All Purpose News and Politics Thread Part IV: The Center Cannot Hold

[PwrdOn]

More proof Congressional Republicans are gutless fucking cowards:

Republicans surrender to Trump’s China tariffs

The administration's rhetoric around China these days is absolutely unbearable. For all the horrific things that the communist regime has done and all the people who have suffered under their brutal policies, we're supposed to believe that it's rich white guys who are the real victims here, because now all of a sudden they can't compete with Chinese businessmen who are even more greedy and ruthless than they are? I suppose that it suits Trump just fine that he has yet another ethnic group to demonize and scapegoat, though in this case it's much riskier because the Chinese are more than willing to kidnap American citizens in retaliation for these perceived slights. This probably won't have too much of an effect on Trump voters though, I can't imagine too many of them have ever even left their home county, much less traveled to another continent.

[Tendrin]

RALEIGH, N.C. — A state senator best known as the sponsor of a headline-grabbing "bathroom bill" that voided anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people won Tuesday's Republican primary in a special election for a congressional seat vacant since last year's race was deemed tainted by fraud.

Sen. Dan Bishop topped nine other GOP candidates seeking the 9th Congressional District nomination. The Charlotte attorney raised the most in campaign contributions, seeded with $250,000 from his personal accounts.
In 2016, he sponsored House Bill 2, the law that voided a Charlotte ordinance expanding LGBT rights and prevented similar anti-discrimination rules anywhere else in the state. HB2 was nicknamed the "bathroom bill" because it also directed transgender people to use public bathrooms and showers that matched their birth sex. The measure made waves nationally and prompted boycotts by entertainers, governments and some businesses thinking about moving jobs to North Carolina.

I'd say the chances of a Democratic pickup just went up.

[JCAll]

Also, here is something super vile.

Just a reminder, the absurdity of these laws is the point. They WANT to get sued so they can take it to the Supreme Court, because they think they have the votes to overturn abortion nationwide.

[Tendrin]

JUST IN: State Dept. orders the departure of non-emergency government employees from the US Embassy in Baghdad and the US Consulate in Erbil, Iraq, and normal visa services to be temporarily suspended at both posts.

Hold on to your horses. The saber rattling against Iran is getting awful loud. Bolton may finally get to start a global conflict.

[worstblogever]

I'd say the chances of a Democratic pickup just went up.

The "author of the embarrassingly disastrous HB2" versus "the nice guy who only barely lost a race in NC where the narrow Republican 'winner' got caught flagrantly cheating to do so".

... yeah. Yeah, that could be.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2015, 2016, 2017, as well as 2018, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day published profiles of South Dakota State Senator Phil Jensen, a man who drew national headlines back in March of 2013 for producing legislation that would allow businesses to discriminate against whoever they want, Civil Rights Act be damned. Jensen actually tried claiming that if a bakery owned by the KKK tried discriminating against an African American, that the matter would take care of itself, because customers would be too offended to patronize such a place. This logic, of course then fails to understand everything about the Jim Crow era South. Anyway, South Dakota Republicans threw Jensen under the bus for his remarks, but have never said anything about other extreme legislation he's produced or supported, including drug testing welfare recipients, an unnecessary ban on Sharia Law in the United States, an attempt to criminalize abortions as "attacks on a fetus", co-sponsoring “religious freedom” legislation to allow people to discriminate against LGBT citizens, and Jensen’s sponsorship of transphobic legislation including not just a ban on transgendered citizens using public bathrooms, but also to forbid transgendered athletes from participating in high school sports. (Because that just reeks of a “party of smaller government”, right?)

While the South Dakota GOP spent two years aghast and trying to do damage control over Phil Jensen’s remarks about the Klan, in 2016, he survived Jacqueline Sly, a primary challenger and he still won re-election comfortably in Rapid City with 61% of the vote. Has he dialed back the extremism since we last checked in? Hell no, he hasn’t! Phil Jensen has continued his attacks upon this LGBTQ community, but apparently isn’t content to only do so as a legislator. At a town hall in February of 2017, as David Hubbard, from the Human Rights campaign asked “Who will protect the people of South Dakota from discrimination??”, Jensen’s response drew groans from the audience for its sheer bigotry:

"Should a known pedophile… be allowed, be allowed to adopt. There are reasons this is not allowed."

Now, equating a transgendered person to a “known pedophile” did not go over, especially because there was a transgendered man in attendance who HAD adopted a child, and lambasted Jensen for believing a child should not find a loving family to care for them.

In 2018, Phil Jensen has swapped out his focus on homophobia to instead, move back to transphobia again, as he sponsored legislation to try and force businesses with public restrooms to place signs to warn users that “someone of the opposite gender may be inside”, because that’s a “smaller government” thing to do. Just like the other bill Jensen sponsored, where he tried to place a ban on public school teachers from being able to teach anything about gender identity in classrooms.

Phil Jensen survived both a GOP challenger, as well as a Democratic challenger in the 2018 elections. He has decided to use that political capital to sponsor legislation to allow school children to challenge the lesson plans of any science teacher who dares to try and educate the youth of their state about climate change, claiming teachers “worship at the altar of climate change”, and calling any plans to teach kids about it “indoctrination”. The only good news about that fact is… Jensen is term-limited and cannot run for re-election to the South Dakota State Senate in 2020.
 

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Just a reminder, the absurdity of these laws is the point. They WANT to get sued so they can take it to the Supreme Court, because they think they have the votes to overturn abortion nationwide.

What these idiots either fail to understand, or, as I suspect, DO understand but don't care about is that striking down Roe v. Wade WON'T stop abortions from taking place. It'll only serve to send rich women (and wives/girlfriends/mistresses of rich, powerful men) overseas while poor, desperate women return to the waiting arms of back alley butchers, endangering their very lives. But hey, there's no holy roller inspired and Republican led War On Women, nosiree, bob! Meanwhile....

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Delays Hollywood Film Trip Amid Backlash To Anti-Abortion Bill

Some filmmakers have said they won’t work in the state after the governor signed a “heartbeat bill.” One way to stop this madness is to hit the state in the wallet, and hit it HARD by walking away.

====================

Here’s How Trump’s New China Tariffs Will Hit Your Wallet

“There will be price hikes at Target, Costco, Home Depot and Walmart,” predicted one analyst. Remember, folks, trade wars are easy to win, Dollar Don said so, and you'll be winning big time by paying more at the store! WOO-HOO!!

**********

Tennessee School Stops Teaching Kids To Do Nazi Salute After Student Pushes Back

An 11-year-old was removed from class for speaking out repeatedly against her classmates giving the Sieg Heil salute. Class project? Seriously? That's fucking insane!

**********

NRA Board Members Say New President Lied About Disclosing Financial Troubles

Leaked documents reveal the National Rifle Association is drowning in legal fees. Board members say they didn’t know. I find that to be delicious.

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Ilhan Omar Says Attacks On Her And Rashida Tlaib Are ‘Designed To Silence’ Muslim Voices

The Democratic congresswomen have come under repeated, bad-faiths attacks in recent months. The only thing Republicans hate more than women who don't know their place and refuse to keep quiet are Muslim women in positions of power who don't know their place and refuse to keep quiet.

**********

Fox News Host Goes Full ‘Mean Girl’ In Insult To Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Dagen McDowell ended a discussion about the New York congresswoman by saying, “Beauty fades, stupid is forever.” You should know, sweetie, your stupidity is already showing. More proof that AOC has become a full fledged villain for Republicans and Trump's state sponsored propaganda network to dump on.

[Tendrin]

I have had uber drivers tell me like its an article of faith how 'nutty' Ocasio Cortez is and how 'pfft, the world won't end in 12 years' and 'lol cow farts'.

For some people, it's working.

[jetengine]

I have had uber drivers tell me like its an article of faith how 'nutty' Ocasio Cortez is and how 'pfft, the world won't end in 12 years' and 'lol cow farts'.

For some people, it's working.

Taxi Drivers are always wrong.

[Mister Mets]

I have had uber drivers tell me like its an article of faith how 'nutty' Ocasio Cortez is and how 'pfft, the world won't end in 12 years' and 'lol cow farts'.

For some people, it's working.

Is this in New York, or are Uber drivers complaining about her elsewhere?

[Tendrin]

Is this in New York, or are Uber drivers complaining about her elsewhere?

Elsewhere.

[ed2962]

Just a reminder, the absurdity of these laws is the point. They WANT to get sued so they can take it to the Supreme Court, because they think they have the votes to overturn abortion nationwide.

This is exactly their strategy.

[Ohnooze]

Sorry wrong topic

[InformationGeek]

Here's who voted for the Alabama Abortion Bill. Take notes WBE.




And another figure in this from the House of Representatives, Terri Collins!

[kidfresh512]

I just think if they put this much effort into what happens after these children are born they wouldn't be the absolute worst state in education rankings.

Passing this bill suggests they are just so concerned about children and the potential of every child even children borne from rape and incest.

It doesn't make sense that they are not also the number 1 state for education then?

They are also in the bottom 5 for healthcare. Strange

You want to force control of women's bodies from them. Force them to have these babies. Then you provide the worst education in the country and the almost the worst healthcare in the country at 46 out of 50 in state rankings.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta...gs/health-care