The Random Politics Thread

[Renegade7]

[Llevron]

Why do that? 

[Simmsy]

10 hours ago, Fergasun said:

Ridiculous...we need stronger 3rd party political organization.  We will never get there with this attitude. 

 

Surely though a third party launch around a book release date... timing is suspect.  Is he also launch a media network?

Thats just what the attitude is, unfortunately. If you're an "A List" politician, you're not going to waste your time being a third party candidate. Thats like Tom Brady quitting the NFL to play in the XFL. The concept itself is fine, but the reality of it is that the people as a whole don't care.

10 hours ago, Llevron said:

Why do that? 

Matt Gaetz requested it.

[Jabbyrwock]

10 hours ago, Renegade7 said:

Spoiler

 

[dfitzo53]

13 hours ago, China said:

In key states, corporate donations go overwhelmingly to legislators that oppose abortion rights

 

The draconian abortion ban that became law in Texas this month may soon be spreading across the country. Substantively, the Texas law bans all abortions after six weeks — before many women know they are pregnant. But the "innovation" in Texas' abortion ban is placing a $10,000 bounty on anyone who helps a woman get an abortion after the deadline. The exclusive method of enforcement is private citizens filing lawsuits to collect the bounty. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. 

 

After the Supreme Court let the Texas law go into effect, citing "complex and novel antecedent procedural questions," legislators in at least seven other states — Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, South Dakota, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Ohio — are reportedly considering copying Texas' approach.

 

Politicians in those states receive overwhelming support from the nation's largest corporations, according to new data compiled by the Sustainable Investments Institute (Si2) at the request of Popular Information. The data reveals that, across the seven states, legislators that oppose abortion rights received $5,653,225 from Fortune 250 companies in the 2020 election cycle. Legislators in those states that support abortion rights received just $1,041,194.

 

The data undermines the notion that corporate donations to politicians are inconsequential because corporations give equally to "both sides." In the states where abortion rights are most at risk, corporations are providing a more than 5-to-1 financial advantage to anti-abortion legislators. 

 

In some states, the disparity is even starker. In Ohio, for example, Fortune 250 companies gave $1,472,988 to anti-abortion legislators in the 2020 election cycle, and just $189,293 to legislators that support abortion rights. 

 

Across all seven states, top corporate donors to anti-abortion legislators during the 2020 cycle  include Charter Communications ($264,555), Comcast ($252,500), and AT&T ($237,950). These figures include direct corporate giving, which is permitted in certain states, and giving from corporate PACs. Si2 has classified each legislators' views on abortion rights based on their voting record, candidate websites, and endorsements. (Just 2% of contributions went to candidates whose views were unclear or unknown.) 

 

Numerous legislators in Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, South Dakota, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Ohio have already sponsored abortion bans on abortion after six weeks or less. Others have explicitly supported copying Texas' law. These politicians, according to the Si2 data, received $669,540 from Fortune 250 companies in the 2020 election cycle. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

Would it be reasonable to imagine this is because the same politicians who are anti-abortion are likely to also support policies friendly to big companies?

[China]

John Fetterman wants Democrats to stop wasting time and eliminate the filibuster

 

ohn Fetterman thinks Senate Democrats are making a big mistake.

 

The party has a rare opportunity with a majority in Congress and control of the White House. But Fetterman, Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor who is running for Senate, fears Democrats are wasting that opportunity by not eliminating the filibuster and failing to enact key priorities.

"Stop apologizing for the space we take up as a party and ram some stuff through and get it done," Fetterman said in an interview with CNN. "As a Democrat, I would just hate to be in a position of only being able to accomplish what Mitch McConnell allows us to."

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Larry]

Pointing out, the Dems right now are having great difficulty getting 50 votes.  It's not guaranteed that getting rid of the filibuster (which they can't do, anyway) would let them pass anything.  

 

[Cooked Crack]

 

 

[China]

McConaughey leads Abbott in Texas poll as O'Rourke inches closer

 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) may be feeling the pressure, the latest poll from The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler shows.

 

Abbott's approval rating has dropped to 45 percent in the aftermath of controversial legislation such as a ban on mask mandates amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a ban on most abortions after six weeks. It's far too early to tell how things will play out in next year's election, but two well-known potential candidates look like they could give Abbott a serious run if they do wind up entering the race.

 

Actor Matthew McConaughey, who has hinted that he's entertaining the idea (though it's unclear what party, if any, he would represent), led Abbott by nine points in a hypothetical matchup in the new poll, while former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Tex.), who ran against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) for a spot in the upper chamber and later took a shot at the Democratic presidential nomination, cut a previous 12-point head-to-head deficit against Abbott down to five in the survey. Abbott does have a more comfortable lead against Republican primary challengers, however.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Michigan rep to fellow lawmaker: I hope 'your car explodes'

 

A Michigan lawmaker told another lawmaker that he hoped her “car explodes on the way in,” according to text messages filed in court to support a request for a personal protection order.

 

“You’re truly the worst human being I’ve ever met. I mean that with the utmost sincerity. Just a parasite,” Rep. Steve Marino told Rep. Mari Manoogian.

 

Marino, a Macomb County Republican, and Manoogian, an Oakland County Democrat, had a personal relationship that ended more than a year ago. 

 

Manoogian, 29, obtained a protection order last week from a judge, a few days after Marino, 32, was removed from House committees for alleged abuse. State police are investigating.

 

Marino said he hoped Manoogian’s “car explodes on the way in” and warned her to “hide on the House floor” in a series of texts in which they also discussed issues being handled by a state House committee.

 

“After trying to ignore Steve’s threats and harassment for 21 months, and begging him to stop texting me in this harassing manner countless times, I had no choice but to report his abuse to my Democratic leader,” Manoogian said in a court filing. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Chew]

****ing assholes.  

 

https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2021/09/will-federal-employee-unions-challenge-bidens-vaccine-mandate-court/185575/

 

Quote

A group of House Republicans is renewing its push to get federal employees back into the office, calling for a congressional hearing to better understand why the Biden administration is allowing a large portion of the workforce to remain on telework. 

The lawmakers said their offices have been inundated with phone calls from aggravated constituents seeking in-person services, such as help with Social Security benefits. The Biden administration has continued directing agencies to maximize telework as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the entire country, though some agencies have begun limited recalls of workers. 

 

[Renegade7]

[Cooked Crack]

 

 

[Renegade7]

 

[Cooked Crack]

 

 

[LadySkinsFan]

Trump loses in arbitration regarding non disclosure agreement (NDA) during 2016 campaign. Lawsuit was brought by Omarosa Manigault Newman. 

 

"Donald has used this type of vexatious litigation to intimidate, harass and bully for years," said Manigault Newman in a statement. "Finally the bully has met his match!"

 

 

I'm betting that most of his NDAs are vague in language as being non specific. I say it opens the floodgates of people talking. 

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/bully-met-match-trump-loses-141034285.html

 

[88Comrade2000]

 

[China]

Activists who helped elect Kyrsten Sinema launch CrowdPAC to fund a primary challenger

 

Arizona activists have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a potential 2024 Democratic primary challenger to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema if she does not vote to end the filibuster or continues to obstruct President Joe Biden's agenda.

 

A committee of Arizona organizers who have helped turn the state blue since 2018, when Sinema narrowly won her seat, launched the conditional fundraiser to pressure the senator to stop undermining her party's agenda. Sinema opposes the Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending bill, balking at both the price tag and key measures like drug pricing reform and tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations. She has also vehemently defended the filibuster, which has prevented any progress on the Democrats' voting rights legislation as well as a minimum wage increase, immigration reform, gun violence measures, police reform, LGBTQ protections, protections for workers' right to unionize and other bills that have already passed the Democratic-led House.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[LadySkinsFan]

Sinema is more concerned about retaining her seat than what's good for the country. Shame on her. Same with Manchin. Shame on him.

[LadySkinsFan]

More on Arizona Democrats efforts in regards to Simema.

 

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/09/29/if-sinema-wont-stand-arizona-democrats-we-will-vote-her-out

 

 

Some 676 delegates to the Arizona Democratic State Committee, the ADP's leading policy-making body, debated on its zoom call Saturday how to handle their wayward Senator, with an overwhelming agreement to these conditions:

* declare and reaffirm support for the immediate elimination of the "Jim Crow relic" known as the Senate Filibuster;

* closely watch Senator Sinema's votes in the coming weeks and if Senator Sinema does not vote in favor of filibuster reform to change Senate rules in order to allow the passage of voting rights legislation;

* and if Senator Sinema votes against, delays, disrupts, or votes to gut the reconciliation package of its necessary funding, then the Arizona Democratic Party State Committee will go officially on record and will give Senate Sinema a vote of NO CONFIDENCE;

* and in addition, the resolution gives the ADP Chair and the Executive Board the authority and power, if she does not do the right thing, to issue a formal letter of CENSURE to Senator Sinema with the clear understanding she could potentially lose the support of the ADP in 2024.

[Busch1724]

15 hours ago, LadySkinsFan said:

Sinema is more concerned about retaining her seat than what's good for the country. Shame on her. Same with Manchin. Shame on him.

 

However, counter argument...if the party decides to find a primary challenger to her (which is fine), a moderate democrat has a shot in that state than a more progressive one does not. It'll go red if Sinema can't get out of the primary. Manchin is in the same boat. 

Edited September 30, 2021 by Busch1724

[Simmsy]

21 minutes ago, Busch1724 said:

 

However, counter argument...if the party decides to find a primary challenger to her (which is fine), a moderate democrat has a shot in that state  that a more progressive one does not. It'll go red if Sinema can't get out of the primary. Manchin is in the same boat. 

Who cares if it goes red, Sinema might as well be a Republican at this point.

[TheGreatBuzz]

1 minute ago, Simmsy said:

Who cares if it goes red, Sinema might as well be a Republican at this point.

 

You really don't think there is a difference between her and the average Republican politician?  I get not liking her but keep it in perspective.

[Momma There Goes That Man]

1 hour ago, Busch1724 said:

 

However, counter argument...if the party decides to find a primary challenger to her (which is fine), a moderate democrat has a shot in that state than a more progressive one does not. It'll go red if Sinema can't get out of the primary. Manchin is in the same boat. 

kelly is to the left of her and won. AZ is purple and trending blue while WVa is dark red and getting worse. That argument works for Manchin but not Sinema 

[Simmsy]

2 hours ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

 

You really don't think there is a difference between her and the average Republican politician?  I get not liking her but keep it in perspective.

She's doing more to actively stop Biden's agenda than the actual GOP at this point. Even if you want to say that she's only screwing up the vote by doing nothing, its still helping the GOP WAY more than its helping her own party. This is what the DNC gets for running these lame ass moderates instead of real candidates who actually want to get something done.