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

[worstblogever]

It was on this date in 2015 that “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” published our original profile of David Dreier, the former member of the U.S. House of Representatives for California's 26th District who who once was a rising star in the GOP, until of course his secret started to leak out that he was a closeted homosexual. Still, through the years, Rep. Dreier managed to vote with his party against all manner of LGBTq issues, including not only against gay marriage, but even gay adoption rights. Dreier also had th highest paid Congressional intern once upon a time, which ended up being a bit of an ethical issue because that intern just so happened to be his boyfriend. After eight years of rumors, Dreier finally chose to not to run for re-election in 2013.

On this date in both 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” shared profiles of the U.S. House Representative from Virginia’s 6th Congressional District, Bob Goodlatte, who was allowed to run for office in a very conservative district with almost no primary challengers, at all, from 1992-2018. Goodlatte was one of the co-sponsors of Florida Rep. Bill Posey's "Birther Bill" in 2009, and in 2015, he accused the Department of Justice of funneling money to liberal organizations such as ACORN and LaRaza. The former would have been an amazing scandal, mostly because ACORN had long since defunded and had not existed since 2010. Goodlatte's voting record through the years includes voting for the Defense of Marriage Act, against the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", voted to allow displays of the Ten Commandments on government property and for a Constitutional Amendment to allow individual states to vote for their own state religions, voted for the impeachment of Bill Clinton,voted to try and keep Terry Schiavo alive against her wishes, and voted for the invasion of Iraq. And that's the stuff from before the Obama administration. Since, the guy will vote against anything sensible, even disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy, or against the Zadroga Bill, to pay for the healthcare costs of 9/11 First Responders. But what Rep. Goodlatte felt was a wise use of taxpayer money was to spend years investigating Hillary Clinton for doing all the bad stuff at Benghazi, and in July of 2016, after FBI Director James Comey declared there was no wrongdoing found, Goodlatte demanded an investigation into Comey’s investigation. Which, at that point, he might as well take taxpayer dollars into a 55 gallon drum and set them on fire. He celebrated by starting the new session attempting to orchestrate a secret vote to eliminate funding for the Office of Government Ethics. When the effort collapsed due to political outcry, he immediately changed the subject and voiced his opinion that FBI Director James Comey should investigate Hillary Clinton’s e-mails. Because of course he did. But really, can we be surprised he loathes ethics when he literally was busted for going twice the speed limit through a school zone, then sent his wife to argue on his behalf that it only happened due to a faulty speedometer, because he’s too stupid to be able to tell the difference between 70 and 35 MPH. Goodlatte finally announced he’s retiring and not running for re-election in 2018 after 13 terms in office, and he’s so inspiring that his son, Bobby Goodlatte, donated the maximum amount to the trying to flip his father’s seat blue (and she pulled it off). The younger Goodlatte actually chastised his father on social media for “political grandstanding” in demonizing FBI agent Peter Strzok for working for the Mueller investigation and called the hearing where his father did it “a low point for Congress”. And that will likely be Bob Goodlatte’s legacy. Being so insipidly partisan and craven that his own son turned his back on him. It’s… fitting.

On this date in 2019, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” profiled Russell Walker, a 2018 candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives who was challenging Democratic incumbent Garland Pierce. This is another simple profile for us, because Walker seemed to just be a racist loon who in 2017, just so happened to be the plaintiff who tried suing the state of South Carolina for removing the Confederate flag from it’s courtrooms, and when was discussing his litigation with the media, he “accidentally” called Martin Luther King a racial slur. Walker would also picket outside the offices of local newspapers for not printing opinion editorials he wrote about the merits of racism, and when he announced he was running for office, the paper went ahead and revealed what some of Walker’s terrible opinions included:

• ”God made the races and he is the greatest racist ever.”
• “What is wrong with being a white supremacist?”
• “The Jews are not Semitic they are Satanic as they all descend from Satan.”
• ”MLK wanted to destroy the Caucasian race through mixing and integration."

Apparently he also was a bit of an anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist, so there’s that, as well. Russell Walker ended up getting only 37% of the vote in 2018, which is about 37% more than he deserved.


On this date in both 2020, as well as 2021, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day”, first profiled the current U.S. House Representative for Idaho’s 1st Congressional District, Russ Fulcher, who with a resume of being an Idaho State Senator for eight years, swooped in to run for that seat back in 2018 upon the foolhardy decision by its former occupant, former Congressman Raul Labrador, to make an ill-advised run for Governor of Idaho. Four years prior, Fulcher himself made an ill-fated run for Governor of Idaho, losing to Gov. Butch Otter in that legendary race that featured the clusterf*** debate with Harley Brown and Walt Bayes.

By merely being the third craziest person at that debate, it might be easy to overlook what a piece of work Russ Fulcher is. But when someone attributes obvious statistical and scientific evidence of climate change being a major concern that threatens the globe to simply being “in the cycle that’s happened since the beginning of time”, we’re at least going to put a profile here on the back-burner for a bit. The fact that Fulcher now is a freshman member of Congress makes us think we may have put it off too long.

Here’s the interesting thing… Russ Fulcher was elected partially because his campaign kept the fact that his wife Kara, the mother of his three children, filed for divorce only days before the election, citing “adultery” as the reason to being the end of their 32 year marriage. Again, the GOP “party of family values” hypocrisy jumps out at us, as Fulcher is against same sex couples that would be monogamous getting married.

While we’re at it, he’ll even vote against workplace protections for the LGBTQ community.

And since we’re opening up on ludicrous hypocrisy or extreme policy stances from Russ Fulcher, we’ll note he’s also got a 100% rating from the NRA, wants the pointless, racist Trump vanity project of a border wall on the U.S./Mexico border, is a Personhood supporter, and boasts of how as a state senator in Idaho, he worked to get a “pro-life clinic” right next to a Planned Parenthood back in 2013. We’ll note that last “achievement” is more dubious, because the Stanton Healthcare Center has made international headlines for disseminating false information about abortion and cancer links to the public.


The Cook Paristan Voting Index gives Idaho’s 1st Congressional District a +19 Republican lean, which helped Rep. Fulcher get re-elected in 2020 with 68% of the vote.

[hyped78]

This video of Biden doctored into Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" is making the rounds, listing his achievements in two years (the ones that media doesn't report so well). It's at 700,000+ views and counting.

It actually has 39k views right now, along with 143 comments and it was posted 13 days ago. Not sure how you get to 700k from 39k - it might eventually get to 700k but it’s not even close to that right now! I see an interesting trend of making up numbers.

Other than that, it’s a good video.

[worstblogever]

He continues to rack up an extremely conservative voting record:

• December 18th, 2019: Russ Fulcher ignores his Congressional duty to hold a president who has been proven to commit high crimes and misdemeanors accountable and votes against the first impeachment of Donald Trump.
• May 15th, 2020: Fulcher votes against the HEROES Act, to further support the healthcare industry and citizens affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• December 10th, 2020: Fulcher 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 7th, 2021: Russ Fulcher 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 13th, 2021: Rep. Fulcher 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: Russ Fulcher 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: Fulcher votes against HR 5, the latest version of the Equality Act, that would provide workplace protections for LGBTQ Americans.
• March 3rd, 2021: Rep. Fulcher 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: Russ Fulcher votes against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021.
• March 10th, 2021: Fulcher 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. Fulcher 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).
• May 19th, 2021: Russ Fulcher votes against HR 3233, the creation of a commission to investigate the Capitol Attack.
• May 20th, 2021: Fulcher is one of 63 Republicans who vote against the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act.
• November 5th, 2021: Russ Fulcher votes against HR 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
• March 31st, 2022: Fulcher votes against HR 6833, the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which would limit the cost that drug companies could list insulin at to $35 and make sure no diabetic was priced out of surviving their condition. Russ Fulcher would rather they be gouged by pharmaceutical giants and/or die.
• May 18th, 2022: Russ Fulcher is one of 192 Republicans who vote against HR 7790, to create supplemental funding for infant formula (while claiming to be pro- life).
• May 18th, 2022: Rep. Fulcher votes against HR 350, the Domestic Violence Prevention Act, because these days, a plank of the Republican Party is ostensibly domestic terror.
• May 19th, 2022: Fulcher votes against HR 7688, a bill which would help prevent gas companies from gouging customers on prices.
• July 15th, 2022: Russ Fulcher votes against House Amendment 262, which would require the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and Secretary of Defense to publish a report on the infiltration of American law enforcment by Neo-Nazis and white supremacists, offer measures to be taken to remove them from their ranks, and prevent further infiltration by others.
• July 13th, 2022: Fulcher votes against the Honoring Our PACT Act, to provide healthcare to veterans affected by toxic burn pits while serving in the War on Terror that leave them more susceptible to forms of cancer.
• July 19th, 2022: Rep. Fulcher is one of 157 Republicans who vote against the “Respect for Marriage Act”, which would codify same sex marriage into law nationally.
• July 21st, 2022: Fulcher is one of 195 Republicans who vote against the Right to Contraception Act, which codified the right of Americans to have access to birth control.
• August 18th, 2022: Russ Fulcher is given some helpful tips after he makes a post about “Anti-Terrorism Month” that show him photos of the January 6th attack and reminding him he voted against the nonpartisan investigation of them.

Russ Fulcher spent most of his current term in office throwing a fit over people being vaccinated against Covid-19. Including a mandate that all Department of Veterans’ Affairs staff be vaccinated while they’re, y’know, treating patients without potentially spreading the disease throughout hospitals full of vulnerable patients. We would like to have thought his anti-vaccination fervor would have changed once he became highly at-risk once he found out he has renal cancer, and that while was undergoing treatments, he would be extremely vulnerable to anyone spreading Covid-19. But, some people are so dedicated to their idiotic politics that they’ll jeopardize their own lives rather than compromise, it seems.

Fulcher’s Democratic opponent in the 2022 elections is Kaylee Peterson, who has her work cut out for her in a district that Russ Fulcher won two years ago by thirty points. We don’t know how much Democratic momentum there is nationwide, or in Idaho, but if she pulls an upset, that would be a pretty big indicator that things aren’t going well for Republicans.

[worstblogever]

It actually has 39k views right now, along with 143 comments. Not sure how you get to 700k from 39k - it will eventually get to 700k but it’s not even close to that. I see an interesting trend of making up numbers.

Other than that, it’s a great video.

Because I was noting views on Twitter based on this article, and not actively disbelieving facts that don't agree with my narrative.

[hyped78]

Because I was noting views on Twitter based on this article, and not actively disbelieving facts that don't agree with my narrative.

Ha! You realize that you first linked to a youtube video that has 39k views and now you linked to a Daily Kos page (not Twitter) that links to the same youtube video with 39k views but somehow claims a much higher number of views on Twitter but without a Twitter link.

I did some research for you (or actually I had already seen the original video, who knows…) and the original twitter video/post actually has 3.7 million views, not 700k:
https://twitter.com/chunkled/status/...r-Views-So-Far

You might wanna start paying me for consultancy on fixing your numbers.

[worstblogever]

Ha! You realize that you first linked to a youtube video that has 39k views and now you linked to a Daily Kos page (not Twitter) that links to the same youtube video with 39k views but somehow claims a much higher number of views on Twitter but without a Twitter link.

I did some research for you (or actually I had already seen the original video, who knows…) and the original twitter video/post actually has 3.7 million views, not 700k:
https://twitter.com/chunkled/status/...r-Views-So-Far

Glad you wasted your own time with all that "research", and that we didn't have up-to-the-minute accuracy on video views on something that is going viral.

Also, this conversation has concluded, because there's no reason to continue it.

[hyped78]

Glad you wasted your own time with all that "research", and that we didn't have up-to-the-minute accuracy on video views on something that is going viral.

Also, this conversation has concluded, because there's no reason to continue it.

“facts that don't agree with my narrative.” - the narrative of fake/ wrong numbers?

When you say something like “700k and counting”, you link to something with 39k but it’s actually 3.7MM, I wonder if you’re a traveler from the past.

[worstblogever]

Biden's prime-time speech is 22 minutes away, specifically, since we need to be so accurate to the minute on here for some posters who want to be needlessly combative.

You can watch live on C-SPAN's Twitter account at this link:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?522563...y-philadelphia

[worstblogever]

There's apparently hecklers way, way out on the periphery of Biden's speech setting off a siren out of a bullhorn and yelling incoherent things that are just audible enough to picked up...

But mid-speech, Biden is pointing out they have a right to be there, but then is roasting them for being a bunch of clowns.

It's a fiery speech, even with the occasional stutter.

[Tami]

Biden's prime-time speech is 22 minutes away, specifically, since we need to be so accurate to the minute on here for some posters who want to be needlessly combative.

You can watch live on C-SPAN's Twitter account at this link:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?522563...y-philadelphia

He is giving a very powerful speech [not the garbled mess his predecessor used to vomit out].

[worstblogever]

He is giving a very powerful speech [not the garbled mess his predecessor used to vomit out].

Well, some people have the ability to stick to the script and don't have a scrambled mess of resentment, bigotry, and nonsense bouncing around their cranial cavity they spew out instead of the content.

[Malvolio]

Well, some people have the ability to stick to the script and don't have a scrambled mess of resentment, bigotry, and nonsense bouncing around their cranial cavity they spew out instead of the content.

It always seemed like Trump was commenting on his own speech in real time. Like he wrote notes in the margin and interspersed those notes throughout the speech as written.

[scourge]

There's apparently hecklers way, way out on the periphery of Biden's speech setting off a siren out of a bullhorn and yelling incoherent things that are just audible enough to picked up...

But mid-speech, Biden is pointing out they have a right to be there, but then is roasting them for being a bunch of clowns.

It's a fiery speech, even with the occasional stutter.

And if it had been the previous guy getting heckled or even peacefully protested he'd have sent armed goons to force people away.

Just another reason its good the deranged orange loser is out of office.

[worstblogever]

And if it had been the previous guy getting heckled or even peacefully protested he'd have sent armed goons to force people away.

Or given tacit approval to his crowd of fanatics to go beat the s*** out of them so he didn't have to while promising to pay their legal fees (and not paying them).

[CSTowle]

There's apparently hecklers way, way out on the periphery of Biden's speech setting off a siren out of a bullhorn and yelling incoherent things that are just audible enough to picked up...

But mid-speech, Biden is pointing out they have a right to be there, but then is roasting them for being a bunch of clowns.

It's a fiery speech, even with the occasional stutter.

Could have been doing it in solidarity with Biden? That has kind of been his bag.