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

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Speaking of conspiracy theorists, Twitter permabanned dangerous covid-19 conspiracy theorist and major Trump booster Bill Mitchell. It was very much like the DC message boards 20 years ago: he tried to get around a brief temp ban and got caught.

Wait what?

I might be old. Remember Rob Kamphausen?

No , but you have to tell us this one. You mean the guy in that picture posted on the DC Forums ?

[Tendrin]

I might be old. Remember Rob Kamphausen?

I do not, sorry to say.

[PaulBullion]

No , but you have to tell us this one. You mean the guy in that picture posted on the DC Forums ?

No no no... It was just very common of people who got banned to come back with a new ID the same day and then get permanently banned there.

He basically acted like a guy on a message board and Twitter did not like to have their authoritah undermined that way.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2014, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" ran a profile of Tom Tancredo, a man who is so xenophobic in his anti-immigrant fervor that he was banned from the White House by the Bush Administration, has been tied to various white nationalist groups to deliver speeches to them, and has advocated a nuclear strike on Mecca as a tangible strategy for stopping Islamic terrorism. Tancredo has been mostly irrelevant of late, but he did make the news back during the earlier part of the 2016 presidential primary to suggest that even Donald Trump should tone down his divisive rhetoric towards illegal immigrants (which really says something about how out of control Trump is).

On this date in 2015, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" profiled Craig James, the former Southern Methodist University running back and and ESPN college football broadcaster who ran for U.S. Senate in Texas in 2012. The only real speech James had that found its way into the public eye prior to his entry into the race featured him denying the existence of climate change, and promising to do everything he could to make sure that not a single dollar went to the research into it, or what could be done to prevent it. At the GOP Primary debate, James asserted that being gay was a choice, and was overall such a spectacularly terrible campaigner that he only got 4% of the vote, including not even being able to get students of SMU to vote for him. ESPN chose not to have James back in the booth for his comments on homosexuality, and he tried unsuccessfully to sue the network for discrimination of his Christian beliefs. He was last seen playing up his supposed Christian victimhood to Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council on one of his programs, but it unlikely to ever be elected to political office.



In both 2016, 2017, 2018, as well as 2019, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” presented our original profile of the U.S. House Representative for Florida’s 11th Congressional District, Daniel Webster, who first got swept into office in the 2010 Tea Party Wave after having previously served as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate Majority Leader during a 28 year career as a Florida state legislator (and not as an extra working in the background of a morgue in a horror movie, like you’d expect). Webster is, at the moment, the preferred voice of Republican leadership of the recalcitrant House Freedom Caucus, and has finished second in the past three votes for Speaker of the House as a result.

Now, given how much of a group of extremists the House Freedom Caucus is, you can bet it’s more than Daniel Webster’s resume that impresses them. His record on issues show’s he’s clearly of like mind. Case in point… how “pro-life” is Daniel Webster? Well, while we can’t be sure of if he supports exceptions for rape and incest in his anti-abortion stance, because he refuses to answer the question when asked, we do know he’s voted for virtually every pro-life measure that’s ever crossed his path, including even when Jeb Bush was working overtime in Florida to make sure a feeding tube stayed inside of the long-since brain dead Terry Schiavo, and forcing her to keep on living against her wishes… the central figure in the Florida state legislature trying to write creative laws to drag out that situation even longer was Daniel Webster, while he was in the Florida State Senate.

And that’s hardly the only conservative social position Daniel Webster had. There was also his 1990 sponsorship of a bill to legalize covenant marriage. The draconian measure would have only allowed couples to divorce if only one partner cheated on the other (if both were unfaithful, they must remain married), and did not even offer exceptions for situations involving domestic abuse.

Now, you might wonder where these extreme conservative views Webster’s got are coming from… there is a quite plain answer. Daniel Webster has close ties to Bill Gothard and Gothard’s ministry, the Institute of Basic Life Principles, repeatedly collaborating with the disgraced church leader who was revealed to have covered up scores of abuse claims from his flock, and has a disturbing habit of counseling female rape and sexual abuse victims to make them feel as though they’re to blame for what their attackers have done to them in an overall patriarchal agenda where women must submit to their husbands. One of the first legislative acts in Florida that Webster pushed for back in 1985 was to legalize homeschooling (which Gothard and his flock are big proponents of). The amount of degrees of separation between Daniel Webster and the disgraced Duggar family are also shockingly few, but is Rep. Webster a total fanatic, though? Well, according to some, he’s spoken before Bill Gothard’s flock in a way that seems to indicate he views the gerrymandering of his district as “God being on his side and opposing his opponents”. And that’s pretty nuts. As is the rest of his voting record:

• January 23rd, 2019: Rep. Webster voted against HR 648, because he was gleeully enjoying the longest government shutdown in history.
• February 28th, 2019: Daniel Webster 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. Webster 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: Daniel Webster 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: Rep. Webster votes against the Dreamers Act, because he’s too xenophobic and partisan to care about immigration reform.
• July 16th, 2019: Daniel Webster 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: Webster can’t be bothered to even show up to vote for 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. Webster 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: Webster 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: Webster votes against the HEROES Act, to further support the healthcare industry and citizens affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Daniel Webster got to run unopposed in the GOP Primary this fall, and goes on to face Democrat Dana Cottrell in the general election in November. Cottrell’s a teacher and a graduate of the University of South Florida, and in 2018, Webster held her off with 65% of the vote, mostly because of the big partisan disadvantage in Florida’s 11th, sitting at a +15 Republican lean. Webster’s evangelical support base also prop him up with donations, so unless a surprise upset happens due to the reaction of Republicans’ Covid-19 response, it seems as though Webster will be back in 2021.

Damn it all.

[PaulBullion]

So apparently the Senate Intelligence Committee sent a BIPARTISAN letter to the DOJ asking for Donald Trump jr, Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon to be investigated for lyin to Congress over a year ago and apparently Barr has done ... nothing?

Oh, and also Paul "of course him" Manafort and Hope "Hope she isn't sleeping with my husband" Hicks.

[Darkspellmaster]

So apparently the Senate Intelligence Committee sent a BIPARTISAN letter to the DOJ asking for Donald Trump jr, Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon to be investigated for lyin to Congress over a year ago and apparently Barr has done ... nothing?

Oh, and also Paul "of course him" Manafort and Hope "Hope she isn't sleeping with my husband" Hicks.

Of course Barr isn't looking. Bet hes waiting for a chance to write his tell all as well. Any chance we can get a State's AG to look into it, or can the house do something about this since it's like he's not doing his job, I wonder.

[PaulBullion]

Of course Barr isn't looking. Bet hes waiting for a chance to write his tell all as well. Any chance we can get a State's AG to look into it, or can the house do something about this since it's like he's not doing his job, I wonder.

I don't see how "lying to Congress" could fall under States' jurisdiction in any way.

[Malvolio]

There goes that nice suspension of disbelief I had whilst watching Blue Bloods!

Remember that the star of that show now appears in commercials where he tells senior citizens, with a straight face, "I wouldn't be here if I thought reverse mortgages were a scam to steal your house."

[Malvolio]

[SIZE=1]

In both 2016, 2017, 2018, as well as 2019, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” presented our original profile of the U.S. House Representative for Florida’s 11th Congressional District, Daniel Webster, who first got swept into office in the 2010 Tea Party Wave after having previously served as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate Majority Leader during a 28 year career as a Florida state legislator (and not as an extra working in the background of a morgue in a horror movie, like you’d expect). Webster is, at the moment, the preferred voice of Republican leadership of the recalcitrant House Freedom Caucus, and has finished second in the past three votes for Speaker of the House as a result.

Now, given how much of a group of extremists the House Freedom Caucus is, you can bet it’s more than Daniel Webster’s resume that impresses them. His record on issues show’s he’s clearly of like mind. Case in point… how “pro-life” is Daniel Webster? Well, while we can’t be sure of if he supports exceptions for rape and incest in his anti-abortion stance, because he refuses to answer the question when asked, we do know he’s voted for virtually every pro-life measure that’s ever crossed his path, including even when Jeb Bush was working overtime in Florida to make sure a feeding tube stayed inside of the long-since brain dead Terry Schiavo, and forcing her to keep on living against her wishes… the central figure in the Florida state legislature trying to write creative laws to drag out that situation even longer was Daniel Webster, while he was in the Florida State Senate.

And that’s hardly the only conservative social position Daniel Webster had. There was also his 1990 sponsorship of a bill to legalize covenant marriage. The draconian measure would have only allowed couples to divorce if only one partner cheated on the other (if both were unfaithful, they must remain married), and did not even offer exceptions for situations involving domestic abuse.

Now, you might wonder where these extreme conservative views Webster’s got are coming from… there is a quite plain answer. Daniel Webster has close ties to Bill Gothard and Gothard’s ministry, the Institute of Basic Life Principles, repeatedly collaborating with the disgraced church leader who was revealed to have covered up scores of abuse claims from his flock, and has a disturbing habit of counseling female rape and sexual abuse victims to make them feel as though they’re to blame for what their attackers have done to them in an overall patriarchal agenda where women must submit to their husbands. One of the first legislative acts in Florida that Webster pushed for back in 1985 was to legalize homeschooling (which Gothard and his flock are big proponents of). The amount of degrees of separation between Daniel Webster and the disgraced Duggar family are also shockingly few, but is Rep. Webster a total fanatic, though? Well, according to some, he’s spoken before Bill Gothard’s flock in a way that seems to indicate he views the gerrymandering of his district as “God being on his side and opposing his opponents”. And that’s pretty nuts. As is the rest of his voting record:

• January 23rd, 2019: Rep. Webster voted against HR 648, because he was gleeully enjoying the longest government shutdown in history.
• February 28th, 2019: Daniel Webster 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. Webster 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: Daniel Webster 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: Rep. Webster votes against the Dreamers Act, because he’s too xenophobic and partisan to care about immigration reform.
• July 16th, 2019: Daniel Webster 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: Webster can’t be bothered to even show up to vote for 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. Webster 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: Webster 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: Webster votes against the HEROES Act, to further support the healthcare industry and citizens affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Daniel Webster got to run unopposed in the GOP Primary this fall, and goes on to face Democrat Dana Cottrell in the general election in November. Cottrell’s a teacher and a graduate of the University of South Florida, and in 2018, Webster held her off with 65% of the vote, mostly because of the big partisan disadvantage in Florida’s 11th, sitting at a +15 Republican lean. Webster’s evangelical support base also prop him up with donations, so unless a surprise upset happens due to the reaction of Republicans’ Covid-19 response, it seems as though Webster will be back in 2021.

Damn it all.

I know I probably responded this way to one of your previous profiles of Daniel Webster, but it bears repeating: Daniel Webster is living up to his fictional namesake by selling his soul to the Devil.

[zinderel]

Trump offers comfort and succor to our nations enemies by proclaiming that there are ‘very fine people’ on the side of a white supremacist who takes peaceful protester Heather Hayer’s life. Nothing is done.

Trump lies to the public a record number of times - literally more than any other president, and more than several combined! - about literally everything. Nothing is done.

Trump goes on trial for impeachment - with all the evidence of video and audio and the written word to support how blatantly, clearly treasonous and unfit to lead that he has provided against himself over the years - but, his legal team makes sure that nothing sticks and his buddies in broadcast news make sure to poison the well of public sentiment JUUUUUUUST enough to let him keep being president. Nothing is done.

We are at or approaching 170k dead to an epidemic worsened by Trump’s inability to admit his shortcomings and utter failure to lead. Not to mention his idiotic and deliberate-seeming attempts to RAISE the death toll by halting testing and recommending poison get injected into people’s veins and denying common sense health precautions, and discrediting experts for political reasons. Nothing is done.

Trump supporters work overtime to make sure that rich people get their tax breaks, but take a month off and do NOTHING while millions of Low income Americans find what little relief the government deigned to offer is cut off. Nothing is done.

Trump sends unmarked thugs in to rough up his peaceful political opposition. Approves the assaulting of moms and grandmothers. Shrugs when ‘non-lethal’ tactics lead to hospitalization and horrific injuries to peaceful protesters. Lies on national TV about it constantly. Nothing is done.

Trump finally builds his wall...around the White House...just before elections. Nothing is done.

Trump openly admits that he is defunding the USPS and crippling their distribution and sorting methods in a deliberate attempt to sabotage the most reliable, most difficult to commit fraud through, form of voting (not to mention, the safest form in our current health crisis that he exacerbated on a daily basis...). Nothing is done.

Trump’s AG and other appointees at various posts openly assist their Don’s burgeoning authoritarian takeover. Nothing is done.

Trump is already ginning up the most devout right wing lunatics for the coming race war by spreading lies about the security of the election HE IS ACTIVELY AND OPENLY WORKING TO UNDERMINE and trotting out birtherism against that uppity colored lady who thinks she has the right to speak in public, much less OPPOSE HIM. Nothing is done.

Any attempt to lay this all at the feet of the GOP leadership, or its rank and file supporters, or the ‘Christians’ who support him, is met with fiery resistance from the people who insist they aren’t part of the problem while continuing to support the institutions that brought us to this point. Not the KKK, but the ‘CCC’: capitalism unfettered, ‘conservative’ politics, and ‘Christianity’ without any of Christ in it. No, to even SUGGEST it is religious persecution and reverse racism, no matter what facts or history or unfiltered observation might back it up. Nothing is done.

But hey...! At least there’s no way that this all isn’t going to end in the same kind of violent right wing coup attempt and war in the streets that we’ve seen happen in other countries that went through this kind of thing before. Not in the United States in the 21st century!

Nahhhh.

We’ll be fine.

Tooooooootally fine.

We’re fine.

This is fine.

[Tami]

Controversial GOP Georgia candidate attempts to distance from QAnon

Controversial GOP House candidate Marjorie Greene (Ga.) is attempting to distance herself from the QAnon conspiracy theory, asserting during an interview with Fox News on Friday that videos of her praising “Q” don’t represent her current stance on the matter.

Greene — who also came under fire after videos emerged of her making bigoted remarks and publicly questioning whether a plane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11, which she later walked back — won the Republican primary runoff in Georgia’s 14th District this week.

“No, I don't [consider myself a QAnon candidate]. I think that's been the media's characterization of me. Never once during my campaign did I ever speak about QAnon or Q,” she told Fox News.

While Greene previously posted videos on YouTube talking about QAnon — including one where she said, “Q is a patriot” — the candidate said she no longer associates with it after finding “misinformation."

“QAnon is a fabrication. This 'insider' has predicted so much incorrectly (but people don’t remember PAST predictions) so now has switched to vague generalities. Could be Russian propaganda or a basement dweller. Regardless, no place in Congress for these conspiracies,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) tweeted Wednesday.

[Darkspellmaster]

I don't see how "lying to Congress" could fall under States' jurisdiction in any way.

Could be used along with other evidence in already existing suits filed by various states. That's what I'm thinking here. Maybe see if they can get Barr on something on a local level, since we can't seem to move him on a federal one. Isn't it also considered a form of perjury to lie to cingress.

[InformationGeek]

And in more winning news, Trump administration withdraws their nominee for the director of the Bureau of Land Management.

The Trump administration will withdraw the controversial nomination of William Perry Pendley to serve as director of the Bureau of Land Management, an administration official familiar tells CNN.

Pendley, who currently serves as the agency's acting director, has repeatedly denied the existence of climate change and once falsely claimed that there was no credible evidence of a hole in the ozone layer, according to a CNN KFile review of his social media activity, writings and public appearances.

Pendley, a conservative activist, commentator and lawyer, was appointed by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt as BLM's acting director in July 2019.

Greenwire first reported the administration's intent to withdraw Pendley's nomination.

In other comments unearthed by CNN's KFile, Pendley has previously cited an anti-Muslim figure to claim Islam was at war with the United States, compared undocumented immigrants to cancer and blamed them for diseases.

[Tendrin]

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) accused President Donald Trump on Friday of using the US Postal Service as “a scapegoat if the election doesn’t go his way,” following suggestions by the President last week that he would block additional funding to the mail service to hamper mail voting, which he sees as unfavorable to his re-election prospects.

Asked on “Meet the Press” Friday if he had confidence in the recently-installed Trump ally, Louis DeJoy as postmaster general, Manchin was concise.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/h...master-general

I've been vocal about my dislike for Manchin. There is a reason, however, that he keeps winning.

[shooshoomanjoe]

No no no... It was just very common of people who got banned to come back with a new ID the same day and then get permanently banned there.

He basically acted like a guy on a message board and Twitter did not like to have their authoritah undermined that way.

trump's brother died today. No mention of the cause of death.