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

[The no face guy]

Gabbard didn't run for re-election to the House because of her ill-fated decision to run for president.

As it stands, she'll have a hard time winning a primary as a Democrat again, given... well, she's always been an odd fit on Team Blue. They championed her as a woman and a veteran, but her bizarre support of Bashar-al-Assad, her Islamophobia, and her upbringing in a flagrantly anti-LGBTQ household (with some videos to that effect from her youth) made her make much more sense as a Republican. Understanding how Sen. Joe Manchin leans more right than most Democrats, for better or worse, you think, "Well, of course he does. He has to win statewide elections in West Virginia."

Tulsi Gabbard is to the right of most Democrats... WHILE IN HAWAII. It... just doesn't make sense politically. Like, Tulsi's only as left as Sheriff David Clarke or the Georgia state rep. who crowd-surfed at a Trump rally.

Up here North of the border, I wasn't aware that she didn't run for re-election. In that case, you are probably correct, she could be a valuable asset for Republicans if she can win a swing riding in Hawaii.

Traditionally, the Democrats have always had a religous fraction that is not onboard with LBGT rights, (Catholic ect) but if you want to go anywhere in the party...you can't hold her views.

Yes that whole episode surrounding Bashar - al - Assad, and chemical weapons was bizarre. Off the top of my head, I can only think that she's supportive of Shia Muslims and Iran and Hezzbolah. This is usually a position taken by the far left though, particularly members of the Labour Party in the UK, so it seems like she has a lot off weird hodge podge of stuff going on in her head.

[Steel Inquisitor]

Up here North of the border, I wasn't aware that she didn't run for re-election. In that case, you are probably correct, she could be a valuable asset for Republicans if she can win a swing riding in Hawaii.

Traditionally, the Democrats have always had a religous fraction that is not onboard with LBGT rights, (Catholic ect) but if you want to go anywhere in the party...you can't hold her views.

Yes that whole episode surrounding Bashar - al - Assad, and chemical weapons was bizarre. Off the top of my head, I can only think that she's supportive of Shia Muslims and Iran and Hezzbolah. This is usually a position taken by the far left though, particularly members of the Labour Party in the UK, so it seems like she has a lot off weird hodge podge of stuff going on in her head.

She's a conservative who many on the left only allied with because she backed Sanders, that was the moment that jumpstarted her high profile before that she was a nobody. It's so puzzling why Sanders overlooked this whenever she got attacked from the left. In any other state she'd be a bog standard Republican, she comes from an extremely conservative family who run as a Democrats because being in the GOP in Hawaii is a non-starter.

[Tendrin]

But consider the cost of living in NYC where the median price of a home is $680,500 and just a studio apartment is $1700.

NYPD members have a history of not living in the actual city, though. Roughly half of them don't. Yes, '100k' doesn't go very far in the city proper, but...

https://gothamist.com/news/majority-...w-figures-show

[worstblogever]

NYPD members have a history of not living in the actual city, though. Roughly half of them don't. Yes, '100k' doesn't go very far in the city proper, but...

https://gothamist.com/news/majority-...w-figures-show

That is the tendency.

If memory serves, the plot of the movie Cop Land was a bunch of ex NYC cops living in their own crooked fiefdom in a New Jersey suburb.

[Madam-Shogun-Assassin]

But they're only powerful when trying to stop any meaningful reforms. But when it comes to getting better pay and pensions for their rank and file, they seem to be woefully weak. Why is that, I wonder?

Maybe, but I figure they like the power and safety just as much as money. So there's that.

[Steel Inquisitor]

Why are we funding police forces to evict people instead of using those funds to house people? Its shit like this (among a lot of other things) why I fully support defunding the police. Police unions are waaaaay too fuckin powerful.

It's incredibly difficult to do the latter than the former in politics for a variety of reasons, culturally and institutionally. Also, because of those very same police unions. With the added incentive of being overtly and covertly threatened into complying, and things like police rioting.

[Tendrin]

The mayor of a Tennessee county on Alabama’s northern border says COVID-19 cases are increasing there, but he won’t order residents and visitors to wear masks until “the Holy Spirit” moves him to do so.

It isn’t that he’s anti-science, Lincoln County Mayor Bill Newman said today. He’s an Auburn University-trained veterinarian and understands science, he said. “(The virus) is science and it’s true and I do believe masking helps prevent the spread of it,” Newman said. “But I don’t feel I should mandate people wearing masks at this time.”

https://www.al.com/coronavirus/2020/...t-says-so.html

*heavy sigh*

[Mister Mets]

I've heard too that the fact that Republicans were out in full force campaigning, often to crowds largely sans masks, while Democrats tended to play it safe and stay away from public events, helped Republicans, especially incumbents, win their Congressional races. From what I understand, the Democratic seats that got flipped were almost entirely by Republicans that were either female, minority, veterans, or some combination thereof. Basically, Democrats didn't really give any seats up to the typical crusty old white male that comprises the vast majority of Republicans in Congress. Hopefully this is a good sign for things to come within the Republican Party, but I'm not holding my breath.

Republicans more than doubled the number of Republican women in Congress, thanks to an initiative spearheaded by representative Elise Stefanik. I wonder how much of that was particular types of candidates being stronger in general elections, and how much of it was the traditional Grand Old Party candidates (middle-aged white businessmen) sitting out the 2020 elections because they thought the 2022 midterms would be their shot, leaving an opportunity for people who are probably better for the party's brand.

[Tami]

Twitter Link

[Tami]

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who rails against 'coastal elites,' owns a $1.3 mil house in the Northern Virginia suburbs of D.C., where he spends most of his time. He's registered to
vote at his sister’s home in Ozark, Missouri and used it to vote this year.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Twitter Link

Good on Pascrell.

[The no face guy]

She's a conservative who many on the left only allied with because she backed Sanders, that was the moment that jumpstarted her high profile before that she was a nobody. It's so puzzling why Sanders overlooked this whenever she got attacked from the left. In any other state she'd be a bog standard Republican, she comes from an extremely conservative family who run as a Democrats because being in the GOP in Hawaii is a non-starter.

This conversation about her peaked my curiousity as to why Sanders would have picked her as a potential running mate, and it turns out, she's a hardcore lefty when you minus her socially conservative views on LGBTQ rights and abortion.

https://www.politico.com/2020-electi...tulsi-gabbard/

She is only one of two Democrats that supports bringing back glass steagall, the other candidate, bingo, Bernie Sanders, not even Warren goes that far.

I was curious about Iran, not surprisingly her tweets show up on ex labour mp George Galloway's twitter feed, ( a close friend of Jeremy Corbyn known for his antisemitism and support of Hezzbolah and Iran) Being a former far lefty Sanders has an Iran skeleton in his closet to, and has a long history of support for Palestine.

There does seem to an ideological match between the two, so I'm not sure if I see her crossing the floor to the Republican Party, the Democratic Party has a large pool of African American and Latino voters who vote Democrat for bread and butter issues, but are socially conservative because of their religious views.

The question is, will the DNC want her back in when she's been so open about her views in the past, it's probably controversy they do not want.

[DrNewGod]

Twitter Link

I'm torn between wanting to warm my hands at a bonfire built of Trumpsters, and facepalming at what won't get done whilst indulging in the building of said bonfire.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I'm torn between wanting to warm my hands at a bonfire built of Trumpsters, and facepalming at what won't get done whilst indulging in the building of said bonfire.

I don't get this logic. The House of Representatives is a big organization, and a lot of stuff can be done side-by-side. An investigative team dedicated to reporting on Trump's crimes won't detract from stuff that happened elsewhere.

And again, how can you make real reforms in election laws, i.e. putting real teeth in the Emoluments Clause, making sure candidates declare tax returns openly to run for office and so on and so force without putting the Trump admin and its corruption in the full glare of the spotlight. How else can you advertise climate laws and healthcare laws by calling attention to the evil handling of the Pandemic?

Investigating Trump is free propaganda for that, and it's gotta be the liberal verson of Benghazi to stick to the GOP House and Senate candidates of 2022 and whoever the Potus candidate is for 2024.

[babyblob]

Man what the Hell is going on with Cincinnati City Counicl?

Council Woman Tamaya Dennard was arrested at the start of the year on Bribery and Corruption charges for selling votes. She has since pled guilty.

Council Man Jeff Pastor was arrested two weeks ago on Bribery and Corruption charges for selling votes. he is out on bond.

This morning at 930 Council Man PG Sittenfeld was arrested on you guessed Bribery and Corruption charges. Rumor is he was trying to sell votes. He was alos going to be a candidate for mayor next year. Funny thing is he is the one who yelled the loudest for Dennard to resign after her arrest and talked for like an hour last week about how there needs to be great reform in the City Council.

So 1/3 of the council arrested in just this year. Damn!