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

[worstblogever]

So former GOP Congressman Aaron Schock from Illinois was booted from office after being indicted on 26 counts of misuse of taxpayer funds, including remodeling his office to look like Downton Abbey. His time in office was split between him having a sick abs workout, and chalking up a huge anti-LGBTQ record.

Guess who just was spotted at Coachella making out with another man while shoving his hand down the front of that guy's pants? Aaron Schock.

Methinks rumors of his comeback just got put to bed, because Schock's been caught with dudes in it and the GOP just can't handle that. The latest anti-gay Republican revealed to be overcompensating.

[numberthirty]

So former GOP Congressman Aaron Schock from Illinois was booted from office after being indicted on 26 counts of misuse of taxpayer funds, including remodeling his office to look like Downton Abbey. His time in office was split between him having a sick abs workout, and chalking up a huge anti-LGBTQ record.

Guess who just was spotted at Coachella making out with another man while shoving his hand down the front of that guy's pants? Aaron Schock.

Methinks rumors of his comeback just got put to bed, because Schock's been caught with dudes in it and the GOP just can't handle that. The latest anti-gay Republican revealed to be overcompensating.

Wait a minute, where did you hear that rumor?

Folks who think Milli Vanilli might be about to make a comeback?

[Darkspellmaster]

Because they're insane in the membrane. As for her family, yeah, they'll have it rough and I feel for them. Chances are they probably didn't know their daughter had bad wiring upstairs and wasn't aware of what went on with her until it was too late. Meanwhile, I'm feeling more and more inclined to stay inside on Saturday, what with the anniversary that day.

Agreed, and yeah she was, but I guess a part of me wishes there was more research into the hard wiring of people that become obsessed with this stuff and either how to identify them faster, or how to prevent them from doing these things in the first place.

God dont remind me, I was a senior the year it happened. So it still sticks with me because a lot of talk was about the event at our graduation ceremony. And it's only gotten worse since.

[Mister Mets]

Tell them yourself -- our conversation was about your support for a lying, corrupt, racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, fiscally irresponsible party led by a a lying, corrupt, racist, homophobic, sexist, fiscally irresponsible Republican president.

I know you like to dodge that fact -- but trying to pivot elsewhere doesn't change said fact.

Your arguments are one step removed from saying that Obama must be a Muslim from Kenya because he won't show his birth certificate -- I don't traffic in "inferences" and "suspicions" on these issues -- just facts.

It's not my place to tell anyone something I'm not sure about. But if people on the left think Democrats might actually want immigration without an upper limit, it's not shocking that anyone on the right will come to a similar conclusion.

As for the birther comparison, Obama shared his certificate of birth, and was open about his upbringing and where specifically he was born. The debate was largely meaningless since a person with an American mother born overseas is generally understood to qualify as a natural born citizen, and it required a pregnant white college student to move to Kenya for an extended period of time, which seemed kind of unlikely as well.

I am not convinced the idea that Democrats are in favor of open borders is one step removed from birtherism, and it does appear some people here who favor the Democratic party aren't convinced of this as well.

[worstblogever]

Wait a minute, where did you hear that rumor?

Folks who think Milli Vanilli might be about to make a comeback?

What RUMOR? There's a link. With photographic evidence.

Aaron Schock got caught with his hand down another dude's pants in public while kissing him at Coachella. Use your eyes.

[Malvolio]

What RUMOR? There's a link. With photographic evidence.

Aaron Schock got caught with his hand down another dude's pants in public while kissing him at Coachella. Use your eyes.

I think he meant the rumor that Shock was making a comeback as a politician. Every once in awhile, I will defend #30.

[JCAll]

Folks who think Milli Vanilli might be about to make a comeback?

I wonder what those guys are up to anyway.
*checks wiki*
Oh, one died. Now I'm sad.
The other is still in the industry so that's cool.

[numberthirty]

What RUMOR? There's a link. With photographic evidence.

Aaron Schock got caught with his hand down another dude's pants in public while kissing him at Coachella. Use your eyes.

In the reply, the following...

...

Methinks rumors of his comeback just got put to bed

...

was bolded and in blue clear as day. The thing that you clearly said was a rumor in your post. Never mind that my reply was about a comeback.

Obviously, other folks had exactly zero problem working that out...

I think he meant the rumor that Shock was making a comeback as a politician. Every once in awhile, I will defend #30.

So again, there's a rumor that he was making a comeback?

[Mister Mets]

In the reply, the following...



was bolded and in blue clear as day. The thing that you clearly said was a rumor in your post. Never mind that my reply was about a comeback.

Obviously, other folks had exactly zero problem working that out...



So again, there's a rumor that he was making a comeback?

This was covered a bit after the charges against him were dropped.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prosecu...-aaron-schock/

[numberthirty]

This was covered a bit after the charges against him were dropped.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prosecu...-aaron-schock/

Someone being dumb enough to think they could beat Mike Tyson back in the day is not even remotely the same thing as someone starting a rumor that said person actually could.

"Apple"/"Orange"

[InformationGeek]

Well that's just awful.

The U.S. Naval Academy will ban people who are transgender from attending the school, beginning with the 2020 school year.

[aja_christopher]

It's not my place to tell anyone something I'm not sure about.

And it's not "your place" to tell me to tell others what to do, either.

And Obama did not "share his birth certificate" until people like Trump and other Republicans -- whom you echo -- kept making false accusations based on "inferences' and "suspicions" and overt racism and Islamophobia: again, you (like most Republicans) "echo" Trump in both your arguments and the misleading methodology of your "reasoning".

Regardless, all you seem to want to do is here dodge facts and attack "Democrats" (via "open borders" foolishness) without discussing the failings of your own party -- it's a transparent "framing" technique Mets, which is why nearly everyone is calling you out for it.

Like I've said before, let me know when your party stops trying to attack and minimize the rights of "minorities" -- until then, I can only "infer" that you both gladly and willingly support a party that is doing it's best to keep people like myself from being treated as equals in our society, something you refuse to address directly because you are too busy trying to defend a political party that thinks separating the families of "brown people" is a reasonable way to deal with people legally seeking asylum in our country.

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"Trump Blocks US From Appointing Anyone to UN Committee on Racism"

"A State Department official told Politico that the White House intervened to stop the expected renomination of a human rights lawyer selected by Barack Obama to the 18-member UN panel. As a result, the U.S. will not nominate anyone to the committee. Gay McDougall, who has served on the committee since 2015, was informed by State Department officials that she would be renominated before the White House abruptly scrapped the plan without providing an explanation, according to the report.

"McDougall, a human rights expert, told the outlet she intended to finish out her four-year term, which ends this fall.

“I regret that I’m not able to continue, and that was not of my choosing,” she said.

McDougall previously criticized Trump for emboldening racists in the United States around the world.

“Essentially, Trump’s many tweets and dismissive comments have given a green light to bigots around the country to attack their neighbors,” she said in 2016. “All of us who campaign for human rights have been shocked and angered by Trump’s derogatory messages regarding Muslims, Hispanics, women and people with disabilities. It is clear that his rhetoric has led directly to an increase in hate crimes in the US.

Now is the time for all those who believe in human rights to stand firm and fight for basic decency.”

The pullback from the international stage, particularly as a bulwark on issues of racism and human rights, comes after experts like McDougall warned that Trump’s rise would fuel similar movements that foment hate to gain power, as seen subsequently in countries like Israel, Italy, Spain and Brazil.

“Unscrupulous politicians worldwide will be studying Trump’s tactics and will see that scapegoating of the marginalized can provide short-term electoral gains,” McDougall warned in 2016.. “There is a clear and imminent risk towards minorities if governments do not take a stand against hate.”

https://truthout.org/articles/trump-...tee-on-racism/

[aja_christopher]

Less than sixty percent of Beto's donations actually came from legitimate small donors(versus Sanders eighty-five percent/Yang's eighty-four percent/Warren's seventy percent).

Still a better number than Harris or Klobuchar, but not much of a shocker.

What's not a "shocker" is that you are still attacking Democrats who don't pass your "purity test' while trying to claim that you're not being divisive in doing so.

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"Political adviser Jim Messina, who managed former President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012, answered a question Wednesday that has been on the minds of Democrats looking ahead at the 2020 presidential race.

"Can Bernie Sanders beat Donald Trump?" ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl asked Messina on the Powerhouse Politics podcast on Wednesday.

"No," Messina responded.

"Why?" Karl asked.

"I think if you look at swing voters in this country they are incredibly focused on the economy," Messina replied. "I think today you look at it and say that Bernie Sanders is unlikely going to be able to stand up to the constant barrage that is Donald Trump on economic issues."

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bern...ry?id=62455986

[numberthirty]

What's not a "shocker" is that you are still attacking Democrats who don't pass your "purity test' while trying to claim that you're not being divisive in doing so.

-----
"Political adviser Jim Messina, who managed former President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012, answered a question Wednesday that has been on the minds of Democrats looking ahead at the 2020 presidential race.

"Can Bernie Sanders beat Donald Trump?" ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl asked Messina on the Powerhouse Politics podcast on Wednesday.

"No," Messina responded.

"Why?" Karl asked.

"I think if you look at swing voters in this country they are incredibly focused on the economy," Messina replied. "I think today you look at it and say that Bernie Sanders is unlikely going to be able to stand up to the constant barrage that is Donald Trump on economic issues."

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bern...ry?id=62455986

Talking about someone who just laid out some actual numbers while quoting a clearly "Business As Usual..." person taking a clear swipe at Sanders without much to back it up is pretty hilarious.

Give a clear example of someone right out of the mainstream being divisive while you accuse someone of being divisive.

[aja_christopher]

Talking about someone who just laid out some actual numbers while quoting a clearly "Business As Usual..." person taking a clear swipe at Sanders without much to back it up is pretty hilarious.

Give a clear example of someone right out of the mainstream being divisive while you accuse someone of being divisive.

That "business as usual" person served under a president who won both election and re-election and who turned the our nation around from record recession levels to the strong economy that we have today -- meanwhile, you're promoting a candidate who we're not even sure can pay for all of the things he's promising the American public.

Sanders couldn't even win the primary against a "Clinton" and in fact lost to her by millions of votes -- despite having unprecedented Russian support.

And I wouldn't even be making this comment if you didn't keep attacking candidates like Beto and Kamala -- you are being divisive, even if you won't admit it.

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"Bernie Sanders' budget would add $21 trillion to debt: Analysis"

"Presidential contender Bernie Sanders’ broadly progressive tax and spending proposals would add a whopping $21 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, according to a joint analysis released Monday.

That amount far exceeds the $14 trillion in debt currently owed by the federal government.

The massive additional debt represents the net bill for the Vermont senator’s proposals to implement a single-payer health-care system, provide generous long-term care services, provide free public college tuition and paid family leave, and expand Social Security.

Sanders’ proposals would cost $33.3 trillion in new spending, mostly from his health-care proposals — more than double the $15.3 trillion in new taxes, mostly on wealthier American households, that he proposes if he’s elected president, according to the analysis by the Tax Policy Center."

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/09/bern...-analysis.html