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

[Tami]

This is not how you social distance

Florida man angry at lack of social distancing opens fire in hotel lobby: cops

A Florida man was so enraged at a woman and her son for not practicing social distancing inside a Miami Beach hotel lobby that he grabbed a gun and fired several shots Monday evening, authorities said.

Douglas Marks, 29, did not strike the family, but his reckless actions frightened numerous tourists and staff at the Crystal Beach Suites Hotel, local news outlets reported.

“The guy came and started shooting,” a witness told WSVN. “The son and the mom were, like, crying, and they were scared.”

Police said the shooter had confronted the mother and son for not following coronavirus guidelines in the lobby. He then lost his patience, grabbed a firearm and fired at least four “warning shots” into the floor while screaming at the family, police told a local ABC affiliate station.

[The Cool Thatguy]

This is not how you social distance

Florida man angry at lack of social distancing opens fire in hotel lobby: cops

Oh, Florida...you special state you.

[Robotman]

Trump Moans ‘Nobody Likes Me,’ And Twitter Critics Quickly Remind Him Why

“It can only be my personality, that’s all,” Trump said at a news conference where he lamented his plunging popularity. Being a raging narcissist, Spongedon Whinepants fails to understand that it isn't all about him.

I can't fathom Trump having any actual moments of self criticism or realization. I'm sure he meant something along the lines that "I'm so un-PC and speak the truth" that people can't handle it.

[Gray Lensman]

Okay.....this is not a Kodachrome moment

Kodak surges 1,900% in 2 days after securing a $765 million government loan to make drug ingredients

How does a company known for cameras and film switch over to making pharmaceutical chemicals?

Kodak primarily made chemicals for use in photography, and were pretty much the last kids on the block to embrace digital photography (despite being the ones to invent it) because of how they thought it would hurt their core business. The effect of this was to push the company into near irrelevance and even had them file for bankruptcy protection in 2012. They restructured and focused on printing chemicals.

The switch from producing niche chemicals to stuff everyone (and I mean literally everyone) is going to need is having an obvious effect on their stock prices, which were incredibly low a few days ago (just over 2 dollars a share). It's easy to blow in value by over 1000% when the starting price is $2.08.

[Jack Dracula]

Kevin McCarthy accidentally calls Louie Gohmert "Congressman COVID"

"Accidentally"

[sammy_hansen]

This is not how you social distance

Florida man angry at lack of social distancing opens fire in hotel lobby: cops

A well-regulated militia.

[worstblogever]

I just saw that. I wonder how many others will after him?

Twitter Link

Not for nothing, but I saw an article yesterday noting that during a recess. Louie Gohmert got up close and personal to chat with AG Bill Barr.

I'd self-quarantine if I were him, too.

[worstblogever]

WBE will have a high old time with this bit of news, considering he's said Louie has been batshit crazy from syphilis for years.

The spirochetes called dibs on his brain tissue!

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2014, that "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" published our profile of Harley Brown, who captured the imagination of the entire nation four years ago when he showed up to a spectacularly insane debate where the recovering drug addict, motorcycle enthusiast, and poster-child for why proper dental hygiene is necessary showed up to the debate wearing biker leathers, and who talked about his best friend, Fat Jack's wife insisting he move out of their cellar for being a lunatic. Needless to say, he did not fare too well against Gov. Butch Otter that night, or in the GOP Primary



In 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, as well as in 2019, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profiled James Comer, who was a GOP candidate for the Governor of Kentucky in the 2015 elections who somehow lost to cockfighting advocate Matt Bevin, as just before the primary, another candidate in the GOP field, Hal Heiner, accused Comer of abusing his girlfriend in college. While at first, this just seemed like an unsubstantiated slander, Comer's college paramour, Marilyn Thomas, and her mother came forward to confirm the accusations, and add that Comer had also gotten her pregnant, and pressured her into getting an abortion. Which, guess what? Comer also claims to be pro-life without exceptions for rape, incest, or the mother's life at risk... so that was not going to fly well for him. Comer ended up losing to Bevin in the primary by... 83 votes. Comer, as we noted in our write-up, is also pro-death penalty, opposes same-sex marriage, only wants abstinence-only sex education taught in schools, and has "A" ratings on his stance on guns from the NRA.

We thought Comer would have to lay low for a few years, or that his political career could be in jeopardy. Lo and behold, he is already back in the thick of Kentucky politics, and did not just run in the 2016 GOP Primary for the right to replace retiring Rep. Ed Whitfield for his seat for Kentucky's 1st Congressional District... he HANDILY won that primary, with 61% of the vote in a four-way race. Then again, his biggest challenge was from second-place finisher Mike Pape, who CSGOPOTD covered a little ways back for his grotesque ads with Mexican stereotypes sneaking across the border. Once Comer got out of the primary, he coasted to victory over Democrat Sam Gaskins with 73% of the vote, which makes sense what with the Cook Partisan Voting Index having a +18 Republican lean measured for Kentucky's 1st District.

James Comer was placed on the House Oversight Committee after making his way to Washington, D.C., but it doesn’t seem like he takes that responsibility too seriously, based on this May 2017 interview where he does his best to blow off the revelation of what was in former FBI Director James Comey’s memos, and chalks up most of the things Comey claims Donald Trump says that are highly inappropriate if not things that would qualify obstruction of justice in the Trump/Russia investigation as Trump “was just joking”. Because we’ve all heard that knee-slapper about Michael Flynn and how we should “let this thing go”. Perfect punchline, right?

It's that sort of cluelessness that has Comer already facing crowds of angry constituents at his town halls, as he’s already been shouted down twice since taking office, particularly on the issue of healthcare. But it’s not just at town halls where James Comer has seen things get heated. He’s currently the target of a lawsuit after he began taunting and threatening the job of a legislative aide from the Kentucky state legislature who reported Jeff Hoover (who we’ll get around to giving a CSGOPOTD profile to somewhere down the road) for sexual harassment, leading to his resignation. So, an old colleague’s improper behavior isn’t something Comer would like whistleblower protections to apply to, and he’d rather seek out retribution. Isn’t that cute?

James Comer ran for office in 2018, and coasted to re-election with 67% of the vote. He thus returned to the capitol to try and stop any progress from taking place in our nation:

• January 27th, 2019: James Comer votes against HJR 30, which was meant to express disapproval of Donald Trump not acting against Russian Federation for attacking our democracy. You see, he’s fine with our nation being sublet to Vladimir Putin.
• January 23rd, 2019: Rep. Comer voted against HR 648, because he was gleeully enjoying the longest government shutdown in history.
• February 28th, 2019: James Comer votes against HR 1112, a bill which would have required universal background checks on all firearm purchases, and close the gun show loophole.
• March 14th, 2019: Rep. Comer votes against HJR 46, which sane members of Congress voted for to reject Donald Trump’s “national emergency” regarding the U.S. border and his attempts to reallocate funds for a border wall without Congressional approval.
• April 4th, 2019: James Comer is one of 158 Republicans who choose to vote 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).
• June 4th, 2019: Comer votes against the Dreamers Act, because he’s too xenophobic and partisan to care about immigration reform.
• July 16th, 2019: Rep. Comer is one of 187 Republicans who vote against a resolution to condemn Donald Trump for his racist statements that four people of color in Congress should “go back where they came from”.
• October 17th, 2019: Comer is one of 60 Republicans who vote against HJ Res 77, which opposed Donald Trump’s disastrous decision to abandon Syrian Kurdish forces in Northeast Syria to the mercies of a Turkish invasion.
• December 3rd, 2019: Rep. Comer 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: Comer 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: Comer votes against the HEROES Act, to further support the healthcare industry and citizens affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

James Comer seems to have settled into being a Congressman for the foreseeable future, as he passed on hopping into the 2019 Governor’s race in Kentucky, even though a rematch with Matt Bevin in the GOP Primary would have been far easier for him to win, given how terrible of a job Bevin’s doing. Comer has been promoted to be the ranking Republican member of the House Oversight Committee (i.e., “do your best to make sure there isn’t any as long as Trump is in office”). We don’t expect Kentucky’s 1st to wake up to the fact that this man will sell them out to the wealthiest people in the world, regardless of what nation they’re from, as long as he remains in power.
 

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Rep. Louie Gohmert thinks that it’s possible that wearing a mask gave him COVID.

Well, of course Loopy Louie would say something that stupid.

Kevin McCarthy accidentally calls Louie Gohmert "Congressman COVID"

Accidentally? Suuuuuuuuuure he did.

The spirochetes called dibs on his brain tissue!

I’ve waited all day for you to respond to the news about Gohmert, and you didn’t disappoint.

[Malvolio]

"Accidentally"

It's called a Freudian Slip.

[sammy_hansen]

As noted, it is not real. It's a satirical piece by a former Senator/ Saturday Night Live writer.

The sentiment isn’t a stretch though. I can imagine, without a doubt, that if Jewish people were saying “Jewish Lives Matter” in the 30s and 40s people would shout back “All Lives Matter.”

[The no face guy]

As noted, it is not real. It's a satirical piece by a former Senator/ Saturday Night Live writer.

Right, it may be satire but I personally think it borders on character assassination and is open to libel, of course it won't be pursued because Senator Cotton has opened himself up to a much deserved browbeating with his racially insensitive remark. if that's your rising star, than your party is in a lot of trouble.

As for the 1619 project, I still haven't bothered to read it, but the fact that historians from major universities (in which many happen to be liberal) have petitioned against the article, and that the journalist had to correct her own article is not a good sign, but history is written by non historians all the time for political purposes.

I am perturbed that school districts in the United States would implement something by someone not qualified to write history, but then again, your the country that had states banning the teaching of evolution, so I am not surprised.

Anyways I'm out of the American political chit chat, your country is too polarized...but if you want to chat Canadian politics I'm all ears.

[PwrdOn]

Right, it may be satire but I personally think it borders on character assassination and is open to libel, of course it won't be pursued because Senator Cotton has opened himself up to a much deserved browbeating with his racially insensitive remark. if that's your rising star, than your party is in a lot of trouble.

As for the 1619 project, I still haven't bothered to read it, but the fact that historians from major universities (in which many happen to be liberal) have petitioned against the article, and that the journalist had to correct her own article is not a good sign, but history is written by non historians all the time for political purposes.

I am perturbed that school districts in the United States would implement something by someone not qualified to write history, but then again, your the country that had states banning the teaching of evolution, so I am not surprised.

Anyways I'm out of the American political chit chat, your country is too polarized...but if you want to chat Canadian politics I'm all ears.

It is baffling to consider how exactly Canadians came to have such a superiority complex toward America, when your country's history of race relations is just as shameful as ours. This becomes even more inexcusable when you take into account that as Canada's climate isn't suitable for large scale plantation agriculture, your economy never depended on slavery and thus there was no need to create a system of institutionalized discrimination in order to maintain it, yet racism somehow became deeply ingrained in your society anyway.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

U.S. Records A New Coronavirus Death Every Single Minute

U.S. coronavirus deaths are rising at their fastest rate in two months and have increased by 10,000 in the past 11 days. But hey, there's still morons out there who say this is all a hoax. And, it's all on Donald Trump's watch!

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Fauci: Hydroxychloroquine ‘Is Not Effective’ In Treating COVID-19

The top U.S. infectious disease expert, responding to Trump’s latest touting of the drug, cites clinical trials that have found it ineffective. Hear that, Drano Don?

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Mitch McConnell Had Months To Act. Now Unemployment Benefits Are Expiring.

There’s going to be a lapse in benefits even if the Senate Republican leader agrees to a reauthorization this week. IMO, this was deliberate. His plan was to wait until the eleventh hour, then rush through a bill loaded with pork to satisfy Trump (i.e., a new FBI building), then dare angry Democrats to slap it down so Mitch can crow they killed much needed support to the American people in the middle of the crisis.

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In non-coronavirus news:

Ted Cruz Hits GOP Panic Button: ‘Texas Is In Play’ For Democrats In November

The Republican lawmaker says the “hard left” could turn the red state blue this autumn. And who's fault is that, Teddy? Donald Trump of course!

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Trump Says Suburbs Won’t Be ‘Bothered’ By Low-Income Housing Anymore

His administration has overturned a rule intended to fight racial segregation, Trump boasted on Twitter. The ironic thing is that, thanks to gentrification, suburbanites are moving back into the cities.

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Mary Trump Names 2 ‘Crucial Factors’ For Donald Trump To Leave Office

The president’s niece also suggested why her uncle was drawn to Vladimir Putin in an interview with MSNBC’s Joy Reid.