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

[Mister Mets]

This is going to sound absolutely insane, but, I can't help wondering if there's actually a concerted effort among Qpublican governors to let their citizens die from COVID, with the goal being to hamper President Biden's efforts to curtail the virus, and then blame him for a spike in cases and deaths. I mean, it's pretty much common knowledge the GQP is the Party of Death, so, why not sacrifice a few thousand clueless rubes, most of whom would be willing to die for The Former Guy anyway. Like I said, insane.

While you may think Republicans are the party of death, that's certainly not how they see it.

There are many other incentives here.

Republicans seem to be more optimistic about COVID going away, so that's one immediate difference in outlook. Democrats are more willing to push for restrictions (IE- insisting that people who are vaccinated wear masks.)

Republicans are more likely to believe that parents know better about how to raise their kids than government does, and the whole argument about vaccinating children fits into that. In addition, the science does show that children are at significantly less risk of COVID complications.

[Tami]

Republicans in Government are running on several fallacies that they seem to believe in for some crazy reason

1. That stopping people from voting will get more of them elected into office
Possible Alternative Outcome: The ones being driven away from voting are the ones most likely to vote Republican. Non-white voters, young voters, Democrats, often get riled up at the very idea of voter suppression and will likely stand in long lines just to vote.

2. Cutting back on Health Care, on Vaccines, on unemployment Benefits, on distribution fo financial benefits from the Federal Government will make voters angry at Biden. that he will be blamed instead of them.
Possible Alternative Outcome: Voters most likely to vote Republican will get sick and die at record numbers, while other voters will get angry at the State level legislatures for creating an intolerable situation.

3. Keeping the Big Lie going will get them re-elected.
Possible Alternative Outcome: Those that buy into the big lie will be discouraged from voting. Those that buy intot eh big lie are most likely the ones who would vote Republican. Hence, more Republicans will lose their elections.

4. Keep Donald Trump happy and you keep his voting base, his supporters happy. Do this and they will continue to vote Republican.
Possible Alternative Outcome: Those people who still support Donald Trump in 2022 and 2024 will be few in numbers and are less likely to vote. Most are anti-government. If they aren't arrested and in jail for the Jan 6th incident, or for other acts of violence, even if they can and will still vote, they won't likely vote for anyone who isn't Donald Trump and isn't approved by Donald Trump. Since Trump hates the Republican Establishment as much as he hates the Democrats, it will be highly unlikely that his supporters will vote for 'mainstream' Republicans, instead voting for the crazy ones that are more likely to lose to a sane Democrat.

Bottom line, they are doing all of this and there is a good chance [it won't be proven or dis-proven until 2022 or 2024] that everything that teh republicans are doing now will simply end in the Democrats gaining control of more and more seats in Government at all levels.

Still, we can't let this insane experiment continue. Regardless of the outcome it is going to hurt hundreds of thousands of people.

[Mister Mets]

Pretty sure DeSantis would count this as 'teaching about the history of African Americans and Slavery'. Dude is not an idiot. He knows how this will play out on a district by district basis, with apologists like yourself standing by the sidelines and crying, 'don't be hysterical!', same as it ever was.

This is a bit of a change in goalposts.

I addressed a specific question. Even if DeSantis knows that some districts will teach it differently, that still meets the conditions of an earlier question.

That said, DeSantis isn't responsible for a textbook published for use in a different state before he became a member of congress.

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015...-editing-error
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/u...s-workers.html

[Hellion]

Question for the folks of this thread who may reside in New Hampshire (I know CSTowle does): what's the political climate like there? I might finally receive a job offer over there and I'm eager to accept it. Your garden-variety Montanan is a black hole of ignorance and poor life choices. Naturally, many are enthralled by the GQP. Please tell me New Hampshire is better, or at least that politics aren't as polarizing of a force with the locals there.

[worstblogever]

This is going to sound absolutely insane, but, I can't help wondering if there's actually a concerted effort among Qpublican governors to let their citizens die from COVID, with the goal being to hamper President Biden's efforts to curtail the virus, and then blame him for a spike in cases and deaths. I mean, it's pretty much common knowledge the GQP is the Party of Death, so, why not sacrifice a few thousand clueless rubes, most of whom would be willing to die for The Former Guy anyway. Like I said, insane.

The current GQP leadership position on Covid-19, guns, and climate change:

[Tami]

Question for the folks of this thread who may reside in New Hampshire (I know CSTowle does): what's the political climate like there? I might finally receive a job offer over there and I'm eager to accept it. Your garden-variety Montanan is a black hole of ignorance and poor life choices. Naturally, many are enthralled by the GQP. Please tell me New Hampshire is better, or at least that politics aren't as polarizing of a force with the locals there.

The only thing I can say about New Hampshire is that I may have driven though it once on my way to Vermont and if I remember correctly it is very scenic. Very enjoyable to look at.

[Spike-X]

Republicans seem to be more optimistic about COVID going away...

If you can call sticking your head in the sand and pretending it's not happening optimism, then sure.

[Spike-X]

Republicans are more likely to believe that parents know better about how to raise their kids than government does, and the whole argument about vaccinating children fits into that. In addition, the science does show that children are at significantly less risk of COVID complications.

Again with the disengenuousness. Working on the best advice from people who actually know what they're talking about does not equate to 'government raising your kids'.

I don't know more than doctors about medicine. That's why I'm willing to follow their advice when my kids are sick, rather than try and figure it out myself or use the "information they don't want you to know about!" I saw posted on Uncle Jesse McHeeHaw's Facebook page last week.

[Spike-X]

Republicans in Government are running on several fallacies that they seem to believe in for some crazy reason

Republicans seem determined to keep cutting off their noses to spite other people's faces.

Equal parts stupidity, stubbornness, and outright malice.

[CSTowle]

Question for the folks of this thread who may reside in New Hampshire (I know CSTowle does): what's the political climate like there? I might finally receive a job offer over there and I'm eager to accept it. Your garden-variety Montanan is a black hole of ignorance and poor life choices. Naturally, many are enthralled by the GQP. Please tell me New Hampshire is better, or at least that politics aren't as polarizing of a force with the locals there.

It's like the country itself, a mixed bag. We've gone blue in the last few Presidential cycles and our senators are Democrats, but when you hear about crazy things State legislatures are doing while not many folk are paying attention we're right up there with Michigan and Ohio as far as northern states with crazy right-wing streaks. I live a stone's throw from the Dartmouth campus (more like a 20 minute drive, but close enough) and a related large hospital that's gobbled up a good portion of the hospitals in the state (Dartmouth-Hitchcock) so there's a bit more of a liberal streak right here.

But drive 50 miles and you'll see plenty of Trump 2024 signs and leftover 2020 signs, a lot of signs suggesting that if you step on someone's property you will be shot (often the same folks), and you'll find plenty of country stations on the radio but not much outside of oldies rock as an alternative. We're very rural, hunting/fishing/hiking/skiing are pretty common. There's also a reason we were the last state to adopt an MLK day and the Libertarian "Free State Project" chose here to set up camp. We're not as loud about our beliefs as some areas of the country, but expect if the topic of politics comes up people won't be shy about expressing themselves and you might hear some racist language. Just because we're one of the whitest states in the nation (maybe whitest? forget) doesn't mean we don't have our share of racists/ignorant folk. We're not very religious though (again, compared to most states), and those that are tend to be quiet about it or at least not as pushy. That's my impression, anyway, and where you live in the state will be a factor.

[numberthirty]

Yeah, sounds about right...

https://bangordailynews.com/2021/07/...nnabis-debate/

Clarence Thomas is the voice of reason in the federal cannabis debate

I was not expecting Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be the voice of reason on the federal government’s continuing and inane classification of cannabis as a dangerous drug with no currently accepted medical use.

But there he was late last month, the author of a five-page statement accompanying the court’s decision to turn down an appeal from a medical marijuana dispensary in Colorado.

The dispensary has challenged a provision in the tax code that prohibits businesses that “traffic in controlled substances” from deducting ordinary business expenses from their taxable income. Although the court did not take the case, Thomas had some choice words for the government’s illogical approach to pot.

“The Federal Government’s current approach is a half-in, half-out regime that simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana,” Thomas wrote. “This contradictory and unstable state of affairs strains basic principles of federalism and conceals traps for the unwary.”

The case at hand, he wrote, “is a prime example.”

[numberthirty]

The opportunities that Dems are just ignoring right now are kinda mind blowing.

[BeastieRunner]

The opportunities that Dems are just ignoring right now are kinda mind blowing.

... for example ... ?

[numberthirty]

... for example ... ?

If you looked at anything Thomas said in the post above that one and are even posing questions?

That feels like it is half of the problem.

There is a lot of Dems smacking their collective head up against a brick wall while ignoring pretty clear opportunities.

That was just one of the obvious ones.

[Kirby101]

If you looked at anything Thomas said in the post above that one and are even posing questions?

That feels like it is half of the problem.

There is a lot of Dems smacking their collective head up against a brick wall while ignoring pretty clear opportunities.

That was just one of the obvious ones.

Really 30? Are they really ignoring it?

Schumer and Senate Democrats unveil proposal to federally decriminalize marijuana

(CNN)Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and a group of other Senate Democrats introduced draft legislation on Wednesday that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level by striking it from the federal controlled substances list.