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

[babyblob]

US Reprisal Airstrike Killed Two ISIS Militants and Wounded Another

Awaiting the Republican words of approval for this.

Dont hold your breath. Some talking points from Fox News and some Trumpers I know.

A small gesture by a small man.

A vain attempt to look tough.

Biden it is too later to pretend you care about the safety of American soldiers.

Pretending the deaths of two low level terrorists mean anything compared to the lives of US service members is laughable.

[worstblogever]

In 2020, Mo Brooks was one of three Republicans across the country running for a House seat unopposed. Let’s just review his past few years in office to illustrate why we’re glad he already has primary challengers in 2022. (HINT: Sedition to follow.)

• March 25th, 2019: Brooks takes to the floor of the House, where he decides it’s a great time to QUOTE HITLER. Yes, that’s right, he complained about investigations into President Trump by Robert Mueller, called Democrats “socialists”, and then compared the Mueller investigation to the “Big Lie” that Hitler talked about in Mein Kampf.
• July 12th, 2019: Brooks is one of 12 Republicans who vote against the re-authorization of the Zadroga Act to provide healthcare to 9/11 First Responders.
• October 23rd, 2019: Brooks is one of 41 Republicans who, while staring down the possibility of Donald Trump being impeached, stage a ridiculous publicity stunt in response by crashing a classified impeachment inquiry hearing for a “protest”.
• December 3rd, 2019: Rep. Brooks is one of 71 Republicans who votes against a resolution to disallow Russia from re-entering the G7 and makes it the G8 until it leaves Ukraine.
• December 18th, 2019: Brooks ignores his Congressional duty to hold a president who has been proven to commit high crimes and misdemeanors accountable and votes against the impeachment of Donald Trump.
• May 15th, 2020: Brooks votes against the HEROES Act, to further support the healthcare industry and citizens affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• December 10th, 2020: Brooks signs his name to an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, begging them to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The same election that he won re-election in.
• January 6th, 2021: Mo Brooks speaks at the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C., and tells the mob to “start taking down names and kick some ass”, prior to them marching to the Capitol as Donald Trump told them to.
• January 6th, 2021: In the late hours of January 6th, as the mob was dispersed, Brooks gets on Twitter to claim there is “evidence that fascist ANTIFA infiltrated Trump rally and stormed the Capitol.” Brooks never presented any of this evidence, because it doesn’t exist, and also, it would be obvious because “fascist Antifa” would be “fascist Anti-fascists”, which is about counterproductive as any group could be in name or deed.
• January 7th, 2021: Rep. Brooks votes for the objection to the electoral college’s votes in the 2020 election, a failure to send any sort of message that he wasn’t intimidated or sympathetic to those who attacked the Capitol to attempt a violent coup.
• January 11th, 2021: Mo Brooks laments that the domestic terrorists he encouraged to “kick some ass” actually “destroyed two months of debate and work”, but swore he would “never apologize” for his remarks that day.
• January 13th, 2021: Rep. Brooks votes against the second impeachment of Donald Trump, because the Republican Party no longer feels like they should be accountable for anything, including failed coups that result in the deaths of both their participants and police officers.
• February 4th, 2021: Mo Brooks votes to keep Marjorie Taylor Greene’s committee assignments, because he wouldn’t want her to be accountable for all the bigoted remarks and conspiracy theories she’s spread online (probably because she’s a kindred spirit).
• February 25th, 2021: Brooks votes against HR 5, the latest version of the Equality Act, that would provide workplace protections for LGBTQ Americans.
• March 3rd, 2021: Rep. Brooks votes against HR 1, a bill created to prevent the corruption of money in politics, and protect voter access to the ballot box.
• March 3rd, 2021: Mo Brooks votes against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021.
• March 5th, 2021: Rep. Brooks is sued in court by Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell for his role in inciting the Capitol riot on January 6th.
• March 10th, 2021: Brooks votes against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, because he feels people deserve to die in poverty during a pandemic.
• March 17th, 2021: Rep. Brooks votes against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, likely because they feel the 2nd Amendment remaining absolute is more important than preventing people with a history of domestic abuse from owning a firearm (which statistics show, makes them more likely to use those firearms against women in their lives).

[worstblogever]

• May 19th, 2021: Mo Brooks votes against HR 3233, the creation of a commission to investigate the Capitol Attack.
• June 6th, 2021: After weeks of dodging process servers attempting to serve him with notice regarding Rep. Eric Swalwell’s lawsuit, Mo Brooks’ wife is successfully served at their home in Alabama. Mr. Brooks goes ballistic in impotent rage.
• June 7th, 2021: Flailing about a day after being served in the lawsuit, Rep. Brooks accidentally shares his private e-mail password because it was on a note on his computer screen in a photo took because he’s too much of an incompetent twit to know how to do a screen capture.
• June 16th, 2021: Mo Brooks is one of 14 Republicans who vote against celebrating Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
• July 6th, 2021: Mo Brooks attempts to have Eric Swalwell’s lawsuit dismissed by using the defense that his remarks were actually part of his duties as a Congressman because he was asked to speak at the “Stop the Steal” rally by the Trump White House. This only however, revealed that the Trump White House knew about his remarks, and approved them ahead of the event, and they were not spontaneous.
• July 9th, 2021: Brooks learns absolutely f***ing nothing from January 6th and goes to CPAC to give a speech where he pleaded with modern conservatives to emulate soldiers in the American Revolution who “fought at Valley Forge,” the site of one of the Continental Army’s winter encampments, adding, “that’s the kind of sacrifice we have to think about.”
• July 22nd, 2021: Rep. Brooks is one of 16 Republicans who vote against HR 3895, the Allies Act, which was passed without his support to raise the amount of visas offered and to expedite their issue to Afghan translators and their families to honor our promise to protect them against the Taliban after U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, thus feeling we should go back on our word and leave them to die.
• July 28th, 2021: Brooks’ request to have the Department of Justice defend him in his lawsuit against Eric Swalwell is rejected.
• July 29th, 2021: Mo Brooks’ arguments that he had no idea his speech on January 6th might promote violence are hindered by the reveal that he was wearing body armor under his jacket on January 6th.
• August 19th, 2021: On this date, a Trump supporter named Floyd Ray Rosenberry parked a truck outside of the Library of Congress and threatened to detonate a bomb if Joe Biden didn’t resign and if Donald Trump wasn’t re-installed in office against any and all Constitutional procedure. Rep. Brooks weighed in on Twitter, and put out a statement that seemed to sympathize with the domestic terrorist while pretending to not know what his motivations were.
  

  ”Although this terrorist's motivation is not yet publicly known, generally speaking, I understand citizenry anger directed at dictatorial socialism and its threat to liberty, freedom, and the very fabric of American society. I strongly encourage patriotic Americans to fight back in the 2022 and 2024 elections because America's future is at risk.”

We would like to think that all the sedition, spewing of conspiracy theories, and repeated defenses of Trump supporters committing domestic terrorism are going to be enough to at least see Mo Brooks ousted from office in the 2022 mid-terms, and we hope he continues to blunder about in court as the lawsuit filed by Eric Swalwell continues to show what a white nationalist goon he is. But undoubtedly, Congress will be better off without him, whenever he’s gone.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

That sounds like a highly dubious reason, and also just cover for those (ahem, the GOP, ahem) who want to limit who can vote. You must allow mail in and early voting for many, including disabled and the military, so you just end up deny some people of their constitutional rights.

It could be said the rise in mail in voting was attributed to the virus and how scores of people (myself included) were afraid to go into polling places during the election and chose not to when there were there was a safer alternative, especially since a vaccine was still months away at the time. As a veteran, limiting mail in voting for the military, including those overseas is nothing short of offensive, but then, the GQP only pays lip service when it comes to supporting the troops, when push comes to shove, Qpublicans will kick them to the curb without a second thought.

[green_garnish]

The main argument for reducing voting days isn't really about election security but about making sure that voters have the same information. With early voting, voters are casting ballots at a time when something may occur in the next few days prior to Election Day to change their minds.

Arguments such as this would be a lot more persuasive if they weren't also reducing the number of polling places in areas unfavorable to the GOP and causing voting lines to extend to miles and hours of wait time, leading to confusion and challenges about when polls should close, and attempting to outlaw efforts to bring people to polling places since they are taking the polling places away from the people.

[Jack Dracula]

The main security argument would be around chain of custody. You want to demonstrate that no one is able to alter ballots that have been cast, and that if anything suspicious happens (IE- a seal broke at the wrong moment) it is carefully documented. Election observers and police should be allowed to be present to make sure that no one's able to swap boxes of ballots. This is doable when Election Day is one day. It's harder when it's spread out.

The main argument for reducing voting days isn't really about election security but about making sure that voters have the same information. With early voting, voters are casting ballots at a time when something may occur in the next few days prior to Election Day to change their minds.

Allowing partisan observers and especially law enforcement to monitor voting can easily translate into voter intimidation. Historically this has been a problem. You know this and I shouldn't have to tell you.

I have yet to see data indicating a significant enough number of voters have experienced regret in the few days after casting their vote to warrant shortening the number of days voting is allowed. Representatives in the states where this legislation is being put forward haven't supplied that data because it doesn't exist.
When I said a "non-bullshit reason" I meant it.

[Kirby101]

Our friend Xheight gave us the real reason.

how is that different from freeing the ballot from suppression when the only understood un-suppressed vote is a Dem victory?

[Xheight]

If un-suppressed votes ends up electing more Democrats than Republicans, then you need to consider why voters don't want to vote for Republicans.

Consider this, there is a prime job at a major corporation. The choice has been narrowed down to two people. One is a proven dedicated worker who measures his/her success by the success of the Business. The other is in it for the power and the money, has a poor track record in terms of work and productivity, has been suspected of bribery or otherwise playing dirty in order to get past promotions, and has even shown favoritism to competing corporations.

Who would you hire?

This is the choice many voters have. If more Republican candidates played it straight, worked hard, and focused on the needs of their constituents instead of their own self interest, then more Republicans would get elected.

Un-suppressed is being used here sarcastically - it is a false label for untracked and illegal votes akin to ballot stuffing and harvesting votes like they do in third world countries where they buy votes with a free tee shirt and a chicken dinner. Your perceptions vary greatly from mine where Democrats have been running one party crony politics in cities far removed from any of the merits you describe and look an awful like the later dirty cases you point to and only get elected because of a kind of suppression of that isn't talked about. Entrenched incumbency has bred a level of corruption and business as usual that is at home in Blue district as any Red one.

What chance do you give the candidacy of Curtis Sliwa in NYC for an example? Or does it take a billionaire like Bloomberg to overcome the corruption in NYC?

[babyblob]

Un-suppressed is being used here sarcastically - it is a false label for untracked and illegal votes akin to ballot stuffing and harvesting votes like they do in third world countries where they buy votes with a free tee shirt and a chicken dinner. Your perceptions vary greatly from mine where Democrats have been running one party crony politics in cities far removed from any of the merits you describe and look an awful like the later dirty cases you point to and only get elected because of a kind of suppression of that isn't talked about. Entrenched incumbency has bred a level of corruption and business as usual that is at home in Blue district as any Red one.

You keep talking about illegal votes and ballot box stuffing. Other then the random GOP talking head click bait you have yet to produce one example of those, one court case that has sided with you. Give us examples and not clichés. You provide cases where there is proof and we will read them.

[Xheight]

Dont hold your breath. Some talking points from Fox News and some Trumpers I know.

A small gesture by a small man.

A vain attempt to look tough.

Biden it is too later to pretend you care about the safety of American soldiers.

Pretending the deaths of two low level terrorists mean anything compared to the lives of US service members is laughable.

Talking points doesn't equal false or untrue concerns. Have you never given a work presentation without talking points?

[Xheight]

You keep talking about illegal votes and ballot box stuffing. Other then the random GOP talking head click bait you have yet to produce one example of those, one court case that has sided with you. Give us examples and not clichés. You provide cases where there is proof and we will read them.

New Jersey
2020
May 2020 Third Ward Paterson City…
Judicial Finding
Fraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots
New Jersey
2020
William Rojas
Criminal Conviction
Buying Votes, Fraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/19/n...ing-fraud.html

Paterson wasn't an isolated incident. In 2015, a Perth Amboy council election turned on 10 votes. The court ordered a new election when it was determined that 13 illegal mail-in ballots had been tallied. Does NJ.com want to explain to voters in Paterson or Perth Amboy how election fraud is a completely invented non-issue?

[babyblob]

New Jersey
2020
May 2020 Third Ward Paterson City…
Judicial Finding
Fraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots
New Jersey
2020
William Rojas
Criminal Conviction
Buying Votes, Fraudulent Use Of Absentee Ballots

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/19/n...ing-fraud.html

Paterson wasn't an isolated incident. In 2015, a Perth Amboy council election turned on 10 votes. The court ordered a new election when it was determined that 13 illegal mail-in ballots had been tallied. Does NJ.com want to explain to voters in Paterson or Perth Amboy how election fraud is a completely invented non-issue?

These a couple. I have not read them yet cant give my thoughts. I asked and you gave links so I will do as I said and look them over.

Can you also give links to illegal immigrant voting since that was also a huge point for the GOP?

[babyblob]

For a minute I thought your aunt hijacked your account.

Lol she would never come here she said. She was on my laptop one day doing some paper work for her new job because She left hers at her daughters house. I had this site up and she was looking through. She was so mad at you all lol.

[Xheight]

These a couple. I have not read them yet cant give my thoughts. I asked and you gave links so I will do as I said and look them over.

Can you also give links to illegal immigrant voting since that was also a huge point for the GOP?

As I point out in my OP no audit was granted to motor voter rolls despite a suit in CA. Which goes to the larger point if courts won't grant review then they contribute to doubt they don't remove it simply by the authority of their say so. Want to affirm election results then allow discovery, be open, delay calling elections,...

[kidfresh512]

Anyone still pushing "voter fraud" on a massive scale in this country after every case was not only tossed out but laughed out of court is disingenuous and willfully ignorant at this point. The clear and obvious racist intentions of the GOP after the election to ensure that the black and minority voters they couldn't get tossed out with an insurrection. Could at least be curtailed, suppressed and discouraged by the slate of laws in every GOP controlled state that could push.

Texas can't even keep our power grid on in the summer or the winter. But, they damn sure had suppressing votes at the top of every agenda. Even trying to get Democrats arrested and dragging them into the chamber to make sure it happened.