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

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Here's a fun bit of news: because of an agreement Trump signed in 1993, he may not be able to live full-time at Mar-a-Lago.

The short of it is, when he converted Mar-a-Lago from a residence into a club, the agreement he signed says he can only spend 21 days a year there. Obviously he flouted this agreement while President, but when he becomes a regular citizen again... well, there are loads of people just waiting to take him court over this.

Those people will have to get in line behind SDNY.

[worstblogever]

Looking at the Russians hacking all the U.S. agencies at once, and not being one to believe in coincidences, this was likely a "smash & grab" kind of desperate last-minute thing ordered by Putin, because obviously Russia is not as likely to pull off this sort of brazen activity unless they know "their guy" in the White House not only has done nothing to stop them in 4 years, but right now, utterly doesn't give a f*** about day-to-day events happening that threaten the United States.

The dotard fails. Again.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Looking at the Russians hacking all the U.S. agencies at once, and not being one to believe in coincidences, this was likely a "smash & grab" kind of desperate last-minute thing ordered by Putin, because obviously Russia is not as likely to pull off this sort of brazen activity unless they know "their guy" in the White House not only has done nothing to stop them in 4 years, but right now, utterly doesn't give a f*** about day-to-day events happening that threaten the United States.

The dotard fails. Again.

I've heard and read that Trump hasn't attended any cybersecurity meetings for months. Now that he's checked out on his responsibilities as president to concentrate on that one last grift before leaving office, god only knows what sort of doors he's left open for his buddy Bad Vlad and his hackers to waltz in through.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2014, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" ran a profile of the former U.S. Congressman from Indiana, Dan Burton, a former head of the House Oversight Committee who used that body to conduct witch hunts against the Clinton administration all through the 1990s, including at one point subpoenaing the entire Christmas Card list of Bill and Hillary. Burton also claimed the Clintons had former aide Vince Foster murdered, conducting a recreation of his death using a cantaloupe and handgun in his yard for assembled reporters, and further enflamed the insanity of conspiracy theorists by releasing false data about what happened at the Branch Davidian compound, in Waco, Texas, during the cult’s standoff with the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. After becoming appreciably more quiet during the Bush administration, in 2009, the uglier side of Rep. Burton returned, as he started signing on to Birther Bills, making false statements about Barack Obama conducting deals to get George Soros rich, and in the middle of a Congressional hearing on autism, trying to use data gathered by disgraced doctor Andrew Wakefield to prove a link between autism and vaccines. Burton finally retired in 2012, and is now in his eighties.

In both 2015, in 2016, and in 2017, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” posted profiles of Ada Fisher, a highly anti-gay member of the Republican National Committee and failed political candidate from North Carolina who unsuccessfully ran for office to be a U.S. Senator in 2002 against Elizabeth Dole , then cried foul to complain that she wasn’t allowed to participate in television forums. In 2004 and 2006 she attempted to challenge Congressman Mel Watt in North Carolina’s 12th District, losing handily both times. Fisher supports the nutty idea of adopting a flat tax, and on immigration, runs to the right of even former President Bush, whose guest worker program, she classified as “amnesty”. Fisher has a few typical conservative positions like how she is opposed to gay marriage. Her argument, though, seems limited to the fact that gays should have to wait, because ”Marriage ought to be between one man and one woman at one time, and I'm still waiting.” Fisher’s tantrum after losing to Elizabeth Dole was not a run-off, but somewhat of a pattern of behavior, as she also threw a fit when a candidate other than the one she supported for the Chairman of the Republican National Committee won back in 2009. About six weeks into Michael Steele being elected, Fisher was trying to drum up support to get his resignation, in effect asking for the election to be conducted again until a result she liked occurred. The same thing happened in the 2015 GOP Primary race in Mississippi for Thad Cochran’s U.S. Senate seat, when she wanted Reince Priebus to investigate how Chris McDaniel could have lost to Cochran, volunteering herself to look into “racism” that led to Cochran’s victory. Fisher’s notorious about being so reactionary on both sides of the aisle, and if you need another example, there was the time in 2010 when she e-mailed the media a link to the following Youtube video she saw a poorly edited Youtube video that admitted to being made of “snippets” of President Obama, but Fisher seemed generally conflicted if it was legitimate, or made of out of context sound bites when her message asked, ”This tape should be investigated and verified. I am not an expert ontapes but if this isn't doctored we have a constitutional issue of humongous proportions to deal with.” In 2008, while campaigning for Sen. John McCain during his presidential run, Fisher tried saying that Obama should never be president because he admitted to using marijuana in his book, and that should disqualify him from the office. The media asked her how President Clinton could have held office, after his own discussions about marijuana, and all of the discussions about President Bush’s previous cocaine use, and she actually tried saying that it’s okay for a presidential candidate to have used drugs… so long as they lied about it and never admitted it. The last we heard from her, she was putting out editorials where she seemly like she was trying to convince herself that Donald Trump wouldn't keep ties to his businesses to avoid conflicts of interests. (Hint: He didn’t.) If you were wondering to what depths of selling out Fisher might stoop to, well, in August 2017, only days after the attacks by Neo-Nazis and White Nationalists in Charlottesville, she was oddly silent about the bigotry and hatred of the Alt-Right. What she was far more concerned with, and wrote an op-ed about was seeing an African American woman but a noose around the neck of a Confederate statue in Durham, North Carolina, and bring it down.

On this date in 2018, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profiled Tony Cornish, a former police chief, and now former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, serving District 23B from 2003 through 2017. Over the course of his last decade in office, his voting record grew more and more extreme, with four separative votes to block minimum wage increases, votes for stricter Voter ID Laws to suppress the vote, plenty of strict anti-choice legislation including bills he co-sponsored, his vote for transphobic bathroom legislation to be applied at schools, and not just a vote against legalizing same sex marriage, but his vote to ban same sex marriage completely, instead. But that isn’t the reason why we’ve chosen to take time out to profile Tony Cornish a little over a year after he left office. No, we’re highlighting him for being a serial sexual harasser while in office, being a sex pest towards staffers from both sides of the aisle. After Democratic Rep. Erin Quade came forward, a lobbyist came forward and said she received a string of texts from Cornish trying to solicit sexual favor s from her. At first, Cornish denied all the accusations, but when the former Minnesota Speaker of the House came forward to say he had warned Cornish about similar behavior back in 2012, over two dozen other accusers came forward to report him for sexual harassment, and the media noticed Cornish’s ex-wife filed a protection order against him back in 1990… Only then did Tony Cornish resign.

On this date in 2019, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profiled Todd Rokita, the former U.S. House Representative from Indiana’s 4th Congressional District from 2011 to 2019. In 2016, he attempted to succeed Mike Pence to be the next Governor of Indiana, but lost in the GOP Primary to Eric Holcomb. But it was back in 2000 that Todd Rokita first cut his teeth in Republican politics by serving as legal counsel for several Florida counties during the lengthy recount into the presidential election that got handed to George W. Bush, and his interest in manipulating elections continued on into his tenure as Indiana Secretary of State in 2005, when he pushed for that state’s Voter ID law to help suppress the vote. On policy, Todd Rokita might not have embarrassed himself on cable news as often as some of his counterparts, but he was representing the second most conservative district in all of Indiana, and thus could support Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, or go to a town hall and declare that admitting a link between human activity and climate change was “arrogant”. His voting record saw him support the scores of failed attempts at repealing the Affordable Care Act, twice supporting failed efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, opposition to disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy in 2013, a vote for the 2013 Government Shutdown and then voting to keep the government closed in the final vote to reopen it, and generally voting in lockstep with the most conservative bills without any thought from 2011-2018. In 2018, Rokita attempted to get elected to the U.S. Senate, and got into an ugly, ugly primary against Mike Braun and Luke Messer. It wasn’t just the fact that Rokita was pathetic enough to campaign in a MAGA hat with a cardboard cutout of Donald Trump, or all the mudslinging he dove into… it perhaps was not the best idea to air an ad featuring Rokita shooting an AR-15 only days after the Parkland shooting, spliced in between footage of Colin Kaepernick kneeling to protest police violence during the national anthem at NFL games. But Rokita also had ghosts from his time serving as Indiana’s Secretary of State coming back to haunt him, as it was revealed he was using state resources to aid himself in winning elections, effectively using a record of political donations as his own personal rolodex. Rokita even tried winning over Republican primary voters by denying the American intelligence communities analysis that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, and defended Donald Trump after he was completely dominated by Vladimir Putin at their Helsinki summit. In the end, he only got 30% of the vote, losing by double digits. He just won election to be the Attorney General of Indiana, so there’s a chance we haven’t heard the last of him. However, we will set his profile and take a look at another kooky Republican today instead. (Current crazy/stupid scoreboard, is now 944-45, since this was established in July 2014.

[worstblogever]

Curtis Hill
Welcome to what is the 944th original profile here at “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day”, where we’ll be discussing Curtis Hill, the soon-to-be former Attorney General of the State of Indiana. His rise was likely tied to his anti-LGBTQ stances including opposition to same sex marriage and his belief that hate crimes should not apply to gay people (Republican favorites). But to be an African American Republican willing to criticize NFL players who kneel during the National Anthem to protest police killings? THIS GUY WAS A RISING STAR IN THE INDIANA GOP! (For the worst reasons.), How was it that Hill was voted out of office at the GOP Primary in July of 2020.

In the interests of keeping this profile brief, we’ll just out and out state our reasons for posting it… it’s not because of any partisan tactics that brought Curtis Hill to our attention, it’s that four women, including a woman from his own party from the state capitol came forward to accuse him of sexually assaulting them, in appropriately groping them in encounters at a local bar at the end of a legislative session. Four women assaulted. In one night. All of them report Hill either squeezed their buttocks or was trying to slide one of his fingers or thumb into their dress for skin-to-skin contact in a “creepy” manner. And yes, that certainly is creepy.

After a long, long process the accusers went through to present their case, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that Curtis Hill did, in fact commit the crimes listed (eyewitness accounts and text message discussions from that night confirm it) and he faced the consequences of… his law license be revoked for 30 days. No jail time. No sex offender’s lists. That’s it.

The main consequence seemed to be that Curtis Hill was not granted a chance to be the GOP’s nominee for AG in 2020, and they forced him out at the Indiana GOP’s convention. The problem is… The guy Indiana Republicans slotted in to replace Curtis Hill? It’s Todd F***ing Rokita. Just… outstanding. Expect that dips*** to file impotent lawsuits against the Biden administration over every modest policy they attempt to enact. Y’know, similar to Curtis Hill, who’s spending his last months in office sending threatening letters to the Mayor of Indianapolis that it’s “unconstitutional” to limit public gatherings to only 50 people during the Covid-19 pandemic because it would infringe upon “religious liberty” to let people fill up churches without social distancing so they can die for Jesus of a virus.

Curtis Hill is still not out of the wood legally, as he faces lawsuits for his assaults. Now approaching 60, he seems unlikely to recover from that incident and his meteoric rise looks to have been halted, but with today’s Republican Party being reflexively ready to forgive sexual predators, we can’t say that’s necessarily the case.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Frontline healthcare workers here in Philly will start receiving the COVID-19 vaccine today. New Jersey began their inoculation program for its workers yesterday and Delaware will soon follow suit. As for when the public at large could get shots, it’s looking like sometime in the spring at the earliest.

[Steel Inquisitor]

I've heard and read that Trump hasn't attended any cybersecurity meetings for months. Now that he's checked out on his responsibilities as president to concentrate on that one last grift before leaving office, god only knows what sort of doors he's left open for his buddy Bad Vlad and his hackers to waltz in through.

Trump not doing briefings like this may be a gift. That information could be incredibly dangerous to a rational, intelligent saboteur who would funnel that to Russia for maximum damage, but Trump is too lazy and stupid to do this properly so Putin gets nothing or a tiny amount of useful knowledge so he has to rely on other sources rather than getting it directly. I know the intelligent agencies suspect the White House is bugged so that's something future presidents and their administrations have to worry about.

[Tendrin]

A Republican state senator and candidate for governor in Virginia called for martial law in response to President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.


Amanda Chase, who’s embraced the description “Trump in heels,” said in a Facebook post Tuesday morning that she would “never” consider Biden her president.

“President Trump should declare martial law as recommended by General Flynn,” she wrote, referring to the former national security adviser and presidential pardon recipient.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/v...-biden-victory

[Tendrin]

Dodge City, Kansas having a normal one.

DODGE CITY, Kan. — A Kansas mayor has resigned following backlash to comments she made in a USA TODAY story in support of a mask mandate in her city.

Dodge City Mayor Joyce Warshaw, citing concerns for her safety, resigned Tuesday, effective immediately.

“I understand people are under a lot of pressure from various things that are happening around society like the pandemic, the politics, the economy, so on and so forth, but I also believe that during these times people are acting not as they normally would," Warshaw said. “I think it’s best for me and the city that I love to remove myself from the commission at this time and from the mayorship so that the city can move forward and be the best that it can be because I believe in the city.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/kansas-ma...023708959.html

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Dodge City, Kansas having a normal one.



https://www.yahoo.com/news/kansas-ma...023708959.html

I don’t think I saw it mentioned in that article, but I read about the story elsewhere where it was reported that Warshaw was a Republican. So, not even members of the GOP are safe from vengeful Trumpanzees.

[Crazy Diamond]

I just read that Steve Schmidt, the guy who is responsible for anyone outside of Alaska knowing who Sarah Palin is, has just re-registered as a Democrat.

His reason is that only one of the two major parties actually cares about democracy, and in the face of what the other one has become, he has to actively pick a side.

Guess that's his new grift huh? Maybe he can join the Lincoln Project.

[Tami]

McConnell sets stage for new face-off with Biden after delivering blow to Trump's election fantasy

(CNN)President Donald Trump is now learning, in the words of his Rolling Stones campaign anthem, that he can't always get what he wants. Sen. Mitch McConnell, on the other hand, usually does.

The Republican Senate majority leader chose Tuesday, the day after the Electoral College affirmed President-elect Joe Biden's victory, as the moment to pull the floor out from under the defeated President. He belatedly congratulated his old Senate colleague 38 days after his election victory that Trump still denies.

Putting his authority on the line, McConnell also asked his Senate colleagues not to stage any stunts when Congress meets for a joint session to ratify the election on January 6, effectively crushing the President's hopes of an 11th hour reprieve, CNN reported.

[Tami]

Guess that's his new grift huh? Maybe he can join the Lincoln Project.

He helped found the Lincoln Project

[WestPhillyPunisher]

McConnell sets stage for new face-off with Biden after delivering blow to Trump's election fantasy

If Trump was familiar with Shakespeare (we all know he’s not), he could look forlornly at Moscow Mitch and ask, “Et tu, Brutus?”, because that was perhaps the final knife in the back. That showed everyone that McConnell officially washed his hands of Trump and figuratively kicked him to the curb. Oh, the betrayal! HA!

[Tami]

Texas Wedding Photographers Have Seen Some $#!+

The wedding photographer had already spent an hour or two inside with the unmasked wedding party when one of the bridesmaids approached her. The woman thanked her for still showing up, considering “everything that’s going on with the groom.”

When the photographer asked what she meant by that, the bridesmaid said the groom had tested positive for COVID-19 the day before. “She was looking for me to be like, ‘Oh, that’s crazy,’ like I was going to agree with her that it was fine,” the photographer recalls. “So I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ And she was like, ‘Oh no no no, don’t freak out. He doesn’t have symptoms. He’s fine.’”

The photographer, who has asthma and three kids, left with her assistant before the night was over. Her exit was tense. The wedding planner said it was the most unprofessional thing she’d ever seen. Bridesmaids accused her of heartlessly ruining an innocent woman’s wedding day. She recalls one bridesmaid telling her, “I’m a teacher, I have fourteen students. If I’m willing to risk it, why aren’t you?” Another said everyone was going to get COVID eventually, so what was the big deal? The friend of the bride who’d spilled the beans cried about being the “worst bridesmaid ever.”

After the photographer left, she canceled her Thanksgiving plans with family, sent her kids to relatives’ houses so they wouldn’t get sick, and informed the brides of her upcoming weddings that she’d be subcontracting to other shooters. A few days later she started to feel sick, and sure enough, tested positive for COVID-19. She informed the couple. “But they didn’t care,” she says. They didn’t offer to compensate her for the test, nor did they apologize for getting her sick.