US Politics, March 2023: "We want our own safe space, and we deserve it"

^^Sounds like what Colin Firth introduced himself as in the first Kingsman movie.

the organization FIRE seems to be hinting that it's ready to start suing once HB 999 passes, and is trying to get in touch with educators in advance. also suggesting they disobey the laws.

I have my problems with FIRE, but in 2023 I feel like FDR lusting to get Stalin on my side.

xpost (I hope the 8 year old is the polyamorous anarchist)

I went to high school with Greg Luki4noff, ama

Would be wary of assuming they’re too incompetent to effectively purge higher education on ideological grounds. It seems they’re following the model established in Hungary and it was effective enough there.

500K fascist followers (minus the two dozen people who report on him for a living and a couple thousand who prefer to know the enemy)

We’re still assuming any of the statistics on Twitter represent actual individual human beings?

Not sure if the coverage was posted here of the Israeli firm that creates botnets where one actual person can control something on the order of tens of thousands of distinctive genuine seeming fake accounts on social media? It was all over the Grauniad for a few days but I can dig up a link on request.

but elon promised to get rid of the bots

he actually meant butts

and yet the butts remain. we've been lied to

CPAC 2023 begins with Matt Schlapp describing Jim Jordan as possibly "the most powerful man in Washington DC" lol pic.twitter.com/h4EmLf7HtL

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 2, 2023

man, Jim Jordan has a type, doesn't he

Truer words were never spoken (typed).

when a rightwing reactionary is trying to “trigger” people with a post it’s because they are deeply insecure. the only way to counter them isn’t with logic, but to dig into their insecurities and bully them relentlessly over it

— pudding person (@JUNlPER) March 1, 2023

BREAKING: Gov. Bill Lee has signed a bill banning transgender care for those under 18 and a bill to potentially criminalize drag shows.@WKRN #TNLeg23 pic.twitter.com/8BS7jvQRzx

— Chris O’Brien (@THEChrisOB) March 2, 2023

Good times here, good times.

UPDATE — INBOX: NASHVILLE folks tell us they took down the NAZI SIGN hung on the Chestnut St. bridge, which thanked @GovBillLee for “tirelessly working to fight trannies and fags” adding “we must secure a future for white children”.

How proud you must be, Guv. pic.twitter.com/s8tXmLuQWG

— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) March 2, 2023

I used to feel generally warm toward Tennessee despite its abundant problems — every place has problems — but that is not the case any more. There are people, places and things I love here, but this hard right Christian police state shit is so pernicious and exhausting. And also just dumb, so many stupid and mean people in positions of power.

I’m sorry man. It’s pretty grim. I feel like this if officially A Thing now, that the worst, stupidest most cynical people are in power. In some places it’s worse than others though and Tennessee is right up there.

i'm long overdue to resume donating to ACLU, but now have to decide which chapter given how many states are fucked up.

really sorry tipsy - this country is Hell right now.

BREAKING: Taking away the freedom of families of trans youth to seek critical healthcare, Gov. Lee has signed into law a ban on all forms of gender-affirming care for trans people under 18.

We will not allow this dangerous law to stand.

Our statement: https://t.co/HHbv5oLNje

— ACLU of Tennessee (@aclutn) March 2, 2023

one of the 2024 GOP front-runners who isn't trump or desantis

Nikki Haley: "Wokeness is a virus more dangerous than any pandemic, hands down" pic.twitter.com/YPRrxQ4P6a

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 3, 2023

even the "moderates" are completely off the deep end. what a fucking horrible thing for her to say

lol "America isn't perfect, but our ideals are perfect."

"Ideally, we would be perfect"

I wish just once one of these bozos would define exactly what they mean by "wokeness." I know the Florida AG's office had to do it court a while back and funny how it didn't actually sound that scary when said out loud.

It's like pornography; they all get aroused when they see it.

.@timkaine is as decent, honorable, selfless soul as you will ever meet. A man with the heart of a servant, who is "woke". @HillaryClinton

— Jennifer Granholm (@JenGranholm) July 23, 2016

nikki haley can't think of anything that is different between her and trump. tim scott is also unable, when asked, to think of what he would do differently than trump. desantis is having great success in exporting his policies for punishing everyone who isn't a straight christian to the rest of the red states, but he's an insufferable prick and doesn't do well on television so is probably doomed. trump is an unsufferable prick but he kind of owns that space, and this morning released a song called "justice for all" which combines himself reading the pledge of allegiance with jan 6 insurrectionists singing the national anthem. he's still the frontrunner.

trump wanted to get pence murdered, and pence can't even talk about it. he is the most pathetic person in this race, which is saying a lot. pompeo is just a giant piece of shit

"Socialism" has taken a back seat to "wokeness" as the bogeyman of the hour. They can't define it, because they don't want to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMypXV1YJfw

Half empty hall for Nikki Haley's CPAC speech pic.twitter.com/LMVp9WQWDf

— Alan Fisher (@AlanFisher) March 3, 2023

^^As Rupar pointed out, Big Trump Energy in those empty seats.

Such pessimism. Half full!

most of her stans are out fighting wokeness, they can't be sitting watching speeches while there are wokesters out woking things up

what's the opposite of woke anyway? Asleeped?

woke up, sheeple.

Only a dozen people were there for Haley's CPAC speech but all of them went on to introduce their own anti-trans bill

I looove that Grace Jones track!

Not that this matters, but it's entertaining:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/11h9x4k/jon_stewart_just_completely_destroyed_republican/

Pull Up To The Trumper

Woking in the Rain?

Nobody Wokes in LA

her woke anthem:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDhSlFhX-98

President Biden had one cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest on Feb. 16, his longtime doctor Kevin C. O’Connor said in a letter Friday. All cancerous tissue was successfully removed, and no further treatment is needed.

A biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma, O’Connor said. The biopsy was performed on the same day as Biden’s annual physical.

Basal cell carcinoma, O’Connor explained, does not tend to spread or metastasize, as other more serious skin cancers like melanoma do.

Per O’Connor, the area of the biopsy has healed nicely and Biden, 80, will continue under dermatologic surveillance as part of his ongoing health care.

O’Connor noted at the time of Biden’s physical that he had several non-melanoma skin cancers removed before assuming the presidency.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/03/biden-skin-cancer/

So Bolsonaro spoke at CPAC today:

well well look who gets a rock star entrance at CPAC pic.twitter.com/3RMax3sosV

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 4, 2023

Wait, what?

(And I realize there’s no shortage of “wait, what?” these days)

CPAC loves any leader who can instigate an insurrection after losing an election.

Why do they love bolsonaro, again? Because he opposes socialism and wanted to be a dictator? And he hates everyone who isn’t a straight Christian?

The WSJ cheered his victory when he won in 2018

i believe you answered your own question

He also wanted to rape the earth so

bolsonaro is strong! bolsonaro is brave and powerful! the people need a king!!

Trump/Bolsonaro '24

I know there’s a thread for it, but jfc the anti-trans stuff that’s moving through OK and AR right now is so fucked and enraging.

This also happened at CPAC:

“Transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely.”

These words were in a speech by a major right wing figure at a national conservative conference.

It’s a straight up call for genocide. That’s what this fight is about. They want us gone. pic.twitter.com/HHFyjbCejg

— Senator Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) March 4, 2023

The speaker is a Daily Wire Chud named Michael Knowles.

nazi shit getting applause and laughter from a bunch of fucking assholes

What if Joe tells them to go ahead and pass the bill, then he signs it and sends Obama out to assassinate all of his enemies and pardons him.

Bill Clinton says pass that bill!

That statue thing reminds me when Ashcroft got curtains to cover lady liberties boobs.

strip state and local prosecutors of the authority to prosecute former presidents

this is so cool! every ex-president could have a second career as an superhero avenger, traveling the land, killing bad people for a grateful nation, or in the case of Donald Trump, beating up children for their lunch money.

you're really only get to do white collar crimes because the secret service follows you around all the time

could go hunting and "accidentally" shoot your hunting partner in the face, though

Or invade a country

Honey, I Accidentally Invaded the Marshall Islands!

yeah two death squads of the ex prezs of each party, out hunting political enemies, that is the dystopia flick i'm not waiting for.

hey look not everything can be John Wick

Ballistic: Ex vs. Ex

Well we can surely say that the trio of noble republicans certainly love the Dear Leader, what an example they set!

https://reductress.com/post/quiz-is-he-criticizing-biden-in-a-republican-way-or-in-a-cool-way/

so right now, there is a separate federal case in Washington also involving mifepristone, and being discussed is there's a very real, sizable chance that the judge in Washington and Kacsmaryk in Texas issue federal rulings that directly contradict each other regarding the approval of mifepristone. Which would have to be ironed out in higher court.

but unlike the Kacsmaryk hearing, a hearing happened yesterday, and there's been little to no news about it.

FBI sources inside the Proud Boys -- including one who testified yesterday that he went in the Capitol on Jan. 6 and has never been charged -- say FBI agents never actually asked them for information on the Proud Boys https://t.co/DCz0k7L7F0

— Rachel Weiner (@rachelweinerwp) March 30, 2023

Thee Oh Sees "The Dream"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mZqGxkYOFY

Just like Mötley Crüe's "Kickstart My Heart".

WRONG THREAD. HI DERE.

IS IT?

what thread did you mean to post that in? that ocs album is my making chili music for some reason

I'm not sure how many of you have been paying attention to the Chicago mayoral race, but there's a non-zero chance that the city elects a MAGA Republican from Naperville masquerading as a Chicago Democrat.

He's been pretty shifty and pro-cop from the start, but the mask has fully fallen off in the past weeks - turns out Betsy DeVos is among his biggest donors, lots of language about chasing "these thugs" off the streets and rumblings at a recent event about election fraud and not accepting the results.

Anyway, if you know folks in Chicago who are saying they might not vote, please encourage them to show up and vote for Brandon Johnson.

I've been following it. I have to earnestly say, good luck Chicago

It's just been depressing to watch play out and gives lie to the whole "I don't get involved because I live in a comfortably blue X" idea. Also discouraged by how many people I know irl that are buying his crime bullshit.

He's not exactly a Maga republican, afaict, but he has no problem taking their money/endorsements, so fuck him all the same.

My daughter saw a relatively chill Let's Go Brandon bumper sticker and asked if it was anti Biden or cheekily pro Johnson. No idea!

Biden tweeted about Transgender Day of Visibility and the replies are basically a huge group of Twitter-blue-subscribers-to-block all lined up for you

He probably would never self-identify as a MAGA Republican, but if his talking points are all pulled from the MAGA playbook, he's comfortable taking MAGA money and getting them to stump for him, there's really no meaningful difference imo. He's awful either way.

It’s a bummer how much of the Chicago media/candidates go on about crime, and yet I don’t hear that much about fixing the CTA—despite how hellish it’s become, and how many people it affects daily. I guess that’s a boring discussion in comparison to the "urban chaos" drumbeat.

a MAGA Republican from Naperville masquerading as a Chicago Democrat.

Palos Hills iirc, hence the popular nickname "Palos Paul"

Fucking Florida.

Police just handcuffed & arrested protesters including ⁦@NikkiFried⁩ & ⁦@LeaderBookFL⁩ pic.twitter.com/NCdqHJxmcx

— Gary Fineout (@fineout) April 4, 2023

We need a new monthly thread, who's got a title?

Let’s go with Alfred’s suggestion

US Politics, April 2023: Fucking Florida