Political Randomness

[Kurth]

Seriously man, you do NOT want to go down this road. It won't end well for you.

Lol.....I have no idea what this is supposed to mean to me.....

It shouldn't mean shit to you. You have just as much a right to voice your opinion in this forum as anyone else. You may (will certainly) get push back, but if everything remains sane and civil, there's no reason it "won't end well for you." Just ignore.

[ImLawBoy]

And I was stating that we don't know what Hunter did or didn't do.
At least.....not until we get him on the stand ......bwahahaha

But what he did or didn't do is 100% immaterial to the impeachment proceedings.

Show where I said anything about the impeachment hearings.
I was talking in general terms.

Are you guys all so naive to think that this shit doesn't go on each and every day by a lot of politicians and their close circle?
The dude didn't pay child support until court ordered too. He's banging his brothers widow.
Illegal? No? immoral? Yes.
All because they don't crow about their immoral or illegal behavior the way Trump does, doesn't mean it doesn't happen all the time by even those that swear they're squeaky clean..

Great! So we agree that Hunter Biden should not be called as a witness in the impeachment proceedings. Now if we can just send along our notarized agreement to Mitch McConnell, I'm sure he'll drop that.

Why do you all still bother to engage him?

Because I don't just dismiss out of hand people who disagree with me. There's a tendency around here to assume that there's a lot of bad faith arguing going on from the right - and there is. I don't often bother with em2nought, for example. Sometimes I don't bother with stimpy depending on where he's going. He's not doing the drive by thing and then running away here, though. He's making an effort and responding to people and doing so civilly. And the result has been (maybe) agreement that Hunter Biden is irrelevant to the impeachment, although stimpy obviously still finds it relevant to politics overall.

[hepcat]

Seriously man, you do NOT want to go down this road. It won't end well for you.

Lol.....I have no idea what this is supposed to mean to me.....

It shouldn't mean shit to you. You have just as much a right to voice your opinion in this forum as anyone else. You may (will certainly) get push back, but if everything remains sane and civil, there's no reason it "won't end well for you." Just ignore.

Oh for Christ's sake, I wasn't threatening his life. Let's lose the theatrics. .

I simply pointed out that attempting to bring morals into the conversation as any kind of measure of a man considering who all is involved in the impeachment proceedings would be an exercise in futility.

Considering the responses he's getting for attempting to do so, I should be thanked for trying to warn him about what might happen.

[Holman]

I'd lay money on the expectation that Gallagher will be arrested for domestic abuse or some other violent crime within three years.

He tortured and murdered a tied-up prisoner and murdered an unarmed old man and a young girl. He's a homicidal maniac and a disgrace to the service.

That Trump and his followers could celebrate him as a hero tells you everything you need to know about them.

This American hero is back in the news being honorable and patriotic.

https://twitter.com/nycsouthpaw/status/ ... 62465?s=20

[Blackhawk]

It doesn't matter if Hunter Biden is the guiltiest man in both DC and Ukraine. What Trump did was wrong and impeachable regardless of whether there's any fire to the Biden smoke.

Thank you. Biden is Trump's excuse for committing the offense. Whether that excuse is true or not doesn't change the fact that he committed the offense.

[Kurth]

Seriously man, you do NOT want to go down this road. It won't end well for you.

Lol.....I have no idea what this is supposed to mean to me.....

It shouldn't mean shit to you. You have just as much a right to voice your opinion in this forum as anyone else. You may (will certainly) get push back, but if everything remains sane and civil, there's no reason it "won't end well for you." Just ignore.

Oh for Christ's sake, I wasn't threatening his life. Let's lose the theatrics. .

I simply pointed out that attempting to bring morals into the conversation as any kind of measure of a man considering who all is involved in the impeachment proceedings would be an exercise in futility.

Considering the responses he's getting for attempting to do so, I should be thanked for trying to warn him about what might happen.

No theatrics. I never thought you were threatening his life. Just threatening that he'd face the wrath of the forum if he went down a path focusing on Hunter Biden's alleged bad actions in Ukraine and that Hunter Biden may end up being an albatross around the neck of the Joe Biden campaign. And I think that's an entirely reasonable point to make and not one that requires any scolding.

[stimpy]

I have pretty thick skin, especially when it comes to opinions about politics.
And I would never take what anyone says here personally. We all view things from different angles.
It just seems at times that more folks here take the same angle.
I try to look at all sides, good and bad.
Sometimes that comes off as supporting Trump and his behavior because of the extreme lack of counterpoint in these threads.
He's a mess, no doubt.
But so are a lot of those voted into office to protect and uphold our best interests, not their own.

[coopasonic]

It really is a shame that there is no political balance to the forum. I've tried to find the positive in the Republican platform before and I've come up wanting. The one tenet I can really support is fiscal responsibility but that's a hollow one. I can't see abandoning woman's rights and actual religious freedoms for... well I'm not sure what exactly, Law & Order (racism) and white nationalism?

Yeah for the most part politicians are in it for something beyond the greater good, but in some cases it appears that the greater good was never a consideration. The difference here has become glaring and any mention "both sides" makes me consider escape by whatever means necessary.

[ImLawBoy]

I try to look at all sides, good and bad.
Sometimes that comes off as supporting Trump and his behavior because of the extreme lack of counterpoint in these threads.
He's a mess, no doubt.
But so are a lot of those voted into office to protect and uphold our best interests, not their own.

There's nothing wrong with looking at both sides, because they both do have bad actors. The problem comes when that turns into an attitude of "both sides are just as bad", because that's not the case these days. No one on the left is as bad as Trump. No one. It's not even close. And that the GOP has gone so far to try to protect him makes them complicit in his acts. And I'm not even talking policy here.

So while it's OK to examine the left and their foibles (although there are likely some here who would disagree with even that), you tend to do so with a "both sides are just as bad" attitude, whether intended or not.

[LordMortis]

I dunno even know what the platform is any more. The lip service to protecting borders, protecting national interests, a man's home is his castle, fiscal responsibility, politics is local, and even protecting what's mine is all stuff I can get behind. I don't see anything but games on anything but protecting the borders and protecting the borders seems to be a game of theater.

There is no current platform that I can find. The 2016 platform brings back memories and they aren't so great. The platform starts out as we will destroy everything Obama touched and every protection put in place after the economic crash of 2008. Then we will stack the Supreme Court to protect us... Um, you... and the Constitution, as it bans abortion and protects guns. A Republican president combined with a Republican Congress filling the Supreme Court will ensure checks and balances. (I'm not even sarcastic here. Read under judiciary)

https://prod-cdn-static.gop.com/media/d ... 872234.pdf

We believe in the constitutional checks and balances and that the Founders intended the judiciary to be the weakest branch. We encourage Congress to use the check of impeachment for judges who unconstitutionally usurp Article I powers. In tandem with a Republican Senate, a new Republican president will restore to the Court a strong conservative majority that will follow the text and original meaning of the Constitution and our laws.

Oh this is funny

Administrative LawArticle I of the Constitution directs that “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States....” For more than a century, however, Congress has delegated increasing amounts of legislative authority to executive departments, agencies, and commissions, laying the foundation for today’s vast administrative state. Unelected bureaucrats in the executive branch now write countless rules with the force of law and arbitrarily punish individuals who disobey those rules. The Constitution makes clear that these powers were granted to Congress by the people and must therefore remain solely with the people’s elected representatives. We call on Congress to begin reclaiming its constitutional powers from the bureaucratic state by requiring that major new federal regulations be approved by Congress before they can take effect, such as through the Regulation Freedom Amendment. We further affirm that courts should interpret laws as written by Congress rather than allowing executive agencies to rewrite those laws to suit administration priorities.

Defending Marriage Against an Activist Judiciary
...The First Amendment: Religious Liberty

In addition, to guarantee that everyone’s vote is counted, we urge that electronic voting systems have a voter-verified paper audit trail. We urge every state to join the Interstate Voter Registration Cross Check Program to keep voter rolls accurate and to prevent people from voting in more than one state in the same election. To guard against foreign involvement in our elections, we call for vigilance regarding online credit card contributions to candidates and campaigns

We are the largest agricultural exporter in the world, and our exports are vital for other sectors of our economy. Those exports drive additional economic growth as each dollar of agricultural exports generates another $1.27 in business activity. That is why we remain committed to expanding trade opportunities and opening new markets for agriculture.
...
We must also ensure that domestic policies do not compromise our global competitiveness through overregulation and undue interference in the marketplace.

That's all I had time for.

[noxiousdog]

It really is a shame that there is no political balance to the forum. I've tried to find the positive in the Republican platform before and I've come up wanting. The one tenet I can really support is fiscal responsibility but that's a hollow one. I can't see abandoning woman's rights and actual religious freedoms for... well I'm not sure what exactly, Law & Order (racism) and white nationalism?

Yeah for the most part politicians are in it for something beyond the greater good, but in some cases it appears that the greater good was never a consideration. The difference here has become glaring and any mention "both sides" makes me consider escape by whatever means necessary.

I wouldn't say there's political balance, but there's conservative voices. Myself, for one. There isn't, as you say, support for the Republican platform because they've abandoned logic/science, free and competitive markets, financial responsibility, and limited government. That's what I grew up believing conservatism was supposed to mean.

edit: I forgot pro logic/science.

[LordMortis]

I wouldn't say there's political balance, but there's conservative voices. Myself, for one. There isn't, as you say, support for the Republican platform because they've abandoned logic/science, free and competitive markets, financial responsibility, and limited government. That's what I grew up believing conservatism was supposed to mean.

edit: I forgot pro logic/science.

And personal decision making with accountability for all, allowing egalitarianism and libertarianism to meet in a good space.

I'd love to return to having conservative leanings if I ever recognize them free of propaganda and baggage. Liberals didn't destroy my conservative leanings by redefining the terms and the game being played. Conservatives did (or should I say the GOP and it's "Libertarian" arm). I can't trust the conversation any more, so I don't have it.

[YellowKing]

I'm not sure how much conservative leanings I have left after I realized that nearly every traditionally conservative issue is, at its core, about retaining power for people already enjoying some kind of privilege - be it racial, gender, or economic. I'm no bleeding heart now by any means, but it did rock my foundations a bit to realize that the reason I felt so strongly about those beliefs is because I was reaping the direct benefit, not because it was the right thing.

[LordMortis]

I'm not sure how much conservative leanings I have left after I realized that nearly every traditionally conservative issue is, at its core, about retaining power for people already enjoying some kind of privilege - be it racial, gender, or economic. I'm no bleeding heart now by any means, but it did rock my foundations a bit to realize that the reason I felt so strongly about those beliefs is because I was reaping the direct benefit, not because it was the right thing.

I might still not be "woke" and may never be. My change didn't so much illuminate seeing my benefit, so much as seeing a collective individual greed being played for the benefit of the exceptional few at the cost of a great many and then seeing the cost being the highest for those least able to afford it. And then I start to see the curtains of biggotry getting pulled back on top of that and how they interlaced in to the burdens paying to keep our wealthy wealth and influential influence protected.

[Holman]

POD SAVE AMERICA has an interview with Ezra Klein today, discussing his book on polarization. (Even the introductory pages in the Amazon preview are worth the read.)

One interesting point he makes is that party polarization doesn't come to define American politics until the post-Goldwater realignment of the GOP. Through most of the 20th century, for example, there are really four parties (Southern Democrats, Western Republicans, Northern Democrats, and Northern Republicans) with shifting areas of overlap.

Strict polarization is less likely when there are more than two options, but what made a stable "four-party" arrangement possible was the suppression of non-white voting. Once racial justice (the long foundational American struggle from slavery to Jim Crow to Civil Rights reform) emerged as a live political issue, it overpowered the others enough to snap the system into a binary. The GOP became the party of white backlash, its traditional fiscal stance merely an ancestral slogan to be deployed tactically (but ignored under GOP administrations).

[Paingod]

My personal take on the GOP is that it seems to have become the party of "protecting the way it was" - but the problem is that the past is idealized in everyone's head, even mine. It feels very much like a group of people fighting incredibly hard to be left in the dark ages. The way things were is not sustainable. It's not even close; it's a road to global desolation. It seems to be a party that would willingly cut down the last Truffula tree so they can make that last Thneed and turn the last dollar - and they don't have a plan for what happens after that. Everything else they do seems central to this theme - restrict women's rights, trying to revoke minority rights, working against science, trying to keep people ignorant.

That's everything I see in the GOP.

That doesn't mean I love the Democrats. I think, as a party, they're schizophrenic. They can't seem to figure out which way to go with any decisiveness on anything. The path they take is generally a forward one, but is often meandering and easy to lose track of. That lack of clear vision is very off-putting to many people. They often come across as out of touch, wishy-washy, and more than a little elitist. It's very easy to not like them for one reason or another.

I'm a realist, though. I know the world can't ever be the way it was. Much of it shouldn't be. I believe in equality for everyone, without bias. I believe we need to heavily invest in renewable energies and alternatives to oil. I believe in vaccinations and climate change, because it's science. I know that the future is harder to move towards than the past, but I also know it's the right way if humanity is going to survive on this tiny blue dot in space.

I have personally have trouble listening to anything anyone "across the isle" has to say - because none of it works in the long run and no one on that side wants to listen. They just want to howl and gibber and gnash their teeth; they don't debate rationally. I don't have the energy or patience for that. So I block them out, turn down the volume, or change the channel. There is no reasoning with them, no way to get through. So I don't try.

[LawBeefaroni]

My personal take on the GOP is that it seems to have become the party of "protecting the way it was" - but the problem is that the past is idealized in everyone's head, even mine. It feels very much like a group of people fighting incredibly hard to be left in the dark ages. The way things were is not sustainable. It's not even close; it's a road to global desolation. It seems to be a party that would willingly cut down the last Truffula tree so they can make that last Thneed and turn the last dollar - and they don't have a plan for what happens after that. Everything else they do seems central to this theme - restrict women's rights, trying to revoke minority rights, working against science, trying to keep people ignorant.

They don't understand that we weren't "great" because of racism, less women's rights, and scientific ignorance. We were great in spite of all that.

It's like a 60 year old man wistfully rembering his younger, healthier years when he could drink booze and eat crap foods all day and still stay slim, spry, and feel great. And then deciding the way to feel healthy again is to drink booze and eat crap food all day.

[LordMortis]

It feels very much like a group of people fighting incredibly hard to be left in the dark ages

That's funny because you have no small amount of Trump's core support who will tell you history has white washed the Dark Ages and that they are on a continuum of prosperity led by the enlightenment of the Christian church advancing western civilization. Or at least there was no small amount of support in my Internet social network before I culled all of the propaganda spreaders and non fact checkers from my sight.

[noxiousdog]

It feels very much like a group of people fighting incredibly hard to be left in the dark ages

That's funny because you have no small amount of Trump's core support who will tell you history has white washed the Dark Ages and that they are on a continuum of prosperity led by the enlightenment of the Christian church advancing western civilization. Or at least there was no small amount of support in my Internet social network before I culled all of the propaganda spreaders and non fact checkers from my sight.

John Green (https://thecrashcourse.com/courses/worldhistory1 <-- highly recommended), who is extremely progressive, will tell you the Dark Ages are mostly propaganda and that the Renaissance wasn't really a thing. However, he's not advocating for the Church and western civilization either.

[pr0ner]

In a sign of how messed up DC's local politics are, Jack Evans, who served on the city council for 29 years, resigned earlier this month in the midst of a big ethics investigation before the city council could boot him off.

What's his next course of action? To file paperwork to be part of the special election to replace him this summer and the Democratic primary for his seat for the general election in November.

Oy.

[Isgrimnur]

WaPo

D.C. Council member Jack Evans has repeatedly emailed business proposals to law firms that lobby District officials, offering his connections and influence amassed as the city’s longest-serving lawmaker.

In a January 2018 pitch to Nelson Mullins, a law firm that had lobbied his office on behalf of a client just months before, Evans said the firm should employ him because as an elected official and chairman of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, he could engage in “cross-marketing my relationships and influence to Nelson Mullins clients.”

REPORT OF INVESTIGATION OF COUNCILMEMBER JACK EVANS (PDF)

[LawBeefaroni]

That's like every day in Illinois.

Our latest:

Four months after federal agents ransacked the home and offices of former state Sen. Martin Sandoval, the once-influential lawmaker is the latest indicted in an extensive Illinois corruption probe.

He made a deal too so there are probably more dominoes to fall. Ideally leading to the king of all graft, the prince of pay-to-play, Mike Madigan.

He is the longest-serving leader of any state or federal legislative body in the history of the United States, having held the position for all but two years since 1983

[ImLawBoy]

It's like a 60 year old man wistfully rembering his younger, healthier years when he could drink booze and eat crap foods all day and still stay slim, spry, and feel great. And then deciding the way to feel healthy again is to drink booze and eat crap food all day.

Your ideas intrigue me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

[stessier]

It feels very much like a group of people fighting incredibly hard to be left in the dark ages

That's funny because you have no small amount of Trump's core support who will tell you history has white washed the Dark Ages and that they are on a continuum of prosperity led by the enlightenment of the Christian church advancing western civilization. Or at least there was no small amount of support in my Internet social network before I culled all of the propaganda spreaders and non fact checkers from my sight.

John Green (https://thecrashcourse.com/courses/worldhistory1 <-- highly recommended), who is extremely progressive, will tell you the Dark Ages are mostly propaganda and that the Renaissance wasn't really a thing. However, he's not advocating for the Church and western civilization either.

The Mongols are the exception!

The Green brothers do great work.

[Isgrimnur]

[LawBeefaroni]

Wait, wait. What?

Additionally, according to Section IV, Article 9 of the Constitution of Virginia, unless they have committed treason, a felony, or a breach of peace, legislators are immune from arrest while the General Assembly is in session.

The officer was aware of the law’s existence because it is taught during the police academy, not because the officer or Hurst mentioned the law.

The provison of the State Constitution makes it highly unlikely that Hurst could have prosecuted in court, even if he had been arrested.

Is this common? I guess it makes some sense to stop politically motivated arrests intended to meddle with votes, maybe. But as written, DUIs are not prosecutable? Seems like an outdated rule.

I guess that explains a lot.

[gilraen]

Wait, wait. What?

Additionally, according to Section IV, Article 9 of the Constitution of Virginia, unless they have committed treason, a felony, or a breach of peace, legislators are immune from arrest while the General Assembly is in session.

The officer was aware of the law’s existence because it is taught during the police academy, not because the officer or Hurst mentioned the law.

The provison of the State Constitution makes it highly unlikely that Hurst could have prosecuted in court, even if he had been arrested.

Is this common? I guess it makes some sense to stop politically motivated arrests intended to meddle with votes, maybe. But as written, DUIs are not prosecutable? Seems like an outdated rule.

I guess that explains a lot.

Guess they would have to wait for his 3rd DUI arrest, at which point it becomes a felony in Virginia...

[Isgrimnur]

It's good to be the king legislator.

[malchior]

This feels like Flynn has a pardon promise and is just stalling for time until either impeachment ends or after the election. He's saying anything to keep himself out of jail.

The Hill

Former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn denied ever having lied to the FBI in a new legal filing submitted Wednesday, two years after he pleaded guilty to making false statements about his communications with a Russian diplomat.

Flynn claimed that prosecutors and his former legal team had pressured him into accepting a plea agreement despite his reservations about the charges.

“In truth, I never lied,” Flynn said in the Wednesday filing as part of an effort to have the charges against him dismissed.

"My guilty plea has rankled me throughout this process, and while I allowed myself to succumb to the threats from the government to save my family, I believe that I was grossly misled about what really happened," Flynn wrote.

[Paingod]

I can easily see how someone who spent 33 years in the military and made it to General status and had a legal team backing him could be cowed by an investigation team.

[Combustible Lemur]

I can easily see how someone who spent 33 years in the military and made it to General status and had a legal team backing him could be cowed by an investigation team.

In the eternal words of the delightful Chrissy Teigen. "P. A. B."

Sigh, I've listen to large swathes of the impeachment and then the commentaries and congressional spin. P. A. B. 'S is has been running through my head the whole time.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

[Daehawk]

One of our glorious fucktards here in TN has put up a bill..............

TN legislator introduces resolution condemning CNN, Washington Post as 'fake news'

House Joint Resolution 0779, introduced by Representative Micah Van Huss (R), seeks to recognize CNN and the Washington Post as "fake news" and condemns them for "denigrating our citizens."

I swear my state is run by ignorant stupid fucking assholes. They do shit stuff and blame everyone else for that shit stuff. Its as if they fart on you then point at some other person and say "they did it"

[Skinypupy]

One of our glorious fucktards here in TN has put up a bill..............

TN legislator introduces resolution condemning CNN, Washington Post as 'fake news'

House Joint Resolution 0779, introduced by Representative Micah Van Huss (R), seeks to recognize CNN and the Washington Post as "fake news" and condemns them for "denigrating our citizens."

I swear my state is run by ignorant stupid fucking assholes. They do shit stuff and blame everyone else for that shit stuff. Its as if they fart on you then point at some other person and say "they did it"

I saw that yesterday. What a clown show.

[Holman]

One of our glorious fucktards here in TN has put up a bill..............

TN legislator introduces resolution condemning CNN, Washington Post as 'fake news'

House Joint Resolution 0779, introduced by Representative Micah Van Huss (R), seeks to recognize CNN and the Washington Post as "fake news" and condemns them for "denigrating our citizens."

I swear my state is run by ignorant stupid fucking assholes. They do shit stuff and blame everyone else for that shit stuff. Its as if they fart on you then point at some other person and say "they did it"

Somebody's looking for an explicit Trump endorsement. This is really all it takes.

[Kraken]

One of our glorious fucktards here in TN has put up a bill..............

TN legislator introduces resolution condemning CNN, Washington Post as 'fake news'

House Joint Resolution 0779, introduced by Representative Micah Van Huss (R), seeks to recognize CNN and the Washington Post as "fake news" and condemns them for "denigrating our citizens."

I swear my state is run by ignorant stupid fucking assholes. They do shit stuff and blame everyone else for that shit stuff. Its as if they fart on you then point at some other person and say "they did it"

Somebody's looking for an explicit Trump endorsement. This is really all it takes.

Perhaps they can amend it to make Fox the official news agency of TN. Or Onan (or whatever that new Trump network is called).

[LordMortis]

John Green (https://thecrashcourse.com/courses/worldhistory1 <-- highly recommended),

Enjoying this enough when I get a chance.

[Isgrimnur]

CNN

Rush Limbaugh, the most prominent political radio host in the United States, said Monday that he is beginning treatment for lung cancer.

Limbaugh, 69, told his radio audience Monday that he was diagnosed with an advanced stage of the disease. He said the diagnosis was confirmed on January 20.

[Skinypupy]

Thoughts and prayers

[Unagi]

Thoughts and prayers

Ditto

[Holman]

Thoughts and prayers

Not even those.