. But then again, these truckers seem like they are more worried about making a living. The ones encircling DC seemed to be semi-retired based on the average age and the willingness to waste weeks of time for nothing.




The Republicans tactic is to walk up to somebody and shoot them in the face and then say it’s Democrats fault that the police weren’t there to stop it. Then their voters go “Good point!”


----------



## Yoused

Tennessee state senator Frank Niceley speaks on a bill that would criminalize homeless encampments,

_... figured I haven't given you a history lesson in a while, and I  want to give you a little history on homelessness. 19 and 10, Hitler decided to live on the streets for a while. So for two years he lived on the streets and practiced his oratory and his body language and how to connect with folks and then went on to lead a life that got him in the history books, so a lot of these people, it's not a dead end, they can come out of this–these homeless camps have a productive life, or in Hitler's case, an unproductive life. I support this bill ..._​
It appears that tone-deafness is a required skill for Rs.


----------



## GermanSuplex

I wonder how the former chief of staff being kicked off the voter list in NC throws a speedbump in their cries of a stolen election. It probably doesn’t.. The chief of staff voting illegally. Another “you can’t make it up” moment in the Trump White House. And there’s a lot of them, with more probably on the way.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Yoused said:


> Tennessee state senator Frank Niceley speaks on a bill that would criminalize homeless encampments,
> 
> _... figured I haven't given you a history lesson in a while, and I  want to give you a little history on homelessness. 19 and 10, Hitler decided to live on the streets for a while. So for two years he lived on the streets and practiced his oratory and his body language and how to connect with folks and then went on to lead a life that got him in the history books, so a lot of these people, it's not a dead end, they can come out of this–these homeless camps have a productive life, or in Hitler's case, an unproductive life. I support this bill ..._​
> It appears that tone-deafness is a required skill for Rs.





That was fun. Allow me to also cherry-pick Hitler history.

“Before Hitler entered politics he got rejected by a prestigious art school. You could even argue he wouldn’t have entered politics if he got accepted. That’s why I support free higher education and valuing the arts.”


----------



## JayMysteri0

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> That was fun. Allow me to also cherry-pick Hitler history.
> 
> “Before Hitler entered politics he got rejected by a prestigious art school. You could even argue he wouldn’t have entered politics if he got accepted. That’s why I support free higher education and valuing the arts.”



I was just about to post that under the heading of "Please tell us about yourself, without meaning to tell us about yourself".

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514617155706187778/


----------



## JayMysteri0

GermanSuplex said:


> I wonder how the former chief of staff being kicked off the voter list in NC throws a speedbump in their cries of a stolen election. It probably doesn’t.. The chief of staff voting illegally. Another “you can’t make it up” moment in the Trump White House. And there’s a lot of them, with more probably on the way.



No.

THAT is telling on yourself, and having no shame.

He had a second address at a double wide that he NEVER entered, using that to vote from.

As we've said before, "it's not a bug, it's a feature".  He was probably proud of himself for being so clever, so of course he was all in for going after people who had NOT voted illegally.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Right-wingers looking at Europe’s expanded social services programs: “Screw them, so many flaws. Nobody does it better than America!”

Right-wingers looking at Europe’s racist and homophobic dictatorships hiding behind a sham Democracy: “They’re doing a lot of good things over there. There’s a lot to learn. We should be more like them.”


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> No.
> 
> THAT is telling on yourself, and having no shame.
> 
> He had a second address at a double wide that he NEVER entered, using that to vote from.
> 
> As we've said before, "it's not a bug, it's a feature".  He was probably proud of himself for being so clever, so of course he was all in for going after people who had NOT voted illegally.





On the right accusing somebody of doing something is also a confession that you are already doing it.


----------



## JayMysteri0

"What's the first rule about the republican agenda?  You don't let anyone NOT in COMPLETE agreement with you debate the agenda with you.  Second rule of the republican agenda, see first rule."

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514785978589741060/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514718956744966152/

There can be no debate, unless all sides agree that the republican party agenda is the correct one.

"The third rule of the republican agenda?  Don't ask what the agenda is, no one seems to be able to explain anything.  So why do we need debates?"


----------



## JayMysteri0

Also a quick reminder.  If you can't buy produce soon, you know who to thank.  Despite their telling you it's some guy they call "Brandon".

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514714327458140173/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I found a picture of Trump’s future cabinet.  








Some real representative government of his voters there.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Let's circle back to the previous claim by a lying idiot that grocery store shelves were bare.  Seems there is a possibility for that, and a surprising reason.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514001776827314176/
> 
> Yeah, this guy, doing stunts
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514238263803883523/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514233160086794247/
> 
> When political hackery & theatre are more important than actually doing your job.  So instead you spend all your time looking desperatey to punish anyone to appease an aging fleeting base.



He finally relented on this idiotic policy. He tried to apply some spin to explain why he ended the policy, but he couldn’t hide that it was an unmitigated disaster.


----------



## SuperMatt

Kyle Rittenhouse is doing what?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514936576681267204/

This guy should be in prison, or at least feeling lucky that he avoided it. Instead, he is championed by right-wingers, and not just fringe groups.


----------



## fooferdoggie

SuperMatt said:


> Kyle Rittenhouse is doing what?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1514936576681267204/
> 
> This guy should be in prison, or at least feeling lucky that he avoided it. Instead, he is championed by right-wingers, and not just fringe groups.



so he promotes the most worthless ting trump has sold since he sold he's great American election lie?


----------



## GermanSuplex

if republicans keep this up, I’m not sure the midterms will be the blowout they’re hoping for. The amount of stupid shit these folks are doing - looking at Florida and Texas especially - to win culture wars they’ve already lost when they have inflation and war to hammer Biden over shows you they really don’t care about policy. It’s about winning this replacement theory war they’re in.


----------



## Roller

GermanSuplex said:


> if republicans keep this up, I’m not sure the midterms will be the blowout they’re hoping for. The amount of stupid shit these folks are doing - looking at Florida and Texas especially - to win culture wars they’ve already lost when they have inflation and war to hammer Biden over shows you they really don’t care about policy. It’s about winning this replacement theory war they’re in.



Never underestimate the ability of the electorate to vote for people who at most, do nothing to improve their lives, and may even make their situation worse. It's all about slogans, name recognition, cults, endorsements from people like Trump, and "us" vs "them." Do a majority of people in MTG's Georgia district seriously believe she's improved their lot? I doubt it, but it won't surprise me if she's re-elected. Herschel Walker is demonstrably an ignorant liar, but he could easily unseat Senator Warnock. Just one state over, Tommy Tuberville couldn't properly identify the three branches of the U.S. government and claimed WW II was fought against socialism, but he handily beat Doug Jones because, well, football and anything to own the libs.


----------



## SuperMatt

Remember Scott Pruitt, Trump’s EPA chief who got busted for using government funds and his position to enrich himself? He wants to be a Senator now!

Seems like a perfect representative of the 21st century GOP.





__





						Scott Pruitt, Yes That Scott Pruitt, Is Running For Senate
					





					www.msn.com
				




And for a reminder of what he did last time he was a part of the federal government:



> On his massive, 24/7 security detail alone, Pruitt cost taxpayers nearly $5 million — a bill that included“tactical pants.” At one point, the crack security team broke through a door, convinced Pruitt was unconscious inside, only to find him waking up from a nap.
> 
> In one case, Pruitt made headlines for a surprisingly good deal he secured — on rent. As EPA administrator, he lived in a D.C. condo owned by a lobbyist couple with business before the agencyfor… $50 a night, only due for the nights he slept there. He also, for some reason, attempted to secure a used mattress from a Trump hotel, one aide later said.
> 
> As EPA administrator, Pruitt also used government staffers efficiently, tasking them not only with their own official work, but also with side projects like job hunting for his wife, potentially to become a Chick-Fil-A franchisee.


----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## GermanSuplex

I think part of being a conservative is always being on the wrong side in the present. I swear you can see how these stories play out and how these folks will look in hindsight, but they don’t see it.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


>




But Jesus also said "Hate libtards, RINOS, and CNN."  It was said at one of his rallies.  4 trillion people attended.  Biggest crowd in history.  It was documented on ancient scrolls discovered in Kentucky.  The lord works in mysterious ways.


----------



## fooferdoggie

Looks like florida now found CRT in math books so they banned 22 of them I think. the lunacy is just getting worse.


----------



## SuperMatt

fooferdoggie said:


> Looks like florida now found CRT in math books so they banned 22 of them I think. the lunacy is just getting worse.



The bogeyman is everywhere! I saw CRT written on the label DeSantis’ underwear (allegedly). He better go commando the rest of his life just to make sure.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> He finally relented on this idiotic policy. He tried to apply some spin to explain why he ended the policy, but he couldn’t hide that it was an unmitigated disaster.



Yeah, I'm reading his tantrum protest is over.  Hurray.



> Rotting fruit, spoiled vegetables: How Texas just made the supply chain even worse
> 
> 
> A weeklong protest by Texas Governor Greg Abbott has resulted in hundreds of millions of lost dollars and caused delays in shipments of everything from avocados to car parts.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cnn.com






> What used to be a routine border crossing turned into a 30-hour wait for some trucks. Meanwhile, the fruits and vegetables in those trucks spoiled, leaving some produce department shelves sparse or empty in advance of the holiday weekend, he said.
> 
> "It could take a week or longer, up to probably three weeks, before the supply chain realigns," Galeazzi said.
> 
> In recent days, Abbott has met with the governors of the four Mexican states that border Texas, and reached agreements to cease the increased checks. On Friday, after meeting with the governor of Tamaulipas*, *Abbott said the commercial checks would end immediately.
> 
> The "financial pain" was a necessary consequence to "get the public to insist that their government leaders" take action to curb illegal immigration, Abbott said.







> Is that "financial pain" one Abbot is willing to bear, since he decided it was necessary to impose on the REST of the country?  As a governor?!
> 
> Losses to fruit and vegetable producers are estimated to be more than $240 million, said Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas.
> 
> Consumers will also pay a price as producers look to recoup some of their losses and supplies run low.
> 
> Americans can expect to spend more on strawberries, avocados and asparagus as soon as this weekend, with the impacts being felt the heaviest in the Midwest and Northeast, Jungmeyer said.
> 
> "This is not just a localized issue," said Jerry Pacheco, president and chief executive officer of the Border Industrial Association in New Mexico. "It's going to hit you in St. Louis or up in Seattle. We're connected to a global supply chain."




But hey, it "was a necessary consequence".



> "It's a bad time to be adding this to consumers' pockets to pay out their pocketbook," Jungmeyer said.






> At El Corral Supermarket, a Mexican specialty grocery store and meat market in Stephenville, Texas, co-owner Santos Avila was warned of shortages by his beer suppliers because of glass that got delayed coming into the US from Mexico.
> 
> "It's just one thing after another," Avila said, noting the price increases and product shortages that have occurred over the past two years due to pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions.





> At places like Luna's Mexican Restaurant in St. Francis, Wisconsin, which have yet to see any price hikes as a result of the delayed shipments from Mexico, the mere prospect of any delays or shortages for staples like avocados, tomatoes and limes causes worry, said owner Jenny Bustillos, who runs the restaurant with her daughter, Brittanie Sexton.
> 
> Luna's has already seen prices triple because of pandemic-related supply chain challenges and inflation, Bustillos said. A case of limes that used to run $30 a case pre-pandemic is now $90, and a case of avocados rose from $40 to $120, said Bustillos.
> 
> "Everything [we make] contains some type of fresh vegetables, so that is very worrisome for a business like us," said Sexton, Luna's manager. "Everyone who works here, we are supporting our families with this. We aren't some chain [restaurant]. This is our livelihood.






> It could ultimately take several weeks for supply chains to recover from the weeklong slowdown at the border, said Matthew Hockenberry, a Fordham University assistant professor who studies supply chains and logistics.
> 
> "It's also just so hard to predict, because there's so much supply instability right now," he said, noting that China's latest wave of lockdowns and the war in Ukraine are causing even more disruptions. "The amount of supply uncertainty is so high that to add another straw here to the camel's back is a dangerous proposition."
> 
> The logjam also has the potential to compound existing supply chain issues in the manufacturing industry, said Erik Lundh, principal economist at The Conference Board.




I guess that concern for business, employers, and workers took a week off?  This is what happens when people who are short term thinkers more interested in political theatre are allowed to get their way.  No improvements.  Just more damage they themselves will not feel or care for.  If they can't stand the heat for their own actions, it will of course actually be the fault of the other party.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1515165197811400707/

Your moment of cringe


----------



## JayMysteri0

THIS  From the guy at the top of the party that likes drone on about religious values

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1515889369076297730/


----------



## fooferdoggie

JayMysteri0 said:


> THIS  From the guy at the top of the party that likes drone on about religious values
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1515889369076297730/



ya remembered that.


----------



## Citysnaps

JayMysteri0 said:


> THIS  From the guy at the top of the party that likes drone on about religious values
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1515889369076297730/




Here's another one.  






Also, in a different interview, when asked what his favorite book was he said the Bible was a his favorite. When asked if there was a particular book in the Bible he liked, he said it was too hard to choose - he likes all of them.


----------



## SuperMatt

citypix said:


> Here's another one.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, in a different interview, when asked what his favorite book was he said the Bible was a his favorite. When asked if there was a particular book in the Bible he liked, he said it was too hard to choose - he likes all of them.



He knows just as much about Christianity as most self-described Christian conservatives.


----------



## JayMysteri0

"Tell me more about yourself, without meaning to tell me more about yourself", take 35XX

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1516249875435999239/

If one isn't successful, it isn't the fault of a conservative, it's the fault of a liberal.

Yet conservatives are the first to tell *others* that fail, that they need to suck it up and try harder like they do.  The possibility that they are NOT as good  another is quickly dismissed.


----------



## Yoused

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1516563037544665097/

with a 'B'


----------



## JayMysteri0

Yoused said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1516563037544665097/
> 
> with a 'B'



Because it seems your tweet ( more likely yanked out of embarrassment ) disappeared.



> GOP Lawmaker's Basic Numbers Gaffe Reignites Mockery Of Math Book Bans
> 
> 
> According to Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko, 1 billion migrants were apprehended at the southern border in the past six months.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.huffpost.com


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1516751349337268227/


----------



## JayMysteri0

When you don't think your shit thru

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1516539432240885765/

I'm surprised it wasn't pointed out to someone running for office about that pesky "separation" thing the founders also tossed in all willy nilly.  Because there are other American citizens who perhaps follow something else that doesn't have HIS religion's textbook in it.  You know, respecting ALL citizens, and stuff...



> “The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”
> ― John Adams


----------



## DT

Holy shit!









						Trump walks out of explosive Piers Morgan interview after being pressed on 2020 election
					

Former President Donald Trump blasted Piers Morgan as “very dishonest” while walking out of an interview after being pressed on the 2020 presidential election.




					nypost.com
				





HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Ex-aide caught on tape blasting Madison Cawthorn: "He's a bad person"
					

Former aide Lisa Wiggins said Cawthorn's office has "more liquor bottles than they do water bottles."




					www.salon.com
				





It's interesting that the side that typically complains about wasting taxpayer money votes members in who are a definitive waste of taxpayer money.


----------



## Yoused

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Ex-aide caught on tape blasting Madison Cawthorn: "He's a bad person"
> 
> 
> Former aide Lisa Wiggins said Cawthorn's office has "more liquor bottles than they do water bottles."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's interesting that the side that typically complains about wasting taxpayer money votes members in who are a definitive waste of taxpayer money.



TBH, bottled water is an evil waste of resources. I should think that the capitol is plumbed for water – a rep's office should have a water cooler or a tap with a filter on it. I think I would lose respect for a rep who stocked their office with dasani or perrier or whatever, just on basic principle.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Yoused said:


> TBH, bottled water is an evil waste of resources. I should think that the capitol is plumbed for water – a rep's office should have a water cooler or a tap with a filter on it. I think I would lose respect for a rep who stocked their office with dasani or perrier or whatever, just on basic principle.




I tell you h-what. When you need to pee or spit tobacco in polite society you can’t do much better than an empty water bottle. Plus you can dispose of it in the nearest body of water.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Sorry, New York Times: Republicans aren't "concerned" about democracy — they want to destroy it
					

The Times describes GOP voters as "impassioned about electoral issues" — quite a euphemism for the fascist Big Lie




					www.salon.com
				




"While the reporters are careful to repeatedly note that there is no basis for claims that Biden stole the election, this kind of framing of the Big Lie as a sincere-if-misguided concern is still a massive problem. *It makes it sound as if Republican voters have legitimate concerns about the future of democracy. In reality, however, Republican voters are increasingly hostile to democracy.*

Trump voters use the Big Lie in the same way Trump uses it: To put a moral gloss on what is a deeply immoral desire. We know this, because a new poll by *Hart Research, commissioned by the New Republic, shows that the majority of Republicans support Trump inciting a violent insurrection to overthrow an election and install himself illegally in power. A full 57% of Republicans describe the January 6 attack as "an act of patriotism." *Those folks saw the same thing everyone else did: A group of people, refusing to accept a lost election, using violence to derail the certification of the legitimate winner. *The majority of Republicans simply would rather end democracy than accept losing power.*"


----------



## GermanSuplex

Oh man. I can’t wait to see this Piers Morgan interview. Trump hardly gives interviews with anyone who will ask real questions, and I don’t blame him; it exposes what a airhead he is. And even when he has a tough interview, they’re always walking on eggshells to push him but not upset him.

Trump is an incredibly weak man, both mentally and emotionally. He hardly knows what to do when challenged on the spot. I thought Hillary, Biden and his 2016 primary opponents were way too weak on him.

If I were his opponent, I would have asked him over and over to give a firm condemnation of white supremacy without any deflections. During that Biden debate, if I had been Biden, I would have said “so what you’re saying is you can’t condemn white supremacy…”


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

TL;DW  Regardless of how this pans out, Disantis just told corporations not to invest in Florida.  Doesn’t matter what you’ve done for Florida’s economy or how long you’ve been there.  Disagree with the governments culture war and they’ll yank your privileges.  So, good job on tanking Florida’s economic prospects.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Regardless of what happens now or in the future, the task of auditioning to be House Speaker while also being a puppet on strings pulled by the lunatic caucus and Donald Trump is physically aging Kevin McCarthy pretty quickly.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> Regardless of what happens now or in the future, the task of auditioning to be House Speaker while also being a puppet on strings pulled by the lunatic caucus and Donald Trump is physically aging Kevin McCarthy pretty quickly.




McCarthy and Graham should be sitting on a porch watching a windsock to argue about which one just farted. That should be the height of their responsibilities.


----------



## Yoused

Do you mean Qevin MqQarthy?


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1517656715063218181/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Brilliant idea.  Invite a third party to debate that won't whine about culture wars while also advancing the need for more than 2 parties.  It probably won't be enough to beat the Democrats yet but the Republicans will take a serious hit.


----------



## GermanSuplex

I wonder what McCarthy is thinking about …. He’s probably afraid to say too much for fear of what next leak will prove he’s lying.

Just think about it, he backtracks and lies to the public to make up with Trump shortly after January 6. Here we are over a year later, and his first instincts are to lie about the time he told the truth, and phone Trump for forgiveness.

Definitely a cult.


----------



## Yoused

Orrin Hatch has gone on to rule over a distant planet or whatever happens to those people. I shall no be feeling sad or missing him.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Yoused said:


> Orrin Hatch has gone on to rule over a distant planet or whatever happens to those people. I shall no be feeling sad or missing him.




I’ve no doubt many of these GOP folks are probably friendly in person and not unlike liberals in day to day interactions.

But their inability or unwillingness to ever have empathy for any group of people unlike themselves makes it hard to mourn them.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1517915373827510272/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Towards the end on Abbot's border inspection stunt

Drugs intercepted = 0
Migrants = 0
Cost to TX = $4.2 billion
US GDP = shrank $9 billion

Abbot photo op = priceless


----------



## Yoused




----------



## lizkat

GermanSuplex said:


> I wonder what McCarthy is thinking about …. He’s probably afraid to say too much for fear of what next leak will prove he’s lying.
> 
> Just think about it, he backtracks and lies to the public to make up with Trump shortly after January 6. Here we are over a year later, and his first instincts are to lie about the time he told the truth, and phone Trump for forgiveness.
> 
> Definitely a cult.




Trump is a guy who hangs onto certain grudges but McCarthy has learned that if you kiss the guy's behind often enough with photo ops for bonus points, Trump is also a guy who lives "in the now" and will usually let people gloss over their past failures to worship at the altar of Trump every single day. 

Trump tends to forgive what happened yesterday so long as the groveling later on is public enough.

The trick is knowing where the line is.  Every once in a while someone crosses it with him...  like with Jeff Sessions having (properly) recused himself as AG from certain matters related to the Trump campaign fo 2016.  Trump has never quit raging about that "betrayal" and talking about perceived disloyalty and disrespect.  Hilarious if not so grotesque, since Sessions practically prostrated himself before Trump during his efforts for The Don during the 2016 campaign

With McCarthy, apparently Trump figures the guy could be an ally if the GOP retakes the House.  Anyone Trump can use gets a few free passes, I guess.  But he manages to extract public adulation for them.

What's funny about all that is that even with some grumbling about McCarthy in the House,  he's way more likely to end up Speaker (if the Dems lose majority in November), than Donald Trump is to ever end up on a ticket for 2024.  All the Rs are sick of The Don but still fear backlash from his vocal base ahead of the midterms.   I'd not be surprised if GOP candidates for the White House in 2024 start popping out of the woodwork all over the place after November 2022. 

DeSantis is not going to be the only one out there, even if Trump-endorsed candidates will have done well in the midterms.   Trump's got too much baggage.   His base is actually part of the GOP's problem and the Rs do know that.   Heh, everyone tried to tell them that dismounting the Trump tiger would be dangerous.   Pretty soon time to tell them that not dismounting will net them a 2024 top of ticket loss.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Towards the end on Abbot's border inspection stunt
> 
> Drugs intercepted = 0
> Migrants = 0
> Cost to TX = $4.2 billion
> US GDP = shrank $9 billion
> 
> Abbot photo op = priceless




Speaking of party big thinkers, it’s estimated that Florida’s stunt with Disney will cost the state $1 billion and taxes in the area will go up by about 20%.  It’s not quite Texas level fuckup but everything is bigger in Texas.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Florida Atheist Petitions to Ban the Bible in Miami-Dade and Broward Schools
					

Chaz Stevens has petitioned eight Florida school districts to ban the Bible, citing its inappropriate content.




					www.miaminewtimes.com
				




Sometimes you need to fight stupid with stupid.


----------



## GermanSuplex

More tapes coming out. Long story short, he (McCarthy) mentions concern he and others have for the tripe and dangerous rhetoric coming out of his own caucus, and a few of them are named… some of the usual suspects. The cartoonish far-right members. McCarthy also urges them to stop posting things that incite violence against others or threaten each other. He’s very direct and firm. A leader. Boy, he did limp out big time.









						McCarthy Feared G.O.P. Lawmakers Put ‘People in Jeopardy’ After Jan. 6
					

New audio recordings reveal Kevin McCarthy worried that comments by his far-right colleagues could incite violence. He said he would try to rein in the lawmakers, but has instead defended them.




					www.nytimes.com
				




It’s behind a paywall, but that’s the long and short of it, with audio proof.

This is a real-life version of the image you conjur up in your head of politicians saying one thing in public and doing another in private. It’s so out in the open, and his lies are on audio tape, video, social media and images, in the press, etc. You can call him out on his lies and inconsistencies right to his face, and he will look right at someone knowing America is watching and tell a whopper of a lie.

His base doesn’t really like him now that they’ve heard him call Trump unfit to serve, so he’s just a RINO to them. They want someone like Gym Jordache or MTG for their perceived “toughness” (I know, it’s laughable, but it’s true.) And democrats certainly don’t like him.

But he’ll probably be speaker in the end anyways, despite most of America not liking him and not voting for him. Sort of like Trump. A lot like Trump, actually. Because for both Trump and McCarthy, lies and bullshit are just means to an end. And somehow, they manage to drag enough of America along with them.


----------



## lizkat

GermanSuplex said:


> More tapes coming out. Long story short, he (McCarthy) mentions concern he and others have for the tripe and dangerous rhetoric coming out of his own caucus, and a few of them are named… some of the usual suspects. The cartoonish far-right members. McCarthy also urges them to stop posting things that incite violence against others or threaten each other. He’s very direct and firm. A leader. Boy, he did limp out big time.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> McCarthy Feared G.O.P. Lawmakers Put ‘People in Jeopardy’ After Jan. 6
> 
> 
> New audio recordings reveal Kevin McCarthy worried that comments by his far-right colleagues could incite violence. He said he would try to rein in the lawmakers, but has instead defended them.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It’s behind a paywall, but that’s the long and short of it, with audio proof.
> 
> This is a real-life version of the image you conjur up in your head of politicians saying one thing in public and doing another in private. It’s so out in the open, and his lies are on audio tape, video, social media and images, in the press, etc. You can call him out on his lies and inconsistencies right to his face, and he will look right at someone knowing America is watching and tell a whopper of a lie.
> 
> His base doesn’t really like him now that they’ve heard him call Trump unfit to serve, so he’s just a RINO to them. They want someone like Gym Jordache or MTG for their perceived “toughness” (I know, it’s laughable, but it’s true.) And democrats certainly don’t like him.
> 
> But he’ll probably be speaker in the end anyways, despite most of America not liking him and not voting for him. Sort of like Trump. A lot like Trump, actually. Because for both Trump and McCarthy, lies and bullshit are just means to an end. And somehow, they manage to drag enough of America along with them.




Some of it is about outrage fatigue at this point, I suppose.   And the firehose of info and disinfo pouring out of the internet every day.

But it's appalling if we slow down enough to think about it.  These guys are powerful leaders in the governance of a country that declared at its inception our right to CONSENT to our governance.  But now we grow weary of sorting out who's actually fit to govern and so we shrug at the disappointing choices and settle for Fox News' choice or go for those outlined in some op-ed in a mass media outlet,  or else we just rail at the lack of good candidates and don't even bother to choose.

Of course there will always be someone to step into the vacuum that apathy creates, and it will not likely be someone with the interests of all Americans at heart.


----------



## Yoused

_… Ohio state Rep. Jean Schmidt (R) … says rape is “difficult” and may leave emotional scars on its survivors—“but if a baby is created, it is a human life. And whether that mother ends that pregnancy or not, the scars will not go away. Period. It is a shame that it happens, but there’s an *opportunity* for that woman, *no matter how young* or old she is,”_​
we should see how low we can get that bar


----------



## JayMysteri0

I'm having a hard time caring

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1519340406797918208/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1519346514505744387/

Y'know they didn't willingly take that loss, without expecting something(s) in return.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> I'm having a hard time caring
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1519340406797918208/
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1519346514505744387/
> 
> Y'know they didn't willingly take that loss, without expecting something(s) in return.



So, the board will fire all the executives involved now, right?

Right?


----------



## JayMysteri0

The poster does have a point.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1519473893060358146/

The dog on roof thing still makes no sense, and discounts me giving a shit anything this man says.  Also vulture capitalist who believes corporations are people, and that gov't doesn't help them with roads & such.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> More tapes coming out. Long story short, he (McCarthy) mentions concern he and others have for the tripe and dangerous rhetoric coming out of his own caucus, and a few of them are named… some of the usual suspects. The cartoonish far-right members. McCarthy also urges them to stop posting things that incite violence against others or threaten each other. He’s very direct and firm. A leader. Boy, he did limp out big time.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> McCarthy Feared G.O.P. Lawmakers Put ‘People in Jeopardy’ After Jan. 6
> 
> 
> New audio recordings reveal Kevin McCarthy worried that comments by his far-right colleagues could incite violence. He said he would try to rein in the lawmakers, but has instead defended them.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nytimes.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It’s behind a paywall, but that’s the long and short of it, with audio proof.
> 
> This is a real-life version of the image you conjur up in your head of politicians saying one thing in public and doing another in private. It’s so out in the open, and his lies are on audio tape, video, social media and images, in the press, etc. You can call him out on his lies and inconsistencies right to his face, and he will look right at someone knowing America is watching and tell a whopper of a lie.
> 
> His base doesn’t really like him now that they’ve heard him call Trump unfit to serve, so he’s just a RINO to them. They want someone like Gym Jordache or MTG for their perceived “toughness” (I know, it’s laughable, but it’s true.) And democrats certainly don’t like him.
> 
> But he’ll probably be speaker in the end anyways, despite most of America not liking him and not voting for him. Sort of like Trump. A lot like Trump, actually. Because for both Trump and McCarthy, lies and bullshit are just means to an end. And somehow, they manage to drag enough of America along with them.




You have to admire Trump's response though, being that they said one thing against him but then later realized they were wrong.  This is kind of a new schtick for Trump, but it's probably reserved for those who have proven they're easily changed to spineless jellyfish.  He's probably also realized that he's gotten the best deflection from McConnel that he could expect.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Let's have a great big round of "WTF?" when it comes to this party

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1519719292501061634/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1519680859267289090/





Oh, and the Matt Gaetz sex trafficking case is still ongoing.

What values!  Seriously, what values?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Let's have a great big round of "WTF?" when it comes to this party
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1519719292501061634/
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1519680859267289090/
> 
> Oh, and the Matt Gaetz sex trafficking case is still ongoing.
> 
> What values!  Seriously, what values?





Meanwhile, if Republicans retake control of Congress they'll spend the next 2 years attempting to impeach Biden for....I don't know, pull anything out of your ass.  There are no stupid reasons to impeach Biden.  In fact, the stupider the better.  To stay on brand pick something a Republican has been convicted of or is being investigated for and accuse Biden of that and condemn it in the harshest of terms.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Disney’s Special District Tells Ron DeSantis to Cough Up $1 Billion or STFU
					

Reedy Creek, the company’s self-governing district says the Florida governor’s attempt to dissolve it is illegal unless he pays off its debts first, and until then will be operating business as usual.




					www.vanityfair.com
				




Headline gold. 

“We can’t afford to help you with your healthcare costs or anything else because I was sticking it to Disney.”


----------



## GermanSuplex

Let’s not forget MTG is also on trial in a way, and her responses are laughably bad. Being under oath - especially in public - is the one place these liars finally have their BS come back to bite them.

As they’ve said in the news often - there’s more tapes coming too. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not just of McCarthy either. It’s strange to think these folks may soon be in charge again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Citysnaps

GermanSuplex said:


> Let’s not forget MTG is also on trial in a way, and her responses are laughably bad. Being under oath - especially in public - is the one place these liars finally have their BS come back to bite them.
> 
> As they’ve said in the news often - there’s more tapes coming too. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not just of McCarthy either. It’s strange to think these folks may soon be in charge again.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




With all of her "I don't recall" responses, I'm waiting for her claim that Space Lasers were on the job clearing out her memory, and therefore she can't be held accountable. Loved her texting Meadows saying trump should declare "Marshall" Law.


----------



## SuperMatt

GermanSuplex said:


> Let’s not forget MTG is also on trial in a way, and her responses are laughably bad. Being under oath - especially in public - is the one place these liars finally have their BS come back to bite them.
> 
> As they’ve said in the news often - there’s more tapes coming too. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not just of McCarthy either. It’s strange to think these folks may soon be in charge again.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



The most pathetic part of it is that he’s embarrassed by the tapes instead of his current bootlicking of Trump. The tapes indicate borderline rational behavior, which is a disqualifier for GOP politicians.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1519689805113831426/


----------



## JayMysteri0

If you thought republicans would stop at using the "FRAUD" argument at democrats...


----------



## SuperMatt

Virginia Governor Youngkin attempted to prematurely end the terms of duly elected school board members in Loudoun county. The Democratic-controlled Senate shut it down, with others pointing out that targeting school board members in a single district like that violated the state constitution.









						Loudoun School Board Will Not Face Special Elections In 2022 After VA Senate Kills Bill
					

The Virginia Senate rejected a bill amended by Gov. Youngkin that would have required elections for the Loudoun School Board in 2022.




					patch.com
				




What is it with Republican governors constantly demanding “states’ rights” from the federal government but then trying to rule their state like dictators, overruling the will of voters in counties and smaller municipalities?

I think Youngkin wants to be a US Senator at the least, and might be considering a Presidential run. Almost everything he’s doing is for publicity and right-wing street cred. e.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Was listening to a podcast that was commenting on Romney's "Why don't we just forgive everybody's debt on everything" comments against college loan forgiveness (at any level).  They did the math and back when Romney graduated from college AFTER adjusting for inflation the average cost of college would be about $4,000 a year.  So how about we do that, Mitt?

I wish one of these assholes would just be honest.  "I know sacrifice.  Back in 1971 my father worked 1 hour of overtime to pay for my entire 4 years of college.  This made him late for dinner which upset my mother."


----------



## JayMysteri0

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Was listening to a podcast that was commenting on Romney's "Why don't we just forgive everybody's debt on everything" comments against college loan forgiveness (at any level).  They did the math and back when Romney graduated from college AFTER adjusting for inflation the average cost of college would be about $4,000 a year.  So how about we do that, Mitt?
> 
> I wish one of these assholes would just be honest.  "I know sacrifice.  Back in 1971 my father worked 1 hour of overtime to pay for my entire 4 years of college.  This made him late for dinner which upset my mother."



As it's been pointed out, Romney is the WORST case to be calling anything out, because he is THE example of privilege.  In recounting the "hard times" they had in college his wife pointed out they lived off of stocks given to Mitt while in college.  Statistically how many students does one believe survives on stocks in college?  Because if I could have I would NOT have discovered a diet of RC Cola & ramen noodles, and that "Joe's beer the beer of steel workers" should be considered a packaged crime of humanity.

If you're surviving on stocks, it's a good chance your schooling is also being paid off by a parent.  Not a student working a job and / or work study job towards your tuition.  All Mitt does is reinforce his disconnect from anyone else who wasn't born wealthy.  The sort who imagine that inherited money is money THEY worked for, and not actually a wonderful blessing passed on by successful parents.  The sort who imagines that buying a company to gut it, means that he's the successful business person & not a vulture.  Believing that resources & roads used to make that company successful at one time weren't paid by taxpayers.

Mitt is one of those guys who can get praise by reminding everyone he isn't an extremist in the party, then crap away that praise by demonstrating he's still a standard 'r' rich guy that can't grasp why everyone else can't be rich as well.

Bonus point:

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1520557654233464832/


----------



## Eric

Being a gay Conservative commentator and telling your audience you're adopting has its drawbacks...


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Watched a documentary on one of the many Christian cults that we seem to largely be unaware of until voting time, and a cult expert said something that I think applies here. A belief system becomes a destructive cult when there is a shift from leadership improving the lives of worshippers to the worshippers improving the life of the leadership. Sound familiar? Help pay my legal defense and construction of my private jet. Get me back in control…with no mention of how that will make your life better, but it will be better for the leader. Vague “radical forces are moving against you!” statements with nothing substantive beyond that.   

We have masses falling for this shit over and over and now they want this con to be the law of the land.


----------



## GermanSuplex

It’s amazing how fast republicans are calling for whoever leaked the Supreme Court ruling argument to be arrested and jailed. They should tell them it was Trump and watch how fast they backtrack and tell you he was bringing honesty and transparency to the Supreme Court.

Seriously though, it’s amazing how 40 percent of the country is able to rule like it’s 70%. This country is NOT going to send women to jail for having abortions, and if it does, they’re going to lock up a lot of conservative women too, and hopefully a lot of conservative men who facilitate them for their mistresses. This terrible decision by the conservative judges - three of which were brought on by a minority-elected party - is going to really get dems to the voting booth.


----------



## Cmaier

GermanSuplex said:


> It’s amazing how fast republicans are calling for whoever leaked the Supreme Court ruling argument to be arrested and jailed.




Have they happened to mention what alleged crime this broke?


----------



## Hrafn

Cmaier said:


> Have they happened to mention what alleged crime this broke?



Yep, something about Hunter Biden's laptop and Hillary in Benghazi...


----------



## Yoused

Cmaier said:


> Have they happened to mention what alleged crime this broke?



Well, technically, there does not have to be a crime. You can ba arrested and held for at least 48 hours without being charged with anything. And it is your word against theirs what happened in the station house, once those security tapes somehow got erased (_damn Windows Vista computer crashed and we lost four months worth of recordings_).


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> It’s amazing how fast republicans are calling for whoever leaked the Supreme Court ruling argument to be arrested and jailed. They should tell them it was Trump and watch how fast they backtrack and tell you he was bringing honesty and transparency to the Supreme Court.
> 
> Seriously though, it’s amazing how 40 percent of the country is able to rule like it’s 70%. This country is NOT going to send women to jail for having abortions, and if it does, they’re going to lock up a lot of conservative women too, and hopefully a lot of conservative men who facilitate them for their mistresses. This terrible decision by the conservative judges - three of which were brought on by a minority-elected party - is going to really get dems to the voting booth.




I think we should force Republicans to celebrate their victory here. They’ve been promising this for decades. Good job. Take a victory lap. Don’t let them attempt to distract with the leak. For their part, the Democrats should also remind people who the victors are. Name, names. Give credit where its due.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Cmaier said:


> Have they happened to mention what alleged crime this broke?




It’s not a crime. It’s “not normal”, which describes most of Trump’s Presidency. Seems the right isn’t always a fan of “not normal”. They might need to consult somebody on the left on how to handle things when they find out there isn’t a law in place to prevent “not normal.” It was shocking the first dozen times but then you get pretty used to it.


----------



## SuperMatt

This guy won a GOP Congressional primary in Ohio.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1521880711715823616/

Let me say it again. This guy is the Republican nominee for a seat in Congress.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Oh for FUCKING FUCK sake!

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1522080530656677889/

Let's stop pretending once & for all these are not extremists who will use the "big gov't" they hate so much, to punish anyone less fortunate & not like them to appeal to a cruel & petty dying base.



> Abbott says Texas could 'resurrect' SCOTUS case requiring states to educate all kids
> 
> 
> The comments came after a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court revealed that a majority of justices were considering overturning Roe v. Wade.
> 
> 
> 
> www.statesman.com





> Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that Texas would consider challenging a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring states to offer free public education to all children, including those of undocumented immigrants.
> 
> "Texas already long ago sued the federal government about having to incur the costs of the education program, in a case called Plyler versus Doe," Abbott said, speaking during an appearance on the Joe Pags show, a conservative radio talk show. "And the Supreme Court ruled against us on the issue. ... I think we will resurrect that case and challenge this issue again, because the expenses are extraordinary and the times are different than when Plyler versus Doe was issued many decades ago."




Why all of this?  For more political theatre.



> Abbott raised the possibility of challenging the ruling on education during a discussion about border security, after Pagliarulo asked whether the state could take steps to reduce the "burden" of educating the children of undocumented migrants living in Texas.




F- that guy!!


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Oh for FUCKING FUCK sake!
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1522080530656677889/
> 
> Let's stop pretending once & for all these are not extremists who will use the "big gov't" they hate so much, to punish anyone less fortunate & not like them to appeal to a cruel & petty dying base.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Why all of this?  For more political theatre.
> 
> 
> 
> F- that guy!!



I guess tearing kids away from their parents and tossing them in cages didn’t go far enough for this piece of .

I cannot WAIT until the blue wave hits Texas. The bigger their population gets, and the more centralized it gets into cities, even the insane gerrymandering and voter suppression techniques won’t be enough.

Abortion needs to be stopped because it‘s supposedly cruel to a fetus. But once the kids are born, these dirtbags make no bones about being intentionally cruel to them. I agree, we cannot F this guy enough.


----------



## AG_PhamD

GermanSuplex said:


> It’s amazing how fast republicans are calling for whoever leaked the Supreme Court ruling argument to be arrested and jailed. They should tell them it was Trump and watch how fast they backtrack and tell you he was bringing honesty and transparency to the Supreme Court.
> 
> Seriously though, it’s amazing how 40 percent of the country is able to rule like it’s 70%. This country is NOT going to send women to jail for having abortions, and if it does, they’re going to lock up a lot of conservative women too, and hopefully a lot of conservative men who facilitate them for their mistresses. This terrible decision by the conservative judges - three of which were brought on by a minority-elected party - is going to really get dems to the voting booth.




I’ll preface this by saying I am not onboard with the direction the Supreme Court seems to be heading with overturning Roe vs. Wade.

That said, I don’t think having leaks within the Supreme Court is acceptable either. It is expected that such information is confidential until made public and this leak in unprecedented in that an entire draft was leaked, not just details- which in itself isn’t particularly common. If the Supreme Court can’t operate on the basis of trust, that’s a big problem.

There seems to be a lot of debate as to whether or not such a leak is a crime. It’s definitely not a clear violation of law which surprises me greatly. Some are arguing that obstruction of justice, theft, fraud (in the sense of acts that undermine a government process). If it’s not a crime, the person responsible could still be impeached, fired, or have professional implications such as disbarment if they’re an attorney. I suppose the circumstances of the leak make a difference, particularly if the document was illegally obtained (hacking, theft).

I will say there is an inherent conflict with outside agencies investigating the Supreme Court due to the separation of powers.

Obviously on the scale of sins one can commit and it’s impact on society, this is pretty low in my book. But I don’t think leaks is something the court should have to worry about. Whoever is responsible if they’re not charged with a crime, should be fired.

And I make no presumption of who made the leak, there are viable motivations for members of both right and left.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

TL;DW  Abott’s little border stunt has now caused a planned rail line from Mexico to Canada to go through New Mexico instead of Texas causing Texas to lose out on billions in economic opportunity.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> TL;DW  Abott’s little border stunt has now caused a planned rail line from Mexico to Canada to go through New Mexico instead of Texas causing Texas to lose out on billions in economic opportunity.



As long as he keeps “owning the libs” there is a certain contingent that will vote for him no matter how bad it gets... down to living in caves and dying of starvation. As for everybody else in the state... WAKE UP! What is wrong with you?


----------



## JayMysteri0

See if any of this sounds familiar


----------



## JayMysteri0

It's the agenda, even if some won't believe it
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1522951666764759041/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Selective outrage AKA bullshit is also an important part of the agenda
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1523391354826813440/

Remember kids:  According to the RNC 1/6 was "legitimate political discourse", and "how about those BLM riots?"   

I also wouldn't ask any Michigan governors what they think either.  Such spoil sports.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Selective outrage AKA bullshit is also an important part of the agenda
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1523391354826813440/
> 
> Remember kids:  According to the RNC 1/6 was "legitimate political discourse", and "how about those BLM riots?"
> 
> I also wouldn't ask any Michigan governors what they think either.  Such spoil sports.



Don’t forget - the same right-wing complainers support the egregious harassment outside abortion clinics that has been going on for decades and has led to murders of doctors.

If SCOTUS is going to rule that you can’t have a “buffer zone” around abortion clinics, then they can STFU about people protesting in front of their houses.

Just think about all the doctors and patients bullied and harassed throughout the years, and this SCOTUS acts like THEY are being treated unfairly and have put up a huge fence to protect themselves, after denying protection to doctors and women. This isn’t about free speech. This is about right-wing power grabbing. Nothing else. They contradict themselves constantly, and the agenda is clear. They have become a kangaroo court.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Prison gerrymandering.  Just found out about this.









						When Your Body Counts But Your Vote Does Not: How Prison Gerrymandering Distorts Political Representation
					

Prisons gerrymandering boosts the population of areas hosting large numbers of incarcerated people, and impacts the drawing of states’ district lines




					time.com
				




Prisoners can't vote but they are counted in the census which results in district lines giving more power to rural areas, mostly white people.  Even if the prison population is mostly minorities, that doesn't matter because the white people on the outside are the ones voting while using their headcount for more influence.  

I wouldn't be shocked to find out there are prison towns with a smaller population than the prison and they get to count all those prisoners as their "citizens".


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Prison gerrymandering.  Just found out about this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When Your Body Counts But Your Vote Does Not: How Prison Gerrymandering Distorts Political Representation
> 
> 
> Prisons gerrymandering boosts the population of areas hosting large numbers of incarcerated people, and impacts the drawing of states’ district lines
> 
> 
> 
> 
> time.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Prisoners can't vote but they are counted in the census which results in district lines giving more power to rural areas, mostly white people.  Even if the prison population is mostly minorities, that doesn't matter because the white people on the outside are the ones voting while using their headcount for more influence.
> 
> I wouldn't be shocked to find out there are prison towns with a smaller population than the prison and they get to count all those prisoners as their "citizens".



I heard a story about it on the radio not long ago...

Here it is:









						Most Prisoners Can't Vote, But They're Still Counted In Voting Districts
					

For the redrawing of voting maps, some states are making a little-known change to their census numbers that is expected to shift political power away from rural, predominantly white prison towns.




					www.npr.org


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> I heard a story about it on the radio not long ago...
> 
> Here it is:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Most Prisoners Can't Vote, But They're Still Counted In Voting Districts
> 
> 
> For the redrawing of voting maps, some states are making a little-known change to their census numbers that is expected to shift political power away from rural, predominantly white prison towns.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.npr.org





One of many sinister tools in their shed.  Commit a crime in a liberal city and then they'll toss you in a rural area prison, take away your vote but count you as likeminded when it comes to representation.  Don't we have the largest, or one of the largest, prison population per capita on earth? Another piece of the minority rule puzzle falling into place.


----------



## GermanSuplex

SuperMatt said:


> Don’t forget - the same right-wing complainers support the egregious harassment outside abortion clinics that has been going on for decades and has led to murders of doctors.
> 
> If SCOTUS is going to rule that you can’t have a “buffer zone” around abortion clinics, then they can STFU about people protesting in front of their houses.
> 
> Just think about all the doctors and patients bullied and harassed throughout the years, and this SCOTUS acts like THEY are being treated unfairly and have put up a huge fence to protect themselves, after denying protection to doctors and women. This isn’t about free speech. This is about right-wing power grabbing. Nothing else. They contradict themselves constantly, and the agenda is clear. They have become a kangaroo court.




Like Clarence Thomas’ recent comments on the leaked opinion and the fallout….

He’s worried trust in institutions is eroding and that people get upset when they don’t get the outcomes they want… and this guy’s wife has pushed a president who did more to erode trust in our institutions more than anyone, and pushed to overturn election results she didn’t like…





__





						Loading…
					





					www.washingtonpost.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> Like Clarence Thomas’ recent comments on the leaked opinion and the fallout….
> 
> He’s worried trust in institutions is eroding and that people get upset when they don’t get the outcomes they want… and this guy’s wife has pushed a president who did more to erode trust in our institutions more than anyone, and pushed to overturn election results she didn’t like…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Loading…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.washingtonpost.com





The man should seriously STFU.  He's probably said more in the last month than in his entire time on the bench previous to that, and none of what he has said is good.  He should go back to being a mute rubber stamp for the Republican (and mostly white) agenda.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Listened to an interview with one of the Lincoln Project founders, clearly not a Trump fan. He’s the first (former) Republican I’ve heard that admitted a lot of the outrage over illegal immigration is used as a cover for people who more simply don’t want non-European immigrants in the country period. Sometimes it’s good to hear the quiet part out loud.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Listened to an interview with one of the Lincoln Project founders, clearly not a Trump fan. He’s the first (former) Republican I’ve heard that admitted a lot of the outrage over illegal immigration is used as a cover for people who more simply don’t want non-European immigrants in the country period. Sometimes it’s good to hear the quiet part out loud.




And it’s barely quiet anymore. Tucker Carlson openly promotes replacement theory garbage on his programs. Last I checked, there is no law requiring you to f*** someone not of your own race, so there goes that white supremacist duck call argument. But they will tell a teenage rape victim she must carry her rape baby to term, or face trial for murder. Possibly premeditated if she makes the appointment first.

I was so glad to see this clip on MSNBC, because he’s always playing in my head when I listen to some of these Republican crusaders.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Watched a documentary on folk horror movies. A lot of the movies revolve around a group of people practicing a belief system from the past, friendly at first but ultimately very dark and deadly. So if you live in the US right now you are basically living in a folk horror movie.


----------



## Yoused

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> if you live in the US right now you are basically living in a folk horror movie



But who owns the copyright on it? How soon dg they decide we need to pay royalties because we have gone beyond fair use into infringement?


----------



## JayMysteri0

The newest go to?  Starving foreign children on US soil.  

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1525122387951472645/



> Biden sent baby formula to border for immigrants, Republicans say
> 
> 
> Representative Kat Cammack said on Wednesday that a border patrol agent in Texas informed her that he had taken in pallets of baby formula for immigrants.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.newsweek.com





> Republicans are accusing President Joe Biden of sending pallets of baby formula to warehouses at the U.S.-Mexico border for immigrants who crossed into the U.S. despite a nationwide shortage that is leaving many Americans increasingly desperate.
> 
> Representative Kat Cammack, a Republican lawmaker from Florida, said in a Facebook Live video posted Wednesday that a border patrol agent in Texas informed her that he had taken in pallets of baby formula for immigrants. She said that the children receiving the formula were not at fault but expressed anger over what she described as "another example of the 'America last' agenda."
> 
> Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene also referenced "emerging" pictures from the border that she said showed that the Biden administration was sending pallets of baby formula there, according to a tweet from ABC reporter Ben Siegel.
> 
> _Newsweek_ was not able to independently confirm the information in Cammack's video by publication time. Cammack also posted photos on social media that she said showed pallets of baby formula at a border processing facility in McAllen, Texas, commonly known as Ursula, but a worker at the facility told _Newsweek_ that there were no pallets of baby formula there and that only single adults are currently housed at the facility.




As for why we have a baby formula shortage?  That should be in another thread.  There are a few factors, but one we all know very well, ...capitalism.  Or unfettered capitalism & consolidation of an industry to just two big players, then shit happens, and well you know the rest...

But according to the well worn R playbook, it can ONLY be one person's fault... the D president!


----------



## JayMysteri0

Yoused said:


> But who owns the copyright on it? How soon dg they decide we need to pay royalties because we have gone beyond fair use into infringement?



Copyright doesn't work that way.  If it did, Disney would have locked that up so no one else could use it.

That's a story as old as time itself, they say.

So unfortunately it's what's called "Public domain".  Which means anyone can use & tell that story whenever & how often they want.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

"Trad" Catholics and white nationalists forge a new youth movement
					

Activist arm of right-wing Catholic outlet Church Militant is increasingly entwined with racist "groyper" movement




					www.salon.com
				




"It is counterintuitive, to say the least, that an ostensibly faith-based organization is embracing a movement so explicitly bigoted as the groypers. Fuentes has engaged in elaborate jokes denying the Holocaust, praised Hitler and told viewers on one livestream show that "frankly, I'm getting pretty sick of world Jewry running the show," to name just several examples of his virulent antisemitism. Fuentes has disparaged African-American voter outreach as attempts to "flood the zone with n****r votes," called for "total Aryan victory," rejected "race-mixing" because "people should stick with their own kind," bragged that he "made misogyny cool again," celebrated domestic violence against women and much more. 

On his Thursday night livestream show, Fuentes responded to the claims made in part 1 of Salon's investigation. "You're damn right the groypers are forming an alliance with the Catholics," he exclaimed, "and you're right we have a plan, and we are gonna take the Republican Party and we are going to drag it against its will back through the doors of the church and to the altar, and we are going to baptize it." Clodfelter, meanwhile, extolled his audience to "show our love and support for Church Militant. These guys are strong, these guys are determined…yes, we're collaborating in this effort to combat Satanism in America, we are. Groypers are everywhere."


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy




----------



## Yoused

Spoiler: this will creep you out



https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1526376138188070913/


----------



## JayMysteri0

The agenda certainly doesn't include helping regular citizens

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1527101944086401025/


> House passes bills to address baby formula shortage
> 
> 
> The House on Wednesday passed two bills aimed at addressing a nationwide shortage of infant formula. The main piece of legislation, sponsored by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), would provide $28 milli…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thehill.com





> DeLauro’s bill was passed 231-192 in a mainly party-line vote, with 12 Republicans going against the recommendation of party leadership and supporting the legislation. Another passed in a largely bipartisan vote.
> 
> But even as Democrats praised the vote, it was unclear how quickly the bills would help families and increase the available supply.
> 
> Senate Republicans also seemed wary of spending new money, so the ultimate fate of the Democrats’ biggest legislative effort to fix the formula shortage was uncertain.
> 
> House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) sent out a memo on Wednesday urging his members to vote “no” on the bill. He said Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) proposed the legislation “in hopes of covering up the administration’s ineptitude by throwing additional money at the FDA with no plan to actually fix the problem, all while failing to hold the FDA accountable.”
> 
> 
> GOP leaders also claimed that some of their proposals to address the scarcity were ignored by Democrats.
> 
> Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) on the House floor characterized the legislation as “reckless spending.”
> 
> “I rise in opposition tonight to H.R. 7790, the Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act, a bill that just continues the majority’s reckless spending spree without actually fixing the infant formula crisis this administration caused,” he said.




Oh, here is your dose of stupid to go with that
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1527263799392223234/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> The agenda certainly doesn't include helping regular citizens
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1527101944086401025/
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, here is your dose of stupid to go with that
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1527263799392223234/



This is truly the Republican Party in a nutshell. They scream about the formula shortage, but when it comes time for them to actually do something about it… they oppose it.


----------



## Joe

Elon Musk tweets that the democrat party is full of division and hate days after a white supremacist conservative kills 10 people in a grocery store based on race. 

You can’t make this shit up.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Joe said:


> Elon Musk tweets that the democrat party is full of division and hate days after a white supremacist conservative kills 10 people in a grocery store based on race.
> 
> You can’t make this shit up.




As much as it might be warranted in some cases, I don’t think most Democrats are capable of hate. They pretty much max out at flustered disappointment. Sorry for the highly inflammatory harsh language I used there.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I think we need to compliment Trump on one thing, his ability to piss off Mitch McConnell by pissing on the establishment right and forcing Mitch to up his wordsmith hypocrisy double-speak game. Anything that makes Mitch’s life worse is a real blessing.


----------



## Joe

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> As much as it might be warranted in some cases, I don’t think most Democrats are capable of hate. They pretty much max out at flustered disappointment. Sorry for the highly inflammatory harsh language I used there.




I'm not sure how democrats can be dangerous and snowflakes at the same time lol


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

There's kickback against Trump endorsing Dr. Oz because Oz had liberal viewpoints before.  I guess these people think Trump hatched out of an egg fully formed in 2016.  Otherwise they would be aware that prior to that Trump had similar differences of opinion they are now offended by in Oz.  

If Jesus says you can forgive him I can't think of a better candidate for you to diversify your grifter support and donations.


----------



## Yoused

Joe said:


> I'm not sure how democrats can be dangerous and snowflakes at the same time lol



The RWers have clearly demonstrated how snowflakes can be dangerous. They keep getting stuck to each other and piling up until you cannot move anywhere without a huge struggle.


----------



## JayMysteri0

This time the vote is for women with low incomes. 

Imagine the likely suspects you would expect to vote against such a thing.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1527101980455276544/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1527108510697328643/

You unfortunately & NOT shockingly wouldn't be wrong.  It's the usual assholes suspects.


----------



## Yoused

Joe said:


> Elon Musk tweets that the democrat party is full of division and hate days after a white supremacist conservative kills 10 people in a grocery store based on race.
> 
> You can’t make this shit up.




See, the RWers subscribe to a definition of "hate" that is how the rest of us describe "_I disagree with you and object to your foolish ideas_." You must avoid interpreting their political language usage patterns as being consistent with those of rational people.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Alright, this is just over the top stupid now....

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1527361150999900176/


> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Loading…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.usnews.com





> House Dems pass gas price-gouging bill that faces uphill battle in the Senate
> 
> 
> The Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act was approved along party lines in a vote of 217-207, with four Democrats joined all Republicans in opposition
> 
> 
> 
> 
> abcnews.go.com





> The House's Democratic majority overcame some internal opposition to pass legislation on Thursday addressing high gas prices by cracking down on possible price gouging from oil companies.
> 
> The bill was approved along party lines in a vote of 217-207. Four Democrats -- Texas' Lizzie Fletcher, Jared Golden of Maine, Stephanie Murphy of Florida and Kathleen Rice of New York -- joined all Republicans in the chamber in voting against the legislation.
> 
> The Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, introduced by Reps. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., and Katie Porter, D-Calif., would give the president the authority to issue an energy emergency proclamation that would make it unlawful for companies to increase fuel prices to "unconscionably excessive" levels.





> "The problem is Big Oil is keeping supply artificially low so prices and profits stay high. Now I think that when the market is broken, that's when Congress has to step in to protect American consumers," Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a hearing on Monday. "And that's what this bill does: It empowers the FTC to go after the gougers and empowers the agency to effectively monitor and report on market manipulation."
> 
> Oil executives previously testified before Congress to address concerns about their prices but insisted it was the result of larger forces, including supply and demand.
> 
> The price gouging legislation faced stiff opposition from Republicans, who blame the Biden administration's policies, including spending and pandemic-relief stimulus, for inflation. Republicans also renewed calls for more domestic energy production.
> 
> "If anybody is going to be sued for gouging, it should be the Gouger-in-Chief Joe Biden who has created this problem," House GOP Whip Steve Scalise said on the House floor on Thursday. "Stop relying on foreign countries for our energy when we can make it here cleaner, better than anyone in the world and lower gas prices and address this problem. This bill doesn't do it. We got to bring up the bills that actually fix the problem."




FFS

How the 'f' do you lean on the wobbly ass crutch of "we need more production", when the oil companies themselves don't want more production?


> U.S. producers reluctant to drill more oil, despite sky-high gas prices
> 
> 
> Rather than give consumers relief at the pump, many oil and gas executives are sending profits to investors.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cbsnews.com





> Many oil and gas executives say they have little interest in increasing oil production — even at crude's near-record prices, which make extraction very profitable for their companies.
> 
> The price of crude oil has been steadily rising since the start of last year. It hit $100 a barrel in March after Russia invaded Ukraine — the first time in 12 years it breached three digits.




If those oil companies ask for money to produce more oil to lower the  price of oil they want to keep high, these same pinheads would be racing to give them money & lower any tax they want for them.  Then cry too much money is being spent on covid.

It's not an agenda anymore, it's just straight fuckery.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Alright, this is just over the top stupid now....
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1527361150999900176/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> FFS
> 
> How the 'f' do you lean on the wobbly ass crutch of "we need more production", when the oil companies themselves don't want more production?
> 
> 
> 
> If those oil companies ask for money to produce more oil to lower the  price of oil they want to keep high, these same pinheads would be racing to give them money & lower any tax they want for them.  Then cry too much money is being spent on covid.
> 
> It's not an agenda anymore, it's just straight fuckery.





I paid about $0.15 more at the pump last week than I did the week before, a little south of $6.00 per gallon. WTF? The oil industry has been allowed to freely gouge us for about 3 months, and just now the government is trying to do something about it? It’s just another of countless examples of the government running cover for the people at the top to shore up their wealth even more. I don’t entirely blame the Republicans for that.

As far as Republicans, their entire platform is to make the American people suffer and blame Biden despite it being clear they are the ones to blame. If they don’t suffer political consequences as a result it’s no longer about people voting against their self interests. It’s about having a large population of mentally deranged assholes.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I paid about $0.15 more at the pump last week than I did the week before, a little south of $6.00 per gallon. WTF? The oil industry has been allowed to freely gouge us for about 3 months, and just now the government is trying to do something about it? It’s just another of countless examples of the government running cover for the people at the top to shore up their wealth even more. I don’t entirely blame the Republicans for that.
> 
> As far as Republicans, their entire platform is to make the American people suffer and blame Biden despite it being clear they are the ones to blame. If they don’t suffer political consequences as a result it’s no longer about people voting against their self interests. It’s about having a large population of mentally deranged assholes.



Just ignore their most recent quarterly earnings reports showing record profits. After all, Jeff Bezos says inflation is all Joe Biden’s fault, and not the fault of mega-rich dipshits like himself cranking up prices to take advantage of consumer anxiety. And billionaires are all geniuses who never lie or do anything wrong.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Just ignore their most recent quarterly earnings reports showing record profits. After all, Jeff Bezos says inflation is all Joe Biden’s fault, and not the fault of mega-rich dipshits like himself cranking up prices to take advantage of consumer anxiety. And billionaires are all geniuses who never lie or do anything wrong.




Our government's implicit message to the top "A recession is coming soon.  How much time would you like to shore up your wealth?  We'd like to avoid having to bail you out again.  We'll do it.  So don't worry about that.  We'd just rather not.  Apparently that's unpopular.  But as you know, popularity pretty much has zero impact on what we do.  Anyhow, as a show of good faith we'll give you at least a couple months.  Let us know if you need more.  We can probably milk these culture war distractions indefinitely.  Abortion rights, what a gift!!"


----------



## JayMysteri0

What makes me want to find a some pearls to clutch



> Pastor Greg Locke says Christians can't vote Democrat. Why this rhetoric is bad faith. | Hill
> 
> 
> As we have faith in God, we must have faith that our neighbors' beliefs outside of Christian faith from a pure and genuine place.
> 
> 
> 
> www.tennessean.com





> On Sunday, May 15, a video clip of Locke's recent sermon surfaced.
> 
> "You cannot be a Christian and vote Democrat in this nation," said Locke as he was greeted with cheers and applause.



https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1526048899810615301/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> What makes me want to find a some pearls to clutch
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1526048899810615301/



There was a very interesting interview on the radio this week about the marriage between “evangelical” Christianity and right-wing politics. Here was a story that really encapsulates it pretty well:



> DAVIES: You write about a pastor in Fort Smith, Ark., Kevin Thompson, who delivered a sermon in the fall of 2020, which would have been right in the middle of the Trump-Biden presidential race. What did he say in this sermon?
> 
> GRAHAM: This was a pretty standard sermon that you'd hear in an evangelical church. It was about the gentleness of God. But he made one reference in the sermon that stood out to a couple of people in his congregation. So he was drawing this contrast between God as a loving and accessible figure and just sort of comparing them to, you know, earthly celebrities as remote and inaccessible characters. And he just made a quick reference to, I think, Oprah, Jay-Z and then *Tom Hanks*, just to sort of draw this contrast in an understandable way. And several congregants afterwards asked him, by text message and phone call, what did he mean by that reference to *Tom Hanks*? And one of them raised the possibility - you know, sort of suggested that he obviously didn't care about the issue of *sex trafficking*.
> 
> He was completely confused by this at first, but sort of pieced together that they were being influenced by QAnon. A piece of the QAnon conspiracy theory is that Tom Hanks is part of this ring of Hollywood pedophiles. So it was, you know, kind of a wake-up call for him - one of a couple of wake-up calls - that his congregation was really being influenced and listening to voices that he was having a hard time figuring out how to reach and how to respond to.












						A divide between the pulpit and the pew is roiling the evangelical church
					

New York Times journalist Ruth Graham says many pastors are being pressured to resist vaccines and mask mandates, embrace Trump's claims about election fraud and adopt QANON-based conspiracy theories.




					www.npr.org


----------



## fooferdoggie

JayMysteri0 said:


> What makes me want to find a some pearls to clutch
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1526048899810615301/



christian hate is so like Jesus.


----------



## fooferdoggie

we had wealth churches now we have hate churches too.


----------



## Eric

Wait, what?


"We should work together" from
      SelfAwarewolves


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1528556372618625028/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Not only has racism been emboldened, but stupidity as well.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1528845607149903873/

Which will be mocked.



> Republican Candidate’s Bonkers Campaign Sign Has Everyone Puzzled
> 
> 
> Wait, what???
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.huffpost.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Listened to an analysis of the CPAC convention in Hungary. It’s basically like if the Republicans got invited to Germany in early 1939 for a convention hosted by Hitler. Take all of Hitler’s greatest hits speeches and replace “Jew” with “Liberal” (they still mean Jew). Orban declared he has “cured Hungary of liberals”. He praised Tucker Carlson and said shows like his should be aired 24/7. Among his 12 point plan is “play by your own rules (read: ignore laws)” and put out the word that gay people are targeting children.

I don't know if traditional fiscal conservatives still exist but if I was one I would seriously be looking at all that and going WTF?  That's not what I signed up for.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

James Craig accused of gathering fake signatures in bid to make Michigan ballot | Bridge Michigan
					

Democrats and a group supporting a rival Republican allege Michigan gubernatorial hopeful James Craig should not qualify for the ballot after submitting forged and fraudulent petition signatures.




					www.bridgemi.com
				




Jesus.  Are they capable of not actually doing what they accuse others of?  If you have kids, I highly recommend keeping them far clear of Republicans.  Grooming is at the top of their accusation list.


----------



## shadow puppet

Well this should get interesting.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1529155861880483840/


----------



## GermanSuplex

Glad to see Trump muppet and poor man’s-JR Ewing, David Perdue, lost in spectacular fashion after selling himself out to Trump.

Would be great if Trump ends up helping Abrams defeat Kemp. Trump is going to be livid Pence backed Kemp, and he’s two people he largely blames for his loss.


----------



## JayMysteri0

The agenda maybe F'd up, but we keep learning the people heavily into maybe worse.

You may have heard of Nick Fuentes.  He's the KNOWN racist, that republicans keep NOT knowing is a racist / phobe and hanging out with.  Then scramble when they are called out for hanging out, endorsing, and proudly taking pictures with.  That guy, is trending on Twitter, and being known as having "cawthorned" himself.



Spoiler: Maybe offensive to some



https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1529661992914632705/


https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1529801865822707713/


Spoiler: Maybe offensive to some



https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1529656664810471425/


https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1529774012670349313/


----------



## JayMysteri0

When you are really desperate & reaching to say something nice about someone

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1530642631054745603/


----------



## Yoused

JayMysteri0 said:


> That guy, is trending on Twitter, and being known as having "cawthorned" himself.



it was ... _research_ ... yeah, yeah, that's it, that's the ticket


----------



## JayMysteri0

Why is that every nut job who wishes someone dead of differing political thought calls them "nazi"?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1531069715266797572/

Are we really that determined to lower the bar on who's a nazi, to make actual incel asshole nazis feel better?

Bonus- for the obligatory "pedo" call out.  Which makes you believe the writer probably had child porn playing while they sent that "gem".


----------



## Cmaier

JayMysteri0 said:


> Why is that every nut job who wishes someone dead of differing political thought calls them "nazi"?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1531069715266797572/
> 
> Are we really that determined to lower the bar on who's a nazi, to make actual incel asshole nazis feel better?
> 
> Bonus- for the obligatory "pedo" call out.  Which makes you believe the writer probably had child porn playing while they sent that "gem".




Every time a republican makes an accusation, it’s actually a confession.


----------



## JayMysteri0

There's also this bizarre need to create alternate realities

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1530694761505431552/

Then again, when you see the _skills_
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1530729934905389056/

You can understand the need for any reality but this one.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

The Main Mental Health Issue in This Country Is in the Republican Party
					

Now Republicans swear they’re going to address mental health. How dumb do they think the American people are?




					newrepublic.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I think the reason the Republican party doesn’t give a shit about mental health has nothing to do with government spending or thinking you can bootstrap your way to mental health. The fact is they rely heavily on their voters being unhinged and removed from reality. These mass shootings are just a bonus so they can claim more guns and cops can stop them.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Facts. The Republican party and myths are holding us back at minimum or making us worse if they continue to succeed. Succeed is a misnomer there but not by their standards.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Many possible threads, but I'll put this here.  Just heard that there is now a dress code at Trump rallies and they won't allow people in wearing Qanon or Proud Boy logos or related imagery.  I think the people who attempt it should feel special because they can now include themselves among the high ranks of people Trump has thrown under the bus.  Your purpose has been served and you are now bad for the brand.


----------



## SuperMatt

Well, we’ve discovered another thing that can cause the GOP to kick one out of their party. You thought it was just refusing to support Trump? Nope, the other unforgivable sin in the GOP… is reasonable gun control.









						Rep. Chris Jacobs withdraws from re-election bid amid gun control outcry
					

Rep. Chris Jacobs, an Orchard Park Republican, said Friday that he was withdrawing as the GOP and Conservative candidate for Congress in the newly redrawn 23rd District, acknowledging that his




					buffalonews.com
				






> Rep. Chris Jacobs, an Orchard Park Republican, said Friday that he was withdrawing as the GOP and Conservative candidate for Congress in the newly redrawn 23rd District, acknowledging that his newfound views on gun control place him at odds with the parties that endorsed him.
> "This obviously arises out of last Friday, my remarks, statements on being receptive to gun controls," Jacobs said in an interview. "And since that time, every Republican elected (official) that had endorsed me withdrew their endorsement. Party officials that supported me withdrew, most of them, and those that were going to said they would not. And so obviously, this was not well received by the Republican base."




He’s from Orchard Park - the home of the Buffalo Bills. It is unbelievable to me that in the light of the terrorist attack in Bufffalo, the GOP is kicking him out for suggesting reasonable gun control measures supported by a large majority of Americans. He’s dropping out of politics because he dared suggest that we should care more about children than guns. This is today’s Republican Party. The party who supports killers instead of kids. I sure hope a Democrat gets elected in his district this time. We don’t need a gun fetishist representing Western NY. The leaders of the GOP have no shame and no conscience.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Well, we’ve discovered another thing that can cause the GOP to kick one out of their party. You thought it was just refusing to support Trump? Nope, the other unforgivable sin in the GOP… is reasonable gun control.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rep. Chris Jacobs withdraws from re-election bid amid gun control outcry
> 
> 
> Rep. Chris Jacobs, an Orchard Park Republican, said Friday that he was withdrawing as the GOP and Conservative candidate for Congress in the newly redrawn 23rd District, acknowledging that his
> 
> 
> 
> 
> buffalonews.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> He’s from Orchard Park - the home of the Buffalo Bills. It is unbelievable to me that in the light of the terrorist attack in Bufffalo, the GOP is kicking him out for suggesting reasonable gun control measures supported by a large majority of Americans. He’s dropping out of politics because he dared suggest that we should care more about children than guns. This is today’s Republican Party. The party who supports killers instead of kids. I sure hope a Democrat gets elected in his district this time. We don’t need a gun fetishist representing Western NY. The leaders of the GOP have no shame and no conscience.




The Republican party is demented and hates most American people, not just half, way more than that.


----------



## Yoused

wut

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1531817593517969408/


----------



## SuperMatt

Yoused said:


> wut
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1531817593517969408/



He wants to control what you call HIM, but here’s what he thinks about OTHERS wanting themselves referred to in a certain way:

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1519789663547891712/


----------



## Yoused

The quiet part out loud,


			
				Louie "the wise one" Gohmert said:
			
		

> (Republicans) _can’t even lie to Congress or lie to an FBI agent or they’re coming after you. They’re going to bury you. They’re going to put you in the D.C. jail and terrorize and torture you and not live up to the Constitution there._




Annnnd, if we commit crimes, they will prosecute us! Arrgh! Unfair!


----------



## GermanSuplex

Yoused said:


> wut
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1531817593517969408/




“Hey everyone, over here… yeah, don’t pay any attention to me! I don’t want your attention, so please disregard my cries for attention, because I don’t want it!”


----------



## GermanSuplex

Yoused said:


> The quiet part out loud,
> 
> 
> Annnnd, if we commit crimes, they will prosecute us! Arrgh! Unfair!




Literally could not believe this when I saw it a couple hours ago. Pretty revealing how they don’t believe laws are for themselves, just for punishing those they don’t like. Even though it was really stupid - even for a proven dumb guy with a name like Louie Gohmert - it’s an insight as to how they view themselves as immune because they are rich white guys. Same thing happened with Peter Navarro.


----------



## ronntaylor

SuperMatt said:


> I sure hope a Democrat gets elected in his district this time.



Sadly this won't happen. It's a solidly GOP district and whoever replaces him in the primary will win the general easily.


----------



## SuperMatt

ronntaylor said:


> Sadly this won't happen. It's a solidly GOP district and whoever replaces him in the primary will win the general easily.



It wasn’t always that way in my (former) neck of the woods. I remember when Jack Kemp was the Republican member around there. He was a conservative when it came to economics, and a liberal on pretty much every social issue. If he wasn’t liberal on social issues, no way he would have won, since people in the area almost always voted for Democrats. It is sad to see how the culture has changed in the region. 

And it was just plain offensive how Bush Sr. treated Kemp when he made him head of HUD. Basically refused to fund anything for him, and undercut any of his reforms that would have actually been effective.

I didn’t agree with Kemp on economics, but if today’s Republicans were more like him, they probably would have done something about immigration, addressed some BLM concerns, controlled guns, and there’s no way the Jan 6 violence would have happened. Instead, the party left him behind to follow Newt Gingrich and that path led them directly to Trump.


----------



## ronntaylor

SuperMatt said:


> It wasn’t always that way in my (former) neck of the woods. I remember when Jack Kemp was the Republican member around there. He was a conservative when it came to economics, and a liberal on pretty much every social issue. If he wasn’t liberal on social issues, no way he would have won, since people in the area almost always voted for Democrats. It is sad to see how the culture has changed in the region.



NYS Republicans use to be reasonable and principled. I remember Pop's father was a lifelong Republican (although he voted overwhelmingly for Dems). He said that they (pols) always cared more about business than people. And as much as people hate Dubya, there were plenty of us that faulted the elder Bush for helping turn the GOP into a very, very shitty party. Pity that even he is looked upon as a RINO these days.


----------



## SuperMatt

ronntaylor said:


> NYS Republicans use to be reasonable and principled. I remember Pop's father was a lifelong Republican (although he voted overwhelmingly for Dems). He said that they (pols) always cared more about business than people. And as much as people hate Dubya, there were plenty of us that faulted the elder Bush for helping turn the GOP into a very, very shitty party. Pity that even he is looked upon as a RINO these days.



Bush Sr.’s cabinet was full of former Nixon folks. No surprises on how bad that turned out. And then dubya decided to bring a few of them back for his administration too.  All of them should have been barred from federal jobs for life, but they kept putting them out there. It’s not a coincidence that both Bushes chose massive military campaigns in the Middle East… just look at their cabinets.


----------



## Yoused

ronntaylor said:


> NYS Republicans use to be reasonable and principled.




I will go you one further: US Senator Frank Church was a Democrat _from *Idaho*_ (and not one of them Blue-Dog types).


----------



## JayMysteri0

What is with the bizarre obsession r's have with Black women + pedophiles?


----------



## Eric

Keeping those blinders on is key to the Fox News agenda.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1533978757756866560/


----------



## JayMysteri0




----------



## SuperMatt

Eric said:


> Keeping those blinders on is key to the Fox News agenda.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1533978757756866560/



It’s false advertising to keep the word “News” in their name. But then again, we also have “Weekly World News” so I guess we can’t stop them.

At least they dropped the “Fair and Balanced” pretext 5 years ago.


----------



## fooferdoggie

they did not even carry bidens ingauration.  my wifes parents really suffer from this but even when they want more normal news they seem to not ehar the bad crap trump was doing. They still think that some kid brought in a bunch of fake ballets on a truck and they were counted.


----------



## Eric

Sale!


__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/v75ip9


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1534339048730509317/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1534552968061603840/


----------



## JayMysteri0

I really want to stay away for a bit, but the party of patriotism & law & order makes it so difficult.



> Controversial DeSantis aide belatedly registers as foreign agent
> 
> 
> Christina Pushaw, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' spokesperson, was already highly controversial. Then she had to register as a foreign agent.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.msnbc.com



_Now, the Florida Republican is back in the news for unfortunate reasons. NBC News reported this morning:_



> A spokeswoman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis registered this week as a foreign agent for her previous work for a former president of Georgia, her lawyer told NBC News. Christina Pushaw worked for former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, a close ally of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, from 2018 to 2020, focusing on the need for free and fair elections in the eastern European country, her attorney, Michael Sherwin, said.



_According to a Washington Post report, the Floridian press secretary belatedly registered as a foreign agent “following contact from the Justice Department.”_

You can NOT make this shit up, which is why it's so maddening.


----------



## JayMysteri0

This whole thing sums it all so poetically

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1535201848159883266/


----------



## JayMysteri0

I'm thinking that some of these supposed Christians, don't really know anything about being Christian.  Another than yelling out about something something God.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1535771933165363200/


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1535804264450248706/

"Um, hey guys.  What you up to?  Shoved all tight together in that U Haul.  



> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Loading…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.thedailybeast.com





> Dozens of masked members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front were arrested late Saturday as they prepared to stage a riot near a Pride event in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, authorities say.
> 
> Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White told reporters that 31 individuals affiliated with the group were in police custody and charged with conspiracy to riot.
> 
> The group had traveled from all over the country to sow chaos during the LGBT+ event, White said. They came from states like Texas, Utah, South Dakota, Arkansas, Oregon, and Virginia. Law enforcement was quick to derail the group's plans, he said, thanks to “one concerned citizen.”
> 
> “We received a telephone call from a concerned citizen who reported that approximately 20 people jumped into a U-Haul wearing masks, they had shields, and ‘looked like a little army,’” he said.




They "looked like a little army".



FFS


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1535804264450248706/
> 
> "Um, hey guys.  What you up to?  Shoved all tight together in that U Haul.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They "looked like a little army".
> 
> 
> 
> FFS



We now know the answer to “how many white-power terrorists can you fit in a UHaul?”

Seriously though, if we found 31 people wearing turbans in the back of a UHaul, we‘d be firing cruise missiles into the Middle East right now. We need to take this shit more seriously. Law enforcement wasn’t even tracking this. A concerned citizen saw them loading into the UHaul at a local motel. The Jan 6 commission clearly showed that these terrorists groups are a clear and present danger to our democracy.


----------



## Yoused

I was not aware that U-Haul rented out VW Beetles.


----------



## JayMysteri0

It's such a sight, we need video

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1535777808185704449/

I really want a smash cut of them being ushered out of the UHaul at high speed to the 'Benny Hill' chase song

Either that, or have the UHaul dropped on the other side of the US / Mexico border, and let the Federales open the truck.

Because nothing says "Reclaim America" like having yourself in a mask ( not for covid reasons ), zip tipped, and kneeling because the cops caught you, your boys, and weapons packed in nice & tight together in a rented truck. 

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1535766157482942470/


----------



## Yoused

JayMysteri0 said:


> Either that, or have the UHaul dropped on the other side of the US / Mexico border, and let the Federales open the truck.



Coeur d'Alene is 1400 miles from Los Algodones. So, yeah, having the Federales rout them out after a 20+ hour ride would be perfect.


----------



## JayMysteri0

It's been stated here before & elsewhere, but America's greatest terrorist threat is completely homegrown by a bunch who can't imagine anyone but themselves getting their way.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1536046423753510912/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Sometimes it's just worth making your determinations of individual, by what they consider important enough to bitch about.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1535853627096453121/


https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1535965014879883267/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1535884567034269697/

To further point out the lack of knowledge of things, it's not as if the other guy won crypto wouldn't still be the scam it is.  Hell, even the other guy who knows a thing or two about scams, thought crypto was a scam.



> The Trump Family’s Relationship with Bitcoin and Crypto: It's Complicated - Decrypt
> 
> 
> The Trump family has generated a growing number of crypto related headlines in recent months.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> decrypt.co





> Former president Donald Trump was uncharacteristically quiet during his presidency when it came to cryptocurrency, tweeting about crypto just once during his four years in office.
> 
> Yet in recent months, Donald and the rest of the Trump family have generated an array of crypto-related headlines.
> Donald Trump​The former president is not now—nor has he ever been—a fan of crypto.
> 
> “I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air,” Trump tweeted in July 2019. “Unregulated crypto assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity.”
> 
> That tweet—now deleted along with the rest of Trump’s Twitter account—got Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong’s attention.
> 
> “Achievement unlocked! I dreamt about a sitting U.S. president needing to respond to growing cryptocurrency usage years ago,” Armstrong tweeted. “‘First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.’ We just got to step 3 y’all.”




But hey, if someone imagines crypto would have done better with a different choice in office, go ahead.  It's not like we have a way of seeing what happens if the other guy does get involved with crypto.



> https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumpworld-crypto-coin-sinks-after-donald-trump-gets-involved




At this point it's just bitching to be bitching, and blaming anything / everything on THIS president.  When they wouldn't do the same with the last president.


----------



## SuperMatt

And… a group of Proud Boys attacked a library with men in drag reading to little kids.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1536085271913107457/

Being so anti-gay that you need to attack preschoolers to show it?


----------



## JayMysteri0

As I said above, make your determinations about individuals, based on what they imagine is worth bitching about.

Also what they think isn't worth bitching about, or what they consider are "luxury issues". 

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1535974583194595328/

Tip:  Guns are NOT a luxury issue.  Our last few weeks have shown that.


----------



## JayMysteri0

A reminder that lying, even worse unnecessarily is an important part of the agenda it seems



> The Jolt: Herschel Walker claimed to be in law enforcement when he wasn’t.
> 
> 
> U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker regularly praises police officers. But was Walker in law enforcement himself?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.ajc.com





> U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker regularly praises police officers. But was Walker in law enforcement himself?
> 
> In at least three speeches delivered before he entered politics, Walker claimed he was, the AJC’s Shannon McCaffrey reports.
> 
> “I worked in law enforcement, so I had a gun. I put this gun in my holster and I said, ‘I’m gonna kill this dude,’” Walker said at a 2013 suicide prevention event for the U.S. Army. (Walker was describing a 2001 incident when he took his gun to pursue a man who was late delivering a car. That incident, Walker said, led him to seek mental health treatment.)
> 
> In a 2017 speech, Walker got more specific. “I work with the Cobb County Police Department, and I’ve been in criminal justice all my life,” he said.
> 
> Later, in 2019, he said he was an FBI agent. “I spent time at Quantico at the FBI training school. Y’all didn’t know I was an agent?” he said at a speech to soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.
> 
> And he also once told Irving, Tex. police he was “a certified peace officer,” according to a 2000 police report involving a conflict with an intoxicated man.





> So, what’s the real story? Walker’s campaign said he majored in criminal justice during his time at the University of Georgia and was an honorary deputy in Cobb County along with three other Georgia counties. (They did not specify which ones.)
> 
> The Cobb County Police Department said they have no record of involvement with Walker. The Cobb sheriff’s office could not immediately say if he was an honorary deputy or not.
> 
> But former DeKalb County District Attorney J. Tom Morgan said even if he was, that would give him no law enforcement authority. “It’s like a junior ranger badge,” he said.
> 
> Morgan said that many sheriffs in Georgia stopped handing out such honors amid concern that people would use the paperwork to impersonate police officers, a felony in Georgia.





> Walker was also never an FBI agent, which would require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Walker left UGA before earning his degree.
> 
> Asked to clarify, the Walker campaign provided Associated Press stories from 1989 – as Walker was retiring from pro football – when he said that he spent a week at an FBI school in Quantico, Virginia. Special Agent training requires a minimum of 20 weeks at Quantico.
> 
> “They had an obstacle course and you shoot at targets to protect your partner as you advanced up the course,” he told The AP. “I had fun. There were about 200 recruits there.”
> 
> The FBI did not respond when asked to verify the account.
> 
> Walker’s direct relationship with law enforcement has not always been smooth. In September 2001, he threatened a shootout with officers responding to a domestic disturbance at his Texas home, according to a police report.




FFS

No wonder the last president likes him, they so much in common when it comes to telling the truth.  Yet, GA republicans said, 'he's our guy'!   

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1536680345311096832/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> A reminder that lying, even worse unnecessarily is an important part of the agenda it seems
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> FFS
> 
> No wonder the last president likes him, they so much in common when it comes to telling the truth.  Yet, GA republicans said, 'he's our guy'!




He just needs to apologize to white voters for his part in trying to replace them and he'll tick all the boxes.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1536733498857357321/

Well, yeah.

He WAS a nice boy UNTIL he got caught.  

Once the rest of the world knows what the parent already did, you GOTS to go!  

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1536750410853232642/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1536748229261266946/


----------



## GermanSuplex

These people are literally batshit insane.


----------



## Citysnaps

What I find hilarious about the Patriot Front story is they apparently thought Coeur d'Alene, a city in Idaho known for right wing prepper and survivalist movements, thought they would be welcomed with open arms.

Instead local law enforcement made quick work of rounding them up.

And the best part was the police being very accommodating, making sure public onlookers had good access to make photos and videos of their roundup.


----------



## Yoused

citypix said:


> What I find hilarious about the Patriot Front story is they apparently thought Coeur d'Alene, a city in Idaho known for right wing prepper and survivalist movements, thought they would be welcomed with open arms.




Hayden is a suburb – it is/was the home of Richard Butler's Church of Aryan Nations or whatever it was called, the Ruby Ridge incident happened about an hour to the north, a woman died in a Coeur d'Alene store, and Montana is only about an hour away (at least, for most of most months). It is easy to understand why they might think that, although, north of Idaho County is a very different place from the Russet Belt part of the state.


----------



## JayMysteri0

We learn that there is NO low that is "too low", for a true sycophant

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1537269482250391554/


----------



## Huntn

GermanSuplex said:


> These people are literally batshit insane.



They are just looking for (and failing to find) meaning in their pathetic lives.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

This morning at work this is what passed as playful political discourse.

“Trump is an idiot.”
“Pelosi and Democrats need to be assassinated.”

A slight difference in tone there. I don’t want to have my partisan blinders on and I didn’t bother to ask, but assassinated for what exactly? And I’m no fan of Pelosi or a lot of Democrat politicians. I agree a lot need to be removed from office, but assassinated? There’s a good chance my reasons they should be removed from office aren’t even on their radar and their reasons they should be assassinated have little to no basis in reality.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> This morning at work this is what passed as playful political discourse.
> 
> “Trump is an idiot.”
> “Pelosi and Democrats need to be assassinated.”
> 
> A slight difference in tone there. I don’t want to have my partisan blinders on and I didn’t bother to ask, but assassinated for what exactly? And I’m no fan of Pelosi or a lot of Democrat politicians. I agree a lot need to be removed from office, but assassinated? There’s a good chance my reasons they should be removed from office aren’t even on their radar and their reasons they should be assassinated have little to no basis in reality.



If you press them on the 2nd amendment, you find out THAT is what it’s really about. If the Democrats win power, the right-wing extremists need their guns to murder them all and replace them with the candidates favored by the violent mob.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> If you press them on the 2nd amendment, you find out THAT is what it’s really about. If the Democrats win power, the right-wing extremists need their guns to murder them all and replace them with the candidates favored by the violent mob.




Unless we switch to a skull based economy I don't see how any of this is going to solve their problems.  

I acknowledge there can be some violent rhetoric from the left, but a lot less of it and which side typically shows up to a protest or rally - protest of literally anything - fully armed?


----------



## JayMysteri0

THESE are the people they are voting for, but have issues with candidates of other parties.



> GOP Georgia Senate nominee Herschel Walker admits having 2 more 'secret' children — now says he has 4 kids
> 
> 
> The Georgia Senate candidacy of Herschel Walker has been promoted by Donald Trump. Walker confirmed he has at least three kids out of wedlock.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cnbc.com




One, maybe two lies, okay.  Everyone has a secret or two, but when secrets constantly get revealed as this week's latest lie?

FFS

I still can't get over that at the other place someone tried to carry this idiot's water, as some model Black republican.    I guess it depends on the bar one sets for a model republican.


----------



## GermanSuplex

SuperMatt said:


> If you press them on the 2nd amendment, you find out THAT is what it’s really about. If the Democrats win power, the right-wing extremists need their guns to murder them all and replace them with the candidates favored by the violent mob.




This reminds me of a Norm MacDonald joke about Vegas… he essentially says “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” means you can sleep with a prostitute and she won’t tell anyone.

You‘re dead on the money sure how many people interpret the 2A. That was partially what January 6 was about too… their “right” to be not be “cheated”, which also really just means “we’re white, this our country, this is who we wanted to win”.



JayMysteri0 said:


> THESE are the people they are voting for, but have issues with candidates of other parties.
> 
> 
> 
> One, maybe two lies, okay.  Everyone has a secret or two, but when secrets constantly get revealed as this week's latest lie?
> 
> FFS
> 
> I still can't get over that at the other place someone tried to carry this idiot's water, as some model Black republican.    I guess it depends on the bar one sets for a model republican.




Is he going to debate Warnock? Walker makes Trump look like a relatively intelligent being. Though Warnock being a pastor and all, may go to lightly on him. I’m really shocked neither Hillary or Biden has the brass to really call Trump out on his stupidity.


----------



## JayMysteri0

GermanSuplex said:


> Is he going to debate Warnock? Walker makes Trump look like a relatively intelligent being. Though Warnock being a pastor and all, may go to lightly on him. I’m really shocked neither Hillary or Biden has the brass to really call Trump out on his stupidity.



Walker made it clear early on he would do NO debates.  Sticking to speaking only to friendly media outlets.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Walker made it clear early on he would do NO debates.  Sticking to speaking only to friendly media outlets.



He’d even lose a debate to an empty chair. (see also Clint Eastwood)


----------



## Yoused

JayMysteri0 said:


> Walker made it clear early on he would do NO debates. Sticking to speaking only to friendly media outlets.



Then Warnock should depict Herschel as a [redacted] coward.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Yoused said:


> Then Warnock should depict Herschel as a [redacted] coward.



To whom?

The crowd that would care, already knows he's a lying idiot and can completely understand why he'd pass on debates.

The crowd that doesn't care has already been groomed by their imperious leader that ALL media ( unless fawning & positive ) is bad & fake.

If anyone is in between those two camps & pretending to call themselves "independent", they probably don't have the retention span to sit thru a debate anyways.



> U.S. Senate hopeful Herschel Walker explains why he hasn't debated fellow republican candidates
> 
> 
> At a campaign stop in Savannah Thursday, Walker explained why he hasn't participated in any of Georgia's Republican primary debates.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.wjcl.com





> While Herschel Walker has made plenty of campaign stops in recent months, he has yet to take to the debate stage. That's something his republican opponents have called him out for.
> 
> "Herschel Walker is afraid to debate, he has skipped 5 debates. There's been an empty podium at every one of them," said GOP U.S. Senate candidate Latham Saddler.
> 
> Walker recently told our affiliate WSB-TV that he is now ready and willing to debate Sen. Raphael Warnock whenever and wherever. WJCL 22 News asked Walker Thursday why he still hasn't debated his fellow GOP Senate candidates.




So the claim is he actually will, but it will be in the fall.



> Raphael Warnock, Herschel Walker agree to debate in U.S. Senate race
> 
> 
> U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker agreed Thursday to debate this fall in Georgia’s nationally watched Senate race.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cbs46.com





> ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and his GOP opponent this fall, Herschel Walker, agreed Thursday to debate this fall in Georgia’s nationally watched Senate race, a contest that could determine the Senate’s balance of power.
> 
> Warnock easily defeated a challenge from Tamara Johnson-Shealey in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, while Walker won his GOP primary against five other Republican hopefuls.




Here's where I believe the escape clause will be, not in agreeing with the number and any other details



> “Herschel very much looks forward to debating Raphael Warnock and his lock-step support for Joe Biden’s disastrous policies this fall,” said Walker’s campaign spokesperson, Mallory Blount.
> 
> Warnock challenged Walker to three debates; Walker’s reply did not specify the number of debates.




Walker didn't want to debate fellow republicans, but is willing to debate Warnock?


Also for greater comedic but truthful effect.





Oh yeah, the son's ( the legit recognized NOT secret one?  ) no prize either.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1537607879116697600/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> To whom?
> 
> The crowd that would care, already knows he's a lying idiot and can completely understand why he'd pass on debates.
> 
> The crowd that doesn't care has already been groomed by their imperious leader that ALL media ( unless fawning & positive ) is bad & fake.
> 
> If anyone is in between those two camps & pretending to call themselves "independent", they probably don't have the retention span to sit thru a debate anyways.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So the claim is he actually will, but it will be in the fall.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's where I believe the escape clause will be, not in agreeing with the number and any other details
> 
> 
> 
> Walker didn't want to debate fellow republicans, but is willing to debate Warnock?
> 
> 
> Also for greater comedic but truthful effect.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh yeah, the son's ( the legit recognized NOT secret one?  ) no prize either.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1537607879116697600/




I guess Georgia was envious of Alabama and their massive idiot Tuberville, so they decided they want an even dumber college football star for their state.

I fully expect Tim Tebow is watching and taking notes.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1535804264450248706/
> 
> "Um, hey guys.  What you up to?  Shoved all tight together in that U Haul.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They "looked like a little army".
> 
> 
> 
> FFS



4 of them are military veterans. One is currently in the National Guard…









						4 Veterans and a National Guard Cadet Among Members of White Supremacist Group Arrested in Idaho
					

At least five members of the Patriot Front group who were arrested near an Idaho Pride event last week had a military background.




					www.military.com


----------



## GermanSuplex

Truly a race to the bottom with these folks.

Been reading about this gaggle of circus freaks in New Mexico.... There's some dingbat GOP county commissioner named "Couy Griffin" - unsure if its pronounced "Coy", "Coup-Eee", but ifs the latter, that would be hilarious. Oh, and he's awaiting sentencing for partaking in the January 6 insurrection.

These GOP loons in this small county are just making stuff as they go, based on nothing. I mean, here's one person's reasoning for not certifying the primary results:

_"I have huge concerns with these voting machines," Marquardt said at the time. "I really do. *I just don't think in my heart that they can't be manipulated.*"

"The more they try to fight us and shut us down," he said, "the more of a skeptic I will become." (Griffin)









						New Mexico county official convicted of January 6 trespassing refuses to certify 2022 primary results based on debunked conspiracy | CNN Politics
					

A New Mexico county commissioner, awaiting sentencing for his January 6 conviction, said Thursday that he plans to defy a state Supreme Court order and will not vote to certify the results of a recent primary election in a flareup over vote-tallying machines that's drawing attention and alarm...




					www.cnn.com
				



_
You would think we'd starting treating this illegal, corrupt behavior with the same urgency police would have if a black teen was walking down a sidewalk, but I suppose its probably the same team of people.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1538217194659667968/

Whaaaaaaaaa?  I can't believe it.  No way.  Narrow what?!

Who could have seen that coming?  Especially THIS month.







Spoiler: Wha?



https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1538266233002504195/





> Texas GOP convention sparks intraparty feud on treatment of gay Republicans
> 
> 
> Donald Trump Jr. accused the Texas GOP of "cancelling" the group of LGBTQ conservatives by excluding them from the convention.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.newsweek.com


----------



## GermanSuplex

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1538217194659667968/
> 
> Whaaaaaaaaa?  I can't believe it.  No way.  Narrow what?!
> 
> Who could have seen that coming?  Especially THIS month.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Wha?
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1538266233002504195/




The Republican Party is whittling their base away to white hood-wearing folks a little bit more each day.

Just saw this on TMZ… attacking one of their own. Sadly, it isn’t going to be until the MAGA cult start threatening them that they take things seriously. January 6 did nothing, so logically they are encouraging the next horrific event, which will probably be worse.









						Rep. Dan Crenshaw Called 'Eyepatch McCain' at Texas Republican Convention
					

Rep. Dan Crenshaw was confronted and heckled by a group of people who don't seem to like his positions within the Republican party -- stooping to hurling nasty insults at the guy.




					www.tmz.com


----------



## JayMysteri0

A reminder of how big a part hypocrisy plays into the agenda

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1538200848630575104/


----------



## Huntn

GermanSuplex said:


> The Republican Party is whittling their base away to white hood-wearing folks a little bit more each day.
> 
> Just saw this on TMZ… attacking one of their own. Sadly, it isn’t going to be until the MAGA cult start threatening them that they take things seriously. January 6 did nothing, so logically they are encouraging the next horrific event, which will probably be worse.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rep. Dan Crenshaw Called 'Eyepatch McCain' at Texas Republican Convention
> 
> 
> Rep. Dan Crenshaw was confronted and heckled by a group of people who don't seem to like his positions within the Republican party -- stooping to hurling nasty insults at the guy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.tmz.com



So when the hell are they going to lose majorities in loser States? Wait, the definition of loser…


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> The Republican Party is whittling their base away to white hood-wearing folks a little bit more each day.
> 
> Just saw this on TMZ… attacking one of their own. Sadly, it isn’t going to be until the MAGA cult start threatening them that they take things seriously. January 6 did nothing, so logically they are encouraging the next horrific event, which will probably be worse.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rep. Dan Crenshaw Called 'Eyepatch McCain' at Texas Republican Convention
> 
> 
> Rep. Dan Crenshaw was confronted and heckled by a group of people who don't seem to like his positions within the Republican party -- stooping to hurling nasty insults at the guy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.tmz.com









The short of it.  WAKE THE FUCK UP!  You've been othered and supporting your own persecution.


----------



## JayMysteri0

> Michigan GOP Kills Pride Month Resolution Because It's Pro-LGBTQ+
> 
> 
> The state's Senate majority leader wanted a disclaimer that referred to LGBTQ+ people's "lifestyle."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> finance.yahoo.com





> The Michigan state Senate Tuesday blocked a resolution that would recognize June as Pride Month in the state.
> 
> Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, a Republican, wanted to remove parts of the resolution that addressed the struggles endured by the Michigan LGBTQ+ community, according to _Axios._
> 
> Sen. Jeremy Moss, the first out gay person in the Michigan Senate, told the outlet, "This is clearly an intentional target against our community. This isn't just me decrying it from within the community — it's plain for anyone to see."
> 
> Moss cosponsored the bill, along with all Senate Democrats and three Republican senators.
> 
> The resolution would have declared June 2022 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month, according to local news outlet _Bridge Michigan_.
> 
> Shirkey was working to add the following language to the bill: "Though not every citizen in Michigan agrees with the lifestyle of the LGBT community, it is agreed that every life is special, precious, unique, and loved by the creator, and each person is created in God's image."
> 
> Moss said the change was "negative" and implied that being queer was an option for people.
> 
> "[Republicans'] agenda is to make you fear the gay agenda," Moss told the Senate, _Axios_ reports. "I will not be gaslit that this is my problem."
> 
> He added that Senate Republicans had chosen to "exploit divisiveness" leading up to this year's elections.
> 
> Sen. Wayne Schmidt, a Republican, told _Bridge Michigan_ he hopes the resolution returns for a vote.
> 
> “While it has gone to [committee], I am hoping that my colleagues on that committee vote it out and that we can have a vote on it again on the Senate floor and pass the resolution. That’s my goal,” he said.
> 
> In a statement, Shirkey said that he made suggestions to the sponsor of the bill that he believed would make the resolution "more reflective of the diversity of opinions in the Senate."
> 
> Both the Michigan House and Senate approved the resolution last year with the same wording, which was a first for the GOP-led legislature.
> 
> Shirkey sent this year's bill back to the government operations committee, where proposals often are blocked, _Axios_ notes.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Dupe


----------



## Alli

Ya know the really crazy thing about Texas disavowing the Log Cabin Republicans? Even Don Jr said they were on the same side. I guess their hate is so great they’ll even hurt themselves.


----------



## hulugu

Alli said:


> Ya know the really crazy thing about Texas disavowing the Log Cabin Republicans? Even Don Jr said they were on the same side. I guess their hate is so great they’ll even hurt themselves.




The Texas GOP has also pushed for the idea of sending a petition for succession, just to give every an idea of how absolutely nuts these people have become.


----------



## hulugu

JayMysteri0 said:


> A reminder of how big a part hypocrisy plays into the agenda
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1538200848630575104/




Kari Lake getting shit on by Barbara Seville is my favorite plot this political scene. Lake's clearly a hypocritical monster, but the fact that her campaign promises a lawsuit for defamation is just *chef's kiss* 

Lake's a monster. Just an absolute fascist clown-show of a person, who shows if you make the right noises, the Trumpistas will follow you straight into hell. 

I'm worried she's going to win the primary, and I'll be forced to cover her demented campaign.


----------



## Huntn

hulugu said:


> The Texas GOP has also pushed for the idea of sending a petition for succession, just to give every an idea of how absolutely nuts these people have become.



It was talked about when Perry was Governor, and then dropped. You know why Texas first wanted to join the union? They were scared shitless, that Mexico was going to come and take Tejas back. If you look at today, although I have not researched it, I think that only partisan dummies talk about it. I'm imagining Texas giving up their Federal subsidies, and providing for their own military defense, the State runs a tight budget as is.


----------



## JayMysteri0

It's shit like THIS people are talking about.  Why the F would you make such an ad?  Are you that creatively bankrupt you have to imagine yourself as an action hero in a low budget direct to video movie, to shill for votes?  Really?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1538994122178052099/

I mean I get it, R's have passed on actually governing, so the need to address concerns or issues has long passed.  But come on!  Worst part, if some violent shit happens after this ad or is somehow tied to this ad, this tiny d- will claim ignorance.  They'll claim anyone would now the difference between this ad & reality.  Yet when a shooter does some stupid shit, they don't want to blame the guns.  They want to blame the things shooter saw on TV or in movies, because the shooter doesn't know it from reality. 

Oh, I don't know, ...like in a political ad?



> A Missouri Senate candidate holds a shotgun and calls for 'RINO hunting' in a new ad
> 
> 
> A new ad from Eric Greitens, the controversial Republican running for Missouri's U.S. Senate seat, has left him accused of glorifying political violence.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.npr.org





> A new campaign ad from Eric Greitens, the controversial former governor of Missouri now running for U.S. Senate, prompted accusations of glorifying political violence before being flagged by Twitter and removed by Facebook for violating policies around violence and abuse.
> 
> "Today, we're going RINO hunting," Greitens, a Republican, said with a smile as he slid the action on his shotgun in the 38-second ad. RINO stands for "Republican in name only."
> 
> Greitens and a team of men outfitted in military gear are then shown bursting into a home, guns raised.
> 
> "The RINO feeds on corruption and is marked by the stripes of cowardice," said Greitens. "Get a RINO hunting permit. There's no bagging limit, no tagging limit, and it doesn't expire until we save our country."





> The ad was posted to social media on Monday morning. It was soon criticized by many on the left — and some on the right — for its use of language and visuals seeming to support violence against political opponents.
> 
> By Monday afternoon, Facebook had removed the video, and Twitter had flagged the tweet with a warning that the video violated the company's rules for "abusive behavior." Twitter allowed the ad to remain viewable, saying "it may be in the public's interest" to do so. The video has been viewed more than 2 million times.
> 
> "Facebook CENSORED our new ad calling out the weak RINOs," Greitens wrote on Facebook. "When I get to the US Senate, we are taking on Big Tech."
> 
> "This is sociopathic. You're going to get someone killed," wrote Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat.
> 
> "You're a very bad man," wrote Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the Illinois Republican whose criticism of Donald Trump has netted him both the "RINO" label and threats of violence, including a recent death threat that he shared on Twitter just yesterday.
> 
> Greitens was elected governor of Missouri in 2016, but he resigned less than two years later amid allegations of sexually assaulting and blackmailing a woman with whom he had an extramarital affair.
> 
> He acknowledged the affair but denied any wrongdoing. Greitens was also accused of misusing a charity donor list to raise campaign funds. Criminal charges against him were ultimately dropped.
> 
> He and his then-wife, Sheena, have since divorced. In a sworn affidavit earlier this year, she accused him of abusing her and their children.
> 
> Now, Greitens is one of 21 Republicans running to replace retiring Sen. Roy Blunt


----------



## JayMysteri0

Yeaaahhhhhh,   

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1538914851002753026/

Maybe DON'T bring up one's time on the job, when your choice still holds the record for time off the job & cost.

Then PROFITED directly off that time off by charging the country sometimes at a higher rate for their protection.


----------



## Yoused

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1538979918431887360/


----------



## SuperMatt

Yoused said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1538979918431887360/



A former Trump official interviewing Trump’s former VP… some real journalistic integrity at Fox.


----------



## Alli

hulugu said:


> The Texas GOP has also pushed for the idea of sending a petition for succession, just to give every an idea of how absolutely nuts these people have become.



Every time they start in with this, the rest of the country roots for it to happen. Who would miss them?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Yeaaahhhhhh,
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1538914851002753026/
> 
> Maybe DON'T bring up one's time on the job, when your choice still holds the record for time off the job & cost.
> 
> Then PROFITED directly off that time off by charging the country sometimes at a higher rate for their protection.




As easy as it is to respond to Republicans’ hyper hypocrisy with humor or outrage, they simply don’t care. It’s like people on the right thinking “They think gay people are human lol.” is a real zinger to hurl at the left that will get them to rethink their beliefs. For the right hypocrisy isn’t a bug. It’s a feature.  You can say the same thing about grifting or getting grifted.


----------



## JayMysteri0

We're going to keep getting hints of the world we might be heading for...



> ‘It was hot’: Woman says she got a ticket for ‘indecent exposure’ while wearing a crop top and shorts
> 
> 
> A TikToker claimed she got a ticket for indecent exposure in Winnfield, Louisiana, while wearing a crop top and shorts.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.dailydot.com





> A TikToker claimed she got a ticket for indecent exposure in Winnfield, Louisiana, while wearing a crop top and shorts.
> 
> TikToker Casey (@kazzi112) claims that, even though she was wearing clothing that covered her breasts, privates, and buttocks, she was cited for indecent exposure by a trio of police officers.
> 
> Casey’s first video on the topic has over 2.5 million views, with a follow-up storytime TikTok maintaining over 334,000 views.
> 
> In the first video, Casey reveals the citation and the outfit in question.
> 
> The outfit is a dark crop top and jeans shorts.
> 
> “At a family event, where there is alcohol being literally handed out for free, … three female cops came up to me and gave me a fucking ticket,” Casey alleges. “I live a mile down the road. They literally could have been like, ‘Hey, ma’am, could you put some clothes on?’ and I would have been like, ‘Yeah, cool. I’ll be right back.’ But no. They stood there and gave me a fucking ticket for indecent exposure.”
> 
> It is not clear which part of Louisiana law Casey is apparently violating.
> 
> Louisiana state law says that “any person subject to this code who intentionally exposes, in an indecent manner, the genitalia, anus, buttocks, or female areola or nipple is guilty of indecent exposure and shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”
> 
> On a local level, the ordinance is as follows: “It shall be unlawful for any person to wear pants, trousers, shorts, skirts, dresses, or skorts in any public place or places open to the public which either intentionally exposes undergarments or intentionally exposes any portion of the pubic hair, cleft of buttocks, or genitals,” as stated by a Facebook post from the Winnfield Police Department.
> 
> The Winnfield Police Department was seemingly responding to Casey’s TikTok post, saying, “An unnamed citizen was cited for a city ordinance and has since taken to a popular social media site, blasting police officers. However, 3 female officers responded to various complaints about the person’s attire and the person of interest was issued a citation under the city ordinance.”
> 
> Casey says in the video, “all [her] bits are covered,” and there was no intentional display of undergarments nor “pubic hair, cleft of buttocks, or genitals.”
> 
> “I was sitting on a lower step, legs together and my husband sat behind me .. so no, I wasn’t flashing anyone,” Casey later wrote in a comment.


----------



## Yoused

JayMysteri0 said:


> We're going to keep getting hints of the world we might be heading for...




_UKSA! UKSA! UKSA!_


----------



## GermanSuplex

Yoused said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1538979918431887360/




Well, there goes that silk-thin strand of integrity Pence had left.

The dishonesty it takes to utter that statement is very telling of Pence's character.

His character lies somewhere between "not willing to overturn the election", but "would gladly rescind my religious convictions and give Trump the wettest tonguing he's ever had in his life if he asked me to".


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1539391218760749056/

STOP!!!




Full time!! 

SELLING OUT!!!

Woahh Ohhhhh!!!


----------



## Citysnaps

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1539391218760749056/
> 
> STOP!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Full time!!
> 
> SELLING OUT!!!
> 
> Woahh Ohhhhh!!!


----------



## GermanSuplex

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1539391218760749056/
> 
> STOP!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Full time!!
> 
> SELLING OUT!!!
> 
> Woahh Ohhhhh!!!




I would like one of these so-called more "normal" conservatives to tell me what their red line is. "I haven't watched the hearings and I'll support Trump". Ugh. Just tell us you're giving him a free pass for anything he's done or will do...

"I didn't watch the BTK trial. If he invites me for family dinner, I'll be there."


----------



## ronntaylor

JayMysteri0 said:


> SELLING OUT!!!



Pops would have called him a handkerchief head negro sellout! And he would have been right. This is the type of Black man Republicans love. Those that'll carry their poisonous water. Those that are anti-Black and thus anti-self.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> THESE are the people they are voting for, but have issues with candidates of other parties.
> 
> 
> 
> One, maybe two lies, okay.  Everyone has a secret or two, but when secrets constantly get revealed as this week's latest lie?
> 
> FFS
> 
> I still can't get over that at the other place someone tried to carry this idiot's water, as some model Black republican.    I guess it depends on the bar one sets for a model republican.



Walker apparently has multiple personality disorder, but it’s not anything to worry about, because Jesus had the same issue:

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1539384514522259457/

I wonder if Jesus also had a bunch of kids he never told the disciples about?


----------



## SuperMatt

Even when there is an opportunity for Republican politicians to be reasonable people on something that you’d think would be non-partisan, they don’t.

Today, there is a hearing about the huge sexual harassment scandal involving the Washington Commanders.

Most Democrats are pressing Roger Goodell about why this was allowed to happen, why nobody is being held accountable, etc.

Republicans? They are wasting their time basically calling the whole thing a witch hunt, with Jim Jordan using HIS time to whine about the supposedly bad treatment of the super-creepy owner of Bar Stool Sports (Dave Portnoy) and the fine levied on Jack Del Rio.

Can’t they be adults for one hour? WTF?!?!









						Subpoena coming for Commanders owner Daniel Snyder's testimony? Recap of NFL hearing
					

Roger Goodell testified before House Oversight Committee as part of an probe into the alleged toxic workplace environment within Commanders.




					www.yahoo.com


----------



## GermanSuplex

Gym will use these types of hearings as a defense-by-proxy for himself and his failure to protect students athletes.


----------



## JayMysteri0

For reasons I don't know, ANTIFA is trending on Twitter.  So of course Twitter has the jokes for those still trying to blame ANTIFA for anything.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1539773244143714304/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1539746299242749952/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1539764003097833472/

I LOVE this one
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1539778831497580544/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1539756864602341378/


----------



## JayMysteri0

There's an important part of the agenda that I think some people don't fully grasp.

In the Roe Vs. Wade thread there's a number of statements of how dems should "fight fire with fire", and mocking the sentiment of "when they go low, we go high".  There's a reason why "we" don't go low.  Because dems are missing that part of the now growing part of the republican agenda they don't fully grasp.  It's a race to the bottom.

A bottom that for some has no floor to hit.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1540458319822954501/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1539640064841506816/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1540458323426037760/
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1540350056124907520/



> Former Marine steps down as July 4 parade grand marshal of Texas town after threats of violence
> 
> 
> A Houston conservative talk show host who started the deluge of taunts celebrated the...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.chron.com





> A former Marine slated to lead Friendswood's Fourth of July parade backed out Thursday after a coordinated campaign to remove her as grand marshal led to threats of violence against her and her family, the city's parks department announced.
> 
> Haley Carter, who also chairs Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner's Commission Against Gun Violence, "voluntarily stepped down," she said, after failed congressional hopeful, former RV salesman and conservative talk show host Jesse Kelly sicced his hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers on her and her family Wednesday. Kelly said he took exception to Carter's political views and even posted a photo of her child in an effort to intimidate Friendswood officials into canceling her inclusion in the parade.
> 
> After the city announced Carter was receiving threats of violence, Kelly celebrated, saying "UPDATE: She's gone" and declaring his actions as part of "The New Right," described by Vanity Fair's James Pogue as "a project to overthrow the thrust of progress, at least such as liberals understand the word." In Kelly's plea to his followers, he lamented that Carter was "into trans activism" and pointed out that she took her excited son to a drag show in Las Vegas to see his "favorite Queen."
> 
> While Kelly's insular following applauded his maneuver, others spoke in support for Carter. Turner, who appointed her to the city of Houston's commission in 2018, called her an "American hero" and role model.
> 
> "Simply put, Haley is the best of us," Turner said in a statement released Thursday afternoon. "It is no wonder that her hometown of Friendswood chose to honor her in their Fourth of July parade. Haley embodies everything the uniquely American holiday represents. Freedom. Independence. Love of country. In other words, the perfect Fourth of July grand marshal.




Does anyone really want to "race" an asshole who would comb someone's social media to post pictures of their loved ones online for people who don't like someone to see?  You can argue one wouldn't do such a thing in return, but keep in mind where some are starting their race to the bottom.  For many of us, our "bottom" is their starting block.  We'd damn well better stay "high", because going "lower" will benefit no one.  This is why asshole's like that guy hate ( Let's also realize in effect the asshole basically did the ugly version of "cc" to this woman who did nothing to him it seems but exist ) "cancel culture".  It doesn't involve making threats, but exposing the rest of the world as to the kind of asshole that's out there and making it clear what behavior isn't acceptable.

Granted I know it sounds hypocritical coming from someone who's all about "punch a nazi in the face", but let's be honest that's fun.  There's also those on the same side that would tell me that's going to far.  A sentiment a nazi would agree with, but at least one side is willing to "police" itself when going too far.  For some in the republican agenda that "police" would be confused with one in Texas, and there is no low they won't race towards.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1540529128725700610/


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1540694693565956096/
WHAT  THE  FUCK?!!!



> Police officer accused of punching woman at New England abortion protest
> 
> 
> The officer, who was off-duty, is suspended while police investigate claims that he assaulted a woman who was running for the same State Senate seat.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.wcvb.com





> *PROVIDENCE, R.I. —*
> A Rhode Island police officer accused of punching a woman at an abortion protest while he was off-duty was suspended from his job with pay Saturday while the Providence Police Department conducts a criminal investigation into his actions.
> 
> Jennifer Rourke, Rhode Island Political Cooperative Chairwoman and a state Senate candidate, told the Providence Journal she was punched in the face at least twice by Jeann Lugo, who had been running for the GOP nomination for a Rhode Island state senate seat.
> 
> Lugo told the Journal he was “not going to deny” the punching allegation, but added that “everything happened very fast.”
> 
> “As an officer that swore to protect and serve our communities, I, unfortunately, saw myself in a situation that no individual should see themselves in,” he said in the email to the Boston Globe. ”I stepped in to protect someone that a group of agitators was attacking.”
> 
> Lugo did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
> 
> Video of the event posted online shows two other individuals involved in a physical altercation at the protest right before a woman, apparently Rourke, is seen being hit. The video does not show what happened between Lugo and Rourke prior to Rourke being hit.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1540431519285932032/


----------



## Yoused

but how can you argue with

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1540887495730253825/


----------



## SuperMatt

The Republicans want to return to the time when only landowners could vote.

Here is Darren Bailey, the frontrunner in the GOP primary race for Governor of Illinois:



> “The rest of the 90 percent of the land mass is not real happy about how 10 percent of the land mass is directing things,” Mr. Bailey said in an interview aboard his campaign bus outside a bar in Green Valley, a village of 700 people south of Peoria. “A large amount of people outside of that 10 percent don’t have a voice, and that’s a problem.”



So, land mass = voting power? We really are trying to go back to the 18th century. Of course, in many states, you’ve got more cows than people and they still get 2 senators. Apparently this massive amount of minority power for “land mass” that’s already a big part of our system just isn’t enough for the extremists in the GOP.


----------



## JayMysteri0

If this isn't performance, it's a perfect example of someone unable to realize how ugly their personality & thinking is.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1541039320433393667/

Which seems on par for the brand that repeatedly screams they aren't phobic or racist, but hates any sign of diversity or inclusivity.


----------



## GermanSuplex

January 6 was just a peaceful protest, but this was an assault which could have killed someone? (According to Rudy Colludy).  Now, I’m not condoning the behavior of the idiot who slapped Rudy on the back, but seriously?

_Giuliani said this caused "physical injury including but not limited to redness, swelling, and substantial pain to the back and left side of his body, as well as causing informant to be placed in fear of physical injury, and becoming alarmed and annoyed."

Now, Donald Trump's ex-attorney is calling for the suspect to get jail time. During a news conference he said, "He hit me to knock me down and if that doesn't merit jail time in New York, we're in the wild wild west."

Giuliani, who is 78 years old, says any fall is potentially fatal at his age -- "It was a very, very heavy shot. He could have easily hit me, knocked me to the ground and killed me."









						Rudy Giuliani 'Attack' Captured on Surveillance Video
					

Rudy Giuliani's alleged felony assault in a grocery store was captured on surveillance video, and ... let's just say it's not as violent as Rudy made it out to be.




					www.tmz.com
				



_
I’ve seen dog tails slap people harder than that… The lack of self-awareness of these people calling for jail time for this while seeking pardons and leniency for January 6 conspirators is a joke.


----------



## JayMysteri0

JayMysteri0 said:


> THIS is the republican agenda going into 2022
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Electing ( somehow missing the irony ) individuals who would unashamedly crap away democracy in the name of cult like partisanship.
> 
> It's boggling to see an individual proudly say that out loud, and not laughed off & shamed away from any platform.



Let's take a quick trip back to this piece of work

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1541556000876109824/

Wow!     Proof that this party isn't a fan of Fox, should Fox dare ask the "wrong"questions.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Remember kids, they don't want 'em start.  Just to make it of age to join the military or lower income workforce.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1541791703379632132/


----------



## Huntn

JayMysteri0 said:


> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1540694693565956096/
> WHAT  THE  FUCK?!!!



Did she bring him up on assault charges?
Will he get more votes because he assaulted a “liberal” black woman?


----------



## Huntn

SuperMatt said:


> The Republicans want to return to the time when only landowners could vote.
> 
> Here is Darren Bailey, the frontrunner in the GOP primary race for Governor of Illinois:
> 
> 
> So, land mass = voting power? We really are trying to go back to the 18th century. Of course, in many states, you’ve got more cows than people and they still get 2 senators. Apparently this massive amount of minority power for “land mass” that’s already a big part of our system just isn’t enough for the extremists in the GOP.



Fortunately land mass does not have voting rights, people do.


----------



## Huntn

GermanSuplex said:


> January 6 was just a peaceful protest, but this was an assault which could have killed someone? (According to Rudy Colludy).  Now, I’m not condoning the behavior of the idiot who slapped Rudy on the back, but seriously?
> 
> _Giuliani said this caused "physical injury including but not limited to redness, swelling, and substantial pain to the back and left side of his body, as well as causing informant to be placed in fear of physical injury, and becoming alarmed and annoyed."
> 
> Now, Donald Trump's ex-attorney is calling for the suspect to get jail time. During a news conference he said, "He hit me to knock me down and if that doesn't merit jail time in New York, we're in the wild wild west."
> 
> Giuliani, who is 78 years old, says any fall is potentially fatal at his age -- "It was a very, very heavy shot. He could have easily hit me, knocked me to the ground and killed me."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rudy Giuliani 'Attack' Captured on Surveillance Video
> 
> 
> Rudy Giuliani's alleged felony assault in a grocery store was captured on surveillance video, and ... let's just say it's not as violent as Rudy made it out to be.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.tmz.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _
> I’ve seen dog tails slap people harder than that… The lack of self-awareness of these people calling for jail time for this while seeking pardons and leniency for January 6 conspirators is a joke.



Giuliani is so full of bullshit, no surprise there.


----------



## fooferdoggie

Huntn said:


> Giuliani is so full of bullshit, no surprise there.



so full of it its running down his face.


----------



## Yoused

A candidate for local office has been indicted for impersonating a public offical in claiming that his primary opponent's campaign signs were illegally placed so that he could steal them and then blame the kerfuffle on the other guy.









						Republican Texas House candidate in Collin County charged with impersonating public servant
					

Frederick Frazier’s runoff opponent accused him of posing as a city code compliance officer to get campaign signs taken down. Frazier said his opponent is to blame in the case.




					www.texastribune.org


----------



## SuperMatt

Huntn said:


> Fortunately land mass does not have voting rights, people do.



Um, have you heard of the U.S. Senate?


----------



## SuperMatt

Voter suppression continues to be the name of the game, and the Supreme Court is leading the way.









						Supreme Court Revives Republican-Drawn Voting Map in Louisiana
					

A federal judge had ordered lawmakers to redraw the state’s six congressional districts to include two in which Black voters were in the majority.




					www.nytimes.com
				



(paywall removed)


> WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated a Republican-drawn congressional map in Louisiana that a federal judge had said diluted the power of Black voters.
> 
> The court’s three liberal members dissented.
> 
> The Supreme Court’s brief order, which included no reasoning, blocked the judge’s ruling and granted a petition seeking review in the case. The justices will, the order said, hold the Louisiana case while the court decides a similar one from Alabama in its next term.





> As a practical matter, the court’s order ensures that congressional elections in Louisiana this fall will proceed under a map fashioned by Republican lawmakers, delivering a setback to Democrats, who face tight races in their bid to retain control of Congress.
> Louisiana has six congressional districts, and about a third of its population is Black. According to one measure in the 2020 census, the state’s Black population grew by 3.8 percent in the preceding decade, while the white population declined by 6.3 percent.
> 
> After the census, the State Legislature, controlled by Republicans, enacted a voting map with a single district in which Black voters made up a majority. Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana, a Democrat, vetoed the map in March, saying it was “simply not fair to the people of Louisiana.” The Legislature overrode the governor’s veto.
> ​


----------



## fooferdoggie

I think every nut job  republican is going to try to get everything they ever wanted from the supreme court its open season for the right.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Nutjob Mary Miller defeated moderate (by today’s standards, anyways) Rodney Davis for congress. Yuck! Neither are anything to brag about, but Davis was your run of the mill, back bench Republican.

Maybe if he had any courage at all before Trump, he’d be returning to congress. Not sad to see him go, but his replacement is far worse. They were drawn into the same district.

This actually gives dems a chance to pick up the seat, it was pretty close in 2018 when Davis defeated his democrat opponent.


----------



## Yoused

the _best_ headline









						Andrew Giuliani gets stomped into a puddle of hair dye in New York's gubernatorial primary
					

Rep. Lee Zeldin defeated Ghouly the Younger in the GOP’s New York gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, and it wasn’t particularly close. As of this writing, Zeldin was up by more than 20 points. The Associated Press called the race Tuesday night, which...




					www.dailykos.com


----------



## Yoused

Republican Agenda:



Spoiler: CLONING


----------



## JayMysteri0

There's a belief that republicans want people more stupid.  If that is true, I imagine it's because it makes some of themselves look just that much smarter.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1542866096537145345/


----------



## shadow puppet

This guy gets me.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1542885760289968129/


----------



## SuperMatt

So much for the “pro-life” agenda of the Republican Party.



			Oklahoma schedules 25 executions to begin in August


----------



## JayMysteri0

I wonder if this could be it's own series or thread, but here we go again GOP debates among themselves...






When you see these things you realize that if they brought back the old racist tests to determine if someone could vote as basic political literacy tests, 75% of these people couldn't vote let alone run for office. 





"Mama Mia 2" gif if you're wondering why this is here.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1543367452096184330/


----------



## fooferdoggie

anyone that could think trump could manage anything like that is delusional.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Yoused said:


> Republican Agenda:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: CLONING




This guy is a complete doofus, and JB Pritzker was probably popping bottles when this dolt won his primary. He (Pritzker) spent money trying to run against this guy. And he has zero chance in Illinois. Not saying the tide will never turn in this state, but it ain’t gonna happen by November.

His campaign material was full of typos and errors, he puts his foot in his mouth when he speaks, he trashes Chicago…

Now, I’ll say this; he’s actually a nice guy. But he is totally unable to direct his amiableness into his campaign, because he’s as far right as they come. He only won because his biggest opponent - Aurora mayor Richard Irvin - was a moderate (who could have probably defeated Pritzker) who was bankrolled by billionaire Ken Griffin and couldn’t even tell the Republican primary voters if he voted for Trump or not.

Even in Illinois, these goons have to run all the way to the right to win a primary. In Bailey’s case, he was already there, and was the only authentic conservative who had a chance. The others were moderate nobodies pretending they were the only “real republicans” in the race. Voters saw that, and I reckon even a few republicans who cringe at Bailey probably voted for him because he was the only authentic guy in the race. He’s not like Trump - this guy thinks and believes what he says.

Still, even with the political climate, it’s insane this guy is the Republican nominee and de facto state party leader.



fooferdoggie said:


> anyone that could think trump could manage anything like that is delusional.




Yeah, but who can forget a gem like _“We have loopholes. They are called loopholes because they are loopholes”._

I have that written on a post-it and carry it in my wallet, lest I forget why a loophole is called a loophole.

True words of wisdom and inspiration.


----------



## Yoused

GermanSuplex said:


> I have that written on a post-it and carry it in my wallet, lest I forget why a loophole is called a loophole.




If I ever struggle to remember the meaning of that term, I just think of _The Loophole_ by Garfunkle & Oates, to which I will not link because it is stunningly vulgar. Funny, depressing and very nasty.


----------



## Hrafn

Yoused said:


> If I ever struggle to remember the meaning of that term, I just think of _The Loophole_ by Garfunkle & Oates, to which I will not link because it is stunningly vulgar. Funny, depressing and very nasty.



Nice.  I'd seen some of their other videos, but not that one.


----------



## Yoused

Florida offers new training for teachers that says it was a 'misconception' that 'the Founders desired strict separation of church and state': report
					

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the new civic education program was pushing back on the "woke indoctrination" of children.




					www.businessinsider.com
				




no comment


----------



## SuperMatt

Patriot Front tried to do something in Boston. Looks like they aren’t very proud patriots. Because when they are filmed, they attempt to cover up their cars’ license plates.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1543374671353102336/


----------



## GermanSuplex

SuperMatt said:


> Patriot Front tried to do something in Boston. Looks like they aren’t very proud patriots. Because when they are filmed, they attempt to cover up their cars’ license plates.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1543374671353102336/




That was great!


----------



## JayMysteri0

Quick recap because THIS is the agenda.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1544023173758435328/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Give it a moment, and let the fear sink in...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1544430546427731970/

That is some f'ed up crap!  Now they want to monitor people.  Yet, they are first to call others nazi's.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Talk about a disconnect.  How much does a well paid gov't employee with ultimate heath care, well funded outside interests that may at times include Russia, think a stimulus check can go?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1544692707834187776/


> Mitch McConnell says the labor shortage will be solved when people run out of stimulus money because Americans are 'flush for the moment'
> 
> 
> Lack of childcare and well-paid jobs might be driving the labor shortage. Mitch McConnell thinks March 2021 stimulus checks are to blame.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.businessinsider.in




"We need people poh, to get them out there working for little money!" "Derp."

Wasn't the conversation about inflation hurting people last week, and now they are "flush"?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

"White life" and fascism: Hey, at least they're telling us the truth
					

Republicans don't bother to speak in code anymore. Why should they? Their big plans for America are no mystery




					www.salon.com
				





"In their ideal America, our "secular humanist" society based on science and reason will be destroyed. The Ten Commandments will form the basis of the legal system. Creationism or "Intelligent Design" will be taught in public schools, many of which will be overtly "Christian." Those branded as social deviants, including the LGBTQ community, immigrants, secular humanists, feminists, Jews, Muslims, criminals and those dismissed as "nominal Christians" — meaning Christians who do not embrace this peculiar interpretation of the Bible — will be silenced, imprisoned or killed. The role of the federal government will be reduced to protecting property rights, "homeland" security and waging war. Most government assistance programs and federal departments, including education, will be terminated. Church organizations will be funded and empowered to run social welfare agencies and schools. The poor, condemned for sloth, indolence and sinfulness, will be denied help. The death penalty will be expanded to include "moral crimes," including apostasy, blasphemy, sodomy and witchcraft, as well as abortion, which will be treated as murder. Women, denied contraception, access to abortion and equality under the law, will be subordinate to men. Those who practice other faiths will become, at best, second-class citizens. The wars waged by the American empire will be defined as religious crusades. Victims of police violence and those in prison will have no redress. There will be no separation of church and state. The only legitimate voices in public discourse and the media will be "Christian." America will be sacralized as an agent of God. Those who defy the "Christian" authorities, at home and abroad, will be condemned as agents of Satan."


Or some shit.  Even if you're a "that's not me" Republican doesn't change the fact that, that is what we are heading towards supported by your party.  Every little win you might be celebrating is in the service of the above.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Talk about a disconnect.  How much does a well paid gov't employee with ultimate heath care, well funded outside interests that may at times include Russia, think a stimulus check can go?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1544692707834187776/
> 
> 
> "We need people poh, to get them out there working for little money!" "Derp."
> 
> Wasn't the conversation about inflation hurting people last week, and now they are "flush"?





Some dipshit in the same interview said that the stimulus checks caused inflation because people went out and spent it and then went on to say we need to lower people’s taxes so they’ll have more money to spend. I don’t think they were a politician but they clearly got temporary ownership of the MTG brain for that interview.


----------



## Yoused

Is your luggage shag or deep pile?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1545100119456071681/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Yoused said:


> Is your luggage shag or deep pile?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1545100119456071681/




Maybe MTG can post a rant from outside the clinic where her mom considered aborting her. She’s the grand master of putting out the opposite message she intended.  "If my mom followed through that day I wouldn't be here."


----------



## SuperMatt

Republicans are ready to anoint DeSantis as the next President. That must mean he is polling well, right?

Well, I think most people would say Kamala Harris is NOT the most popular person in the world right now. However...









						Kamala Harris edges out Ron DeSantis in another poll of 2024 possibilities
					

Trump was comfortably ahead of VP Harris when that question was tested.




					floridapolitics.com
				




Yep, as unpopular as she is, she is still polling ahead of DeSantis.

If this is the best the GOP has to offer, they’re going to be the minority party for a long time.

Of course, Trump polled above Harris in Florida... which tells you why the GOP is so opposed to the Jan 6 committee that could send him to jail. Their voters like Trump best, and that still hasn’t changed.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Opinion | Liberals Should Welcome Ron DeSantis’ Rise
					

If Trump is a unique threat to democracy, they should be happy to see a GOP alternative who could replace him.




					www.politico.com
				




Interesting read and I have to admit I don't know much more about the man than what the article states.  Makes you wonder how he would be seen if Trump never took office or unleashed the full dumpster of deplorables into the spotlight.


----------



## Yoused

SuperMatt said:


> Trump polled above Harris in Florida...




That could possibly be partly because some Floridians have a negative association with a woman named "Harris" from a couple decades back.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Opinion | Liberals Should Welcome Ron DeSantis’ Rise
> 
> 
> If Trump is a unique threat to democracy, they should be happy to see a GOP alternative who could replace him.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.politico.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting read and I have to admit I don't know much more about the man than what the article states.  Makes you wonder how he would be seen if Trump never took office or unleashed the full dumpster of deplorables into the spotlight.



Rich Lowry is utter trash, as is his National Review website. That article is pure trolling. If Politico wants a conservative voice, they could at least try to find an honest one.

Here’s his fundraising plea on his website:



> National Review, as always, is moving forward into the fray, shielded by the time-tested convictions that define our legacy. For over 66 years, NR has led the conservative movement’s fight against *leftist ideologies aimed at diminishing liberty in the name of so-called “social justice.”* At this critical time in our nation’s history, we march boldly forth, advancing our cherished ideals and engaging the enemies of conservatism with truth, wisdom, and sanity.
> 
> But we can’t do it without you.
> 
> More than ever, your contribution is vitally important to supporting our journalism and strengthening our voice as *we defend America from the tyranny of progressive dogma*. Please donate now and know that we are profoundly grateful for your generosity.




Yeah, that’s somebody interested in an honest debate of the issues.

PS - National Review is DEFENDING Boris Johnson today….. 



> I still find it appalling that the Tory party has cast out as their leader a man who less than three years ago was their political salvation against Jeremy Corbyn.
> 
> Boris Johnson is often accused of provoking a constitutional crisis by proroguing Parliament. This is entirely false — it was the recently empowered supreme court, breaking all tradition to stop Johnson on behalf of Remainer sentiment, that attempted to thwart the crown in Parliament.


----------



## Yoused

SuperMatt said:


> PS - National Review is …




I do like to occasionally look at some "conservative" viewpoints sometimes, and the founder of NR was actually a fairly reasonable person, as much loathing as he got from the Left, but that site is nightmarish. I have yet to find a browser that does not spend half its time trying to toss its cookies, all but freezing up if I so much as think about scrolling. And Bill's smooth erudition that made him at least tolerable is nowhere to be found on the site, which has damaged 3 of my screens with its toxic, bilious gushings.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Right unveils new anti-woke K-12 social studies standards
					

"American Birthright" elevates Western civilization, pushes Christianity and rejects all talk of "social justice"




					www.salon.com
				




"American Birthright" sounds like somebody jumpstarted the Joseph Goebbels propaganda machine,


----------



## GermanSuplex

Here's IL republican AG nominee - a political version of an ambulance chaser who rode Darren Bailey's coattails to success - openly bragging about possibly investigating members of his own party who didn't call to congratulate him on his win...










						Thomas DeVore
					

Guess how many of those Republican establishment “leaders”, who sat idly by and watched your kids suffer for two years, called me after winning the primary? Zero!!  I just might investigate them...




					www.facebook.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> Here's IL republican AG nominee - a political version of an ambulance chaser who rode Darren Bailey's coattails to success - openly bragging about possibly investigating members of his own party who didn't call to congratulate him on his win...
> 
> View attachment 15607
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thomas DeVore
> 
> 
> Guess how many of those Republican establishment “leaders”, who sat idly by and watched your kids suffer for two years, called me after winning the primary? Zero!!  I just might investigate them...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.facebook.com




IL is a hot mess. I don’t think you can consider your political career a success there if it doesn’t include prison time.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> IL is a hot mess. I don’t think you can consider your political career a success there if it doesn’t include prison time.



Illinois Governors do have a reputation….

Rod Blagojevich anybody?


----------



## GermanSuplex

SuperMatt said:


> Illinois Governors do have a reputation….
> 
> Rod Blagojevich anybody?




It’s a hot mess. The governor before Blago went to prison too, as have others in the past. Chicago has tons of people under indictment or already sentenced to jail, including state senators and representatives.

It’s a city very much plagued by last-century “way of doing things”. Lots of patronage, deals with execs and lobbyists over dinner, and people holding onto power too long (House Speaker Madigan, Mayor Daley).

So pervasive is this culture that it’s hard to say who blatantly breaks laws and who just honestly believe this is the way politics is done, because it absolutely has been, especially Madigan, who was a Daley student of politics and had been in power for 40 of his 50 years in the IL House (longest head of any legislative body in US history), over 20 of that also overseeing the state party political apparatus.


----------



## ronntaylor

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> IL is a hot mess. I don’t think you can consider your political career a success there if it doesn’t include prison time.



NYS is neck and neck. In less than a year a governor and lt. governor resigned. In recent memory another governor resigned and his replacement only survived resignation or impeachment because he had so little time left. The leaders of the Assembly and Senate were convicted on bribery charges. The current governor -- who replaced the most recent to resign -- just signed a multi-billion dollar stadium deal that her husband's firm will benefit from tremendously.

And forget our most recent and current mayors here in New York City. I don't know how De Blasio didn't get ensnared in the corruption/Pay-to-play schemes around his administration from Day 1. And Adams is just arrogant enough to wind up getting caught.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I'm just going to put this here.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Schooled.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Why can’t the Big Mac reaper come to collect his dues on this fat authoritarian piece of shit? Executing drug dealers without due process is ok, but god forbid his criminal white collar crime friends have to suffer any consequences whatsoever. I’m so sick of this fat, stupid guy having millions worshipping him. Can’t they see he’s all ego and no brains? Meanwhile, Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, Mike Flynn, Rudy and all of Trump’s stooges are running around still living their lives, with more due process than would be afforded you or I if we stole a candy bar.


----------



## Joe

GermanSuplex said:


> Why can’t the Big Mac reaper come to collect his dues on this fat authoritarian piece of shit? Executing drug dealers without due process is ok, but god forbid his criminal white collar crime friends have to suffer any consequences whatsoever. I’m so sick of this fat, stupid guy having millions worshipping him. Can’t they see he’s all ego and no brains? Meanwhile, Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, Mike Flynn, Rudy and all of Trump’s stooges are running around still living their lives, with more due process than would be afforded you or I if we stole a candy bar.




They love him because he speaks at their same education level.  

What really cracks me up are the rural rednecks that look up to an elite city slicker like Trump lol He’s nothing like these redneck trash but they worship him.


----------



## Yoused

Joe said:


> He’s nothing like these redneck trash but they worship him.




I would not exactly say *nothing* like them. He is stunningly stupid, ignorant, short-sighted and loud. And he has incendiarily bad taste. _Ohh, shiny thing! Gimme!_


----------



## JayMysteri0

Just a reminder, because you know all of this victimology is playing into the need for destroying the wall between church & state.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1546129749419909120/

Because SOME Christians imagine they are being punished for their views, but those SAME "Christians" given the reins in gov't would punish others at first chance.


----------



## GermanSuplex

It takes a lot of privilege to think someone else having the same rights as you is somehow on infringement on YOUR rights.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Just a reminder, because you know all of this victimology is playing into the need for destroying the wall between church & state.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1546129749419909120/
> 
> Because SOME Christians imagine they are being punished for their views, but those SAME "Christians" given the reins in gov't would punish others at first chance.




I’m sick of people claiming they are Christian when they clearly aren’t.  If you truly believe you are being punished then you are one of these non-Christian Christians.  

After 9/11 happened a lot of people were asking where are all the good Muslims speaking out against extremists and terrorism. It seems good Christians speaking up are just as rare.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I’m sick of people claiming they are Christian when they clearly aren’t.  If you truly believe you are being punished then you are one of these non-Christian Christians.
> 
> After 9/11 happened a lot of people were asking where are all the good Muslims speaking out against extremists and terrorism. It seems good Christians speaking up are just as rare.



There are many verses in the Bible about being “persecuted” for the faith. The common theme? One should consider it a blessing, and they should bless those who persecute them. Playing the victim card is the opposite of that. And if you’re doing the opposite of your faith’s teachings, are you truly an adherent of the faith in the first place?

So if Christians are REALLY being punished for their faith, they should consider it “pure joy” to suffer in such a way... according to the Bible.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> There are many verses in the Bible about being “persecuted” for the faith. The common theme? One should consider it a blessing, and they should bless those who persecute them. Playing the victim card is the opposite of that. And if you’re doing the opposite of your faith’s teachings, are you truly an adherent of the faith in the first place?
> 
> So if Christians are REALLY being punished for their faith, they should consider it “pure joy” to suffer in such a way... according to the Bible.




There are many ways to spot if somebody is lying to themselves and the world about being a Christian, but the most obvious is being a Trump supporter. You can’t both be a good Christian and a Trump supporter. From his professional and personal life to his rhetoric you’d be hard pressed to find anybody less Christian. Rabid patriotism is also a big no no.

Christianity isn't being attacked.  It's their mobs of heretics defined by their own big book of laws that are.


----------



## SuperMatt

Drove through rural Ohio this weekend. Went past houses with huge flags of “Not My President” and “Trump 2024 - I’ll be back!” 

I guess it makes sense that the same folks who glorify the losers of the Civil War would support another loser.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

It seems like more and more arrows are pointing at DeSantis running in 2024 including support from those who until recently were too afraid of Trump. Even if the hearings don’t lead to a prosecution I think some on the right are hoping they at least weaken Trump’s control of the party and mindshare.

Never underestimate Trump’s ego, but he hasn’t even announced he’s going to run yet. There’s a possibility that if he sees the writing is on the wall favoring DeSantis that he won’t run so he doesn’t have to face that possible defeat. But there’s also a high probability that he feels winning a second term is the only chance he has of beating the charges banging on his door.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> But there’s also a high probability that he feels winning a second term is the only chance he has of beating the charges banging on his door.



Maybe not even winning a second term but just running for one. He might be counting on a Democratic Attorney General hesitating to indict a presidential candidate from the other party because of the precedent it might set. Although with the GOP as it is today, I doubt they would hesitate to do so.


----------



## ronntaylor

Mango is definitely running. It's a continuation of his grifting ways. Someone signed up my email account to receive emails from him (my email account handle uses my initials and partial name, so I get tons of emails mistakenly meant for others with a similar name). My inbox is flooded with anxious, breathless emails about the Dems, the Woke™ & Sleepy Joe destroying America. This year's Mid-Terms will be instrumental in how well his grift will continue to be going into the 2024 campaign.


----------



## JayMysteri0

This is who the republican party wants to run for office...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1546476045112676352/






Is this some kind of experiment?  Finding candidates more stupid than the kind of voters they want?  Completing the cycle of stupidity all around?


----------



## JayMysteri0

So somehow some repubs got "blue maga" trending, which then brought out those pointing out that group's past "successes".

Case in point

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1546592769392754688/

At least they've stayed on brand all this time.


----------



## GermanSuplex

JayMysteri0 said:


> This is who the republican party wants to run for office...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1546476045112676352/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is this some kind of experiment?  Finding candidates more stupid than the kind of voters they want?  Completing the cycle of stupidity all around?




Walker is painfully stupid. Warnock is leading the polls, but this airhead may very well be the next US Senator from Georgia. I'm having flashbacks to 2015 when Trump announced. Not paying much attention to him in years past, I was stunned by how stupid he was. But the rest of the world seemed to not notice. His crowds kept growing, red hats started showing up, flags and bumper stickers were all over.... the GOP seemed totally oblivious to how dumb he was. And his confidence and ego was astounding - I always said he seemed like the dumbest man in the room who's convinced that he's the smartest.

I read a great opinion piece on Walker today. It's behind a paywall, but here are two segments that stood out....

_The flashing red lights and blaring sirens are not just about the former football star’s myriad lies and stunning hypocrisy. That kind of stuff doesn’t necessarily trouble GOP voters in the least, given their continued devotion to Donald Trump, who counts Walker as a longtime friend. *It’s Walker’s combination of utter ignorance and total confidence, which challenges even that of the former president.*_
........

_We’ve had liars and hypocrites in the Senate before — we have some now, actually — and the republic has survived. But to an alarming degree, even for a senator, *Walker seems to believe he knows everything about everything — while his words suggest he knows nothing about anything at all.*_





__





						Loading…
					





					www.washingtonpost.com


----------



## SuperMatt

GermanSuplex said:


> Walker is painfully stupid. Warnock is leading the polls, but this airhead may very well be the next US Senator from Georgia. I'm having flashbacks to 2015 when Trump announced. Not paying much attention to him in years past, I was stunned by how stupid he was. But the rest of the world seemed to not notice. His crowds kept growing, red hats started showing up, flags and bumper stickers were all over.... the GOP seemed totally oblivious to how dumb he was. And his confidence and ego was astounding - I always said he seemed like the dumbest man in the room who's convinced that he's the smartest.
> 
> I read a great opinion piece on Walker today. It's behind a paywall, but here are two segments that stood out....
> 
> _The flashing red lights and blaring sirens are not just about the former football star’s myriad lies and stunning hypocrisy. That kind of stuff doesn’t necessarily trouble GOP voters in the least, given their continued devotion to Donald Trump, who counts Walker as a longtime friend. *It’s Walker’s combination of utter ignorance and total confidence, which challenges even that of the former president.*_
> ........
> 
> _We’ve had liars and hypocrites in the Senate before — we have some now, actually — and the republic has survived. But to an alarming degree, even for a senator, *Walker seems to believe he knows everything about everything — while his words suggest he knows nothing about anything at all.*_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Loading…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.washingtonpost.com



This is slightly off-topic, but I think the worship of celebrities in our country is a root cause of situations like this. It leads to people supporting those who aren’t qualified. But it also gives the celebrities an inflated sense of their own abilities. When you’re adored everywhere you go, you end up thinking your  doesn’t stink. A disastrous combination.


----------



## DT

We watched that Walker video yesterday, it's just fucking absurd.  What got me, was people laughing (with, not at) and clapping about some of that air insanity.  Are they so equally stupid, or even more so, that they can just dismiss that kind of nonsense in favor of celebrity and/or "the cult"?  I'd like to know if anyone went there undecided and walked out with an absolute decision not to vote for him?

I bet there was a ton of people in that audience that were happy to show how "not racist" they are too ...


----------



## ronntaylor

I wish I could say that Walker won't win. I told folks for several weeks that Mango could win in 2016. Yes, I thought the "Grab them by the pussy!" video was the end of him. But once I saw many didn't care about it, I once again told people that he could win.

Walker will need to avoid any debates. That may hurt him but appearing on a debate stage with Warnock will kill any chance he has of winning the Senate seat. He avoids videos like the one above and he still has a shot at replacing Warnock even with all of his lies and deficiencies. Which is just farking sad.


----------



## JayMysteri0

To bring all of this back around to the agenda.  Please bear in mind, there are those in the party that know he's a lying stupid MF'er, but continue to push this guy.



> Herschel Walker reportedly lied to his team about his secret kids
> 
> 
> When it comes to the Georgia Republican's personal controversies, Herschel Walker apparently isn't above lying to his own campaign team.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.msnbc.com





> A few weeks ago, Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign ran into an unexpected problem. The Daily Beast reported on a “secret son” whom the Georgia Republican hadn’t publicly acknowledged, and who “has apparently been estranged from his biological father since his birth a decade ago.”
> 
> Given Walker’s record of criticizing absentee fathers, the revelation was a problem. Nevertheless, the GOP candidate and his team acknowledged the accuracy of the report and issued a written statement that said Walker “had a child years ago when he wasn’t married.” The statement went on to dismiss the idea that “Herschel is ‘hiding’ the child.”
> 
> 
> The problem quickly got worse — we soon learned about other previously undisclosed children — raising all kinds of questions about the candidate. But one thing stood out for me: Why did Walker’s team issue a written statement referencing “a child” and “the child”? Didn’t the Republican’s campaign team get the full story from the candidate?
> 
> As it turns out, that’s an interesting story. The Daily Beast had a follow-up report today:
> 
> _When Herschel Walker’s campaign aides approached him this winter to discuss whispers that Walker had a secret child, the Georgia GOP’s Senate candidate told his campaign the rumors were false. Walker’s aides already knew he was lying. They had expected him to lie, and had obtained documents in advance of that conversation verifying that Walker did indeed have another child, The Daily Beast has learned._
> 
> According to the reporting, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, Walker, when confronted with evidence from his team, eventually conceded that he’d lied to them about the existence of his undisclosed son.




Which leads us to...



> Herschel Walker Is a “Pathological Liar” Who Lies “Like He’s Breathing,” Says His Own Campaign Staff
> 
> 
> Yet for some reason these staffers are still trying to get the guy elected to the U.S. Senate.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.vanityfair.com






> Yes, in the midst of an incredible article from the Daily Beast concerning Walker’s “secret children,” whose existence he denied even to the people who work for him, comes the assertion from the candidate’s own team that he’s constitutionally incapable of telling the truth. While Walker reportedly lies about all kind of things, it was seemingly the lies about his offspring that broke the proverbial camel’s back for his staff. According to the Daily Beast’s *Roger Sollenberger,* Walker—who has frequently criticized “fatherless home”—was approached by his advisers over the winter about rumors he had a kid no one knew about, which the candidate denied. The staffers, per Sollenberger, knew their boss was was going to lie, and came with documents proving paternity; eventually, he admitted the child was his, but insisted no other secret kids existed. Can you guess where this is going? You probably can.







> Meanwhile lying about everything all the time isn’t the only gripe Walker’s staffers have. According to the Daily Beast, they have “ridiculed his intelligence,” “fear his mood swings and instability,” “worry he could embarrass himself at any moment,” and believe that “the stress and pressures of campaigning…might make him ‘just not mentally stable.’” All of which seem like pretty good reasons to become _former_ campaign staffers—and yet it appears all of these people are still currently working for the guy and actively trying to help him unseat a Democrat for U.S. Senate. Curious!
> 
> The Walker campaign declined the Daily Beast’s request for comment.




Yet this is who the party is promoting as their candidate, and who their base applauding & supporting.

THIS IS INTENTIONAL!!







A party actively pushing a candidate who clearly lies, isn't the sharpest SPOON in the kitchen drawer, and they are doing it anyway.  But will they take responsibility if this numbnut gets into office, fucks up royally, and possibly costs lives or money?  Judging by past administrations experience evidently, and one has to ask FUCKING why?!!!  This actively looks like an effort to shit a gov't down the drain by intentionally trying to get into office the most destructive beings possible.


----------



## SuperMatt

What we need is a Senator that plays Russian Roulette for fun!

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1546886233053356038/

”Lucky to be alive” takes on a whole new meaning…


----------



## GermanSuplex

It sure would be nice to see some cross-party endorsements. Would be nice to see some republicans endorse Warnock because he’s quite clearly - and not by a small margin - the more qualified, sensible, decent candidate. I believe I’ve already seen progressive groups endorse Cheney, noting that her stance on democracy supersedes the clear policy differences. She too, is beyond more qualified than her opponents (remember her debate a few days back? She looked like a distinguished, sane individual surrounded by rodeo clowns).

I’d like to see a couple democrats - maybe even President Biden - endorse Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney. Anything that can be done to try to get some cross-party cooperation and to get these lunatics out of office.


----------



## ronntaylor

GermanSuplex said:


> I’d like to see a couple democrats - maybe even President Biden - endorse Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney. Anything that can be done to try to get some cross-party cooperation and to get these lunatics out of office.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> This is who the republican party wants to run for office...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1546476045112676352/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is this some kind of experiment?  Finding candidates more stupid than the kind of voters they want?  Completing the cycle of stupidity all around?




The Republican party is like having a company where half the employees on the payroll are there to make the company fail. These candidates aren’t flukes. They are the most qualified to ensure that result.


----------



## GermanSuplex

ronntaylor said:


>




I understand the sentiment for sure, and I'm in no great rush to allow republicans to regain control of the senate. But the stonewalling, constant fighting and refusal of republicans to hold anyone in their camp responsible for anything at all is going to be hard to keep from getting worse unless some people or some group of people make sacrifices. Cross-party endorsements of somewhat sensible candidates would be a start.


----------



## ronntaylor

GermanSuplex said:


> I understand the sentiment for sure, and I'm in no great rush to allow republicans to regain control of the senate. But the stonewalling, constant fighting and refusal of republicans to hold anyone in their camp responsible for anything at all is going to be hard to keep from getting worse unless some people or some group of people make sacrifices. Cross-party endorsements of somewhat sensible candidates would be a start.



I don't see a single GOP member deserving of Dem support/endorsements. Not. A. Single. One. They all in line with Moscow Mitch. They don't support any reasonable legislation if it's from Dems. So screw all of them till they come around.


----------



## Yoused

ronntaylor said:


> I don't see a single GOP member deserving of Dem support/endorsements. Not. A. Single. One. They all in line with Moscow Mitch. They don't support any reasonable legislation if it's from Dems. So screw all of them till they come around.



Here is the thing:

My district used to have a R Congresscritter, who was a fairly decent guy and not at all insane in the membrane. I always voted against him. Voting for him would have been equivalent to voting for John Boehner or Paul Ryan (today, Kevin McCarthy), which was simply not tenable. You cannot support a party member without supporting the whole party. This is the tragedy of the 2-party system. There might be some semi-decent people of the R persuasion, but voting for them means you support the whole insane R agenda.


----------



## GermanSuplex

I don't know how to feel about publicizing this story for political gain, because there's a victim at the center of it. But the only thing that sickens me as much as the rapist is the GOP response to this garbage. Being against abortion in all theoretical cases is one thing, but there's nothing theoretical about this. The GOP is all about "parental rights" when it comes to banning books and making sure only their white, Christian American "history" is taught in schools - a total whitewashed version of history that leaves out the bad and overly-glorifies the rest. But when a 10 year old victim is raped, they want to be judge and jury about how this child can procede.

Time to hand some of these MAGA cultists and religious grandstanders a big defeat at the polls, then see if their so-called convictions stand. Now that they will have to run on the accomplishment rather than the goal, and I don't think they're going to gain many voters with this type of governing.









						Arrest made in rape of Ohio girl that led to Indiana abortion drawing international attention
					

The man was arraigned in Ohio. The case has led to national attention in the abortion debate following the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade.



					www.dispatch.com


----------



## SuperMatt

GermanSuplex said:


> I don't know how to feel about publicizing this story for political gain, because there's a victim at the center of it. But the only thing that sickens me as much as the rapist is the GOP response to this garbage. Being against abortion in all theoretical cases is one thing, but there's nothing theoretical about this. The GOP is all about "parental rights" when it comes to banning books and making sure only their white, Christian American "history" is taught in schools - a total whitewashed version of history that leaves out the bad and overly-glorifies the rest. But when a 10 year old victim is raped, they want to be judge and jury about how this child can procede.
> 
> Time to hand some of these MAGA cultists and religious grandstanders a big defeat at the polls, then see if their so-called convictions stand. Now that they will have to run on the accomplishment rather than the goal, and I don't think they're going to gain many voters with this type of governing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Arrest made in rape of Ohio girl that led to Indiana abortion drawing international attention
> 
> 
> The man was arraigned in Ohio. The case has led to national attention in the abortion debate following the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade.
> 
> 
> 
> www.dispatch.com



Wow, that Attorney General makes a piece of week-old  look good by comparison.



> Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost questioned the validity of the account during an appearance on Fox News this week.
> 
> Yost, a Republican, told Fox News host Jesse Watters that his office had not heard "a whisper" of a report being filed for the 10-year-old victim.
> 
> "We have regular contact with prosecutors and local police and sheriffs — not a whisper anywhere," Yost said on the show.
> 
> Yost doubled down on that in an interview with the USA TODAY Network Ohio bureau on Tuesday, saying that the more time passed before confirmation made it "more likely that this is a fabrication."
> 
> "I know the cops and prosecutors in this state," Yost said. "There's not one of them that wouldn't be turning over every rock, looking for this guy and they would have charged him. They wouldn't leave him loose on the streets ... I'm not saying it could not have happened. What I'm saying to you is there is not a damn scintilla of evidence."
> 
> On Wednesday, once news of the arraignment of the Columbus man accused in the child's rape came, Yost issued a single sentence statement:
> 
> "We rejoice anytime a child rapist is taken off the streets."




Does he think we won’t remember his reprehensible statements claiming the rape was a fiction? How can he still have his job right now?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> I don't know how to feel about publicizing this story for political gain, because there's a victim at the center of it. But the only thing that sickens me as much as the rapist is the GOP response to this garbage. Being against abortion in all theoretical cases is one thing, but there's nothing theoretical about this. The GOP is all about "parental rights" when it comes to banning books and making sure only their white, Christian American "history" is taught in schools - a total whitewashed version of history that leaves out the bad and overly-glorifies the rest. But when a 10 year old victim is raped, they want to be judge and jury about how this child can procede.
> 
> Time to hand some of these MAGA cultists and religious grandstanders a big defeat at the polls, then see if their so-called convictions stand. Now that they will have to run on the accomplishment rather than the goal, and I don't think they're going to gain many voters with this type of governing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Arrest made in rape of Ohio girl that led to Indiana abortion drawing international attention
> 
> 
> The man was arraigned in Ohio. The case has led to national attention in the abortion debate following the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade.
> 
> 
> 
> www.dispatch.com




It appears there may be a silver lining for Republicans in this story though as it seems the rapist is hispanic and here illegally.   That's the total package for them right there.  Now they just need to find a picture of him hanging out with Biden.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Let this unnerve you

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1547259907275075584/


----------



## GermanSuplex

JayMysteri0 said:


> Let this unnerve you
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1547259907275075584/




Where does raw-dogging porn stars and grabbing women by the p***y slot into these "decrees".

These people are jokes.


----------



## SuperMatt

GermanSuplex said:


> Where does raw-dogging porn stars and grabbing women by the p***y slot into these "decrees".
> 
> These people are jokes.



I saw they managed to get the word “woke” in there. Was the lost 11th commandment “Thou shalt not be woke”?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> I saw they managed to get the word “woke” in there. Was the lost 11th commandment “Thou shalt not be woke”?




I’m still waiting for “Sleepy Joe’s Woke Agenda” which would make about as much sense as “Unhinged Trump Urges Calm”


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> Where does raw-dogging porn stars and grabbing women by the p***y slot into these "decrees".
> 
> These people are jokes.




If Trump did anything positive it was expose the religious right as hyper hypocrites for all the world to see.  If it were anybody else with similar traits they'd probably try to burn them on a stake as a tool of satan.


----------



## Yoused

GermanSuplex said:


> Where does raw-dogging porn stars and grabbing women by the p***y slot into these "decrees".



The bible clearly states that women caused humanity to be driven from the Garden, hence, they must be regarded as the source of all sin and rightfully treated as service animals.


----------



## JayMysteri0

How some republicans seem to see mask use for a pandemic,






But get those masks in white...


----------



## JayMysteri0

When republicans care about inclusion

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1548096625943252993/



> House Republicans Vote Against Tackling White Supremacy In Military and Law Enforcement
> 
> 
> The House passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to push government officials to report instances of white supremacy among the military and law enforcement ranks, The Hill reports. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.)’s sponsored measure made it through with a 218-208 party-line...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.yahoo.com





> The House passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to push government officials to report instances of white supremacy among the military and law enforcement ranks, The Hill reports. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.)’s sponsored measure made it through with a 218-208 party-line vote that saw every House Republican vote against it. 20% of participants arrested for involvement in the Jan. 6th Capital riot are military veterans. A Reuters investigation also found a high number of police instructors have ties to right-wing militias and white supremacist hate groups.
> 
> This amendment would require the FBI director, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the secretary of Defense to publish a report analyzing White supremacist and neo-Nazi activity within their ranks and present ways to root it out of the respective organizations.






> Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), known for his election meddling efforts and one of the 23 Republicans who voted against an anti-bigotry resolution in 2019, claimed the measure “denigrates” law enforcement personnel.
> 
> “This amendment attempts to create a problem where none exists by requesting investigations into law enforcement and the armed services for alleged rampant white supremacists or white national sympathies,” he said.
> 
> Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), currently on the Jan. 6th House select committee, also voted against the amendment despite everything she’s seen in the investigation. After the full NDAA passes this week, the House and Senate will conference. At that point, this resolution can still be taken out.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I’m a little confused about something.  The campaign against demasculating men feels at least a decade late. AFAIK the metrosexual has been replaced by the lumbersexual with a love of the great outdoors and manly shit. Probably 1 in 5 young males has been involved in some car or bike customization show on the Discovery Network and we’re probably about to experience a nationwide tattoo ink shortage due to demand.  So what’s the complaint, that we haven’t returned to the glory days of unprosecuted domestic violence and hunting animals into extinction?


----------



## Cmaier

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I’m a little confused about something.  The campaign against demasculating men feels at least a decade late. AFAIK the metrosexual has been replaced by the lumbersexual with a love of the great outdoors and manly shit. Probably 1 in 5 young males has been involved in some car or bike customization show on the Discovery Network and we’re probably about to experience a nationwide tattoo ink shortage due to demand.  So what’s the complaint, that we haven’t returned to the glory days of unprosecuted domestic violence and hunting animals into extinction?




“You’re only opposed to my racist tirades because you’re a girly-man” is as good a brain dead position to take as any other brain dead position.

Like I said, nearly all Republicans are, at this point, morons.   Go ahead, have them tested. You’ll see.


----------



## Alli

Cmaier said:


> Like I said, nearly all Republicans are, at this point, morons. Go ahead, have them tested. You’ll see.



Yet we wouldn’t be able to take them off life support because there’s a heart beat, and they’re more than 6 weeks gestation.


----------



## GermanSuplex

WTF. Maybe democrats need to start admitting there was massive (attempted) fraud in our elections, and it wasn’t by the dems. State parties don’t get to just put people on ballots or give percentages of votes.









						Colorado GOP Chair Ken Buck pressured local official to submit incorrect election results
					

Colorado Republican Party Chair Ken Buck, a U.S. representative from Windsor, pressured a local party official to submit incorrect election results to set the primary ballot for a state Senate seat…




					www.denverpost.com


----------



## JayMysteri0

One of my "favorite" things or more consistent things about this brand of the republican party is it's crippling lack of originality.  It's as if the party isn't only incapable of any kind of governing, it's culture wars are often based on twisting something dems have discussed.

Case in point, the latest round of going after NPR, because it isn't Faux News.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1548695820463226880/



> Right calls to 'defund NPR' after it said the Declaration of Independence had 'flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies'
> 
> 
> Many on the Right are calling to defund National Public Radio after it tweeted that the Declaration of Independence is "a document with flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.yahoo.com




What triggered the assholes?
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1548740418199662592/

The recurring problem with these brain sturgeons?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1548675790480576513/

The jokes
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1548694279970869249/


----------



## JayMysteri0

This could have been filed under "TFG", as if anyone would take anything said about education from this person.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1548763321247088640/

Let's stop pretending about these people.  They won't be satisfied until we are reliving a fictional version of the 1950's, with the same level of knowledge & beliefs.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1548794423844257793/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1548810062126354433/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1548880486617030657/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1548815265676361728/


----------



## GermanSuplex

Old leatherface is still up to no good? Was hoping I heard the last of that miserable woman. You would think having millions of dollars, fancy cars, houses and yachts and never-ending comfort and security - never having to have worked an honest day in your life - would give these people motivation to do something good, instead of being annoying roadbumps on the path to American civility and improvement.


----------



## JayMysteri0

I don't think this went as planned.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1549486698282860545/


----------



## DT

I love to hear Buttigieg speak, he's articulate, quick witted, he has a friendly, inviting delivery but can engage a pleasant snark on demand   I was going to post this in the car area, where he was responding to some bozo about  EV pricing, just factual and deliberate while clearly not taking any shit (and making that clear).

We need to hear more of him.



GermanSuplex said:


> Old leatherface is still up to no good? Was hoping I heard the last of that miserable woman. You would think having millions of dollars, fancy cars, houses and yachts and never-ending comfort and security - never having to have worked an honest day in your life - would give these people motivation to do something good, instead of being annoying roadbumps on the path to American civility and improvement.




I'm assuming the favors that got her that money/cars/homes are being called in.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Ew.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1549161217062830080/

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1549668688307036162/

Science just isn't a thing for some.


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Ew.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1549161217062830080/
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1549668688307036162/
> 
> Science just isn't a thing for some.



He went to Princeton and Harvard?

Pretty overrated schools if they produce s like this.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

More confusion from me. The public education system is supposedly highly slanted to a liberal agenda that is indoctrinating young minds to hate America. Yet there seems to be no shortage of homophobic white supremacist patriots emerging from this same education system. So what’s the problem, that they don’t all turn out that way?


----------



## fooferdoggie

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> More confusion from me. The public education system is supposedly highly slanted to a liberal agenda that is indoctrinating young minds to hate America. Yet there seems to be no shortage of homophobic white supremacist patriots emerging from this same education system. So what’s the problem, that they don’t all turn out that way?



they don't like how the school system reveals How crap they make america look.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

"We're the party of Lincoln!"









						President Lincoln’s Republican Party Was the Original Party of Big Government
					

Republicans are fixated on the idea that their party is connected to the party of President Lincoln, whose party also bore the name Republican. During this election season, they keep evoking the ha…




					lithub.com
				




"Big government began with President Lincoln’s Republican Party, which in fundamental ways is the progenitor of the modern Democratic Party of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Lincoln’s party was not one of small, non-intrusive government, minimal taxation, traditional social mores, and white supremacy. It was the party of strong federal intervention and moral directive against the institution of slavery and Southern secession, the party of federally funded higher education, federally funded national transportation, and social welfare. The radical Republicans of Lincoln’s Party with their reform zeal and moral interventionist vision would be to the left of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren."

DOH!

Just wait until these people find out about the real teachings of Jesus.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

DL;DW

The Republican party relies heavily on the uneducated.  It keeps them from asking questions they don't want to answer and it's no mistake that it's largely accepted that a public high school graduate isn't yet qualified to do anything beyond the most basic of jobs. They need unquestioning cogs in the machine.

He also mentioned red states having a lower life expectancy due to low investment in healthcare and scaring their voters with death panels propaganda which is something Republicans don't want to answer for.  I'd take it a step further.  Red states also have the harshest abortion restrictions.  If people are dying off earlier they've found another way to replenish the cogs.  

But hey, I guess as long as they don't have to answer to the pronoun police then it makes their meaningless cog life worth it.  Give them some dignity!


----------



## Citysnaps

GermanSuplex said:


> It sure would be nice to see some cross-party endorsements. Would be nice to see some republicans endorse Warnock because he’s quite clearly - and not by a small margin - the more qualified, sensible, decent candidate. I believe I’ve already seen progressive groups endorse Cheney, noting that her stance on democracy supersedes the clear policy differences. She too, is beyond more qualified than her opponents (remember her debate a few days back? She looked like a distinguished, sane individual surrounded by rodeo clowns).
> 
> I’d like to see a couple democrats - maybe even President Biden - endorse Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney. Anything that can be done to try to get some cross-party cooperation and to get these lunatics out of office.




Agree.  I would also add Rep. Adam Kinzinger. I don't know much about him, but thought the manner in which questioned witnesses while weaving an easy to understand narrative about the events of Jan 6th was superb. An attorney friend of mine agreed, and said he was shocked learning he isn't a lawyer.  He's also condemned trump and the enablers around him.


----------



## JayMysteri0

I am not ashamed to admit I had to think about this one for a minute

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1550282267205017601/

Makes perfect sense from them though.

Deets



> "Cry harder": House GOP ridiculed for deleted "heresy" tweet
> 
> 
> House Republicans attempted to distract from Thursday's Jan. 6 select committee primetime hearing
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com




Epic...


----------



## Runs For Fun

Well that's terrifying








						Inside Trump '25: A radical plan for Trump’s second term
					

Allies want to empower him to purge potentially thousands of civil servants.




					www.axios.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Runs For Fun said:


> Well that's terrifying
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Inside Trump '25: A radical plan for Trump’s second term
> 
> 
> Allies want to empower him to purge potentially thousands of civil servants.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.axios.com




These people aren’t too bright. Best case scenario if they pull off all their initiatives is a ton of angry poor people who will need to be controlled by a police state. That may sound like that’s fine for the people on top, but you know what that won’t be good for? Capitalism…the main, if not only, thing that keeps those at the top there. You can’t police state people into buying crap they don’t need with money they don’t have.


----------



## JayMysteri0

When you don't realize you have a branding problem #230

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1550961302243246080/


----------



## JayMysteri0

Quick reminder about TPUSA, their racist shit, and the republican party agenda

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1551073269998034944/



> Clarence Thomas’ wife hired ex-Turning Point USA staffer who once said ‘I hate blacks’: report
> 
> 
> The wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has reportedly hired a former Turning Point USA staffer who left the conservative organization after reports emerged that she once sent a…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thehill.com



_Dated 09/06/18_


> The wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has reportedly hired a former Turning Point USA staffer who left the conservative organization after reports emerged that she once sent a text saying “I hate blacks.”
> 
> Thomas’s wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, has reportedly hired ex-TPUSA staffer Crystal Clanton, Mediaite first reported.
> 
> Clanton’s comments became public last year when The New Yorker obtained and published screenshots of text messages sent by Clanton to another TPUSA employee. “I HATE BLACK PEOPLE. Like fuck them all . . . I hate blacks. End of story,” Clanton wrote, according to The New Yorker.
> 
> {mosads}Clanton, at the time, told the New Yorker that she had “no recollection” of the messages.
> 
> “I have no recollection of these messages and they do not reflect what I believe or who I am and the same was true when I was a teenager,” she said in a statement to the magazine.
> 
> Thomas has reportedly hired Clanton to assist her with right-wing media projects, Mediaite reported.





> Thomas, whose husband is the only African-American Supreme Court justice, is a columnist for The Daily Caller and currently serves on TPUSA’s advisory board. She also founded the conservative advocacy group, Liberty Central, whose mission was to fight the “hard-left agenda,” according to the outlet.




All of this shit is "not a bug, it's a feature".


----------



## Eric

Sad story.


__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalHumor/comments/w6mkna


----------



## JayMysteri0

When you see something like this, it makes you realize that an alternate dimension isn't that far away.






There's a reason why some would call themselves the "orange mafia", it's one of the few times you get the truth.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Dafuk?!

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1550893036103663618/

The only people who are all for leaving things to the states, are people who's party has stacked state legislatures so that they stay in power.

Rights are FUCKING rights for a reason.  Because there's always some asshole who doesn't believe some shouldn't have the same rights as they do, and are willing to use the gov't to prevent those rights.  So we have a federal gov't to insure that the country's citizenry has access to those rights, no matter the assholes in charge in their state.  We can see the fallout from Roe Vs Wade.  When erode rights, it empowers assholes who aren't concerned with anyone else but their own little butt hurt feelings.


----------



## Eric

Modern day Florida Republicans...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1551358901005668352/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Eric said:


> Modern day Florida Republicans...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1551358901005668352/





Florida is where everything is out of place and nothing is out of place.  Still, Florida Nazis kind of makes me think Hawaiian Eskimos.  Sure, I guess it's possible.  It's like they don't quite have enough white pride to live in a real racist state.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GOP lawmaker attended gay son's wedding 3 days after voting against same-sex marriage
					

The gay son of Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., got married on Friday. A few days earlier, his father voted against the Respect for Marriage Act.




					www.nbcnews.com
				




He welcomed the opportunity to be a hyper hypocrite which is a top demand of the party. I’m sure he mentioned that in his toast and thanked his son.


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1551282316189659137/


----------



## GermanSuplex

“Rights aren’t rights if they can be taken away” - George Carlin

Republicans have shown they have no issue getting rid of rights or precedent to remain in power. The democrats should take note. And the ironic part is, if democrats started dismantling institutions, it would be for a more fair and equitable union. The old system has given us minority rule. Democrats proposition for “dismantling” institutions would result in majority rule and every vote truly mattering. How much more fucking fair can you get than that?


----------



## SuperMatt

GermanSuplex said:


> “Rights aren’t rights if they can be taken away” - George Carlin
> 
> Republicans have shown they have no issue getting rid of rights or precedent to remain in power. The democrats should take note. And the ironic part is, if democrats started dismantling institutions, it would be for a more fair and equitable union. The old system has given us minority rule. Democrats proposition for “dismantling” institutions would result in majority rule and every vote truly mattering. How much more fucking fair can you get than that?



They could start by making DC and Puerto Rico states. That would give around 4 million citizens the representation in Congress that they deserve.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Reminder

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1551774329246982144/

I'd love to see someone make a case proving that wrong.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I think we need to change the “climate change denier” label. It’s becoming a little dated like defund the police that just blocks any further discussion once it's hurled. I don’t think Republicans are still wholesale denying it. They just don’t care. You could point to all the climate change legislation they are blocking but that’s ignoring that they are blocking literally everything. They’ve also shifted the narrative to “doesn’t matter what we are doing because [insert country here] isn’t doing their part.”

I have no idea where we currently our on the climate change doomsday clock, but it seems to me we are going to be working more in reactive mode than proactive, constantly putting out fires literally and figuratively.


----------



## Renzatic

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I think we need to change the “climate change denier” label. It’s becoming a little dated like defund the police that just blocks any further discussion once it's hurled. I don’t think Republicans are still wholesale denying it.




They're still denying it, though from what I've seen, they're now framing it as the "global warming cult," another part of "blue-anon."


----------



## Yoused

cuz, why not


----------



## GermanSuplex

Yoused said:


> cuz, why not




Just in time for their next celebrity-influenced meal: The Trump combo. $15  for two Big Macs and a large Diet Coke. You actually get an empty paper sack, and they’ll sue you if you take the sack.


----------



## Hrafn

GermanSuplex said:


> Just in time for their next celebrity-influenced meal: The Trump combo. $15  for two Big Macs and a large Diet Coke. You actually get an empty paper sack, and they’ll sue you if you take the sack.



Ah, but do you have to call it Big Mac or is hamburder still allowed?


----------



## SuperMatt

A GOP candidate for Congress in Florida might have skipped English class…

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552008907454914561/

I believe the first word in the Constitution is ”we”


----------



## JayMysteri0

At some point you have to ask what universally condemned thing these 20 republicans don't find horrible enough

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552104786228559872/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> At some point you have to ask what universally condemned thing these 20 republicans don't find horrible enough
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552104786228559872/




We could save a lot of tax dollars if we just replaced these usual suspects with NO stamps. Short of that, we should at least be able to replace their Congressional nameplate with “not a serious person”. They’re all interchangeable.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

JayMysteri0 said:


> Reminder
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1551774329246982144/
> 
> I'd love to see someone make a case proving that wrong.












						Do right-wing evangelicals want a "Christian nation"? Hell no
					

Whatever ruthless, loveless, vicious vision of America these people have, it definitely isn't "Christian"




					www.salon.com


----------



## Alli

SuperMatt said:


> A GOP candidate for Congress in Florida might have skipped English class…
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552008907454914561/
> 
> I believe the first word in the Constitution is ”we”



“We” is definitely the first word to the Preamble to the Constitution, but not the actual Constitution. Just sayin’.


----------



## ronntaylor

SuperMatt said:


> A GOP candidate for Congress in Florida might have skipped English class…
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552008907454914561/
> 
> I believe the first word in the Constitution is ”we”




From McSweeney's



> And not only did Kamala use pronouns—she did something even crazier in that video, which made me want to impale myself with a Hobby Lobby yarn needle: she announced she was wearing a blue suit. WTF? Why are those words coming out of her mouth? Won’t anyone save us from this hellscape? Won’t anyone arrest this woman for being a clear and present danger to our Christian nation? Won’t anyone consider, even for one moment, how including a clothing description in your opening remarks might be a nice thing to do for visually impaired people? Not me, that’s for sure.




This know-nothing Rethugican will have her clock cleaned by Frederica Wilson. This stunt is an obvious money grab probably for some future state or city office.


----------



## Yoused

SuperMatt said:


> A GOP candidate for Congress in Florida might have skipped English class…
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552008907454914561/
> 
> I believe the first word in the Constitution is ”we”



Are there con-nouns?


----------



## SuperMatt

Yoused said:


> Are there con-nouns?



I don’t know. I read through this woman’s Twitter feed and it’s clear she isn’t the sharpest tack in the drawer. It’s just mindless repetition of right-wing talking points, hoping some of them will get a lot of engagement. Much like Trump at dinner time, she is chucking stuff at the wall to see what sticks.


----------



## Yoused

Twenty Attorneys General are suing the FDA because its reading of Title IX prevents local school districts from being able to use the school lunch program to discriminate against LGBT&c students









						Ken Paxton Among AGs Suing USDA Over LGBTQ School Meal Directive
					

More than 20 Republican attorneys general have filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over a Department of Agriculture school meal program that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.




					www.nbcdfw.com
				




And, very possibly, no one actually would, but they apparently object to being denied the option. Because they are, you know, _soooo_ in favor of choice.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

RNC warns Trump it will stop paying his legal bills if he runs in 2024
					

The Republican National Committee has already spent nearly $2 million paying Trump's lawyers.




					www.salon.com
				




This is some top tier grifting.  Why the fuck is the RNC paying the legal fees for a "successful businessman"?  On top of that I heard about a recent report that Trump PACs have raised more money than both the RNC and DNC combined.


----------



## SuperMatt

Republicans in the Senate are angry that Manchin stopped betraying the Democrats for 5 minutes to pass Build Back Better’s Little Brother. Who are they taking their anger out on? Oh, why not military veterans who are victims of burn pits?

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552716207459024897/

They still had residual anger after they finished fucking over veterans, so now they are going after the marriage equality bill already passed by a broad bipartisan coalition in the House. Again, the only reason is because America is trying to do something about climate change... and Susan Collins openly admits it!









						Susan Collins: Democrats’ Climate Deal May Doom Bipartisan Efforts On Same-Sex Marriage
					

The GOP senator said the surprise move by Democrats could make it harder to convince fellow Republicans to get on board.




					www.huffpost.com
				




This “party” doesn’t care about policy or people. They only care about power. In their view, Biden got a “win” so they must block everything to stop him from getting any more “wins” regardless of how many people they screw over in the process.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I was just thinking about how Kennedy famously blew off Frank Sinatra for his association with the mob. AFAIK nobody thought Frank was in the mob. He was just kind of enamored with their leadership and the Hollywoodification of their lifestyle, but Kennedy at minimum knew that wasn’t a good look.

Now we have Republican politicians and candidates being key speakers at white supremacist/nationalist events and the reaction from those speakers and the party is largely *shrug* “I don’t know what the big deal is.”


----------



## shadow puppet

I have no idea how accurate this poll is but if in some way in hell DeSantis becomes President, I'm officially moving and living the life of an expat.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552877941482311680/


----------



## Eric

shadow puppet said:


> I have no idea how accurate this poll is but if in some way in hell DeSantis becomes President, I'm officially moving and living the life of an expat.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552877941482311680/



I think we may be looking at a Desantis/Newsom matchup and I welcome it, Newsom doesn't take any shit and sticks it to Republicans in no uncertain terms. If Biden or Kama run I don't see how they put up any real challenge.


----------



## shadow puppet

Eric said:


> I think we may be looking at a Desantis/Newsom matchup and I welcome it, Newsom doesn't take any shit and sticks it to Republicans in no uncertain terms. If Biden or Kama run I don't see how they put up any real challenge.



I honestly hope Biden & Kamala don't run.  I think we'd lose.  As for Newsom, you know as a fellow Californian how much he is disliked both from Orange County & parts of Northern California too.  That makes me nervous.


----------



## Citysnaps

Totally agree.  Between now and mid 2024, I think Newsom would do well to tighten his messaging and carry a more serious demeanor (less smiling and joviality). And stop the stunts. They get old and two (in Florida and Texas) is enough, though he got some decent media coverage out of them.


----------



## JayMysteri0

SuperMatt said:


> Republicans in the Senate are angry that Manchin stopped betraying the Democrats for 5 minutes to pass Build Back Better’s Little Brother. Who are they taking their anger out on? Oh, why not military veterans who are victims of burn pits?
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552716207459024897/
> 
> They still had residual anger after they finished fucking over veterans, so now they are going after the marriage equality bill already passed by a broad bipartisan coalition in the House. Again, the only reason is because America is trying to do something about climate change... and Susan Collins openly admits it!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Susan Collins: Democrats’ Climate Deal May Doom Bipartisan Efforts On Same-Sex Marriage
> 
> 
> The GOP senator said the surprise move by Democrats could make it harder to convince fellow Republicans to get on board.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.huffpost.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This “party” doesn’t care about policy or people. They only care about power. In their view, Biden got a “win” so they must block everything to stop him from getting any more “wins” regardless of how many people they screw over in the process.



This was the mind blowing thing I kept seeing last night...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1553074556662943744/

That should be shown from now on whenever fled tries to even utter words involving "support" & "troops".


----------



## Eric

JayMysteri0 said:


> This was the mind blowing thing I kept seeing last night...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1553074556662943744/
> 
> That should be shown from now on whenever fled tries to even utter words involving "support" & "troops".



Seem their only purpose is to obstruct, they offer nothing in terms of policy other than to stop Democrats.


Why aren’t the GOP leftist? from
      SelfAwarewolves


----------



## Citysnaps

Interesting, from 1,100 Californians, no less.  Apparently including Democrats:









						'I don’t agree with her on anything,' California Democrats say of Liz Cheney — as they donate to her race
					

Republican Trump critic Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming has raised $1.2 million for her reelection campaign from Californians — including many Democrats.




					www.latimes.com


----------



## SuperMatt

citypix said:


> Interesting, from 1,100 Californians, no less.  Apparently including Democrats:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 'I don’t agree with her on anything,' California Democrats say of Liz Cheney — as they donate to her race
> 
> 
> Republican Trump critic Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming has raised $1.2 million for her reelection campaign from Californians — including many Democrats.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.latimes.com



They probably watched the Wyoming GOP debate. Cheney was the only sane person in it. Some of the candidates made Herschel Walker look coherent by comparison.


----------



## JayMysteri0

citypix said:


> Interesting, from 1,100 Californians, no less.  Apparently including Democrats:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 'I don’t agree with her on anything,' California Democrats say of Liz Cheney — as they donate to her race
> 
> 
> Republican Trump critic Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming has raised $1.2 million for her reelection campaign from Californians — including many Democrats.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.latimes.com



It's completely understandable.

Before she joined the 1/6 committee and got excommunicated from the cult, Cheney pretty much towed the line on all policies from 45 no matter what.  Her discovery of morals is both surprising & hopeful, compared to whatever the 'r' party wants to pour in her place in congress.

But it shouldn't be forgotten that she did walk in step, until the 45th president pointed a mob towards her & her colleagues for doing their jobs that he didn't want them to.



> Who’s More Loyal?: Cheney Voted With Trump More Than Possible Replacement Stefanik
> 
> 
> House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said fellow members have been concerned about Cheney’s ability to “carry out the message.” Data shows Cheney voted more with Trump than Stefanik.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.forbes.com




Bonus:

If you have never heard of "alternative fan fiction" or a story that's written about an alternate world or universe where things happened that a fan prefers, I give you this.



> Liz Cheney doesn't deserve the "Profiles in Courage" treatment | Opinion
> 
> 
> The need to demonize Donald Trump has created an equally compelling imperative to lionize Liz Cheney.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.newsweek.com




Just remember the beauty of fan fics.  They don't have to adhere to facts or established rules of a story if they don't want to, and characters act in ways that the creator prefers, as well as outlooks altered.  i.e.  The bad guy was always acting in the right, there were other motivations that were unknown that shows the good guy isn't so good, etc.


----------



## JayMysteri0

shadow puppet said:


> I have no idea how accurate this poll is but if in some way in hell DeSantis becomes President, I'm officially moving and living the life of an expat.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552877941482311680/



I imagine desatan is the favored choice by establishment repubs, as he doesn't carry quite the heavy stink of crazy, hatred & need for worship that the 45th president does.  That isn't to say that it isn't there, but it isn't as overt as the last guy who demands fealty or else.  Desatan can appeal to those who don't mind the crazy, the evil, the hatred, because he hides it a little better.  He's demonstrated a little more intelligence & the impulse control not to throw food or demand he gets his way because he's the F'N ( THAT to me is the most startling thing from the story about 45 in the limo wanting to go lead the mob.  The literal drug dealer who's gotten high off his own supply ) president.  Still a large part of desatan's success is going to hinge on voter suppression & gerry mandering, as he's shown large corporations he can't be trusted if they do what they think is in their best interest that conflicts with his.  That's a base you NEVER want to piss off.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

shadow puppet said:


> I have no idea how accurate this poll is but if in some way in hell DeSantis becomes President, I'm officially moving and living the life of an expat.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552877941482311680/





It's still too early.  And for one thing, the AR-15 hasn't officially announced it will be running yet.  When it does it should easily knock DeSantis off the top slot.


----------



## Yoused

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I was just thinking about how Kennedy famously blew off Frank Sinatra for his association with the mob. AFAIK nobody thought Frank was in the mob.







The LA Times and several other papers did not run these particular strips because, fear.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Yoused said:


> The LA Times and several other papers did not run these particular strips because, fear.




The irony is that a half century later doing business with the mob just equates to “a successful NYC businessman” to some, just doing what you got to do. No reason you should think he would take those lessons to running the country.


----------



## Yoused

Come _on_,

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1552669341727870976/

can we at least have some idiots with minimally-functional brain-like-things?


----------



## JayMysteri0

Just for future reference next time I have to see someone say or type "extreme leftists"

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1553191924756058112/

Holy F- stick!  All of this motivated by the lies of a babbling baby idiot who can't stand losing.

But...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1553195827589533697/

It's just jokes.  WTF?!!


----------



## JayMysteri0

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1553359882266578945/


----------



## JayMysteri0

There seriously has to be a discussion why THIS shit keeps getting revealed well after it's importance could have played a factor in discussions about these things.


> Hot mic captured Gaetz assuring Stone of pardon, discussing Mueller redactions​The Washington Post
> 
> Hot mic captured Gaetz assuring Stone of pardon, discussing Mueller redactions
> 
> As Roger Stone prepared to stand trial in 2019, complaining he was under pressure from federal prosecutors to incriminate Donald Trump, a close ally of the president repeatedly assured Stone that “the boss” would likely grant him clemency if he were convicted, a recording shows. At an event at a Trump property that October, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) predicted that Stone would be found guilty at his trial in Washington the following month but would not “do a day” in prison. Gaetz was apparently unaware they were being recorded by documentary filmmakers following Stone.



https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1553381783915347968/


----------



## Runs For Fun

So this is crazy and terrifying. 








						GOP election officials refusing to certify primary results
					

Election officials in three states refused to sign off on primary results in a preview of likely November chaos.




					www.salon.com
				












						Michigan Republican candidates advised a group to unplug voting machines if they suspect fraud and to 'lock and load' at the polls
					

Michigan's secretary of state called for law enforcement to investigate the comments, saying there's a "number of potential legal violations."




					www.businessinsider.com
				












						GOP attempt to toss primary votes offers preview of plot to steal 2024
					

Trump allies' plot to seize local election offices just got a test drive in New Mexico.




					www.salon.com
				




Literally trying to undermine democracy.


----------



## Yoused

Bannon: the MAGAtsphere is diverse and inclusive.








Lara Loomer: No! Diversity is lethal


----------



## SuperMatt

Runs For Fun said:


> So this is crazy and terrifying.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> GOP election officials refusing to certify primary results
> 
> 
> Election officials in three states refused to sign off on primary results in a preview of likely November chaos.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Michigan Republican candidates advised a group to unplug voting machines if they suspect fraud and to 'lock and load' at the polls
> 
> 
> Michigan's secretary of state called for law enforcement to investigate the comments, saying there's a "number of potential legal violations."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.businessinsider.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> GOP attempt to toss primary votes offers preview of plot to steal 2024
> 
> 
> Trump allies' plot to seize local election offices just got a test drive in New Mexico.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Literally trying to undermine democracy.



This tidbit was pretty nuts:



> County officials ultimately relented after spending more than seven hours counting the 317 ballots by hand.




How slow do they count?


----------



## JayMysteri0

When your head is so far up your ass, you don't realize you're telling on yourself that you are a petty & vindictive piece of hypocritical shit that would take it out unnecessarily on veterans.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1553777204617629696/

Eat a d- , to go along with your bullshit.


----------



## lizkat

JayMysteri0 said:


> When your head is so far up your ass, you don't realize you're telling on yourself that you are a petty & vindictive piece of hypocritical shit that would take it out unnecessarily on veterans.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1553777204617629696/
> 
> Eat a d- , to go along with your bullshit.





For any Trump-siding Republican even to utter the word "mendacity" about someone from the other aisle is ludicrous.  Cornyn frogets about the WaPo's careful catalog of more than 30k documented public lies from The Don just during his term in office.


----------



## JayMysteri0

A disturbing look at what we maybe in for in the future.  With some conservatives having decided the democracy they have enjoyed & thrived in, isn't working for them since they aren't always getting their way.  So heady with the embrace they've made with authoritarianism they might shoot for just going with making an empire.



> Republicans' next big play is to 'scare the hell out of Washington' by rewriting the Constitution. And they're willing to play the long game to win.
> 
> 
> Conservative activists are making steady progress toward convening a never-before-accomplished convention that could reshape the Constitution.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.businessinsider.com





> As former Republican senator Rick Santorum addressed Republican lawmakers gathered in San Diego at the American Legislative Exchange Council policy summit, he detailed a plan to fundamentally remake the United States.
> 
> It would become a conservative nation.
> 
> And the transformation, Santorum said, culminates with an unprecedented event: a first-of-its-kind convention to rewrite the Constitution.
> 
> "You take this grenade and you pull the pin, you've got a live piece of ammo in your hands," Santorum, a two-time GOP presidential candidate and former CNN commentator, explained in audio of his remarks obtained by the left-leaning watchdog group the Center for Media and Democracy and shared with Insider. "34 states — if every Republican legislator votes for this, we have a constitutional convention."
> 
> The December 2021 ALEC meeting represents a flashpoint in a movement spearheaded by powerful conservative interests, some of whom are tied to Trumpworld and share many of Trump's goals, to alter the nation's bedrock legal text since 1788. It's an effort that has largely taken place out of public view.
> 
> But interviews with a dozen people involved in the constitutional convention movement, along with documents and audio recordings reviewed by Insider, reveal a sprawling, well-funded — at least partly by cryptocurrency — and impassioned campaign taking root across multiple states.
> 
> Notably fueling them: success.





> During an extraordinary few weeks in June, the Supreme Court's three new Trump appointees powered the reversal of Roe v. Wade. They fortified gun rights and bolstered religious freedoms. Future presidents now have less power to confront the climate crisis. Each win is the product of a steady, and in some cases, decades-long quest by conservatives to bend the arc of history rightward.
> 
> This isn't an exercise, either. State lawmakers are invited to huddle in Denver starting on Sunday to learn more about the inner workings of a possible constitutional convention at Academy of States 3.0, the third installment of a boot camp preparing state lawmakers "in anticipation of an imminent Article V Convention."
> 
> Rob Natelson, a constitutional scholar and senior fellow at the Independence Institute who closely studies Article V of the Constitution, predicted to Insider there's a 50% chance that the United States will witness a constitutional convention in the next five years. Whether it happens, he said, is highly dependent on Republicans' success winning state legislatures during the 2022 midterm elections.
> 
> But not everyone in the conservative constitutional convention movement believes such a gathering is so imminent. It will likely take years more work to reach their goal, if they ever do. At minimum, Republicans will need to flip several Democratic-controlled state legislatures and convince remaining GOP holdouts of the necessity for a convention.
> 
> But during the past several decades, they've made progress. Lately, a lot.
> 
> And now, they have a plan.





> *Conservatives are pushing a never-before-tested convention*​Article V to the US Constitution provides two ways to amend the nation's organizing document — the most difficult, but most dramatic way to alter American society's very foundation.
> 
> The first is for a two-thirds majority of Congress to propose an amendment, with three-fourths of states ratifying it. This is how all 27 of the current amendments to the Constitution were added, but it's a path that today is largely blocked because of intractable partisan divisions. No American under 30 has experienced the nation amending the Constitution in his or her lifetime.
> 
> The second method — never before accomplished — involves two-thirds of US states to call a convention. The power to call for a convention belongs solely to state legislatures, who would pass and ratify amendments without a governor's signature, Congress' intervention, or any input from the president.
> 
> Some states have tried and tried — without result — to prompt a constitutional convention. They've together issued hundreds of pro-convention resolutions or calls over 200 years to reroute constitutional amendment powers away from Washington. What's new now is the ever-evolving power coupling of a corporation-backed ideological juggernaut led by ALEC, a nonprofit organization with close ties to large tobacco and drug companies, and a determined Republican Party increasingly dominating many of the nation's 50 statehouses.
> 
> If they were successful, a constitutional convention led by conservatives could trigger sweeping changes to the Constitution.
> 
> Their goals include gutting federal environmental standards, nixing nationwide education requirements, and creating an incredibly high threshold for Washington, DC, or a territory to earn statehood. Some would like to make it difficult, if not impossible, for someone — National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, for example — to work for decades within the federal government.
> 
> Former President Donald Trump, close to announcing a campaign for a second term in office, would find much to love about the convention movement.
> 
> He's argued that Article II gave him sweeping presidential powers akin to Richard Nixon's famous declaration that "when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal." Trump also attempted to claim that he could unilaterally end birthright citizenship (he could not) and repeatedly argued the White House didn't have to comply with congressional subpoenas.





> The planks of the Convention of States' movement — such as term limits for federal bureaucrats in addition to members of Congress — stand to attract acolytes of Trumpism savoring the means to MAGA-fy the Constitution, and therefore, the nation.
> 
> In fact, it already has. Constitutional convention boosters include many of Trump's current and former allies, including conservative legal scholar John Eastman, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Fox News personalities like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin.
> 
> Eastman, who recently had his phone seized by federal agents investigating Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, attended a 2016 mock convention hosted by the Convention of States.
> 
> "It's the most extraordinary thing in my career that I've ever been a part of," Eastman said in a video produced by the convention simulation organizers. "The process actually works."



_There's much more at the link_

Before one dismisses any of this out of hand as too far out, remember the same was said about getting rid of 'Roe Vs Wade'.  Conservatives kept throwing anything out that may stick to the so called wall, until the conditions were right for their attempts to stick.


----------



## Yoused

The Constitutional Convention idea is probably overhyped:

First you have to get 34 states to call for the convention
Then – and this is critical – Congress must recognize the call and put the convention together
_which is to say that Congress *must agree to cede its own power* to the convention_
finally, all you need is 13 Blue states to not ratify the amendment(s) for them to not end up in the Constitution

So, yeah, maybe a little bit scary, but _there was a bloody hook hanging from the door handle_ kind of scary.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Yoused said:


> The Constitutional Convention idea is probably overhyped:
> 
> First you have to get 34 states to call for the convention
> Then – and this is critical – Congress must recognize the call and put the convention together
> _which is to say that Congress *must agree to cede its own power* to the convention_
> finally, all you need is 13 Blue states to not ratify the amendment(s) for them to not end up in the Constitution
> 
> So, yeah, maybe a little bit scary, but _there was a bloody hook hanging from the door handle_ kind of scary.



As I said though, we've seen things that were scary & considered improbable, but conservatives still plowed on trying it.

As of late, their chances of succeeding have gone from improbable to possible with the right ( stacking legislatures, sympathetic courts ) conditions eventually possible.


----------



## JayMysteri0

What we are dealing with these midterms

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1554501780511277056/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> As I said though, we've seen things that were scary & considered improbable, but conservatives still plowed on trying it.
> 
> As of late, their chances of succeeding have gone from improbable to possible with the right ( stacking legislatures, sympathetic courts ) conditions eventually possible.



As the population of America becomes more concentrated in urban areas, the remaining residents of the less-populated states become more and more powerful. We could have a situation where 34 states might end up comprising less than half of the nation’s population.

If we’re going to have a constitutional convention, why not rewrite the thing to give power back to the people. As it is, corporations and States have more rights than people. The current Supreme Court seems to care only for States’ rights and corporations’ rights.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Listened to an interview with a writer who has been covering the Christian conservative movement for years including going to their major gatherings and events. She said they frequently call liberals and Democrats satanic, have no interest in winning people over or being the majority, use the language of hate and genocide and see democracy as the enemy. They are perfectly content with their minority rule where they have rigged everything in their favor.

So there’s that.


----------



## SuperMatt

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Listened to an interview with a writer who has been covering the Christian conservative movement for years including going to their major gatherings and events. She said they frequently call liberals and Democrats satanic, have no interest in winning people over or being the majority, use the language of hate and genocide and see democracy as the enemy. They are perfectly content with their minority rule where they have rigged everything in their favor.
> 
> So there’s that.



Praise Jeebus!


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Mitch McConnell Requests 50 Million Additional Gallons Of Floodwater For Kentucky Flood Victims
					

WASHINGTON—In response to the massive flooding in Appalachian mountain communities that has claimed at least 37 lives and displaced hundreds from their homes, Kentucky’s senior senator, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R), reportedly requested 50 million additional gallons of floodwater Tuesday...




					www.theonion.com
				






Sounds about right.


----------



## fooferdoggie

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Mitch McConnell Requests 50 Million Additional Gallons Of Floodwater For Kentucky Flood Victims
> 
> 
> WASHINGTON—In response to the massive flooding in Appalachian mountain communities that has claimed at least 37 lives and displaced hundreds from their homes, Kentucky’s senior senator, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R), reportedly requested 50 million additional gallons of floodwater Tuesday...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.theonion.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds about right.



no they are potential voters to keep his zombie ass in power.


----------



## GermanSuplex

I see Trump has endorsed “Eric” in the Missouri senate race, but hasn’t said which one. There’s two in the race.

I guess he can say nothing until one wins, then claim “Yeah, that one!”

These aren’t primaries, these are freak shows. God help us. I’m not a religious man, but we need some sort of divine intervention. What a circus.


----------



## JayMysteri0

Let's be clear, they are assholes

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1554613889576443908/

I see you Mitt.   Staying consistent.


----------



## Eric

JayMysteri0 said:


> Let's be clear, they are assholes
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1554613889576443908/
> 
> I see you Mitt.   Staying consistent.



Like Liz Cheney, every time we think they're doing something good they remind us that in the end they're still a Republican.


----------



## JayMysteri0

GermanSuplex said:


> I see Trump has endorsed “Eric” in the Missouri senate race, but hasn’t said which one. There’s two in the race.
> 
> I guess he can say nothing until one wins, then claim “Yeah, that one!”
> 
> These aren’t primaries, these are freak shows. God help us. I’m not a religious man, but we need some sort of divine intervention. What a circus.



Believe it or not, to add to the confusion, there was actually a* third *"Eric".  They were polling so low, that everyone just forgot about them.



> Trump baffles GOP by endorsing ‘Eric’ in the Missouri Senate primary — a race with three Erics
> 
> 
> The Republican primary for an open Senate seat in Missouri includes former Gov. Eric Greitens, state Attorney General Eric Schmitt and little-known Eric McElroy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nbcnews.com





> Former President Donald Trump injected some last-minute confusion ahead of Missouri's Senate primary Tuesday by endorsing "ERIC" in a statement Monday night.
> 
> Eric who? Former Gov. Eric Greitens? State Attorney General Eric Schmitt? Or maybe even little-known Eric McElroy?


----------



## JayMysteri0

Every now & then, there are bright spots.  Like Kansas not passing their abortion amendment, despite confusing language, robocalls, and putting it in a primary hoping that fewer if not only conservatives would show up to vote for it.

Also...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1554676377483444224/


----------



## SuperMatt

JayMysteri0 said:


> Every now & then, there are bright spots.  Like Kansas not passing their abortion amendment, despite confusing language, robocalls, and putting it in a primary hoping that fewer if not only conservatives would show up to vote for it.
> 
> Also...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1554676377483444224/



Maybe he should have changed his name to Eric.


----------



## lizkat

SuperMatt said:


> Maybe he should have changed his name to Eric.



.
Yeah Trump has it all down to street theatre.   _Vote for Eric.  _[and the secretary of state will later certify Trump's own pick?  Hah, so Trump could wish].

What's comical about Trump's self-serving ambiguity in endorsing "Eric" in that GOP primary is that it's a twist on the more usual stories about ambiguity on the actual ballot line...  candidates trading on a celebrity name and hoping the voters will recognize and go for it.  It actually happens on both sides of the aisle now and then.









						Have you heard the one about the Texas political candidate with the same name as a celebrity?
					

You may have heard Rick Perry is running for Texas Governor. But it’s not that Rick Perry. You know, the one who used to be governor.




					www.keranews.org


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

SuperMatt said:


> Maybe he should have changed his name to Eric.





In the US Eric is the new Ceasar.  




We should possibly point out that we aren't taking jabs at site creator Eric and are referencing Trump's recent endorsement of Eric in the same race of multiple Erics without providing the last name.  That's actually pretty hilarious whether it was an oversite or if Trump is using it to wedge his bet.


----------



## Roller

JayMysteri0 said:


> Let's be clear, they are assholes
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1554613889576443908/
> 
> I see you Mitt.   Staying consistent.



And Alabama's two Senators, Richard "I'm wealthy and don't care "Shelby and Tommy "I'll do whatever I'm told" Tuberville, are also consistent with each other.


----------



## shadow puppet

THANK YOU KANSAS!!! 

Never underestimate the power of pissed off women!

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1554899905600262149/


----------



## Yoused

JayMysteri0 said:


> Also...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1554676377483444224/




Both of them look like posers who have never held a gun before in their lives.


----------



## GermanSuplex

The primaries are insane. John Gibbs from Michigan is a particular annoying republican specimen. Just a Trump bootlicker, a very seemingly-nice man, which is almost worse than the stereotypical Matt Gaetz and MGT assholes because at least with those creeps, you can see why Trump appeals to them. You look at a guy like John Gibbs and the only thing going through your mind is "How in the fuck can you take Trump seriously, at all?"

He's not the only, by far. But he also doesn't come across as an opportunist like JD Vance or whatever that neck bearded carpetbagger's name is.

I honestly try to be respectful of other's opinions. I can understand why people think abortion is wrong, in a generalized sense. I can understand why responsible gun owners feel a certain kind of way about the 2A. There's lots of room for opposing opinions and civility. But when you take a man like Donald fucking Trump seriously - in any way, at all - you've lost me. Perhaps that's my issue to deal with, and clearly a lot of people like him. But that just makes it all the more mysterious to me.


----------



## Yoused

GermanSuplex said:


> But when you take a man like Donald fucking Trump seriously - in any way, at all - you've lost me. Perhaps that's my issue to deal with, and clearly a lot of people like him. But that just makes it all the more mysterious to me.




One of the sources it ties to is back a decade ago, the RWers were accusing the nonRWers of regarding Obama as their messiah, which made it ok for them to worship AgentOrange because the other guys did it first (and accusations are not subject to fact-based criticism or refutation).


----------



## lizkat

Roller said:


> And Alabama's two Senators, Richard "I'm wealthy and don't care "Shelby and Tommy "I'll do whatever I'm told" Tuberville, are also consistent with each other.




Those guys must not keep up with constiutent data past whether folks wear MAGA hats.  I mean Alabama has a military veterans population of over 9%, and only a handful of other US states have stats that high.









						U.S. Veterans Data:  Populations by State – Veterans News Report
					






					www.veteransnewsreport.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

A real conundrum for sane Republicans is I don't think they could win if they definitely condemned their extremists.  They're a liability but also add to their overall numbers.  

I don't think you can say the same of the Democrats.  The Squad has pretty much been rendered toothless as far as extreme actions and I don't think a large percentage of their constituents are hung up on their identity as much as Trump insurrection supporters.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> A real conundrum for sane Republicans is I don't think they could win if they definitely condemned their extremists.  They're a liability but also add to their overall numbers.
> 
> I don't think you can say the same of the Democrats.  The Squad has pretty much been rendered toothless as far as extreme actions and I don't think a large percentage of their constituents are hung up on their identity as much as Trump insurrection supporters.




The problem with the Trump-cult piece of the GOP's base is that they are not small-d democrats and appear to have zero interest in good faith negotiations across the aisle with Democrats.

The MAGA-hats' approach to steering the Republican Party has long since become a cartoonish acting out of "my way or the highway".

I mean after 60 judges threw 2020 election appeals out of court dozens of states,  and given that many of those judges have impeccable conservative credentials and a history of appointment by Republicans...   how is it even possible that so many MAGA fans (and now candidates for public office) still believe Trump's big lie that he won the 2020 presidential contest?  They remind one of nothing so much as the proverbial lemmings-over-cliff method of deciding what to do next.  They are not thinking this stuff through at all,  and so appear to be in transmit or re-transmit mode only.​
The Democratic Party has called itself the party of the "big tent" because it does tolerate more diversity of ideas  --and so almost always, also a WHOLE lot of squabbling, some of it pretty loud--  about how to advance the America of the constitution's ideals as interpreted along the way.

That never bothered me because I came from a big family with a lot of competing ideas on everything from what was for dinner to whose turn it was to mow the lawn.​​Sure any of us could end up winner or loser in those arguments, but we didn't come to blows over it.   NO FIGHTING didn't mean NO TALKING, so we ran arguments into the ground or quit while still ahead, i.e. someone was EVENTUALLY going to have to take the trash out and might as well get it done before it fricken rained.  Hence the trades like I'll mow the lawn next week if you take out the garbage now.​​Not that dissimilarly, the Dems still believe in dialogue and in compromise on their overall platforms,  even if now really tired of feeling they're making "one step forward after two steps backward" when it comes to subsequent battles with Rs in general elections, and so over legislation meant to advance inclusivity in educational and economic opportunity.​
But see somewhere along the line,  the fans of Trump have decided that there's no room for other than whatever they happen to think this afternoon...  that is, whatever they think after after listening to Trump and his advocates spell out today's talking points and projections of their own failings onto the Dems.

What has seemed really strange is how the R honchos persist in the face of public opinion in the USA that puts the Rs' restrictive views increasingly at odds with their own prospective voters.   Strange until we realize that's what's behind the conspiracy theories about election fraud.   If they can't attract a voting base big enough to win,  they do now hope to overturn election results and rule anyway.   I used to think the Rs were nuts to pass some restrictive legislative concepts they were passing because what if the Dems won and then applied those same suddenly inconvenient laws?   But the Rs don't mean to accept any electoral losses now.

So but whatever happened to losing an election and just running for office again next time out?   If a party's platform is so out of touch with America that it has to do like the Rs have been doing lately --to abandon a policy platform in favor of just elevating its nominee to cult leader and scrambling to pass laws preventing loss of power--  then it becomes clear the party is in an irreversible decline in terms of utility to a democratic republic.  

The bigger question is what now in the USA?  We're not used to having one party trying to debate policy ideas and a dying party across the aisle that's trying to say F debate and F elections, here's how it's going to be when the dust settles.   The dust doesn't settle on stuff like that, it enrages everyone on all sides.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Here’s an interesting theory I just heard. Liz Cheney or some other equal clout never Trumper from the right will run in 2024 as an Independent. That way they don’t have to win the Republican primary. They don’t expect to win the general election but they’ll be enough of a spoiler from the right that will assure Trump doesn’t win. This aligns with Cheney’s statement that even if she loses her Congressional seat in the midterms she’ll do everything she can to keep Trump out of the White House.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Here’s an interesting theory I just heard. Liz Cheney or some other equal clout never Trumper from the right will run in 2024 as an Independent. That way they don’t have to win the Republican primary. They don’t expect to win the general election but they’ll be enough of a spoiler from the right that will assure Trump doesn’t win. This aligns with Cheney’s statement that even if she loses her Congressional seat in the midterms she’ll do everything she can to keep Trump out of the White House.





A serious third party appeal from the never-Trump Republicans in 2024?  Entirely possible.  Less so if Trump is not pick of the GOP litter at that point, but if the frontrunning nominee apparent at that time looks to be a down-the-line Trump advocate,  it's still a probable scenario.

It would be even more interesting if in 2024 a mantra that began like "anybody but Trump"  --again--  turned out to be "anybody but Trump or Biden".   The anti-Trump conservatives probably hope to be able to pull in some blue dog Democrats to improve chance of defeating a Trump or wannabe-Trump so they're not going to be running a hair-on-fire right winger.  They'll be appealing to someone who in comparison at least looks far more mainstream.

An unexpsectedly appealing third party run is not without precedent, of course:  in 1992, the pop vote swings weren't concentrated enough in electoral-vote geography when Ross Perot put an actual fear of voters back into both parties, racking up 19% of the popular vote, even while not taking the EV in any state.   But it sure God woke up the honchos in both parties, particularly because Perot came in first in some counties in six or eight states,  and in some of those areas garnered as much as 40% of the vote. 

Not sure when the younger generations right now are going to pull the plug on the entrenched power structures in both major parties,  but 2024 might be a remarkable on-ramp,  the way things are going.

The gen Z are six years older and wiser than they were in 2016,  and they were getting fired up already about what a messed-up set of circumstances the boomers and silent gen are leaving them and their slightly older compatriots to deal with.

_*"There is always one moment in childhood when a door opens and lets the future in."*_​--Graham Greene​
The trick is for the Gen Z all to turn up at the polls and vote. The truth is that their American lives depend on their doing exactly that. Otherwise it might not matter how they would vote down the road, if the Trump-hijacked GOP eventually has its way with rigged courts supporting laws overturning unwanted election results.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> A serious third party appeal from the never-Trump Republicans in 2024?  Entirely possible.  Less so if Trump is not pick of the GOP litter at that point, but if the frontrunning nominee apparent at that time looks to be a down-the-line Trump advocate,  it's still a probable scenario.
> 
> It would be even more interesting if in 2024 a mantra that began like "anybody but Trump"  --again--  turned out to be "anybody but Trump or Biden".   The anti-Trump conservatives probably hope to be able to pull in some blue dog Democrats to improve chance of defeating a Trump or wannabe-Trump so they're not going to be running a hair-on-fire right winger.  They'll be appealing to someone who in comparison at least looks far more mainstream.
> 
> An unexpsectedly appealing third party run is not without precedent, of course:  in 1992, the pop vote swings weren't concentrated enough in electoral-vote geography when Ross Perot put an actual fear of voters back into both parties, racking up 19% of the popular vote, even while not taking the EV in any state.   But it sure God woke up the honchos in both parties, particularly because Perot came in first in some counties in six or eight states,  and in some of those areas garnered as much as 40% of the vote.
> 
> Not sure when the younger generations right now are going to pull the plug on the entrenched power structures in both major parties,  but 2024 might be a remarkable on-ramp,  the way things are going.
> 
> The gen Z are six years older and wiser than they were in 2016,  and they were getting fired up already about what a messed-up set of circumstances the boomers and silent gen are leaving them and their slightly older compatriots to deal with.
> 
> _*"There is always one moment in childhood when a door opens and lets the future in."*_​--Graham Greene​
> The trick is for the Gen Z all to turn up at the polls and vote. The truth is that their American lives depend on their doing exactly that. Otherwise it might not matter how they would vote down the road, if the Trump-hijacked GOP eventually has its way with rigged courts supporting laws overturning unwanted election results.





If Cheney loses her Congressional seat it will be because of Trump.  It would be karmic justice if she plays a big part in him losing a second term.  Similarly, Garland denied a seat on the Supreme Court ends up being the one who locks Trump up as head of the DOJ.  Although, that would also be a massive favor for McConnell.


----------



## GermanSuplex

The thing about republicans that Trump hasn’t figured out is that he’s as done as burnt Texas Toast once he’s no longer valuable to them. Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham and McConnell will gladly badmouth Trump once kissing his ass is no longer beneficial to them and denouncing him is politically expedient. Trump is getting played by them as much as they are him. Yeah, republicans had a long time and many opportunities to do the right thing and throw him overboard over the past several years, but there hasn’t been someone who appeals to the base like Trump since Reagan. Not either Bush and certainly not Romney. They had Obama as a punching bag, but you can’t run against someone who isn’t in office - at least not if you want to win. Hillary lost, Obama won re-election by galvanizing his supporters and enough independents… but Trump is the first marketable candidate they’ve had in three or four decades. He also gave them the “benefit” of getting racism and replacement theory mainstreamed.

But there will come a time where the gains of having a fervent base become a liability and being sane becomes popular again, and when that happens and republicans lose power - and they will, because they are a shrinking party - Trump will be castigated by these same elected officials and influencers. I mean, Fox News spent 8 years telling us how great guys like Bush, Cheney, McCain, Bolton and other neocons were. They were solidly behind Romney in 2012 as he lurched to the right after being a moderate. Look at how they feel about those guys now. Trump isn’t immune from that same treatment. It’s a question of how worse do things get before we get to that point.


----------



## Alli

lizkat said:


> Those guys must not keep up with constiutent data past whether folks wear MAGA hats. I mean Alabama has a military veterans population of over 9%, and only a handful of other US states have stats that high.



You wouldn’t believe how many vets don’t mind shooting themselves in the foot and can’t stand the Dems. I’m always shocked.


----------



## lizkat

Alli said:


> You wouldn’t believe how many vets don’t mind shooting themselves in the foot and can’t stand the Dems. I’m always shocked.




Truth be told I know a few of those myself, thanks to having got to know some local friends of my late youngest brother.   Some of their significant others might not feel the same way -- just my sense from some church hall kitchen chats over pots and pans--  but they're women and don't generally volunteer political opinions in public, so elected officials don't get their feedback.  I have no idea if they vote the way their husbands talk.


----------



## Huntn

She’s not vile enough to suit our Christian values








						Wyoming GOP won’t recognize Liz Cheney as member over anti-Trump stance
					

The party’s central committee voted 31-29 over the weekend to take the step against Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.




					nypost.com
				




Liz Cheney, I’ve never been a fan of Darth Cheney’s daughter, but she is becoming a poster girl for what happens in the Republican Party if you hold anyone accountable for their misdeeds, their vile corruptness, their attempted Coup, the destruction of American Democracy, or lord help you, you become an apostate in the Cult of Trump and cross His Mighty Putridness.

NPR sent some reporters to Wyoming where most are Republicans, and the reasons being given for abandoning Cheney in the current Election, _she no longer represents the views of the people of Wyoming, ie…_OH HOW HEINOUS. She acted like an adult, she is holding The Head  POS accountable along with his Jan 6 Insurrectionist suckers.

_No I don’t want you to manufacture 10000 votes, I want you to “find” them.
Let’s March to the Capitol and fight like hell!_

This is how The Oozing Pestilence  functions, as stupid as it is about a great many things, it is smart enough to mostly never directly  incriminate itself, it never says it where it can be heard or recorded, it makes suggestions that leave legal grounds for deniability, and to those assimilated, if they end up on his jury, they know their marching orders.

Trump is a Putin wannabe, his minion,  he idolizes strong dictators, but he does not yet hold Putin’s grip on power. Where at a casual glance Putin might have been confused for just a murdering autocrat, now the cloak is off and the world realizes he has turned Russia into the World’s most dangerous (by virtue of nukes) mass murdering, country destroying, world  threat we face. In regards to Ukraine, he has made apocalyptic threats directed at anyone who interferes.

A message to Republicans, Trump is no different if he is allowed infect the Federal Government. By eliminating Liz Cheney and replacing her with another Trump Stooge who pulls the shades down over your eyes,  pedaling THE BIG LIE, you will be held morally accountable for the destruction of the Untied States of America if and when our Republic falls.


----------



## Huntn

National Public Radio is a gem. They profiled the new book:









						The Destructionists by Dana Milbank: 9780385548137 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
					

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A scalding history of twenty-five years of Republican attempts to hold on to political power by any means necessary, by a hugely popular Washington Post political...



					www.penguinrandomhouse.com
				




A mix of what this book is about and my perspective:

It started with Slimey Newt who decided that truth was a liability and Lies are much more productive.
A direct attack on the basics of Democracy that  has been going for 25 years.
The Republican base believes lies, no facts, no proof required.
Racism- Propelled by the fear of the White loss of influence.
How and why we started The Iraq War.
Vince Foster  murdered by Hillary Clinton.
Obama born in Kenya.
Global Warming is a hoax.
Trump is under attack, they’ll be coming for you next!!
Hey, we need to throw out our Espionage Law to protect Lord and Master.
You might ask are liberals just as bad as the Republican base? I’d hope that the liberals would expect proof of any such accusations. With the GOP you just have to say it and the base cheers, _the bar is set low , your good to go_.

I can imagine the GOP leadership sits around and discuss lying like you would talk about campaign strategies.  
Be very clear, today’s GOP is a direct and dire threat to the United States of America.


----------



## lizkat

This cartoon is from the wayback of Trump era but nothing about its premises seems to have changed.  Precious few in the GOP  leadership have toned down their adulation of Trump just because his base nature is more exposed than ever.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> National Public Radio is a gem. They profiled the new book:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Destructionists by Dana Milbank: 9780385548137 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
> 
> 
> NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A scalding history of twenty-five years of Republican attempts to hold on to political power by any means necessary, by a hugely popular Washington Post political...
> 
> 
> 
> www.penguinrandomhouse.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A mix of what this book is about and my perspective:
> 
> It started with Slimey Newt who decided that truth was a liability and Lies are much more productive.
> A direct attack on the basics of Democracy that  has been going for 25 years.
> The Republican base believes lies, no facts, no proof required.
> Racism- Propelled by the fear of the White loss of influence.
> How and why we started The Iraq War.
> Vince Foster  murdered by Hillary Clinton.
> Obama born in Kenya.
> Global Warming is a hoax.
> Trump is under attack, they’ll be coming for you next!!
> Hey, we need to throw out our Espionage Law to protect Lord and Master.
> You might ask are liberals just as bad as the Republican base? I’d hope that the liberals would expect proof of any such accusations. With the GOP you just have to say it and the base cheers, _the bar is set low , your good to go_.
> 
> I can imagine the GOP leadership sits around and discuss lying like you would talk about campaign strategies.
> Be very clear, today’s GOP is a direct and dire threat to the United States of America.




As I learn more about what has been going on behind the scenes since the Reagan revolution (which scared the shit out of Democrat politicians and is the main cause of their obsession with the center and abandonment of the left ever since) I’ve started to question the whole “what went wrong with the Republican party?” line that might get traditional Republicans to rethink their current alignment. I’ve concluded they’ve probably always been this way but until recently haven’t had the power to show their true colors. Sucks for sane Republican voters who believed otherwise but that doesn’t change where their party is at and what it's about.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Jesus Christ, I can’t even… 

The buffoonery of the GOP is not _all_ doom and gloom. Some of it is downright funny. Dr. Oz has been a laughingstock. He really should have stuck to TV.

For context (link to story), Dr. Oz tried to pretend he’s a normal Pennsylvanian shopper and confused the names of two chains, Redner’s and Wegman’s, and said he was shopping at “Wegner’s”. He was also pointing out inflation while shopping for items to make a “crudité”, which I guess is a veggie tray. The Fetterman campaign pounced, creating a mock Twitter account.






https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1559290958843449346/


----------



## Cmaier

GermanSuplex said:


> Jesus Christ, I can’t even…
> 
> The buffoonery of the GOP is not _all_ doom and gloom. Some of it is downright funny. Dr. Oz has been a laughingstock. He really should have stuck to TV.
> 
> For context (link to story), Dr. Oz tried to pretend he’s a normal Pennsylvanian shopper and confused the names of two chains, Redner’s and Wegman’s, and said he was shopping at “Wegner’s”. He was also pointing out inflation while shopping for items to make a “crudité”, which I guess is a veggie tray. The Fetterman campaign pounced, creating a mock Twitter account.
> 
> View attachment 16787
> 
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1559290958843449346/




I only shop at the Giant Eagle.  Yins don’t shop at Wegman’s in my neck of the woods.


----------



## Yoused

GermanSuplex said:


> while shopping for items to make a “crudité”, which I guess is a veggie tray



Crudité is nicely cut up bite-size vegetables, usually accompanied with a dip, like ranch or a sour cream and dill type thing. The key part is that they are raw: the still shot I saw of him elsewhere had him holding a bundle of asparagus – who eats raw asparagus?


----------



## Cmaier

Yoused said:


> Crudité is nicely cut up bite-size vegetables, usually accompanied with a dip, like ranch or a sour cream and dill type thing. The key part is that they are raw: the still shot I saw of him elsewhere had him holding a bundle of asparagus – who eats raw asparagus?



Big surprise that the weirdo is a weirdo


----------



## GermanSuplex

Yoused said:


> Crudité is nicely cut up bite-size vegetables, usually accompanied with a dip, like ranch or a sour cream and dill type thing. The key part is that they are raw: the still shot I saw of him elsewhere had him holding a bundle of asparagus – who eats raw asparagus?



I guess “veggie tray” sounds too working class for him.
He also grabbed the salsa and said it was $6, but that was for the bruschetta next to it.

Nevertheless, Dr. Oz is clearly an out of touch carpetbagger. The whole video stinks of a guy trying way too hard - and failing - to connect with average Americans. Gets the name of the store wrong, pretends to be outraged about the price of avacados when I doubt he can tell you what the average price was before inflation hit.

If the price to make “crudité” upsets him, he should see how much healthcare costs the average person, even if they have health insurance.


----------



## Cmaier

GermanSuplex said:


> I guess “veggie tray” sounds too working class for him.
> He also grabbed the salsa and said it was $6, but that was for the bruschetta next to it.
> 
> Nevertheless, Dr. Oz is clearly an out of touch carpetbagger. The whole video stinks of a guy trying way too hard - and failing - to connect with average Americans. Gets the name of the store wrong, pretends to be outraged about the price of avacados when I doubt he can tell you what the average price was before inflation hit.
> 
> If the price to make “crudité” upsets him, he should see how much healthcare costs the average person, even if they have health insurance.



Not to mention - who eats salsa with a veggie tray?


----------



## GermanSuplex

Stuart Stevens had a poignant remark on MSNBC moments ago. He said Trump didn’t hijack the Republican Party, he revealed it. The Republican Party is exactly what it wants to be, and they’ve proved it over and over again. And that is anti-democracy. As he put it, to be pro-democracy when you win and against it when you lose is not pro-democracy at all.


----------



## Cmaier

GermanSuplex said:


> Stuart Stevens had a poignant remark on MSNBC moments ago. He said Trump didn’t hijack the Republican Party, he revealed it. The Republican Party is exactly what it wants to be, and they’ve proved it over and over again. And that is anti-democracy. As he put it, to be pro-democracy when you win and against it when you lose is not pro-democracy at all.



I think that’s brilliantly put.  I’ve had similar thoughts from time-to-time while hearing or reading never Trump Republicans - at least from a policy perspective the difference between Trump and ”normal” Republicans often feels like little more than style.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> As I learn more about what has been going on behind the scenes since the Reagan revolution (which scared the shit out of Democrat politicians and is the main cause of their obsession with the center and abandonment of the left ever since) I’ve started to question the whole “what went wrong with the Republican party?” line that might get traditional Republicans to rethink their current alignment. I’ve concluded they’ve probably always been this way but until recently haven’t had the power to show their true colors. Sucks for sane Republican voters who believed otherwise but that doesn’t change where their party is at and what it's about.



The only hope for a 60s era fiscal conservative Republican Party, minus the racists,  would be for the sane Republicans  to split away from today’s GOP.  For the rest, these people are mired in their White Supremacy, _Sell your soul, stake democracy for the win Koolaid drinking _fantasies_.  _

I’ll apologize to our local Christians as it seems like I attack Christianity daily. But I’ll remind you that Some Thing that calls itself Christian and appeals to people who call themselves Christian resided in the GOP that is anti-democratic and anti-freedom of religion.


----------



## Joe

On my way to work today I saw a billboard that said:

"It's not political. ITS ABOUT SURVIVAL! Vote Republican!" 

These mother fuckers are scared. Survival lmao


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> The only hope for a 60s era fiscal conservative Republican Party, minus the racists,  would be for the sane Republicans  to split away from today’s GOP.  For the rest, these people are mired in their White Supremacy, _Sell your soul, stake democracy for the win Koolaid drinking _fantasies_.  _
> 
> I’ll apologize to our local Christians as it seems like I attack Christianity daily. But I’ll remind you that Some Thing that calls itself Christian and appeals to people who call themselves Christian resided in the GOP that is anti-democratic and anti-freedom of religion.




I think this also shines a harsh spotlight on the so-called one issue voter. Previously it was portrayed that both parties are roughly the same and this single issue was their deciding factor. The reality is they have their one issue while completely ignoring how horrific the rest of the platform and actions of the party are.


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> The only hope for a 60s era fiscal conservative Republican Party, minus the racists,  would be for the sane Republicans  to split away from today’s GOP.  For the rest, these people are mired in their White Supremacy, _Sell your soul, stake democracy for the win Koolaid drinking _fantasies_.  _
> 
> I’ll apologize to our local Christians as it seems like I attack Christianity daily. But I’ll remind you that Some Thing that calls itself Christian and appeals to people who call themselves Christian resided in the GOP that is anti-democratic and anti-freedom of religion.




It will be interesting to see if Trump's ongoing antics and reaction to the documents search at Mar a Lago might accelerate the doubts that some evangelicals have started to have about voting for Trump one more time.   

Anyway Mike Pence --unmistakably an evangelical Christian--  has hinted publicly a few times that he wouldn't be averse to considering a request to testify before the 1/6 committee, meaning he can visualize some daylight opening up between hard-core Trump fans of the 1/6 Capitol incursion,  and regular Republican conservatives.    Also interesting that Pence will apparently release a memoir just AFTER the midterm elections. 









						Pence: ‘I would consider’ testifying to Jan. 6 committee
					

“The American people have a right to know what happened,” Pence said. “And in the months and years ahead, I’ll be telling my story even more frequently.”




					www.politico.com
				




After the midterms, that's when things will get even more interesting for the hapless Trump, since by then we'll know how voters actually feel about some pro-Trump primary winners in a general congressional election.

All the Republican politicians can then quit tippy-toeing around both Trump and their colleagues' re-election bids.  In short order they'll get down to openly clawing their way onto the scoreboards for the 2024 presidential primaries.  What they focus on to get there may have a lot to do with results of the midterm contests as well as whatever the DoJ may reveal of their investigations as time goes on.

Mike Pence is a scary guy, don't get me wrong.   Not an impulsive scary guy like Donald Trump, and not by nature one for lighting up the night with incendiary posts to social media.   What he is, though, is an example of someone capable of more calmly advancing goals of a bunch of authoritarians in the GOP, especially if the Rs have made headway in Congressional elections of 2022.  His social views are pretty extreme and pretty regressive.  The red state legislatures have certainly helped make a credible pathway for a guy like Pence to campaign and possibly to win "somehow" in 2024. 

Meanwhile the Dems must begin wrestling in earnest with their own 2024 issues, on whether President Biden will run again and if not, how to step aside early on without weakening his leadership meanwhile and.... what oh what to do about Vice President Harris?  Somewhere in there you can bet the DNC has still not ousted all the Clintonistas.

I found the (doubtless tongue in cheek) results of a recent poll of conservative students about Dem prospects for 2024 rather disheartening.  In reality that would reflect a combination of paucity of vision and reliance on "star power"... and leaving out some worthy and attractive options in the Democrats' bench,  including some strong candidates who ran in the 2020 primaries.  But it's early days yet...  lol for a few more months and hopefully the real polls don't run like that! 









						Newsom Hardest Democrat to Beat in 2024 Presidential Race: TPUSA Straw Poll
					

The California governor would be a far more formidable candidate than Biden, according to attendees of this weekend's conservative Turning Point conference.




					www.newsweek.com


----------



## ronntaylor

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I think this also shines a harsh spotlight on the so-called one issue voter. Previously it was portrayed that both parties are roughly the same and this single issue was their deciding factor. The reality is they have their one issue while completely ignoring how horrific the rest of the platform and actions of the party are.



“*There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives*.” - Audre Lorde


----------



## Cmaier

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-714895
		


So far, the list of political parties opposed to having the Diary of Anne Frank in schools is:

- Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
- The Republican Party


----------



## lizkat

ronntaylor said:


> “*There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives*.” - Audre Lorde




Too many people won't be voting on even a single issue any more really.  After 2020 and the resulting turmoil, Trump himself is the issue, on both the left and the right in this country.

Single-issue voters in 2016 got tax breaks and conservative court picks "from him" --actually from Congressional Republicans-- but now that party is pretty much out of policy carrots, just cravenly sticking with _*Trump's our guy *_and hoping to retain power long enough to cement in the missing pieces of a permanent authoritarian rule, enabled by new vote manipulating features of state level laws since 2020. 

Funny how the 2022 midterms may decide the fate of the RNC's decision to go that route.  Well, and the DoJ may have something to say about it too, though...   one may still hope.


----------



## Yoused

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1559988561029513221/


----------



## shadow puppet

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1560058655759802368/


----------



## shadow puppet

I can't get past the paywall, but the description / lead-in alone, is really beginning to sound scary.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1560258648701640705/


----------



## GermanSuplex

Wow, that’s the second time in less than an hour I’ve seen Eric Trump desperately trying to catch up to his older brother in the stupid, scary shit-talking contest.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> Wow, that’s the second time in less than an hour I’ve seen Eric Trump desperately trying to catch up to his older brother in the stupid, scary shit-talking contest.




It’s like if HBO hired the writers of Idiocracy to write a season of Succession.


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> It will be interesting to see if Trump's ongoing antics and reaction to the documents search at Mar a Lago might accelerate the doubts that some evangelicals have started to have about voting for Trump one more time.
> 
> Anyway Mike Pence --unmistakably an evangelical Christian--  has hinted publicly a few times that he wouldn't be averse to considering a request to testify before the 1/6 committee, meaning he can visualize some daylight opening up between hard-core Trump fans of the 1/6 Capitol incursion,  and regular Republican conservatives.    Also interesting that Pence will apparently release a memoir just AFTER the midterm elections.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pence: ‘I would consider’ testifying to Jan. 6 committee
> 
> 
> “The American people have a right to know what happened,” Pence said. “And in the months and years ahead, I’ll be telling my story even more frequently.”
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.politico.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After the midterms, that's when things will get even more interesting for the hapless Trump, since by then we'll know how voters actually feel about some pro-Trump primary winners in a general congressional election.
> 
> All the Republican politicians can then quit tippy-toeing around both Trump and their colleagues' re-election bids.  In short order they'll get down to openly clawing their way onto the scoreboards for the 2024 presidential primaries.  What they focus on to get there may have a lot to do with results of the midterm contests as well as whatever the DoJ may reveal of their investigations as time goes on.
> 
> Mike Pence is a scary guy, don't get me wrong.   Not an impulsive scary guy like Donald Trump, and not by nature one for lighting up the night with incendiary posts to social media.   What he is, though, is an example of someone capable of more calmly advancing goals of a bunch of authoritarians in the GOP, especially if the Rs have made headway in Congressional elections of 2022.  His social views are pretty extreme and pretty regressive.  The red state legislatures have certainly helped make a credible pathway for a guy like Pence to campaign and possibly to win "somehow" in 2024.
> 
> Meanwhile the Dems must begin wrestling in earnest with their own 2024 issues, on whether President Biden will run again and if not, how to step aside early on without weakening his leadership meanwhile and.... what oh what to do about Vice President Harris?  Somewhere in there you can bet the DNC has still not ousted all the Clintonistas.
> 
> I found the (doubtless tongue in cheek) results of a recent poll of conservative students about Dem prospects for 2024 rather disheartening.  In reality that would reflect a combination of paucity of vision and reliance on "star power"... and leaving out some worthy and attractive options in the Democrats' bench,  including some strong candidates who ran in the 2020 primaries.  But it's early days yet...  lol for a few more months and hopefully the real polls don't run like that!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Newsom Hardest Democrat to Beat in 2024 Presidential Race: TPUSA Straw Poll
> 
> 
> The California governor would be a far more formidable candidate than Biden, according to attendees of this weekend's conservative Turning Point conference.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.newsweek.com



I don’t have faith in Biden to win a second term, find someone young and inspirational.


----------



## Huntn

Cmaier said:


> https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-714895
> 
> 
> 
> So far, the list of political parties opposed to having the Diary of Anne Frank in schools is:
> 
> - Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
> - The Republican Party



The truth sets us free binds us and holds us down.


----------



## Eric

Just wow...


----------



## Joe

Eric said:


> Just wow...




I was just going to post that lol

Republicans just being Republican!


----------



## GermanSuplex

Ok, where is the GOP outrage over this shitstain this morning? Imagine this was 2004 and you had a Muslim candidate saying under his plan, any government official or officer of the law would be able to be shot onsight. You think they'd let that sit untouched, even if the candidate was a virtual unknown?
Where is the swift condemnation from the entire GOP over this assclown?


----------



## Joe

They don’t care. Law and order only applies to everyone else. They want to be able to do whatever they want without consequences. But not you!


----------



## Eric

GermanSuplex said:


> Ok, where is the GOP outrage over this shitstain this morning? Imagine this was 2004 and you had a Muslim candidate saying under his plan, any government official or officer of the law would be able to be shot onsight. You think they'd let that sit untouched, even if the candidate was a virtual unknown?
> Where is the swift condemnation from the entire GOP over this assclown?



Their silence is deafening, they won't "like" it but won't denounce either, I mean not even over the calls to murder those in law enforcement. I would love to see where all the blue lives "matter" people are too, they don't seem to give a shit that they themselves are now the targets of radical domestic terrorists. The irony here is palpable.


----------



## lizkat

GermanSuplex said:


> Ok, where is the GOP outrage over this shitstain this morning? Imagine this was 2004 and you had a Muslim candidate saying under his plan, any government official or officer of the law would be able to be shot onsight. You think they'd let that sit untouched, even if the candidate was a virtual unknown?
> Where is the swift condemnation from the entire GOP over this assclown?




Well surely there is a difference between the 2016 presidential candidate Trump saying "if" he had shot someone on Fifth Avenue, he wouldn't have lost a single vote...   and this candidate for state legislature in Florida now actually promising he'd give blanket permission for his constituents to assassinate federal law enforcement officials.

The candidate in Florida is responsible for what he said.  Hope there are legal consequences, not just political ones. 

Trump's 2016 campaign opened doors for the rhetoric of political violence and his party has only sometimes made a concerted effort to disavow it.  We've been parsing such language in the USA ever since then, trying anew to plumb grey areas and find the limits of protected speech,  and meanwhile paying the price in suffering vile threats and actual incidents of violence against public officials and candidates.

The Feds can't be too pleased.   Levels of threats against them are already high.   Not clear how the Florida GOP might decide to respond to stuff like this.  This is pretty extreme even for Florida.


EDIT:   welp, Twitter has permanently suspended the guy...









						Twitter ‘permanently suspends’ HD 20 candidate after he advocates shooting federal agents
					

HD 20s Luis Miguel is still on Instagram though.




					floridapolitics.com


----------



## fooferdoggie

lizkat said:


> EDIT:   welp, Twitter has permanently suspended the guy...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Twitter ‘permanently suspends’ HD 20 candidate after he advocates shooting federal agents
> 
> 
> HD 20s Luis Miguel is still on Instagram though.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> floridapolitics.com



cant imagine that. but republicans wont ban him.


----------



## Citysnaps

fooferdoggie said:


> cant imagine that. but republicans wont ban him.




It's all viewed as "legitimate political discourse."  Like it was at the US Capitol on January 6th.


----------



## fooferdoggie

citynaps said:


> It's all viewed as "legitimate political discourse."  Like it was at the US Capitol on January 6th.



I think these idiots are going to push the crazy as far as possible. when You have a crazy clown as your leader anything seems fine.


----------



## Roller

lizkat said:


> Well surely there is a difference between the 2016 presidential candidate Trump saying "if" he had shot someone on Fifth Avenue, he wouldn't have lost a single vote...   and this candidate for state legislature in Florida now actually promising he'd give blanket permission for his constituents to assassinate federal law enforcement officials.
> 
> The candidate in Florida is responsible for what he said.  Hope there are legal consequences, not just political ones.
> 
> Trump's 2016 campaign opened doors for the rhetoric of political violence and his party has only sometimes made a concerted effort to disavow it.  We've been parsing such language in the USA ever since then, trying anew to plumb grey areas and find the limits of protected speech,  and meanwhile paying the price in suffering vile threats and actual incidents of violence against public officials and candidates.
> 
> The Feds can't be too pleased.   Levels of threats against them are already high.   Not clear how the Florida GOP might decide to respond to stuff like this.  This is pretty extreme even for Florida.
> 
> 
> EDIT:   welp, Twitter has permanently suspended the guy...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Twitter ‘permanently suspends’ HD 20 candidate after he advocates shooting federal agents
> 
> 
> HD 20s Luis Miguel is still on Instagram though.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> floridapolitics.com



His suspension from Twitter will be considerably less consequential than the one January 6 insurrectionists were planning for Mike Pence. 

Still, it’d be interesting to see what happens should this guy encounter a federal agent at, say, an airport security checkpoint. “Sir, please bend over. Agent Biff here is going to check for contraband.”


----------



## GermanSuplex

I wonder if these GOP officials will feel the same about FBI personnel when they are the targets of their own voter base’s violence. Something tells me they’ll be quick to make an exception for when and whom they put their faith in.


----------



## Eric

This is what rock bottom looks like...

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1560842190984777728/


----------



## GermanSuplex

Eric said:


> This is what rock bottom looks like...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1560842190984777728/




To be fair, I think that’s a photoshopped photo of him kissing his own star on the Walk of Fame. But that’s not much better, he’s taken a lot of flack for that too.

I came across this tweet in reaction to Gary Busey being hit with sex assault charges.. ouch!

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1561152696404656128/


----------



## Yoused

Some magazine made note of this graphic



which was used in some campaign-related message.

When you notice the strange hyphen-like marks between the legs, a simple reversal (change the legs to negative/background space), the intent becomes obvious. And it absolutely has to be intentional.


----------



## Huntn

Eric said:


> Just wow...



UN-FUCKING BELIEVABLE, but thinking about it, a predictable a play right out of Trump’s Ops Manual, when the Fascists on the Right seek to undermine existing authority to bring in their owned  brand of oppression.


----------



## Huntn

Eric said:


> This is what rock bottom looks like...
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1560842190984777728/



The embodiment of evil, herding the weak minded is literally puke worthy.


----------



## Huntn

GermanSuplex said:


> Ok, where is the GOP outrage over this shitstain this morning? Imagine this was 2004 and you had a Muslim candidate saying under his plan, any government official or officer of the law would be able to be shot onsight. You think they'd let that sit untouched, even if the candidate was a virtual unknown?
> Where is the swift condemnation from the entire GOP over this assclown?



It’s head games directed at STUPID. Unless something miraculous happens at the polls, where the Southern States are busy undermining our elections, I fear for our collective peaceful future.


----------



## DT

shadow puppet said:


> I can't get past the paywall, but the description / lead-in alone, is really beginning to sound scary.




Geez, and you don't want to ...

These are the plans:

Execute drug dealers
Move homeless people to outlying ‘tent cities’
Strip job protections for federal workers
Restrict voting to one day using paper ballots
Deploy federal force against crime, unrest and protests
Eliminate the Education Department


----------



## Huntn

DT said:


> Geez, and you don't want to ...
> 
> These are the plans:
> 
> Execute drug dealers
> Move homeless people to outlying ‘tent cities’
> Strip job protections for federal workers
> Restrict voting to one day using paper ballots
> Deploy federal force against crime, unrest and protests
> Eliminate the Education Department



Holy Crap is someone, you know Who, trying to drag us into an alternate reality??


----------



## sgtaylor5

Huntn said:


> Holy Crap is someone, you know Who, trying to drag us into an alternate reality??




That alternative reality already exists; ever since the mid to late 50s, because of the forced end to segregation, the Southern evangelicals have been working on creating their own complete and self-sufficient subculture. They didn't want to live around liberals (they were surrounded by them) and have the liberals tell them  what to do.

_Democracy in Chains_, by Nancy MacLean talks about how libertarianism was started precisely by the Southern evangelicals to attack the liberal world order.

Long time coming. The South never really lost the Civil War; they lost the battles but they never lost the hearts of much of the population of the country.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Not only has Trump seemed to devolve into an even more narcissistic, rambling maniac in the year and a half since he’s been off Twitter, but so has the entire right. His Twitter feed looks borderline sane compared to the stuff he and his allies are posting on Truth Social. And I’m just talking about the main posts on his feed, not the comments and regular users, which are no doubt going to be filled with thousands of white nationalists seeing who can kiss his ass more.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

It seems Trump backed candidates are having problems raising money, especially compared to their Democrat challenger. It's as if Republican donors are sending their money to one source and that source isn’t sharing any of it with anybody else in the party.   Shop griftify!


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> It’s head games directed at STUPID. Unless something miraculous happens at the polls, where the Southern States are busy undermining our elections, I fear for our collective peaceful future.




So apparently does the IRS.  They are doing risk assessments of all 600 of their facilities in the wake of revived threats being bandied about now by right wing extremists.   Old memes and new lies or abusive remarks offered up by pro-Trumpers (and also by Republican officials) have alarmed the agency enough to launch the first physical security audit on a group of federal buildings since 1995 when the Oklahoma City bombing had occurred.

https://wapo.st/3Ta6egx    paywall removed  Washington Post piece



> The Internal Revenue Service will launch a full security review of its facilities nationwide, Commissioner Charles Rettig announced Tuesday, as congressional Republicans and far-right extremists are lashing out at the agency and the new funding it is slated to receive in a massive spending law.
> 
> “We see what’s out there in terms of social media. Our workforce is concerned about their safety,” Rettig told The Washington Post in an interview. “The comments being made are extremely disrespectful to the agency, to the employees and to the country.”






> Many Republicans have drawn baseless comparisons between the IRS’s new enforcement funding and the FBI’s search of former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.
> 
> “They have 80,000 employees. You know what the IRS also has? 4,600 guns. 5 million rounds of ammunition. Why? Democrats want to double its already massive size,” *House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) said on the House floor this month*, days after the FBI search.
> 
> “With this new power, the IRS will snoop around in your bank account, your Venmo, your small business. Then the government will shake you down for every last cent,” he added. “In light of [the FBI’s search of Trump’s residence], let me ask: Do you really trust this administration’s IRS to be fair, to not abuse their power?”


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> It seems Trump backed candidates are having problems raising money, especially compared to their Democrat challenger. It's as if Republican donors are sending their money to one source and that source isn’t sharing any of it with anybody else in the party.   Shop griftify!





I hope at minimum we eventually get a nice pie chart showing how much of Trump’s rube treasure didn’t go to what he is claiming. Maybe put it on a MAGA shirt which MAGA loyalists won’t see for the insult that it is. Should make for some good rally photo ops. I said before that Trump has raised more money than the DNC and RNC combined.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I hope at minimum we eventually get a nice pie chart showing how much of Trump’s rube treasure didn’t go to what he is claiming. Maybe put it on a MAGA shirt which MAGA loyalists won’t see for the insult that it is. Should make for some good rally photo ops. I said before that Trump has raised more money than the DNC and RNC combined.




Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely...  but we usually focus on the behavior of the guy with the power, and not on what happens to the hearts and minds of the people being corrupted all the way down the line.

Corruption is corrosive, and really hard to reverse.  Even reacting to corruption is so often corrupt in the end. After it's clear that the way to go is to bribe someone, or to "get something" on him, what else is there in the end?   Stand up and blow a whistle?   Sure, that happens, and it's courageous, but there is such a price to pay:  where is what's his name now,  or what's her name?   Yeah:  out of power, that's where. It's easier just to find a way to go along and hope to get along "for now".​
A lot of money and power have been put into propping up this sociopath that the GOP once thought they could use and then discard when they'd got what they wanted out of his presidential pen and their own clout in Congress. Now that thoroughly corrupt and Trump-hijacked GOP is finding their boy more and more of an embarrassment,  and problematic for their prospects in 2024,  but so far they can't undo the certainty of Trump's base that he's the only one who can fix everything.  Oops.   Well maybe after the 2022 midterms...

Meanwhile Trump carries on with his grifting of millions more dollars he'll use for legal fees, supporting pols he expects can put him back into power in 2024, making mischief under the table in god knows what ways.

The terrible irony there is that Trump's supporters do believe "only he can fix everything," even while they also figure that he can't do it without their help and so they chip into what they still see as a good cause.  After all, from their point of view,  how can it _not_ be a good cause if everything isn't fixed yet and he's the only one who can fix it? 

So yeah I'd like to see that pie chart of what has happened to their contributions too, and it's heartbreaking that ordinary people will put their money into supporting a sociopath now fleeing legal consequences for his own behavior.

 But I'm not convinced Trump's supporters would ever believe any assertion of misdirected contributions. 

 It's so hard to look in the mirror and say 

_wow, that guy took me on some ride, and for what?  Three rich white folks in black dresses on the Supreme Court who ended up making my niece bear a stillborn fetus,  and some tax breaks for people making money I'll never see, and I gave him a dime outta my broke-ass pocket? _​


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely...  but we usually focus on the behavior of the guy with the power, and not on what happens to the hearts and minds of the people being corrupted all the way down the line.
> 
> Corruption is corrosive, and really hard to reverse.  Even reacting to corruption is so often corrupt in the end. After it's clear that the way to go is to bribe someone, or to "get something" on him, what else is there in the end?   Stand up and blow a whistle?   Sure, that happens, and it's courageous, but there is such a price to pay:  where is what's his name now,  or what's her name?   Yeah:  out of power, that's where. It's easier just to find a way to go along and hope to get along "for now".​
> A lot of money and power have been put into propping up this sociopath that the GOP once thought they could use and then discard when they'd got what they wanted out of his presidential pen and their own clout in Congress. Now that thoroughly corrupt and Trump-hijacked GOP is finding their boy more and more of an embarrassment,  and problematic for their prospects in 2024,  but so far they can't undo the certainty of Trump's base that he's the only one who can fix everything.  Oops.   Well maybe after the 2022 midterms...
> 
> Meanwhile Trump carries on with his grifting of millions more dollars he'll use for legal fees, supporting pols he expects can put him back into power in 2024, making mischief under the table in god knows what ways.
> 
> The terrible irony there is that Trump's supporters do believe "only he can fix everything," even while they also figure that he can't do it without their help and so they chip into what they still see as a good cause.  After all, from their point of view,  how can it _not_ be a good cause if everything isn't fixed yet and he's the only one who can fix it?
> 
> So yeah I'd like to see that pie chart of what has happened to their contributions too, and it's heartbreaking that ordinary people will put their money into supporting a sociopath now fleeing legal consequences for his own behavior.
> 
> But I'm not convinced Trump's supporters would ever believe any assertion of misdirected contributions.
> 
> It's so hard to look in the mirror and say
> 
> _wow, that guy took me on some ride, and for what?  Three rich white folks in black dresses on the Supreme Court who ended up making my niece bear a stillborn fetus,  and some tax breaks for people making money I'll never see, and I gave him a dime outta my broke-ass pocket? _​





I don’t blame Trump supporters for being angry, but you know what? They don’t have a monopoly on anger and the rest of us didn’t elevate one guy to infallible deity status because they waved at us once and has a minimal vocabulary. People on the right would like to think Bernie has similar statues on the left but A). that’s because they think the left has a similar hive mind as they do (we don’t) and B). Bernie does get called out on caving on his standards when he does do that and those who do call him out on it blame him for the most part, not blame everybody and everything except Bernie.

Recently I’ve been hearing a trend. People who have been leaving Trump/Trumpism/the current Republican party are citing a reason that isn’t the most obvious. They’re tired of being angry all the time and that’s all that side of the aisle is offering them, never-ending outrage and no solutions to real problems. If anything they’ll offer some iteration of Reaganomics and that’s already been proven not to work over decades and the people who are the most angry have felt that more directly the most.


----------



## Joe

It cracks me up how many cult members donate to a billionaire lolololololololol


----------



## Joe

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Recently I’ve been hearing a trend. People who have been leaving Trump/Trumpism/the current Republican party are citing a reason that isn’t the most obvious. They’re tired of being angry all the time and that’s all that side of the aisle is offering them, never-ending outrage and no solutions to real problems. If anything they’ll offer some iteration of Reaganomics and that’s already been proven not to work over decades and the people who are the most angry have felt that more directly the most.




That's all Fox News and Republicans offer is outrage. They're so mad. Every single conservative I see on social media is outraged and mad all of the time. My best friend rarely talks to her own brother anymore because of how angry he is all the time. They can't have dinner without him bringing up some angry political view he saw on Fox News. 

They offer no real solutions to any problem. It's why Beto has spent the last several months campaigning throughout Texas but Abbott does absolutely fucking nothing. He doesn't care to get out and listen to the issues people are having. He knows he doesn't need to do shit to win votes from Republicans.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Joe said:


> It cracks me up how many cult members donate to a billionaire lolololololololol




They're just rerouting the pipes on their money toilet from their megachurch preacher to Trump.


----------



## Joe

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> They're just rerouting the pipes on their money toilet from their megachurch preacher to Trump.




I'm only mad that I didn't take advantage of it years ago. I could have made so much money selling Trump merch to these idiots. lmao


----------



## Citysnaps

Joe said:


> I'm only mad that I didn't take advantage of it years ago. I could have made so much money selling Trump merch to these idiots. lmao




trump merch in San Francisco. Looking back, I kind of wish I purchased a roll or two to send to some friends on Christmas.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> They're just rerouting the pipes on their money toilet from their megachurch preacher to Trump.



Waiting for these down-at-pocket voters to think how weird it is for rich white pols to be railing on about the cost of groceries but their solution is to ask you to up your donation to their campaigns.


----------



## GermanSuplex

The Biden admin notches another victory today.

Also, I'm really surprised Trump supporters are dumb enough to respond to those insane emails they receive for cash.

"Hey Cletus!

President Trump noticed its been six hours since you last donated to the OWNING THE LIBS TO SAVE AMERICA fund! He wanted me to email you personally to let you know he feels hurt. Are you a loyal follower of MAGA, or should I tell President Trump he can no longer count on your support? Do nothing and help the radical liberals destroy America, or donate now and President Trump will put you on his personal list of most loyal supporters! Click below to donate and help President Trump SAVE AMERICA!"


----------



## ronntaylor

GermanSuplex said:


> Also, I'm really surprised Trump supporters are dumb enough to respond to those insane emails they receive for cash.



You're not too far off. Some Mango Muncher mistakenly used my email address to sign up for the grifter. This is from one of the earlier emails (the Grifters send 5+ daily):



> For TODAY ONLY, I’m giving YOU a FREE TRUMP GIFT to show you just how much you mean to me. _This offer is meant for YOU, Rxxxxx, and is not intended to be shared._
> 
> You have *1 HOUR *to claim your *FREE TRUMP GIFT* before I release it to the next Patriot in line. Don’t wait.



The next email came about an hour later. With a completely new line of begging.


----------



## fooferdoggie

citynaps said:


> trump merch in San Francisco. Looking back, I kind of wish I purchased a roll or two to send to some friends on Christmas.
> 
> View attachment 17019



I have one laying around if you want it.


----------



## fooferdoggie

ronntaylor said:


> You're not too far off. Some Mango Muncher mistakenly used my email address to sign up for the grifter. This is from one of the earlier emails (the Grifters send 5+ daily):
> 
> 
> The next email came about an hour later. With a completely new line of begging.



I wonder if gifts actually get sent out?


----------



## lizkat

fooferdoggie said:


> I wonder if gifts actually get sent out?




Sure but the profit margin will be humongous and meanwhile someone has to manufacture the stuff so Trump cronies get selected to designate companies they themselves owe favors to, and on and on and on...


----------



## ronntaylor

fooferdoggie said:


> I wonder if gifts actually get sent out?



If similar to gifts promised by Dem pols/groups, it's a little trinket that costs a tiny fraction of the donation asked for. Something like stickers, banner, maybe a cap. In fact, probably some iteration of the "red" hat that's already expensed from earlier fundraising campaigns.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

ronntaylor said:


> You're not too far off. Some Mango Muncher mistakenly used my email address to sign up for the grifter. This is from one of the earlier emails (the Grifters send 5+ daily):
> 
> 
> The next email came about an hour later. With a completely new line of begging.





Responding to an email like that should disqualify you from voting and your house should have to be childproofed despite the fact that you don't have children.  There are probably at least two dozen UV warning labels that were put on products because of people like you.


----------



## ronntaylor

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Responding to an email like that should disqualify you from voting and your house should have to be childproofed despite the fact that you don't have children.  There are probably at least two dozen UV warning labels that were put on products because of people like you.



The latest grift is this: donate $75+ and you'll receive a copy of Jared's book. So it's a double-scam: You pay for them to continue their lifestyle, Jared gets a book sale, and America gets F'd!!


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

ronntaylor said:


> The latest grift is this: donate $75+ and you'll receive a copy of Jared's book. So it's a double-scam: You pay for them to continue their lifestyle, Jared gets a book sale, and America gets F'd!!





Getting mugged on the street by a guy with a MAGA hat on would get you the same level of influence and you'd have a better story and a legitimate reason to be angry.


----------



## Yoused

I was just reading about a severe drought in China that has dropped hydropower reservoirs to the point that factories are being shut down for lack of power, so where is the grift machine going to get its tchotchkes from now, I wonder.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> The Biden admin notches another victory today.




Assuming we are talking about the same thing, this depends on who you are.  I believe only 1/3rd of the population currently has a 4 year college degree.  That means 2/3rds doesn't benefit from this and possibly resents the decision because they feel just having a college degree, no matter how much of an expensive corrupt grift it is, still puts you ahead of those who don't.  On top of that the Democrats already have the reputation (and IMO well deserved) of abandoning the working class for the educated class.  This just proves it all the more.  My biggest issue is those in the public eye who are railing against this who applauded the bank and Wall St bailouts.  Those people need to SFTU.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Yoused said:


> I was just reading about a severe drought in China that has dropped hydropower reservoirs to the point that factories are being shut down for lack of power, so where is the grift machine going to get its tchotchkes from now, I wonder.




Kind of a sidebar here, but I heard about a company recently who got found guilty in court of selling MAGA merchandise and removing the made in China label and replacing it with made in USA labels.  

Somewhat in their defense, the fact that going through the trouble of doing all that instead of having them made in the US was still more profitable kind of says a lot.  This is why we need to build a souther border wall.  Clearly.


----------



## Yoused

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> This is why we need to build a souther border wall. Clearly.



We need to build a wall around the business executives and hedge fund managers, with razor wire and watch towers and a golf course and tennis courts to discourage them trying to escape. Then maybe we can work on sorting the country back to proper order.


----------



## ronntaylor

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Assuming we are talking about the same thing, this depends on who you are.  I believe only 1/3rd of the population currently has a 4 year college degree.  That means 2/3rds doesn't benefit from this and possibly resents the decision because they feel just having a college degree, no matter how much of an expensive corrupt grift it is, still puts you ahead of those who don't.  On top of that the Democrats already have the reputation (and IMO well deserved) of abandoning the working class for the educated class.  This just proves it all the more.  My biggest issue is those in the public eye who are railing against this who applauded the bank and Wall St bailouts.  Those people need to SFTU.



The educated class? Teachers, social workers, first responders, law enforcement, etc. that need either a degree or college credit?

I don't need hurricane relief, yet don't "resent" those that do. I paid off my small college loan many years ago. All by myself. I don't "resent" a single cent going to those that need relief in a big way. This will help tens of millions. Many will have their debts completely erased. And the other measures will assist greatly as well (interest rates, 5% of income cap, maximum amounts of payments, etc.)


----------



## GermanSuplex

Damn! BTC ripped this republican who suddenly found a heart a new one…


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Yoused said:


> We need to build a wall around the business executives and hedge fund managers, with razor wire and watch towers and a golf course and tennis courts to discourage them trying to escape. Then maybe we can work on sorting the country back to proper order.




That's actually an interesting idea.  Let's put them all in a pampered vivarium where they aren't allowed to interact or effect the rest of us.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

ronntaylor said:


> The educated class? Teachers, social workers, first responders,




Those are all part of "We can just expect their vote.  Lip service will suffice."and that will crumble eventually too. Not saying Republicans are better.  I'm just saying these people haven't been fucked enough yet by lip service to make them seriously consider the alternative.


----------



## ronntaylor

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Those are all part of "We can just expect their vote.  Lip service will suffice."and that will crumble eventually too. Not saying Republicans are better.  I'm just saying these people haven't been fucked enough yet by lip service to make them seriously consider the alternative.



$10K-$20K in loan forgiveness is lip service? Predatory interest being lowered or even eliminated is lip service? Out in the Midwest in the last few years many of the teacher strikes were amongst more conservative, Republican forces. Including some that ran for office as Republicans and won. Many of those will see debt relief as a result of this "lip service." This relief helps many, many all over the political and racial spectrums. Julian Castro pointed out that at least half of Latino borrowers will see *complete* relief. We know a large percentage of Latino voters vote for the GOP. They will continue to vote for the GOP even though this relief is coming from Dems.

This relief will allow many to live much better lives and actually plan for the future. Every segment will benefit from this.


----------



## Alli

fooferdoggie said:


> I wonder if gifts actually get sent out?



I’m sure this worked the same as the winners of lunch with TFG. There were no winners. Just another scam.


----------



## Yoused

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I'm just saying these people haven't been fucked enough yet by lip service to make them seriously consider the alternative.




"Alternative" – you mean "_except, we do it_ without _lube_".


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> They're just rerouting the pipes on their money toilet from their megachurch preacher to Trump.



This is today’s number one inditement of US based Christianity, that is Christianity in some dark recesses, it‘s basically Christians breaking bad, worshiping their golden calf, embracing evil, abandoning or ignoring the teachings reported to come from Jesus, or remaining silent in the face of wholesale corruption because they percieve an advantage for something they call Christianity, but is it? This for the purpose of turning the country into a Christian theocracy and push the anti-abortion agenda.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> This is today’s number one inditement of US based Christianity, that is Christianity in some dark recesses, it‘s basically Christians breaking bad, worshiping their golden calf, embracing evil, abandoning or ignoring the teachings reported to come from Jesus, or remaining silent in the face of wholesale corruption because they percieve an advantage for something they call Christianity, but is it? This for the purpose of turning the country into a Christian theocracy and push the anti-abortion agenda.





I think it's funny some of these people think there's a war against Christianity.  If anything it's a war against them who are the farthest from being Christian while claiming they are.  And no surprise they're pretty far removed from what a patriot is while also claiming to be one.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Got an Apple News notification with an article referring to this mobile network… holy shit these people are insane. Anything to make a buck off the rubes of America.









						Patriot Mobile
					

Patriot Mobile is America’s only Christian conservative wireless provider. We offer broad coverage on dependable, nationwide 4G or 5G LTE networks




					www.patriotmobile.com


----------



## fooferdoggie

GermanSuplex said:


> Got an Apple News notification with an article referring to this mobile network… holy shit these people are insane. Anything to make a buck off the rubes of America.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Patriot Mobile
> 
> 
> Patriot Mobile is America’s only Christian conservative wireless provider. We offer broad coverage on dependable, nationwide 4G or 5G LTE networks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.patriotmobile.com



ya its just pathetic. like your phone somehow supports these christian conservatives.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

GermanSuplex said:


> Got an Apple News notification with an article referring to this mobile network… holy shit these people are insane. Anything to make a buck off the rubes of America.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Patriot Mobile
> 
> 
> Patriot Mobile is America’s only Christian conservative wireless provider. We offer broad coverage on dependable, nationwide 4G or 5G LTE networks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.patriotmobile.com




#1 complaint customer service response: "It’s not in the lord’s plan for you."


----------



## Huntn

GermanSuplex said:


> Got an Apple News notification with an article referring to this mobile network… holy shit these people are insane. Anything to make a buck off the rubes of America.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Patriot Mobile
> 
> 
> Patriot Mobile is America’s only Christian conservative wireless provider. We offer broad coverage on dependable, nationwide 4G or 5G LTE networks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.patriotmobile.com



It makes me sick when words are constantly misused by the Right or by anyone, it becomes a deceitful game to… FOOL THE DUMMIES. Or you can conclude that our country by their definition is not their country, a recipe for failure. 

The huge issue is to stop saying you are a patriot in the USA if you don’t support democracy, truth, honesty, the rule of law, fair elections, level playing fields, equal before the law, religious freedom, live and let live, and to let go of their straight jacket brand of intolerant morality.

patriot

pā′trē-ət, -ŏt″
noun​
One who loves, supports, and defends one's country.
A person who loves his country, and zealously supports and defends it and its interests.
One who loves his country, and zealously supports its authority and interests.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Trump's followers are dangerous — but don't call them hypocrites
					

As Mar-a-Lago makes clear, Trump supporters love his lies and mendacity. That's evil, but not hypocritical




					www.salon.com
				




"Too many liberals, progressives, Democrats, centrists, and others outside of the MAGAverse love to accuse Trump and the right-wing movement of being hypocrites or applying a double standard for their own behavior. This is an absurd claim: In reality, the Trumpists and Republican fascists do not hold any norms or standards beyond winning at all costs. *To call them hypocrites assumes that they care and might somehow change their behavior. It is a waste of time and energy.*"


----------



## Eric

If only there were some sort of signal that Trump had done this dozens of times over and over again to warn the GOP.


__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/LeopardsAteMyFace/comments/x0yyhr


----------



## Huntn

Eric said:


> If only there were some sort of signal that Trump had done this dozens of times over and over again to warn the GOP.
> 
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/LeopardsAteMyFace/comments/x0yyhr



I've always wondered about that "money raised" and how it can be misused by politicians...


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Eric said:


> If only there were some sort of signal that Trump had done this dozens of times over and over again to warn the GOP.
> 
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/LeopardsAteMyFace/comments/x0yyhr




They like using the term king maker and somehow forgot that there’s only one king in the kingdom.  I think they’re remembering that now.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

We could probably save a lot of time if these people would admit what they are. Maybe qualify it with one of MTG’s favorite pronouns, Christian fascist.  Just because you don’t like being called a fascist doesn’t change the fact that you are.  It’s like an alcoholic claiming alcohol plays no part in their alcoholism.  Also if you aren’t actively trying to crack skulls or imprison people over political beliefs doesn’t mean you are disqualified from being a fascist. 

I’ll just put this here.  It’s like one of those tests where you answer based on your interests and talents and at the end it tells you what you should do for a living. 






Congratulations, you’re a fascist.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Trump seems to be losing what’s left of his mind, and that was a scarce resource to begin with. Over 60 posts to his white nationalist platform… lots of reposts of stupid memes worshipping him or criticizing the current administration or FBI.

This is going to hurt republicans in the midterms. Trump may also go crazy as a big election nears and he’s not on the ballot (literally, not by proxy). He’ll want the attention on him and he’ll claim victory for those he supported and blame “the establishment right” for those who lost - probably folks like Oz and Walker.

“MAGA candidates did GREAT last night thanks to me, your favorite president. But Herschel Walker lost because of a repeat of the RIGGED and STOLEN election in 2020. MUCH FRAUD! Brian Kemp can’t protect the vote in Georgia!


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

A storm is coming: It might sweep Trump and the GOP into oblivion
					

If Democrats can win after all, Trump is toast and the current GOP is finished. But what comes after that?




					www.salon.com
				




In this reporter's experience traveling the country, people are tired of Trump and the bullying Republican party.  In some ways the 2 parties are the same, but not on bullying.  In that regard the Democrats are the deer in the headlights party, but Republicans will be dry humping Hillary's deplorables comment for the next half-century.  We'll just ignore the fact that she was later proven correct in her assessment.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> A storm is coming: It might sweep Trump and the GOP into oblivion
> 
> 
> If Democrats can win after all, Trump is toast and the current GOP is finished. But what comes after that?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.salon.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In this reporter's experience traveling the country, people are tired of Trump and the bullying Republican party.  In some ways the 2 parties are the same, but not on bullying.  In that regard the Democrats are the deer in the headlights party, but Republicans will be dry humping Hillary's deplorables comment for the next half-century.  We'll just ignore the fact that she was later proven correct in her assessment.



If the Dems hold the house and the Senate, it could be a turning point, I might cry for joy.


----------



## Yoused

Raped 12-Year-Old Could Take an Ambulance to Walmart for Plan B, SC Representative Says
					

Representative Doug Gilliam has angered many after saying if a girl was raped by her father she could simply go to Walmart to get Plan B.



					www.thedailybeast.com


----------



## fooferdoggie

Yoused said:


> Raped 12-Year-Old Could Take an Ambulance to Walmart for Plan B, SC Representative Says
> 
> 
> Representative Doug Gilliam has angered many after saying if a girl was raped by her father she could simply go to Walmart to get Plan B.
> 
> 
> 
> www.thedailybeast.com



there quality of these republicans are coming out in force. lets hope they pay the price for their big ass mouths.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

A real pickle.  My opinion, the Republican Party needs to distance itself away from Trump as much as possible and let the pieces fall where they may.   Quit cowering to lunatics.  Nothing good is going to come from Trump or Trumpism.  Reclaim their values and stop with the agenda of fear and hate.  Although I suppose it could be argued that’s always been a big part of the agenda and Trump just turned the volume up to 11. It would be nice if conservatism was more about discipline and less about the collapse of society in their view.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> My opinion, the Republican Party needs to distance itself away from Trump as much as possible and let the pieces fall where they may.



Here's why I think they haven't done so and probably won't. As soon as anyone criticizes Trump he turns on them. It's happened with McConnell, Barr and numerous others. If the GOP in some official way breaks ties with Trump, he just might form his own party and run as an independent for president (of course raking in contributions from his loyal MAGA crowd that he would no doubt misuse), putting up his usual odd assortment of people (Herschel Walker, Mehmet Oz, etc.) for lower offices. He probably won't win, nor would his candidates except maybe in a few localities, but they would take away enough votes from the GOP candidates to turn the elections, many of which are usually fairly close. Basically, the GOP can't win in most places without at least a good percentage of Trump's MAGA base. This is what Trump still holds over them. Of course, the GOP should on principle break ties with Trump for the good of the country, but with few exceptions the party and their own political future seem to be their priority now.


----------



## Yoused

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> It would be nice if conservatism was more about discipline and less about the collapse of society in their view.



In the early '80s there was this guy named James Watt who seemed to be intent upon facilitating the landrape of the country. Many other cabinet members at the time also seemed to be pushing venal, reckless agendas. We figured out that it was the fundamentalist bloc promoting Rapture politics – _jesus gonna be here, gonna be here soon, so why behave like the world is not gonna end next week?_


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

mac_in_tosh said:


> Here's why I think they haven't done so and probably won't. As soon as anyone criticizes Trump he turns on them. It's happened with McConnell, Barr and numerous others. If the GOP in some official way breaks ties with Trump, he just might form his own party and run as an independent for president (of course raking in contributions from his loyal MAGA crowd that he would no doubt misuse), putting up his usual odd assortment of people (Herschel Walker, Mehmet Oz, etc.) for lower offices. He probably won't win, nor would his candidates except maybe in a few localities, but they would take away enough votes from the GOP candidates to turn the elections, many of which are usually fairly close. Basically, the GOP can't win in most places without at least a good percentage of Trump's MAGA base. This is what Trump still holds over them. Of course, the GOP should on principle break ties with Trump for the good of the country, but with few exceptions the party and their own political future seem to be their priority now.




As much as I have issues with the Democrats including being almost equally culpable in the rise of Trump, they don’t seem to have the same mentality as the GOP that if that party is going to self destruct then they are going to take the country down with it. In fact, at least for now, the Democrats seem to have gone "Holy shit, we better start delivering and moving things in a positive direction".  The Republicans have become all retribution with zero care to fallout or ultimate outcome.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Started listening to the book America: The Farwell Tour and Trump and the current Republican party are the predicted death of capitalism personified. In lieu of growing wealth by legitimate or value-added means by the rich and exploiting class they’ll start picking at the bones of the poor, middle class, and government institutions. Trump’s incessant begging for money from his rubes is clearly that. Gutting government institutions is another. Trying to privatize everything that government does serves no other purpose than making those at the top richer while providing lower quality service.

Over many decades the masses have been brainwashed into believing they are helpless and many will turn to people like Trump or religion to bond over anger but no real solutions will be offered or made. Capitalism needs the masses to remain desperate to survive. They’ll only find comfort in nationalist mythology.


----------



## GermanSuplex

I legit wonder if republicans will tolerate another Trump run. Will he have anyone take him on as an opponent? I can’t see him running a primary unopposed, so whether it’s Liz Cheney, Nikki Haley, Pence, DeathSantis or any combo of them, how will they run against Trump? Will they be nice? They’ll get pummeled, Trump doesn’t play nice. Or will they rip into him to better their chances? That would be awesome.

And if he doesn’t run, will they throw him away? He’s clearly the biggest figure but also the biggest drag on the party.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

GermanSuplex said:


> And if he doesn’t run, will they throw him away? He’s clearly the biggest figure but also the biggest drag on the party.



As I mentioned, I doubt Trump could win if he runs but the GOP needs a sizable percentage of his base to win elections, which are often fairly close. If he bolts and takes them away they will get wiped out except in a few highly predominantly GOP localities.


----------



## Alli

Maybe he’ll run as an independent candidate and split the R vote (since half of them are MAGA).


----------



## lizkat

Alli said:


> Maybe he’ll run as an independent candidate and split the R vote (since half of them are MAGA).




Heh, imagine the RNC and traditional GOP reaction.   

Well if Trump did that,  McConnell would want to know where the scaffold put up by the 1/6 insurrectionists has been stored.  then fetch it out of some evidence locker,  repurposing it just long enough for Trump to get a look at it set up on some nice lawn somewhere near Mar a Lago and decide not to run after all.


----------



## Citysnaps

GermanSuplex said:


> I legit wonder if republicans will tolerate another Trump run. Will he have anyone take him on as an opponent? I can’t see him running a primary unopposed, so whether it’s Liz Cheney, Nikki Haley, Pence, DeathSantis or any combo of them, how will they run against Trump? *Will they be nice? They’ll get pummeled, Trump doesn’t play nice. Or will they rip into him to better their chances? That would be awesome.*
> 
> And if he doesn’t run, will they throw him away? He’s clearly the biggest figure but also the biggest drag on the party.




Stay tuned. It's going to be fun!


----------



## lizkat

Meanwhile, restrictive abortion laws passed by Republican state legislatures remain the gift that keeps on giving pain and suffering to American women,  even when they just show up to their doctor's offices for legal contraceptive options:

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1568404053855715328/


----------



## Yoused

R candidate in CO (who does not seem to be 100% anti-choice) wants wants to "bring balance" to women's rights, whatever the ever-lovin' fuck that means. I guess women need to be protected from the perils of just having rights.


----------



## GermanSuplex

So Lindsey Graham - for whatever reason, has come out with a bill instituting a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks. What a joke. He’s making up his own facts about where most of America is on this issue. He looks about as sincere as he would telling us he isn’t attracted to Trump.

This seems odd, his bill isn’t going to pass right now anyways, so this is just promoting extreme pro-life stances. Is he trying to sabotage his party or is he thinking this will help republicans?


----------



## mac_in_tosh

It's damage control for the GOP. They realize the disaster they brought upon themselves with all the new abortion laws states have passed. Of course, Graham is a hypocrite because he recently was advocating how these things should be left to each state. The guy has no shame.


----------



## lizkat

GermanSuplex said:


> So Lindsey Graham - for whatever reason, has come out with a bill instituting a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks. What a joke. He’s making up his own facts about where most of America is on this issue. He looks about as sincere as he would telling us he isn’t attracted to Trump.
> 
> This seems odd, his bill isn’t going to pass right now anyways, so this is just promoting extreme pro-life stances. Is he trying to sabotage his party or is he thinking this will help republicans?




Yeah Graham is on tape having said he thought abortion was a matter for states' rights not even two months ago and now he comes with a national ban bill?

Might could be it's nothing to do with abortion at all.  He has lost a court fight to ditch a subpoena to testify as to his involvement in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential vote in the state of Georgia.

Maybe he just needs something else to focus on in the interim, to keep from completely losing his mind.  I mean this used to be a guy with a judicious temperament and a judicial outlook.. . but he seemed to lose all that after McCain passed away. 

If i wanted to give him credit for canny strategy as a revived no-Trumper, I'd say he's thrown this "national abortion ban" out there like a landmine in path of pro-Trump candidates for the House in 2022.

But in truth, these days, Graham just seems like this...  creature wandering around probably wishing he never heard of Donald Trump,  and drinking too much, and being inconsistent and incoherent.  Pathetic.   And still dangerous, and he's not up for re-election until 2026. 

He did win by a substantially smaller margin in 2020 than back in 2014, but it was still substantial, like 10% over Jaime Harrison.  Probably gave him agita to know he's looking at an uphill climb now if Trump goes down..  especially if Trump actually "has something" on him as rumors have long suggested.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

lizkat said:


> But in truth, these days, Graham just seems like this...  creature wandering around probably wishing he never heard of Donald Trump,  and drinking too much, and being inconsistent and incoherent.  Pathetic.   And still dangerous, and he's not up for re-election until 2026.



“If Donald Trump is the nominee, that’s the end of the Republican Party” - Lindsey Graham, 2015.


----------



## lizkat

mac_in_tosh said:


> “If Donald Trump is the nominee, that’s the end of the Republican Party” - Lindsey Graham, 2015.




Prescient guy, eh?   Shoulda stuck with the sentiment, he'd be at least the heir presumptive to McConnell by now instead of just another guy like Hawley and Cruz that get talked about in the Senate cloakroom, even by the rest of the slightly less crazy pro-Trump Senators.


----------



## Joe




----------



## Huntn

Joe said:


> View attachment 17691



What is this montage of?


----------



## Joe

Huntn said:


> What is this montage of?




People crying about The Little Mermaid being black.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Help fight the deep state and get the best night’s rest you’ve ever had…

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1570157243957493760/


----------



## lizkat

Wonder who'll end up Most Valuable Flipper in the pantheon of people finally turning on TFG.

I'm not talking about people who are collecting rants now on social media, for having written books with little details they didn't bother revealing to the public at the time they held White House jobs, or in the course of their media reporting or in the way they responded to media interviews back then.

I mean I wonder about people who were so much in the background of daily life in the Trump era White House or West Wing that they blended in with the wallpaper, or else were assumed to be an ultra-loyalist. 

Examples:   Ivanka Trump.   Mike Pompeo.   The former White House butler.   The occasional U.S.Marine who stood there holding the Oval Office door open to the great outdoors, while Trump was concluding one of his more rambunctious meetings that had slid off its talking points and landed in a pre-tweeting rage after he had shouted down everyone in the room and garnered at last one more secret vow to soldier on and save revenge for later.

And of course the person who cleaned the Oval Office and who had probably been trained to first bring any little bits of paper to the White House Staff Secretary and only then use the vacuum cleaner on the carpeting. LOL  what does  "never gonna happen"   or  "2 billion might be enough"  even mean?


----------



## fooferdoggie




----------



## lizkat

fooferdoggie said:


> View attachment 17727




Heh, Mickey D's fries and hamberders will eventually just get the orange mango himself.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Lindsey Graham really shit the bed with his latest stunt. You know how we complain these guys are always in campaign mode? Well, Lindsey has four more years left on this term and he’s definitely not acting like he’s running for anything, so maybe being in campaign mode isn’t such a bad thing.

I have a feeling that if things go sideways for the GOP in the midterms, Lindsey’s stunt will be a prime target of wrath.


----------



## lizkat

GermanSuplex said:


> Lindsey Graham really shit the bed with his latest stunt. You know how we complain these guys are always in campaign mode? Well, Lindsey has four more years left on this term and he’s definitely not acting like he’s running for anything, so maybe being in campaign mode isn’t such a bad thing.
> 
> I have a feeling that if things go sideways for the GOP in the midterms, Lindsey’s stunt will be a prime target of wrath.





Yeah Graham blew it big time.  The Rs did not want abortion to become a topic of swing-vote potential in the midterms.  They knew that almost immediately after the Dobbs ruling. And now Graham does this 8 weeks before the elections?  When he doesn't even have a dog in the hunt this year, so it makes him look selfish at best.

It's like he swallowed a blue pill instead of a vitamin at breakfast one day in recent past:   _Oh god maybe I'm a Democrat now? Oh well, let's party down! _​
All I can think really is that Graham has decided the only way to save himself in the Georgia 2020 vote tampering  investigation is to distract everyone from it,  with headlines about his devotion to GOP causes aside from whatever TFG is ranting about these days. Unfortunately for Graham, that's often and inconveniently enough still all about Trump's lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him.  Graham would like to change the subject altogether. 

In fact long before Graham got in trouble trying to appease and accommodate Trump in the matter of the Georgia vote,  he had told Trump on the golf course look ya lost the election, it happens, the main thing now is help rebuild and get in shape to win the next elections. 

Of course Trump could almost GAF about advice like that, so Graham --like the wuss he is-- caved in then and tried to help Trump get Georgia into the red column.

No one in the Georgia AG's office is distracted by anything not related to their pending election-related case(s),  and meanwhile half the rest of the US Senate and a lot of House Republicans are now ready to string Graham up because he's taking their midterm themes "off topic" to a national issue the Rs can't win on.


----------



## fooferdoggie




----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> Yeah Graham blew it big time.  The Rs did not want abortion to become a topic of swing-vote potential in the midterms.  They knew that almost immediately after the Dobbs ruling. And now Graham does this 8 weeks before the elections?  When he doesn't even have a dog in the hunt this year, so it makes him look selfish at best.
> 
> It's like he swallowed a blue pill instead of a vitamin at breakfast one day in recent past:   _Oh god maybe I'm a Democrat now? Oh well, let's party down! _​
> All I can think really is that Graham has decided the only way to save himself in the Georgia 2020 vote tampering  investigation is to distract everyone from it,  with headlines about his devotion to GOP causes aside from whatever TFG is ranting about these days. Unfortunately for Graham, that's often and inconveniently enough still all about Trump's lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him.  Graham would like to change the subject altogether.
> 
> In fact long before Graham got in trouble trying to appease and accommodate Trump in the matter of the Georgia vote,  he had told Trump on the golf course look ya lost the election, it happens, the main thing now is help rebuild and get in shape to win the next elections.
> 
> Of course Trump could almost GAF about advice like that, so Graham --like the wuss he is-- caved in then and tried to help Trump get Georgia into the red column.
> 
> No one in the Georgia AG's office is distracted by anything not related to their pending election-related case(s),  and meanwhile half the rest of the US Senate and a lot of House Republicans are now ready to string Graham up because he's taking their midterm themes "off topic" to a national issue the Rs can't win on.




Not to mention this goes against the GOP's strategy of having zero platform cause in the US there's a big contingent of people who vote for candidates who have nothing to offer.


----------



## Yoused

GermanSuplex said:


> Lindsey Graham really shit the bed with his latest stunt.



There is a really vulgar bit of snark that could be tacked on to this, but I am not quite that crude.


----------



## lizkat

Yoused said:


> There is a really vulgar bit of snark that could be tacked on to this, but I am not quite that crude.




Thank you.


----------



## Yoused

In a campaign fundraising email, Josh Hawley (Q-MO) urges followers to donate so he can force schools to stop teaching that there is more than one gender

​
(see red buttons)


----------



## Alli

I’d like to know which one gender is THE ONE. Cause if it’s feminine (not female), Hawley’s going to have to make some changes in his life.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Of course to Hawley the word "liberal" is not sufficient. He has to label them "socialist." With the GOP, "liberal" is almost always preceded by "radical extremist."

With Republicans it's all about culture wars. They have nothing to offer in the way of programs to improve the life of Americans and aren't really interested in governing. The poster boy for that is the sleeze Ted Cruz who was caught escaping to Cancun while millions of his fellow citizens were suffering from massive power outages.


----------



## GermanSuplex

I can’t wait until carpetbagger Hawley is up for re-election. Every TV ad should feature him running away from the mob. That’s all he is in my mind, a pathetic gif.

You would think being an actual resident of the state you’re running to represent would be important to voters, but apparently it isn’t.


----------



## Yoused

we need to stop giving these misogynists air (and airtime)









						Republican House Candidate Said Women's Suffrage Made Us a 'Totalitarian State'
					

"We cannot say that women should be able to vote simply because they are a large part of the population," Michigan candidate John Gibbs wrote while at Stanford.




					jezebel.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Heard an interview with a white Mississippi journalist who has lived there his entire life. He said there’s a long history of white people in the state making sacrifices in order to keep black people down. In other words, if something might elevate black people then they don’t want it for anybody. This seems to be the mentality that has risen to the top for a lot of Republican voters. Whenever something is proposed their kneejerk analysis is to determine if it would benefit a group they aren’t in and probably don’t like and if so then they don’t want it. Doesn’t matter if they would benefit from it too. The primary objective is to keep others down/beneath them.


----------



## fooferdoggie

Yoused said:


> we need to stop giving these misogynists air (and airtime)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Republican House Candidate Said Women's Suffrage Made Us a 'Totalitarian State'
> 
> 
> "We cannot say that women should be able to vote simply because they are a large part of the population," Michigan candidate John Gibbs wrote while at Stanford.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jezebel.com



this coming from this moron . who thinks emotionally???? sounds like a incel
While a student at Stanford in the early 2000s, Gibbs created a “thinktank” that he called the Society for the Critique of Feminism. On the think tank’s website, preserved via the Internet Archive’s ever-delightful Wayback Machine, he wrote that women don’t “posess (sic) the characteristics necessary to govern,” argued that men are smarter than women because they “think logically… without relying upon emotional reasoning,” and quite literally called patriarchal society “the best model for the continued success of a society.” Sir, who hurt you?


----------



## GermanSuplex

Yoused said:


> we need to stop giving these misogynists air (and airtime)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Republican House Candidate Said Women's Suffrage Made Us a 'Totalitarian State'
> 
> 
> "We cannot say that women should be able to vote simply because they are a large part of the population," Michigan candidate John Gibbs wrote while at Stanford.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jezebel.com




So John, who's the girl you never got over after she broke your heart?

This guy really pisses me off for some reason. Perhaps because unlike some of the other GOP creeps, he comes across (at least some of the time) as a nice and affable guy.

Really hoping this guy loses in November.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

fooferdoggie said:


> this c0oming from this morning. who thinks emotionally???? sounds like a incel
> While a student at Stanford in the early 2000s, Gibbs created a “thinktank” that he called the Society for the Critique of Feminism. On the think tank’s website, preserved via the Internet Archive’s ever-delightful Wayback Machine, he wrote that women don’t “posess (sic) the characteristics necessary to govern,” argued that men are smarter than women because they “think logically… without relying upon emotional reasoning,” ...



Then how does he explain Trump?


----------



## lizkat

Today we have news of the GOP's implied disavowal of Ohio congressional candidate JR Majewski, via their having pulled $700k of money for campaign ad buys. This followed an AP investigation of earlier reports that he had somehow falsified descriptions of his military service.









						Amid doubts about J.R. Majewski’s military record, GOP ads in his district are scrapped
					

Military records show that Majewski lacks many of the medals that are typically awarded to those who served in Afghanistan.




					www.mercurynews.com
				












						Ohio GOP House candidate has misrepresented military service
					

WASHINGTON (AP) — Campaigning for a northwestern Ohio congressional seat, Republican J.R. Majewski presents himself as an Air Force combat veteran who deployed to Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, once describing “tough” conditions including a lack of running water that forced him to...




					apnews.com
				




Majewski yesterday was still insisting his records of _deployment_ to Afghanistan were "classified". 

Of course if some of his _missions_ were actually classified,  then he should not even be mentioning them this soon, under penalty of court martial.

That aside, the memes on social media have got pretty brutal regarding "yo where are even any of usual medals for any Afghanistan service?" along with many posts focused on Majewski's "classified deployment" assertion,  and running to "ha ha ha ha so I just thought about that and declassified it."


----------



## Alli

lizkat said:


> That aside, the memes on social media have got pretty brutal regarding "yo where are even any of usual medals for any Afghanistan service?" along with many posts focused on Majewski's "classified deployment" assertion, and running to "ha ha ha ha so I just thought about that and declassified it."



The jerk even had the stupidity to post his orders. Unfortunately, what it’s showing is that he went TDY (temporary duty), and also exposed the fact that he’d been busted down two ranks and never made them up.


----------



## lizkat

Alli said:


> The jerk even had the stupidity to post his orders. Unfortunately, what it’s showing is that he went TDY (temporary duty), and also exposed the fact that he’d been *busted down two ranks and never made them up*.




Some bar brawls may have been more exciting than others... 

 The way I look at it, his attempt to inflate his service record unnecessarily alienated potential support of any men or women who have served in the military in support sectors.   Troops can't survive without reliable logistics and supply services.  All honorable service matters to fellows and country.  Ask any Russian in Ukraine right now.   Yet this guy Majewski has now gathered tweets on social media mocking him for "loading bags in Dubai"...  which of course reap some comebacks along lines of "better thank the christ someone put your kid's ammo re-ups on the right f'g plane ". 

Some of those comebacks are from people who might never vote for a Democrat but they're not going to vote for Majewski now if they live in that Ohio district.   The Rs should be thanking God this is a midterm and not the 2024 presidential contest.   "Reverse coattails" affecting the top of ticket can be a thing,  thanks to people who decide to sit out a congressional election in a presidential election year.


----------



## Citysnaps

GOP:  The party of pants on fire.


----------



## Yoused

Citysnaps said:


> GOP:  The party of pants on fire.




which seems to have spread to their hair


----------



## GermanSuplex

I’m watching “The Rehearsal” on HBO. It’s a fascinating show, I suggest reading about it. The entire GOP and Trump remind me of Nathan Fielder, desperately trying to create what is essentially a facade grounded in reality, trying to cover every base but getting caught off guard nonetheless, then having to construct a whole new lie to move forward and keep the thing going.

Sadly, the GOP is real. But it looks like things are coming back to bite them. I do believe they GOP will get the house, thanks to gerrymandering and screwing with registrations, but I still think there will be upsets and some of these far-right loons who won primaries will be thrashed at the ballots.


----------



## lizkat

GermanSuplex said:


> I’m watching “The Rehearsal” on HBO. It’s a fascinating show, I suggest reading about it. The entire GOP and Trump remind me of Nathan Fielder, desperately trying to create what is essentially a facade grounded in reality, trying to cover every base but getting caught off guard nonetheless, then having to construct a whole new lie to move forward and keep the thing going.
> 
> Sadly, the GOP is real. But it looks like things are coming back to bite them. I do believe they GOP will get the house, thanks to gerrymandering and screwing with registrations, but I still think there will be upsets and some of these far-right loons who won primaries will be thrashed at the ballots.




I don't know what to think about possible election outcomes this year.   Part of it's the whole "messing with registrations" (and polling places and election workers and the powers of state secretaries of state in the vote certification process) but there's also a little wonderment about how much "October surprises" can matter any more, and whether vats of money dumped into races by billionaires or industry lobbies can really swing seats or not.

We live after all in an age where a former president told us 30k documented lies and we did or didn't believe him but maybe got the drift that nothing a public figure says really matters?

So we sit now in front of political ads that have cost hundreds of millions of dollars,  and while they run we scroll through social media to see if we missed any viral posts from total strangers about what's up with the planet tonight.

Ah the political ad is finally over  --our brains always know it's over when someone flash-mumbles "paid for by the committee to re-elect somebody or other"  --  so the TV watcher gets that cue and puts down smartphone and resumes watching his procedural crime show or whatever.​​So If I had dumped $10k or $100k or half a million bucks into some PAC I'm not sure I"d be impressed with the PAC's decision to shell it out for ad buys any more...

There's so much money in politics now that the donors might as well just hand it to incumbents or challengers they favor:  stop pretending there is some kind of flow that goes "donor buys ad, voter sees ad, voter votes for guy with best ad, winner remembers who picked up tab for most of his ads, winner phones that guy to say you won the right to draft my legislative efforts for two years, congratulations."

We may know less than we ever did about what makes a voter vote as he does.   Databases of personal info on potential voters are floating around, rented out, doubled down on if they turn up monetary responses.  Campaign managers don't even always know who's phonebanking for them, much less whether what those rogue operators are saying may come back to bite their candidate.

What kind of October surprise can even faze Americans any more anyway?  We have candidates who are running for re-election who have been indicted for corruption and banking on name recognition alone to get them across the finish line anew.    We have Trump out there still talking to die-hard cultist followers about a 2024 campaign even as he faces potential indictments for stuff like financial fraud on a grand scale, misuse or worse of classified and other sensitive documents, even sedition or treason. 

And then there is the ephemeral quality of our outrage.   The firehose of the internet's information flow offers us daily pickings of what to be most outraged over.   Who remembers last week's outrages, or the ones from yesterday?  We live in an eternal now with our smartphones at the ready.   How soon is too soon to ship out an "October surprise" in 2022?   No one knows.   It drives the pollsters mad.


----------



## lizkat

Well this just about takes the cake really.   GOP rolls out its latest adaptation of Gingrich's ol "Contract for [or on?] America" but with no concrete legislative proposals, just talking points and a video that purports to be about our rich heritage but contains stock footage of stuff like...yeah, Russian oil rigs.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1573394446351478785/

If you read the Huffpost piece cited in the tweet,  they reached out to Kevin McCarthy to inquire why stock images from Russia, Ukraine and some European grocery store were used in the video.  Here was the response:

“Interesting how you guys aren’t remotely interested on the issues facing the American people in the video,” responded McCarthy spokesman Mark Bednar.​


----------



## Yoused

lizkat said:


> Well this just about takes the cake really.   GOP rolls out its latest adaptation of Gingrich's ol "Contract for [or on?] America"




Seems to me that the original "contract" was similarly lacking in substance.



lizkat said:


> If you read the Huffpost piece cited in the tweet,  they reached out to Kevin McCarthy to inquire why stock images from Russia, Ukraine and some European grocery store were used in the video.  Here was the response:
> 
> “Interesting how you guys aren’t remotely interested on the issues facing the American people in the video,” responded McCarthy spokesman Mark Bednar.​




All we can hope is that the cover-everyone-in-meadow-muffins machine will eventually run out of steam(ing BS).


----------



## GermanSuplex

> _Trump eventually entered the room, having lost a noticeable amount of weight since I had seen him last. Graham followed a minute later and gestured toward Trump. “The greatest comeback in American history!” Graham declared. Trump looked at me. “You know why Lindsey kisses my ass?” he asked. “So I’ll endorse his friends.” Graham laughed uproariously._












						Three Conversations With Donald Trump
					

The former president tried to sell his preferred version of himself, but said much more than he intended.




					www.theatlantic.com


----------



## Alli

I’ve been saying it’s a Contract Against America, but I think Liz may have it more accurate with Contract On America.


----------



## lizkat

Alli said:


> I’ve been saying it’s a Contract Against America, but I think Liz may have it more accurate with Contract On America.




What's hilarious to me is that so many references are indeed to Gingrich's old name for the thing, "Contract for America"  and the parody title that substituted "on" instead of "for".      No one's paying attention to the actual new title, much less to whatever is in it,  aside from the video with the offshore images.  Talk about rocky rollouts.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I find it ironic that the main reason for the rise of the global right is the failures of capitalism and they turn to fascist authoritarianism that is the biggest defender of extreme capitalism – power concentrated at the top while crushing the workers by making them grateful to be a cog in the machine and the scraps they get for doing so. It’s like Christians saying Satan is the cause of all the problems in the world and as a result they start worshipping Satan. That’s pretty much hitting the nail on the head with Christians worship of Trump.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I find it ironic that the main reason for the rise of the global right is the failures of capitalism and they turn to fascist authoritarianism that is the biggest defender of extreme capitalism – power concentrated at the top while crushing the workers by making them grateful to be a cog in the machine and the scraps they get for doing so. It’s like Christians saying Satan is the cause of all the problems in the world and as a result they start worshipping Satan. That’s pretty much hitting the nail on the head with Christians worship of Trump.




At the very least it's like what's going on with Giorgia Meloni's rise to leadership of Italy.  She managed to pitch being "Italian, Christian, mother, woman" as conservative attributes that somehow escape the left entirely, as if none but the right have values that are human or nurtured in family and community...  and meanwhile she castigates the left as the source of any tendency in Italy for people to be viewed as mere cogs in a consumerist society that she depicts as overly controlled by the EU.

 It makes  the head spin really.  If Meloni manages to assemble a coalition it will bring to legislative power a bunch of people who have every intention of keeping ordinary Italians -- women or no--  exactly where and who they are, which is.... yeah, cogs in a wheel owned by someone else.   And meanwhile as fiery as her speeches have been sometimes, she self describes as a traditionalist in order not to scare away true conservatives who are merely dissatisifed by overall government policy.

 Same as what's been going on lately in back rooms (and some donor circles) of the Republican party:  weeding out candidates or even a few GOP congress critters who are a little bit too strident in advertising the actual extremism of today's Republican Party.  Kevin McCarthy wants to tone down the public look and feel of some of House Freedom Caucus, not intending that the party act with more moderation if it returns to majority control in the House next year,  but at least to look and sound like it.

These are not necessarily anti-Trump Republicans in the sense of a Liz Cheney, even if McCarthy and others in the GOP leadership are getting past weary of the former prez.  They recognize the need not to tip that applecart over before the elections.

What they have been aiming for is reduced risk of alienating conservative and independent votes they need, as well as possibly making McCarthy's cat-herding chores a little simpler next year.  But the main thing is the upcoming elections, so we can file this effort under the shopworn rubric "Don't frighten the horses."

*How Kevin McCarthy’s political machine worked to sway the GOP field* (paywall removed)

_"Allies spent millions in a sometimes secretive effort to weed out candidates who could cause the House leader trouble or jeopardize GOP victories in November"_​


----------



## Herdfan

lizkat said:


> What's hilarious to me is that so many references are indeed to Gingrich's old name for the thing, "Contract for America"  and the parody title that substituted "on" instead of "for".      No one's paying attention to the actual new title, much less to whatever is in it,  aside from the video with the offshore images.  Talk about rocky rollouts.




Laugh all you want.  The "Contract *WITH* America" gave the GOP control of the House for the first time in 40 years.  That's generations.


----------



## Herdfan

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I find it ironic that the main reason for the rise of the global right is the failures of capitalism and they turn to fascist authoritarianism that is the biggest defender of extreme capitalism – power concentrated at the top while crushing the workers by making them grateful to be a cog in the machine and the scraps they get for doing so.




That's one interpretation.  

But I say it isn't the Global Right, but the Global Elites.  Of both sides.


----------



## Citysnaps

Herdfan said:


> Laugh all you want.  The "Contract *WITH* America" gave the GOP control of the House for the first time in 40 years.  That's generations.




And with that, Newt Gingrich introduced and made nastiness a virtue on the Republican side, which has grown exponentially in strength and nutjobbery over the last 40 years.


----------



## lizkat

Herdfan said:


> Laugh all you want.  The "Contract *WITH* America" gave the GOP control of the House for the first time in 40 years.  That's generations.




Gingrich had the sense to focus on items that at least 60% of _all Americans_ were then in favor of, although the ensuing Congress developed a preference to split the items into a larger number of bills, hoping to get an impressive number of them passed in the House but suspecting (correctly) that a lot of them would not make it through the Senate. 

 The alleged "Commitment to America" that McCarthy has put up to represent goals of the Republican Party of today carries little sense of an actual legislative program, since whenever the Rs do flash their colors on that score on the national scene, they tend to take a drubbing.   Meanwhile the language is close to embarrassing in some places:









						McCarthy rolls out House GOP 'Commitment to America' ahead of midterms
					

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., rolled out an agenda he says the House GOP would follow if it flips the House this November.




					abcnews.go.com
				






> While intended to detail what an agenda could look like in a GOP House majority, the plan is light on specifics. Included in the "commitment" are platitudes like "support[ing] our troops," "exercis[ing] peace through strength with our allies to counter increasing global threats," "recover[ing] lost learning from school closures" and "uphold[ing] free speech."
> 
> The proposal also boasts of "rigorous oversight," though no specific investigatory efforts are laid out.




Well of course Elise Stefanik weighed in on that last one, laughably enough talking about "rooting out corruption" in the administration....   even as the former prez she still sucks up to all the time juggles multiple run-ins with our rule of law.   MTG has been quoted as suggesting she will introduce a resolution to impeach Biden every week.  McCarthy may like to tone that effort down a little... or, not.

But never mind,  it's the wacky season, six weeks before voters roll eyes and try to exercise their constitutional right to help shape our representative self-governance.

McCarthy's effort with the "Commitment to America" rollout is essentially a last ditch attempt to paper over the divisions in the Republican party itself,  as well as a campaign ad meant to gloss over the difficulties that Donald Trump is facing as those six weeks to election day roll off the calendar.

It's not quite inexplicable to me that Trump is still the nominal head of this GOP,  despite being the most disgraced president in the history of the USA.   But it grows more so by the day in the wake of all of Trump's legal difficulties, some of which are unprecedented for either a sitting or former US president. 

Once the elections are over I will not be surprised if  within the Republican Party some of the serious divisions that herald a struggle to arrive at "the post-Trump era" become far more visible.   How that affects the leaders of Congress and course of actual legislation (no matter who holds the gavels) remains to be seen.  I'd personally hope for more across-aisle cooperation on key problems we keep kicking down the road as a nation.   Not holding breath.


----------



## ronntaylor

Citysnaps said:


> And with that, Newt Gingrich introduced and made nastiness a virtue on the Republican side, which has grown exponentially in strength and nutjobbery over the last 40 years.



Exactly what happened. It indeed was a contract *ON* America. A rehash of Reagan/Heritage Foundation ideology and scheming. It's been steep downhill ride every time the GOP gains control. It'll be worst this time since they've rigged the system even more than usual. Especially if they outright steal seats since they're in control of the vote count/assessments in lots of places.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Herdfan said:


> That's one interpretation.
> 
> But I say it isn't the Global Right, but the Global Elites.  Of both sides.




One thing I don’t get, and this might be the way the media is presenting it, is to me elites are elites.  But it seems from the right there are good elites and bad elites as if one set is more aligned with the lower classes.  While it may be fair to say there are more democrat elites in tech and entertainment, it’s absurd to think that Wall St and finance isn’t packed with republican elites and I’d argue they’re waging the most war against the lower classes.  Then of course there is the fossil fuel elites, big pharma, and the legacy families who rarely get a mention these days packed with republicans.  Like I said, it may be the media‘s slant on good and bad elites in the right’s eyes, but then there’s Trump - lifelong poster child of elites screwing and despising the lower classes getting a total pass by lower class republicans.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Culture wars, increasingly louder dogwhistling maturing into overt racism, more for the wealthy and themselves and less for everyone else, and a core base of brainwashed, corrupt, violence-sympathizing, white nationalist ideology-pushing, voter-suppressing and power-grabbing.

That's the republican agenda. Any agenda like healthcare or job creation is always a riff on "Let us enact these policies (which provide nothing for any of those things) and the market will be so great it will all take care of itself". They have no real plan. Look at their last plan after Romney lost - to appeal to more minorities and broaden the base. They ended up with Trump.. that's a big tent alright, but a circus tent.

Republican policies are not popular. But they've found people can be convinced with hatred and racism to vote against their own best interest, cutting their nose to spite their face. Our lopsided electoral system and the makeup of congress allow them to appear more competitive at the ballot box than they are in the general public.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

I only loosely follow leftwing mainstream media but I assume rightwing mainstream media is the same on this because they are all corporate shills. The union movement, mostly mum on the subject or at best possibly the only time they report news without opinion. All the progressive sources I follow are enthusiastically pro union, read: working class. You’d think this is something those on the right, or what makes up Trump supporters on paper, would bond over this but they are probably so hellbent on outrage and vengeance that they are no longer capable of seeing an obvious ally.

Or maybe they think only leftists with useless college degrees work at coffee shops, Amazon distribution centers, and fast food chains. Since the right is so driven by exclusion they probably can’t fathom people on the left championing something that would benefit them as well. There must be some catch or ulterior motive that will screw them in the end.


----------



## GermanSuplex

I guess it’s Mitch McConnell’s turn to have Trump insult his wife and do nothing about it. Trump called his wife, former Trump Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chow, “Coco Chow” on his stupid social media platform, as well as saying McConnell has a “death wish”.

The midterms are beyond are going to be unreal.


----------



## Citysnaps

GermanSuplex said:


> I guess it’s Mitch McConnell’s turn to have Trump insult his wife and do nothing about it. Trump called his wife, former Trump Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chow, “Coco Chow” on his stupid social media platform, as well as saying McConnell has a “death wish”.
> 
> The midterms are beyond are going to be unreal.




The insult was even a bit worse. _"Must immediately seek help and advise from his China loving wife, Coco Chow!”   _

She was born in Taiwan.

What's really sick is there are likely tens of millions of Americans who are OK with the slur and think it's funny.


----------



## DT

Rick Scott just said to Margaret Brennan, "That's a nickname, but but but FEMA ..."

Then she asked him, directly, several times, about the Greene comment, "Democrats want Republicans dead. They've already started the killings." and he would NOT denounce it, he kept going back to the VP comments, bringing people together, he would not even say something indirect like "I don't know what she said, but clearly that kind of language is not appropriate",  fucking ghoul.


----------



## Alli

DT said:


> Then she asked him, directly, several times, about the Greene comment, "Democrats want Republicans dead. They've already started the killings." and he would NOT denounce it, he kept going back to the VP comments, bringing people together, he would not even say something indirect like "I don't know what she said, but clearly that kind of language is not appropriate", fucking ghoul.



So who exactly killed whom?


----------



## lizkat

GermanSuplex said:


> I guess it’s Mitch McConnell’s turn to have Trump insult his wife and do nothing about it. Trump called his wife, former Trump Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chow, “Coco Chow” on his stupid social media platform, as well as saying McConnell has a “death wish”.
> 
> The midterms are beyond are going to be unreal.




Maybe the midterms will instead indicate a political equivalent of "quiet quitting" on the part of conservative leaning potential voters -- one can never know for sure until votes are cast.

Not every conservative voter is active on social media.  Not every conservative would ever consider voting for anyone except a Republican (or mabe a Conservative or equivalent in a state with fusion voting).   But some _will _sit on their hands before voting for _anyone_ when the "conservative Republican" on a congressional ticket is a Trump supporter:  there are potential voters who by now are sick of the meddling scofflaw ex-president Donald Trump,  and the mini-Trumps who have received his endorsement. 

Of course there are voters who will hold nose and vote their preferred party ticket anyway but more often that's in a presidential election year, not in the midterms. 

As for Trump's insults to McConnell and his wife,  it's clear Trump's impulsive and by now diffused rage will never be moderated by either self-preservation or pragmatism in singling out particular individuals for abusive commentary.   As a member of senior leadership in the Republican Party, McConnell essentially helps hold purse strings on hundreds of millions of campaign dollars.   This means nothing to Trump in a rage.  It does mean something to people who have the option to cease cooperation in the GOP's underwriting Trump as a viable political figure. 

McConnell is not likely to dignify Trump's remarks with any sort of commentary, despite some trolling on social media along lines of "gee the guy won't even defend his wife" etc.    But Mitch McConnell is known to be a guy who understands that revenge is a dish best served cold.

The difference between McConnell and a lot of other Republicans (particularly some in the House) is that McConnell actually cares for the viability of the GOP.    Ever since the ascension of Trump and the now widening fissures over how to manage a course correction away from a cultish party outlook,  McConnell has engaged in a kind of ballet between assuaging concerns of Trump's followers and ensuring that the door remains open for those in the party (not necessarily those in Congress) who already want Trump firmly in the rear view mirror.

MItch's fence-dance has garnered him scorn from all sides, within and without the GOP, but he doesn't seem to mind.  He still has the 2010 Citizens United decision of SCOTUS on his side, and so more access to campaign funds for the GOP than Donald Trump can even dream of having at his own disposal:  "All the free speech money can buy." 

Meanwhile Trump is stuck with grifting dough from his followers to pay for legal defense he doesn't even cooperate with.    If you ask me who's going to come out on top with this battle for the cynical soul of the GOP,  my two cents are on McConnell.

Even Kevin McCarthy, more noticeably a ring-kisser in Trump's corner, is angling for a toned-down far right caucus in the House.    McConnell and McCarthy both want a Republican Party that can move on past Trump once these midterms are over,  win or lose a majority in either chamber of Congress.    It's only Trump doesn't quite get that yet.  HIs allegiance is to himself.   McConnell and McCarthy get it that their own powers are rooted in overall support from the Republican Party.  They look at the dance their own party's congressional candidates are doing, state by state, and it's clear that there's more daylight now between the people and Trump, and so between the party and Trump.


----------



## Citysnaps

DT said:


> Rick Scott just said to Margaret Brennan, "That's a nickname, but but but FEMA ..."
> 
> Then she asked him, directly, several times, about the Greene comment, "Democrats want Republicans dead. They've already started the killings." and he would NOT denounce it, he kept going back to the VP comments, bringing people together, he would not even say something indirect like "I don't know what she said, but clearly that kind of language is not appropriate",  fucking ghoul.




I just saw that.  Professional level weaseling at its finest.


----------



## DT

Alli said:


> So who exactly killed whom?




Right?  It's always the  vague comment with a violent undercurrent which is just swell to motivate some brain-dead, on-the-edge Q nut to go on a shooting rampage.


----------



## lizkat

Yah this rhetoric of political violence just needs to stop.   Every single time some politician relays or initiates anew the idea that dissatisfaction over a political issue could be swayed or settled by violence, that person needs to be reprimanded in public by the entire senior leadership of the person's party.  

It's not that we haven't seen times of political violence in the USA. We have done.  But in the time of Donald Trump's ascendancy during 2016 was the first time I ever saw a presidential candidate suggest during his campaign that political violence --against dissenters, against working members of the press-- was acceptable.  He wasn't talking about law enforcement.   He was urging his followers to consider vigilante style management of other people's free speech.  And ever since then, others have felt free to speak for and even to act on that idea.

Refusing to _normalize_ political violence is one of the ways we remain a democracy.   It should be a bipartisan effort.


----------



## lizkat

Gee even in blue New York State, the GOP is going to court --and at this late date!--  hoping to do themselves a favor in the November midterms by contesting changes in election law that have facilitated absentee voting.

 Meanwhile absentee ballots are going out already to military and next week to local voters, so wtf?!









						Absentee ballot dispute between major political parties now a lawsuit
					

Democrats and voting-rights advocates are blasting a lawsuit filed by state Republicans and their allies that could upend how absentee ballots are processed in New York.




					buffalonews.com
				






> Last Week, GOP and Conservative officials – including the Erie County Republican election commissioner – filed the suit that challenges who is eligible to vote by absentee ballot and challenges how those ballots are counted. They argue that changes to election law made in recent years by Democrats in state government make it more difficult to ensure the security of absentee voting.






> Democrats say the election law provisions and party mailer challenged in the lawsuit were good-faith efforts to make it easier for as many eligible voters as possible to cast ballots. The changes to state law have not created more opportunities for voter fraud, and people can still have valid reasons to want to avoid Covid-19 at the polling place, Zellner said.






> They also questioned the timing of the lawsuit, noting that Republicans earlier this year participated in primaries conducted under the same rules without raising objections.




Do the Rs still not get it that by doing this, they risk zeroing out the votes for their own candidates? Plenty of the elderly in rural upstate townships vote for Republicans and are now accustomed to doing it absentee,  which the state still permits if one remains concerned about covid. 

Sure the pandemic is no longer crippling the nation but that doesn't mean elderly people even if vaxxed and boosted are not susceptible to covid variants still floating around.   The absentee ballot requests for primaries had a box to check if you also wished to sign up at that point to receive absentee ballots for all further elections in 2022.  The GOP is essentially contesting that choice in retrospect in a part of their challenge!    Honestly, what they are doing is just casting doubt into people's minds in advance of what should be a pretty trouble-free election compared to the hassle of the primaries in New York this year with special elections and redistricting. 

The piece wrapped up by saying no matter which way the district court goes on this,  the loser will doubtless appeal.  So even on a fast tracked basis, the election will be upon us and we'll still be wondering if we can cast an absentee ballot or should rip it up and risk going to vote in person.


----------



## ronntaylor

lizkat said:


> Gee even in blue New York State, the GOP is going to court --and at this late date!--  hoping to do themselves a favor in the November midterms by contesting changes in election law that have facilitated absentee voting.
> 
> Meanwhile absentee ballots are going out already to military and next week to local voters, so wtf?!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Absentee ballot dispute between major political parties now a lawsuit
> 
> 
> Democrats and voting-rights advocates are blasting a lawsuit filed by state Republicans and their allies that could upend how absentee ballots are processed in New York.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> buffalonews.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Do the Rs still not get it that by doing this, they risk zeroing out the votes for their own candidates? Plenty of the elderly in rural upstate townships vote for Republicans and are now accustomed to doing it absentee,  which the state still permits if one remains concerned about covid.
> 
> Sure the pandemic is no longer crippling the nation but that doesn't mean elderly people even if vaxxed and boosted are not susceptible to covid variants still floating around.   The absentee ballot requests for primaries had a box to check if you also wished to sign up at that point to receive absentee ballots for all further elections in 2022.  The GOP is essentially contesting that choice in retrospect in a part of their challenge!    Honestly, what they are doing is just casting doubt into people's minds in advance of what should be a pretty trouble-free election compared to the hassle of the primaries in New York this year with special elections and redistricting.
> 
> The piece wrapped up by saying no matter which way the district court goes on this,  the loser will doubtless appeal.  So even on a fast tracked basis, the election will be upon us and we'll still be wondering if we can cast an absentee ballot or should rip it up and risk going to vote in person.



Same day that we got our absentee ballots. Heading down to Virginia this weekend, so filing out the ballots down there some time next week. Mostly already know how we're voting. This is a BS move and I hope it isn't overlooked by voters.


----------



## Yoused

lizkat said:


> Gee even in blue New York State, the GOP is going to court --and at this late date!-- hoping to do themselves a favor in the November midterms by contesting changes in election law that have facilitated absentee voting.




It occurs to me that the Rs have a very substantive reason for opposing vote-by-mail and easy access to absentee ballots: they are ardent users of the "October Surprise", and when voting schedules become stochastic, it becomes a much less effective tactic.


----------



## lizkat

Yoused said:


> It occurs to me that the Rs have a very substantive reason for opposing vote-by-mail and easy access to absentee ballots: they are ardent users of the "October Surprise", and when voting schedules become stochastic, it becomes a much less effective tactic.




It's substantive all right but it may not have much legal weight as an argument in the upcoming case in NY.   Of course neither will their other complaints.  They're talking about weird situations like what it someone votes absentee and their ballot is opened and processed but then the person dies before Election Day, and what if someone votes absentee and returns it and it's opened and processed and _then_ the person changes their mind and can't vote in person to overrride it bc already processed etc.  All this stuff is covered in the rules,  but the Rs just want to raise bogeymen to stir pots ahead of the election...


----------



## Pumbaa

lizkat said:


> It's substantive all right but it may not have much legal weight as an argument in the upcoming case in NY.   Of course neither will their other complaints.  They're talking about weird situations like what it someone votes absentee and their ballot is opened and processed but then the person dies before Election Day, and what if someone votes absentee and returns it and it's opened and processed and _then_ the person changes their mind and can't vote in person to overrride it bc already processed etc.  All this stuff is covered in the rules,  but the Rs just want to raise bogeymen to stir pots ahead of the election...



What if I vote in person and then change my mind? What if my preferred candidate loses? Ban voting in person too!


----------



## GermanSuplex

No wonder the DailyBeast ran with the Herschel Walker abortion story… the woman who’s accusing him is also the mother of one of his (many) children.









						She Had an Abortion With Herschel Walker. She Also Had a Child With Him.
					

Herschel Walker has claimed he has no idea who this woman could be. Here’s why that’s surprising.



					www.thedailybeast.com


----------



## mac_in_tosh

More craziness from the Trump led GOP (From HuffPost, Oct. 5, 2022):

_Speaking on Fox News, Gingrich hailed Walker as “the most important Senate candidate in the country” due to his “deep commitment to Christ.” That praise was offered despite Walker’s history of violence and domestic abuse and new accusations the supposed “pro-life” candidate paid for an abortion for a then-girlfriend in 2009.

Gingrich’s claim also ignored something else: Warnock is a senior pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta._


----------



## GermanSuplex

Gingrich also said Walker probably had a lot of concussions... which I can sympathize with, but that's not a very good defense of someone running for congress.

Some people have eaten a lot of paint chips. That may excuse their erratic behavior, but does not explain why they deserve a senate seat.


----------



## lizkat

GermanSuplex said:


> Gingrich also said Walker probably had a lot of concussions... which I can sympathize with, but that's not a very good defense of someone running for congress.
> 
> Some people have eaten a lot of paint chips. That may excuse their erratic behavior, but does not explain why they deserve a senate seat.




The saddest thing from point of view of Republican voters in Georgia is that they did have other choices -- a lot of them-- in the primaries for this Senate race but Donald Trump's endorsement of Walker just eclipsed them all.  






						Six candidates running in U.S. Senate Republican primary election in Georgia – Ballotpedia News
					






					news.ballotpedia.org
				




The other candidates' accomplishments included military service, agribusiness expertise, past experience as a White House fellow and on and on...     but none of that could apparently top "name recognition" overall:    the combo of Walker being a known name for his sports accomplishments and then getting Trump's nod was insurmountable.

With the latest revelations about Walker, it might ordinarily be very hard to imagine his polling won't drop farther behind that of Warnock. 

But we don't live in ordinary times, and it's entirely possible by now that a lot of Trump supporters have extrapolated their idol's claim --that he could shoot someone on Fifth Ave and not lose a single vote-- onto other GOP candidates who are either viewed as pro-Trump or who have been endorsed by him.  In other words, it does not matter AT ALL what Walker has done or said, he's the guy the pro-Trump crowd will vote for.  Any new revelation will only strengthen that defiant stance.

I don't envy Warnock having to debate Walker,  if Walker even shows up to the scheduled debate. 

Warnock is a honorable politician and a pastor and surely views this whole mess as having turned incredibly ugly and cruel at this point.   His opponent is just so unfit for the office... and it's impossible by now to sort out what of Walker's unacceptable behavior should be held to account, versus what has derived from injury and mental illness.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Listening to the book America: The Farewell Tour and one of the chapters starts with asking and answering one of the big questions we all have. How has Trump become the leader of the evangelical movement when he’s categorically the antithesis of what Christianity is supposedly about. The author lists everything in Trump’s history, values, and personality. The answer is actually quite simple. These exactly match evangelical leaders and their followers have been grifted in the same way for generations. Evangelical leaders passionately beg for money while living like royalty. You need to do it to save your soul/the country! He even quoted one televangelist in the 80’s telling viewers to write a check for $1,000 even if they can’t afford it because Jesus would find a way to send them money if they need it.  Be like Jesus.  Don't let him down. Their history is also filled with many of the same type scandals as Trump….sex outside marriage and tax and financial fraud.

This also more accurately defines when evangelical leaders went to the white house to pray over Trump. They weren’t praying over him. They were ritualistically thanking him for elevating their grift. It was more like a scene out of Rosemary’s Baby. It’s both scary and funny when the people who fear Satan the most can’t clearly see they are worshipping and supporting his forces. It’s pretty textbook Satanic manipulation for the rest of us outside their bubble.

In the followers/believers defense many of these people feel hopeless and depressed and instead of turning to drugs and alcohol (although some do that too) they turn to these movements. Each donation is chasing the dragon of the salvation high that rarely delivers and isn't based in reality.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Listening to the book America: The Farewell Tour and one of the chapters starts with asking and answering one of the big questions we all have. How has Trump become the leader of the evangelical movement when he’s categorically the antithesis of what Christianity is supposedly about. The author lists everything in Trump’s history, values, and personality. The answer is actually quite simple. These exactly match evangelical leaders and their followers have been grifted in the same way for generations. Evangelical leaders passionately beg for money while living like royalty. You need to do it to save your soul/the country! He even quoted one televangelist in the 80’s telling viewers to write a check for $1,000 even if they can’t afford it because Jesus would find a way to send them money if they need it.  Be like Jesus.  Don't let him down. Their history is also filled with many of the same type scandals as Trump….sex outside marriage and tax and financial fraud.
> 
> This also more accurately defines when evangelical leaders went to the white house to pray over Trump. They weren’t praying over him. They were ritualistically thanking him for elevating their grift. It was more like a scene out of Rosemary’s Baby. It’s both scary and funny when the people who fear Satan the most can’t clearly see they are worshipping and supporting his forces. It’s pretty textbook Satanic manipulation for the rest of us outside their bubble.
> 
> In the followers/believers defense many of these people feel hopeless and depressed and instead of turning to drugs and alcohol (although some do that too) they turn to these movements. Each donation is chasing the dragon of the salvation high that rarely delivers and isn't based in reality.




The "sad" emoticon I stuck on your post was for the followers of the high profile evangelicals pitching their dubious wares on TV...    An angry one would have been for those preachers.

I have thought about getting that Chris Hedges book,  but have been a bit put off by previews of  its unrelentingly (if also deservedly) negative take on where we stand in the relentless grind of capitalism on its route to "two dogs fighting over an empty bowl."   I think I'd have to pair it with some book having a more optimistic outlook on Americans' ability to pull out of the dive before it's too late.

 Not sure how optimistic I am any more really, but I am hoping that Biden's legislative accomplishments will have put a floor under decent job prospects for many more Americans.   

What we do with ensuing higher household income and higher tax revenues is up to individuals and municipalities, but it should help stave off the day when the only things for sale are stale soda and chips,  and the only way to get them is to walk to the one big store in Texas and offer to dust the mostly empty shelves in exchange for a cut of the wares.

Meanwhile I guess the superwealthy will have taken off for new homes on Mars?

They don't even count as capitalists.  Yeah they shed some bucks here and there to fund hospitals or concert halls or sports stadia but that's like a snake molting really.  They can't even spend the interest they make and yet the bulk of their "investments" are predatory.   They don't quite see the day coming when they will have crushed the very will to survive of the people whose labor now supports them.  Who will grow the corn for their beef?  Who will plant the soy for their marinated tofu on superfine green beans?  Who will make the china plates and fashion the sterling silver cutlery?  And what about the Sun, coming to eat Earth?   Are we to assume that Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos will build space arks and transport some lucky pairs of everything to a new galaxy, because some yet to be born genius finally figures out how to shrink a light year?​
The problem in the short term for Democrats --to the extent voters consider things outside the walls of their polarized silos--    is that the new jobs are mostly in the offing, even with infrastructure plans finally coming off the shelf now, and some commitments already by chipmakers to build fabrication plants onshore, etc.     

The problem for Republicans is a little more stark:  how to dismount from the Trump wing and even have a tattered banner left to carry forward.   They ARE Trump.  They said so in their  2020 convention.  Now some are trying to put daylight between them and the orange disgrace, but the mini-Trumps are scattered thoughout the American landscape, so the Republican agenda for 2022 is as empty as it ever was of any public service intentions.  The Trump followers of the political class ARE still Donald Trump, and they mean either to retain office or declare their losses null and void and step into office anyway.   The other Republicans are mostly just trying to figure out what social media platform to gather on if Elon Musk buys Twitter and turns it into another Truth Social.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

lizkat said:


> The "sad" emoticon I stuck on your post was for the followers of the high profile evangelicals pitching their dubious wares on TV...    An angry one would have been for those preachers.
> 
> I have thought about getting that Chris Hedges book,  but have been a bit put off by previews of  its unrelentingly (if also deservedly) negative take on where we stand in the relentless grind of capitalism on its route to "two dogs fighting over an empty bowl."   I think I'd have to pair it with some book having a more optimistic outlook on Americans' ability to pull out of the dive before it's too late.
> 
> Not sure how optimistic I am any more really, but I am hoping that Biden's legislative accomplishments will have put a floor under decent job prospects for many more Americans.
> 
> What we do with ensuing higher household income and higher tax revenues is up to individuals and municipalities, but it should help stave off the day when the only things for sale are stale soda and chips,  and the only way to get them is to walk to the one big store in Texas and offer to dust the mostly empty shelves in exchange for a cut of the wares.
> 
> Meanwhile I guess the superwealthy will have taken off for new homes on Mars?
> 
> They don't even count as capitalists.  Yeah they shed some bucks here and there to fund hospitals or concert halls or sports stadia but that's like a snake molting really.  They can't even spend the interest they make and yet the bulk of their "investments" are predatory.   They don't quite see the day coming when they will have crushed the very will to survive of the people whose labor now supports them.  Who will grow the corn for their beef?  Who will plant the soy for their marinated tofu on superfine green beans?  Who will make the china plates and fashion the sterling silver cutlery?  And what about the Sun, coming to eat Earth?   Are we to assume that Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos will build space arks and transport some lucky pairs of everything to a new galaxy, because some yet to be born genius finally figures out how to shrink a light year?​
> The problem in the short term for Democrats --to the extent voters consider things outside the walls of their polarized silos--    is that the new jobs are mostly in the offing, even with infrastructure plans finally coming off the shelf now, and some commitments already by chipmakers to build fabrication plants onshore, etc.
> 
> The problem for Republicans is a little more stark:  how to dismount from the Trump wing and even have a tattered banner left to carry forward.   They ARE Trump.  They said so in their  2020 convention.  Now some are trying to put daylight between them and the orange disgrace, but the mini-Trumps are scattered thoughout the American landscape, so the Republican agenda for 2022 is as empty as it ever was of any public service intentions.  The Trump followers of the political class ARE still Donald Trump, and they mean either to retain office or declare their losses null and void and step into office anyway.   The other Republicans are mostly just trying to figure out what social media platform to gather on if Elon Musk buys Twitter and turns it into another Truth Social.




The author said the only way to rescue these people is to improve their economic conditions but business leaders don’t want that and would rather switch to fascism where they can exploit people even more than they already are.

I also listened to an interview with the author of Survival of the Richest. Research on the book was inspired by a meeting with a group of billionaires. He really had no idea what the meeting was going to be about going in. What it was about is by their calculations there is a 20% chance that some kind of global catastrophe will happen in their lifetime, economic or climate related, and so they are putting 20% of their wealth towards surviving it. They wanted to know things like if it would be better to build their bunker in New Zealand or Alaska. They thought they would hire Nay Seals to guard it, but the author asked them how would paying them matter when money is completely worthless in such a scenario. This was a real revelation they hadn’t thought of and would have to figure it out. They even toyed with the idea of planting chips on people that would keep them in line under the threat of injury or death activation. The author told them one of the best ways to plan ahead for this is to start treating people better now. This never crossed their mind. The book should be an interesting and horrifying read.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

“Rugged individualism”. Another thing Republicans claim to be champions of that they aren’t. People on the right are far more likely to join the unquestioned hivemind of churches, the military, and militia groups…the farthest thing from individualism. Meanwhile the main reason the left can’t keep their movements together is because there are too many individual opinions and often third or more rails are tossed in that have nothing to do with the movement. How can we ever expect to improve the economic conditions of minorities while our oceans are contaminated with plastic bottles?!?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Alabama Sen. Tuberville equates descendants of enslaved people to criminals
					

Tuberville spoke at a pro-Trump rally in Nevada on Saturday ahead of the November midterm elections. The NAACP called the comments "flat out racist, ignorant and utterly sickening."




					www.npr.org
				




Here's the thing.  If they just went full-on blatant racist it would have close to zero impact on a good percentage of Republican voters. FACT.  There's no line that can be crossed that they won't just look the other way under "Well, I don't agree with that, but that doesn't have anything to do with why I vote Republican." 

Just as troubling, there are minority Republicans who will also overlook racism because they have some shared beliefs about their own race, as if the racist takeover will be issuing them "one of the good ones" badges that will protect them against attacks from the general public.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Republicans have lost any semblance of respectability. They don't even try anymore. They've openly abandoned all of their supposed foundational beliefs, among them family values. Now two GOP Senators (Rick Scott and Tom Cotton) are going to Georgia to try and salvage Hershel Walker's campaign. The guy held a gun to his wife's head, he spawned multiple children that he has no relationship with, he campaigns on being anti-abortion but paid for one in the past and encouraged the same woman to have another. But all of that doesn't stop Newt Gingrich from saying Walker is committed to Christ or Rick Scott from saying he's proud to stand with Herschel Walker and make sure Georgians know that Walker will always fight to protect them from the forces trying to destroy Georgia's values, led by Raphael Warnock.

Walker is a philanderer who abandons his children and has committed domestic violence, and by the way has trouble uttering a cogent sentence, while Warnock is a pastor but somehow Walker is more in tune with Georgia's values. And let's not even get into Trump's family values.

At this point, the GOP is appealing to people's basest fears and motives, nothing more. They're not interested in governing, just holding power. The poster boy for that is the sleeze Ted Cruz who was caught escaping to Cancun while millions of his fellow Texans were suffering from massive blackouts. Trump incites a coup attempt and steals highly classified documents? No problem for today's GOP.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

mac_in_tosh said:


> Republicans have lost any semblance of respectability. They don't even try anymore. They've openly abandoned all of their supposed foundational beliefs, among them family values. Now two GOP Senators (Rick Scott and Tom Cotton) are going to Georgia to try and salvage Hershel Walker's campaign. The guy held a gun to his wife's head, he spawned multiple children that he has no relationship with, he campaigns on being anti-abortion but paid for one in the past and encouraged the same woman to have another. But all of that doesn't stop Newt Gingrich from saying Walker is committed to Christ or Rick Scott from saying he's proud to stand with Herschel Walker and make sure Georgians know that Walker will always fight to protect them from the forces trying to destroy Georgia's values, led by Raphael Warnock.
> 
> Walker is a philanderer who abandons his children and has committed domestic violence, and by the way has trouble uttering a cogent sentence, while Warnock is a pastor but somehow Walker is more in tune with Georgia's values. And let's not even get into Trump's family values.
> 
> At this point, the GOP is appealing to people's basest fears and motives, nothing more. They're not interested in governing, just holding power. The poster boy for that is the sleeze Ted Cruz who was caught escaping to Cancun while millions of his fellow Texans were suffering from massive blackouts. Trump incites a coup attempt and steals highly classified documents? No problem for today's GOP.




I heard a soundbite over the weekend from a representative saying she doesn’t care if any of the accusations are true or even if he was killing bald eagles. All that matters is control of the house and his vote they can count on. You have to appreciate that level of honesty and I’d say she probably speaks for the majority of Republican politicians and a good amount of their voters.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I heard a soundbite over the weekend from a representative saying she doesn’t care if any of the accusations are true or even if he was killing bald eagles. All that matters is control of the house and his vote they can count on. You have to appreciate that level of honesty and I’d say she probably speaks for the majority of Republican politicians and a good amount of their voters.



Okay, but to what end for their voters who aren't wealthy donors? So the GOP can attack Social Security and Medicare that many of them are on, or that their parents are on? So the GOP can attack the Affordable Care Act, that many of them may use for health insurance? Ordinary working folks don't realize that their interests are not served by Republicans, with the only explanation being fear mongering by the GOP. Example - an ad in Pennsylvania accusing Fetterman of advocating Marxist policies. I guess the Red Scare is alive and well.

Trump has shown the GOP that lying works, no matter how obvious. And the bigger the lie (fake news, rigged election, FBI planting documents) the better they work.


----------



## Yoused

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I heard a soundbite over the weekend from a representative saying she doesn’t care if any of the accusations are true or even if he was killing bald eagles. All that matters is control of the house and his vote they can count on.



It was Dana Loesch, who is a blithering pimple, not a representative, and Walker is running for a Senate seat.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

mac_in_tosh said:


> Okay, but to what end for their voters who aren't wealthy donors? So the GOP can attack Social Security and Medicare that many of them are on, or that their parents are on? So the GOP can attack the Affordable Care Act, that many of them may use for health insurance? Ordinary working folks don't realize that their interests are not served by Republicans, with the only explanation being fear mongering by the GOP. Example - an ad in Pennsylvania accusing Fetterman of advocating Marxist policies. I guess the Red Scare is alive and well.
> 
> Trump has shown the GOP that lying works, no matter how obvious. And the bigger the lie (fake news, rigged election, FBI planting documents) the better they work.




A lot of it started with the biggest lie of all, American exceptionalism. We have some exceptional people and innovations but so do a lot of other countries. The difference is we are told everybody is exceptional for doing completely normal and mundane things, as if nobody else outside the US works a hard week or raises a family….conjuring up the vision of somebody hauling lumber in their Ford truck on a dirt road. Wow, exceptional. Our current biggest exceptional innovation is wealth redistribution to the top by people who do nothing of value for society while convincing some the real problem is people just trying to survive. A+


----------



## Huntn

mac_in_tosh said:


> Okay, but to what end for their voters who aren't wealthy donors? So the GOP can attack Social Security and Medicare that many of them are on, or that their parents are on? So the GOP can attack the Affordable Care Act, that many of them may use for health insurance? Ordinary working folks don't realize that their interests are not served by Republicans, with the only explanation being fear mongering by the GOP. Example - an ad in Pennsylvania accusing Fetterman of advocating Marxist policies. I guess the Red Scare is alive and well.
> 
> Trump has shown the GOP that lying works, no matter how obvious. And the bigger the lie (fake news, rigged election, FBI planting documents) the better they work.



It is absolutely amazing depressing that the GOP holds as broad support as it does. Talking about what the GOP can do for the country is like promoting why we’d want the Mafia in charge. The Mafia= self serving, might makes right, corruption. I have concluded that this party’s appeal is based on a combination of:

Racism
Self serving
Viewing Democracy as a threat to your personal racism and interests.
End justifies the means.
Membership in the country club.  (perception)
STUPIDITY and GULLIBILITY
Inability to realize you are being used.
Inadvertently, these people have become a threat to democracy, the rule of reasonable coherent laws, and the Constitution. Cheating to win is not winning, it’s cheating and undermines any system designed to organize a society.

For the crooks, you  have to promise the marks you want to fool with something they want, while you pick their pockets, Trump was very good at identifying the self serving flaws in his suckers. The GOP, those remaining have adopted this standard.


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> Talking about what the GOP can do for the country is like promoting why we’d want the Mafia in charge.




Yeah the Rs don't talk about any specifics or sometimes even at all about what they're going to do. They're pitching CRIME and THEM. All negative and a lot of projection.   Some of the ads I've seen don't even mention the name of a Republican candidate.  They're trying to spread out their thinning funds by using generic fear mongering against the very idea of voting for any Democrats.

I got bored after only a couple days of repetitive GOP ads during my one-month re-up of YTTV for the baseball postseason...  had to laugh though at the succession of political ads on a regional news station.  First a scary CRIME/THEM ad for the generic Rs, and the next ad after that was by a specific Democrat running for Congress who grew up in the area and was talking about how friendly people are and the work ethic still so strong and how he will bring new jobs to the area to take advantage of a well educated and skilled workforce.​
The problem is,  polarization of potential voters is so strong now that there's not much "indie" swing left on the issues, as far as I can tell. I only qualify it that way because pollsters admit they may not have it right yet again this year, especially throwing in the "new oddities" of redistricting and state-level legislative changes that may favor ability of Republicans to delay or overturn results they don't like.  

So it may all come down to relative strength of vote turnout.   Remains to be seen which party's voters are more galvanized or made complacent by the overturn of Roe v Wade, and whether "the economy, stupid"  gets interpreted as good or bad  --despite or because of the facts, in an allegedly now post-factual era.

Imagine being a pollster when more than half the country lets all phone calls go to vmail anyway.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/11/politics/tulsi-gabbard-leaves-democratic-party/index.html

What a tool. Nobody has the support of half the country. That bullshit line needs to stop. Most of the country doesn’t vote and out of those who do probably about 2/3rds are completely tuned out and just blindly issue party line votes or reflexively flip sides when they aren't happy with the current reality.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/11/politics/tulsi-gabbard-leaves-democratic-party/index.html
> 
> What a tool. Nobody has the support of half the country. That bullshit line needs to stop. Most of the country doesn’t vote and out of those who do probably about 2/3rds are completely tuned out and just blindly issue party line votes or reflexively flip sides when they aren't happy with the current reality.




Last time Gabbard was actually a true-blue Democrat was when she stepped down from a honcho post in the DNC after (accurately) complaining about the 2016 national committee's premature and palpable pre-primary lean to Clinton. 

After that it was pretty much all downhill with Tulsi Gabbard as far as mainstream politics go.  She soon became very hard to figure out even among the Hawaiian voters in her House district.

If she now wants to be "indie" and expects a Dem following, she's not gonna get there hanging out with right-leaning conservatives.   Dems who lean conservative still tend to be blue dogs inside the Democratic Party.  It's the progressives are getting harder to hold there. 

As far as policy goes, she sounds like a Trump Republican.    After all, George Bush the son had hoped to pass practical immigration reform that is a lot like what today's Democrats want, including a lot of blue dogs in agricultural states.    It's nothing like "open borders" at all,  so Gabbard is just spouting R talking points.  

Bottom line her "leaving the Democratic Party" is weak tea for social media boost to her podcast...


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy




----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


>



Outstanding video, although I disagree with one  phrase, “Russians are mocking Republicans”. Instead I’d describe it as Russians manipulating, appealing to gullible STUPID (quite a lot of those around) in an attempt to turn them, reinforce their anti-US prejudices, make them feel like patriots instead of self serving, win at all costs, drive a stake into the heart of US democracy, poor lost souls.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Huntn said:


> Outstanding video, although I disagree with one  phrase, “Russians are mocking Republicans”. Instead I’d describe it as Russians manipulating, appealing to gullible STUPID (quite a lot of those around) in an attempt to turn them, reinforce their anti-US prejudices, make them feel like patriots instead of self serving, win at all costs, drive a stake into the heart of US democracy, poor lost souls.




I do think Russian elites think a lot of right-wing voters are useful idiots, as seems to be the case many times. As the video points out many of them are so hopped up on anti-left conspiracy theories that they think people who want a better and more equitable outcome for most Americans are a bigger enemy than a country whose biggest aspiration is to destroy the US. At this point it's just self-perpetuating. Just be against whatever the left is for. No explanation or minimal thought needed.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

The best explanation I’ve heard of the freedom of religion and separation of church and state so far is you have the right to take on the burden of your religious beliefs. You and the state don’t have the right to put that burden on others.  This is the intended purpose.  The Christian right and Supreme Court are on an anti-American religious crusade that will not end well for them as their numbers dwindle as a result.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

lizkat said:


> Yeah the Rs don't talk about any specifics or sometimes even at all about what they're going to do. They're pitching CRIME and THEM.



But Republicans fare no better at controlling crime. From Do Republican or Democratic states have more crime?:

_These are the top 10 most crime ridden states based on murders per 100,000 residents:_

_Mississippi_
_Louisiana_
_Kentucky_
_Alabama_
_Missouri_
_South Carolina_
_New Mexico_
_Georgia_
_Arkansas_
_Tennessee_
_Only No. 7 New Mexico and No. 8 Georgia voted for Biden. The remaining eight states are solidly Republican and voted for Trump.

Of states voting Democratic, New York, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Illinois are on par with the national crime average. Mississippi’s murder rate is four times that of New York and 2.5 times California. The five states with the highest murder rates are all Republican and Trump-voting states.

It turns out that crime is out of control, but the narrative is dead wrong. Based on the real numbers, Republican states that voted for Trump are where crime is out of control._


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

mac_in_tosh said:


> But Republicans fare no better at controlling crime. From Do Republican or Democratic states have more crime?:
> 
> _These are the top 10 most crime ridden states based on murders per 100,000 residents:_
> 
> _Mississippi_
> _Louisiana_
> _Kentucky_
> _Alabama_
> _Missouri_
> _South Carolina_
> _New Mexico_
> _Georgia_
> _Arkansas_
> _Tennessee_
> _Only No. 7 New Mexico and No. 8 Georgia voted for Biden. The remaining eight states are solidly Republican and voted for Trump.
> 
> Of states voting Democratic, New York, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Illinois are on par with the national crime average. Mississippi’s murder rate is four times that of New York and 2.5 times California. The five states with the highest murder rates are all Republican and Trump-voting states.
> 
> It turns out that crime is out of control, but the narrative is dead wrong. Based on the real numbers, Republican states that voted for Trump are where crime is out of control._





They just attempt to gerrymander reality into the United States of Chicago.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Democrats in large part seem to still stick with "when they go low we go high" but I don't think it's the best strategy in the current environment. If Republicans are trying to use crime to scare people to vote for them, Democrats should come out forcefully with ads that show Republicans are not better, in fact worse, at controlling crime. Have they done so?


----------



## fooferdoggie

mac_in_tosh said:


> Democrats in large part seem to still stick with "when they go low we go high" but I don't think it's the best strategy in the current environment. If Republicans are trying to use crime to scare people to vote for them, Democrats should come out forcefully with ads that show Republicans are not better, in fact worse, at controlling crime. Have they done so?



hell and commiting it and electing those who do.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> The best explanation I’ve heard of the freedom of religion and separation of church and state so far is you have the right to take on the burden of your religious beliefs. You and the state don’t have the right to put that burden on others.  This is the intended purpose.  The Christian right and Supreme Court are on an anti-American religious crusade that will not end well for them as their numbers dwindle as a result.



Exactly, freedom of religion includes freedom from religion, and definitely not a Christian Theocracy.


----------



## Huntn

mac_in_tosh said:


> But Republicans fare no better at controlling crime. From Do Republican or Democratic states have more crime?:
> 
> _These are the top 10 most crime ridden states based on murders per 100,000 residents:_
> 
> _Mississippi_
> _Louisiana_
> _Kentucky_
> _Alabama_
> _Missouri_
> _South Carolina_
> _New Mexico_
> _Georgia_
> _Arkansas_
> _Tennessee_
> _Only No. 7 New Mexico and No. 8 Georgia voted for Biden. The remaining eight states are solidly Republican and voted for Trump.
> 
> Of states voting Democratic, New York, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Illinois are on par with the national crime average. Mississippi’s murder rate is four times that of New York and 2.5 times California. The five states with the highest murder rates are all Republican and Trump-voting states.
> 
> It turns out that crime is out of control, but the narrative is dead wrong. Based on the real numbers, Republican states that voted for Trump are where crime is out of control._



The GOP base makes it easy when they can’t add 2+2. _Duh, whatever you say boss, I’m mad as hell! He said I should be angry, and damn it, I am! _


----------



## Yoused

Some people fail to understand the question

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1580729957550272513/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Yoused said:


> Some people fail to understand the question
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1580729957550272513/





I don't think he didn't understand the question.  Nobody is more against present day America than Republicans.  So it's not surprising he would see that as an admirable quality.


----------



## Alli

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> I don't think he didn't understand the question.  Nobody is more against present day America than Republicans.  So it's not surprising he would see that as an admirable quality.



That’s exactly it.


----------



## Yoused

Somebody challenged me to say something nice about Individual-ONE. Best I could come up with was,

"_Never met the guy._"


----------



## shadow puppet

Wow.  

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1581302999703429120/


----------



## Citysnaps

shadow puppet said:


> Wow.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1581302999703429120/




For real? Or is that some kind of image rehabilitation ploy? Not that it matters.


----------



## shadow puppet

Citysnaps said:


> For real? Or is that some kind of image rehabilitation ploy? Not that it matters.



That's what I want to know.  But it's sure getting airtime.


----------



## Yoused

Citysnaps said:


> Not that it matters.




As far as visible erosion of support for Individual-ONE, it is not exactly insignificant.


----------



## lizkat

Citysnaps said:


> For real? Or is that some kind of image rehabilitation ploy? Not that it matters.




Well, Stone _was_ pretty upset about not getting a second pardon.   Sounds like he was led to believe it was still possible right up to the day of Biden's inauguration.

Probably figured in the end he'd get that 2nd pardon because Trump would otherwise consider Stone a dangerous (if not particularly credible) potential witness in any investigations of 2020 post-election events involving efforts to keep Trump in office.

But the pardon didn't happen, Stone has taken the Fifth Amendment solution to at least delay his own further encounters with rule of law,  and anyway Trump has since gone on to endanger himself vs our criminal codes without any help from anyone. 

Stone talks like he's still stuck in those moments of Nixon's dirty tricks guys back in the 70s.  A bunch of dumber criminals would have been hard to script for a comedy film, and yet none of it is amusing when one thinks of the related attempts to subvert democracy.


----------



## lizkat

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Alabama Sen. Tuberville equates descendants of enslaved people to criminals
> 
> 
> Tuberville spoke at a pro-Trump rally in Nevada on Saturday ahead of the November midterm elections. The NAACP called the comments "flat out racist, ignorant and utterly sickening."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.npr.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the thing.  If they just went full-on blatant racist it would have close to zero impact on a good percentage of Republican voters. FACT.  There's no line that can be crossed that they won't just look the other way under "Well, I don't agree with that, but that doesn't have anything to do with why I vote Republican."
> 
> Just as troubling, there are minority Republicans who will also overlook racism because they have some shared beliefs about their own race, as if the racist takeover will be issuing them "one of the good ones" badges that will protect them against attacks from the general public.




Here is an interesting analysis by Nieman Lab of media treatment of Senator Tuberville's remarks.  They rated a number of media outlets on willingness to call the remarks "racist" (rather than something like 'racially charged') and on willingness to quote his "Bullshit!" exclamation in the wrap.  I think the latter examination was because the use of profanity in public speech by pols particularly in the Bible Belt is still not that common, and because mainstream media outlets often still partly mask or censor such exclamations, or substitute a phrase like "... used a profanity..." rather than print the word(s) that were used.









						Do news organizations call racist things racist now? It’s still a mixed bag
					

Saying Democrats want to give African Americans money as thanks for all the crimes they've committed against white people — is that racist? Or still just "racially charged"?



					www.niemanlab.org
				




The lab's piece noted that it took Fox News two days to comment on Tuberville's rant at all, and at that only rather obliquely.  Breitbart ran an AP account of the incident without comment,  but on its own initiative focused on reactions by two Black CNN staffers and called THOSE remarks racist.  Politico on the other hand quoted Tuberville in full but copped out on assessing how race fit into the remarks by saying only that the Senator "raised eyebrows" by the remarks.


----------



## Yoused

yeah, uh, no comment



Spoiler: Mehmet Oz drinks what?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

So Trump said at a rally (paraphrasing) that US Jews aren’t being jewy enough in their support of Israel. For the billionth time…not all Jews are Israeli and not all Israelis are members of the Israeli government, but when Trump rolls into town he barrels right past the nuance offramp and plummets off the cliff of ignorance to bodysurf on hatred.

I know this is a bit counterintuitive with the Christian right’s support of antisemitic replacement theory while also supporting Israel, but that has nothing to do with supporting Jews. For them supporting Israel is about harkening God wiping humans off the face of the planet in the ultimate throwdown with Satan. So yeah, you really want to roll with that crowd. Nothing gets them hornier than the prospect of Biblical level suffering.

On a related note, JD Vance said he can’t be a believer in replacement theory because he has an Indian wife and mixed race children. I bet he even has a black friend! For reference, it wasn’t the Trump family that stormed the capital. It was his supporters 100% driven by his rhetoric. So, Mr. Vance, you can claim you don’t believe in replacement theory but your rhetoric says the polar opposite. You know that and you know what the results of that will be.  I'm really getting tired of the "They hate my hate speech!" whining from the right.


----------



## shadow puppet

I realize this may not concern the younger contingent here, but for those of us closing in on SS and Medicare age, this possibility is extremely worrisome.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1582399230341050373/


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

A high school artist was chosen to paint a mural. Then came the outrage
					

A student said she created the piece to make kids "feel welcome." Some parents in Grant, Michigan, wanted the painting removed.




					www.today.com
				




It’s ok to attack children because they are no longer a fetus.


----------



## Yoused

comedy gold

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1582175638454009856/


----------



## fooferdoggie

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> A high school artist was chosen to paint a mural. Then came the outrage
> 
> 
> A student said she created the piece to make kids "feel welcome." Some parents in Grant, Michigan, wanted the painting removed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.today.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It’s ok to attack children because they are no longer a fetus.



snowflakes be triggered by anything.


----------



## GermanSuplex

fooferdoggie said:


> snowflakes be triggered by anything.




J.F.C.

Between this crap and the litter box BS going around, I don’t know what to think of the modern GOP.


----------



## GermanSuplex

shadow puppet said:


> I realize this may not concern the younger contingent here, but for those of us closing in on SS and Medicare age, this possibility is extremely worrisome.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1582399230341050373/




It’s not a secret. Between Rick Scott’s train wreck bill that even moderate republicans shit on (but would vote for in a second if they had the votes), and republicans overturning Roe v. Wade, it’s time for people to wake up.

Democrats already know republicans will do these things, but many Republican voters seem to not understand that they will be affected too, not just those “other people” who don’t vote like they do.

Republicans don’t like running on cutting these things, but they absolutely will. They try to dress their arguments up as simply “spending smarter”, but it’s really just a BS way of saying “cuts”.

This as the price as everything has gone up considerably, not just because of inflation either.


----------



## Yoused

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> A high school artist was chosen to paint a mural. Then came the outrage
> 
> 
> A student said she created the piece to make kids "feel welcome." Some parents in Grant, Michigan, wanted the painting removed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.today.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It’s ok to attack children because they are no longer a fetus.




from the story,

*Tracey Hargreaves, who has two children Grant Public School system, came to the defense of the student artist. “I am a conservative, right-wing, gun-loving American,” Hargreaves declared at the meeting. “And I’ve never seen more bigoted people in my life.”

"The meeting turned into a hate fest. Usually there are 10 people at these meetings, 50 showed up. It wasn't even about the mural," Hargreaves told TODAY. "People were talking about how we need to pray the gay away."*​
All hope is not lost. A lot is lost, but there may yet be a morsel.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> So Trump said at a rally (paraphrasing) that US Jews aren’t being jewy enough in their support of Israel.



Trump's contention is ironic because the usual accusation people of like ilk would make is that Jews are loyal to Israel and not so much to the U.S. Here Trump is criticizing them with the opposite contention that they aren't loyal enough to Israel.


----------



## lizkat

Yoused said:


> All hope is not lost. A lot is lost, but there may yet be a morsel.




Speaking of some people "talking about how we need to pray the gay away..."

SCOTUS agreed back in February to hear some aspects of the appeal of a case called _*303 Creative v Elenis*_, a case that is somewhat similar to the Colorado case of a baker declining to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.  This one is about a website designer wanting to post a notice on her own website explaining that she does not want to design wedding sites for same-sex couples due to her religious beliefs but would try to help them find someone else to provide the services.  Oral arguments to be heard on December 7th.  The baker's case was decided quite narrowly.  This one who knows.  The makeup of the court is different.  However, the court has already declined to consider some parts of the appellant's petition.  Some details in this blog









						Justices will hear free-speech claim from website designer who opposes same-sex marriage - SCOTUSblog
					

Nearly four years after the Supreme Court declined to decide whether compelling a Colorado baker to bake a cake for same-sex couples would violate his right to freedom of speech, the justices agreed to take up a similar question in another case from Colorado, this time involving a website designer.




					www.scotusblog.com


----------



## lizkat

mac_in_tosh said:


> At this point, the GOP is appealing to people's basest fears and motives, nothing more. They're not interested in governing,* just holding power.*




On December 7th, SCOTUS will hear arguments in _*Moore v Harper, *_ a case that proposes to put the legislative rights of a US state --regarding decisions on election rules-- out of reach of modification by the courts or the governor. 

The assertions relate to a so called "independent state legislature" theory, which up until now anyway has been treated judicially like some fringe assertion at the pub on a Friday night.  Now though, some red states embroiled in redistricting arguments have decided to press the issue and the court agreed to hear this one, a North Carolina case.









						U.S. Supreme Court Schedules Oral Argument for Moore v. Harper
					

Read more here.




					www.democracydocket.com
				




I'm marking this one as concerning because of Roberts' clear dislike for the federal Voting Rights Act and an apparent preference for taking a narrow and strict view of the Constituition's language about states' rights wherever they are mentioned.


----------



## lizkat

mac_in_tosh said:


> Trump's contention is ironic because the usual accusation people of like ilk would make is that Jews are loyal to Israel and not so much to the U.S. Here Trump is criticizing them with the opposite contention that they aren't loyal enough to Israel.




So sick of Trump's endless permutations of antisemitic tropes and rants.  Apparently so is Mehdi Hasan, whose monologue on MSNBC recounted some of the ones I had remembered being appalled at hearing Trump whip out the first time.  They haven't aged well either, no surprise there. 









						MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan Has Stark Warning Over Trump’s Latest Antisemitic Rant
					

“Now is not the time to stay silent or to give the GOP a pass on this issue,” Hasan urged.




					www.huffpost.com
				




Trump has set the country back decades by just flipping religious and racist tropes and slurs into the night whenever he feels like it.  And because Republican leaders have only occasionally stepped forward to rebuke him or make it clear that the GOP does not condone such hateful speech,  they have enabled anew a vile wash of open bigotry from coast to coast.

Was it better when confined to exclusionary clubs and private discussions in corporate offices and university admissions offices?  No.  Normalization of hate speech however is not the same as openly confronting it as an unworthy thread still running through the fabric of our society.  

The Republican party owns this rise in "acceptability" of old tropes and slurs.  The language is not acceptable but is being flung around without condemnation by people in a position to lead and educate us out of such ignorant or malevolent descriptions of fellow citizens.  The GOP honchos refuse to disavow Trump and yet know they can never change him.  In their stubborn desire not to lose the power they believe his base still offers them,  they forge a path away from being actual contributors to American democracy.    And... they don't seem to care.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Could have posted this in the midterms but this will probably outlast that.

TL;DW.   In August of 2019 he posted a video saying the trade wars with China are going to trigger a recession, tarrifs cause inflation. Then Covid covered that up and delayed it. Whoever the President is in office at the time would get blamed for it. And here we are.  Possibly the only downside to Trump not getting a second consecutive term is he would correctly be getting the blame for the current recession.  I will note that it’s not the only cause and as the video points out Presidents get outsized blame or praise for the economy because they really can’t do much about it.


----------



## Huntn

shadow puppet said:


> I realize this may not concern the younger contingent here, but for those of us closing in on SS and Medicare age, this possibility is extremely worrisome.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1582399230341050373/



This is a winning message  in GOP land??  Frankly it is astonishing the GOP still exists as a political threat instead of the laughing stock they should be. We’ll soon see if the the USA is crowned the Land of Idiots, or would that be the Land of Corruption and Sheep? The next election may tell the tale, or be just more stumbling forward until we end up on our knees crawling Into an uncertain future.


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> Could have posted this in the midterms but this will probably outlast that.
> 
> TL;DW.   In August of 2019 he posted a video saying the trade wars with China are going to trigger a recession, tarrifs cause inflation. Then Covid covered that up and delayed it. Whoever the President is in office at the time would get blamed for it. And here we are.  Possibly the only downside to Trump not getting a second consecutive term is he would correctly be getting the blame for the current recession.  I will note that it’s not the only cause and as the video points out Presidents get outsized blame or praise for the economy because they really can’t do much about it.



If Trump was in, the GOP would be bending over backwards to explain why the recession is Democrats fault as the faithful stay inebriated on Orange Koolaid. As is, you can feel good and feel terrible, knowing that we’ll collectively get what we deserve.


----------



## Alli

Yoused said:


> yeah, uh, no comment
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Mehmet Oz drinks what?



He is today’s Idi Amin in so many ways.


----------



## lizkat

Truth be told I am starting to focus less on today's candidates --circus acts or otherwise-- and more on the largely still under-radar effort of the far right to gather enough red state legislative power to force the calling of a constitutional convention...  hoping to install new rules of the road that enshrine "conservative" minority views of American governance.

The Guardian ran a big piece about it today, rounding up info on some of the movers and shakers at the level far below attention of most of the public, and noting that it only takes 34 states to call for a constitutional convention.   In 2022,  the Rs control legislatures of 30 states.









						Inside Steve Bannon’s ‘disturbing’ quest to radically rewrite the US constitution
					

By taking over state legislatures, Republicans hope to pass conservative amendments that cannot be electorally challenged




					www.theguardian.com
				




The 2010 Citizens United decision of course has unleashed tons of money into our politics and the worst part of it is how easy it is to dodge disclosure laws, weakened as they already are.   Lot of big corporations and individuals are willing to back constitutional revisions to prevent --indeed to outlaw-- progressive federal legislation meant to narrow wealth gaps and work towards ideals of equality under rule of law.  They basically want to ditch business regulation and inconveniences of workers' rights,  antidiscrimination laws, and even the federal income tax.

The biggest problem is that most Americans actually have no idea what the federal government does for us every single day.   Weather data (optimum crop planting and harvesting windows),  small town water systems, hazardous waste cleanups...  any monies the feds disburse to states as block grants commonly get claimed by state pols to be largesse  that they and colleagues at state level have achieved on citizens' behalf.  The typical red state pol's maneuver is to vote against the federal spending bills and then claim credit for whatever benefit accrues to his own state.

And there's precious little pushback from mayors or city councils who are just happy they finally got this or that grant to get something done to help ensure their own grip on power.   It's part of the reason our public school system has gone down the tubes.   States can decide to build privatized prisons instead of bumping per-student expenditures with some of their block grants.   Property tax hikes get nixed as replacement funds for educational purposes.   The block grant hides many decisions that are not in the public's interest, not least blurring outcomes as to source of the money. EVERYONE likes a tax cut, right? Maybe not if we saw where what's left in fed money ends up in some states.

The people now calling for a constitutional convention are pretty sure nobody's really paying attention.


----------



## Yoused

R Agenda: fertilizing the pasture. Pile it deep.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1582759454612680704/


----------



## mac_in_tosh

shadow puppet said:


> I realize this may not concern the younger contingent here, but for those of us closing in on SS and Medicare age, this possibility is extremely worrisome.
> 
> https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1582399230341050373/



What is the GOP's motivation for attacking programs that help so many ordinary Americans? Are they inherently cruel people who enjoy harming others? Do they really believe the small government rhetoric (given that family values, strict constitutionalism and law and order have been shown to be empty slogans)? Or is it simply a matter of them protecting their wealthy sponsors from possibly having to pay a few dollars more in taxes, or pay taxes at all?


----------



## Yoused

mac_in_tosh said:


> Or is it simply a matter of them protecting their wealthy sponsors from possibly having to pay a few dollars more in taxes, or pay taxes at all?




That is the principle. Greed is a _*good*_ thing, which has driven socio-economic progress, providing us with all our nice iThings and automobiles and keurigs, but we need slaves workers to keep the system working properly so that the most successful among us can succeed even more. Hence, the lesser among us need to have their niceties that have just been handed over on a platter taken away from them so that they will be motivated to strive forthem and make our system more of a success. Oh, and more police, to insure that the lesser among us stay in their proper place.


----------



## lizkat

mac_in_tosh said:


> What is the GOP's motivation for attacking programs that help so many ordinary Americans? Are they inherently cruel people who enjoy harming others? Do they really believe the small government rhetoric (given that family values, strict constitutionalism and law and order have been shown to be empty slogans)? Or is it simply a matter of them protecting their wealthy sponsors from possibly having to pay a few dollars more in taxes, or pay taxes at all?




It is no accident that in nominating Trump for re-election in 2020, the Republicans for the first time did not articulate a policy platform.   Their single organizing principle became and until further formal restatement remains simply "Trump's our guy."

Henry Olsen, a conservative columnist for the Washington Post, took the occasion of the resignation of Liz Truss from leadership of the UK government --and the now dire state of the Tory party-- to warn US Republicans that they run the parallel risk nowadays of allowing Trump to end up having trashed the GOP's future, not least because the guy at base has neither ideology, character nor vetted policy proposals,

*Liz Truss’s resignation is a warning for Republicans* (paywall removed)​
 It's worth a read at least by those on the left,  since at least the pols on the right who SHOULD read it may not bother if still in a pre-midterms pro-Trump bubble.    



> The GOP’s midterm messaging focuses on inflation, crime and immigration, but the party is not telling the public much about what it would do to combat those ills. That might be good politics, but it also means they would have no mandate for significant departures from the status quo. Using the national debt limit next year as leverage to force significant spending cuts, including to Social Security and Medicare, as has recently been rumored, would be as politically disastrous for the GOP as Truss’s supply-side tax cuts were for the Tories.






> Republicans need to pick a 2024 nominee who has both intellectual depth and genuine courage. Former president Donald Trump has neither. He might sound like a fighter, but he regularly pulled back from his agenda under pressure from his staff. He also publicly excoriated Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), whom he will need to pass whatever agenda he comes up with. Much as Truss tried to brush aside dissenters within her own party rather than bring them to her side, Trump and his loyalists deride Republicans who don’t fall into line as RINOs who should be expelled. That’s recklessness, not courage.






> Trump also shares Truss’s lack of serious engagement with ideas. Both have pulled 180-degree turns in their careers, switching political parties and reversing themselves on policy commitments when it suited their ambitions. It’s revealing that Trump did not sanction a party platform in his 2020 renomination bid, the first time the party ever failed to issue an updated set of principles and proposals. You can’t change the nation’s course if you don’t have an idea for where it should be going.
> 
> Truss’s ideological fecklessness has brought the Conservative Party to its knees. Republicans, take note.


----------



## Nycturne

mac_in_tosh said:


> What is the GOP's motivation for attacking programs that help so many ordinary Americans? Are they inherently cruel people who enjoy harming others? Do they really believe the small government rhetoric (given that family values, strict constitutionalism and law and order have been shown to be empty slogans)? Or is it simply a matter of them protecting their wealthy sponsors from possibly having to pay a few dollars more in taxes, or pay taxes at all?




Even when I was a kid, I kept hearing rhetoric from the GOP about how Social Security was insolvent, would bankrupt the country, etc, etc. This is a not a new platform, but has been part of their austerity politics for decades. There was a Bush era idea to allow individuals to contribute to private accounts _instead_ of Social Security, which if it sounds a lot like private school vouchers in that it would defund social security in favor of private investment funds: why yes, it is. Goldwater and Regan both suggested that Social Security be made voluntary, and the Regan administration attempted numerous cuts to Social Security in the 80s.

This is probably one of the few planks left in the GOP platform that has been around my whole lifetime.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Nycturne said:


> This is probably one of the few planks left in the GOP platform that has been around my whole lifetime.



Which makes it even more illogical that they continue to be supported by people who depend or will depend on the programs under attack. Due to the continuing culture wars promulgated by the GOP, those people fear the "radical, extreme Left," the "invasion" at our border and the Democrats' alleged softness on crime more than they regard their own financial solvency.


----------



## Nycturne

mac_in_tosh said:


> Which makes it even more illogical that they continue to be supported by people who depend or will depend on the programs under attack. Due to the continuing culture wars promulgated by the GOP, those people fear the "radical, extreme Left," the "invasion" at our border and the Democrats' alleged softness on crime more than they regard their own financial solvency.




It’s one reason the party has had a hard time dismantling it so far, instead just trying to sabotage it so it becomes an unpopular program. They want to make changes to *make* it insolvent so they can call it a failed program and get rid of it. Much like their approach to the ACA.

But it is a symbol of the “welfare state” that the GOP has rallied against for a while. The rhetoric is that it is expensive, your money, etc. That ”you” will have more money to retire with if the government wasn’t taking it all for government bloat. For many working class folks, Social Security is *the* tax they pay.

No, it doesn’t make sense to me either, but at least 20 years ago, the rhetoric was more coherent and tried to make an argument. Now it’s just the policy distilled without even the rhetoric to back it up.


----------



## ronntaylor

The GOP has been ragging on SS so long that those that first heard their rhetoric are benefitting from it now. If they think younger folk will be hurt as long as their benefits continue, it may eventually be destroyed by the GOP if they take over the House and/or Senate. They will have to maintain control and win the presidency in 2024 to have a real chance of killing/mortally wounding SS though.

Without SS so many old folks would be in poverty, fighting on their own.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

This has gone semi-viral, call to arms from the federalist society, the American ISIS.  The only difference is their soldiers fly the confederate flag on thier holy war trucks and their lower level shot callers remain largely unaware of who their top level manipulators are because they would appear suspiciously elite.  If anybody thinks this is a fringe group, all the conseratives on the Supreme Court would disagree and most are card carrying members. 









						We Need To Stop Calling Ourselves Conservatives
					

The conservative project has failed, and conservatives need to forge a new political identity that reflects our revolutionary moment.




					thefederalist.com


----------



## Huntn

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> This has gone semi-viral, call to arms from the federalist society, the American ISIS.  The only difference is their soldiers fly the confederate flag on thier holy war trucks and their lower level shot callers remain largely unaware of who their top level manipulators are because they would appear suspiciously elite.  If anybody thinks this is a fringe group, all the conseratives on the Supreme Court would disagree and most are card carrying members.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We Need To Stop Calling Ourselves Conservatives
> 
> 
> The conservative project has failed, and conservatives need to forge a new political identity that reflects our revolutionary moment.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thefederalist.com



I just skimmed though this, what was said about transgender spouted ignorance and intolerance.  But ok, stop calling yourself conservatives, start calling yourself self serving, hypocritical, one way, Right Wing Christian Crusaders on a mission tasked by your illusion in the sky.


----------



## Deleted member 215

I agree they need to stop calling themselves "conservative". If anything, I'm more conservative that these radical reactionary revolutionaries. They are calling for a complete overhaul of society. They represent chaos and disorder.


----------



## lizkat

TBL said:


> I agree they need to stop calling themselves "conservative". If anything, I'm more conservative that these radical reactionary revolutionaries. They are calling for a complete overhaul of society. *They represent chaos and disorder.*




Not only that, they are way out ahead of the curve of the ordinary conservatives they imagine they are somehow leading.   This because most ordinary conservatives, of which there are still many, are not all hanging out on Twitter reading links in the  retweets of elitist right wing bloggers of the Federalist Society.

These guys sound like they're ramping up to bring Mussolini 2.0 not directly to the  Beltway but to every state capitol and legislature in the USA,  then somehow from there to a "party of the state" in.... yeah:  good ol' Washington DC.  Hard pass!

Nonetheless what's going on at state levels doesn't exactly gainsay their prospects.

William F. Buckley Jr. must be spinning in his grave.   Sure, he also had a very good education, believed in God and was a man with strong political convictions.   He also had two feet on the ground and understood that his American opinions were, well.. . his American opinions.

Edit:  typo.


----------



## Citysnaps

With the revelation that Ye is a hitler admirer, I suspect MTG is a little steamed now that she might no longer be trump's VP pick.









						Exclusive: Kanye West has a disturbing history of admiring Hitler, sources tell CNN | CNN
					

Several people who were once close to the artist formerly known as Kanye West told CNN that he has long been fascinated by Adolf Hitler — and once wanted to name an album after the Nazi leader.




					www.cnn.com


----------



## Citysnaps

Some good news - Graham is required to testify:









						Supreme Court rejects Lindsey Graham's request to block Georgia grand jury subpoena | CNN Politics
					

The Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to block a subpoena for Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify in front of an Atlanta special grand jury investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.




					www.cnn.com


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Citysnaps said:


> Some good news - Graham is required to testify:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Supreme Court rejects Lindsey Graham's request to block Georgia grand jury subpoena | CNN Politics
> 
> 
> The Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to block a subpoena for Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham to testify in front of an Atlanta special grand jury investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cnn.com



So can't he now just take the 5th as Dear Leader does?


----------



## shadow puppet

mac_in_tosh said:


> So can't he now just take the 5th as Dear Leader does?



That's my guess.


----------



## Citysnaps

mac_in_tosh said:


> So can't he now just take the 5th as Dear Leader does?




Sure.  Hopefully it will be acknowledged that is his right and privilege against *self incrimination. *And captured on video.


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Citysnaps said:


> Sure.  Hopefully it will be acknowledged that is his right and privilege against *self incrimination. *And captured on video.



That didn't appear to soften approval of Dear Leader among his followers. It will just be portrayed as a radical left attempt to smear a decent, upstanding member of the Republican party and he wasn't going to participate in it.


----------



## Citysnaps

mac_in_tosh said:


> That didn't appear to soften approval of Dear Leader among his followers. It will just be portrayed as a radical left attempt to smear a decent, upstanding member of the Republican party and he wasn't going to participate in it.



I think it could play well. Especially captured on video.

Fanni Willis:  Sen. Graham is it true that you contacted <Mr. ...>  and talked about <fill in the blank with Question 1>?
Graham: I assert my 5th Amendment privilege.
Fanni Willis: Sen. Graham, are you asserting your 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination?
Graham:  Mutters a "yes" or something.

Repeat above loop inserting Questions 2 through 30...


I'm just spitballing, and have no idea if the above could/would happen. There must be some number of conservative/Republican followers who are sick to death of trump and other weasels getting away with shit.


----------



## GermanSuplex

I suspect that in about 8 days, republicans who win their election will celebrate their victory, never mentioning that they won in the same system they claim was rigged in 2020. They’ll call it a repudiation of Biden and democrats.

Those who lose, even if they were on the ballot with republicans who won, will claim their election was “rigged and stolen”.

It’s funny, because all the republicans who won in 2016 were on the same ballot as Trump, yet I didn’t see any of them resigning in protest or demanding a do-over. Which shows you how much they believe the bullshit their cult leader spews. Im surprised these republicans like MTG and others aren’t pressed on that, but then again, most of them stick to pro-racist and insurrectionist outlets like Fox, Newsmax and OAN.

Really dreading the fallout from next week. In many states, as Obama mentioned last week, republicans can win a minority of votes in their states and still win their elections. So republicans will probably win back the house and immediately start their circus shit show in January, or they’ll lose some important seats and keep up their election lies about fraud.

The Warnock/Walker race will probably be close, and if Walker wins, they’ll just claim it further validates Trump’s 2020 claims of rigged elections. For them, an election isn’t how we choose winners to represent us, it’s a formality for them to install replacements, a pre-determined exercise. Through it all, democrats have to rise above the pure insanity circus freak show the republicans put on. If I were running, I would so sling back more BS than they could handle. I understand you have to act level-headed to “do better” than the other side, but that’s not working. Republicans don’t respond to rationality, and even repudiate members of their own party who show a shred of honesty and integrity. Maybe democrats need to start pushing back harder. What that looks like, I don’t know, but the rational approach isn’t getting through to republicans, or most so-called independents for that matter.

Despite this, I’m hopeful democrats will pick up a seat or two in the senate, and because of the unprecedented times, maybe even keep the house. It’s a long shot, but not an impossibility, especially if the polls are off by a few percentage points. I think we’re gearing up for the biggest midterm voter turnout in history.


----------



## Citysnaps

I'm watching Liz Cheney being interviewed by Judy Woodruff right now on the PBS News Hour.

And I'm quite impressed with her (as I have been with her co-chairing the Jan6th Committee).  Could possibly even vote for her should she run for President.  She was quite coy on that possibility when pressed, and if she'd run as a Republican or Independent.


----------



## Yoused

mac_in_tosh said:


> … a radical left attempt to smear a decent, upstanding member of the Republican party …



Actually, most Individual-ONE magats have no illusions about his character. They know he is a conniving bastard. That is what most of them want. They were taught by Saint Ronnie, _government, bad_, so if Individual-ONE damages it, all the better.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Mike Pence has learned nothing. Who is this op-ed supposed to appeal to? I can't imagine many MAGA folks taking it seriously, and I sure as hell know dems won't... this is a weak op-ed.

The fact he can type all of this out and act like it was a gentleman's disagreement instead of being goaded by a con and anti-American "president" speaks volumes. He's putting aspirations ahead of cold, hard facts. FFS, even Pence's re-telling of Trump's words sound exactly like Trump. How can a man of integrity - which I'm not accusing Pence of, btw - play second-fiddle to this kind of adolescent garbage? It sounds like a troublemaker on the playground trying to talk his buddy into getting into a fight.









						Opinion | My Last Days With Donald Trump
					

I supported legitimate challenges to the 2020 vote counts. I also recognized that the Constitution didn’t give me authority to override the voters.




					www.wsj.com


----------



## fooferdoggie

GermanSuplex said:


> Mike Pence has learned nothing. Who is this op-ed supposed to appeal to? I can't imagine many MAGA folks taking it seriously, and I sure as hell know dems won't... this is a weak op-ed.
> 
> The fact he can type all of this out and act like it was a gentleman's disagreement instead of being goaded by a con and anti-American "president" speaks volumes. He's putting aspirations ahead of cold, hard facts. FFS, even Pence's re-telling of Trump's words sound exactly like Trump. How can a man of integrity - which I'm not accusing Pence of, btw - play second-fiddle to this kind of adolescent garbage? It sounds like a troublemaker on the playground trying to talk his buddy into getting into a fight.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Opinion | My Last Days With Donald Trump
> 
> 
> I supported legitimate challenges to the 2020 vote counts. I also recognized that the Constitution didn’t give me authority to override the voters.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.wsj.com



even when trump wants you dead you will support him this is his followers wisdom insult them call them stupid insult their wives encourage their deaths nothing discourages them. man just like how god treated his minions and they would still die for their god.


----------



## GermanSuplex

fooferdoggie said:


> even when trump wants you dead you will support him this is his followers wisdom insult them call them stupid insult their wives encourage their deaths nothing discourages them. man just like how god treated his minions and they would still die for their god.




Well, Ron “Desanctimonious” had them going. The last seven years of “mean tweets”, as they say, was just liberals being snowflakes, but now that he’s attacking another one of their stars, it’s game on.

The comments on most right-wing outlets are far more sober than usual. Much less talk of stolen elections, people accepting the results. And there’s a half-dozen posts of “Trump should go away” for every one or two that are even semi-pro Trump. They have a “thanks for your service, but we’re on to the next guy” vibe.

They are fired up for DeSantis, and you just know that is killing Trump, who was hoping for a “red wave” to launch his bid.

Looking forward to the GA runoff, Walker will have to campaign in the spotlight for another month, and he won’t have Kemp on the ballot with him. If it comes down to Georgia, Obama will be getting a phone call or two for sure to help drive up the vote.


----------



## ronntaylor

GermanSuplex said:


> Looking forward to the GA runoff, Walker will have to campaign in the spotlight for another month, and he won’t have Kemp on the ballot with him. If it comes down to Georgia, Obama will be getting a phone call or two for sure to help drive up the vote.



I hope Warnock permanently takes off the gloves and runs as strong and hard as possible. I want the Warnock that subtly let voters know his opponent was full of shit two years ago. He was a bit hardier the last days of this run, but we need him to continue on that path.


----------



## GermanSuplex

I don’t want to get too optimistic, but it sure would be nice if the rise and fall of election fraud scares was limited to the one or two past election cycles. Many election deniers have conceded, some of the extremists like Mastriano and Lake have been for the most part quiet. I’m sure there will be shenanigans, but things are mostly quiet as the votes are counted.


----------



## Yoused

Raphael has a new book





Curious cover art. I wonder what that is.



Spoiler: oh












						The Motherland Calls - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




Она в Волгограде. Figures.


----------



## DT

Yoused said:


> Raphael has a new book
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Curious cover art. I wonder what that is.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: oh
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Motherland Calls - Wikipedia
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> en.wikipedia.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Она в Волгограде. Figures.




Of course there's some gushing GQP-er reviews, but checkout the reviews with image 






						Amazon.com: Justice Corrupted: How the Left Weaponized Our Legal System: 9781684513611: Cruz, Ted: Books
					

Amazon.com: Justice Corrupted: How the Left Weaponized Our Legal System: 9781684513611: Cruz, Ted: Books



					www.amazon.com


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Yoused said:


> Raphael has a new book
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Curious cover art. I wonder what that is.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: oh
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Motherland Calls - Wikipedia
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> en.wikipedia.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Она в Волгограде. Figures.




This is top level accusation confession coming from the party that refuses to legislate and run everything through the supreme court instead.


----------



## shadow puppet

Ron DeSantis’ Wife Begins Stealth Campaign to Turn Her Family Into the Kennedys​
So Casey wants to be the next Jackie Kennedy.
Good luck with that.









						Ron DeSantis’ Wife Begins Her Stealth Campaign to Take Over the Country
					

“She fully intends on being a president's wife.”




					slate.com


----------



## GermanSuplex

shadow puppet said:


> Ron DeSantis’ Wife Begins Stealth Campaign to Turn Her Family Into the Kennedys​
> So Casey wants to be the next Jackie Kennedy.
> Good luck with that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ron DeSantis’ Wife Begins Her Stealth Campaign to Take Over the Country
> 
> 
> “She fully intends on being a president's wife.”
> 
> 
> 
> 
> slate.com




Won’t happen. Even republicans hardly ever mention Nancy Reagan, and Trumpers will insist “she’s no Melania” (which is true, but not for the reasons they think).


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

__





						Loading…
					





					www.cnn.com
				




 

I thought since they said they would do as much months ago I thought I wouldn't  but here I am still .

Where did this rate on the list of American concerns and problem solving, 78th?  Right under definitively codifying if eggs are good or bad for you and then moving on to the status of a daily glass of red wine.


----------



## shadow puppet

I'm very concerned about McCarthy making use of MTG.



> Regarding McCarthy, she told The New York Times that “to be the best Speaker of the House and to please the base, he’s going to give me a lot of power and a lot of leeway.” She even predicted Monday that she’d be on committees investigating “traitors and criminals.” McCarthy has said he plans to put Greene back on committees, with some of her Trumpworld allies reportedly urging the likely Speaker to give her a plum seat on the House Oversight Committee. Imagine, from promoting QAnon conspiracies to possibly landing a key oversight post in Congress.




This is from a recent article here:








						House of Horrors: The Marjorie Taylor Greene Congress Is Upon Us
					

Democrats beat midterms expectations, but still fell short of keeping the House. The chamber under Kevin McCarthy, and with an emboldened right flank, may “exist exclusively as a vessel state of MAGA nation,” Rep. Eric Swalwell tells Vanity Fair.




					www.vanityfair.com


----------



## ronntaylor

shadow puppet said:


> I'm very concerned about McCarthy making use of MTG.



If he's stupid enough to give her that much power, I say go for it. I predict political headaches every single day he's Speaker in such a scenario. The Freedom Caucus (sic) and other bat-spit crazy GQP members will ensure that the next two years will be rough going for the U.S.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

shadow puppet said:


> I'm very concerned about McCarthy making use of MTG.
> 
> 
> 
> This is from a recent article here:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> House of Horrors: The Marjorie Taylor Greene Congress Is Upon Us
> 
> 
> Democrats beat midterms expectations, but still fell short of keeping the House. The chamber under Kevin McCarthy, and with an emboldened right flank, may “exist exclusively as a vessel state of MAGA nation,” Rep. Eric Swalwell tells Vanity Fair.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.vanityfair.com




I say have at it. It’s never too soon to start digging your own grave (even deeper).  Only the sedition caucus would look at all the Trumpism losers in the midterms and go “Success!  Let’s do more of that!”


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Chew Toy McCoy said:


> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Loading…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cnn.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I thought since they said they would do as much months ago I thought I wouldn't  but here I am still .
> 
> Where did this rate on the list of American concerns and problem solving, 78th?  Right under definitively codifying if eggs are good or bad for you and then moving on to the status of a daily glass of red wine.



Of course they have no actual governmental agenda, no plans to help make America a better place for ordinary people so they will hold Hunter Biden hearings just to smear Joe. The same people that are okay with tRump inciting an insurrection and stealing classified documents will now pretend Hunter is the greatest threat to the nation. It's Benghazi 2.0 and they actually admitted those hearing were just to embarrass and weaken Hillary.

By the way, can someone briefly explain exactly what is the accusation against Hunter Biden?


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

mac_in_tosh said:


> By the way, can someone briefly explain exactly what is the accusation against Hunter Biden?




They are hoping to prove that for the first time in history the kid of somebody rich and/or with political power got a job they don’t qualify for and with the promise of special government treatment, spoken or unspoken. It would be a real shock to find out that anything like that ever happens.

Trump’s kids find this outrageous but were unavailable for comment in Saudi Arabia.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

The head of the Whataboutism Biden investigation committee said they won’t subpoena Biden. Good call. Grilling somebody who isn’t a complete bumbling moron would only damage their case. Stick to your comfort zone and find some compelling intellect titans that are on par with Giuliani and My Pillow Guy.


----------



## Alli

mac_in_tosh said:


> By the way, can someone briefly explain exactly what is the accusation against Hunter Biden?



Apparently he once owned a laptop.


----------



## Yoused

Alli said:


> Apparently he once owned a laptop.




He had a lap, and some Republicans asked him if they could sit on it, but he turned them down, and that made them angry.


----------



## Hrafn

Yoused said:


> He had a lap, and some Republicans asked him if they could sit on it, but he turned them down, and that made them angry.



They are always angry, but stupid angry just seems like a waste of time.  Must be why they love it.


----------



## shadow puppet

This is my shocked face.


----------



## Yoused

This is some serious incoherent. Mr. CTE himself says that Warnock would have prevented _All in the Family_ from ever getting on the air (and he, Herschel, used to _love_ Archie Bunker).


----------



## Herdfan

mac_in_tosh said:


> By the way, can someone briefly explain exactly what is the accusation against Hunter Biden?




There are a few.

1) He lied on a federal form attempting to get a gun permit.

2) Tax evasion.

Those are solid and even the left-leaning media is reporting on those.

3) A myriad of accusations that he was the point man to enrich his family through his father's position as VP.  Some are more solid than others.  If Joe turns out to be "the big guy", then there may be some corruption.  The key will be to prove Joe was the big guy.  Cause he got 10%.

Biden has denied ever meeting any of Hunter's business partners, but there are visitor logs, flight manifests and pics that tell a different story.


----------



## Alli

Herdfan said:


> 3) A myriad of accusations that he was the point man to enrich his family through his father's position as VP. Some are more solid than others. If Joe turns out to be "the big guy", then there may be some corruption. The key will be to prove Joe was the big guy. Cause he got 10%.



How come we never see any of this in print? Not even on Fox. While I love the word “myriad,” a more appropriate term here would be “trickle.”


----------



## mac_in_tosh

Herdfan said:


> There are a few.
> 
> 1) He lied on a federal form attempting to get a gun permit.
> 
> 2) Tax evasion.
> 
> Those are solid and even the left-leaning media is reporting on those.
> 
> 3) A myriad of accusations that he was the point man to enrich his family through his father's position as VP.  Some are more solid than others.  If Joe turns out to be "the big guy", then there may be some corruption.  The key will be to prove Joe was the big guy.  Cause he got 10%.
> 
> Biden has denied ever meeting any of Hunter's business partners, but there are visitor logs, flight manifests and pics that tell a different story.



It doesn't appear to be necessary or proper for a House committee to investigate #'s 1 and 2. As for #3, will the House appoint a committee to investigte Jared and Ivanka's being awarded $2 billion worth of business from the Saudis shortly after Trump left office?


----------



## SuperMatt

mac_in_tosh said:


> It doesn't appear to be necessary or proper for a House committee to investigate #'s 1 and 2. As for #3, will the House appoint a committee to investigte Jared and Ivanka's being awarded $2 billion worth of business from the Saudis shortly after Trump left office?



I was going to write a bit, but David Frum of The Atlantic penned a great response to the impending investigations. 









						Another Flop From GOP Productions — The Atlantic
					

The coming House hearings on Hunter Biden will be a repeat dose of Whitewater delusion: a Republican circus act that won’t impress voters.




					apple.news
				






> What Republicans want instead is an excuse for their enabling of Trump. They yearn to spread their fantasy narrative that Biden’s attempts to be a supportive father to an errant son are the moral equivalent of the Trump family’s looting of the U.S. government. Fantasies don’t survive contact with reality, including the democratic reality of elections.






> Unfortunately, fantasies can be generated faster than reality can puncture them. So off we go with a repeat of an old show—written, directed, and performed by a production company oblivious that it is chasing box-office success by remaking a three-decade-old flop.


----------



## Eric

Three years older?? Not in my America!


totally normal stuff from
      WhitePeopleTwitter


----------



## lizkat

Eric said:


> Three years older?? Not in my America!




Right, and it's still fine for a guy in his 50s to marry a 20-yo woman.  O America...


----------



## shadow puppet

I thought I had shared this but realized I hadn't.  It's still relevant and I 150% believe this.  I also wouldn't be sad to see it happen.


----------



## Yoused

shadow puppet said:


> I thought I had shared this but realized I hadn't.  It's still relevant and I 150% believe this.  I also wouldn't be sad to see it happen.
> 
> View attachment 19607




To begin with, a Party cannot really excommunicate, as it were, a member. If you join a Party, they cannot somehow claim that you are not one of them. The Party leadership can control how much support the allow you, but only up to a point, and if you are generating revenue for them, their hands are kind of bound.

And I, personally, have developed a deep and abiding distaste for the Republican Party. The people and the stupid are fairly trivial, but the policies of misogyny, glibertarian nihilism and tribalism are simply vile and unforgivable. Which is to say that Individual-ONE's narcissism and "_I'm so smart!_"-ness saved us from the worst possible of trashings. The prospect of a truly competent Republican president is terrifying.


----------



## rdrr

Eric said:


> Three years older?? Not in my America!
> 
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/z2nves



Well hell yes...  My soon to be wife is just two weeks short of being 8 years older than me!


----------



## fooferdoggie

rdrr said:


> Well hell yes...  My soon to be wife is just two weeks short of being 8 years older than me!



you go caught by a cougar luck you


----------



## Yoused

This one is even better: a Foxnews story about how Biden is _*too enthusiastic about Christmas*_. Apparently he loves it, which means they will have to adopt a negative stance on it.

Such confusing times we have to navigate.


----------



## lizkat

Yoused said:


> This one is even better: a Foxnews story about how Biden is _*too enthusiastic about Christmas*_. Apparently he loves it, which means they will have to adopt a negative stance on it.
> 
> Such confusing times we have to navigate.




Yeah now the Republicans' thing will be that lefties who celebrate Christmas will have committed cultural appropriation, same as lefties who wear American flag pins or never quit flying the USA flag off their porch on at least the 4th of July.

Got it.  And fuhgeddaboudit. It's sour grapes from the right because all their "war on Xmas" memes are suddenly so over.

_What to do, what to do, the season is here already! Oh OK, just launch a new war and insist that Christmas should not have started before Thanksgiving. _​​( Heh, so behind the times.  It actually starts right about the time Halloween vandals are kicking the teeth out of front porch pumpkins.  /S )​
And a special note for FauxSnooze:

Biden has mooted the "war on Christmas" by simply demonstrating it to have been the silly right-wing spoof that it always was.  It's ok to celebrate winter holidays or not,  and to call them whatever we want. It was always ok to do that, and Americans have always acted accordingly.  What a PITA to have to girlsplain all this to a bunch of fake conservatives and half-baked libertarians who are forever talking about American freedoms and rights as if only they actually understand and possess them.​


----------



## mac_in_tosh

As I had previously posted, while Faux News was complaining about Biden having the Christmas tree brought so early to the White House, they had already lit up the tree in front of their NY headquarters. They are not only disingenuous, they have no shame about it.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Just saw a headline - “Pence “open to considering” DOJ request to testify”.

Open to considering? Gee, say something while saying nothing. Pence is such a pole-walking, insincere and flimsy individual. He’s afraid to pick a side. He wants to be able to easily fall back to whichever side the wind blows. If Trump somehow did something to get republicans to turn on him, he’s been firm enough to claim independence from Trump. But if public opinion Turns and Trumpism starts winning again, he can pretend he always defended the president and never gave the left everything they needed.

It’s a very spineless stance, and the longer Pence goes with this charade, the more it angers me. For a guy who pontificates about god and morals, he acts like this is somehow a tough call, whether or not to call out fat Biff Tannen as a bully.


----------



## GermanSuplex

mac_in_tosh said:


> As I had previously posted, while Faux News was complaining about Biden having the Christmas tree brought so early to the White House, they had already lit up the tree in front of their NY headquarters. They are not only disingenuous, they have no shame about it.




The freaking hypocrisy…






3:29, and then 4:05..

“I’ve never seen anything like this” to
“The Trumps did this on the same day too”

So “never” means three years.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

During the investigative hearings I think they should fill any available empty seat with a life sized cutout of a smiling Jared Kushner weighted down by a sack of cash. Republicans probably wouldn’t even address it because attempting to do so in any way would flush the point they are trying to make down the toilet.  

I normally don’t like whataboutism as a defense but Republican’s tactics have fuck all to do about principle and thier laundry list of accusations describes Trump to a T and probably a good percentage of elected officials on both sides. It’s just jaw dropping.  If Republicans were the defense team for the 9/11 hijackers they’d bring up a guy who shot his wife accidently while cleaning his gun and "all things being equal" as a reason to acquit.  Trump is a pathetic hill to die on but they seem to insist that is their destiny along with demonizing the other side as their only approved platform.  It’s like they looked at the midterm results and went "let’s do even worse in 2024".


----------



## Yoused

Herschel Wanker says that America is the greatest country ever, just the way it is, and people under 30 have not earned the right to change it, and if they ow someplace better they should go there but lose their citizenship by doing so and have to go through immigration when they try to come back.

But it sounded a little less eloquent when he said it.


----------



## SuperMatt

Well, here’s the GOP’s star witness: the guy who found Biden’s laptop. He will testify in front of Congress on one condition: he gets to wear his kilt. No, I’m not joking, and he isn’t either.


----------



## Yoused

SuperMatt said:


> He will testify in front of Congress on one condition: he gets to wear his kilt.



Criminey, WFC? Do congressional subcommittees have a dress code? Why would he even bother to ask – just show up in the damn toga and let them cope with it.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Yoused said:


> Criminey, WFC? Do congressional subcommittees have a dress code? Why would he even bother to ask – just show up in the damn toga and let them cope with it.




I missed this year‘s Thanksgiving day parade.  The Whataboutism committee said "hold my beer".


----------



## Yoused

In the shoot yourself in the foot department, the Cochise County AZ election board voted to refuse to certify their count, because, _fraud!_ or something.

*(Secretary of State) Hobbs' office also threatened last week to reluctantly certify the state election results on Dec. 8 without Cochise County's votes. Excluding the votes from heavily Republican county "would threaten to flip the victor in at least two close races — a U.S. House seat and state schools chief — from a Republican to a Democrat," The Associated Press reports, and potentially avert a recount of the state attorney general's race, where Democrat Kris Mayes beat Republican Abraham Hamadeh by just 510 votes.*​


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Yoused said:


> In the shoot yourself in the foot department, the Cochise County AZ election board voted to refuse to certify their count, because, _fraud!_ or something.
> 
> *(Secretary of State) Hobbs' office also threatened last week to reluctantly certify the state election results on Dec. 8 without Cochise County's votes. Excluding the votes from heavily Republican county "would threaten to flip the victor in at least two close races — a U.S. House seat and state schools chief — from a Republican to a Democrat," The Associated Press reports, and potentially avert a recount of the state attorney general's race, where Democrat Kris Mayes beat Republican Abraham Hamadeh by just 510 votes.*​





I saw this horse shit is happening in 2 AZ counties. My initial thought was they had 2 years to invent justifications better than “just because” but when you look at the 2020 election and every single justification got shot down it really would be a waste of energy to try to come up with a better justification. So good on them for efficiency and not wasting AZ taxpayer money on reaffirming their loss.  Again.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Nobody cares about Hunter Biden except the same people who think the election was stolen and Trump is anything but a dolt. Clearly he was troubled, irresponsible and probably broke laws. Ok, try him and convict him. Nobody is against that. How does it affect our days, the integrity of Washington? How many GOP kids are making money off their politician parent’s name?

It’s a game of always trying to find an equivalent scapegoat on the other side. They know Joe Biden is a pretty straight-up man of integrity, so Hunter Biden is their closest ticket to be able to equate Trump to Biden and somehow paint Trump in a better light. “Trump wasn’t so bad for trying to overturn an election, Biden coordinated with Ukraine and China through his son to enrich himself and influence elections. We had the Russia hoax, time for Hunter Biden!”

It’s not remotely similar and it won’t fool the masses. Stealing classified documents, pressuring foreign officials over the phone for dirt on your political opponents, trying to overturn elections and spreading insane amounts of lies is not the same as having a drug-ridden son profiting off the family name in his private life.

That’s not even scratching the surface of Trump’s debauched behavior.

And it’s also before you laugh at the farcical irony of Hunter being accused of profiting off his last name by the same people who cheer Trump and his kids, some of whom were actually installed as top White House officials, and the fact Trump and his family routinely stayed at their own properties and billed the government. You truly can’t write something so absurd and have it deemed reasonable, yet that’s exactly what is happening.

There’s truly nothing on that laptop to give a fuck about unless it’s a video of a violent or sexual crime.

Some of the stuff Fox is posting is laughable. They posted a text of Joe Biden telling his son he didn’t know what more to do, to get help and that he loved him. What the hell is that supposed to prove? Beyond being more evidence Biden is a sane and compassionate father worried about his son?

I guess this is how many republicans feel about the investigations into Trump. The difference is, as usual, they are wrong.


----------



## Yoused

Mehmet is struggling to get his snake oil show back on TV, but his former producers are having none of it.


----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

Yoused said:


> Mehmet is struggling to get his snake oil show back on TV, but his former producers are having none of it.




It’s amazing how many formerly respected (up for debate) right-wingers saw a car full of drunken clowns pull up to the curb and went “Hey, is there room for me in there?” and when their little joyride ends by getting tossed out the window into a puddle of their own vomit they think nobody saw any of it.


----------



## Yoused

Anybody hear a whistling sound?


----------



## Eric

This is the same "freedom of speech" Elon Musk is defending, fortunately, this court of law is taking action.


Man charged with harassing Jewish families in Bloomfield Hills, MI, shouting "Jewish bitch, Zionist bitch" at the judge from
      PublicFreakout


----------



## Yoused

So, this is kind of weird: Herschel Walker talks about renting a neighbor's child so he can go watch _Jungle Book_ without looking like some kind of creepy guy. Make of _that_ what you will, but, the t-shirt he is wearing – "Cassius Clay" – WTELF?


----------



## fooferdoggie

maybe he can rent the truth so he looks better?


----------



## GermanSuplex

Yoused said:


> So, this is kind of weird: Herschel Walker talks about renting a neighbor's child so he can go watch _Jungle Book_ without looking like some kind of creepy guy. Make of _that_ what you will, but, the t-shirt he is wearing – "Cassius Clay" – WTELF?




Look, he's not a polished guy, but when one comes to understand the deep-rooted animus between werewolves and vampires, and you can't catch a breath because China has stolen our 'good air' and replaced it with their 'bad air', you will understand why we need a man like Herschel for the senate.

He's not an empty suit, a rubber stamp for the GOP who will do what he's told. He's a _former running back_ who will be a rubber stamp for the GOP and do what he's told.


----------



## GermanSuplex

Family of deceased Jan. 6 police officer refuse to shake hands with GOP's McConnell, McCarthy
					

The family of deceased Jan. 6 police officer Brian Sicknick refused to shake hands with Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.



					www.usatoday.com


----------



## lizkat

"Arizona Man" ??  Whatever the "Republican agenda" may formally become by 2024,  the behavior of officials like outgoing AZ governor Ducey is more likely to split the party (and the conservative electorate)  than to buttress the status of their  anti-immigration policy.

He's been double-stacking rusty old shipping containers welded together with patches and topped with razor wire to serve as fencing along our southern border,  as a "finish the Wall" maneuver before he leaves office.   The makeshift "wall" meanders right through some national forest and tribal lands. 

Yeah it's illegal as hell and costing taxpayers millions of dollars being shelled out to a Florida "disaster remediation" company.   The incoming governor, Democrat Katie Hobbs, will order this makeshift "wall" removed (costing more taxpayer dollars, yep) if a circuit judge now considering a wacko case brought by the governor to justify his behavior doesn't beat her to the punch and order the dismantling to begin on Ducey's watch.









						Arizona governor builds border wall of shipping crates in final days of office
					

Critics say Republican Doug Ducey’s scheme violates federal law because




					www.theguardian.com


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## Citysnaps




----------



## Chew Toy McCoy

The Republican Project to Break Your Email Account
					

The party’s massive—and misguided—spam operation.




					www.thebulwark.com
				




The short version.  The GOP is mad that their avalanche of hourly grift spam emails are getting flagged as exactly what they are.  If they were a company they'd probably be taken to court for false advertising and lose.  

A handful of paid political strategists from both sides have admitted that much of this fundraising goes towards paying their paychecks.  Aside from a few completely grassroots politicians and candidates, your donations would be better spent going directly to organizations that support causes you believe in.  Donating to either party directly is just adding to their corruption bucket (and their strategists' paychecks)


----------



## Huntn

John Boehner chokes up at Nancy Pelosi's official portrait unveiling
					

A portrait of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was unveiled Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol, marking the first time a madame speaker joined the faces of men who preceded her.




					abcnews.go.com
				




Do you remember emotional Boehner who got out of town after he had his fill? This guy as a former Speaker of the House, used to be the GOP front line when  he was carrying their water…









						John Boehner Names 'The Most Miserable Son Of Bitch I Ever Had To Deal With'
					

The former House speaker didn't mince words when it came to one current politician.




					www.huffpost.com
				




_Former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) did a speed round with “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert on Monday night, offering quick reactions to famous political names. 
Boehner called former President Donald Trump “a little crazy,” said former President Bill Clinton is “the best politician I’ve ever met” and praised President Joe Biden as “a really good guy.” 
But his tone shifted when Colbert asked about Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). 
“Lucifer in the flesh,” Boehner called him, a phrase he’s used before for Cruz. “The most miserable son of a bitch I ever had to deal with.” 

He also shared his thoughts on former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Sen. Lindsey_



Chew Toy McCoy said:


> The Republican Project to Break Your Email Account
> 
> 
> The party’s massive—and misguided—spam operation.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.thebulwark.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The short version.  The GOP is mad that their avalanche of hourly grift spam emails are getting flagged as exactly what they are.  If they were a company they'd probably be taken to court for false advertising and lose.
> 
> A handful of paid political strategists from both sides have admitted that much of this fundraising goes towards paying their paychecks.  Aside from a few completely grassroots politicians and candidates, your donations would be better spent going directly to organizations that support causes you believe in.  Donating to either party directly is just adding to their corruption bucket (and their strategists' paychecks)



I will say that my wife gave $100 to the Democrats and she has been deluged with emails ever since from Democrats all over the country seeking financial campaign assistance. I’ve told her to unsubscribe or if texts to block them.


----------



## shadow puppet

I don't think it's possible to hate Kari Lake any more than I already do. 



			https://twitter.com/patriottakes/status/1604216851730661377


----------



## lizkat

I'm not sure I can loathe the Republican Party any more than I do.  Whatever their agenda is for 2024, their wrap for 2022 doesn't seem to include a continuation of the child tax credit that had dramatically reduced child poverty while it was permitted to exist.

As usual both parties were delighted to hang all kinds of ornaments on the defense spending part of the omnibus bill, that spend got ratcheted up to $858 billion.    But $12 billion for child tax credit re-up, "no way," say the Republicans.

Why is it the Dems cave into these unconscionable objections, and yet they go along with spreading nearly a trillion bucks around all 50 states to make sure everyone's defense industry cow gets a little hay.

Do the Rs think there are any red states that lack "enough" child poverty?    Do they even care?









						Congress Just Passed $858 Billion Military Budget, But GOP Is Blocking $12 Billion to Fight Child Poverty
					

"This isn't using our taxpayer dollars wisely," said one analyst. "It's robbing programs that we need."




					www.commondreams.org
				




EDIT:  and then there's this little detail w/ respect to draconian limits on abortion rights:









						We Are Not Prepared for the Coming Surge of Babies
					

The post-Roe rise in births in the U.S. will be concentrated in some of the worst states for infant and maternal health. Plans to improve these outcomes are staggeringly thin.




					www.theatlantic.com


----------



## Alli

lizkat said:


> Do they even care?



No. They do not.


----------



## Huntn

lizkat said:


> I'm not sure I can loathe the Republican Party any more than I do.  Whatever their agenda is for 2024, their wrap for 2022 doesn't seem to include a continuation of the child tax credit that had dramatically reduced child poverty while it was permitted to exist.
> 
> As usual both parties were delighted to hang all kinds of ornaments on the defense spending part of the omnibus bill, that spend got ratcheted up to $858 billion.    But $12 billion for child tax credit re-up, "no way," say the Republicans.
> 
> Why is it the Dems cave into these unconscionable objections, and yet they go along with spreading nearly a trillion bucks around all 50 states to make sure everyone's defense industry cow gets a little hay.
> 
> Do the Rs think there are any red states that lack "enough" child poverty?    Do they even care?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Congress Just Passed $858 Billion Military Budget, But GOP Is Blocking $12 Billion to Fight Child Poverty
> 
> 
> "This isn't using our taxpayer dollars wisely," said one analyst. "It's robbing programs that we need."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.commondreams.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT:  and then there's this little detail w/ respect to draconian limits on abortion rights:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We Are Not Prepared for the Coming Surge of Babies
> 
> 
> The post-Roe rise in births in the U.S. will be concentrated in some of the worst states for infant and maternal health. Plans to improve these outcomes are staggeringly thin.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.theatlantic.com



They don’t give a good God Damn about childhood poverty for “unworthy citizens”.


----------



## lizkat

Huntn said:


> They don’t give a good God Damn about childhood poverty for “unworthy citizens”.




That's right.  The omnibus bill in total is $1.7 TRILLION and the GOP won't tack in $12 BILLION to extend child tax credit.

To put that in a little perspective over time,  the total cost of the infernal F35 program alone is estimated to run as high as $1.508 trillion.   Pols on both sides of the aisle have winked and blinked their way through the vast sums of overruns for corrections and fixes and licks and promises for years, and yet we can't put a floor back under impoverished American children.

Sometimes I fantasize about replacing the entire Congress with people grabbed up off the street.  Yeah even in the age of Donald Trump and a whole new kind of know-nothingism.


----------



## Alli

lizkat said:


> That's right. The omnibus bill in total is $1.7 TRILLION and the GOP won't tack in $12 BILLION to extend child tax credit.



I think this says everything anyone needs to know about our current GOP.


----------



## SuperMatt

Alli said:


> I think this says everything anyone needs to know about our current GOP.



And they know it’s a bad look. So they managed to get The NY Times to publish an op-ed from an American Enterprise Institute writer. He made the painful, labored, and transparently oligarch-serving argument that the child tax credit expansion would somehow be bad for the economy.


----------



## rdrr

If this is real, then its right up there with the Jewish Space Lasers.


----------



## fooferdoggie

rdrr said:


> If this is real, then its right up there with the Jewish Space Lasers.
> 
> View attachment 20239



this idiot is in the movement but he should be in a padded room.


----------



## lizkat

rdrr said:


> If this is real, then its right up there with the Jewish Space Lasers.
> 
> View attachment 20239




He's one of the four GOP congresscritters referred to the House Ethics Committee by the 1/6 committee.



			Jan. 6 committee refers 4 GOP congressmen to House Ethics Committee for sanctioning


----------



## lizkat

A bright spot for a change:   Arizona's outgoing GOP governor Ducey has agreed to remove the makeshift southern border "wall" he illegally began constructing out of double-stacked cargo containers...  following a lawsuit filed by the Biden administration.   The real stupidity is that the government had already agreed to fill in gaps in the wall along there but the makeshift thing put up by Ducey actually endangers LEO since they can't see what's happening on the other side.    So millions of bucks have been funneled to some Florida outfit to put that weird thing together and millions more will now be dispensed to take it down so DHS can contract for a proper replacement, which will cost yet more money.  Punchline:   70 wildlife cams along there in the tribal and protected wildlife region show little migrant activity anyway.   The per capita cost of keeping them out must be enough to qualify them as venture capitalists, no?

NYT link (paywall removed)


----------



## Eric

Ted Nugent keeping it classy.


WTF?!😡 from
      WhitePeopleTwitter


----------



## Eric

Fox News on "wars" this is gold!


to be taken seriously from
      therewasanattempt


----------



## fooferdoggie

Eric said:


> Ted Nugent keeping it classy.
> 
> 
> WTF?!😡 from
> WhitePeopleTwitter



makes my wife want to burn his cd's


----------



## Eric

fooferdoggie said:


> makes my wife want to burn his cd's



The only thing worse than his attitude is his guitar playing, I'll never see how someone like that gets any coverage but the right doesn't have many celebs so they'll take what they can get.


----------



## Yoused

Pawns in a game









						Busloads of migrants dropped off at vice president’s DC home on Christmas Eve
					

Multiple busloads of migrants were dropped off at Vice President Harris’s residence in Washington, D.C. on Saturday — Christmas Eve — leaving migrants on the streets in below-freezing temperat…




					thehill.com
				




the temperature in DC was in the teens.

I would compare Abbott to an excretory orifice, but it would be unkind to the noble sphincter.


----------



## Alli

Yoused said:


> the temperature in DC was in the teens.



Abbott is such a good Christian.


----------



## Eric

Yoused said:


> Pawns in a game
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Busloads of migrants dropped off at vice president’s DC home on Christmas Eve
> 
> 
> Multiple busloads of migrants were dropped off at Vice President Harris’s residence in Washington, D.C. on Saturday — Christmas Eve — leaving migrants on the streets in below-freezing temperat…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thehill.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> the temperature in DC was in the teens.
> 
> I would compare Abbott to an excretory orifice, but it would be unkind to the noble sphincter.



Abbott and their lack of regulations have plunged Texas into darkness as well, these guys love America but couldn't give a shit about those who actually live in it.


----------



## ronntaylor

I'm sure Santos won't be addressing the allegations against him any time next week or in the future. Probably will use the standard "On the advice of legal counsel..."









						Priest recalls George Santos' financial need – saying family couldn't afford mother's funeral
					

Santos, whose resume has come under scrutiny since he won his congressional election in November, says he'll address questions next week.




					www.cbsnews.com
				






> CBS News has spoken with a pastor, Father Jose Carlos da Silva, of Saint Rita's Catholic Church, in Long Island City, Queens, who says he knew Santos' family, the Devolders, well. The Devolders came to the church once in a while, he told CBS News. The family, including George Santos, was Catholic, says da Silva.
> 
> He also said that when Santos' mother, Fatima Devolder, died in 2016, Santos approached him to ask for help from the church. Da Silva had ministered to the family during Devolder's illness, and soon after she died, Santos told da Silva that the family couldn't afford a funeral.
> 
> A memorial mass was held at the church, which held a collection for the family. Da Silva said he didn't count the money collected, but recalled that the amount raised was significant, and that he handed the collection directly to Santos. But da Silva's portrayal of the family's financial condition is at odds with the biography presented by Santos.


----------



## Roller

Yoused said:


> Pawns in a game
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Busloads of migrants dropped off at vice president’s DC home on Christmas Eve
> 
> 
> Multiple busloads of migrants were dropped off at Vice President Harris’s residence in Washington, D.C. on Saturday — Christmas Eve — leaving migrants on the streets in below-freezing temperat…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thehill.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> the temperature in DC was in the teens.
> 
> I would compare Abbott to an excretory orifice, but it would be unkind to the noble sphincter.



I think the more apt comparison is to what exits through said orifice.


----------



## SuperMatt

Abbott also has the Texas National Guard deployed over Christmas to handle this “emergency” at the border. (They’ve been deployed for quite a while now, and it’s quite a terrible saga of mistreated troops, forced away from their families for months because Abbott wants to get political points). One of the deployed soldiers shared the Christmas experience on reddit:


__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/army/comments/zv9jfa

Abbott couldn’t even spare a lieutenant to visit the troops keeping Texas safe from the EMERGENCY BORDER INVASION? You don’t say...


----------



## Yoused

A Foxnews talkinghead is unnerved that an AI chatbot denounces NAZIs. I mean, I remember a day, long, long ago, when that would have been uncontroversial. But then again, some people still felt comfortable using the N-word back then as well.


(_warning: link is to RawStory_)


----------

