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

[Tami]

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema pushes program to streamline removal of migrant families without valid asylum claims

TUCSON — Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is pushing for the implementation of a pilot program along the U.S.-Mexico border that aims to more quickly screen and remove migrant families without valid legal claims for asylum in the United States.

Sinema, D-Ariz., joined a bipartisan group with eight other senators who sent a letter Wednesday to acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan describing their proposed program, dubbed "Operation Safe Return."

They'll have the chance to make their case during a meeting with McAleenan in the coming weeks.

The program would allow the Department of Homeland Security to deport certain migrants within 15 days, according to the letter, and would help alleviate overcrowding at border facilities, Sinema said.

"This pilot program would apply to families who aren't claiming 'credible fear,' which of course is the first threshold in seeking asylum," Sinema told The Arizona Republic. "If someone says 'I left my country because I can't make a living,' (or) 'it's hard to take care of my family' — that's what we call an economic migrant."

But the idea for the pilot program has raised concerns from migrant advocates who worry that speeding up the process could lead to cases of valid claims being wrongfully denied and migrant families returned to dangerous situations.

[worstblogever]

Back on this date in 2014, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” published a profile on Sarah Palin, the former Vice-Presidential Candidate and Governor of Alaska (who quit halfway through her first term amidst various abuse-of-power scandals). We covered as many possible insane quotes, gaffes, or word-salad speeches as we could, from "Seeing Alaska from her house", to not being able to name a newspaper she read, to trying to look presidential by pardoning a turkey in Alaska while others were butchered and drained of blood while she gave a speech unaware... Sarah Palin is one of the most deranged, brain-addled members of the GOP we've ever run a profile on. We're honestly grateful that he hasn't held or run for office for a long enough period of time that we have to update our readers on all the continuing moments where she gets in front of a microphone for the attention and says clueless, bigoted, or nonsensical things.

It was in 2015 that we published our original "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" profile of former perennial Presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, the failed former CEO of Hewlett-Packard who lost the company about $700 million in its worth, got thousands of employees laid off, then took her golden parachute settlement after being pushed out by disatisfied stockholders and fellow executives. She then tried parlaying this colossal failure into a political career, where she first became one of the worst campaign proxies in existence for the 2008 McCain campaign before challenging Barbara Boxer for her U.S. Senate seat in 2010 and still getting shellacked after she ran a bizarre "demon sheep" ad. For whatever reason, Fiorina took her vast unpopularity and tried to run for president in 2016, where her main strategy in debates seemed to be to lie her arse off. She demonized workers for "watching porn all day" as an economic problem, claimed the Obama administration "broke every rule" in negotiations with Iran, and that Hillary Clinton had "blood on her hands" because of Benghazi. Since we wrote that profile of Carly last July, she tried gaining attention in the GOP Primary by perpetuating as many of the horror stories about Planned Parenthood started by the Center of Medical Progress as she could, and making graphic descriptions of babies being dismembered to be sold for profit in the "sting" videos (that were a hoax), and her cries about "baby parts" were the sort of rhetoric that inspired Roland Dear to go on a shooting spree against a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs as a stochastic terror trigger. Fiorina eventually had to abandon her own campaign, and then tried joining forces with Ted Cruz, singing creepy songs at Sen. Cruz's children, and then falling off a stage comically after introducing the runner-up for the GOP nomination. Fiorina remains ridiculous, and unlikely to ever hold office in any sane part of the country.

[worstblogever]

In 2016, 2017, and in 2018, that “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” presented profiles of the eleven-term U.S. House Representative for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District, Steve Chabot, who felt it necessary during Congressional testimony regarding Hillary Clinton’s e-mails from former Attorney General Loretta Lynch to give her a history lesson about that time that Bill Clinton was receiving fellatio from Monica Lewinsky, and they went and tried impeaching the president. What does that have to do with Hillary Clinton’s e-mails, or Hillary Clinton, directly at all, you ask? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. But for whatever reason, Chabot thought it relevant to remind everyone that Bill Clinton got a hummer in the Oval Office one upon a time, just in case Loretta Lynch or the public had never heard before. That isn’t entirely an isolated incident regarding Hillary Clinton getting smeared by Rep. Chabot, though, as after several Benghazi hearings through the past three or four years that have turned up no evidence of any wrongdoing, no rumored “stand down” order, and no evidence that an order to send in the military would have saved the lives of any of the four people who died in the attack on the embassy, he still has told the public that a “smoking gun” proving Clinton’s involvement was criminal was found. But don’t worry, he doesn’t save his baseless accusations for Hillary Clinton alone. When news first broke over the supposed “IRS Scandal” (which ended up not showing any targeting of conservative groups, specifically by the IRS), Steve Chabot seized on the opportunity to wonder “How high up does this go?” and insinuating that it was on an order that went all the way to the Obama White House.

This isn’t to say that Rep. Chabot is a boy scout, himself exactly. Shortly after he was re-elected back into office in the 2010 Tea Party Wave, he hosted his first town hall in his district (while his fellow Republicans were in the process of gerrymandering to make more favorable to him by the 2012 elections). And during that 2011 Town Hall, Chabot ordered police present to begin confiscating cameras so that no one could photograph or film what was happening for “security reasons” that were never explained… Chabot apparently wanted to control what might get out and onto Youtube, also taking care to only allow pre-screened questions to be asked by those present. This plan to restrict his constituent’s rights backfired because it was caught on camera by the media, whose cameras were NOT confiscated.

Anyway, over his decades in the House, Chabot has one of the more partisan records not just for legislation he’s supported, including being a co-sponsor of the Defense of Marriage Act, voting for the impeachment of President Bill Clinton for lying about having an affair with Monica Lewinsky,voting for a constitutional amendment to allow government buildings to erect monuments of the Ten Commandments, and an amendment to ban same-sex marriage. He has voted for a myriad of strict anti-choice legislation, has twice tried to defund Planned Parenthood, and is so conservative in terms of pro-life that he voted for the Terry Schiavo Incapacitated Persons bill. Chabot’s record on bank legislation is disastrous, as he voted for the Gramm-Leach-Billey Act, which repeals key parts of the Glass-Steagall Financial Regulation Act, and opens the door for big banks to create the 2007 Sub-Prime Mortgage Housing Crisis, and against Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform, to resolve that crisis. He voted for the Iraq War Resolution in 2002. Chabot voted for the 2013 Government Shutdown, and then voted to keep the government closed when the time came to reopen it.

Our biggest update on Steve Chabot would be that after he showed Americans he was a man who back in 1998 was more than happy defend the integrity of the investigators who were rabidly digging into every aspect of Bill and Hillary Clinton’s lives in the hopes of getting them impeached… that same guy suddenly would like to point out that the investigators working on the Mueller investigation show some signs of bias because 9 of them at some point in their careers donated money to Democratic candidates, and not a single member of Mueller’s team has ever donated money to Donald Trump’s political campaigns. Never mind that Mueller himself, and most of his investigators are registered as Republicans, or that it’s perfectly legal for them to donate money to whatever political campaign they choose… suddenly, twenty years after he wanted the Lewinsky investigation to be declared non-partisan… NOW Steve Chabot can’t believe FBI investigators would be above reproach when hunting for the truth about Donald Trump’s presidential campaign colluding with Russians to get him elected.

Well, outside of that, his voting record also shows he’s a partisan hack:

• January 23rd, 2019: Rep. Chabot voted against HR 648, because he was gleefully enjoying the longest government shutdown in history.
• February 28th, 2019: Steve Chabot votes against HR 1112, a bill which would have required universal background checks on all firearm purchases, and close the gun show loophole.
• March 14th, 2019: Rep. Chabot votes against HJR 46, which sane members of Congress voted for to reject Donald Trump’s “national emergency” regarding the U.S. border and his attempts to reallocate funds for a border wall without Congressional approval.
• April 4th, 2019: Steve Chabot is one of 158 Republicans who choose to vote against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, likely because they feel the 2nd Amendment remaining absolute is more important than preventing people with a history of domestic abuse from owning a firearm (which statistics show, makes them more likely to use those firearms against women in their lives).
• June 4th, 2019: Chabot votes against the Dreamers Act, because he’s too xenophobic and partisan to care about immigration reform.
• July 16th, 2019: Chabot is one of 187 Republicans who vote against a resolution to condemn Donald Trump for his racist statements that four people of color in Congress should “go back where they came from”.

Ohio’s 1st Congressional District has a +5 Republican lean, and Chabot barely survived re-election in 2018, only netting 51% of the vote. He currently is trying to avoid looking like an utter hypocrite for having voted for the impeachment of Bill Clinton, but refusing to even consider doing so for Donald Trump, and his only defense is the lies Donald Trump has told “weren’t under oath”. Please note, he at least acknowledges Trump lies about committing crimes. And he doesn’t care.

[Mister Mets]

So, because you searched "Larry Klayman" and found his name in one story, and it doesn't mention that he did that rally and Ted Cruz was there... even though I've found numerous other political coverage sites that noted it elsewhere...

It's like it never happened.

There's cognitive dissonance, and then there's willful ignorance.

I didn't say it never happened. I suggested coverage was limited. You're saying it was mentioned on some shows you watch which is fine, but if you could read the New York Times without coming across the story, I'll still maintain coverage was relatively limited.

This marks a problem with modern discussions. We get information from different news sources which present a skewed baseline for what we can expect reasonably informed people to be familiar with.

You also haven't addressed your claim that Cruz "led a mob of Tea Party loons outside the gates of the White House to wave a Confederate flag at it while the first African American president sat inside" and that he instructed a preacher to give a message about Obama worshipping the Koran. The idea that he instructed anyone to use a confederate flag is not supported by the evidence.

To every American, my question is, do you feel comfortable being critical of the political party you are affiliated with or with politicians and other members of your party?

I get the feeling that Mets is giving the impression (correctly or not) that he is unwilling to be self-party critical. But to those who debate him, are you also willing to be self-party critical?

I think we are all mature enough, or should be mature enough, to realize that no person or party is perfect.

However, to downplay or ignore or deflect from what is going on with Trump and his administration is understandably perplexing and likely to draw the ire of many. Some Republicans are able to stand apart from the pack and speak freely and critically. Others seem to find it impossible to do so.

Not all transgressions are equal, some are far worse than others.

I fully get the argument that because you think one party is worse it is more important for its members to be self-critical. But that's a different argument from whether I'm less willing to criticize the Republican party than the rest of the people here are willing to criticize the Democratic party, especially if we're talking about going beyond strategy (the criticism of the effectiveness of the approach isn't an objection to the end-goal), or criticisms that the party isn't progressive enough.

Remember when civility was defined by your thoughts ? Oh wait it isnt.

We're civil on the basis that we ignore your terrible attempts at misdirection, lies and goalpost shifting to a degree. Because on many other sites you'd of been banned LONG ago. Just because your not a screaming troll like some of the other "conservatives" that try posting here doesn't mean we're not aware of your ****.

Civility isn't defined by thoughts; it's defined by actions. That's why I think holding back doesn't demonstrate civility; it's about how one presents themselves.

[worstblogever]

I didn't say it never happened. I suggested coverage was limited. You're saying it was mentioned on some shows you watch which is fine, but if you could read the New York Times without coming across the story, I'll still maintain coverage was relatively limited.

This marks a problem with modern discussions. We get information from different news sources which present a skewed baseline for what we can expect reasonably informed people to be familiar with.

You also haven't addressed your claim that Cruz "led a mob of Tea Party loons outside the gates of the White House to wave a Confederate flag at it while the first African American president sat inside" and that he instructed a preacher to give a message about Obama worshipping the Koran. The idea that he instructed anyone to use a confederate flag is not supported by the evidence.

Then I look forward to the day you make excuses for the Proud Boys violently assaulting people of color outside a Trump rally in the coming months, and explaining why Trump won't be to blame, because he never specifically orders it to happen.

Because inciting a mob is a thing, Mets. And you might want to step to the plate and decide that's a bad thing for a politician to do now before Trump really starts turning loose his modern day Brownshirts.

[Mister Mets]

And I'm sure you're trying to do anything but talk about the racist, fascist, criminal behavior of your party, but that doesn't make your opinion on "civility" more relevant than reality -- you can't even talk about how Obama was treated by the Republicans or how they elected the "birther in chief" into office.

Trying to grasp at a win on the grounds of "civility" while Trump is the leader of your party is ridiculous -- clean your own house first.

I never said the problem with civility was exclusively with the Democrats. If you have specific comments about Trump's shortcomings we can talk that over, and I've been willing to criticize him in the past. Bringing the discussion to Trump raises some questions. I get that you could argue things have changed thanks to Trump, but what does that mean? Should civility be more prized if Jeb Bush were President? Is civility ineffective, or is it something that might work as an approach in other circumstances (it doesn't work when Trump's in the White House, but it might work in a different political environment)?

Close ranks and support a racist fuckwad in the Oval Office who's pushing the country ever closer to outright fascism? Do you have ANY idea how jawdropping insane that sounds? Clearly, testicle-challenged clowns like Kobach and all the rest have forgotten that their responsibility is to serve ALL the people, not just that segment of pea-brained, knuckledragging shitstains who've thrown in with the racist policies of a racist president. If those gutless cowards in the Republican party, in YOUR party had anything in the way of morality in them, they'd publicly disown and censure Trump for the bigotry and division he's fomenting, they'd put morals ahead of politics and bring YOUR party back from the brink. But, I guess they don't have the cojones for that, do they?

I'm guessing they don't think he's the second coming of Mussolini.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Till

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medgar_Evers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Amadou_Diallo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlo...lle_car_attack

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dylann_Roof

Yeah, civility seems to have worked out pretty swell.

My comments were about political disagreements than racism, but there have been significant improvements in race relations in my father's lifetime (he was born in 1946.) There's an increased acceptance of interracial marriage (I get the argument that it should have always been one hundred percent) and while hate crimes sometimes occur, those responsible are prosecuted, and there has been a significant decline.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema pushes program to streamline removal of migrant families without valid asylum claims

Bipartisanship.

[Gray Lensman]

I did a little math of my own earlier since the figure of $750 per day per detained child and it's even more disgusting than you would first think. New York State, which has the highest per inmate cost in the entire country, pays under $200 per day per inmate. And they can somehow manage to provide basic hygiene products for that as well.

Private prisons - only a quarter as efficient with our tax dollars as what Republicans hold up as a shining example of liberal spending run amuck.

So Benedict Donald has managed to steal not just lives from kids, but is stealing from the taxpayers as well to do it.

[Tuck]

Internal drug company emails show indifference to opioid epidemic

“[i]f you are low, order more. If you are okay, order a little more, Capesce?”

Using the formal 'you' in such a shady communication is a bit surreal.

[Tami]

School district warns parents their kids could be put in foster care unless lunch debt paid

A Pennsylvania school district reportedly plans to send out another letter to parents after facing backlash for a message warning parents that their children could be recommended to be put in foster care if they didn't pay their school lunch debt.

One copy of the initial letter, which has since been reposted on social media, shows the Wyoming Valley West School District informing parents of their student’s school lunch account balance of $75.25, adding that “multiple letters have been sent home with your child and no payments have been made to their account," NBC affiliate WBRE reported.

“Your child has been sent to school every day without money and without a breakfast and/or lunch,” the July 9 letter reads. “This is a failure to provide your child with proper nutrition and you can be sent to Dependency Court for neglecting your child’s right to food."

“If you are taken to Dependency court, the result may be your child being removed from your home and placed in foster care,” the letter continues. "Please remit payment as soon as possible to avoid being reported to the proper authorities.”

[aja_christopher]

I never said the problem with civility was exclusively with the Democrats. If you have specific comments about Trump's shortcomings we can talk that over, and I've been willing to criticize him in the past.

I bring his and the rest of the Republican party's "shortcomings" up all of the time and you never answer directly.

Now you're trying to harp on "civility" while dodging my question regarding why we should ignore how Republicans treated the very "civil" Obama for eight years -- it's not about Trump, it's about the Republican party that elected him as president.

Being "civil" with you does nothing to keep my voting rights from being curtailed and children from being abused by Republicans -- it didn't do anything for Obama and it isn't proving any more effective with you; despite months of discussing the same old issues with you, your party is worse than ever before.



Obama proved that "civility" only allows Republicans to treat you like dirt, and with that in mind, I'm done even discussing the subject.

[BeastieRunner]

The Mueller who no longer has a staff?

They have closing out staff and handed over concurrent cases to the NY AG. All things Russia are still called, "the Mueller Investigation" because it never got a cool name like WaterGate or Whitewater or Blackgate. Clearly he wants to enter a plea deal instead of going to court for both child porn/sex trafficking and soliciting to foreign dignitaries in Trump Tower. There's still 3 federal and 9 NY state trials happening with the Mueller Investigation, but they're all "mop up" cases of the small fry.

[Tami]

Watch Robert De Niro and Stephen King explain the Mueller report

Link to Tweet

[Malvolio]

Once again, this "civility" argument is nothing new. They told Black civil rights activists in the 1960s to calm down and be more civil. Yeah, because civility got them so much, right? <sarcasm>

"Civility" is what the bully cries when we make him take a little bit of his own medicine.

[JCAll]

They have closing out staff and handed over concurrent cases to the NY AG. All things Russia are still called, "the Mueller Investigation" because it never got a cool name like WaterGate or Whitewater or Blackgate. Clearly he wants to enter a plea deal instead of going to court for both child porn/sex trafficking and soliciting to foreign dignitaries in Trump Tower. There's still 3 federal and 9 NY state trials happening with the Mueller Investigation, but they're all "mop up" cases of the small fry.

[GindyPosts]

Oh, poor Mr. Mets. He has to live in a district where his voice is marginalized and irrelevant. Welcome to my world. And before you start with "Ah, you got Andre Carson, and before that his mother Julia Carson", the district was held by Republicans for over 50 years. In a state dominated by Republicans, that votes Republican in national elections (where I'm still baffled we went with Obama in 2008).

Seriously; if it's so rough for him, there's always Staten Island. Aside from the Expressway, it's practically New York's Republican outpost.