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

[BeastieRunner]

Who wants to start the pool, then?

He'll be fine.

It will be his followers that will drop dead.

Haven't you guys learned by now? He's Titanium Don.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

On twitter, Jamelle Bouie joked that the Coronavirus has taken over Trump completely and is possessing his body as a physical shell to spread the plague.

[Tendrin]

https://twitter.com/i/events/1315310340498841600

For-profit operations in prions are plainly public health threats.

They always were.

[worstblogever]

On twitter, Jamelle Bouie joked that the Coronavirus has taken over Trump completely and is possessing his body as a physical shell to spread the plague.

Trump is doing the equivalent of what Ophiocordyceps does to ants, so that doesn't sound like a joke.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2014, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” had a profile of Jon Hubbard, a former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives who was elected to office in 2012, and didn’t last too long in office after the Arkansas times started thumbing through a book he wrote called “Letters to the Editor: Confessions of a Frustrated Conservative” where he discussed how the institution of slavery was not “an abomination upon black people” so much as a “blessing in disguise” that gave them the opportunity to have “lives as Americans likely much better than they would have enjoyed living in sub-Saharan Africa”. He also predicted that immigration as an issue in America would lead to “planned wars or extermination” and assured us that while that thought might seem “barbaric and uncivilized”, and some point it would “become as necessary as eating or breathing”. When all these revelations came to light, Jon Hubbard didn’t apologize, of course, he defended them to the hilt, and the Koch Brothers kept funding his campaign and sending out mailers to try to keep him in office. Since being voted out , Hubbard has shifted the blame for his fall from grace on, who else? President Obama. He compares the president to Hitler and he’s started calling the IRS the Gestapo while claiming that Planned Parenthood have been blessed by Obama’s god (lower case G, so it’s clear it’s not the Judeo-Christian one). Yes, Jon Hubbard was very, very racist and is highly unlikely to every hold office again.

On this date in 2018, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profiled Catherine Templeton, a candidate for Governor of South Carolina in 2018. And yes, as shown above, she tried winning the Republican primary in that race by airing ads to show her proficiency with firearms, taking aim at a rattlesnake, because that’s a good measuring stick for office these days from the GOP. It might have helped, however, if the animal she chose to use to embody what’s wrong with politics that she was about to slay was not an endangered animal. That, however, is not the reason why we took notice of Templeton, who formerly served as the Director of Labor and the Director of the Department of Health and Environmental Services at two different points during the administration of former Gov. Nikki Haley. No, it would probably be Templeton’s desire to win the bigot vote by doing things shortly after announcing her candidacy like declaring she was “proud of the Confederacy”, and also that she would not allow a Confederate monument to be removed if elected. A little digging from local historians found out that maybe there was even less of a reason for Templeton to be proud of an rebellion fought for the right to keep slaves… her family fought in it, sure… but they also were literally some of the slave owners running a plantation in South Carolina. She claimed, of course, to be unaware of her family’s own sordid past. But Templeton was also an equal opportunity bigot, adding to her racist fandom with transphobic bathroom fearmongering. Templeton’s less than subtle trucking in hate did not help win her the election, and that she finished third in the primary with only 21% of the vote



In 2015, 2016, as well as 2017, 2018, and 2019, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" published profiles of Garry Smith, a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives who worked on the presidential campaign of Scott Walker (as short as that lasted) who actually tried filing a bill to create a “2nd Amendment Education Day” to be celebrated annually on December 15th, which would be the day after the anniversary of the Newtown Massacre, by coincidence (sure it is). Where Smith really got attention, though, was to strip money away from South Carolina universities for having reading programs that included LGBTQ literature. In totals that just so happened to be their entire reading budgets. He went on CNN to defend this decision in March 2014, and gave the response you’d expect from another poor “victim” of the gay agenda, ”Their stance is, ‘Even if you don’t want to read it, we’ll shove it down your throat.’ It’s not academic freedom, it’s academic totalitarianism.” As a legislator, Smith has submitted legislation to attempt to nullify the Affordable Care Act or federal firearms laws, tried to criminalize abortion outright (forgetting that Roe v. Wade is a thing), and submitted amendments to the state constitution to try and define marriage as between one man and one woman.

Garry Smith advanced out of the GOP Primary in 2018 with 75% of the vote against two challengers, and did not face a challenger in November from Democrats. That gave Smith a chance to co-sponsor another GOP fetal heartbeat bill in the hopes that it might help outlaw abortion as early as six weeks (before many women even realize they are pregnant). He also continues to be an extreme homophobe, suggesting that the South Carolina state legislature should vote on amendments to strip funding from any library in the state that would dare to host a Drag Queen Story Hour event. After Smith was called out for his dumb, dumb idea, the amendment was tabled 17-5.

Our regrettable update is that due to Covid-19, Garry Smith the GOP Primary for his seat in the South Carolina state legislature was cancelled, and Smith was allowed to run for re-election completely unopposed.

[The Cool Thatguy]

He'll be fine.

It will be his followers that will drop dead.

Haven't you guys learned by now? He's Titanium Don.

So...lose win?

[Tami]

I guess this is @PeteButtigieg night. This answer to a question on “late term” abortion embodies the kind of decency, detail and respect that we used to think was possible—even required—in our politics. We’ve all been complicit in the decline; he’s a step back towards sanity.

[Tami]

Trump campaign launches ‘Fighters Against Socialism’ bus tour in Tampa

TAMPA — The message came as a warning during the first stop on Donald Trump Jr.'s “Fighters Against Socialism” tour.

Delivered by opponents of socialist leaders in Cuba and Venezuela, as well as by Trump, it went like this: Electing Joe Biden president will cause the U.S. to descend quickly into a socialist, communist or Marxist dictatorship.

“How close we are, right at the edge of a cliff,” said Norma Camero-Reno, a Venezuelan who heads the group Casa Venezuela Tampa Bay. “If we don’t elect President Trump, we are going to lose this country.”

“The Cuban people did not think it could happen to them,” added Patsy Sanchez, a University of South Florida administrator whose family escaped Cuba during the 1980 Mariel boatlift after her father was imprisoned 17 years for political dissent.

Yet Authoritarianism is okay. 4 more years or more of trump (if he survives that long) is okay.

Welp, it's a good thing Bernie Sanders isn't the nominee.

[Tami]

California GOP installed unofficial ballot drop-off boxes. State officials say they’re illegal.

The metal boxes have popped up around Southern California in recent weeks, from churches to gun stores to gyms. On the front, an authoritative-looking sign beckons to voters: “Official ballot drop-off box.”

The California GOP has pushed voters to pop their mail-in ballots inside. Social media posts have advertised their locations, and one regional field director posted a photo to Twitter on Friday showing him holding a ballot in front of one of the boxes.

“Doing my part and voting early,” Jordan Tygh wrote in the now-deleted tweet, which was reviewed by The Washington Post before it was removed. “DM me for convenient locations to drop your ballot off at!”

But those containers, which were first reported by the Orange County Register and KCAL, are not county-authorized ballot drop-off sites. In fact, the unofficial boxes are against the law, state officials said Sunday.

[The Cool Thatguy]

California GOP installed unofficial ballot drop-off boxes. State officials say they’re illegal.

GOP: Fraud is happening, watch how we do it!

[Tami]

GOP: Fraud is happening, watch how we do it!

The arsonist who calls 911 to report a fire.

[The Chou Lives]

Trump campaign launches ‘Fighters Against Socialism’ bus tour in Tampa



Yet Authoritarianism is okay. 4 more years or more of trump (if he survives that long) is okay.

Welp, it's a good thing Bernie Sanders isn't the nominee.

What is sickening me about this and said it in other places is this.

I am actually a conservative. It’s just I am sicken and ashamed of how the republican has run thing for the last 12 years and so.

I believe in balance.

Balance, you know security and freedom. Because as it stands right now the Trumpified version of America is damn near Fascist if not so already. ( The only thing not tipping that balance is the Fed government still can not enforce how states conduct business though trying to smash that and regulate business. Because in a fascism you can vote, and have job /capitalism but the government still gets dibs on what goes and such.)

So yeah. This is not the party I want or like.

Rather be old school true Co derivatives that no longer exist. Like Clint Eastwood. Dude may have talked smack to Zobsma ( because that’s his opinion. I will not destroy anyone on opinion though Obama did a better job fixing what Bush left, while Trump is dismantling Obama’s work.)

It yeah Trump is no good. Just not.

Things I stand for:
Black Lives Matter ( because at the moment the cops are shitting on them the most, it’s not right)

Women’s Rights ( I am against Abortion, but I have 3 situations wee it’s acceptable in my view. Cannot enforce others on your views, everyone’s story is different)

Science Fact: The truth is there. Denying it does not make it go away or fix it.

We need to take care of people: The Fox Znees maxis are getting to the point of considering child care services to be communism. Disgusting pigs.

LGBT rights: They are people damnit, as long they do not hurt anyone they should live their lives.

And other stuff.

Because I believe you n Left and Right things. I just try not to have one over the other completely, because that’s bad.

Currently America is too damned right winged, needs to be toned back a lot. So yeah I have lost faith in who I was raised to be, because they are not the correct path anymore.

I sure as Hell am voting democrat. That’s the only answer, no other party option or the work will try to weed it in somehow.

[Kirby101]

I hate to break this to you Chou, but you are liberal. You might be a conservative by European standards, but in America you are squarely in the middle of the Democrats, and left of most Republicans.

[Tami]

I hate to break this to you Chou, but you are liberal. You might be a conservative by European standards, but in America you are squarely in the middle of the Democrats, and left of most Republicans.

At this point, thanks to Trump's taking over the GOP and turning it into the TOP, a lot of people who consider themselves Conservatives, who have voted for Republicans in the past, are being pushed to the left.

It's less about traditional Liberal vs Conservative as it is about Human Rights, Democracy, and Common Sense approaches to solving Problems vs the Big Whinny Orange Baby.

[The Chou Lives]

At this point, thanks to Trump's taking over the GOP and turning it into the TOP, a lot of people who consider themselves Conservatives, who have voted for Republicans in the past, are being pushed to the left.

It's less about traditional Liberal vs Conservative as it is about Human Rights, Democracy, and Common Sense approaches to solving Problems vs the Big Whinny Orange Baby.

Yeah. I am a Liberal now by my homelands standards

I do not care the label. I was taught to think for my damned self and that’s what’s guiding me here.