BURNPIT: U.S. Politics, August 2022

sorry. that "disproportionate" is a jarringly false note in an otherwise tepid hot take.

oh i know it's just like, people at WAPO doing the weebay face while looking at data makes me lol

is there a better explanation for pelosi choosing to go to taiwan, right now other than that she's doing it for her own prestige, given the strong possibility that she won't be speaker* after the mid-term? is there a diplomatic objective, greater business cooperation in southeast asia, trade, whatever, that's really pressing? is there some other reason? or does she just want a legacy international capstone project or something?

*side issue: if the GOP takes the house, of course she's out, but what are the chances of her being forced to step down if the Democrats hold the house?

and yes, i know china fucking blows, i know i know

She's been a China hawk her entire career.

chinese dissident communities also have no idea why she is doing this fwiw

I strongly doubt it was a decision made independent of the white house

pretty much the only support i've seen is from senate republicans. everyone else is just kind of like "??". her op-ed in the washpost explaining why she's going doesn't really shed much light, either. here's a "gift" link that should work: https://wapo.st/3cVzrLu

Maybe she's heavily invested in the Taiwan semiconductor sector.

Emotionally I mean, definitely not with her $180 million personal fortune.

xp moodles

i'm not sure about that! i haven't seen anyone in the white house offer much support. if anything they've just been offering apologies to China, since before it happened:

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The White House worked urgently to de-escalate tensions with China as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met Wednesday with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and other officials during a high-profile visit to the self-governing island against the administration’s wishes, hoping to head off a geopolitical crisis amid threats and military maneuvers by Beijing.

White House officials warned that China is preparing itself for possible aggressive actions in response to Pelosi’s visit beyond this week, and they reiterated forcefully that the Chinese Communist Party should not use the visit as a pretext to increase military activity in and around the Taiwan Strait.

...
Virtually all the senior members of President Biden’s national security team have privately expressed deep reservations about the trip and its timing, said a White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. They are especially concerned because U.S.-China tensions are already high, and Washington is seeking China’s cooperation on the war in Ukraine and other matters.

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, spoke with his Chinese counterpart to defend Pelosi’s right to visit — as did other high-ranking officials — but even so did not think the trip was a good idea, the White House official said. Sullivan expressed concerns about Pelosi’s trip to multiple administration officials and asked for suggestions on how to dissuade her from traveling to Taiwan.

That statement could be part of their pantomime. If the White House didn't want her to go, it could've stopped her.

i feel like reality and politics is rapidly approaching a tipping point where the politician walks up to the podium and says "Good evening", and everyone in the crowd is like "wait what's THAT supposed to mean?"

Trump grounded her a couple of years ago, didn't he?

I'd never seen that clip of Pelosi unfurling a flag in protest in Tiananmen Square some years back before:

28 years ago, we traveled to Tiananmen Square to honor the courage & sacrifice of the students, workers & ordinary citizens who stood for the dignity & human rights that all people deserve. To this day, we remain committed to sharing their story with the world. #Tiananmen30 pic.twitter.com/7UqiJVRS3t

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 4, 2019

Clearly this has been a passion of hers for a while, and for this and other reasons clearly China is no fan of her, specifically. As to why now? Who knows.

as milo pointed out, she has looooong been a China hawk.

My eyes bled: https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/08/pelosis-courageous-trip-to-taiwan/

Oh fer fun!

In an ad for his daughter's campaign, Dick Cheney says that in our nation's history there has never been an individual that's been a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.

"He is a coward. A real man wouldn't lie to his supporters." pic.twitter.com/ZB5cfYy86z

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) August 4, 2022

WHY WON'T HE DIE

Never! Cheneys don't die.

as milo pointed out, she has looooong been a China hawk.

She represents San Francisco & Chinatown.. I've seen more than a couple nationalist flags flying in Chinatown

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday suspended Tampa's elected prosecutor, Andrew Warren, for pledging not to use his office to go after people who seek and provide abortions or on doctors that provide gender affirming care to transgender people.

Fox keeping it Fair and Balanced, after checking w Gov. Orban:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspends 'Soros-backed' state attorney who refused to enforce abortion ban

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/florida-gov-ron-desantis-suspends-liberal-state-attorney-andrew-warren

doctors that provide gender affirming care to transgender people.

Tell me again how Peter Meijer was a moderate who cared about democracy... https://t.co/KL9YXfE7Rl

— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) August 4, 2022

That is aggressively missing the point about why Democrats shouldn't pour money into backing the Even Greater Evil.

Yeah, I agree with you, they're all assholes, which I thought was the point of that tweet.

Yes. Full agreement on that. This kind of politicking is a dumb person's idea of smart politicking.

Raising Arizona

Republican ‘doomsday ticket’ ready for November

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly/2022/08/03/republican-doomsday-ticket-ready-for-november-00049722?nname=politico-nightly&nid=00000170-c000-da87-af78-e185fa700000&nrid=00000172-4d9a-d3ba-a9f3-6f9e04a20000&nlid=2670445

Instead of inflation or education any of the other “traditional campaign issues that candidates normally discuss,” Barnes said, Democrats in Arizona this fall “get to talk about the Trump candidates. They get to talk about running against Donald Trump.”

It might be enough to keep Trump’s class of Arizona Republicans from ever taking office. On the other hand, the environment is so good for the GOP nationally this year that some or all of them may win.

Citation needed. There are no positive signs for the Republicans that I can see beyond "the out party always wins in midterm elections," with less than a century's worth of evidentiary support for "always." Things "always" happen until they stop happening, and the Republicans are doing as good a job of tying their own shoelaces together as possible between these insane candidates, the anti-abortion shit, and on and on. It might be close, but I would not bet against the Democrats barely holding the House, and gaining in the Senate.

Economic uncertainty, 9% inflation and sub-40% Presidential approval are very much a 'good environment' for the non-governing party.

It often is.

Feel like normal factors don’t really apply anymore especially given the outcome of that Kansas abortion referendum

Rs will almost certainly take the House but they could actually lose Senate seats thanks to the morons they’re running out there

Breaking: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema will support the Democrats’ economic bill, she said in a statement tonight. This is the clearest sign yet that Democrats will have 50 votes and be able to pass it by the end of the weekend.

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) August 5, 2022

Feel like normal factors don’t really apply anymore especially given the outcome of that Kansas abortion referendum

This is what I'm saying. January 6, the abortion decision, and even more localized shit like right-wing maniacs shutting down libraries because there are books about gay people in them...there are a lot of factors causing people to not trust the Republican party the way they might have in the past.

Yeah, remember "I'm not a witch," "legitimate rape," and so on: sometimes they blow it, even in an advantageous year.

IN state Rep. Davisson (R) argues for requiring forced birth of non-viable fetuses.

Asked what he would tell children of a mother going through pregnancy resulting in stillbirth: "[None] of us are guaranteed tomorrow. We must accept death as a consequence of life." pic.twitter.com/cAUEDEOZ8n

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) August 4, 2022

deeeeeeeeath cult

Fort Wayne seemed like a nice little city when I had to stay there for a week - an actual downtown of sorts, with a baseball stadium even, some good looking early 20th century houses that were still cheap... too bad about Indiana in general.

Good Burmese food, from what I hear.

Sinema got them to take out carried interest. Tbh I think they put it in so she could take it out.

Good Burmese food, from what I hear.

― jaymc, Thursday, August 4, 2022 10:14 PM (n

lol

lots of links:

Detroit Primary Likely Means No Black Representation For First Time Since 1955

...Many people are pointing to a redistricting decision that blended Detroit’s 80% Black population with the suburbs surrounding the city. The Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission paved the way for new House and legislative maps, which will remain intact for ten years.

In January, an ensemble of former and current Black Detroit lawmakers filed suit over the redrawn districts, claiming they lessen the voting power of African Americans in the state. However, the concern is not limited to congressional representation. Given the results of state legislative races, the Detroit Press notes Black representation will fall below the 20 currently serving.

https://www.theroot.com/detroit-primary-likely-means-no-black-representation-fo-1849371062

Hello I would like to share with you the most astonishing thing I have ever seen

At this CPAC booth you receive a silent disco headset that plays harrowing testimony from people arrested for participating in J6

Instead of dancing, you stand around and watch this guy cry pic.twitter.com/cin6F5zDhz

— Laura Jedeed (@LauraJedeed) August 5, 2022

Oh yeah that's actually one of the convicted. The judge sentenced him to Life at CPAC.

— Wendle™ (@AstroDog19) August 5, 2022

Talk about a crisis actor.

tbf, the American justice system is overly cruel

Is there another cage with immigrant children crying inside to cheer the c-packers up again after they experience this bummer of a booth?

It is! They're really indicting most of the wrong things, here.

Turns out if you're planning to protest, you should understand exactly what you're protesting, where you are going to go (and not go), what you might be arrested for and charged with -- correctly or incorrectly, given the laws -- and what you're going to do to make bail or retain counsel. Or just be a dipshit and do a half-assed coup which means no bail or very high bail, I guess.

sorry, that was a xp

I mean, if jailing insurrectionists leads to a bipartisan push for across-the-board sentencing reductions, I'm all for it

spoiler: it will not