Politics – Page 232 – Politics Plus

Herschel Walker: MORE Than JUST a Bogus Badge

Posted by SoINeedAName at 3:18 pm Politics

Oct 222022

Less than a week ago during the only debate for the Senate seat in Georgia, Herschel Walker violated the rules and improperly pulled out a prop, flashing a bogus badge:

Since then, Walker has repeatedly tried to claim that the badge is “legit”. That only begs the question: Exactly which police force would even consider giving Walker a legitimate badge?

Fortunately, MTG Greene has the answer:

[Even if you don’t have a hearing deficit and are not schooled in speech reading (the preferred term in the deaf community) – I think it’s pretty easy to make out what she’s saying]

But if you thought the Internet was going to let this pass without comment, you’d be wrong. Someone even created a white-out template of Walker so folks could get have some fun getting creative:

Let’s enjoy some of their results:

Of course, it’s really not surprising that Walker would lie about the badge – he’s long had difficulty telling the truth …

Then again, whenever Walker speaks, it’s always been difficult to understand anything he says:

Since Walker honestly appears to be this stupid, I say we go with “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah’s suggestion: Just give him an “Honorary Senator” certificate instead of actually electing him to the Senate.

“He won’t know the difference!”

Bottom Line: That the race is even close is just mind-boggling!

Video Thread 10/22/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:47 am Open Thread, Politics

Oct 222022

Glenn Kirschner – DOJ prosecutors conclude they have enough evidence to indict Donald Trump for obstruction of justice

Meidas Touch – Herschel Walker SKIPS DEBATE and moderator’s response GOES VIRAL

Lincoln Democracy Institute – Pressure

MSNBC – Ron Klain: GOP Has ‘Horrible, Horribler, And Horriblelist’ Ideas To Cut Social Security

Farron Balanced – Trump’s Attorney Is FURIOUS He Won’t Be Indicted Before The Midterms

Beau – Let’s talk about the most important midterm issue….

Open Thread October 22, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:58 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 222022

Yesterday, I heard from my BFF. The colonoscopy went well – she’s good for another ten years. But she has uterine fibroids, and (I guess because of the bleeding?) her medical team is concerned. They’ve changed her hormones and will periodically be administering shots in hopes of diminishing them. It’ll take several months to know, and they may recommend surgery. She appreciates very much any and all prayers (as do I on her behalf). Also, Steve Bannon was sentenced – only 4 months in prison, but that’s still something (and a $6500 fine … which is NOT something.) As I write I don’t know whther or not he was immediately remanded, or given some time to “put his affairs in order” and report. Also, the Fifth Circuit (TX, LA, MS) Court of Appeals ruled that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is inconstitutional, and Public Citizen has a petition to sign about it.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Body Cams Show DeSantis Thugs Arresting People For Voting
Quote – According to the Times, Oliver, who served 18 years in prison for second-degree murder, filled out both a voter registration form and a change-of-address form in 2020 before voting, and the forms were reviewed by the State Department before she was given a voter ID. State registration forms require voters to swear that they have not been convicted of a felony or that their voting rights have been restored, but they do not clarify that people convicted of certain crimes are not eligible for restored rights.
Click through for story. I seriously hope these people sue the State of Florida – or, better, DeSantis personally – for entrapment, and can take him to the cleaners, because I’m sure this was deliberate on his part. Local election officials were working with state-supplied materials which were deceptive, but not the local officials fault, and even the “thugs” in the video (the Twitter one since the YouTube one has been removed) sound awfully polite for thugs.

The Progressive Magazine – The Government Is Actually Doing a Good Job
Quote – You wouldn’t know it from watching the news, but American children are doing better than they were at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, at least when it comes to having their basic needs met…. The child tax credit expansion ended at the beginning of this year. Now, some elected leaders are proposing to reinstate the expanded tax credit…. Regardless of what decision Congress makes, the success of the expansion highlights something else you wouldn’t know from watching the news: The federal government has demonstrably improved the lives of the vast majority of Americans over the last year and a half.
Click through for full article – and don’t keep it to yourself. As the article points out, and as In The Public Interest (who referred me to the article) is constantly pointing out, government run like government, not like a business, always tends tp provide more service at less cost than privatization.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 10/21/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:47 am Open Thread, Politics

Oct 212022

Glenn Kirschner – Judge David Carter rules Trump KNOWINGLY filed false documents in court, lying about election fraud

Meidas Touch – Marco Rubio HUMILIATED on live TV in VIRAL debate MOMENT OF THE YEAR

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party — October 18, 2022

MSNBC – Trevor Noah On American Racism Vs. Overt Racism In South Africa

Liberal Redneck – Trashin’ Alabama for Three Straight Minutes

Beau – Let’s talk about two cars in Jacksonville and being a man…. ( did read about this. I recommend a hanky. I won’t write about it because I can’t express anger constructively as well as Beau can.)

Open Thread October 21, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:58 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 212022

Yesterday, I did get my ballot into the mail in time for the daily delivery/pickup. So I’ll be watching my email carefully for the “received” and “counted” emails (as if I didn’t always watch my email carefully.) In it (my email) today was a “The Warning” from Steve Schmidt – abbreviated because I’m a free subscriber – with perhaps the most blistering takedown of Kevin McCarthy you’ll ever see without profanity. And one from Jpoyce Vance had an analysis of the court decision on the Trump**-Eastman emails. I also received confirmation to visit Virgil Sunday. He called again also, and was much less confused, which was a relief.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Shadow Government in Putin’s Own Backyard Plots Against Him
Quote – Belarus’ opposition, led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, is plotting to form an alliance with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to try to hamper any hopes that Russia may have of territorial expansion beyond Ukraine and further into Europe. The concern is that Russian President Vladimir Putin is eyeing Belarus much like how he’s eyeing Ukraine—and hoping to envelope Belarus into Russia itself, Valery Kavaleuski, a foreign affairs representative for the Belarusian opposition leader, told The Daily Beast. “Russians are looking at us in the same light as they look at Ukraine,” Kavaleuski said. “‘This is a state that is temporarily dependent. This is the nation that does not deserve to be next to Russia,
Click through for article. I don’t know how much of this is wishful thinking, and – maybe because – I don’t know how much real power Tsikhanouskaya has. I haven’t seen it elsewhere, but it claims to be an exclusive, so that alone does not discredit it.

Crooks and Liars – Paul Krugman: Here’s What Dems Should Do If GOP Gains House Majority
Quote – So what should be done to avert this threat? If Republicans do gain control of one or both houses in November, Democrats should use the lame-duck session to enact a very large rise in the debt limit, enough to put the issue on ice for years. Republicans and pundits who don’t understand the stakes would furiously attack this move, but it would be far better than enabling extortion — and would probably be forgotten by the time of the 2024 election.
Click through for the why, and the backup plan. I haven’t heard much from Krugman lately, presumably because I don’t subscribe to the NY Times. But he has always known what he is talking about, and he is right again. I hope he gets attention from those who need to hear this.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 10/20/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:49 am Open Thread, Politics

Oct 202022

Glenn Kirschner – Prosecutors ask judge to sentence Steve Bannon to 6 months in prison & a $200,000 fine for contempt not long now!)

The Lincoln Project – Social Security

Eric Swalwell’s new ad

Ring of Fire – Conservative Group Loses Bid To Stop Biden’s Student Loan Debt Forgiveness

Liberal Redneck – OPEC, Foreign Oil, Gas Prices, etc

Beau – Let’s talk about a positive note for the weekend…. (…last weekend – I warned you I’d get behind.)

Open Thread October 20, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:47 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 202022

Yesterday, an email from Faithful America informed me that the group was a contributor to a PBS Frontline documentary calledc”Michael Flynn’s Holy War,” which had aired Tuesday night. I went looking for it to see whether I could stream it, and I did find it here. So, I streamed it. The URL does not look like one needs to be a Passport member to stream it, but I am one, so I can’t be sure. But I’m sharing it anyway, because this is important information in my opinion. Also yesterday, I filled out my ballot, signed and sealed the envelope, stamped it, and added the most aggressively patriotic stickers I could find. I dated it as of today, so I’ll try to get it out before the mail is delivered/picked up. On top of that, (don’t faint!) Trump** sat for a deposition in the Carroll defamation case. No content released yet. This is a civil suit, which means if he took the Fifth, the fact that he did s CAN be used against him.

Cartoon – 20 1020Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

First we have a story from a collection of sources regarding John Durham and the investigation Bill Barr instigated into Christopher Steele, which has taken three and a half years. In all that time, he only charged three people, of which only one resulted in conviction (on a plea deal, with a sentence of probation only, which is not nothing, but it’s also not much. Incidentally, the one charge that person pled to was unrelatred to the investigation.) Two people went to trial, and the second has just been acquitted of all remaining charges (one charge was dropped.) The first trial also resulted in acquittal. Durham still hadn’t given up, but will likely now get more pressure to do so. The “investigation” appears to be simply a scavenger hunt for mares’ nests.

The Daily Beast – Humans Are Hardwired to Cheat. Here’s How We Stop Ourselves.
Quote – What evolutionary and economic theories have to do with stuffing fish filets into fish and sneaking an (alleged) vibrating butt plug into a chess match may not be immediately apparent. But behavioral scientists like University of Arizona associate professor Mary Rigdon think about sporting competitions in much the same way that biologists like Strassmann study evolution. “We have this idea that competition should naturally lead to better athletes and more exciting and entertaining sporting activities,” Rigdon told The Daily Beast. “But we started to ask the question: Is there a possibility that competition can actually generate unethical behavior?”
Click through for article. It’s not about elections, but it certainly has some application to them. But it also has application t other things. Have you ever said, or wanted to say, “It isn’t a competition” in a conversation when one person appeared to be “one-upping” others? I certainly have. Is it possible that the discomfort (or more) that many white people feel about white privilege stems from a feeling that they are being accused of cheating? I think I’ll be saving this article.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 10/19/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:19 pm Open Thread, Politics

Oct 192022

Glenn Kirschner – What will J6 committee do if Trump defies subpoena? Rep Adam Kinzinger answers that question

Meidas Touch – Ron Johnson gets UTTERLY HUMILIATED with the MOST SAVAGE Response During Debate (Not sure you can humiliate someone who has no shame – but it’s short at least)