God Has Abandoned Us: U.S. Politics November 2023

OmicRon iirc

Hell I'm pretty sure a legalize-weed referendum would pass in Tennessee if it could get to the ballot. But our legislature did away with citizen-initiated referendums, they can only come through the Legislature.

Jaw-dropped at some of the Gen Z turnout rates from last night's election compared to 2021.

—Temple University: 523% HIGHER
—Penn State: 300% HIGHER
—College of William & Mary: 128% HIGHER

interesting if true

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/fox-friends-struggles-to-explain-abortion-rights-election-results-a-majority-of-americans-dont-like-the-rape-and-incest-thing/

are state dems running on a legalize marijuana platform in texas? or do they hate winning?

That Mediaite clip, I almost never see anything from Fox News but when I do I'm always surprised at how shoddy and amateurish it seems compared to CNN or network news. All goes to the exceedingly low bar in conservative media, where ideological commitment matters more than any form of competence.

Law-enforcement and penal system stanning is the big hurdle to weed legalization in Texas.

are state dems running on a legalize marijuana platform in texas? or do they hate winning?

https://www.texasdemocrats.org/media/media/release-take-texas-higher-its-time-to-legalize-marijuana

Texas Democrats don't hate winning, Texas voters hate Democrats

Voters outside urban areas.

Georgia authorized medical use a couple years ago but the implementation is completely fucked up.

TX gop needs a cut taxes with weed initiative i think they'd go for it

Abbott, shitbird that he is, is pretty reasonable when it comes to legalization.

QFT, I was developing some level of anxiety about DeSantis based on his successes and his news coverage until a I saw a clip of him whining at the press, at which point I realized he’s a Bobby Jindal variant

― the new drip king (DJP), Wednesday, November 8, 2023 1:28 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

He’s like an anti-charisma zone

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.c60db0955b7d16d93693c9648a0845ab?rik=9bOz1JUs2iQx3Q&pid=ImgRaw&r=0

If legalization in Texas were put on a ballot it would win by a massive margin, Texans of all political stripes love weed. Don't know that it would help democrats though...

The most interesting bit of the Fox & Friends clip is the part where the female host gets completely fed up with the talking points and baldly states “I’m not putting my 9 year old daughter through that. Sorry.”

Well yeah, she lives in a state with legal abortion. QED.

Well also from her tone of voice and demeanor, she seemed to be 100% fed up with the bullshit and couldn’t parrot the talking points at that moment. It felt like a glimpse of a relatable person, which I seldom if ever get from my limited exposure to Fox & Friends.

Any word on whether Trump has called DeSantis "Puss in Boots" yet? Would be a real failure in childish name calling if he hasn't

i'm assuming that the TX GOP oppose legalization and that it's a layup issue for democracts. is the problem that they can't get it on the ballot? or that the GOP would support it if it actually got on the ballot?

weed is the one thing the GOP has no problem taxing the shit out of

Georgia authorized medical use a couple years ago but the implementation is completely fucked up.

south dakota passed recreational weed several years ago and the governor just scuttled it. i'm surprised to see that there is even medical weed there; I'm not sure where you get it.

I like weed

pretty sad if the big MSO's can't even bribe their way into a legal state

Georgia is apparently about to permit pharmacies to sell medical THC. Well, they are accepting applications, anyway.

Comment I just encountered on a FB thread that had to be shared: “Who’s gonna tell Mike Johnson about his son’s burner phone?”

i'm assuming that the TX GOP oppose legalization and that it's a layup issue for democracts. is the problem that they can't get it on the ballot? or that the GOP would support it if it actually got on the ballot?

The problem is that no one in TX pays attention to the Democrats and what they want/stand for/etc.. The Q rating on statewide candidates who aren't named Beto is zero. It's a catch-22 they need the platform to win but they'd need to pull off a miracle win in a statewide race (or recapture the Lege) to get anyone to pay attention to the platform.

mike johnson will prevail by the power of the lord. tax cuts!

Additionally, Texas doesn't have citizen referendums. This week we voted on 14 Constitutional amendments, but those come from the legislature, which is controlled by the GOP. So neither Texas Democratic voters nor the Texas Democratic Party have any means of getting something like marijuana legalization "on the ballot" until they control the legislature.

ah. Thank you Milo and f hazel.

I almost never see anything from Fox News but when I do I'm always surprised at how shoddy and amateurish it seems compared to CNN

I don't know if everyone's like this, but whenever I see a clip of Judge Jeanine ranting on that Fox roundtable (muted), she is almost compulsively talking to and looking at the camera rather than the people with whom she is ostensibly speaking. I find it super distracting.

Curious to see if this D.C.-area brothel bust goes anywhere:

The Justice Department said it is investigating numerous people who may have paid for sex, including “politicians, high tech and pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors that possess security clearances, professors, lawyers, scientists and accountants.”

Or if it the investigation just disappears

Be great if Johnson was the first one on that list.

J.D. Vance got the memo I guess. But a federal 15-week ban is a loser from both ends of the spectrum.

J.D. Vance, the Ohio GOP senator, says Republicans need to shift their approach on abortion and begin to embrace federal legislation -- namely a 15-week ban with exceptions.

"We can't give into the idea that the federal Congress has no role in this matter," he told us

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 8, 2023

"my constituents overwhelming voted to support the right to safe abortion, so it's time for Congress to embrace a federal ban"

yeah, that's how politics work, good luck with that

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Street_scandal

The lesser bans used to poll well but I wonder if people have been radicalized against them completely because of the GOP's insanity and open desire to roll on toward banning birth control and such.

overturn of Roe vs Wade was a really shocking catalyst... very much a 'dog catches car' moment for the GOP

Ohohoho, this is rich:

After a particularly disappointing night of election results for Republicans, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) lamented “pure democracies,” where major decisions are left up to voters rather than their elected officials.

“Thank goodness that most of the states in this country don’t allow you to put everything on the ballot, because pure democracies are not the way to run a country,” Santorum said Tuesday night on Newsmax.

“You put very sexy things like abortion and marijuana on the ballot, and a lot of young people come out and vote,” Santorum said.

Nothing sexier than an illegal abortion, eh Rick?

as sexy as a Donna Summer 12"

re: Ned's weed map above (which is excellent btw)

https://preview.redd.it/5ed97mut16zb1.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=9f2077c870709542b02242c1fbeb2313850a6e08

In a weird way I sort of agree with old Rick, based on what California's ballot initiative process has become... big money interests can afford to collect signatures, and pretty soon we're voting on 'sexy' things like physician staffing at dialysis clinics, or whether ambulance drivers get paid for lunch breaks (these are actual thing we've seen the last few cycles), things that really belong in the regulatory part of gov't

But god forbid the actual voters go behind JD Vance's back to pass this stuff, am i right?

J.D. Vance got the memo I guess. But a federal 15-week ban is a loser from both ends of the spectrum.

it lost virginia last night

I think citizen referendums are like any other part of our system, they can be used or abused for good, bad or weird interests. But living in a state that doesn't allow them, I wish we did.

Influential Republicans are circulating polling and focus groups that show their abortion message is failing badly. And that voters now believe "pro-life" means banning all abortions without exception... which they're pleading with candidates to combat.https://t.co/J1iLOEV58P

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) November 8, 2023

Good job, GOP!

Turns out that’s what pro life actually means to these people who knew

Maybe if only all those states hadn't completely totally banned abortion people wouldn't think you wanted to completely totally ban abortion idk.

Leave my Daughter out of your Voice sounds like the title of a Julia Holter album

Who hasn’t tried to ban abortion without exception - lord knows i have