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

[Username taken]

I'm giddy Warnock will be able to kneecap at least one ego power trip from Manchin or Sinema (who can't be primaried by the Dems soon enough).

In less priority wonderings, I wonder if Lindsey Graham will still go to publicly weep about the woke media/mob destroying Herschel, or if he'll just rightfully throw the guy under the bus and prioritize watching Netflix these afternoons.

Actually do we know if Graham knows Netflix? Current conservatives were puzzling over Dem Fetterman's Hurt tattoo, and that song is 20 years old. And that's just the Johnny Cash cover, I assume anything having to do with the original band (Nine Inch Nails) or the genre (industrial rock) basically sounds like SATAN to them.

Graham and the GOP knew that Walker would lose. They just had to ride it out because Walker was already on the ballot.

All that crying and pleading that Graham was doing was pretty telling in and of itself.

Mitch McConnell himself said months back that the GOP would likely not win the senate because of the candidate quality.

That being said, the fact the election was this close at all shows just how "brain broken" some voters are.

[Tendrin]

Graham and the GOP knew that Walker would lose. They should just had to ride it out because Walker was already on the ballot.

All that crying and pleading that Graham was doing was pretty telling in and of itself.

Mitch McConnell himself said months back that the GOP would likely not win the senate because of the candidate quality.

That being said, the fact the election was this close at all shows just how "brain broken" some voters are.

I think there are two reliable indicators for why Walker, despite being a walking advertisement for why kids shouldn't play football, was able to get such a margin.

One, there's a lot of voters who are just straight up 'Anti-Dem' votes. This is the kind of voters that the GOP wants to cultivate most of all. 'Sticking it to the other team' is a reliable motivator in voting.

Two, there's others who correctly understand that, even if the candidate is a blithering idiot, all they need is for him to say 'yes' when the prepackaged conservative think-tank approved legislation is dropped in front of them. This argument was advanced more than once by team R with regards to Walker. 'We just need his vote in the Senate'.

Both of those ensure a solid baseline of support before candidate quality ever enters the question. Walker was bad enough to suppress the impact of those in what SHOULD be a GOP leaning year in a state with a still strong GOP. Demographics in Georgia are starting to work against them, however. Georgia is a much more urban state than you'd think, and despite staggering voter suppression and incredibly long lines, Warnock was able to motivate his voters to the polls in enough numbers to beat a beloved football star twice. I wouldn't expect the dems to win every election from here out, far from it, but you know the GOP is looking at the trend lines and is getting very concerned. What people wanted for Texas is happening already in Georgia, and the fact that the GOP even nominated Walker in the first place is a sign of deep weakness.

[Username taken]

I think there are two reliable indicators for why Walker, despite being a walking advertisement for why kids shouldn't play football, was able to get such a margin.

One, there's a lot of voters who are just straight up 'Anti-Dem' votes. This is the kind of voters that the GOP wants to cultivate most of all. 'Sticking it to the other team' is a reliable motivator in voting.

Two, there's others who correctly understand that, even if the candidate is a blithering idiot, all they need is for him to say 'yes' when the prepackaged conservative think-tank approved legislation is dropped in front of them. This argument was advanced more than once by team R with regards to Walker. 'We just need his vote in the Senate'.

Both of those ensure a solid baseline of support before candidate quality ever enters the question. Walker was bad enough to suppress the impact of those in what SHOULD be a GOP leaning year in a state with a still strong GOP. Demographics in Georgia are starting to work against them, however. Georgia is a much more urban state than you'd think, and despite staggering voter suppression and incredibly long lines, Warnock was able to motivate his voters to the polls in enough numbers to beat a beloved football star twice. I wouldn't expect the dems to win every election from here out, far from it, but you know the GOP is looking at the trend lines and is getting very concerned. What people wanted for Texas is happening already in Georgia, and the fact that the GOP even nominated Walker in the first place is a sign of deep weakness.

Good points.

I don't know if democrats maintain their performance in that state because Trump is the big anchor around the GOP right now.

Without so many Trump-supporting, election-denying candidates, the GOP would likely have done far better in the mid-terms. There was literally no reason for guys like Lake or Laxalt (who was not a weak candidate) to lose their elections beyond their connection to Trump. He's basically the reason why a good chunk of independent voters in battleground states have drifted toward the democrats. I really do believe that if the GOP had nominated a more "sane" candidate than Walker, they would have likely won the Georgia seat.

Demographics is also a factor here too, since 2016 (and despite media reports), there's been a very, VERY strong anti-Trump, anti-MAGA sentiment amongst minority voters. I visit certain other forums (and based on conversations with people from different communities), MOST minority voters are EXTREMELY uncomfortable with current GOP messaging. I know the media likes to harp on some Latino voters drifting towards the GOP but that doesn't tell the whole story, most Latino and minority voters are still solidly democrat and the rhetoric from a lot of GOP candidates has been very problematic to them.

It can't be understated how unusual it is that the democrats actually picked up a senate seat in the current climate. That's very, very telling and it's something the GOP will need to do some soul-searching on.

[Wildling]

Good points.

I don't know if democrats maintain their performance in that state because Trump is the big anchor around the GOP right now.

Without so many Trump-supporting, election-denying candidates, the GOP would likely have done far better in the mid-terms. There was literally no reason for guys like Lake or Laxalt (who was not a weak candidate) to lose their elections beyond their connection to Trump. He's basically the reason why a good chunk of independent voters in battleground states have drifted toward the democrats. I really do believe that if the GOP had nominated a more "sane" candidate than Walker, they would have likely won the Georgia seat.

Demographics is also a factor here too, since 2016 (and despite media reports), there's been a very, VERY strong anti-Trump, anti-MAGA sentiment amongst minority voters. I visit certain other forums (and based on conversations with people from different communities), MOST minority voters are EXTREMELY uncomfortable with current GOP messaging. I know the media likes to harp on some Latino voters drifting towards the GOP but that doesn't tell the whole story, most Latino and minority voters are still solidly democrat and the rhetoric from a lot of GOP candidates has been very problematic to them.

It can't be understated how unusual it is that the democrats actually picked up a senate seat in the current climate. That's very, very telling and it's something the GOP will need to do some soul-searching on.

Soul-searching sounds really generous and ready for a pussified Politico article.

The truth is Republicans will publicly drag their feet like a Marco Rubio backed by a billion Florida Men, while waiting for Trump to tell them what to do next.

[Iron Maiden]

Graham and the GOP knew that Walker would lose. They should just had to ride it out because Walker was already on the ballot.

All that crying and pleading that Graham was doing was pretty telling in and of itself.

Mitch McConnell himself said months back that the GOP would likely not win the senate because of the candidate quality.

That being said, the fact the election was this close at all shows just how "brain broken" some voters are.

I'm glad that Warnock won but you are right. Walker was so obviously in over his head that the race should not have been this close.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Well a big fight ahead for Manchin in 2024 is Jim Justice. Like Manchin he's extremely popular in WV. So odds are he could flip that seat Republican.

[Malvolio]

Good points.

I don't know if democrats maintain their performance in that state because Trump is the big anchor around the GOP right now.

Without so many Trump-supporting, election-denying candidates, the GOP would likely have done far better in the mid-terms. There was literally no reason for guys like Lake or Laxalt (who was not a weak candidate) to lose their elections beyond their connection to Trump. He's basically the reason why a good chunk of independent voters in battleground states have drifted toward the democrats. I really do believe that if the GOP had nominated a more "sane" candidate than Walker, they would have likely won the Georgia seat.

Demographics is also a factor here too, since 2016 (and despite media reports), there's been a very, VERY strong anti-Trump, anti-MAGA sentiment amongst minority voters. I visit certain other forums (and based on conversations with people from different communities), MOST minority voters are EXTREMELY uncomfortable with current GOP messaging. I know the media likes to harp on some Latino voters drifting towards the GOP but that doesn't tell the whole story, most Latino and minority voters are still solidly democrat and the rhetoric from a lot of GOP candidates has been very problematic to them.

It can't be understated how unusual it is that the democrats actually picked up a senate seat in the current climate. That's very, very telling and it's something the GOP will need to do some soul-searching on.

That's assuming they have souls to search.

[Tendrin]

For a large part of the history of the United States, domestic abuse was tolerated under the nation’s legal system. There were few laws criminalizing domestic violence, and enforcement of the existing laws was rare.

It was only in the past few decades that laws criminalizing domestic violence came to be widespread and enforced. But now, the U.S. is in danger of backtracking on that legal framework precisely because of the nation’s historical legacy of turning a blind eye to domestic violence.

On Nov. 10, 2022, a judge in the Western District of Texas struck down the federal law that prohibits access to guns for people subject to domestic violence protection orders. He did this based on a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, NYSRPA v. Bruen, which held that, to be constitutional, a firearm restriction must be analogous to laws that were in existence when the country was founded. In other words, disarming domestic abusers violates the Second Amendment because those types of laws didn’t exist at the founding of the country.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/a...eep-their-guns

[CaptainEurope]

Apparently, Ted Cruz' teenage daughter attempted suicide. I hope things will turn out better for her and her family.

[CaptainEurope]

And right now in one of the largest law enforcement operations in German history, over 100 residencies have been searched in connection with a terrorist "Sovereign Citizen" organisation that included a former MP of the far right AfD party, a judge, and a rich businessman. They had access to weapons and plans to overthrow the government.

[Tendrin]

And right now in one of the largest law enforcement operations in German history, over 100 residencies have been searched in connection with a terrorist "Sovereign Citizen" organisation that included a former MP of the far right AfD party, a judge, and a rich businessman. They had access to weapons and plans to overthrow the government.

Glad someone is taking far right terrorism seriously.

[CaptainEurope]

Glad someone is taking far right terrorism seriously.

I am quite sure that the change in government had something to do with this. Secretary Fäser said from the beginning that she would focus on the extreme right threats to democracy, whereas her conservative predecessor Seehofer was a joke.

[worstblogever]

Soul-searching sounds really generous and ready for a pussified Politico article.

The truth is Republicans will publicly drag their feet like a Marco Rubio backed by a billion Florida Men, while waiting for Trump to tell them what to do next.

It's a cult. And they're waiting for their leader to give them instructions on how to behave like lemmings, and what the next cliff to run off is.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2014, 2015, as well as 2016, as well as 2017, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” posted profiles of former Congressman Ryan Zinke, from Montana's At-Large Congressional District. Zinke is a former Navy Seal (whose retirement was forced due to an undisclosed disciplinary matter, and who has been criticized by several former colleagues) who has blamed both President Obama and Hillary Clinton for the Benghazi attacks, suggesting impeachment for the former and calling the latter the Anti-Christ. Zinke is also a proud climate change denier, called for the militarization of the U.S./Mexico border, and bragged about having personally water-boarded people as a positive trait that made him a better candidate than a Democrat he was debating. As a Congressman, Zinke has voted for all anti-abortion legislation he could, and opposed LGBT rights at every turn. He voted against the nuclear treaty with Iran, tried to do what he could to block the acceptance of Syrian refugees, and voted to defund the Department of Homeland Security in a protest against President Obama's executive orders on immigration. Zinke once even hosted a reception for a former general, Paul Vallely, who offered himself as the leader for a military coup against the Obama administration to Tea Party Republicans. Zinke spoke on the opening night of the 2016 Republican National Convention, giving a fear-mongering speech about foreign threats, and that was enough to earn him a spot in Donald Trump’s “Cabinet of Horrors”, getting the nod to be his Interior Secretary. He’s always been a bit of a nut, and running his office at the Department of the Interior like it’s a military base, including raising and lowering a flag if he’s in or not on a given day. And, like so, so many members of Donald Trump’s cabinet, it’s not just that they’re unqualified, it’s that they’re so blatantly corrupt. Ryan Zinke fits the profile, as like former Health Secretary Tom Price, he was soon investigated by federal watchdogs for abusing his travel budget. Unlike Price, Zinke didn’t resign. And then came a second investigation, as an energy company from his home town that has only existed for 2 years was somehow awarded a $300 million contract to rebuild Puerto Rico’s damaged power grid by Zinke’s Department. Zinke insisted it was just all a coincidence, and attacks the media for investigating him. And then literally a dozen more “coincidences” happened, as the number of federal investigation’s into corruption at Zinke’s Department of the Interior kept growing, The deputy charged with being the watchdog at the Department of the Interior referred Zinke to the Department of Justice back on Halloween of 2018, and he resigned from the Trump White House ON Dec. 15th, 2018. He staged a political comeback in 2022, running for U.S. House in Montana's "At Large" District again, and is sadly headed back to Washington, D.C.

On this date in 2018, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” profiled Cynthia Dunbar, a member of the Republican National Committee from Virginia, and a 2018 candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives for both Virginia’s 5th, and 6th Congressional Districts, at different points. Dunbar was been a known quantity for over a decade, as a professor of law at Pat Robertson’s Liberty University (i.e. school for theocratic wingnut charlatans), and did significant damage to the youth of the Lone Star State as a member of the Texas Board of Education from 2007 to 2010, where she would try to alter the syllabus so it taught not just Creationism, but racist points of view like taking time to recognize the “positive contributions made by leaders of the Confederacy”, or just flat out altering texts to discuss how “Chicanos want to destroy this society”. It should come as little surprise, then, that on the campaign trail for Congress, Dunbar repeatedly was quoting the teachings of “Christian historian” David Barton, that have long since been debunked by actual historians as Fundamentalist propaganda. In a book Dunbar wrote In 2008, she also expressed her opinion that all candidates for office should be forced to take a “biblical litmus test” to qualify for office, which if that sounds like an obvious violation of a separation of church and state, congratulate yourself on basic civics, and how it’s easier to understand why Dunbar wanted details about Thomas Jefferson stricken from history classes in Texas. Dunbar is also an unapologetic Birther, who right around the time Barack Obama was president-elect, began positing conspiracy theories about how as president, he, as a “Secret Muslim” would start working with terrorists to aid them in attacks upon the United States. And, during the 2018 campaigns that Dunbar was in, she frequently talked to Trump-obsessed, insane far-right preacher Lance Wallnau about how “God doesn’t intend government to care of the needy”, because she’s into that twisted version of Republican Christianity that cares f***-all about the poor. Dunbar was not only not chosen to represent the 5th Congressional District in 2018 by Virginia Republicans, but rebuffed when she tried to run in the 6th district, when the Virginia GOP instead chose Denver Riggleman, because somehow, even they acknowledged she might be more off-putting to voters than someone who’s a Bigfoot erotica fan.

On this date in both 2019, as well as 2020, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” first profiled Steve Negron, a former one-term member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 2016-2018 who ran for U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 for New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District, only to get wrecked in the general election by Democrat Annie Kuster. We’re making it a point to profile him again, because… well, he’s a loon… and also he’s running for Congress again in 2020, announcing he was taking a second crack at it only four months after that loss…so we feel like it’s a good idea to remind folks of who they’re dealing with. We can’t talk much about Negron’s voting record, as he was frequently absent from votes, and during his two years in office, he did not sponsor a single bill in the Granite State. Getting an idea of where his position stances are… suffice to say that he describes himself as in “lockstep” with Donald Trump. Negron also thinks of any gun control measure as “chipping away at the Constitution”, and still was having Corey Lewandowski work for his 2018 campaign. But you see, where Steve Negron stands out to us is that he’s a staunch defender of gay conversion therapy, or as he thinks of it, the “gay cure”, which would indicate he views homosexuality as a disease. His take on Planned Parenthood is rather hyperbolic, “I oppose private dollars going to an organization that kills babies.” Ah yes. Nothing like the furthest right-wing rhetoric that claims women’s health centers are actually routinely committing infanticide and somehow profiting off of it. Steve Negron against took a shot at Annie Kuster in New Hampshire’s 2nd in 2020, and alas, only managed 43% of the vote in a second consecutive election loss.

On this date in 2021, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” profiled James Dickens, who was a 2020 candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District, and is also yet the latest in our far too long line of Republicans who ran for Congress in 2020 while flogging the Qanon conspiracy theory. Dickens went as far down the rabbit hole to have posted a video of himself swearing an oath to Qanon on his Twitter feed, and his social media accounts are a non-stop fever dream of conspiracy theories, just for example, this one where he was trying to scrutinize the number of Covid-19 deaths, or tout the useless treatment of the disease with hydroxychloroquine. James Dickens ended up getting 21% of the vote in the GOP Primary for the seat to represent Hawaii’s 1st District, finishing second out of a possible five candidates. As he has not re-emerged as even a candidate since, we’ll set aside his profile at this time to cover another wacky Republican today instead. (Current crazy/stupid scoreboard, is now 1161-55, since this was established in July 2014.

[worstblogever]

Kevin Clarkson
Welcome to what is the 1161st original profile here at “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day”, where we’re profiling Kevin Clarkson, who was appointed to his position in 2018, yet another mishap engineered by bumblenuts Alaska GOP Governor Mike Dunleavy. It was interesting that Dunleavy overlooked that during his divorce from his wife in the 1990s that Clarkson’s wife filed multiple requests forr estraining orders against him, and that maybe that was a sign he might have some issues with women.

And then, a whole investigation by the press into Dunleavy’s boneheaded decisions as governor found out that Clarkson had sent HUNDREDS of texts to a younger state employee who was getting creeped out that he kept commenting on her appearance, was sending her kiss emojis in texts, and was enticing her to visit him at his home a staggering EIGHTEEN TIMES (take a hint, Kev). Before the press dug any deeper, Clarkson suddenly resigned, indicating that there may have been some more fire under all the smoke. Of course the “family values” Republican here had opinions of being radically opposed to gay marriage, while he was trying to run around on his own wife, if you needed any hypocrisy added into the story.

Anyway, Kevin Clarkson left office in 2020, and hopefully has found a dictionary to understand what the definition of “NO” is.