US Politics, June 2018: This is a total goat rodeo.

apparently turnout jumped way more dramatically in dem primaries than republican primaries yesterday so that's some hope. We need a crushing victory here, then total obstruction of Trump, then in 2020 we pack the court and or strip jurisdiction. Scorched earth.

Kennedy retiring is bad for Dems in the midterms right? seems like the sort of thing that would drive GOP turnout up

― frogbs, Wednesday, June 27, 2018 2:59 PM (twelve seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Actually I don't think so, unless he can't get his pick through before January.

Real devil's bargain at work there

Was actually able to reach a staffer in Blumenthal’s office for whatever that’s worth.

feel like Dems not only need to hammer on the Garland thing but also the whole "a POTUS who was elected by a foreign power and is under investigation for actively colluding with them should not get to nominate justices"

There is a laundry list of things they can hammer, they need to do their homework and check what resonates with who and target well.

Set fire to the suburbs

― devops mom (silby), Wednesday, June 27, 2018 7:17 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388377440l/52493.jpg

feel like Dems not only need to hammer on the Garland thing but also the whole "a POTUS who was elected by a foreign power and is under investigation for actively colluding with them should not get to nominate justices"

― frogbs, Wednesday, June 27, 2018 3:04 PM (sixteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

There is a laundry list of things they can hammer, they need to do their homework and check what resonates with who and target well.

― Van Horn Street, Wednesday, June 27, 2018 3:06 PM (thirteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

agree, and the goal should be to lay the groundwork for either court-packing or jurisdiction stripping when we (hopefully) retake the senate and the white house. No more indignance for its own sake.

wow this is amazingly bad

had to look up jurisdiction stripping (been a few years since I last re-read the Federalist Papers), seems like a more easily wielded tool than court-packing

not comfortable with the terrorism hyperbole itt - this is a public forum guys

Then leave.

Nah don't leave, it's a legitimate concern.

eh, calm down ppl are just (understandably) venting

Murphy, Duckworth, Durbin, Schumer all already saying no nominee should get a vote, per Mitch's own tortured logic. I'm sure Mitch doesn't care but they're staking out their territory.

McConnell told reporters that the nominee will be confirmed before this fall; Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has said that historically it takes about two months on average from the time a president nominates a new justice to the time a Judiciary Committee hearing is held. What that means practically is the Senate is likely to have installed a firm conservative majority on the high court by the time voters go to the polls in November.

“The goal will be to get a conservative confirmed before the election,” said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the No. 4 GOP leader. “I’m delighted to see President Trump have another opportunity to appoint another Supreme Court justice. And I’m sure he’s going to appoint somebody just like Antonin Scalia and Neil Gorsuch.”

Whether Republicans can jam through another Scalia or Gorsuch remains to be seen. GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska are moderate on social issues and will have heavy sway in what’s sure to be a narrow vote. Murkowski declined requests for comment in a brief interview.

Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) faces a difficult reelection in a swing state. And Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who is retiring, said that he and other senators won’t “rubber stamp” a judge just because it’s a Republican nomination.

But Flake, like most in the GOP, expects the president to nominate someone far more conservative than Kennedy, a long-standing swing vote.

can't the nominee just lie their faces off to appease collins and murkowski anyway

well yeah, that's the deal

Today I'm thinking a lot of this quote from Andreas Malm in The Progress of This Storm, his book on climate & capital:

“Some on the left maintain that progressives should not stoke panic — they ought to be less ‘catastrophist’ and ‘apocalyptic’ — but if we accept the principles of climate realism and stay up to date with the science, the boot is entirely on the other foot. … Dare to feel the panic. Then choose between the two main options: commit to the most militant and unwavering opposition to this system, or sit watching as it all goes down the drain.”

for 'the principles of climate realism' perhaps substitute 'the history of ascendant fascism'

*sits*

Kennedy was an unprincipled simpleton and it was poisonous in its own way that everyone had to spend years and years inventing ways to discuss fundamental issues so as not to set him off, like the Twilight Zone kid

— Tom Scocca (@tomscocca) June 27, 2018

Are we supposed to take comfort in that or some gtfo

not comfortable with the terrorism hyperbole itt - this is a public forum guys

― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Thursday, June 28, 2018 6:37 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Then leave.

― ian, Thursday, June 28, 2018 6:39 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This was really unnecessary, cmon guys. I know people are pissy but ILX is better than "if you dont like it leave" ffs.

I agree with Matthew. Speaking in what does come across as serious manner about terrorism and assassinations is NAGL. We've seen people have the feds on their doorstep for less on FB and such, just sayin.

Are we supposed to take comfort in that or some gtfo

calling someone stupid + pop culture reference = political insight

also great idea to burn down the suburbs, not like any voters live there

ah yes the suburban vote will bring us our socialist future

Thanks Trayce, that was the motivation behind my comment. I know people are angry and fully agree with the sentiment, I just think it's very unwise in the current climate to make jokes like that in a visible, traceable manner. "Then leave" is a shitty response to dissent.

To add to the conversation about Dems wanting to leave the country: please wait until after the next presidential before you decide that there is nothing left for you here.

I grew up in a suburb and now live in a suburb

I live in New York, my effect on the next presidential is exactly zero

You add to the popular vote total -- that's plenty.

because hillary's popular vote victory is pulling so much weight

Almost as much as Gore's!

just going to weigh in for a sec and say that, venting or not, talking about assassination is totally defensible rn and concern trolling about it is the fucking worst.

and yeah, if you don't like it, you can fucking leave! trust, you are not the one "dissenting"

I grew up in a suburb and now live in a suburb

― cr.ht (crüt), Wednesday, June 27, 2018 9:37 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

cool

In recent days we have heard shameless attacks on our courageous law enforcement officers. Extremist Democrat politicians have called for the complete elimination of ICE. Leftwing Activists are trying to block ICE officers from doing their jobs and publicly posting their...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2018

...home addresses – putting these selfless public servants in harm’s way. These radical protesters want ANARCHY – but the only response they will find from our government is LAW AND ORDER!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2018

Somebody invite Trump to a Hot Dog Eating Contest next week, and the rest should take care of itself...

Oh, the horror

Sean Hannity just presented this agenda as a negative pic.twitter.com/mYoByIRyr5

— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) June 28, 2018

I mean, really, at what point do viewers look at this and think some of these things aren't that bad?

Support seniors? You mean like 90% of the people who watch your show?

Seniors: "We support ourselves, thank you very much... except for <insert list of government programs> #MAGA!"

I live in New York, my effect on the next presidential is exactly zero.

You add to the popular vote total -- that's plenty.

idg the joke, as a similarly powerless NYer

map yr the worst bruh

concern trolling about it is the fucking worst

and yeah, if you don't like it, you can fucking leave!

Sweetheart, I've been here for 15 years, I'm not fucking going *anywhere*.

BTW: in my country, "if you dont like it, leave" is a racist dogwhistle said to immigrants.

"If you don't like it, leave" is going to be Trump's 2020 campaign slogan.

Next election, if you are in the suburbs, if you can take the day off from work, if you can convince your job to give people the day off or half a day, spend that time shuttling people to and from the polls. I would happily donate to gas funds. And then we can burn the suburbs down. We will probably need another thread for this eventually.

I mean, really, at what point do viewers look at this and think some of these things aren't that bad?

When you think that these things are going to be given to poor, probably non-white, people, and hard working whites like yourself are going to have to pay for them.

(I realise it was probably a rhetorical question)

^^^Yeah, people I know who have young kids, young kids who have disabilities are still against things like free education, healthcare. I've said this before but my brother who has a very young son who will need surgeries, leg braces, possibly a wheelchair his entire life is still against universal healthcare. He gets free Batman like gadgets from Children's Hospital donated (even though they could afford it) but he is fine taking that handout because "it's not from the government."

Y’all can mock Mathew K like a Narc, but Trump just tweeted about how doxxing ICE was on his radar. I suppose faith in due process and legal blindness prevails.

I also suppose most of you didn’t have the get go to fuck with a (rocks not neat) agent. So it must be nice to insult someone’s concern from a place you deem safe.

Doesn’t seem like that’s how lessons are going now, right? The neutralish rage of being barely online isn’t a moral good.