USA Politics (redux)

[drogulus]

The main complaint was that the rights of POC are being advanced faster than those of white people.

     A related phenomenon is the fear among Repubs that economic expansion will benefit people with lower incomes more than it will those with higher incomes. The only way it can happen is if workers and consumers make gains that the rich will inevitably share. But that's what's wrong with robust growth. It empowers the wrong people.

     The rich don't want to be taxed. That much is true. I think the more important fear is that more money will be spent into the economy, upsetting the current balance of power.

[Karl Henning]

The main complaint was that the rights of POC are being advanced faster than those of white people.

The fact that this is related to the self-evident truth that whites are not, have never been an "oppressed minority" gets no consideration in the right-wing disinformation ecosystem.

the "great replacement" = "I don't recognize America anymore."

[drogulus]

     McCarthy Bows Before the Big Lie, Axes Cheney, and Begs Trump to Eat Him Last

     

     One point made by expert pointers is that the Miracle of Maricopa portends the future. Whatever your preference in a voting booth might be in future elections, Repubs have your back. They will correctly intuit how fraudulent you are according to how you vote. Why bother objecting to such a sensible and beneficent arrangement?

The Republican position now is to try and rig elections up front with voter suppression and, if a deserving Republican should nonetheless lose, to contest the validity of the vote. Few will have the time, money or chutzpah to launch as many baseless challenges as Trump did. But the seeds have been planted to grow the presumption that a Republican who doesn't win but should have must be the victim of fraud. So far, 70 percent of the party believes Trump won and 50 percent that there's "solid evidence" Democrats were behind it.

It's the poison Cheney warned about.

     Liz who?

[drogulus]

     The GOP has lost its way. Fellow Americans, join our new alliance.

     Repub zanies should welcome this development. Truly, they should fund anything that's got Bill Weld in it!

     They're not funding it, are they? No, I guess not. That would be too perfect.

     

[SimonNZ]

I was reading in the McCullough biography of Truman just yesterday about Margaret Chase Smith's "Declaration Of Conscience" speech against fealty to McCarthy and McCarthyism in her party ("I don't want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny -- Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry and Smear.") and was thinking how well it reflected the current Liz Cheney moment.

And this morning I hear on the Bulwark podcast the same speech quoted for the same reason. (They added that part of McCarthy's blustering response was to give her and her co-signers juvenile nicknames).

[drogulus]

     My admiration for Cheney is minuscule.

     https://www.youtube.com/v/dV95ELQaRYM

     

[drogulus]

     Photo emerges of Republican barricading chamber doors during US Capitol attack after he compared rioters to 'tourists'

     

     I sympathize. Tourists are an unruly bunch. Don't we all know that?

[geralmar]

Another Jan. 6 photo of same representative (far left) cowering from "tourists".



Edit: Representative Andrew Clyde, Georgia, described the January 6 insurrection, "a normal tourist visit".  His qualification for office is "gun dealer".

[drogulus]

     Palm Beach County prosecutor says Gov. Ron DeSantis can't stop Trump from getting extradited to New York if he's indicted

     The way it will work is Trump will make a court appearance in NY, plead not guilty and go home. Nobody will come to arrest the Orange Perp unless he refuses to cooperate. I hope that's not too disappointing.

     

[Karl Henning]

But the second reason is arguably more important: the threat is ongoing.

Former President Trump has still not conceded the 2020 election. He continues to stoke conspiracies about a rigged election. He and his allies continue to organize their efforts both on a state and national level, united under false claims about the 2020 election. He has even gone so far as to suggest that the election could still be overturned. Here's one of his recent pronouncements:

"If a thief robs a jewelry store of all of its diamonds (the 2020 Presidential Election), the diamonds must be returned."

Just because something is stupid doesn't mean it can't also be dangerous.

Why America Needs a January 6 Commission

[drogulus]

     Kevin McCarthy proves Liz Cheney's point

McCarthy's cowardly position betrays his own members, shows he will continue to put MAGA obedience above truth and democracy, and reminds the country why it would be dangerous to make him speaker. Part of his motivation is likely attributable to his own role as a witness. Unless he perjures himself or refuses to testify (risking a contempt finding), he will have to testify about a phone call on Jan. 6 in which he failed to persuade the outgoing president to rescue the Capitol. (Cheney has made clear that McCarthy should testify and added that she hopes he will do so without a subpoena.) The phone call indicts both people in that conversation — the president for refusing to perform his duties and McCarthy in covering up that salient point.

      We have enough knowledge of the Trump-McCarthy phone call on Jan. 6 to view it as essential to know more. CNN reported in February thusly:

McCarthy insisted that the rioters were Trump's supporters and begged Trump to call them off.

Trump's comment set off what Republican lawmakers familiar with the call described as a shouting match between the two men. A furious McCarthy told the then-President the rioters were breaking into his office through the windows, and asked Trump, "Who the f--k do you think you are talking to?" according to a Republican lawmaker familiar with the call.

The newly revealed details of the call, described to CNN by multiple Republicans briefed on it, provide critical insight into the President's state of mind as rioters were overrunning the Capitol. The existence of the call and some of its details were first reported by Punchbowl News and discussed publicly by McCarthy.

     McCarthy is caught. Refusing to answer questions about this phone call endorses the worst interpretation of it. Trump supported the coup he inspired.

     As it has turned out, Trump did know who he was talking to. McCarthy has proved to be a spineless MAGAccomplice.

[Karl Henning]

What If Roe Is Overturned?

[Karl Henning]

Obviously, the larger story is much more than American politics:

A 'Confident' Biden Keeps His Distance from Israel-Palestine 'Swamp'

[milk]

I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with criticizing Israel, nor do I think Israel's supporters are lacking in rejoinders. However, I do wonder why this particular conflict gets so much attention from "the squad" and now the woke hoard. Also, big artists like Roger Waters and Eno are vociferous on this particular issue. Why do think this is (asking for a friend)? 

[Fëanor]

Obviously, the larger story is much more than American politics:

A 'Confident' Biden Keeps His Distance from Israel-Palestine 'Swamp'

DailyBeast, "His administration avoided placing too much public pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu because they suspected he would make a public display of ignoring it."

And Netanyahu could ignore it because because his thumbing Biden would be unlikely to significantly affect US foreign policy or material aid to Israel.  No aspect of US foreign policy has ever be so consistent over so long a time as its unconditional support for Israel has been.

It's probably not going too far to say that Israel would not exist as we know it today without US support.  But Netanyahu and the Israeli Right doesn't have to worry about that support being withdrawn in anything but the most transparently token way.  The pro-Zionist lobby in the USA, exemplified by organizations such as the AIPAC, have nut-crushing grip on American politicians, mainly through the manipulation of campaign contributions to Congress members.

[milk]

DailyBeast, "His administration avoided placing too much public pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu because they suspected he would make a public display of ignoring it."

And Netanyahu could ignore it because because his thumbing Biden would be unlikely to significantly affect US foreign policy or material aid to Israel.  No aspect of US foreign policy has ever be so consistent over so long a time as its unconditional support for Israel has been.

It's probably not going too far to say that Israel would not exist as we know it today without US support.  But Netanyahu and the Israeli Right doesn't have to worry about that support being withdrawn in anything but the most transparently token way.  The pro-Zionist lobby in the USA, exemplified by organizations such as the AIPAC, have nut-crushing grip on American politicians, mainly through the manipulation of campaign contributions to Congress members.

so you think they're bought off by cash and if someone paid them more to go in another direction, they'd be gone. You don't think there are other policies the U.S. has consistently supported? I agree U.S. support goes a long way and Netanyahu thumbed his nose at Obama in an obnoxious way. The settler movement too. But none of this answers my question.

[BasilValentine]

I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with criticizing Israel, nor do I think Israel's supporters are lacking in rejoinders. However, I do wonder why this particular conflict gets so much attention from "the squad" and now the woke hoard. Also, big artists like Roger Waters and Eno are vociferous on this particular issue. Why do think this is (asking for a friend)?

Perhaps because they care about long-standing crimes against humanity? Perhaps because they're ashamed that U.S. support is furthering heinous oppression? Just guessing. 

[milk]

Perhaps because they care about long-standing crimes against humanity? Perhaps because they're ashamed that U.S. support is furthering heinous oppression? Just guessing. 

there are other much worse things nobody seems to care about. You think Eno and Waters are on it because of U.S. aid? Maybe. I'm not saying they shouldn't advocate for their cause. Everyone can do what they want. I'm just curious why this gets so much air. If the U.S. cut aid do you think Eno and Waters and "the squad" would cool their jets? I'm skeptical.

[Fëanor]

there are other much worse things nobody seems to care about. You think Eno and Waters are on it because of U.S. aid? Maybe. I'm not saying they shouldn't advocate for their cause. Everyone can do what they want. I'm just curious why this gets so much air. If the U.S. cut aid do you think Eno and Waters and "the squad" would cool their jets? I'm skeptical.

Ha!!  That certainly sounds like Whataboutism.

As for there not be anything "necessarily wrong" with criticizing Israel, there is something very right about it.  And as for Israel's supporters having rejoinders, their favorite and classic still seems to be that criticism  of Israel is ipso facto anti-Semitic which is a logical fallacy.

[drogulus]

     What does it mean for a state to be "religiously democratic"? As a matter of practice, it means one eats the other. Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist states are oppression engines that can't simultaneously uphold secular humanist principles. The modern democratic tradition developed out of a struggle against tyranny that was either allied with religious forces or controlled by them. You can't make them play nice. They don't cooperate.

     The US has at times come close to a detente between the forces of the sky tyrant and self governing groundlings. We can allow ourselves to have rights as long as they were tyrant given, the most unnatural form of naturalism one could devise, but what else can you do to keep enemies in the same tent but drug them into a stupor? The Bog itself is the author of our Bogless notions of self governance! Yeah let's do that!