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

[The no face guy]

Har! Har! Har! That's so funny! I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/trum...ened-1.5111112

[BeastieRunner]

Thanks so much for not voting for Hillary because she wasn't "inspiring" or whatever your excuse was.

You okay man?

Was that a general comment?

???

[Mister Mets]

Weren't you defending Mitch blocking Obama on Garland? Because it was "his right to do so" or something to that effect? Why the concern here?

Trump and the Republicans can push through a new justice. It would be perfectly legal to do so. But it would not be good for the country. It would just represent a continued escalation of legal fights that have been going on for decades.

At the moment, the ideal compromise would be something where Republicans and Democrats both feel they got something. And that's possible with a delay on the vote in exchange for an end to the court-packing nonsense.

Because it's a Republican insisting that we fast-track a conservative judge into the Supreme Court ASAP.

Which is a good thing for Republicans.

As opposed to when a Democrat wanted a judge to go through the nomination process, which was a bad thing.

I specifically said that it would be better if a conservative justice isn't fast-tracked. Part of the deal I recommended would be "that there will be no vote for a Supreme Court nominee until after the inauguration of a new President"

[kidfresh512]

The text of that Dear Colleague letter from McConnell to GOP senators

Mitch getting the instructions out to Senators already. And the talking points for the obvious questions they will be getting. His decrepit ass hasnt moved this fast in decades. Screw your pandemic relief poors! This is number 1

[Mister Mets]

Trying to avoid a 10 page argument here that will end up in a reprimand, but as someone with honours degree in history....this really gets my goat, and is why I've come to despise the culture war.

History should never be distorted for political agendas, because it undermines its credibility as a science.

The 1619 project was not written by a historian, it was written by a politically motivated New York Times journalist, and has been thoroughly discredited by several liberal historians for omitting key data in historical facts.

If implemented Donald Trump's patriotic history will be far worse than the 1619 project, not because its right or left wing, but because now the federal government will be omitting key historical facts.

The narrative of history should be soley constructed on all the empirical evidence that has been gathered to paint the most accurate picture of the past possible, otherwise you mind as well just delete history departments from Universities across the US.

The narrative of history can't just be determined by empirical facts, since there are all sorts of editorial judgments. For obvious reasons, we're going to learn more about George Washington than the typical Virginian born in 1732. We're going to learn more about the major wars than about other random five year periods.

For the most part, I do think people try to avoid distorting history to their own political ends, although that's usually because they don't think they're wrong. I'm sure there are some cynics out there trying to sell books, but many of the people in power pushing contentious views think they're in the right.

Trump's vesion of 'Hitler Youth'

Trump Launches 'Patriotic Education’ Commission, Calls 1619 Project 'Ideological Poison’









Another example why we need to get Trump out of the White House ASAP [and maybe some serious therapy].

The fight over interpretations of history is complicated, so while this might not be a wise battle, it's not the equivalent of a new version of the Hitler youth.

There are inconsistencies in the packaging of the 1619 project about whether it is meant to balance other systems, or represent unvarnished truth. Is it meant to add to a complex discussion, or does it function as a syllabus by itself? They've described it both ways.

Part of the pushback against critical theory, as represented by the 1619 project and Howard Zinn, is the view that it's the progressive equivalent of teaching creationism in science class, and the argument is that it should be stomped out just as quickly.

There also other arguments about whether we should have this level of national control over the curriculum, or whether it should be left up to states and local governments.

There's a whole different argument about whether the Trump administration getting involved helps in any way. Teachers tend to be more progressive than the median voter, so many teachers who were on the fence were more likely to be on board once a deeply unpopular partisan figure like Trump got involved. A similar thing occurred when Trump started opining on school reopenings. For younger Americans, who also tend to be more progressive, President Trump hating something probably makes it more appealing, so if their school doesn't cover the 1619 project, they'll seek out the information themselves.

The text of that Dear Colleague letter from McConnell to GOP senators

Mitch getting the instructions out to Senators already. And the talking points for the obvious questions they will be getting. His decrepit ass hasnt moved this fast in decades. Screw your pandemic relief poors! This is number 1

Is he saying anything you disagree with?

[Iron Maiden]

Lest we forget...... Trump has Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton on his list of potential nominees to the Supreme Court......

[Tendrin]

Is he saying anything you disagree with?

!@#!ing LOL.

[Kevinroc]

You okay man?

Was that a general comment?

???

That wasn't directed at you specifically. But there are people who didn't vote for Hillary for one bs reason or another. And now this is the world we have as a result.

[Malvolio]

I wonder how third party voters will try to convince us (and themselves) that the Supreme Court doesn't matter this time around.

[PaulBullion]

****!!!

I feel like crying and puking. This is the worst case scenario.

I have not felt this bad since the night Trump stole the election.

[PaulBullion]

The optics of McConnell doing nothing to help the nation with Covid-19 since March over six months, and then scurrying a rushed Supreme Court nomination in the six weeks before an election when his own seat is up...

He might do it at his own risk. This is literally his endgame.

It's Kentucky. He will still win.

[JCAll]

I wonder how third party voters will try to convince us (and themselves) that the Supreme Court doesn't matter this time around.

They seem to be saying it's her fault for not retiring a decade ago when the GOP last lost control of the Senate.

[PaulBullion]

I think too many people have faith in the GOP here at all. How many times do they have to show you they are hypocrites? They don't give a damn what you have them on tape saying in the past about this situation. You think they will be run off into shame and be poor after they vote a new Justice in?

They will go on even after getting booted from their seats in some cases write revisionist history books, get speaking gigs for millions. None of them will live in ignominy like they should. The pressure will be ENORMUS especially if they already lost their seat. To do the GOP a favor for decades to come.

I think nobody here has faith in the GOP.
But we're grasping for straws to keep from becoming suicidal.

Romney voted to remove Trump. There is a chance that it, at the very least, depends on the quality of the judge presented whether he would agree to vote for him or her or not.

[PaulBullion]

This is a messed up situation, but a potentially positive outcome could be for Trump, Biden, McConnell and Schumer to announce a deal, that there will be no vote for a Supreme Court nominee until after the inauguration of a new President, in exchange for Democrats to agree not to allow court packing.

It's always refreshing to hear your view from that parallel universe where the GOP is not run by cackling supervillains.

[PaulBullion]

I wonder how third party voters will try to convince us (and themselves) that the Supreme Court doesn't matter this time around.

The depressing thing is that a president Biden might not even get to fill a SCOTUS seat if Trump fills this one.

Sure, Kavanaugh's liver might explode, Thomas might catch covid-19 and a white doctor won't take it seriously.

But it was very clear that Hillary would get to replace two judges, because Scalia had already died and RBG would have had a chance to retire.

Now we're looking at something like half a generation without true progress and quite likely steps back on civil rights, the right to choose etc.