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

[Jack Dracula]

Indigenous people demand an end to detention on stolen lands

Their protests will not be heard. The people on the Right who can change policy don't care what anyone on the left believes or says. Those in the Republican base who don't agree with Trumps immigration policies are too cowardly to speak out.

I have no idea why you think that last paragraph is true. It's not like Fox was irrelevant prior to Trump.

Agreed. If anything Fox News will get a huge boost if a Democrat is elected President. The rubes will flock to them as their only source of "fair and balanced" news.

Dan Coats was actually looking at Russian interference in the next election. Staring a task force. Trump can't have that because he knows he need the Russians to win again. Just like last time.

So the obstruction of justice continues with nothing but crickets from the super-patriots and America-first crowd on the Right.

[GindyPosts]

It really sucks to live in Alaska right now, and it hasn't even been a full year into his first term, but so far, Mike Dunleavy has made it clear he is all about slashing and burning to get what he wants, and that is revenge on his enemies (such as the Alaskan Supreme Court), and to raise the Alaska Permanent Fund to $3K per citizen, even at the cost of infrastructure, education, and other intangibles.

Which will go unnoticed by everyone since it doesn't have memetic potential. This... Does not sound good and is clearly an incompetent and corrupt Republican governor making things worse.

[InformationGeek]

Rand Paul continuing to show why his neighbor beat his ass.

.@RandPaul on @IlhanMN: "I’m willing to contribute to buy her a ticket to visit #Somalia... she can look and maybe learn a little bit about the disaster that is Somalia." “After she’s visited Somalia she might come back and appreciate America more.”

[Gray Lensman]

Rand Paul continuing to show why his neighbor beat his ass.

Paul should go himself and see firsthand what happens when there are a lot of guns and no government to speak of.

[Malvolio]

Their protests will not be heard. The people on the Right who can change policy don't care what anyone on the left believes or says. Those in the Republican base who don't agree with Trumps immigration policies are too cowardly to speak out.


Agreed. If anything Fox News will get a huge boost if a Democrat is elected President. The rubes will flock to them as their only source of "fair and balanced" news.


So the obstruction of justice continues with nothing but crickets from the super-patriots and America-first crowd on the Right.

During Trump's first year of office, FOX News ratings went down while MSNBC's ratings went up. The opposition's take on things will always be seen as more entertaining.

[Tendrin]

Active shooter at a California food festival. Sigh.

[Tami]

Active shooter at a California food festival. Sigh.

Multiple victims reported in possible shooting at Gilroy Garlic Festival

A witness, Julissa Contreras, told NBC Bay Area that she saw a white man in his early to mid-30s firing a rifle that was "able to shoot three to four shots a second."

"It was just rapid firing," she said. "I could see him shooting in just every direction. He wasn't aiming at anyone specifically. It was just left to right, right to left. ...

"He definitely was prepared for what he was doing," she said.

Maximo Rocha, a volunteer with the Gilroy Browns, a Pop Warner youth football team said he saw many people on the ground, although he couldn't be sure how many may have been shot and how many may have been trying to protect themselves.

But he told NBC Bay Area that "quite a few" of them were injured in some fashion, "because I helped a few."

[Robotman]

Active shooter at a California food festival. Sigh.

Because this is America now.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

Three dead, not including the shooter.

Twelve injured.

[TheManInBlack]

So, what did Antifa say you did to earn the death threats? Or if they gave no reason, why do you think they targeted you?

Did you report the threats to the authorities and if so what was the response?

I went to a black metal festival in Montreal where one (singular) out of a dozen bands was purported to have sung fascist lyrics in the past. Antifa harassed, threw smoke bombs at, and assaulted numerous people attending the show, myself included. When I complained about the incident on social media (on the feed for a friend who is in Antifa) her more radical friends called me a fascist and detailed elaborate ways that they would attempt to kill me if they saw me. That shook even my Antifa friend and she eventually cut ties with the person and most of the Montreal cell because they were nut-jobs.

I reported the threats and got the standard, 'We'll look into it,' which never amounted to anything.

Cool, so you're solidly right-wing with some views that fall on the left. You lose any credibility as being politically moderate when your reaction to ICE's abuse of immigrants boils down to "It sucks, but what else can you do about them?"

If you're so far down the rabbit hole that you believe a historically pro-gay rights, pro-choice, vehemently anti-war activist is "solidly right-wing" I genuinely don't know what else to tell you. Also, I clearly called the detention facility issue a 'disgrace' and (again) put out a call for a viable solution, which I also did a few weeks back in this thread. (I note that you didn't bother to suggest one in the time you spent lobbing insults, which is sadly typical.) That's a damn far cry from "It sucks, but what else can you do about them?"

I mean, for god's sake, during the Bush administration people considered me far left, but these days with the exact same views I'm suddenly "solidly right-wing?" That's madness. By your standards Obama and Hillary are even more right-wing than I am, as they have histories of being anti gay marriage and anti illegal immigration before they changed their tunes. At least I've been consistent about my beliefs from the beginning and don't pander to an audience. I'm just in awe of this comment.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

If you're so far down the rabbit hole that you believe a historically pro-gay rights,

Andrew Sullivan. Meghan McCain.

pro-choice,

You said you were generally pro-choice.

9% of Republicans think abortion should be legal under any circumstance, and 20% think it should be legal up until the third trimester.

https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-amer...the-gop-on-roe

vehemently anti-war activist is "solidly right-wing"

Andrew Bacevich has written some of the best take-downs of the American war machine, and he's a conservative.

Pat Buchanan was fired from MSNBC for opposing the Iraq War. White supremacists Richard Spencer and Tucker Carlson are anti-war too.

With the latter, the anti-war stance comes from a place of selfishness, but those that are part of the right wing can be anti-war.

I genuinely don't know what else to tell you. Also, I clearly called the detention facility issue a 'disgrace' and (again) put out a call for a viable solution, which I also did a few weeks back in this thread. (I note that you didn't bother to suggest one in the time you spent lobbing insults, which is sadly typical.) That's a damn far cry from "It sucks, but what else can you do about them?"

The solution to concentration camps is to not have any concentration camps.

Either they stay or go. The circumstances don't matter.

I mean, for god's sake, during the Bush administration people considered me far left, but these days with the exact same views I'm suddenly "solidly right-wing?" That's madness.

You're politically stagnant, while people around you are growing. That's not a good thing.

By your standards Obama and Hillary are even more right-wing than I am, as they have histories of being anti gay marriage and anti illegal immigration before they changed their tunes. At least I've been consistent about my beliefs from the beginning and don't pander to an audience. I'm just in awe of this comment.

Hillary and Obama are right-wing. Having some socially liberal views doesn't change that.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Trump Complained About Baltimore Years Ago But Blamed The ‘African American President’

Rep. Elijah Cummings has been a Maryland congressman since 1996, but back in 2015, Trump claimed the man in the White House was responsible for issues in the city. But now that HE'S president, Trump blames someone else for Baltimore's problems. Meanwhile....

**********

Trump Accuses Democrats Of Playing ‘Race Card’ In New Attack On Cummings, Baltimore

The president also went after Nancy Pelosi’s district in San Francisco, warning “something must be done before it’s too late.” So, lemme see if I've got this right: Trump launches racist attacks, but calls Democrats racists for calling him out on his racism. Jesus! What the fuck has this country come to?

**********

Something Trump-Bashed Baltimore Area Would Like To Ditch: ‘Kushnerville’ Homes

If the president wants to see “disgusting” maybe he should check out some of his son-in-law’s Maryland apartments. Will Trump mention this problem? Hell no!

**********

Dad Charged With Homicide After Infant Twins Found Dead In Hot Car

Juan Rodriguez, 39, had just worked an eight-hour shift at a New York City hospital when he discovered his twins lifeless in the back seat. It's unimaginable that horrors like this happen.

**********

Marianne Williamson Admits First Debate Left Her ‘Vulnerable To Mockery’

The 2020 presidential candidate is hoping to be taken more seriously during round two on Tuesday. Good luck with that pipe dream. I suspect that won't happen.

[PwrdOn]

I went to a black metal festival in Montreal where one (singular) out of a dozen bands was purported to have sung fascist lyrics in the past. Antifa harassed, threw smoke bombs at, and assaulted numerous people attending the show, myself included. When I complained about the incident on social media (on the feed for a friend who is in Antifa) her more radical friends called me a fascist and detailed elaborate ways that they would attempt to kill me if they saw me. That shook even my Antifa friend and she eventually cut ties with the person and most of the Montreal cell because they were nut-jobs.

I reported the threats and got the standard, 'We'll look into it,' which never amounted to anything.



If you're so far down the rabbit hole that you believe a historically pro-gay rights, pro-choice, vehemently anti-war activist is "solidly right-wing" I genuinely don't know what else to tell you. Also, I clearly called the detention facility issue a 'disgrace' and (again) put out a call for a viable solution, which I also did a few weeks back in this thread. (I note that you didn't bother to suggest one in the time you spent lobbing insults, which is sadly typical.) That's a damn far cry from "It sucks, but what else can you do about them?"

I mean, for god's sake, during the Bush administration people considered me far left, but these days with the exact same views I'm suddenly "solidly right-wing?" That's madness. By your standards Obama and Hillary are even more right-wing than I am, as they have histories of being anti gay marriage and anti illegal immigration before they changed their tunes. At least I've been consistent about my beliefs from the beginning and don't pander to an audience. I'm just in awe of this comment.

The definitions of what constitutes the left and right wing are always dependent on historical context and can rarely be reduced to specific issues. For instance, much of what we now consider to be socially conservative religious dogma is arguably left wing in origin, since it came about during a time when church reformers sought to upset the established social order by contrasting the piety of the working classes with the decadence and corruption of the elites, and was indeed considered to be quite radical and subversive by the establishment of the time. These days, nobody is worshipping icons or buying indulgences anymore, and evangelical Protestantism is largely the established norm, and so its stance on morality is the status quo and therefore conservative viewpoint.

Obama and Hillary are interesting cases because while they held many views that aligned with the established old boys club, by the very nature of that club they were always going to be considered outsiders and thus were never fully embraced by the establishment. The very fact of their identities made them rallying points for activists and radicals even if they personally had quite moderate views, and so they were always going to be seen as enemies by the right no matter what they did.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2014, that "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" published our profile of Harley Brown, who captured the imagination of the entire nation four years ago when he showed up to a spectacularly insane debate where the recovering drug addict, motorcycle enthusiast, and poster-child for why proper dental hygiene is necessary and who showed up to the debate wearing biker leathers where he talked about his best friend, Fat Jack's wife insisting he move out of their cellar for being a lunatic. Needless to say, he did not fare too well against Gov. Butch Otter that night, or in the GOP Primary back in 2014.



In 2015, 2016, 2017, as well as in 2018, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profiled James Comer, who was a GOP candidate for the Governor of Kentucky in the 2015 elections who somehow lost to cockfighting advocate Matt Bevin, as just before the primary, another candidate in the GOP field, Hal Heiner, accused Comer of abusing his girlfriend in college. While at first, this just seemed like an unsubstantiated slander, Comer's college paramour, Marilyn Thomas, and her mother came forward to confirm the accusations, and add that Comer had also gotten her pregnant, and pressured her into getting an abortion. Which, guess what? Comer also claims to be pro-life without exceptions for rape, incest, or the mother's life at risk... so that was not going to fly well for him. Comer ended up losing to Bevin in the primary by... 83 votes. Comer, as we noted in our write-up, is also pro-death penalty, opposes same-sex marriage, only wants abstinence-only sex education taught in schools, and has "A" ratings on his stance on guns from the NRA.

We thought Comer would have to lay low for a few years, or that his political career could be in jeopardy. Lo and behold, he is already back in the thick of Kentucky politics, and did not just run in the 2016 GOP Primary for the right to replace retiring Rep. Ed Whitfield for his seat for Kentucky's 1st Congressional District... he HANDILY won that primary, with 61% of the vote in a four-way race. Then again, his biggest challenge was from second-place finisher Mike Pape, who CSGOPOTD covered a little ways back for his grotesque ads with Mexican stereotypes sneaking across the border. Once Comer got out of the primary, he coasted to victory over Democrat Sam Gaskins with 73% of the vote, which makes sense what with the Cook Partisan Voting Index having a +18 Republican lean measured for Kentucky's 1st District.

James Comer was placed on the House Oversight Committee after making his way to Washington, D.C., but it doesn’t seem like he takes that responsibility too seriously, based on this May 2017 interview where he does his best to blow off the revelation of what was in former FBI Director James Comey’s memos, and chalks up most of the things Comey claims Donald Trump says that are highly inappropriate if not things that would qualify obstruction of justice in the Trump/Russia investigation as Trump “was just joking”. Because we’ve all heard that knee-slapper about Michael Flynn and how we should “let this thing go”. Perfect punchline, right?

It's that sort of cluelessness that has Comer already facing crowds of angry constituents at his town halls, as he’s already been shouted down twice since taking office, particularly on the issue of healthcare. But it’s not just at town halls where James Comer has seen things get heated. He’s currently the target of a lawsuit after he began taunting and threatening the job of a legislative aide from the Kentucky state legislature who reported Jeff Hoover (who we’ll get around to giving a CSGOPOTD profile to somewhere down the road) for sexual harassment, leading to his resignation. So, an old colleague’s improper behavior isn’t something Comer would like whistleblower protections to apply to, and he’d rather seek out retribution. Isn’t that cute?

James Comer ran for office in 2018, and coasted to re-election with 67% of the vote. He thus returned to the capitol to try and stop any progress from taking place in our nation:

• January 27th, 2019: James Comer votes against HJR 30, which was meant to express disapproval of Donald Trump not acting against Russian Federation for attacking our democracy. You see, he’s fine with our nation being sublet to Vladimir Putin.
• January 23rd, 2019: Rep. Comer voted against HR 648, because he was gleeully enjoying the longest government shutdown in history.
• February 28th, 2019: James Comer 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. Comer 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: James Comer 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: Comer votes against the Dreamers Act, because he’s too xenophobic and partisan to care about immigration reform.
• July 16th, 2019: Comer 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”.

James Comer seems to have settled into being a Congressman for the foreseeable future, as he passed on hopping into the 2019 Governor’s race in Kentucky, even though a rematch with Matt Bevin in the GOP Primary would have been far easier for him to win, given how terrible of a job Bevin’s doing. Comer will be sitting on the House Intelligence Committee, and continue trying to pretend Russia attacking our democracy isn’t a big deal. We don’t expect Kentucky’s 1st to wake up to the fact that this man will sell them out to the wealthiest people in the world, regardless of what nation they’re from, as long as he remains in power.

[ed2962]

Rand Paul continuing to show why his neighbor beat his ass.

Is he going to buy one for Trump as well? Donald was the one who ran his campaign calling America a third world country and that we were going to hell. Also he infamously said that he knew more about war than any general. And don't forget the "American Carnage" speech.