People that you've never heard of, people that are in the dark shadows -- US Politics September 2020

It never fails to amaze me how much of a hard-on the "pro life" party gets for being allowed to plow people down with their pickup trucks.

Is there a band yet called Toppling Monuments? Or maybe a podcast.

this time the democrats are likely to take the blame if it happens.

why?

if the government shuts down then the story will be that instead of agreeing to the Senate relief bill, containing hundreds of billions of dollars in relief, the House shut down the government, costing billions instead. but my belief is that Pelosi has watched every single government shutdown blow up in the face of the party deemed responsible for it and she will finally throw in her hand at the last minute, with the statement that Democrats tried, but Republican intransigence was to blame for not getting peple what they desperately need. This outcome is easily the most likely in my view.

how do you imagine it playing out differently?

Did the Democrats get blamed for not signing on to that bullshit Senate covid relief bill last week or whenever? At this point the lines are so demarcated that it's hard for me to believe the Dems get blamed for anything, per se. Anyone they lose with a light visible at the end of the tunnel was never going to vote for them anyway.

As of last week (and this one) the government is still funded.

i imagine all house dems getting run over by a pickup truck with a flag in it xp

legal in Florida!

Stand and Be Ground!

https://www.thedailybeast.com/redstate-covid-troll-streiff-is-actually-bill-crews-and-he-actually-works-for-dr-anthony-fauci

is this even real

The sticking point for the CR appears to be big ag subsidies, no relief beyond that is on the table AFAIK

Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, who has long called for criminal justice reform measures, said he was not in contact with Republican leadership in the run-up to the announcement. Brandes said it is unclear to him why Florida’s current laws are insufficient in dealing with unruly protests.

“I can’t see someone who throws a brick at law enforcement not getting six months without a mandatory minimum,” Brandes said, noting early Monday afternoon that he had not read the entire proposal. “While I agree we have to support law enforcement 100 percent, we also have to recognize the right afforded to citizens to peacefully protest.”

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article245895445.html

For whatever little it's worth, the Lincoln Project people are coming out against confirmation of a SC justice before the election. Still don't trust those MF-ers as far as I could throw them, but it's surprising to see. I dunno, christ, at this point I'm clinging to any little thing I can.

Manchin joined the after-the-election team.

so if Biden wins, are we to assume that the after-the-election would vote No during the lame duck period? because their statements seem carefully designed to leave that possibility open

would not put it past collins or murkowski or manchin or anything of these people to just install a federalist society judge directly after receiving a beatdown at the polls

So far those Lincoln assholes have not wavered one inch from their Negate Trump and his enablers stance.

For whatever little it's worth, the Lincoln Project people are coming out against confirmation of a SC justice before the election.

They're also going after Lindsey Graham.

We’re raising another $1 million to expose Lindsey Graham.

Thanks to you, his race is a dead heat as voters are now finally recognizing the extent of his cowardice.

Lindsey is petrified at the threat of a Trump tweet.

Let’s remind him who he answers to: https://t.co/DXX2Id5AJh pic.twitter.com/YFhVL4GvrU

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) September 21, 2020

I don't trust any of these "we should let the winner of the November election pick the next justice" stances for a second. I could totally see a scenario where someone like Barrett delivers a seemingly moderate or at least even-keeled confirmation performance and suddenly those senators completely change their tune to "well, now that we've all had a chance to listen to Ms. Barrett I think everyone would agree she is an excellent choice and so she has my blessing." in that sense I think Kavanaugh's diaper fit was maybe the best thing that could have ever happened to the GOP because everyone else is going to look good by comparison

The Department of Justice released details early on Monday morning explaining why three Democrat-controlled cities have been designated “anarchist jurisdictions.”

The DOJ identified the cities as being cities that permitted extremist violence and destruction of property to continue while taking action to stop the criminal acts. The department designated New York City, Portland, and Seattle as being “anarchist jurisdictions.”

The DOJ released the following criteria for evaluating whether a U.S. city is a “anarchist jurisdiction”:

Whether a jurisdiction forbids the police force from intervening to restore order amid widespread or sustained violence or destruction.
Whether a jurisdiction has withdrawn law enforcement protection from a geographical area or structure that law enforcement officers are lawfully entitled to access but have been officially prevented from accessing or permitted to access only in exceptional circumstances, except when law enforcement officers are briefly withheld as a tactical decision intended to resolve safely and expeditiously a specific and ongoing unlawful incident posing an imminent threat to the safety of individuals or law enforcement officers.
Whether a jurisdiction disempowers or defunds police departments.
Whether a jurisdiction unreasonably refuses to accept offers of law enforcement assistance from the Federal Government.
Any other related factors the Attorney General deems appropriate.

The Department then released information on the three cities to receive the designation of being an “anarchist jurisdiction.”

New York City:

Shootings in New York City have been on the rise since looting and protests began on or about May 28, 2020. For July 2020, shootings increased from 88 to 244, an increase of 177% over July 2019. In August 2020, shootings increased from 91 to 242, a 166% increase over August 2019.
While the city faced increased unrest, gun violence, and property damage, the New York City Council cut $1 billion from NYPD’s FY21 budget.
The budget resulted in the cancellation of the new police recruiting class, cuts to overtime spending, and the transfer of certain police functions, including school safety, out of the NYPD.
Meanwhile, the Manhattan and Brooklyn District Attorneys have declined to prosecute charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly arising from the protests, and the District Attorneys in Queens and the Bronx have declined to prosecute other protest-related charges.
Both Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo have forcefully rejected federal law enforcement support.

Portland:

This month, Portland marked 100 consecutive nights of protests marred by vandalism, chaos, and even killing.
Those bent on violence regularly started fires, threw projectiles at law enforcement officers, and destroyed property. Numerous law enforcement officers, among others, suffered injury.
Shootings increased by more than 140% in June and July 2020 compared to the same period last year.
In the midst of this violence, the Portland City Council cut $15 million from the police bureau, eliminating 84 positions. Crucially, the cuts included the Gun Violence Reduction Team, which investigates shootings, and several positions from the police team that responds to emergency incidents.
In August, Portland Mayor Wheeler sent a letter to President Trump expressly rejecting the Administration’s offer of federal law enforcement to stop the violent protests.

Seattle:

For nearly a month, starting in June, the City of Seattle permitted anarchists and activists to seize six square blocks of the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, naming their new enclave the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ) and then the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” (CHOP).
Law enforcement and fire fighters were precluded from entering the territory. The Seattle Police Department was ordered to abandon their precinct within the CHOP.
Person-related crime in the CHOP increased 525% from the same period of time in the same area the year before, including by Mayor Durkan’s own count “two additional homicides, 6 additional robberies, and 16 additional aggravated assaults (to include 2 additional non-fatal shootings).”
The CHOP was allowed to stand for nearly a month, during which time two teenagers were shot and killed in the zone.
The Seattle City Council, Mayor Durkan, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee publicly rejected federal involvement in law enforcement activities within the city of Seattle.

“When state and local leaders impede their own law enforcement officers and agencies from doing their jobs, it endangers innocent citizens who deserve to be protected, including those who are trying to peacefully assemble and protest,” Attorney General William Barr said in a statement. “We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance. It is my hope that the cities identified by the Department of Justice today will reverse course and become serious about performing the basic function of government and start protecting their own citizens.”

jfc things are going to get a lot worse in the next month and a half

Speaking of CHAZ/CHOP, another internal investigation concluded last week that the cop who directly pepper-sprayed a seven-year-old in the face should face no censure,as this action was "lawful and proper," and in line with policy.

(A stringer for the New York Daily News covered this within hours; the NYT has yet to weigh in on how this makes the child look bad.)

finally, i've been waiting my whole life to live in an anarchist jurisdiction

I'm genuinely shocked Chicago isn't on the list, considering how much Lightfoot and Pritzker pushed back against his bs.

how do you imagine it playing out differently?

― the unappreciated charisma of cows (Aimless), Monday, September 21, 2020 3:53 PM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

people blame the government when the government shuts down. people think the president and his party are the government (they're not wrong). therefore the republicans will get the blame.

(i agree pelosi will fold.)

Previous shutdown polling, make of it what you will
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/18/americans-view-this-shutdown-much-as-they-did-past-ones-negatively-and-with-much-anxiety/

if people think the parties are equally to blame then that's bad news for the party with ~8 incumbent senators in close elections, and good news for the party with ~1 incumbent senator who will lose whatever happens.

there won't be a shutdown before the election btw. the republicans are unfortunately not stupid enough.

Gauntlet: thrown!

from the Ilhan interview:

Have any of your Republican colleagues ever reached out, publicly or privately, and said the use of violent imagery or language toward you is not OK?

No. There are really no dissenters. We have now had a few death threats that have been very publicized where people have been arrested and are incarcerated for it. I can’t remember a public statement or private comment of support.

Really? No Republican member of the House or Senate has ever offered any words of support?

Nope.

was Marchese really expecting a different answer here

Well, no, the point is to get the source on the record.

FEINSTEIN on ending filibuster and expanding SCOTUS: “I don't believe in doing that. I think the filibuster serves a purpose. It is not often used, it's often less used now than when I first came, and I think it's part of the Senate that differentiates itself.” ht @DanielPFlatley

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) September 21, 2020

Fuck her forever

If Biden/Kamala win, hope they get Barbara Boxer out of cold storage.

She needs to be put down.

Re Lincoln Project, they are convincing to me on the issues they address with specificity re Trump. even tho I do know there’s little overlap with me on the majority of shit that makes me see myself as libleft. Their stuff seems legit aimed at GOP low info ppl when i read or hear it. but long pieces like the one about “why we MUST overturn the senate to keep usa safe” are sufficient. they get nowhere near an endstate i want because they do not fuck with endstates. they want trump and the current bunch of fuckwit courtiers dead. seems legit til i see probs.

POLITICO:
President Donald Trump said Monday he was furious with Republicans in Washington for not doing enough to take up his unsubstantiated claims about former Obama administration officials and Hunter Biden.

“Does anything happen? Nothing happens,” Trump said at an event in Dayton, Ohio. “I’m so angry at Republicans. I am. I’m so angry. I am so angry, but a lot of things are happening.”

Wikipedia: Trump's political party affiliation has changed numerous times. He registered as a Republican in Manhattan in 1987, switched to the Reform Party in 1999, the Democratic Party in 2001, and back to the Republican Party in 2009.

So he went back to the Democratic Party for several years, and yet feels fully qualified to call the Never-Trumpers "RINOs."

Truck question. He was always a republican

Not sure which thread this fits best on, but... Mueller investigation was toothless from the off

In some ways Weissmann's book is written more clearly than Mueller report. It builds up to the climax of learning that Manafort gave Kilimnik (a Russian intel agent, per SSCI) campaign strategy/polling & Kilimnik seeking a wink from Trump that Russia could take eastern Ukraine./2 pic.twitter.com/opC9IAi1mR

— Charlie Savage (@charlie_savage) September 21, 2020

Comic relief from Canada: a London rep theatre about 40 minutes from me--they've turned their parking lot into a drive-in; they still play films inside--is screening all the debates out back.

http://www.hylandcinema.com/movieshowtime/presidential-debates-package-october-7th-2020-at-900-pm#signup-form

I can't stand this fucker, but good on him

ALLAHASSEE — A group trying to help felons sign up to vote in Florida says it has raised more than $20 million to pay off outstanding court debts for thousands of former prisoners seeking to register in a battleground state crucial to President Donald Trump's reelection.

Billionaire and former presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg is among those who have helped with a surge in fundraising for the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition in the 10 days since a federal appeals court upheld registration restrictions put in place by the state’s felon voting law. The group had just recently crossed the $5 million mark but the help from Bloomberg and others — including entertainers such as John Legend — pushed them to their latest milestone. Florida's registration deadline is in less than two weeks.

"The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy and no American should be denied that right,” Bloomberg said in a statement. “Working together with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, we are determined to end disenfranchisement and the discrimination that has always driven it.”

Bloomberg’s decision to funnel money into paying off court debts came shortly after he also pledged to spend $100 million to help defeat Trump in Florida. Trump narrowly won the state with less than 113,000 votes four years ago and both Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden are in a push to find any advantage that helps them in the margins.

Florida’s voter registration deadline is Oct. 5 and as many as 775,000 felons may have outstanding court debts — which include fines, fees and restitution — that preclude them from registering under the law passed last year by the Republican-controlled state Legislature.

Neil Volz, the coalition’s deputy director, said the group had already paid off fines and fees for nearly 5,000 people so far and averaged to about $1,000 per person. He said that the average could drop because “our goal is to help as many people as fast as possible” but he said the infusion of new help could lead to 20,000 people having their legal financial obligations paid off.

Bloomberg bringing sharia law to Florida already I see

lol

he needs to spend another $100 million on restitution

Finally, Bloomberg justifies his existence. Temporarily.

That Bloomberg story is genuinely good. Almost makes me want to drop him out of a two-story window instead of a twenty-story window.

Ive never understood why ex-convicts aren't allowed to vote in the first place. After you've served your sentence, you've repaid your debt to society and should have voting rights reinstated. Nowhere does the Constitution allow this permanent loss of suffrage as a lifelong punishment.

Also: Florida designed the court fees/fines as a way to fund the court system... sounds like a tax to me. Thus, a poll tax.

Racism is the short answer

it's funny how when you, say, attack a beloved right wing figure who served time for something serious like rape or murder, right wingers will scream "he's paid his dues, leave him alone" even when nobody's talking, but when it's a minority or a leeburul, nope, that shit's forever, doesn't ever wash off.

Racism is the short answer

― rob, Tuesday, September 22, 2020 9:40 PM (thirty-six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

The state with the prettiest name!