[News] Post a Political News Story

Ongoing discussion of the political news of the day. This thread is for 'smaller' stories that don't call for their own thread. If a story blows up, please start a new thread for it.

Paleocon wrote:

So it looks like Lin Wood (the guy Republicans pinned the hopes of overturning the election on) has bombshell evidence that Biden is dead and Trump is really running the White House.

The question no one has been able to answer: insanity or con? I mean, he must know when the photos were taken, he was in them after all. But on the other hand he's pretty clearly insane.

Vrikk wrote:

RE: 1619 Project...

What the f*ck is McConnell talking about? Does it actually say that we split from the British because we wanted slavery to stay alive and well? Unless I am woefully ignorant, I wasn't aware that is a thing?

In the introductory essay of the 1619 Project Nikole Hannah-Jones does make the argument that one of the reasons we broke away from England was that the wealthy elites of the American colonies wanted to protect the institution of slavery.

A few years prior an English court ruling dropped a bomb saying that slavery was neither authorized by English statute or by English common law. This was reported on extensively in America. And in 1775 the Earl of Dunmore and Governor of the Colony of Virginia issued a proclamation that promised freedom to any slave who'd run away from their master and fight for the Crown.

So there's historical evidence for Hannah-Jones' claim.

In the World Socialist Website interview with Gordon Wood--the "renowned historian" that spawned the quote McConnell referenced--he acknowledged that other historians outside of Hannah-Jones (who's not an historian herself) made similar arguments about slavery's role during the Revolution. Wood handwaved those arguments away saying they "missed the complexity" of what happened.

The right's hissy fit over the 1619 Project literally boils down to them not liking a few paragraphs in an introductory essay who's actual core argument is "Black Americans have also been, and continue to be, foundational to the idea of American freedom. More than any other group in this country’s history, we have served, generation after generation, in an overlooked but vital role: It is we who have been the perfecters of this democracy."

The rest of the 1619 Project--over a hundred pages--are stories, historical essays, art and more from mostly Black Americans that cover all aspects of what being Black in America has meant. But the right doesn't talk about the rest of the Project because if any of their followers would read them they might actually learn something beyond the 3rd-grade white wash of American history that they prefer where our Founding Fathers were flawless demi-gods who did no wrong.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

The question no one has been able to answer: insanity or con? I mean, he must know when the photos were taken, he was in them after all. But on the other hand he's pretty clearly insane.

The State Bar of Georgia has already told him he needs to give them the results of a mental health evaluation or they're going to move to disbar him.

But the right doesn't talk about the rest of the Project because if any of their followers would read them they might actually learn something beyond the 3rd-grade white wash of American history that they prefer where our Founding Fathers were flawless demi-gods who did no wrong.

I don’t think they have legitimate concerns their followers / voters will actually read the thing. It just makes a convenient dog-whistle / punching bag (and their followers would respond even knowing that that they’re saying is factually untrue, so it wouldn’t matter if the followers read it).

Paleocon wrote:

So it looks like Lin Wood (the guy Republicans pinned the hopes of overturning the election on) has bombshell evidence that Biden is dead and Trump is really running the White House.

These people are delusional.

JC wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

So it looks like Lin Wood (the guy Republicans pinned the hopes of overturning the election on) has bombshell evidence that Biden is dead and Trump is really running the White House.

These people are delusional.

No, no. These people are grifters. The marks they're grifting are delusional.

Lin Wood IS delusional, but he’s also a grifter who knows what he’s doing. He’s done similar stuff before and has been actively trying to commandeer QAnon since last year. The Qultists eat up all his sh*t but the movement is so fragmented he hasn’t been declared a living god by them like he wants. Yet.

Sounds like a win win for "everyone" to have Biden in the White House, and Trumpists believing Trump is controlling things. Biden should have the support of Trump voters to do whatever he wants to do then. It is all coming directly from Trumps mouth after all.

Aide traveling with Va. gubernatorial candidate Amanda Chase brandishes gun amid ‘road rage’ incident

Washington Post wrote:

An aide traveling with Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. Amanda F. Chase brandished an AR-15 pistol this week at a man who Chase said threatened them during a "road rage" incident.

Audio from Chase’s campaign van was captured as the episode unfolded because Chase (Chesterfield) was participating by phone in a candidate forum put on by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun-rights group. She was touting her staunch support for the Second Amendment when she abruptly excused herself.

“I’ve consistently voted against disarming law-abiding citizens, especially this patchwork — okay, we gotta go. I’m sorry, y’all,” she tells the VCDL audience before she’s heard sternly addressing the alleged road rager: “No. Stop.”

There’s a metallic clicking sound in the background and then a man in the van with Chase can be heard saying, “That’ll get your b---- a-- in the car, won’t it?”

A slightly flustered Chase immediately resumed addressing the VCDL, according to a recording of the forum that the gun-rights group posted on YouTube.

“Speaking of a Second Amendment moment, we just had to — oh, my goodness — we are exercising our Second Amendment rights right now [in] our car, where we had somebody road rage, trying to get in front of — get on us,” she said before asking the moderator to give her a few minutes to regroup.

I always forget about the part in the Second Amendment where you're allowed to threaten people who you think cut you off with your bang bang.

OG_slinger wrote:

Aide traveling with Va. gubernatorial candidate Amanda Chase brandishes gun amid ‘road rage’ incident

I always forget about the part in the Second Amendment where you're allowed to threaten people who you think cut you off with your bang bang.

Yeah that's why a 7 year old got shot and killed in NC last week.

AR-15 pistol

what

polypusher wrote:
AR-15 pistol

what

It's a thing.

Paleocon wrote:
polypusher wrote:
AR-15 pistol

what

It's a thing.

Purely a hunting implement, I’m sure.

DSGamer wrote:
Paleocon wrote:
polypusher wrote:
AR-15 pistol

what

It's a thing.

Purely a hunting implement, I’m sure.

For hunting The Most Dangerous Game.

Newsmax Apologizes To Dominion Exec As It Settles Lawsuit Over False Voter Fraud Claims

Right-wing cable outlet Newsmax settled a defamation suit brought by a Dominion Voting Systems executive Friday with an apology and admitted that allegations of voter fraud that it aired were untrue

polypusher wrote:
AR-15 pistol

what

So federal law says that if a gun has a shoulder stock, it's a rifle (or shotgun, which we'll ignore for this explainer). If it's a rifle, there's a minimum barrel length and a minimum overall length, unless you get a special permit from the ATF.

If you cut down an AR-15 to under a certain length and take off the shoulder stock, it's considered a pistol. It's still kind of awkward to shoot.

Many years ago, someone came up with the idea of a "stabilizing brace" or "pistol brace". A stabilizing brace is a loop you slip your hand through and it tightens around your lower arm. It looks an awful lot like a shoulder stock but technically isn't designed to rest against the shoulder while the gun is fired.

The ATF ruled in 2014 that a stabilizing brace can be added to an "AR pistol" without making it into a rifle. Now there's a huge market for these pistols that look like short-barreled rifles but technically, legally, are pistols. And they're not all patterned after the AR-15 even if they generally get called "AR pistols".

Stele wrote:

Newsmax Apologizes To Dominion Exec As It Settles Lawsuit Over False Voter Fraud Claims

Right-wing cable outlet Newsmax settled a defamation suit brought by a Dominion Voting Systems executive Friday with an apology and admitted that allegations of voter fraud that it aired were untrue

And not a single Trump supporter will care since the lie of voter fraud is already cemented in their heads.

Vrikk wrote:
Stele wrote:

Newsmax Apologizes To Dominion Exec As It Settles Lawsuit Over False Voter Fraud Claims

Right-wing cable outlet Newsmax settled a defamation suit brought by a Dominion Voting Systems executive Friday with an apology and admitted that allegations of voter fraud that it aired were untrue

And not a single Trump supporter will care since the lie of voter fraud is already cemented in their heads.

They won't even see it. Not like Newsmax is gonna spread the retraction on Facebook to every asshole that saw it.
I hope Dominion got something more than a fake apology and retraction from newsmax, otherwise what a waste of time and money.

Vrikk wrote:
Stele wrote:

Newsmax Apologizes To Dominion Exec As It Settles Lawsuit Over False Voter Fraud Claims

Right-wing cable outlet Newsmax settled a defamation suit brought by a Dominion Voting Systems executive Friday with an apology and admitted that allegations of voter fraud that it aired were untrue

And not a single Trump supporter will care since the lie of voter fraud is already cemented in their heads.

CNN polling from yesterday: six months after the election 70% of Republicans still believe that Biden didn't get enough votes to become president and 50% of Republicans are positive there's "strong evidence" Biden didn't win enough votes.

He’s literally still singing the same song

https://twitter.com/mysterysolvent/s...

Game show host to president to dinner theater is a hell of a career arc.

TheGameguru wrote:

He’s literally still singing the same song

https://twitter.com/mysterysolvent/s...

RIP Shock G.

OG_slinger wrote:

RIP Shock G.

What the hell? That happened over a week ago. How did I not hear about it until now?

iaintgotnopants wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

RIP Shock G.

What the hell? That happened over a week ago. How did I not hear about it until now?

I'm sorry you had to hear about it this way.

iaintgotnopants wrote:
OG_slinger wrote:

RIP Shock G.

What the hell? That happened over a week ago. How did I not hear about it until now?

I should have started a thread but it was tough only a week after DMX.

GOP lawmaker charged with ‘knowingly’ letting rioters breach the Oregon Capitol

Washington Post wrote:

As far-right demonstrators gathered outside the Oregon Capitol in December in the hope of ending coronavirus restrictions, state Rep. Mike Nearman (R) appeared to deliberately allow entry to two men trying to breach the building as he was leaving.

Without hesitation, two rioters on Dec. 21 rushed inside the state Capitol in Salem, Ore., held doors open and signaled for others to come in before police arrived to cut off the security breach, according to surveillance video obtained by the Oregonian and Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Nearman, 57, now faces criminal charges for his role in allegedly allowing the rioters to breach the Oregon Capitol, Marion County District Attorney Paige E. Clarkson announced Friday. The GOP lawmaker has been charged with misdemeanor counts of first-degree official misconduct and second-degree criminal trespass, according to court documents.

...

As The Post’s Katie Shepherd reported, Nearman, who represents a district near Polk County, about 60 miles outside Portland, is one of the most conservative members of the state legislature. Now in his fourth term, Nearman remains one of the most vocal opponents of the state’s coronavirus restrictions and has even sued Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) over her emergency orders.

Around 8 a.m. on Dec. 21, right-wing protesters gathered outside the statehouse as the legislature met to consider the governor’s proposal to distribute $800 million of coronavirus relief.

The scene grew violent when rioters tried to break through the Oregon Capitol’s doors, and journalists covering the demonstration were repeatedly attacked. Law enforcement officers were pushed and reportedly sprayed twice with “bear spray.”

After the first intruders entered through the door opened by Nearman, dozens more eventually streamed into the building and attacked officers and damaged property, according to surveillance video.

The far-right demonstrators were inside the building for nearly an hour before police cleared the area, OPB reported. Police arrested at least five people on an array of charges.

Dude left an emergency session to distribute COVID relief to Oregonians in need specifically to let in protestors and then he walked around the building and entered by another entrance. His pathetic excuse was the he thinks the statehouse should be open to the public, even in the middle of a pandemic.

I Can't Believe It's Not Treason!®

EDIT to add:

Gremlin wrote:

Though since I'm not sure that it's technically illegal to bribe the president to get a pardon, though, so it might just be a moral failure but technically legal.

"A moral failure but technically legal" is the official motto of the Trump presidency.

H.P. Lovesauce wrote:

I Can't Believe It's Not Treason!®

EDIT to add:

Gremlin wrote:

Though since I'm not sure that it's technically illegal to bribe the president to get a pardon, though, so it might just be a moral failure but technically legal.

"A moral failure but technically legal" is the official motto of the Trump presidency.

Also, too dumb to be indicted.

H.P. Lovesauce wrote:

I Can't Believe It's Not Treason!®

EDIT to add:

Gremlin wrote:

Though since I'm not sure that it's technically illegal to bribe the president to get a pardon, though, so it might just be a moral failure but technically legal.

"A moral failure but technically legal" is the official motto of the Trump presidency.

Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz himself has said that accepting a bribe for a pardon is a crime.

Obviously if a president accepts a bribe in exchange for a pardon that is a corrupt act, without regard to motive or intent. The same would be true if he destroyed evidence or lied to the FBI.