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

[shooshoomanjoe]

How many times did trump basically accuse Biden of being a socialist? I find it ridiculous that conservatives still live in the 1950s.

[babyblob]

I don't fault someone for being Republican. I'd be more concerned if they say they are Republican and still support Trump.

Being a Republican is fine. People should be allowed to belong to what ever party they want. But if you are a Republican who does not support Trump and what he does but remain silent that bothers me. Or if they hate Trump and his agenda but vote for people like Mitch what the Hell is the point?

[Bruce Wayne]

Biden is currently up by 3 in Georgia. Carrying that state would be huge! If Biden somehow wins Georgia, Trump could have Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania and still lose.

Given the voter roll purges carried out in GA, the actual vote tally on election day probably won't reflect the polls. Likely the Democrats' advantage will be nullified in Republican states due to voter suppression tactics.

[worstblogever]

You can't expect all Republicans to suddenly flip and say 'I need to be a Democrat or Independent'. Some have, but for many there are good reasons to stay Republicans even if they oppose Trump.

Its kind of like how I feel about being Catholic. At it's best it provides a very good moral foundation and spiritual support system, at its worst ... :sigh:

Instead of switching religions, I'm waiting to see if it can change from within. I'm not a practicing Catholic, more of a realist (or maybe a cynic, not sure), but still I am hoping for the better.

Many Republicans may feel the same way, instead of switching political parties, they are waiting to see if it changes from within. Some are actively trying to do that.

I don't fault someone for being Republican. I'd be more concerned if they say they are Republican and still support Trump.

The Republican president gave orders to "stand by" to white nationalists. That president is, and has always been a white nationalist.

Anyone who is still a Republican now is supporting a white nationalist, if they stay, and are also white nationalists.

That's where they're at. There have been so many "jumping off" points for them. If they can't do so right now, that's who they're telling us they are.

And I'm gonna believe them. I don't want to hear the "Most Nazis only were in the party because they were scared to say they weren't joined the party quietly." Historians have a word for those people. Nazis.

[Tami]

Protests Erupt in India Following Woman’s Death in Rape Case

A series of rapes committed on women from India’s lowest castes are making national headlines across the South Asian nation of 1.3 billion, fueling street protests and social media outrage that’s put Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration under the spotlight.

A 19-year-old woman from the Dalit caste -- the lowest rung in Hinduism’s complex social hierarchy -- died in a New Delhi hospital on Tuesday, two weeks after she was allegedly gang raped by upper caste men from her north Indian village. Her mutilated body was found by her mother in the fields of her village in Hathras, in Uttar Pradesh.

Anger was already simmering in the country over her death but it spilled onto the streets Wednesday and Thursday following news reports that local police cremated the woman’s body in the middle of the night without her family present. Network station NDTV showed her relatives pleading with officials to be allowed to take the body home.

[worstblogever]

On this date, in both 2014, as well as in 2015, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" profiled Bishop Phil Gingrey, a former OBGYN who was so vehement in his dislike of healthcare reform, that on an episode of Hardball, he advised Tea Partiers to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights and bring firearms into the town halls where they were already deliberately making ugly scenes just to disrupt progress. Gingrey also defended former Rep. Todd Akin’s “Legitimate Rape” comments, which is even more sad when you consider his medical background very clearly should have told him that no, in fact, a woman’s body does not “have ways of shutting that whole thing down”. But perhaps his saddest moment as a former doctor came in 2014 when he claimed migrant children from South America were bringing the Ebola Virus across the U.S. Mexico border into the United States, which defies all logic and epidemiology. He failed at getting elected to U.S. Senate in Georgia in 2014, and has gone on to become a K Street lobbyist.


In 2016, 2017, 2018, as well as in 2019, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" profile of the U.S. House Representative from Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District, Trent Kelly, a former District Attorney, who when he was presented with the opportunity to prosecute a hate crime committed against Devin Norman on federal charges, a man who was brutally beaten for being gay in March of 2015. Campaigning solely on his service to his country, Kelly won a terribly crowded GOP Primary against more challengers than can be counted on your fingers, in spite of having almost no stated stances on the issues. And the only thing he did specify is that he would like the 14th Amendment, which normally covers birthright citizenship to also cover “pre-born human beings”. For those needing a translation of what that means, it means that Kelly’s making an end-around attack on Roe v. Wade by having the 14th Amendment declare zygotes and fetuses to be fully functional human beings and not just clumps of cells, so they get the constitutional rights that would make aborting them murder. So it probably will come as little surprise that right around the time Trent Kelly arrived in Washington, D.C., and the Republican Party was s***ting itself in fury over the Center for Medical Progress’ “sting” video of Planned Parenthood, that he signed onto a letter promising he would vote to shut down the government if Planned Parenthood was not defunded, based off of a video that experts have debunked as a fraud. During the controversy over the Trump administration’s “family separation” policy in July of 2018, Rep. Kelly went on record after touring immigrant detention centers that were imprisoning children in cages and deemed those methods “appropriate”.


Trent Kelly won re-election in 2018 with 67% of the vote, and resumed having one of the most conservative voting records, even for most Bible Belt Republicans:

• January 23rd, 2019: Rep. Kelly voted against HR 648, because he was gleefully enjoying the longest government shutdown in history.
• January 27th, 2019: Trent Kelly votes against HJR 30, which was meant to express disapproval of Donald Trump not acting against Russian Federation for attack Kelly our democracy. You see, he’s fine with our nation being sublet to Vladimir Putin.
• February 28th, 2019: Trent Kelly votes against HR 1112, a bill which would have required universal background checks on all firearm purchases, and close the gun show loophole.
• March 7th, 2019: Kelly votes against HR 183, a resolution to condemn anti-Semitism as a hateful extension of intolerance.
• March 14th, 2019: Rep. Kelly 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.
• May 17th, 2019: Kelly votes against The Equality Act, which would have prevented discrimination towards Americans based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.
• June 4th, 2019: Rep. Kelly votes against the Dreamers Act, because he’s too xenophobic and partisan to care about immigration reform.
• July 16th, 2019: Trent Kelly can’t be bothered to 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”.
• October 17th, 2019: Kelly votes against HJ Res 77, which opposed Donald Trump’s disastrous decision to abandon Syrian Kurdish forces in Northeast Syria to the mercies of a Turkish invasion.
• December 3rd, 2019: Rep. Kelly votes against a resolution to disallow Russia from re-entering the G7 and makes it the G8 until it leaves Ukraine.
• December 18th, 2019: Kelly ignores his Congressional duty to hold a president who has been proven to commit high crimes and misdemeanors accountable and votes against the impeachment of Donald Trump.
• May 15th, 2020: Kelly votes against the HEROES Act, to further support the healthcare industry and citizens affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Trent Kelly coasted back into the House with 67% of the vote in the 2018 elections. We’re intrigued, though, to see how Ole Miss Law Professor Antonia Eliason fares against him in about five weeks, as she’s a proud Democratic Socialist in the mold of Senator Bernie Sanders or Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Still, Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District has a strong Republican lean, and the far more likely outcome is that unless Kelly gets undone by the FEC investigating his illegal campaign fundraising finances of accepting donations larger than the allowed limit, he seems like he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

[Joker]

You can't expect all Republicans to suddenly flip and say 'I need to be a Democrat or Independent'.

That's not what I'm asking, though. I'm just trying to understand how someone can support the current, as in here comes November, Republican Party. The Republican Party that asked for a Trump with their behavior. That let the worst of the worst in to their party no problem. The party that chose time and again, their party over their country. The party that are still doing it today.

They endorsed, nominated, got elected and are still supporting for re election, a man who cannot, and will not denounce white supremacy. This has been going his whole presidency. He was asked point blank to do it, and would not.

So, given that, what policies are Republicans for that "benefit the most people" to such a great extent that it outweighs the harm they are enabling? What good are they actually doing at all?

Because I don't see it.

If I go to parties, and the skinheads are continually at those parties, it is time to rethink my social circles. These aren't tough moral quandaries.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

American political identity is really weird and polarized and I am not entirely sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

On one hand this polarization is creating extremes, bitterness, and a breakdown in civility and decorum.

On the other hand it's happening because fundamental questions about the USA which has been swept under the rug is finally in the open, on the table, and people are starting to have uncomfortable conversations, which is a necessary grown up thing.

I am not a conservative but I've known conservatives in the workplace and I have had room-mates who were conservative and one or two relatives who are conservative, and generally in one on one interaction, in terms of rent/cleaning/laundry I've gotten along with them, and found them personally kind and helpful, at least the ones I came across. I think for conservatives in general, issues are abstract to them. They don't really know people in life for whom Planned Parenthood and abortion is an issue, they don't really know or understand stuff outside their ken, and the political issues is more about security and family and group identity rather than real ideology. Nowadays it's kind of become like sports, where it's not about ideology but backing your team, your colors, your merch over that of the other side. It's about the victory cheer where you "own the libs" rather than anything else. That's not the case with Democrats which is a big tent coalition party that by its nature doesn't foster that kind of tribalism. Liberal wins aren't about "owning the reds" the way it is for conservatives these days.

Politically I am closer to Sanders and AOC but I also knew that Bernie Sanders had no chance in winning the nomination and I am proud and happy that he got as far as he did, and especially proud for paving the way for Cortez to arrive on the stage. I am okay with Biden winning the nomination and presidency, as I would have been with HRC back in 2016.

[Tendrin]

https://twitter.com/errolwebber/stat...093621248?s=21

WBE, check this one out.

[Tendrin]

And time for some good news:

https://twitter.com/immlawachall/sta...692998145?s=21

Colorado Governor grants full, unconditional pardons to everyone convicted of possession of an ounce or less of marijuana.

[Jackalope89]

You can't expect all Republicans to suddenly flip and say 'I need to be a Democrat or Independent'. Some have, but for many there are good reasons to stay Republicans even if they oppose Trump.

Its kind of like how I feel about being Catholic. At it's best it provides a very good moral foundation and spiritual support system, at its worst ... :sigh:

Instead of switching religions, I'm waiting to see if it can change from within. I'm not a practicing Catholic, more of a realist (or maybe a cynic, not sure), but still I am hoping for the better.

Many Republicans may feel the same way, instead of switching political parties, they are waiting to see if it changes from within. Some are actively trying to do that.

I don't fault someone for being Republican. I'd be more concerned if they say they are Republican and still support Trump.

Yo! Former GOP that switched to Indy. That said, I was going to anyway, as the GOP had already shifted pretty far from what I thought it was. I considered myself an Eisenhower Republican. However, that's was pretty much the anti-thesis to the party then, to say nothing of it now. So at this point, I'd rather the party become defunct then continue to tarnish the legacies of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Eisenhower.

[Username taken]

American political identity is really weird and polarized and I am not entirely sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

On one hand this polarization is creating extremes, bitterness, and a breakdown in civility and decorum.

On the other hand it's happening because fundamental questions about the USA which has been swept under the rug is finally in the open, on the table, and people are starting to have uncomfortable conversations, which is a necessary grown up thing.

I am not a conservative but I've known conservatives in the workplace and I have had room-mates who were conservative and one or two relatives who are conservative, and generally in one on one interaction, in terms of rent/cleaning/laundry I've gotten along with them, and found them personally kind and helpful, at least the ones I came across. I think for conservatives in general, issues are abstract to them. They don't really know people in life for whom Planned Parenthood and abortion is an issue, they don't really know or understand stuff outside their ken, and the political issues is more about security and family and group identity rather than real ideology. Nowadays it's kind of become like sports, where it's not about ideology but backing your team, your colors, your merch over that of the other side. It's about the victory cheer where you "own the libs" rather than anything else. That's not the case with Democrats which is a big tent coalition party that by its nature doesn't foster that kind of tribalism. Liberal wins aren't about "owning the reds" the way it is for conservatives these days.

Politically I am closer to Sanders and AOC but I also knew that Bernie Sanders had no chance in winning the nomination and I am proud and happy that he got as far as he did, and especially proud for paving the way for Cortez to arrive on the stage. I am okay with Biden winning the nomination and presidency, as I would have been with HRC back in 2016.

Agreed. I supported Bernie Sanders too but since he wasn't nominated, i'll support Biden. There's literally no way he can be worse than Trump.

Your point about uncomfortable discussions is very important. For both good and bad, a lot of stuff that we didn't even know still happened in the country is finally coming out to the open. The problem is how some people process information that seems fresh. The issue is that there's literally nothing new true because everything happening now has been happening since forever.

A lot of people are coming to the sudden realization that a lot of what they believed in just isn't true and instead of trying to process this info and progress, they are lashing out. It's more compounded when they see a rapidly changing society and things they thought could never happen.......are happening (like a biracial man of African descent being elected President). heir upbringing

[kidfresh512]

The Republican president gave orders to "stand by" to white nationalists. That president is, and has always been a white nationalist.

Anyone who is still a Republican now is supporting a white nationalist, if they stay, and are also white nationalists.

That's where they're at. There have been so many "jumping off" points for them. If they can't do so right now, that's who they're telling us they are.

And I'm gonna believe them. I don't want to hear the "Most Nazis only were in the party because they were scared to say they weren't joined the party quietly." Historians have a word for those people. Nazis.

I agree. They excuses have dried up now. I don't expect Republicans to suddenly become Democrats. But, when your party is completely in cultlike fashion the party of Trump and you still vote for these people and their hateful platform. You are what you vote for. Their own political platform has been one of divisiveness and hate. At best you get "disappointment" or "concern" comments at the very worst of the racist overtures throughout the presidency. But, they still vote for people that gerrymander and overtly suppress minority voters. So what are they but aiding and abetting racism?

Until they denounce that racist base , say I am not in a party that stands for that. Nothing will change. Look at the fallout to the debate and "failing to denounce white supremacy". He "walks it back" a little the next day with lame "I don't know who the Proud Boys are" comments and everyone's like see the media is blowing it out of proportion.

First of all the intelligence agencies have reported that white supremacy is a domestic terror threat. Why isn't the president of the united states up to date on the main domestic terror threat organizations? How is that a believable excuse? And why is it ok if he doesn't know? Isn't he in charge of keeping us safe from these threats?

The rank and file GOP use that as their out too. They want the story gone cause he "walked it back".

[babyblob]

[QUOTE=kidfresh512;5169329First of all the intelligence agencies have reported that white supremacy is a domestic terror threat. Why isn't the president of the united states up to date on the main domestic terror threat organizations? How is that a believable excuse? And why is it ok if he doesn't know? Isn't he in charge of keeping us safe from these threats?.[/QUOTE]

According to Trump he is up to date on domestic terror threat organizations.

Antifa! There are no others if you ask him and his followers. BLM may get thrown in there from time to time. But Antifa is the biggest threat to the country right now.

[Tami]

BREAKING: Gov. Abbott issues proclamation CLOSING (as of Oct. 2) satellite offices where voters can drop off completed mail-in ballots.
Counties can only have 1 dropoff point, he says.
Travis has 4, including 3 downtown.
Harris has 12.

Twitter Link

Democrats criticized Abbott's order as a thinly veiled effort to suppress votes in a tight election.

Twitter Link

Abbott orders counties to close multiple ballot dropoff sites

Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order Thursday requiring counties to close multiple locations where voters can drop off completed mail-in ballots.

As an election security measure, counties will be limited to one dropoff site where poll watchers — designated by political parties and candidates — must be allowed to observe ballot deliveries by voters, Abbott said.

The new order takes effect Oct. 2 and modifies Abbott’s July 27 order that acknowledged the pandemic’s danger by adding six days of early voting and waiving a state law that limits mail-in ballot dropoff to Election Day only.

Travis County has four dropoff locations, including three downtown, while Harris County has opened 12 locations as election officials strove to meet unprecedented demand for mail-in voting during the pandemic — particularly amid questions about the efficiency of the U.S. Postal Service.