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

[worstblogever]

Gonna tie a few stories together to draw a conclusion...

In the past week, 5 House Republicans of varying ages have announced they are not running for re-election in 2020:

• Martha Roby (AL)
• Paul Mitchell (MI)
• Mike Conaway (TX)
• Pete Olson (TX)
• Rob Bishop (UT)

More are going to be announcing this sort of thing in the next couple weeks, but with more and more incumbents bailing, there are some Republican-leaning districts there where some GOP neophytes are going to have to fight tooth and nail to avoid having districts flipped. Of those seats, only Mitchell's has a partisan lean that will put it up for grabs, easily. But these are Republicans who don't like much being in the minority, and are looking at the tea leaves and realizing they're not going to be taking the House back in 2020. And when they don't... well, a Democratic House is going to undo the gerrymander that's allowed Republicans to hold the chamber from 2010-2018, at all, since the Tea Party Wave.

Rather than trudge through every oversight hearing where the Trump administration is exposed as brazenly corrupt, these folks are jettisoning from their places in Congress to go get bigger dollars as lobbyists. Keep your fingers crossed that in the four seats that will be left open in GOP-leaning districts, that utter kooks don't come out of the woodwork to try and find their way to Washington, D.C.

[Jack Dracula]

Nixon and Reagan were both shitty

It seems like most of our current the Republican politicians who came up during that period are just awful people.

[InformationGeek]

Meanwhile, Trump continues being awful like usual.

President Donald Trump is ordering the Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations to rescind awards given to prosecutors who were "ridiculously" awarded Navy Achievement Medals after losing the case against former SEAL Chief Eddie Gallagher, he said in a tweet on Wednesday.

"Not only did they lose the case, they had difficulty with respect to information that may have been obtained from opposing lawyers and for giving immunity in a totally incompetent fashion," Trump tweeted one day after Task & Purpose first reported prosecutors had received the awards in a July 10 ceremony.

"I have directed the Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer & Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson to immediately withdraw and rescind the awards," Trump continued. "I am very happy for Eddie Gallagher and his family!"

A Navy official confirmed to Task & Purpose that Spencer would be rescinding the awards on Wednesday.

[InformationGeek]

On my flight to Tampa, I see a kid wearing a t-shirt... a t-shirt of Donald Trump with his head photoshopped onto Captain America's body. And its Chris Evans Captain America too.

Uuuuuugh, it looks like it was taken from an official Marvel promo image as well. That's got to be illegal, right?!

[Kal-El Summers]

Gonna tie a few stories together to draw a conclusion...

In the past week, 5 House Republicans of varying ages have announced they are not running for re-election in 2020:

• Martha Roby (AL)
• Paul Mitchell (MI)
• Mike Conaway (TX)
• Pete Olson (TX)
• Rob Bishop (UT)

More are going to be announcing this sort of thing in the next couple weeks, but with more and more incumbents bailing, there are some Republican-leaning districts there where some GOP neophytes are going to have to fight tooth and nail to avoid having districts flipped. Of those seats, only Mitchell's has a partisan lean that will put it up for grabs, easily. But these are Republicans who don't like much being in the minority, and are looking at the tea leaves and realizing they're not going to be taking the House back in 2020. And when they don't... well, a Democratic House is going to undo the gerrymander that's allowed Republicans to hold the chamber from 2010-2018, at all, since the Tea Party Wave.

Rather than trudge through every oversight hearing where the Trump administration is exposed as brazenly corrupt, these folks are jettisoning from their places in Congress to go get bigger dollars as lobbyists. Keep your fingers crossed that in the four seats that will be left open in GOP-leaning districts, that utter kooks don't come out of the woodwork to try and find their way to Washington, D.C.

Good riddance to Roby. Some of the AL political pundits are speculating that we're gonna lose a congressional seat because the population is kinda stagnate and no one wants to move here anymore. Also, one of the assholes behind the abortion ban has supposedly set his eyes on Roby's seat, which is just... ugh.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Don’t know if this had already been mentioned, but this hashtag has been trending on Twitter, and our friendly neighborhood Senate Majority Leader doesn’t like it in the slightest:

#MoscowMitch

[Tami]

Don’t know if this had already been mentioned, but this hashtag has been trending on Twitter, and our friendly neighborhood Senate Majority Leader doesn’t like it in the slightest:

#MoscowMitch

I've heard. Finally interesting to see a Trump tactic being used against someone like McConnell

[JCAll]

I've heard. Finally interesting to see a Trump tactic being used against someone like McConnell

I don't think McConnell minds, I actually think he likes that people hate him. It might be the only thing in the world that makes him happy.

[numberthirty]

When De Blasio and Gabbard have to step in and point out the actual reality of things, that is a sad state of affairs.

Biden and Harris need to either...

- Get A Clue.

or

- Seriously Consider If They Need To Be Running For The Nomination Of The Democratic Party.

[numberthirty]

De Blasio just had to say that he is can't figure out why Democrats are fear mongering about universal heath care.

That is where this field is.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Do these fuckers understand that most of the country gets their insurance through employers and that their employer can completely change the provider or plan whenever they want. This idea that people love being married to the healthcare they get from their employer that is contingent on their job and whatever the HR and finance department.

Also there's a good reason why private insurers shouldn't be a primary piece of the solution. They will fuck it up. They pawn all the sick people off on the government plan. Then they'll invite a bunch of people who are low risk to join a cheaper private plan so they can still make money without risking paying anybody out. Then the entire pool gets fucked up.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Biden lying through his teeth.

[Tami]

Trump Orders Navy to Strip Medals From Prosecutors in War Crimes Trial

WASHINGTON — President Trump intervened Tuesday once again on behalf of a Navy SEAL who was charged but acquitted of war crimes in the death of a captured Islamic State fighter in Iraq, ordering the military to punish the prosecutors who tried the case in the first place.

Mr. Trump angrily lashed out at the Navy for awarding commendations to prosecutors in the murder trial of former Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, and he publicly instructed Pentagon officials to strip them of the medals. His announcement was a remarkable rebuke by a president of his own Navy leadership.

“The Prosecutors who lost the case against SEAL Eddie Gallagher (who I released from solitary confinement so he could fight his case properly), were ridiculously given a Navy Achievement Medal,” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. “Not only did they lose the case, they had difficulty with respect to information that may have been obtained from opposing lawyers and for giving immunity in a totally incompetent fashion.”

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

I hope these hecklers are seen as a massive red flag for the DNC because this whole debate has been about these clowns trying to out Republican each other

[numberthirty]

I hope these hecklers are seen as a massive red flag for the DNC because this whole debate has been about these clowns trying to out Republican each other

Tonight has been kind of jaw dropping. When Gillibrand has to be the person where you say "Out of these clowns, that's who I'd back." while you are actually considering Gabbard or De Blasio, somebody needs to get a clue.

This is like a clinic on "How To Get Potential Voters To Stay Home..."