15 votes

Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of January 25

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Tags: usa, politics, recurring.weekly

This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.

This is an inherently political thread; please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.

34 comments

  1. [5]
    spit-evil-olive-tips
    Link
    Oregon Republican party falsely suggests US Capitol attack was a 'false flag' Completely mask-off, no adults left in the room, inmates running the asylum shit. The official proclamation from the...

    Oregon Republican party falsely suggests US Capitol attack was a 'false flag'

    Completely mask-off, no adults left in the room, inmates running the asylum shit.

    The official proclamation from the Oregon GOP says, among other things:

    Whereas there is growing evidence that the violence at the Capitol was a "false flag" operation designed to discredit President Trump, his supporters, and all conservative Republicans; this provided the sham motivation to impeach President Trump in order to advance the Democrat goal of seizing total power, in a frightening parallel to the February 1933 burning of the German Reichstag

    13 votes
    1. [3]
      Omnicrola
      Link Parent
      What the actual hell.

      What the actual hell.

      13 votes
      1. [2]
        kfwyre
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        So, not that I would ever encourage driving any sort of traffic to these sites, but I hesitantly encourage anyone here to, for a few weeks, check into some right wing news sites occasionally and...

        So, not that I would ever encourage driving any sort of traffic to these sites, but I hesitantly encourage anyone here to, for a few weeks, check into some right wing news sites occasionally and see how they're reporting things (with the usual warning about, you know, gazing into the abyss). I've been doing it for a bit, mostly since the election, and it's genuinely eye-opening in a horrifying way. What appears completely absurd to us (false flag operations, the "sham impeachment", Democrats seizing power like Nazis, etc.) is part and parcel of what they're peddling.

        Here is Breitbart's front page on the day of Biden's inauguration (to be fair, I didn't capture the top article which was about the inauguration itself). Look at the fear-mongering and buzzwords crammed into just the short headlines alone.

        Here's The Gateway Pundit on the same day. Notice anything?

        I didn't screencap OANN's website that day, but they actually refused to report the inauguration. If you read articles on the site, you'll see that they will not call Biden "President" or make mention of him holding office. He is referred to as "Joe Biden" in all articles, rather than "President Biden". The only stuff that makes mention of his presidency are the articles that are brought over from Reuters.

        These are not tiny, fringe sites. This is not partisan spin on agreed-upon facts. These sites report outright falsehoods and have slants so heavy they're practically horizontal. They are read and believed by millions of people.

        The biggest thing I've learned since reading them is that they really aren't about Trump. I mean, they are in the sense that seemingly EVERYTHING was about him when he was in office and his gravity was inescapable even for reputable news sites, but the narratives that these sites peddle aren't so much pro-Trump as they are very heavily anti-Democrat. They're about uniting people behind a common enemy. If you read them regularly Democrats are portrayed as every kind of evil. We're hypocritical in every regard, cannot be trusted, are eroding everything America stands for and holds dear, and are a complete scourge on society.

        When Trump got 74 million votes this past election there was a lot of hand-wringing on the left about how people could, in good conscience, vote for him. This is not a criticism. I did it too. That count shook me to my core, and I wanted an explanation. I wanted to understand. Make it make sense.

        I think a lot us out there, separated from a lot of the type of media put forth by these sites, found ourselves aghast at the idea that 74 million people were so morally bankrupt that they could vote in good conscience for Trump, the outright embodiment of corruption. What I've learned from reading far-right news sites is that I think it's far more likely that many of those 74 million Americans genuinely and honestly believe that Democrats are so morally bankrupt that those people voted for Trump even though some of what he did inflamed their moral sensibilities. There are undoubtedly many "true believers" for Trump, but I also think there is a large portion of the country who genuinely believe that Trump is the lesser of two evils, and they are able to believe this only because of a near constant stream of anti-Democrat bile and posturing put forth by these sites.

        I'll close with this. It's something I got forwarded from a family member who lives in Texas, from the Texas GOP. It goes hand in hand with what @spit-evil-olive-tips posted about the Oregon GOP. Note the date: January 8, 2021. Two days after the events at the Capitol. Emphasis mine:

        Coming home from Washington, D.C., yesterday on the plane, I began trying to write this report and was simply unable to come up with anything to say that wouldn’t sound trite. Everything about the trip was surreal. Most of the people on the flight were Texans who had also attended the rally, including many of our wonderful activists from around the state. Representative Kyle Biedermann sat behind me, and we chatted about where we go from here. I told him I wasn’t sure what to say, and he reply was, “Just tell the truth.”

        I'll leave the rest as an exercise for the reader, with this guiding question: does what she shared sound like truth to you?

        Oh, and another guiding question, just for good measure: what's missing? Do you see a single mention of anything that actually happened at the Capitol? The breaching of the building? The threats to our elected officials? The deaths?

        There is lying, and there is also lying by omission. This piece does both.

        Most importantly, this is not a fringe article. This is official correspondence from the Republican Party in a state of nearly 30 million people two days after members of that very party attempted a violent overthrow of our government because they believed an outright lie that their government was being stolen from them. A family member felt this article was important enough that they forwarded it to me (and many others). I realize that I sound alarmist, but I also feel like we've gotten so inured to the sound of alarm bells ringing that we tend to just ignore them now. Real people I know really believe this kind of stuff. All of it. I don't know what we do about that.

        10 votes
        1. spit-evil-olive-tips
          Link Parent
          The most insightful thing I've read (I don't remember if it was here or somewhere else, or I'd try to dig it up and link to it) in the 2 months and change since the election was about how...

          What appears completely absurd to us (false flag operations, the "sham impeachment", Democrats seizing power like Nazis, etc.) is part and parcel of what they're peddling.

          The most insightful thing I've read (I don't remember if it was here or somewhere else, or I'd try to dig it up and link to it) in the 2 months and change since the election was about how important the big lie of QAnon and "there's a global cabal of satan-worshipping Democratic pedophiles" has been.

          Once someone gets sucked into that big lie, it's a trivial jump to also believe the global cabal is willing to rig a Presidential election. That's small potatoes by global cabal standards, they probably had a couple interns do it.

          6 votes
    2. MonkeyPants
      Link Parent
      The Republican Party: Unconstrained conspiracy theories led to five deaths at the hands of our supporters. How can we fix this? Hmmm...... Clearly we need more conspiracy theories

      The Republican Party:

      Unconstrained conspiracy theories led to five deaths at the hands of our supporters.

      How can we fix this?

      Hmmm...... Clearly we need more conspiracy theories

      1 vote
  3. Omnicrola
    Link
    As expected/scheduled : House Transmits Article Of Impeachment Against Trump To Senate

    As expected/scheduled :

    House Transmits Article Of Impeachment Against Trump To Senate

    The trial itself will begin on Feb. 9, giving the nine House impeachment managers and Trump's defense team two weeks to file briefs and finalize their legal preparations.

    8 votes
  4. Icarus
    Link
    Major points of the Buy American EO that Biden signed:

    Major points of the Buy American EO that Biden signed:

    This Order directs a process for updating domestic preferences to fit the current realities of the American economy. The Executive Order:

    • Directs agencies to close current loopholes in how domestic content is measured and increase domestic content requirements. Existing Buy American rules establish a domestic content threshold – the amount of a product that must be made in the U.S. for a purchase to qualify under Buy American law. This Executive Order directs an increase in both the threshold and the price preferences for domestic goods – the difference in price over which government can by a product from a non-US supplier. It also updates how government decides if a product was sufficiently made in America, building a stronger foundation for the enforcement of Buy American laws.

    • Appoints a new senior leader in the Executive Office of the President in charge of the government’s Made-in-America policy approach. A bold approach to Made-in-America requires leadership and accountability. The new Director of Made-in-America at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will oversee the implementation of this Executive Order, make sure the President’s new rules are followed, work with key stakeholders, and carry through the President’s vision in conjunction with their executive agency partners.

    • Increases oversight of potential waivers to domestic preference laws. This order creates a central review of agency waivers of Buy American requirements, fulfilling the President’s commitment to crack down on unnecessary waivers. It also directs the General Services Administration to publish relevant waivers on a publicly available website.

    • Connects new businesses to contracting opportunities by requiring active use of supplier scouting by agencies. This Executive Order directs agencies to utilize the Manufacturing Extension Partnership -- a national network in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, that supports small and medium-size manufacturers -- to help agencies connect with new domestic suppliers who can make the products they need while employing America’s workers.

    • Reiterates the President’s strong support for the Jones Act. The President will continue to be a strong advocate for the Jones Act and its mandate that only U.S.-flag vessels carry cargo between U.S. ports, which supports American production and America’s workers. With the signing of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the Jones Act has also been affirmed as an opportunity to invest in America’s workers as we build offshore renewable energy, in line with the President’s goals to build our clean energy future here in America.

    • Directs a cross-agency review of all domestic preferences. The order requires agencies to report on their implementation of current Made in America laws and make recommendations for achieving the President’s Made in America goals, and to continue to do so on a bi-annual basis. This review includes a requirement that agencies submit recommendations for ways to ensure items offered to the general public on federal property are Made in America --- to the fullest extent possible—and to consider service industries in addition to manufacturing

    7 votes
  5. spit-evil-olive-tips
    Link
    The first of what's sure to be a wave of Trump family & cronies trying to establish a political career independent of his presidency: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former press secretary, is running for...

    The first of what's sure to be a wave of Trump family & cronies trying to establish a political career independent of his presidency:

    Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former press secretary, is running for Arkansas governor

    Ivanka Trump may challenge Marco Rubio for Florida's Senate seat in 2022, and Rubio is stammering and flop-sweating about it

    7 votes
  6. [5]
    cfabbro
    Link
    Kellyanne Conway Accused of Posting Topless Photo of Her 16-Year-Old Daughter on Twitter

    Kellyanne Conway Accused of Posting Topless Photo of Her 16-Year-Old Daughter on Twitter

    Kellyanne Conway, ex-counselor to disgraced former President Trump, allegedly posted a topless picture of her daughter Claudia, 16, on Twitter on Monday.

    According to screen captures posted by users on social media, Kellyanne Conway’s account (@KellyannePolls) shared an image of her topless teenage daughter using Twitter’s recently launched Fleets feature, which deletes posts after a 24-hour period (similar to Instagram and Snapchat’s stories). The Fleet was removed but not before Twitter users documented it.

    On TikTok, Claudia Conway on Monday posted videos confirming that the picture was authentic; those have since been deleted from her TikTok account but Twitter users reposted copies of the videos. In the videos, a visibly upset Claudia Conway speculated that her mother may have accidentally posted the image. “I’m assuming my mom took a picture of it to use against me one day and then somebody hacked her or something,” she said. “I’m literally at a loss for words. If you see it, report it.”

    In one of the TikTok videos, Claudia Conway said that “nobody would ever have any photo like that, ever. So, Kellyanne, you’re going to fucking jail.”

    Last week, Claudia posted a series of TikTok videos accusing her mother of physical and verbal abuse, according to reposts of the clips on Twitter.

    7 votes
    1. [4]
      streblo
      Link Parent
      Man that poor girl. Her mom is obviously an awful human being but where is her dad through all of this? I always assumed the pro/anti Trump stuff was just an act or some sort of hedge but I think...

      Man that poor girl. Her mom is obviously an awful human being but where is her dad through all of this? I always assumed the pro/anti Trump stuff was just an act or some sort of hedge but I think they are just dysfunctional people.

      6 votes
      1. [2]
        Muffin
        Link Parent
        I saw this recap by someone on Reddit about what info seems to be out there. Sounds like Claudia is living in a nightmare family.

        I saw this recap by someone on Reddit about what info seems to be out there. Sounds like Claudia is living in a nightmare family.

        5 votes
      2. cfabbro
        Link Parent
        According to Claudia, he supposedly left a few weeks ago, and AFAIK he hasn't come back since. See: Claudia Conway Posts About Selling Her Dad George's Belongings on eBay.

        where is her dad through all of this?

        According to Claudia, he supposedly left a few weeks ago, and AFAIK he hasn't come back since.
        See: Claudia Conway Posts About Selling Her Dad George's Belongings on eBay.

        "My Dad dipping this morning saying he wants nothing to do with out family and leaving for good," Claudia wrote in a new video on TikTok on Jan. 9. The clip showed her face looking sullen, then a view of her father on the news, speaking with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. A subsequent post showed the same view, with a follower's comment reading: "Haven't seen George in a while," to which Claudia answered: "yeah me neither [laughing out loud]." These posts continued, including a screenshot of her text messages with him and other public call-outs.

        Finally, the climactic moment seemed to come a few days later, when Claudia filmed herself inside of a walk-in closet full of men's clothing and other belongings. She wrote: "selling all my dad's s— on ebay hurry up everything's going fast." In the caption, she added: "I found some mint Juul pods in his closet bid starts at $500."

        4 votes
  7. [8]
    streblo
    Link
    Marjorie Taylor Greene endorsed a deranged conspiracy theory about Democrats and satanic child murder From a 2018 Facebook post:

    Marjorie Taylor Greene endorsed a deranged conspiracy theory about Democrats and satanic child murder

    From a 2018 Facebook post:

    Greene is also a backer of the violent and absurd “frazzledrip” conspiracy theory, which is linked to QAnon and Pizzagate that essentially claims that Hillary Clinton and former aide Huma Abedin sexually assaulted a child, filleted her face, wore her face like a mask, and then drank her blood as part of a satanic ritual to ingest something called adrenochrome.

    7 votes
    1. joplin
      Link Parent
      Pelosi Blasts GOP Leadership Over Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Remarks and this: Oh, so the GOP leadership is going to have a word with her about lying about the murder of dozens of children and...

      Pelosi Blasts GOP Leadership Over Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Remarks

      "What I am concerned about is the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives who is willing to overlook, ignore those statements, assigning her to the Education Committee when she has mocked the killing of little children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, when she has mocked of killing of teenagers in high school at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School," she said at a briefing on Capitol Hill.

      A spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday reiterated the California Republican's own concerns about Greene's comments.

      "These comments are deeply disturbing and Leader McCarthy plans to have a conversation with the congresswoman about them," the spokeswoman said.

      and this:

      Some House Democrats have called for Greene to face repercussions amid the new reports over Greene's comments, including purported threats on Facebook against Pelosi in which she suggested the speaker be "executed for treason."

      Oh, so the GOP leadership is going to have a word with her about lying about the murder of dozens of children and saying threatening things about her colleagues. That should clear things right up! I'm sure it won't encourage tons of others to start enacting threatening behavior or anything once they see they can get away with it. Asshats!

      7 votes
    2. streblo
      Link Parent
      More: GOP Congresswoman Blamed Wildfires on Secret Jewish Space Laser Counterpoint from Ezra Klein:

      More:

      GOP Congresswoman Blamed Wildfires on Secret Jewish Space Laser

      Counterpoint from Ezra Klein:

      So listen I'm not saying this conspiracy is true but I am saying @jonathanchait
      is underestimating how hard it is to get the various veto players in CA to approve rail stations in the places they should obvious go.

      Space laser is a relatively straightforward engineering problem by contrast

      5 votes
    3. [3]
      cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Related: Democrat announces resolution to expel Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to force Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib to retake their oaths on a Bible in a...

      Related:
      Democrat announces resolution to expel Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress

      A Democratic congressman from California will try to have Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, expelled from the House.

      In a statement Wednesday night, Rep. Jimmy Gomez said he will introduce a resolution to kick Ms. Greene out of the chamber “in light of numerous reports revealing her repeated endorsements of sedition, domestic terrorism, and political violence.”

      The Constitution provides that either chamber may expel a member, but only upon a two-thirds vote.

      Without significant Republican support, Mr. Gomez’s resolution has no chance of succeeding in the chamber, which Democrats only control by a 222-211 margin.

      Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to force Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib to retake their oaths on a Bible in a resurfaced video

      Video footage surfaced on Wednesday of Ms Greene walking through the halls of Congress prior to being elected as a Georgia representative.

      In the footage, she was claiming that Ms Omar and Ms Tlaib were illegitimate Democratic representatives because they took their oaths of office on the Quran instead of the Bible.

      “We’re going to explain about how you can’t swear in on the Quran,” Ms Greene said in the footage. “We’re going to have the Bible and ask them if they would swear in on the Bible … I think that’s important.”

      Someone off-camera then told Ms Greene that she was “infringing” on the two representatives’ religion by asking them to take their oaths of office with the Bible instead of the Quran.

      “It wasn’t a law yet … at the time they swore in. I think at the time they swore in it wasn’t passed, because it wouldn’t pass in a Republican-controlled ... “ Ms Greene said. “So they’re not really official, I don’t think.”

      What she was insinuating in that video was that there was some law that required all members of Congress to be sworn in on the Bible. At the time of Ms Omar and Ms Tlaib’s ceremonies, Ms Greene claimed, there was no law allowing them to use a Quran over the Bible.

      This position has been repeated in recent years by other fringe members of the Republican party, and it’s inaccurate.

      There has never been a law in United States history that requires an elected official of the country to take the oath of office with a Bible or any other religious text. The United States Constitution actually states "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” Why does the Constitution specifically say this? The Framers of the Constitution valued the separation of church versus state.

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        cfabbro
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        Even more: Channel 3 crew threatened with arrest after asking Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene a question during town hall meeting Video surfaces of Marjorie Taylor Greene confronting Parkland shooting...

        Even more:
        Channel 3 crew threatened with arrest after asking Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene a question during town hall meeting

        Video surfaces of Marjorie Taylor Greene confronting Parkland shooting survivor with baseless claims

        Video of Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene confronting Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg before she was elected to Congress went viral Wednesday amid an uproar over newly surfaced comments she made in 2018 and 2019 as reported by CNN's KFile.

        In the video from March 2019, Greene follows Hogg as he walks toward the US Capitol. She can be heard making false and baseless claims as she asks him a series of questions related to gun rights and how he was able to meet with senators. Hogg continues to walk without addressing Greene.

        "He's a coward," Greene says at the end of the video as Hogg walks away, claiming his activism was funded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros, who is often the subject of far-right conspiracy theories, and other liberals. "He can't say one word because he can't defend his stance."

        Greene -- who has previously called Hogg "#littleHitler" -- said in a written statement to CNN that the video was taken while she was in Washington, "going from office to office in the Senate to oppose the radical gun control agenda that David Hogg was pushing."

        3 votes
        1. kfwyre
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          This is obviously a subject that, as a teacher, hits very close to home for me. It's honestly something I have a hard time talking about it because few things make me feel more defeated or...

          This is obviously a subject that, as a teacher, hits very close to home for me. It's honestly something I have a hard time talking about it because few things make me feel more defeated or disheartened than considering my nation's response to school shootings.

          Things were already bad enough after the infamous shooting at Columbine in 1999, but I feel like things took an even worse turn just over a decade later: widespread harassment of school shooting victims on account of conspiracy theories has been an American shame since at least 2012. The absolutely horrifying mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was the turning point. It was already devastating enough on its own (most of the victims were 6 years old, which is a fact that genuinely makes me start to cry every time I think about it), but the cultural response to the event made it even worse:

          On Friday, December 14, 2012, 20 year old Adam Lanza took a Bushmaster XM-15 semi-automatic rifle into Sandy Hook Elementary school and killed 20 children and 6 teachers. One of the children killed was Pozner's six-year-old son Noah. Shortly afterwards, conspiracy theorists used Facebook, YouTube, blogs and other social media platforms to claim the massacre was a hoax and a false flag operation and that the victims were actually crisis actors. Among them was radio-show host Alex Jones, who repeatedly used the conspiracy theory to tell the audience listening to his InfoWars radio program to rise up and "find out the truth", insisting that the shooting was staged by the federal government to destroy the Second Amendment and citizens' right to bear arms. So while mourning the loss of their children, Pozner and the other victims' families had to endure accusations that their children were not dead, and that the tragedy was a fraud designed to undermine Americans' gun rights. They received death threats and in-person, online and phone call harassment from people who took up the call from Jones and others.

          Meanwhile David Hogg, the person being harassed by Greene in the linked video and survivor of the Parkland shooting in 2018, revealed in an interview in 2019 that he faced seven attempts on his life in the previous year.

          We are approaching the 10 year anniversary of not just repeated school shootings, but of the persistent harassment of their victims. I am approaching the 10 year anniversary of training my students that they might die in a mass shooting. One of the most important lessons I teach students each year is how to run out of the building with your hands up. For "safety".

          Our country has codified mass shootings into standard educational practice and has elected people to office who openly harass the victims of them. It makes me sad, and ashamed, and it makes my heart hurt in ways I cannot describe.

          7 votes
    4. [2]
      cfabbro
      Link Parent
      I am loathe to link to Vice, since they're a generally pretty shit news org, IMO... but this summary they put out on Rep. Greene's beliefs is pretty damning, and shows just how utterly insane she...

      I am loathe to link to Vice, since they're a generally pretty shit news org, IMO... but this summary they put out on Rep. Greene's beliefs is pretty damning, and shows just how utterly insane she really is:

      Here's Every Disturbing Conspiracy Marjorie Taylor Greene Believes In

      3 votes
      1. Omnicrola
        Link Parent
        That an..... "impressive"? level of delusion.

        Six weeks before the anonymous Q posted the first message on 4chan that kicked off the QAnon conspiracy, Greene was spreading conspiracy theories about Democrats being involved in satanism and pedophilia.

        That an..... "impressive"? level of delusion.

        3 votes
  8. [3]
    nukeman
    Link
    There was a vote in the Senate asking whether the trial was unconstitutional and should continue, it was quashed 55-45, with only 5 GOP Senators voting with the Dems/independents: Romney, Collins,...

    There was a vote in the Senate asking whether the trial was unconstitutional and should continue, it was quashed 55-45, with only 5 GOP Senators voting with the Dems/independents: Romney, Collins, Sasse, Toomey, and Murkowski.

    7 votes
    1. [3]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [2]
        psi
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        Impeaching a former president might be untrodden ground, but impeaching a former official is not. [1] (And honestly, impeachments are rare enough that they're all unprecedented in some way or...

        Impeaching a former president might be untrodden ground, but impeaching a former official is not. [1] (And honestly, impeachments are rare enough that they're all unprecedented in some way or another.) Regardless, I think Senators should vote their conscience here and let the courts debate the constitutionality of the matter -- they're better suited to settle that dispute. Or at the very least, Senators should wait until after arguments have been made at the impeachment trial.

        But mostly I don't take their concerns in good faith. I'm speculating here (and maybe I'm too optimistic), but I believe there are enough Republican Senators that privately believe Trump committed an impeachable offense. However, they fear the political backlash for voting for conviction, so now they're looking for whatever flimsy excuse they can take to weasel their way out of a vote.

        [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_W._Belknap#House_corruption_investigation,_resignation_and_impeachment_(1876)

        7 votes
        1. Omnicrola
          Link Parent
          This is what concerns me most. All the members of Congress that are from conservative districts see both the insanity of that day, and know that a large part of their voters feel the same way....

          However, they fear the political backlash for voting for conviction, so now they're looking for whatever flimsy excuse they can take to weasel their way out of a vote

          This is what concerns me most. All the members of Congress that are from conservative districts see both the insanity of that day, and know that a large part of their voters feel the same way. Maybe not strongly enough to have showed up on the 6th, but certainly strong enough to vote them out. Maybe they're even altruistic enough to fear that someone genuinely worse works get voted in. And then on top of it, know that there are actually whackjobs out there that will wish them harm if they vote to convict Trump. They know this in a way they have never really known before, because on the 6th, some of them showed up in person.

          So there's a scenario the founding fathers didn't (couldn't) anticipate. That the only group that can check the power of a president, would find it's own members so terrified of their own constituents that they cannot do the job they've sworn to do.

          7 votes
  10. [2]
    Omnicrola
    Link
    Sen. Patrick Leahy To Preside Over Trump's Senate Impeachment Trial Not really sure if this has any practical implications, but it was a small unexpected (to me) development.

    Sen. Patrick Leahy To Preside Over Trump's Senate Impeachment Trial

    Not really sure if this has any practical implications, but it was a small unexpected (to me) development.

    6 votes
    1. Cycloneblaze
      Link Parent
      Apparently he is in hospital now?

      Apparently he is in hospital now?

      “This evening, Sen Leahy was in his Capitol office and was not feeling well. He was examined in the Capitol by the Attending Physician. Out of an abundance of caution, the Attending Physician recommended that he be taken to a local hospital for observation, where he is...
      ... now, and where he is being evaluated.” -David Carle, Leahy spox

      7 votes
  11. kfwyre
    Link
    Advocates brace for anti-LGBTQ backlash at state level after Biden victory

    Advocates brace for anti-LGBTQ backlash at state level after Biden victory

    The bills working through Montana's Legislature are among an estimated 21 anti-LGBTQ measures that have been filed or pre-filed for 2021 state legislative sessions, according to Freedom for All Americans, an organization advocating for LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections. Many of the bills, like those in Montana, focus on transgender youths.

    6 votes
  13. cfabbro
    Link
    Something a bit more upbeat and lighthearted: Bernie Sanders’ mittens, memes help raise $1.8M for charity

    Something a bit more upbeat and lighthearted:
    Bernie Sanders’ mittens, memes help raise $1.8M for charity

    About those wooly mittens that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders wore to the presidential inauguration, sparking endless quirky memes across social media? They’ve helped to raise $1.8 million in the last five days for charitable organizations in Sanders’ home state of Vermont, the independent senator announced Wednesday.

    The sum comes from the sale of merchandise with the Jan. 20 image of him sitting with his arms and legs crossed, clad in his brown parka and recycled wool mittens.

    Sanders put the first of the so-called “Chairman Sanders” merchandise, including T-shirts, sweatshirts and stickers, on his campaign website Thursday night and the first run sold out in less than 30 minutes, he said. More merchandise was added over the weekend and sold out by Monday morning, he said.

    “Jane and I were amazed by all the creativity shown by so many people over the last week, and we’re glad we can use my internet fame to help Vermonters in need,” Sanders said in a written statement. “But even this amount of money is no substitute for action by Congress, and I will be doing everything I can in Washington to make sure working people in Vermont and across the country get the relief they need in the middle of the worst crisis we’ve faced since the Great Depression.”

    Sander’ attire has also sparked other charitable endeavors. A crocheted doll of Sanders in his garb was auctioned off online and Burton Snowboards donated 50 jackets to the Burlington Department for Children and Families in Sanders’ name, his office said.

    Getty Images confirmed that it will donate its proceeds as part of the licensing agreement to put the photo on the merchandise to Meals on Wheels of America.

    5 votes
  14. spit-evil-olive-tips
    Link
    Republicans considering more than 100 bills to restrict voting rights Direct link to the Brennan Center's writeup

    Republicans considering more than 100 bills to restrict voting rights

    After an election filled with misinformation and lies about fraud, Republicans have doubled down with a surge of bills to further restrict voting access in recent months, according to a new analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice.

    There are currently 106 pending bills across 28 states that would restrict access to voting, according to the data. That’s a sharp increase from nearly a year ago, when there were 35 restrictive bills pending across 15 states.

    Direct link to the Brennan Center's writeup

    5 votes
  16. spit-evil-olive-tips
    Link
    The Women for America First cross-country tour spent the weeks before its Jan. 6 event spreading election lies and, on occasion, calling for violence. Some of the particularly terrible quotes that...

    The Women for America First cross-country tour spent the weeks before its Jan. 6 event spreading election lies and, on occasion, calling for violence.

    Behind the violent insurrection at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6 lies a group many Americans have never heard of: Women for America First. This group, founded by Trump loyalists and supported by the former president, not only obtained the permit for the rally where former President Donald Trump told the crowd to march on the Capitol, but also spent the weeks leading up to it on a 20-city bus tour, spreading incendiary propaganda, lies, and hate across an American tinderbox.

    BuzzFeed News reviewed more than 20 hours of footage of the bus tour events dating back to November and found that organizers, rallygoers, and guest speakers — some of them government officials — propagated lies and conspiracies, and stoked fear at every stop, helping to lay the groundwork for the deadly insurrection.

    Some of the particularly terrible quotes that stick out at me:

    “When they come for my kids with this nontested COVID vaccine, I’m gonna give them an insurance policy courtesy of a Glock on their forehead. And I don’t wanna do that, guys. I’m not inciting violence,” he said at the rally. “What I am inciting is resolve.”

    “I jokingly told — I don’t know if you want to cut this off — but I jokingly told some folks in the tea party, see, we’d solve every problem in this country if on the 4th of July every conservative went and shot one liberal,” said Cavanaugh, who did not respond to a request for comment.

    At a Dec. 6 rally in Madison, Wisconsin, Pastor Brian Gibson, a regular speaker at the bus rallies, brought a Black man from the crowd to the microphone who yelled, “This is treason. These are traitors. The election has been made by China. The punishment for treason is death.” The speaker could not be identified.

    “Let’s thank that man for being a patriot. I love a patriot. Patriots come in every color,” Gibson said to applause. (He did not respond to a request for comment.)

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