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

or maybe he just doesn't know how public these posts become

Iirc, it was the official account!

Amazingly, Rod Dreher's insane American Conservative column has been entirely funded for the last 12 years by one rich maniac, but said maniac has finally decided ol' Rod is just too weird for him, and is pulling his funding.

Dude giving off Matt Berninger vibes in that pic.

Live by the right-wing rich dude, die by the right-wing rich dude. Sounds like a Succession subplot.

And yes, it was indeed our Lt. Gov.'s official check-marked account. This was the best of his comments right here.

"You can turn a rainy day into rainbows and sunshine."

As Tennessee passes anti-LGBTQ legislation, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R) has been commenting often on a gay man's racy Instagram pics.

Lt. Gov's McNally's office said "he enjoys interacting with constituents." pic.twitter.com/Tq5xghy7VI

— The Recount (@therecount) March 9, 2023

Here's our own coverage of it from today, fwiw:

Whatever headlines you might have expected out of the Tennessee Legislature this year, we're guessing this wasn't among them: "Republican Lt. Gov. Vows to Keep Thirsting After Queer Instagram Nudes." That was from Rolling Stone. Somewhat more restrained, from national NBC News: "Tennessee lieutenant governor, 79, comments on young gay man's racy Instagram photos."

Both, of course, refer to our own Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, who represents Anderson and part of Knox counties. In less than 24 hours after his Instagram liking, commenting and emoji-posting habits were first brought to light by the progressive news site Tennessee Holler, the retired pharmacist and longest-serving member of the Legislature became something of a national figure, though not necessarily in a way he might have preferred.

Others picking up on the story included the Daily Beast, People and the U.K.'s Independent newspaper. All of the stories noted McNally's enthusiastic comments on posts by a young, gay Knoxville native who goes by Franklyn Superstar on social media and often appears nearly nude and/or wearing lipstick and makeup.

Unlike many public figures caught in awkward social media activity, McNally has not claimed his account was hacked or that the screenshots were faked. Instead, he sat down with reporter Phil Williams of Nashville's WTVF Channel 5 yesterday and said he just likes being supportive of people on social media.

"I'm really, really sorry if I've embarrassed my family, embarrassed my friends, embarrassed any of the members of the legislature with the posts," he told Williams.

Williams noted that in one of the posts McNally had liked, Franklyn Superstar had written that he was "not a WHORE" but "a HOE," adding, "I'm the one that gets free weed for giving head!"

"I don't recall reading the part about the weed, I know that," McNally told Williams. What about the part about the man being a "prostitute," Williams asked. "I might have read that," McNally responded.

Of course, a big part of the reason the story went viral is the backdrop of the Legislature passing two bills last week widely perceived as targeting LGBTQ people for discrimination: a restriction on all-ages drag shows, and a prohibition on gender-affirming care for transgender people under the age of 18. Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights group, says Tennessee has passed more anti-LGBTQ legislation since 2015 than any other state.

McNally's Instagram kerfuffle also comes just a week after a high school photo of Gov. Bill Lee in drag also made national and international news. So far, House Speaker Cameron Sexton — the third member of state government's Republican power trio — has avoided drawing such unlooked-for attention.

(Anecdotally, we can report that McNally has inadvertently sparked young people's interest in civics — teenage boys were talking animatedly about the story in an overheard conversation at a local pizzeria yesterday.)

can we crowdfund Rod Dreher?

sheesh "Randy McNally" even sounds like a drag name

Biden seems likely to allow a private corporation to despoil the largest stretch of pristine wilderness in Alaska for…. 20 days worth of oil, given our current burn rate.

quality burn tbh

It’s been a long time since the days I was at recess, John. But I remember two things. 1) I was on my way to playing college ball on a scholarship. And 2) that was the last time you had a hit.

Cheers to the past! https://t.co/fIVh2SpU1h

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) March 11, 2023

That's awesome.

These kids look pretty stoked about it https://t.co/0XHsMKawFr

— eve6 (@Eve6) March 11, 2023

What kind of labor are these kids going to be doing exactly? Day trading?

White kids wont be the ones working, it’s migrant children.

White kids can be bosses, don’t trample on their dreams.

Paul Gosar says he expects there to be criminal referrals coming from the House seeking the prosecution of Liz Cheney, other Members of the J6 Committee, and for some military officers. pic.twitter.com/6s0u41B9Yl

— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) March 12, 2023

this guy was one of the congressmen trying to make january 6 work

Gosar's affect is so weird. He 100 percent gives off "crazy guy at public forum" vibes, like he's about to whip out a handwritten manifesto and read you VERY SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS.

he seems a bit drunk

"are you prepared to suggest something incredibly dumb while pretending that you're a hero?"

Gosar: "i will do you one more, i will do something incredibly dumb ten times, and i am a hero"

*head involuntarily swings like a pendulum to one side*

i forgot, gosar was the guy whose family spoke out against him because he sucked so badly at everything except being a dentist

In September 2018, six of Gosar's nine siblings spoke out against their brother and endorsed his Democratic opponent, David Brill, in a series of television campaign ads that drew national and international coverage.[44][45] In the first ad, sisters Grace and Jennifer, both identified as health care providers, told viewers that their brother did not care about people in rural Arizona. In another ad, called "A family defends its honor," brother David Gosar, a lawyer, declared, "We've got to stand up for our good name. This is not who we are." Paul Gosar responded to the ads on Twitter, describing his siblings as "disgruntled Hillary supporters" who "put political ideology before family".[46]

Gosar defeated Brill in the November 2018 general election with 68.2% of the vote.

cool, good luck with those criminal referrals that will result in no charges.

Pretty sure Gosar has some degenerative disease (which he has not publicly acknowledged). Parkinson's or something.

No he's a degenerate with a disease

the whole point of gosar saying that was just to remind the faithful that anyone who questions the trumpist party line on January 6 is a traitor and an enemy for whom hanging is too good. no referrals will be forthcoming because what could evidence of crimes they refer to?

er, make that: evidence of crimes could

I was watching some hearing recently and Gosar was trying to be all confrontational and damning, but his gotcha questions kept falling flat because he had his head down reading them stumblingly off a script instead of speaking into his mic, and his victim kept blandly asking "sorry, I couldn't hear you, could you repeat the question?"

I used to joke that the incoming Supreme Court would eventually do away with those pesky child labor laws.

fuck fuck fuck. me too. it’s terrifying

A few things about the upcoming Texas judge ruling on abortion pill

https://msmagazine.com/2023/03/03/texas-judge-abortion-pill-ban-mifepristone/

Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk not only tried to conceal his plans for a preliminary injunction hearing over the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, but also hid last Friday’s proceedings — a 30-minute phone conference — from his docket until yesterday. Behold the backdated docket: pic.twitter.com/AaDEpK2M9G

— Lisa Rubin (@lawofruby) March 14, 2023

Good morning!

the article I shared above, and a similar one the same three legal experts authored in Slate, are literally the only voices suggesting that tomorrow's ruling doesn't mean the drug will be pulled off the shelves everywhere. having no legal background, I can't tell if these three don't represent the mainstream opinion, or if the media just got the whole story wrong and kept running with it.

even if they're right, they admit it's still bad and will lead to bad things, but I am really hoping Biden's FDA doesn't act like a bunch of cowardly fools, and immediate issues a response that says they will not be enforcing or taking any action against the distributors of the drug. failing to do that will mean the manufacturers stop shipping it and making it even if technically the judge can't unilaterally ban it.

but note that the manufacturer of the generic is not named in the suit as well. so there's also that angle.

garcetti nomination hearing today. just here for the ongoing humiliation of one of america's least capable democrats.

Sen GRAHAM says “I might” support Garcetti’s nomination, saying “we need an ambassador to India, I understand the accusations. a lot of friends of mine vouch for him.”

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) March 15, 2023

Not Good...

https://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-announces-takeover-houston-schools-160929987.html

the pudding incident

The pudding incident, which former DeSantis staffers describe as a common instance of him not reading the room (in this case, a very intimate flight cabin): https://t.co/KEwA7F9Pgr pic.twitter.com/s29MjZB4Ml

— Jake Lahut (@JakeLahut) March 16, 2023

From behind the paywall:

The chatter over DeSantis’ public engagement has also surfaced past unflattering stories about his social skills—particularly, his propensity to devour food during meetings.

“He would sit in meetings and eat in front of people,” a former DeSantis staffer told The Daily Beast, “always like a starving animal who has never eaten before… getting shit everywhere.”

Enshrined in DeSantis lore is an episode from four years ago: During a private plane trip from Tallahassee to Washington, D.C., in March of 2019, DeSantis enjoyed a chocolate pudding dessert—by eating it with three of his fingers, according to two sources familiar with the incident.

A representative for DeSantis’ political team did not return a request for comment on it.

No wonder he is thinks vaccines are pointless, he's probably immune to everything communicable by now.

That's just Meatball Ron

thanks, new name

Ron DeSlobis

Slob DeSantis?

Three Fingers Ron

I feel like this is a superpower he could use against Trump. Just start eating during a debate and spraying food particles everywhere.

There's no way Trump loses that battle.

Pudding Ron

Puddin' Taint

I'm glad some fucking reporter finally echoed what I've been saying:

“In a way, the Republican dominance of the Florida Legislature may end up hurting DeSantis because his proposals can become reality,” said Barrett Marson, a Republican strategist in Arizona. “That may help him in a primary in Iowa or Texas or South Dakota, but in a general election in Arizona, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin, it could be ruinous for him.”

That fear isn’t lost on Republican primary voters, either. In hypothetical matchups with Biden in a Morning Consult poll this week, DeSantis fared no better than Trump, with each trailing the incumbent Democrat by 1 percentage point. Moreover, when asked in a recent Yahoo News/YouGov poll who had the best chance of winning in 2024, DeSantis didn’t stand out against Trump, either, with about as many Republicans and Republican-leaning independents naming Trump as DeSantis. That is a major shift from December, when far more Republicans viewed DeSantis as the more electable Republican.

yea I think I read that on ilxor.com a year ago, "DeSantis is gonna look like the future of the Republican party up until people outside of Florida hear him talk"

And just below the masthead this surprising column by Starbusts Lowry.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/03/16/republicans-biden-trump-2024-election-00087242

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,q_60,w_965/e5062c5f5581f924b14c796ae5702fcd.jpg