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

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2014, 2015, 2016, as well as 2017, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" published profiles of Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, a man whose dedication to smaller government and lowered taxes has left his state with billion dollar budget deficits (annually), forced early school closures due to the state education budget running out of money before the scheduled end of the school year, and an overall dedication to Fundamentalist philosophies against abortion and LGBT rights that have forced the Kansas Supreme Court to step in, repeatedly. After repeatedly blocking the expansion of Medicaid in Kansas, Brownback released a statement that his opposition to the Medicaid expansion was that it would be “morally reprehensible” because it would help “able-bodied adults … who choose not to work” and would send money to “big city hospitals.” And Brownback chafes at any check or balance upon his power, particularly from the judiciary who he’s threatened to defund, as his leadership continues to abuse the poor and destitute, while allowing the wealthiest citizens to reach even greater heights of prosperity. Brownback still insists that it’s fine for him to conduct government business from his own private e-mail that is exempt from transparency laws, and only won re-election in 2014 with 49.8% of the vote, while other members of the GOP dominated at the polls, his approval ratings hover in the 30s, and several Kansas Republicans have turned to endorsing Democratic candidates rather than let his loyalists run roughshod over the greater good for Kansas. Kansas has had such a rough time of finding the money to run their own state that they were forced to auction off $163,000 of sex toys confiscated by law enforcement in 2015 to meet budget shortfalls. And when people actually report on how bad the plight of bad governance in Kansas actually is and how he’s been an abject failure as the state’s chief executive, Gov. Brownback claims everything’s fine, and it’s all just a “liberal conspiracy” to smear how good of a job he’s doing. Already in lame-duck status going into 2018, Republican officials convinced Donald Trump to nominate Sam Brownback to be his religious freedom ambassador, one of the few appointments he has made to the State Department, and Brownback resigned rather than flail about for the last few months of his term. As such, we'll set aside his profile to go ahead and take a look at a different kooky Republican today instead. (Current crazy/stupid scoreboard, is now 693-30, since this was established in July 2014.)



It was on this date one year ago that “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profiled Matt Rosendale, a 2018 candidate for U.S Senate in Montana looking to swipe the seat of Democratic Senator Jon Tester because of his background as a real estate investor from Maryland who pretends he’s a rancher out on the range from almost all the way across the country. All public records show, though, that Rosendale is a “rancher” by way of just renting real estate out to others who actually do the ranching on that land. This would be like if a landlord claimed to be a professional cosplayer because one of their tenants went to a comic convention dressed as Sailor Moon.

Anyway, that reputation as a carpetbagger is already rather established in Montana, because Rosendale was bludgeoned with that label when he was defeated in the 2014 Congressional Primary for Montana’s At-Large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives against CSGOPOTD alumni Ryan Zinke. After winning one term in the Tea Party Wave in Montana back in 2010 to get into the State House, Rosendale won a single term in the Montana State Senate in 2012, before his losing streak started. The only election he’s won in Montana was for State Auditor in 2016, on the benefit of getting to run unopposed.

And, because Rosendale is willing to campaign on immigration by calling for Donald Trump’s stupid idea for a border wall along the U.S./Mexico border and Sen. Jon Tester has s***talked the thin-skinned orange menace, Emperor Dementia von F***face himself went to campaign on Rosendale’s behalf, which amounted to him rambling incoherently for almost an hour while barely mentioning the candidate. That would be the same rally where Trump lost the crowd enough that a guy in a plaid shirt upstaged him, and that other attendees were escorted out and replaced with plants because they didn’t look enthusiastic enough.

Our main issues with Rosendale, however, aren’t his carpetbagging, so much as they are with his rampant racism. That’s almost a given, we know, with labeling himself a Trump conservative and wanting a border wall, but because he’s spoken highly of white supremacists in Montana like Taylor Rose and Chuck Baldwin. Or how after Florida Congressman Ron DeSantis was outed as the moderator of a Facebook group of conservatives that exists almost solely to share racist memes and insane conspiracy theories like Pizzagate or that the left orchestrated Charlottesville, Rosendale was revealed to have been an active member of it for some time (when caught, he dropped himself from the group).

Matt Rosendale couldn’t seem to go more than a week without a major campaign gaffe, as now he’s being investigated by the Federal Election Commission because his campaign was illegally coordinating their ad campaigns with the NRA because he himself blurted out that he was doing it in a televised interview.

While Rosendale was defeated in his 2018 matchup with John Tester, earning only 47% of the vote, he has not given up in his quest to find his way to Washington, and announced that in 2020, he will be taking a crack at winning the At-Large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for Montana, what with Greg Gianforte opting to instead run to be the next Governor of Montana. Rosendale is currently positioning himself as the “Trump candidate” in the GOP Primary, so it will bear watching how Trump’s fortunes over the next 14 months fare, for how they go, so will Rosendale’s.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I strongly disagree. Indiana Jones was far more critical and antagonistic of the Nazis when asked to speak and act against their interests.

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Touche!

Meanwhile, I don't know if anyone has already mentioned this, but the irony of the Ukraine Debacle is that it didn't have to happen, especially when you consider that Joe Biden isn't even the Democratic nominee for president. If Trump tried this strong arm scheme a year from now after Biden got the nomination (if he got it, god only knows what could happen over the next twelve months), it would almost make sense, but today? More proof that Trump is just a colossal bungler arrogant enough and stupid enough to believe he could get away with anything. All he wound up doing with that stunt was to force Nancy Pelosi's hand since she had little to no appetite for impeachment hearings. I saw this on Facebook last night, a quote attributed to Woodrow Wilson about the current mess Trump got himself into: "Never attempt to murder a man who is committing suicide", Trump was that man, but he made Pelosi pump a round in his head after he slit his wrists.

[Kirby101]

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Touche!

Meanwhile, I don't know if anyone has already mentioned this, but the irony of the Ukraine Debacle is that it didn't have to happen, especially when you consider that Joe Biden isn't even the Democratic nominee for president. If Trump tried this strong arm scheme a year from now after Biden got the nomination (if he got it, god only knows what could happen over the next twelve months), it would almost make sense, but today? More proof that Trump is just a colossal bungler arrogant enough and stupid enough to believe he could get away with anything. All he wound up doing with that stunt was to force Nancy Pelosi's hand since she had little to no appetite for impeachment hearings. I saw this on Facebook last night, a quote attributed to Woodrow Wilson about the current mess Trump got himself into: "Never attempt to murder a man who is committing suicide", Trump was that man, but he made Pelosi pump a round in his head after he slit his wrists.

I think he is pulling a page from Nixon. Nixon's tricks moved the nomination from Musky to McGovern, who he thoaugh was an easier candidate to beat. I think Trump wants to squash Biden's campaign and go against Warren.

[Tami]

Federal Prosecutors Join Trump to Block a Subpoena Seeking His Tax Returns

The William Barr Law Firm (AKA DOJ) is at it again

(NEW YORK) — Federal prosecutors are joining President Donald Trump in asking a federal judge in New York to temporarily block a state court grand jury subpoena seeking his tax returns.

They say in papers filed late Tuesday in Manhattan federal court that Trump has raised “weighty constitutional issues” in trying to stop the subpoena and they want to review them and decide whether to join the fight.

“To the extent that enforcement of the subpoena may adversely affect federal interests of constitutional dimension, those effects could not be redressed after the fact,” the prosecutors said in asking for a “short stay of the subpoena’s enforcement.”

Prosecutors say they could inform the judge by next Tuesday whether they intend to join Trump’s quest to block his longtime accountant from complying with the subpoena, which stems from a criminal probe.

----------------------

Trump Lawyers Head to Court Claiming President Can’t Be Investigated

[Tami]

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Doubles Down on Expanded Background Checks Amidst Opposition from Texas GOP

On Monday, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick reiterated his calls for a “discussion” on background checks to cover private, so-called “stranger-to-stranger” transactions through a series of radio appearances.

His defense of proposing the policy comes after pushback from conservatives.

A week before Saturday, the Texas State Republican Executive Committee voted unanimously to approve a resolution condemning expanded background checks (EBCs) of the sort suggested by Patrick.

Last Friday, former state representative Matt Rinaldi wrote an article contending that Patrick — not Beto O’Rourke who has essentially called for outright confiscation — “poses the biggest threat to Texas gun owners.”

Early Monday morning on the Mark Davis Show, Patrick defended his record on gun rights, boasting about his high ratings from the NRA and that he has consistently supported pro-Second Amendment legislation.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I think he is pulling a page from Nixon. Nixon's tricks moved the nomination from Musky to McGovern, who he thoaugh was an easier candidate to beat. I think Trump wants to squash Biden's campaign and go against Warren.

This is just me, but if that's the strategy, it could backfire on Trump. Everyone saw during the 2016 presidential debates how Hillary Clinton flustered Trump, and Warren is easily twice the pitbull Clinton is. On top of that, Warren would have added motivation to rip the Donald to shreds from his "Pocahontas" insults to her.

Federal Prosecutors Join Trump to Block a Subpoena Seeking His Tax Returns

The William Barr Law Firm (AKA DOJ) is at it again



----------------------

Trump Lawyers Head to Court Claiming President Can’t Be Investigated

The GOP's fanaticism to protect Trump continues to amaze me. Oh, sure, I know the reason why, keeping Trump in office keeps them in power while allowing Moscow Mitch to stack the courts with right wing ideologues. Still, all that devotion to a man who'd shove the whole fucking party under the nearest Greyhound in a New York minute to save his own skin is absolutely astonishing. Now, should a Democrat win the election and he (or she) chooses not to release his (or her) tax returns, lets see how Republicans act then.

[Mister Mets]

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Touche!

Meanwhile, I don't know if anyone has already mentioned this, but the irony of the Ukraine Debacle is that it didn't have to happen, especially when you consider that Joe Biden isn't even the Democratic nominee for president. If Trump tried this strong arm scheme a year from now after Biden got the nomination (if he got it, god only knows what could happen over the next twelve months), it would almost make sense, but today? More proof that Trump is just a colossal bungler arrogant enough and stupid enough to believe he could get away with anything. All he wound up doing with that stunt was to force Nancy Pelosi's hand since she had little to no appetite for impeachment hearings. I saw this on Facebook last night, a quote attributed to Woodrow Wilson about the current mess Trump got himself into: "Never attempt to murder a man who is committing suicide", Trump was that man, but he made Pelosi pump a round in his head after he slit his wrists.

Elizabeth Warren is leading Biden in the polls. That seems to be the outcome Trump wants as she polls worse and hasn't done that well compared to the party running for statewide office in Massachusetts.

[Theleviathan]

Impeachment was not meant to be a non-binding statement. It was meant to be a process to remove from office someone who has committed crimes. And just as with any prosecutor, you don't begin proceedings until you feel you have a good chance of getting a conviction.

That's precisely why I'm not rejoicing about this. The accused has pretty much bought off the entire jury and he's over there cackling and mocking the court. Sure, the judge and the prosecutor mean well and they have a good case....but dammit if that ******* doesn't look like this is exactly what he wants because he already knows he'll never be found guilty.

[4saken1]

Impeachment was not meant to be a non-binding statement. It was meant to be a process to remove from office someone who has committed crimes. And just as with any prosecutor, you don't begin proceedings until you feel you have a good chance of getting a conviction.

That's just it, though. This bar will never be reached. A video could come out showing Trump sexually assaulting a minor and the Senate STILL WOULDN'T CONVICT! The impeachment process will allow for more facts to be revealed about Trump. If doing so doesn't convince the feckless masses to come to the polls next November, or even aids conservatives to win, then this steaming pile of **** we call America deserves him!

[Tendrin]

Even notes on the call look terrible.

The White House’s version of the call appears to contain notes that constitute a “memorandum” of the telephone conversation between the two leaders.

Trump referenced “Rudy,” the memorandum shows, and asks Zelensky to “speak with him.”

Trump also references “a lot of talk about Biden’s son.” He goes on to tell Zelensky, the memorandum says, that “Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that.”

Trump goes on to say that “whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great.”

Zelensky replied that the chief prosecutor he then intended to appoint would be “100% my person.” The Ukrainian president added: “He or she will look into the situation, specifically to the company that you mentioned in this issue.”

Read the White House’s record of the call below:

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckra...aine-president

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

He’s so dumb he incriminated himself

[Dalak]

He’s so dumb he incriminated himself

I think it's more his Ego but his idiocy is definitely involved. Of course Rudy's in the same boat.

[kidfresh512]

It doesn't matter they released it because they will have support saying see its fine.

So what if I withheld 391 million in allotted aid money to Ukraine days before this call. To clearly be used as intimidation while he asks the Ukrainian President to "do us a favor" and work with his personal lawyer Rudy and the Barr to investigate his chief rival.

I mean talk about conflict of interest. What the hell is Rudy doing involved in this? He is a personal lawyer, with all the bias that entails.

[PaulBullion]

I'm so confident this will backfire I'll bet you money if you want?

Edit - Word of warning before you do. I've correctly predicted the outcome of every national election for twenty-five years.

Impeaching Clinton only backfired on Republicans in theory (opinion polls). They went on to win the White House for 8 years and made big gains in Congress, too.

[Tami]

Even notes on the call look terrible.



https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckra...aine-president

It's still just a summery, however, if the Complaint and full transcript (unedited, unfiltered) contains at least this much, it will also contain a whole lot more.