U.S. Politics, November 2022: “I don’t know, you hear the same things I do”

Haley/Gabbard 2024

Good news:

The Senate on Wednesday took a crucial step toward passing landmark legislation to provide federal protections for same-sex marriages, as 12 Republicans joined Democrats to advance the Respect for Marriage Act, putting it on track to become law in the twilight of the Democratic-held Congress.

The 62-37 vote, which came only days after the midterm elections in which Democrats retained control of the Senate but were on track to lose the House to Republicans, was a rare and notable last gasp of bipartisanship by a lame duck Congress as lawmakers looked toward an era of political gridlock in a divided Washington.

It also signaled a remarkable shift in American politics and culture, demonstrating how same-sex marriage, once a politically divisive issue, has been so widely accepted in society that a law to protect the rights of same-sex couples across the country could gain decisive, bipartisan majorities in both the Senate and the House. Last summer, 47 House Republicans joined Democrats to pass a version of the bill.

Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, said that passage of the legislation, now expected after Thanksgiving, would be “one of the true highlights of the year for this body” and “one of the more significant accomplishments of this Senate to date.”

Speaking on the Senate floor, Mr. Schumer noted that his daughter and her wife were expecting a baby in the spring and he wanted “them, and every one in a loving relationship, to live without the fear that their rights could one day be stripped away.”

Didn't know Schumer's daughter was gay.

Wow.

Current status of the Republican civil war: confused skirmishes over control of vital "overpriced DC steakhouse" territory pic.twitter.com/chQGZFddpb

— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) November 16, 2022

Morton's has a good burger iirc

compensates for the cocktail called the Mortini.

During the vote, Baldwin barely stepped more than three feet away from the clerk’s desk. Sinema split her time between the GOP cloakroom and the floor, where she closely watched the tally. Collins at one point joked to Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) after he voted no: “you could have surprised everybody!”

Such a happy place, such comity/comedy!

why was sinema interested in the GOP cloakroom?

Meanwhile, under the "X" in Texas:

Texas Republicans this week pre-filed several bills ahead of the state’s next legislative session in January, teeing up efforts to ban gender-affirming health care for transgender youth and subject drag performances to the same rigorous standards as nightclubs and bars...

As one who spends a fair amount of time in nightclubs and bars, I'm curious to find out what they mean by 'rigorous standards'.. the shitholes I visit barely mop the bathroom once a month

why was sinema interested in the GOP cloakroom?

that's where her pinot grigio is hidden

xp - I don't think they mean those "rigorous standards" as much as informally deputizing every MAGA clown in the state to walk into bars and clubs to report "violations"

Okay, here are the deets:

Another measure introduced Monday by state Rep. Jared Patterson (R) seeks to classify any business that hosts a drag performance as a “sexually oriented businesses” under state law, meaning that patrons younger than 18 years old would be barred from the premises.

Those who violate the bill’s provisions will be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, on par with vehicle burglary and punishable by up to a year of county jail time and a fine of up to $4,000.

JFC, what about Dame Edna shows?

They're looking to criminalize drag shows for people under 18 in Tennessee too. The proposed law defines it as shows with male or female impersonators that "appeal to a prurient interest" — which is obviously weird because while drag shows can be bawdy, they certainly aren't all, and I can only imagine that things like Drag Queen Storyhour and Drag Queen Brunch are not. (Also there's the conflation of drag with trans, which aren't the same thing, etc.) Anyway, the moral panic is in full force.

Lotta libraries about to be classified "sexually oriented businesses" for hosting drag story hours. JFC

There was an especially dumb freak-out in Chattanooga, where a video from an all-ages drag show circulated and there was a three-second clip where a little girl approached a performer dressed as Ariel and reached out a hand to touch the sequin scales on her dress. The Moms for Liberty crowd was in uproar saying the girl had been encouraged to touch the performer's genital area, which was so clearly not at all what happened. And THEN it came out that that performer wasn't even in drag, it was a woman dressed as Ariel who was part of the troupe.

My friend makes these pins that have flaming pitchforks on them that say THE MORAL PANIC IS ABOUT ME and tbh it is life-affirming, even tho I am not trans, just a crazy leftist fag

Come on, that's not Walker's voice, it's a joke video

― Brad C., Wednesday, November 16, 2022 5:00 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

another angle

An extended anecdote from Herschel Walker on the trail today about vampires and werewolves:

“Vampires are cool people, are they not?”

“A werewolf can kill a vampire, did you know that? I never knew that. So I don’t want to be a vampire anymore, I want to be a werewolf.” 🧛🏼‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/xpids7oTbW

— Dylan Wells (@dylanewells) November 16, 2022

attending a drag show at Finocchio's in San Francisco was just a tourist thing back in the 40s/50s/60s, like going to the Hard Rock Cafe or something

Now it would be considered an indoctrination session lol

^true

Drag brunch is popular in Miami. I never saw one child besides bachelors and bachelorettes discovering the horrors of mimosas.

The fucked thing about drag shows is you have THAT legislation, but in Orlando, people comfortably bring kids into drag shows. Hamburger Mary's has a drag brunch every Sunday or used to at least. Ginger Minj used to be part of it.

Fucking christofascists

Also the conflation between what's ostensibly a fun performance (drag shows) with the people's actual lives (trans rights).. like it's all the same thing

So are the dudes who wear the minnie mouse costumes at disneyworld “in drag” or

Hopefully White Chicks will finally get banned

xp well now I don't know what to think about Walker's position on vampires

Morton's? Fuck that noise.

It's the Palm or Charlie Palmer or ChopHouse.

If I can't go to Ray's anymore I might as well go to Ruth's Chris or, lord help me, Fogo.

It's official.. GOP owns the House

We have divided government, folks!

Takes two wings to make a tender chicken iirc.

If Trump was impeached twice, then Hunter will be impeached THRICE

Knock three times etc.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Karen Bass has defeated billionaire developer Rick Caruso to become the first Black woman mayor of Los Angeles. https://t.co/FPtcXzHlsA pic.twitter.com/vryYKgzr93

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 17, 2022

he burned $100m of his own money!

loved it when Caruso said he wasn't just white, he was Italian which is Latin, which we all know is just one letter away from...

imagine what $100 million could've done for the LA homeless community

so happy Bass won!

Especially since it wasn't even close. Kinda great.

Anyway now it'll be time for another Congressional election uh wait hold on

(Or did she give up her seat already?)

[WA-03 loser] Kent suffered from a similar sort of insularity. He attacked sports fans, suggesting it’s not masculine for men to “watch other men compete in a silly game,” a view common in corners of the alt-right but unintelligible to normies.

lol, lmao

he was Italian which is Latin, which we all know is just one letter away from...

ATLien?

Latin, which we all know is just one letter away from...

lapin, ñ'est pas?

it also looks like Katie Porter won CA-47!

!

nice

Be nice if the Deep State could bump off 7 elderly Republicans in January.

we should call them

lag∞n, I appoint you to call them.

cool does anyone have contacts in the illuminati

Why don't we drop this subject...it's one thing to engage in badinage with these youngsters, but this sort of thing could be so easily misunderstood.

can we do jihad

more champagne!