All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[SquirrelMan]

Well, also Trump's dear old friend Jeffrey Epstein.

And Bill Cosby, of course.

And sadly, probably dozens and dozens of guys we never heard of. There are a lot of pigs among us men.

[TheDarman]

A plan to defeat coronavirus finally emerges, but it’s not from the White House

I know I’ve said it so many times. But I love Barack Obama and I really wish he was still in office guiding us through this. Not that I wouldn’t take anyone over Trump, even Pence or Bush, but I always felt particularly at ease hearing from Obama. He was just so calm and collected and modeled the behavior I hoped we would mimic ourselves.

[Amadeus Arkham]

The only person close to Trump's in sexual assault is Harvey Weinstein.

Let's talk about the real Biden and the real Trump.

What about Roger Ailes? and I think Kevin Spacey might also come pretty close, and arguably is far worse.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

https://www.mediaite.com/news/new-po...mpression=true

What’s happening to this country? I’m seriously depressed.

America is a deeply deeply stupid country

[Tami]

I checked my bank account, and it looks like I got my $1200. I added direct deposit to my 2019 Tax return, so that's probably why. My husband gets Social Security Direct Deposit, so he'll have to check his bank account later to see if he also received $1200.

Anyone else get there money?

My mistake, that was my Tax Refund. The Stimulus money should be coming next week.

[PaulBullion]

Sanders dropping out makes the situation very different - for (in actual life probably pretty small) "Bernie or Bust" crowd and their very vocal online buddies who are actually right-wingers pretending to be lefties and actual bots or Russian operatives. Back in 2016, they used "Bernie math" and pretended that the fight continued all the way to the convention, and that they were not helping Trump because they were fighting to make Bernie the nominee after all so he could beat Trump more easily than "Shillary."

What is their story going to be in 2020?

They don't need a story. They don't need to pretend. Already, it is almost impossible to distinguish fervent Sanders supporters and the worst MAGAts:

[PaulBullion]

They don't need a story. They don't need to pretend. Already, it is almost impossible to distinguish fervent Sanders supporters and the worst MAGAts:

BTW, that Sanders supporting Beth is not to be confused with this Sanders supporting Beth:
https://twitter.com/BethLynch2024/with_replies

Who this week deleted years worth of posts after being outed as a convicted pedophile. Yikes.

Not sure if it is accurate that she started the "Kamala is a cop" meme, but she certainly was very actively pushing it, when she wasn't palling around with Brie and Nina.

Beware the Bernie Beths!

[shooshoomanjoe]

Anyone know about an additional $600 a week we're supposed to receive? Or has anyone received it?

[Kusanagi]

Anyone know about an additional $600 a week we're supposed to receive? Or has anyone received it?

Michigan is cleared to pay it. Saying everyone who received benefits for the week ending April 4th, will receive a back end payment between today and 4/17. Then pay out every week after.

So hopefully I'll get that and the stimulus check next week.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2015, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" ran a profile of Mike Beard, a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who voted to block the Medicaid expansion to aid seniors, pushed for stricter Voter ID laws, and repeatedly voting against minimum wage increases. Beard motivated by his Christian upbringing, was also strongly opposed to all legislation that would help the LGBT community, like voting against anti-bullying measures directed at protecting kids based on their sexual orientation, granting domestic partners death benefits, and voting for a same-sex marriage ban on the Minnesota state Constitution. But where Beard’s true legacy is in Minnesota is in relation to the environment. He was the head of the state Transportation Committee in 2011 when he argued against the state putting money towards the construction of a light rail project because “we already have highways, let bus companies use them and compete for dollars”. He also was adamantly pro-coal and pro-oil, laughing off the ecological impact of being dependent on it by harkening back to “Hiroshima and Nagasaki and how that only took 60 years to recover”, when it was supposed to be uninhabitable, and assuring everyone to not worry about Earth having a finite amount of natural resources, because “God will just make us more”. Beard has effectively been laughed out of relevance.



On this date in 2016, 2017, 2018, and in 2019, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” presented profiles of Cecil Bell, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, rejected Yosemite Sam balloon from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, and a stalwart, steadfast member of the GOP dead set against the acceptance of same sex marriage. Yes, gays getting married vex Bell so much so that he is willing to try to pass legislation to attempt to nullify decisions made by the Supreme Court rulings on that subject, as he did when he drafted HB 4105, the Preservation of Sovereignty and Marriage Act in May of 2015. Because damn it, nobody with matching chromosomes will be getting married in Texas on Cecil Bell’s watch! He defends the institution of marriage! Maybe that wasn't enough to earn a spotlight alone, but a little extra “oomph” to qualify, Cecil Bell earns our notice for one particular quality… hypocrisy. You see, in a very telling timeline, Bell’s wife Jo Ann, described by him as his “high school sweetheart,” is, according to public records, actually his second wife. Records show he divorced his first wife, to whom he was married in 1981, a little over a month before Bell married his second wife and “high school sweetheart”. But five months after marrying Jo Ann, and six and a half months after divorcing his first wife, Jo Ann gave birth to Cecil Bell III. If you’re missing how that works out, Cecil Bell, while still married to his first wife, was busy impregnating his second wife out of wedlock, then divorced his first wife, and had a shotgun wedding to his second wife. And these days he thumps his chest about his “Christian values” while ignoring the fact that he actually broke a commandment about adultery in relation to marriage once or twice. But he's a "defender of marriage", you guys!

Alas, Bell’s beloved anti-gay marriage bill died a quick death without advancing out of the Texas House. Instead, in July 2015, he decided to condemn the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, and call for state and federal officials to resist "the rancid behavior" of the U.S. Supreme Court by impeaching justices who voted to legalize same-sex marriage, and ignoring the ruling itself. Y’know, like you do. A quick perusal of the rest of Bell’s legislative record shows that he is, most definitely, a Texas Republican, featuring attempts to nullify federal firearms laws, support for the failed conservative policy of drug testing welfare recipients, opposition to the idea that women deserve equal pay for equal work, and support for HB 5, the radical anti-abortion measure which institutes such strict rules on Texas abortion clinics that it would shut down the majority of them in the state (and lead to a legendary filibuster for Texas State Senator Wendy Davis). In September of 2016, Bell, a private contractor who digs oil and gas lines, submitted legislation to bill individuals who damage underground cable , gas, or oil lines, rather than the companies who have to replace them and forgot to mark them as being there in the first place (Hint: Like Bell’s own company). Why, it's almost like he's only in politics because he's in business for himself, isn't it? I mean, that and hating gay people. Case in point, in 2017, Cecil Bell tried re-write Texas law to make it easier to nullify federal law, still a part of his insane plan to ignore the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling. (Spoiler alert: It didn’t work, and gay people can still be married.)

Since winning his seat in 2012, in a three candidate face-off in the GOP Primary, Cecil Bell has not faced a primary challenger. He got his first Democratic challenge in 2018 in the form of Lisa Seger, a local goat farmer, however still pulled down 76% of the vote. Thus, Bell has been able to return to office, and co-sponsor idiotic legislation to enforce the rights of “children born after an abortion”. (???)

It takes a lot to stand out as a kook in the Texas state legislator, but Cecil Bell continues to manage. We’ll see if the shifting demographics in Texas will take down Bell, but his district might be far too conservative for him to be affected in his match-up with Martin Shupp in the 2020 elections.

[Kirby101]

Hypothetical; what if one of the candidates was a narcissistic, incompetent, corrupt, evil, criminal traitor, and the other was a good man?

How do you think that would affect the election.

[numberthirty]

On the one side you have the "lesser evil" who ... checks note ... took on the Reagan administration successfully over Apartheid, was part of the Obama administration and wants to expand healthcare for Americans. On the other you have a man who put children in cages and let them die, tore families apart, bragged about sexually assaulting women, has no empathy at all, is emotionally unstable, is a pathological liar, is beholden to Putin, has no idea about politics or history, likes white supremacists and nazis ...


I am really, really done with the "lesser of two evil" narratives in this election, and I will put everybody who paints the choice between Biden and Trump as that on my ignore list because it makes me so FUCKING angry it could get me banned for good here if I have to suffer those posters until November.

Since some folks weren't on the board right after it was started from scratch, this is from the "Standards"/"Rules" thread...


https://community.cbr.com/showthread...ARDS-amp-RULES

NO FLAMEBAITING

Do not inform someone when you are reporting their post, or that they’re going on (or are on) your ignore list. Simply do it or don’t, the audience doesn’t need to know. Do not create threads to deliberately target, ridicule, or mock other users, they will be deleted and action will be taken.

[mortari]

My Unemployment started this week and I got it in Illinois

[Malvolio]

I think getting away with it more than anything just means he can say what he wants free of consequence. And most politicians can't really say that.

The only consequence Trump faces is the knowledge that a lot of us don't particularly like him. Back in the day, he could pretend that everyone, except for Rosie O'Donnell, loved him. He can't pretend that any more. He can pretend that his approval numbers are as high as his television ratings, but he can't pretend that a significant number of us don't dislike him.

[Mister Mets]

Tim Alberta has an extensive spotlight of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer as she deals with one of the biggest COVID outbreaks in the nation, and the raised profile of being a contender for national office.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazi...iden-vp-177791