All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[Jim Kelly]

I don't think Americans fully realize that your political experiments don't just hurt you, they hurt the entire world. You get to vote, but the rest of the world has to suffer with what you decide. And as a Canadian, it's my country that is going to suffer first. Because we share the same land mass--so all that damage to the environment, the economy, human rights doesn't stop at the border. We don't just need a wall, we need an ocean between us. Without that, we're all going to hell and soon.

[Len Ikari145]

Hi, America.

I'm confused as to who won.

Was it the Douche or the Turd-Sandwich?

They all seem the same to me......

The one who's going lead our economy into another recession, possibly set back civil rights and marriage equality, and perhaps start another war with the first country that triggers his short-hair temper.

[Paradox]

Jim Kelly is right to quake a little:

I don't think Americans fully realize that your political experiments don't just hurt you, they hurt the entire world. You get to vote, but the rest of the world has to suffer with what you decide. And as a Canadian, it's my country that is going to suffer first. Because we share the same land mass--so all that damage to the environment, the economy, human rights doesn't stop at the border. We don't just need a wall, we need an ocean between us. Without that, we're all going to hell and soon.

Many of us DO know about the repercussions. Unfortunately, those that don't voted for Trump. That is, aside from those who knew and just didn't give a shit.

[KCJ506]

Just woke up to the news. SMH America. How did we go from Obama to this? I didn't care much for much for either candidate, but I think Hillary was the lesser of two evils.

Just think of all the xenophobes and white nationalists Trump has emboldened to run for office now.

[worstblogever]

Just woke up to the news. SMH America. How did we go from Obama to this? I didn't care much for much for either candidate, but I think Hillary was the lesser of two evils.

Just think of all the xenophobes and white nationalists Trump has emboldened to run for office now.

I don't have to think about them. They're already clearly in the GOP. They just won't be as subtle about being racist hatebags anymore, because Trump just proved they don't need dog-whistles, they can yell it out all they want without being held accountable.

[worstblogever]

Two years ago, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" ran a profile of Pete Hoekstra, who one more than one occasion accidentally released confidential information (including hosting a website that instructed how to make a nuclear bomb), and at other times, would tell the media the Obama administration was withholding vital information that they actually had disclosed to Congress, as dictated. Hoekstra also likes justifying the use of torture against detainees at Guantanamo Bay and making false claims about the Iraq War, insisting U.S. forces did find evidence of an active WMD program there. He also floated Birther policies, railed against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and wanted to "kill all student loans". Hoekstra's last campaign for office was an attempt to get one of Michigan's U.S. Senate seats in 2012 where he ran racist ads against his opponent, Debbie Stabenow, featuring a woman of Chinese descent speaking in pidgin English and wearing a straw hat to claim that she wouldn't be tough enough on China. Hoekstra has remained a lobbyist now for two years.

It was one year ago that we published our original "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" profile of Jack Kimball, a former candidate for Governor of New Hampshire, who waited all of two months into the Obama presidency to decide we were all doomed if we even considered progressive values and to instead found the Granite State Patriots in March 2009, whose original views supposedly were to fight back against anti-war and anti-Israel protesters. Within a year, Kimball had tried to parlay that momentum into his run for governor, but after making comments to people at his rallies like "Let's All Stop Paying Our Mortgages", or where he compared taxes to rape (because that's acceptable rhetoric), he lost to Republican John Stephen, finishing second with only 25% of the vote in the GOP Primary. Kimball then became chairman of the New Hampshire GOP, but within 8 months they forced Kimball to step down after they discovered he had already drained their party coffers so badly there was only about $1,300 left in their bank accounts. The Tea Party Patriot still didn't fade completely from view, and what started as general incompetence or hyperbolic speeches began to fall into the sort of "mad king" lunacy of the worst kind. By November 2013, Kimball began using what connections he still had to send out paranoid e-mails to warn close allies about convoys of "United Nations trucks" driving around at night, because the dreaded takeover he'd warned about was here! Except, that vehicle convoy was actually the National Guard returning from a training exercise in Maine. Instead, he brushed off his error, and warned of other suspicious things... like how Chinese troops had managed to have already set up shop in Hawaii and Kansas (perhaps not coincidentally, two places where President Obama has ties to from his youth). In February 2014, Kimball tried to rally people together in New Hampshire to drive down to Washington for Operation: American Spring, and then demand that the entire leadership of the United States, Democrat AND Republican step down. (Hint: It was not successful.) Then, two months late, Kimball spoke at a rally for gun rights in Connecticut in April 2014, where he spoke about how President Obama needed to be "put in an orange suit" and "have his butt dragged out of the White House", even naming Sheriff Joe Arpaio (who has infamously spent time and taxpayer dollars investigating Obama's birth certificate) as the man who might make the arrest. The last known political activicities of Kimball we know about Jack Kimball were that he worked on the Ted Cruz presidential campaign, but still would tell people the 2nd Amendment was always an option to overthrow the government, should they be unhappy with the results of an election. We're not expecting Kimball to put his name on a ballot again, so we'll set aside his CSGOPOTD profile at this time and go ahead and take a look at a different wacky Republican today instead. (Current crazy/stupid scoreboard, is now 536-20, since this was established in July 2014.)


Stephen Fincher

"Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" isn't about to pause for an election hangover, we're moving on to our 536th original profile, where we'll be discussing outgoing U.S. House Represtentative Stephen Fincher, from Tennessee's 8th Congressional District. Fincher was swept into office at the age of 37 in 2010 as a part of the Tea Party Wave, and after redistricting, held a highly conservative constituency... and he voted like it. Before he had even won office, however, Fincher was considered ethically suspect, as he had received a $250,000 loan towards his 2010 campaign from a bank who just so happened to have Fincher's father on its board of trustees, then conveniently "forgot" to mention it on his financial disclosure forms. Being the Tea Party year, though, voters were far too angry that healthcare reform happened and were willing to overlook blatant plutocracy, nepotism, and illegal activity because you have to have priorities.

Once he got to Washington, D.C., Rep. Fincher joined the Republican obstruction efforts that have permeated American politics the past six years. Perhaps his most famous moment, though, was the extreme hypocrisy he showed in 2013 during debate over the FARM Bill, as related to food stamps. Fincher actually tried using the Bible to argue against helping to feed the hungry, quoting Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.” Now, never mind the fact that welfare reform in the 1990s has created a welfare work requirement that would justify them still having food stamps... never mind that Jesus is actually pretty explicit about feeding the poor and hungry, and oh yeah, 45% of those who benefit from food stamps through SNAP are under the legal age that one can even work in the first place (y'know, children). This gets to be a more staggering conflict of interests when you learn Stephen Fincher owns a farm and has collected over 3 MILLION DOLLARS in government subsidies on it, more than any other member of Congress. Yes, he's that much of a hypocritical motherf***er.

I mean, obviously Republicans are going to make arguments about their love for smaller government vs. bigger government, but perhaps making that argument in terms better than "cut the legs off the EPA", would be healthy? Because yeah, Fincher said that back in 2012, and there's video.

Fincher's entire office on Capitol Hill had a reputation for being incredibly mean-spirited, as in 2014, he had to fire his communications director after she decided to get on social media to criticize the dress and behavior of First Daughters Sasha and Malia Obama at the annual Turkey Pardoning Ceremony at the White House, and saying they had "no class", among many other comments directed at teenaged girls that in a neutral context, would have qualified as cyber-bullying.

[moonknight11]

All we can hope for and start working toward is a 2006 level Blue Tsunami to take over the House and Senate. I have faith it'll happen Like in 2010 (where it was a red wave).


I still feel sick.

[Mecegirl]

I don't have to think about them. They're already clearly in the GOP. They just won't be as subtle about being racist hatebags anymore, because Trump just proved they don't need dog-whistles, they can yell it out all they want without being held accountable.

Already had a friend of mine post on Facebook about how some d-bag in a truck drove by and yelled "PACK IT UP N***** TRUMP 2016!!"

[worstblogever]

Here is three terms of Fincher extremism, coming right at you:

• On January 5th, 2011, Rep. Fincher co-sponsors the first attempt by Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He has voted for every attempt to do so since.
• On February 18th, 2011, Fincher votes to defund Planned Parenthood.
• September 15th, 2012: Stephen Fincher votes for the "No More Solyndras Act".
• June 19th, 2013: Rep. Fincher votes against restoring $20.5 billion towards the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.
• September 30th, 2013: Fincher votes for the 2013 Government Shutdown.
• October 16th, 2013: Stephen Fincher also voted against reopening the federal government and ending the 2013 Government Shutdown.
• Feb 26th, 2014: Fincher goes "all in" on the faux-scandal surrounding the IRS researching SuperPACs by co-sponsoring and voting for the "Stop the Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act".
• July 10th, 2014: Rep. Fincher votes for House Amendment 1040, to prevent the implementation of the dreaded United Nations Agenda 21 Treaty, that in spite of just being recommended climate change guidelines, have many conspiracy theorists within the extreme right convinced it’s a plot for global domination.
• February 3rd, 2015: Stephen Fincher votes for the 60th Republican attempt at repealing the Affordable Care Act. This in spite of the fact that the law is not just working, but better than experts predicted.
• March 3rd, 2015: Fincher votes against funding the Department of Homeland Security as part of a Republican protest of President Obama’s executive orders on immigration.
• May 13th, 2015: Stephen Fincher votes for HR 36, a 20 week abortion ban.
• September 11th, 2015: Fincher votes against the United States' nuclear treaty with Iran.
• September 18th, 2015: Rep. Fincher votes for a bill with most House Republicans to defund Planned Parenthood, based on highly edited “sting” videos submitted by a Pro-Life advocacy group that have been repeatedly debunked by investigators.
• November 19th, 2015: Fincher votes for the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act, reacting to the terror attacks in Paris by jihadists from France and Belgium by trying to create greater restrictions to keep out Syrian refugees, of whom exactly zero were involved in those attacks.
• February 2nd, 2016: Stephen Fincher votes for HR 3762, the 61st attempt by Congressional Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (which is still working better than was predicted).
• May 19th, 2016: Rep. Fincher votes against House Amendment 1079, which would have prohibited the use of federal funds for discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. So if you were wondering, yes, he's pro-discrimination, apparently.
• September 28th, 2016: Months after funding was requested to prevent Zika Virus, and after several cases have begun to be diagnosed in the United States, Stephen Fincher still votes against HR 5325, which would provide funding towards preventing its spread. (Remember, this is from a hard core Pro-Lifer determined to defund Planned Parenthood.)

Stephen Fincher announced he was not running for re-election on February 1st 2016, shocking experts who thought at the age of 43, that he had a long, long career ahead of him, especially when you realize his Congressional District had a +19 Republican lean. As long as he survived a primary, he was all but guaranteed re-election. His sudden reluctance to remain in office made no less than 21 Republicans jump into the primary for a highly safe red seat. The only question is... why did Fincher bail on remaining in Congress? Does he honestly just see it as that much of a waste of time, or did his time on the Agriculture and Finance Committees allow him to influence the law to help himself and his father get rich? Was there some scandal that forced his hand, or...?

We may never know, but at least we're rid of him.

[Starter Set]

Well, being from a country with also an awful president i can feel your pain. But at least mine isn't dangerous, or mad, or a pig, or prejudiced against everything who isn't white and/or without a penis, just incompetent. (severely incompetent though, but in a cute way)

May Zeus save us all.

[Overhazard]

Already had a friend of mine post on Facebook about how some d-bag in a truck drove by and yelled "PACK IT UP N***** TRUMP 2016!!"

Try to think of it like this, America didn't make a deal with the devil, Trump did, When his supporters find out that he wont be able to do half of the stuff he said those rabid folk will be calling for his head. The man is an oaf who's all bark. Other world leaders think he's a buffoon, all his hair is going to fall out from the stress.

[MindofShadow]

Try to think of it like this, America didn't make a deal with the devil, Trump did, When his supporters find out that he wont be able to do half of the stuff he said those rabid folk will be calling for his head. The man is an oaf who's all bark. Other world leaders think he's a buffoon, all his hair is going to fall out from the stress.

He has control over all 3 branches and can elect a judge

The gop is going to be able to do a lot, at least at the superficial level

[MindofShadow]

Y'know, history is going to look very fondly on the Obama presidency, given it's wedged in between 8 years of Bush Forty-Three f***ing up left and right, and whatever nightmare scenario that Trump is about to blunder through. He's gonna look like a Mt. Rushmore candidate within 20 years.

Or he will be a footnote as everything he did will be completely wiped away

[MindofShadow]

So, can i tell my white male patients that tgey are and disgusting to their face now or does the end of "pc" only count towards woman and minorities?

[worstblogever]

So, can i tell my white male patients that tgey are and disgusting to their face now or does the end of "pc" only count towards woman and minorities?

No, that would be racist. It's only not racist when white people do it.

There's a reason the Klan is celebrating this, after all.