All purpose news and politics thread part VII: News & Politics Total Landscaping

[CaptainEurope]

Those anti-right wing protests in Germany are fascinating.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets and the protests are spreading.

Its like a lot of people have woken up to the dangers of flirting with extremist ideology. Its good to see people aware of the dangers of extreme ideology instead of sleep walking into it for frivolous reasons like a lot of countries have in Europe (and could just happen to the US).

Yeah, they just had to end the protest in Munich prematurely, because it was overcrowded. 200,000 people, with thousands more stuck in traffic, I went to my local one yesterday, and the atmosphere was amazing. Not anger, just gratitude that so many people came out for love. A feeling of "finally I see my people."

[CaptainEurope]

For those who don't know the background: About a week and half ago, investigative journalists revealed that high ranking politicians from the far right AfD party (currently 20% in the polls nationally, but with a decent chance to win state elections in the former GDR regions of the country) met with Identitarian extremists and Neo-Nazis as well some very rich business people, like one of the owners of a big, upscale burger restaurant chain. Don't eat at Hans im Glück if you visit my country.

They discussed plans on what to do if they manage to gain power in Germany - specifically plans to depart "non Germans", including people who have German citizenship but came as immigrants or had parents who did. One of the AfD people present was the closest advisor of their party leader Alice Weidel, and the public uproar has been so great that she has had to fire him.

[Kirby101]

For those who don't know the background: About a week and half ago, investigative journalists revealed that high ranking politicians from the far right AfD party (currently 20% in the polls nationally, but with a decent chance to win state elections in the former GDR regions of the country) met with Identitarian extremists and Neo-Nazis as well some very rich business people, like one of the owners of a big, upscale burger restaurant chain. Don't eat at Hans im Glück if you visit my country.

They discussed plans on what to do if they manage to gain power in Germany - specifically plans to depart "non Germans", including people who have German citizenship but came as immigrants or had parents who did. One of the AfD people present was the closest advisor of their party leader Alice Weidel, and the public uproar has been so great that she has had to fire him.

Where as in our country. When GOPers hear about something like this, they embrace it. Whatever horrendous thing Trump wants, they follow like Orwellian puppets.

[CaptainEurope]

Where as in our country. When GOPers hear about something like this, they embrace it. Whatever horrendous thing Trump wants, they follow like Orwellian puppets.

Our President Steinmeier (a largely ceremonial post) just released a video message thanking the protesters.

[Robotman]

Nice to see that Germany is pushing back against the far right.

German far-right groups becoming increasingly organized, says a historian

On connections to American far right and conspiracy theorist groups like QAnon

Germany is, in fact, the second-largest community for [QAnon] online. So in terms of the amount of people subscribing to QAnon channels on Telegram and other social media channels Germany is quite prolific in that respect, which is surprising to many people. It combines this idea that the state isn't legitimate with a pre-existing conspiracy theory that you see with QAnon. This kind of idea that there's a worldwide pedophile ring that uses American military bases as its local infrastructure applies to Germany in their minds because of the pre-existing structures that are still there from the occupation period. And so many people followed Trump and Trumpism in particular, and so believed that Trump would finally come and liberate Germany from foreign occupation. And he was the savior figure in many ways, as he is with the union movement in the United States.

[Tami]

Nice to see that Germany is pushing back against the far right.

German far-right groups becoming increasingly organized, says a historian

On connections to American far right and conspiracy theorist groups like QAnon

Germany is, in fact, the second-largest community for [QAnon] online. So in terms of the amount of people subscribing to QAnon channels on Telegram and other social media channels Germany is quite prolific in that respect, which is surprising to many people. It combines this idea that the state isn't legitimate with a pre-existing conspiracy theory that you see with QAnon. This kind of idea that there's a worldwide pedophile ring that uses American military bases as its local infrastructure applies to Germany in their minds because of the pre-existing structures that are still there from the occupation period. And so many people followed Trump and Trumpism in particular, and so believed that Trump would finally come and liberate Germany from foreign occupation. And he was the savior figure in many ways, as he is with the union movement in the United States.

The United States of America, we'll either save the world or screw it real bad.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, as well as 2023, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” posted profiles of the current U.S. House Representative for North Carolina’s 9th District, Richard Hudson, who is one of the Birthers among the Republican caucus, having once told an assembled crowd that “President Obama is hiding something about his birth certificate”, and called for legislation to investigate it. Hudson also not only voted for the 2013 Government Shutdown, but when the vote came to reopen the government, he voted to keep it closed. He also took part in the 2014 GOP efforts to stir up fears over Ebola, calling for both a travel ban, and writing an official letter to blame the outbreak on President Obama. Hudson also voted against the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, and during debate about the SNAP food stamp program, called for drug testing on welfare recipients to be implemented nationally (since it’s done so well failing as a practice at the state level). Richard Hudson has been quite the conspiracy theory lover in his first few years in the House, already demanding answers about Benghazi, the non-scandal that was the “IRS Scandal”, and trying to cut funding towards the implementation of the United Nations’ Agenda 21 treaty. During the GOP's faux-outrage over the Planned Parenthood "sting" videos supplied by the Center for Medical Progress that were proven to be edited to mislead the public, Hudson not only voted to defund the organization, but boldly proclaimed himself as believing that life begins at conception. While Congress was mostly quiet through a tumultuous 2016 election campaign (and with some of the fewest working days in Congressional history), Rep. Hudson spent most of the year demonizing the Environmental Protection Agency, including trying to block any restrictions they might place on Motorsports events, playing up this fight to the folks in his district whose passion for NASCAR surpass the needs of the planet itself. In July when he decided to target employees of the EPA by filing an amendment into their funding that would prevent any of their employees from flying on an airplane as a part of their job (like to places to conduct investigations of wrongdoing by anyone, y'know, ignoring EPA standards and polluting) as well as restricting any of these criminal enforcement employees from owning a gun they might need to do their jobs.

Our update for 2019 on Richard Hudson will include simply this moment… one of his first votes in Congress back in 2013 was to vote against Disaster Relief for those affected by Hurricane Sandy. We thought at the time that it seemed like there would be some hypocrisy coming on that vote, because after all, North Carolina, where Rep. Hudson is from, frequently is impacted by hurricane damage. And so it was that after Hurricane Florence this year, that he quite predictably wrote letters to Donald Trump to beg for him to allocate disaster relief to his district.

Because of course this hypocritical little s*** did.

[worstblogever]

Hudson’s actions as a legislator over the past several years say it all:

• January 22nd, 2019: Hudson cannot be arsed to vote against HR 676, which would prevent Donald Trump from doing the unthinkable and walking away from our allies in NATO to appease the Russians.
• December 3rd, 2019: Richard Hudson is one of 71 Republicans who vote against House Resolution 546, which stated disapproval of any attempt to readmit the Russian federation back into the G7 and make it the G8.
• December 19th, 2019: Richard Hudson votes against the impeachment of Donald Trump, in spite of glaring evidence of abuse of power.
• December 10th, 2020: Hudson 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: Richard Hudson 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 8th, 2021: News that one of the capitol police officers passes away from injuries inflicted by domestic terrorists two days earlier comes out, and Hudson offers his ”prayers” the same way Republicans do when a mass shooting they could probably have prevented with simple gun control measures being passed. In both examples, his words are meaningless.
• January 13th, 2021: Rep. Hudson votes against the second impeachment of Donald Trump, because accountability is anathema to his party, even after a failed coup attempt that results in the deaths of police officers.
• February 25th, 2021: Hudson votes against HR 5, the latest version of the Equality Act, that would provide workplace protections for LGBTQ Americans.
• March 3rd, 2021: Rep. Hudson votes against HR 1, a bill created to prevent the corruption of money in politics, and protect voter access to the ballot box.
• March 10th, 2021: Hudson 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. Hudson 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: Rep. Hudson votes against HR 3233, the creation of a commission to investigate the Capitol Attack.
• November 5th, 2021: Richard Hudson votes against HR 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
• May 18th, 2022: Richard Hudson is one of 192 Republicans who votes against HR 7790, to create supplemental funding for infant formula (while claiming to be pro- life).
• May 18th, 2022: Rep. Hudson 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: Hudson votes against HR 7688, a bill which would help prevent gas companies from gouging customers on prices.
• July 15th, 2022: Richard Hudson 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 enforcement 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: Hudson 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. Hudson 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: Hudson 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.
• December 1st, 2022: Rep. Hudson is one of 90 Republicans who vote against HR 6878, meaning he is perfectly fine with pregnant women in prison being placed in solitary confinement while claiming to be “pro-life”.
• December 6th, 2022: Hudson, embracing the GOP’s white nationalist, anti-immigrant sentiment votes against HR 7946, which was meant to honor the promise to grant citizenship to immigrants who served in the United States Armed Forces.

After redistricting, Richard Hudson ran in North Carolina’s new 9th District in 2022 (he had been in the 8th), assuring constituents he would do everything he could to make sure there were loopholes in place for them to not get the life-protecting Covid-19 vaccine so they could still make the choice to potentially catch a deadly disease. He won a sixth term in office with 56% of the vote, sending him back to DC to proudly serve as the man who could restrain his colleagues by grabbing them by their face from behind to avoid having them beat the crap out of Matt Gaetz. And if there’s any damning character trait, it’s helping protect Matt Gaetz.

If you needed a second, it would be that of late, he’s been on social media of late whining and pleading to the Supreme Court to protect Donald Trump from the consequences of his failed coup attempt and get him back on the ballot in Colorado.

[CaptainEurope]

Ron DeSantis is DeOut of the race. Endorsed Trump.

[scourge]

So one one bigot drops out of a race he was never going to win and endorses a bigger, dumber bigot.

And bets on how long it'll be before Haley does the same?

[Tami]

Ron DeSantis is DeOut of the race. Endorsed Trump.

Yep, I just read it here: Ron DeSantis ends presidential campaign, endorses Trump

One less fruitcake to worry about .

[Tami]

So one one bigot drops out of a race he was never going to win and endorses a bigger, dumber bigot.

And bets on how long it'll be before Haley does the same?

I don't think she will until the very end, she'll be the Ted Cruz of the 2024 election.....however, there is always a chance that voters might think they stand a better chance with her than with Trump. I'm not all that crazy about Haley, but at least she isn't as crazy as Trump.

Everything depends on how well she does in NH.

[CaptainEurope]

Yep, I just read it here: Ron DeSantis ends presidential campaign, endorses Trump

One less fruitcake to worry about .

I'm a bit sad. Historically, long and drawn-out primaries damage candidates.

[Tami]

I'm a bit sad. Historically, long and drawn-out primaries damage candidates.

There are many changes that could be made in the US Election process that would make it better.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2015, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” posted a profile of John McGee, a former Idaho state senator whose career came to an abrupt halt after over the course of a few weeks back in 2012. You see, after attending a golf tournament where he had about eight drinks too many, he was found passed out in the road drunk behind the wheel of a stolen SUV with a 20 foot trailer blocking the road, and a blood alcohol level of .15. In the months after the incident, McGee was going to have to make a case to the rest of the Idaho State Senate of why he should keep his job, when news also broke that he had sexually harassed a female staffer who he had flashed his junk at and asked for sexual favors. We’ll at least give the guy credit for giving us a story where we don’t even have to look at their voting record.

On this date in 2016, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” posted a Saxby Chambliss, a former U.S. Senator from Georgia who a few months after 9/11, Chambliss told a reporter his plan for security after the terror attacks was to have sheriffs “arrest every Muslim crossing the state line.” After surviving this controversy by having President Bush, still riding on high approval ratings after 9/11, campaigning on his behalf on three separate occasions in the same election cycle. But where things truly got ugly was when Chambliss ran an advertisement that questioned Max Cleland’s commitment to national defense and homeland security, where images of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein were juxtaposed against photos of Cleland, as if he was supporting terrorists and dictators. This would have been the same Max Cleland who is a Vietnam veteran, and lost three limbs in the conflict while serving his country. The ad was disgusting enough to get massive criticism even from Chambliss' fellow Republicans, including Sen. Chuck Hagel and Sen. John McCain. Meanwhile, as much as a "patriot" as Chambliss liked to pretend to be, he voted against the Zadroga Bill to provide healthcare for 9/11 First Responders. During his career, Chambliss voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, and to attempt to make English the national language and voted for a constitutional amendment to allow government buildings to erect monuments of the Ten Commandments.(both of which the Supreme Court had already voted down as unconstitutional at the time, voted for the impeachment of President Bill Clinton for lying about having an affair with Monica Lewinsky. Chambliss co-sponsored the Iraq War Resolution in 2002, advocated for repealing federal income taxes, and instead, to place a 30% sales tax upon all items purchased in the United States, which. economists called this proposal "foolish", if not "crazy" and even some noted conservative commentators saying, "The national sales tax is crazier, by an order of magnitude, than any other crazy idea I’ve seen at the national level. It’s so crazy that even really crazy right-wingers think it’s pretty crazy." Chambliss also consistently voted to ban same sex marriage, and when asked if he would reconsider his position on the issue, and he offers the bizarre response of, "I’m not gay. So I’m not going to marry one." In June of 2013, during a hearing on sexual assaults occurring within our military against female service members, Sen. Chambliss blamed the phenomenon on "hormones", a disgustingly passé view of things. In August 2014 Chambliss was still willing to go on CBS' "Face the Nation" and defend the use of waterboarding, still insisting that it isn't torture. He retired a few months later.

On this date in both 2017, 2018, 2019, as well as in 2020, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” had its first profile of Missouri State Senator David Sater, whose name suddenly turned up in the press a full decade into his career back in 2014 during discussion of an anti-abortion measure in the Missouri state legislature he was sponsoring (an extension of a waiting period for abortions from 24 to 72 hours) that Sater argued against exceptions for pregnant rape victims getting an abortion, blaming them for not just going and getting the "Plan B" pill the day after their rape. That was only somewhat revolting, but became hypocritically disgusting when it was noted by many that David Sater has spent his entire career as a legislator consistently voting against blocking access to Plan B Contraceptives, including once sponsoring a bill to allow pharmacies to refuse to stock it. A few months later, David Sater was continuing to argue against exceptions against rape for his 72 hour waiting period by arguing that getting an abortion after a rape was akin to "knee surgery" that he himself was waiting on. Democrats in the chamber then asked if he needed 72 hours to rethink his knee getting operated on, and Sater admitted he actually didn't. We want to be thorough, here, the stories about David Sater downplaying rape and abortion as akin to his own elective surgical procedures are not the only examples of his extremism, when you look at his voting record, including unconstitutional attempts to pass legislation to allow public prayer in public schools, to drug test welfare recipients, or to attempt to nullify the Affordable Care Act or the United Nations' Agenda 21 treaty. In 2019, Sater submitted SB 562, a bill aimed at establishing work requirements for Medicaid recipients, the majority of whom are on Medicaid because they are disabled to begin with, and unable to work. He simultaneously also submitted SB 561, which was a work requirement bill for food stamp recipients, however Sater decided that if a parent is unable to work, then not only would they lose their allotted food stamps, but so would their children. Because starving someone’s kids is a “great motivator”, in his inhuman logical mind. David Sater’s time in office came to an end due to the good fortune that Missouri’s state legislature has term limits.

On this date in 2021, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” profiled Jay Allen, who was a failed 2020 candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in Maine’s 1st Congressional District, hoping to knock Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree out of office. Allen is a longtime member of our military, and liked to think of himself as still honoring his oath to defend the Constitution, because in his mind, “Democrats were destroying the Constitution”. He never exactly explained what rights or freedoms Democrats were destroying, but Jay Allen is an actual physician who during the Covid-19 pandemic was claiming “Masks do not stop this virus – they may slow it down but they will not stop it.” Allen pulling the upset was an unlikely task, as Maine’s 1st leans +8 Democratic in the Cook Partisan Voting Index. But maybe, just maybe, Allen was figuring if he landed some punches in a debate against her, maybe he would have a chance. And, during a discussion on how the United States might want to reconcile its problem with systemic racism in our country, Allen decided to explain that based on his experience in the military, there couldn’t be any racism because he saw people from all walks of life working together towards a common cause, including “Orientals” in his list of people of color. Suffice to say, if in your argument against systematic racism actually existing, you use a racial slur, you might be proving the point for your opponent. But he wasn’t done being racist, as the moderator asked Allen why police are almost three times as likely to kill Black Americans then White Americans. His reply was, ”Crime is committed by more African Americans, too. And it goes back to the fact that they are raised in homes that do not have fathers, that they do not have that principled leadership within the home.” The moderator then asked him to clarify if he was saying police officer is more likely to shoot a Black because there isn’t a father in the home, and he was somehow even more racist, following up, “Less likely. They are less likely. Because they know if they shoot a Black person then they will face an inquisition if they shoot a Black person. So they need to be pretty sure that that Black person needs to be shot.”[/QUOTE] Suffice to say, Rep. Pingree then wiped the floor with him when allowed to give a rebuttal, and went on to coast to victory over Jay Allen, who got all of 38% of the vote against her, which is probably 38% more than he deserved.