All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[babyblob]

An individual's voring results are not public.

Whether someone voted is public. That could be used in a variety of ways.

They might determine that the majority of people in your election district voted for Trump, and therefore figure it's worth a shot asking you to contribute.

They may also determine that you live in a household where someone else is a member of Republican Group X, and figure that it's worth a shot asking you to contribute.

Information about your age is probably readily available, so they could easily figure that a relatively young white guy in that area and/ or in the household of member of Republican Group X is more likely to be sympathetic to the Young Republicans than someone selected randomly could be.

It may also be that whoever they came up with the list of potential people to ask for money did a really bad job of it. That said, it is probably worth it for them to get a lot of "No" responses for one yes, because the one "yes" represents a potential recurring donor going forward.

Thanks. i wasnt really sure how it worked. I guess if I sat down and thought about it my country did go very heavy for Trump. so random calls do make sense.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

If you mean to suggest that without Sinema in the Senate, voters may have been less motivated to go for Warnock and Ossoff, I can appreciate the argument.

Kyrsten Sinema was no more on the radar of voters in GA than any other Dem caucus, i.e. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer. i.e. "without Sanders in the Senate, voters may have been less motivated to go for Warnock and Ossoff", "without Warren in the Senate, voters may have been less motivated to go for Warnock and Ossoff", "without Schumer in the Senate, voters may have been less motivated to go for Warnock and Ossoff". It's a meaningless statement, and Mad Libs logic.

The reason voters voted in large numbers was because so much was at stake. If the GOP cooled temperatures, if you had GOP senators and candidates strike a more moderate and conciliatory tone, if GOP senators passed legislation that actually brought things around in GA during the Trump era, that might not have motivated people as much, that they would have much to lose with any increase of GOP power which unfortunately is the case right now. So again perhaps it's your party and your ideology you need to look to. Conservatives used to be good at reassuring centrist voters and the apathetic voters that their lives and way of life isn't at stake at the ballot.
Now they are proudly claiming the opposite, i.e. that they well make America more and more fascist, and that guarantees that outside the hardliners, people (rightly) hate the GOP and all that it stands for today.

There was talk about the Senate flipping in 2018.

The point is that in the runoff election in 2020-2021 it was a simple -- "vote Warnock and Ossoff = Senate Majority Dems". The equation was that simple and clear, whereas the math in 2018 wasn't that simple.

I'm saying that Republicans pissed off at Trump helped push Biden over the edge.

What me and most observers, backed by data are saying is, that the defining story in 2020 was higher voter turnout among both parties in an election that saw very little vote-splitting in a time when "undecided" voters had shrunk in numbers compared to previous elections and in a year conducive to higher voting by mail and in-person on account of the pandemic.

In most elections, reliable partisans are the majority of the vote, but that's usually not enough.

2020 wasn't like previous elections. Biden lost the classic bellwether swing states (Ohio, Florida) and 18 of the 19 bellwether counties (Callam County, WA being the only one with its batting average still standing) and he still won with a sizable majority (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...r-counties-go/). That suggests the shrinking of centrist and undecided voters with higher turnout, rather than them playing a particular role in the election. That also supports the general view that vote-splitting and GOP voters for Biden, or Lincoln Project quixotism, was extremely marginal and minor in the overall scheme of things.

With the Cold War, a situation where world powers were getting ready to nuke one another is pretty bad. As a side note, it is worth noting that many people died as a result of the cold war.

I said the Cuban Missile Crisis specifically and not the Cold War. In the same way I referred to January 06 and not Trump's whole presidency.

If we want to fudge the issue, I can point out that half a million Americans died thanks to Trump and his policies, with DJT killing far more Americans than Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Ho Chi Minh, Ayatollah Khomeini, Saddam, Osama, combined, and greater than them all by a magnitude at that. He killed far more people than Lee Harvey Oswald, Charles Manson, Jim Jones, McVeigh, all the school shooters combined, and by a magnitude greater. He killed far more people than the Italian-American mafia, the Irish Mob, the Russian Mafia, the Mexican cartels combined, and by a magnitude greater then them all.

Were the capitol riots a bad, embarrassing thing...

The Capitol riots was:
-- The first time the certification of votes was interferred.
-- The first time the certification of votes was subject to an attempted sabotage.
-- The first time the Capitol was attacked since the War of 1812.
-- The first direct attempted coup d'etat of the US government.

It's a historical event because like 9/11 nothing of its kind has happened before on US Soil. Donald Trump is the first Presidential candidate to refuse to concede an election. This is the opinion that includes Republican voices like Romney, Murkowski and others. It was the opinion that Liz Cheney took a stand on at the expense of her political career. For someone who keeps prattling on about moderate conservatism it's kind of strange why your downplaying and dog whistle denialism aligns with the narrative of Trump and his Goon Squad in the congress (Cruz, Hawley) rather than the moderate conservatives you ostensibly claim to support. It's really interesting that when it actually comes to taking a stand, when you cling to some kind of centre, you don't actually stand alongside the people who are taking hits for being at the center from the extreme republican wing.

That's why I find it hard to see any hint of reality in your discourse and views about your conservative beliefs.

[Jack Dracula]

Really, the Dems need to pound GOP extremism in the midterms. There's a lot of ground there that has been correctly pointed out is not being properly utilized, especially compared to what the GOP does to even moderate Dems.

As part of that, they need to constantly call attention to the voter suppression laws being passed in all the Republican-controlled states. The voters need to understand what's at stake even if their own state isn't currently under assault. This is a god-damned war for the future of the country.

[babyblob]

What I find funny as hell is that the GOP in the House and Senate blocked the Jan 6 commission.

But on Fox News over the last couple of days there have four House members and a Senator who said they need to have Faccui under Oath in a hearing and find out what he knew when he knew and what is up with these emails.

Edit - Not really funny. Just sad at where we are now as a country.

[Tami]

What I find funny as hell is that the GOP in the House and Senate blocked the Jan 6 commission.

But on Fox News over the last couple of days there have four House members and a Senator who said they need to have Faccui under Oath in a hearing and find out what he knew when he knew and what is up with these emails.

Edit - Not really funny. Just sad at where we are now as a country.

Fauci is their Bengazi 2.0. A distraction from the Republicans in Congress who can't or won't face up to what Trump did on Jan 6, or their own complicity in the Jan 6 attack.

[babyblob]

I have a question on the Jan 6th Commission. the Dems control the House and Senate. Cant they just set one up on their own?

[Kirby101]

I have a question on the Jan 6th Commission. the Dems control the House and Senate. Cant they just set one up on their own?

Yes, and they probably will. But they wanted to set up an outside bipartisan commission so the results would be accepted by the public.
Now , even though all their Benghzzi hearings were a partisan witch hunt, they will claim the zDems are doing that.

[babyblob]

Yes, and they probably will. But they wanted to set up an outside bipartisan commission so the results would be accepted by the public.
Now , even though all their Benghzzi hearings were a partisan witch hunt, they will claim the zDems are doing that.

Let's be real. Even if the GOP did vote to have the hearing the results still would not have been accepted by far too many in this country.

[Kirby101]

Let's be real. Even if the GOP did vote to have the hearing the results still would not have been accepted by far too many in this country.

That is true.

[Malvolio]

No. She is on my home wireless network. Maybe thats it?

I think I am making a bigger deal out of it. I just didnt know if voters records were public. Like that is how they got the. No biggie.

We have a secret ballot in America. One reason for that is so that your boss can't threaten to fire you if you don't vote the way they want you to vote. I mean, some bosses have done that, but they have no way of knowing if you're telling the truth when you tell them, "Yes, I voted for the candidate you supported."

[numberthirty]

Thanks. i wasnt really sure how it worked. I guess if I sat down and thought about it my country did go very heavy for Trump. so random calls do make sense.

Don't even look at it like it's random.

It sounds about like the "Your Social Security Number Has Been Attached To A Crime. You Need To Call Because A Warrant Has Been Issued..." scam.

Call a whole bunch of houses. See if you can get any bites.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Major Kyrsten Sinema Supporter Says Abolish Filibuster Or Get Out Of The Senate

Former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods prominently backed Sinema, but he says she now needs to support getting rid of the filibuster. Yo, WBE! What's your opinion on this?

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Tom Hanks To America: Stop Whitewashing U.S. History

The actor weighed in on critical race theory in primary education, arguing that everyone should learn about the 1921 Tulsa massacre. Qpublicans would prefer Americans remain in the dark about the country's racist history.

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Pence Acknowledges His Break With Trump Over Jan. 6 But Still Does Not Blame Him

The former vice president tells Republicans not to let Democrats and the news media divide them over the U.S. Capitol attack. This is beyond sad, considering Trump would've cheered while watching Pence get lynched outside the Capitol if the rioters had gotten their hands on him.

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Giving People Money Is Apparently Not Crushing The Economy

The May jobs report showed little evidence that unemployment benefits are stalling economic growth, despite Republicans’ continued attacks. Well, Qpublicans gotta bitch about something.

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Cop Allegedly Concussed By Capitol Rioter: ‘You Have Stolen Moments Away From Me’

Ryan Samsel has a history of domestic violence, and shoved a female officer to the ground when he stormed the Capitol, federal prosecutors said. And Qpublicans flat out don't give a ****.

[Tendrin]

Allen West is stepping down as Texas GOP chairman after less than a year on the job, he said Friday. The move further fueled speculation that West could be mulling a run for governor, taking on Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in a primary challenge next March. Earlier this week, Abbott was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. West has criticized Abbott for not being conservative enough, and protested outside the governor’s mansion last fall against COVID-19 restrictions. In a press conference, West declined to confirm his plans. “I have a service heart,” West said in response to a reporter’s question about seeking office. “Many men from Georgia, many men from Tennessee, came here to serve the great state of Texas... We will make sure to let you know when we want to. Why not? Maybe even something congressional... My timeline is in my head and it’s not in yours yet.”

Allen West. Really.

[worstblogever]

Allen West. Really.

Some rage-dumpsters don't know when to quit.

[worstblogever]

Remember how we noted in December, Oregon state legislator Mike Nearman (GQP) opened what was supposed to be a secure door open for right-wing loons to burst into the building and get into a confrontation with Oregon Capitol police, almost a foreshadowing of what could happen in DC weeks later?

Oh, that s*** was pre-meditated. Here's video of Mike Nearman literally laying the plan out in detail to the anti-union nuts who burst in.