Susan Crawford Wins in Wisconsin

 

CNN calls the Wisconsin Supreme Court race for Susan Crawford pic.twitter.com/qtR9KqYanf

— Acyn (@Acyn) April 2, 2025

Elon Musk spent about $20 or 25million in Wisconsin on behalf of Brad Schimel, and while I won't go so far as to say his "assistance" was an absolute menace to his candidate, it surely did not help. 

I think it would be great if we could all point to the results here as basically a referendum on Musk and his influence with Trump itself, but I don't want to take away that message too cleanly. I think it's more like a referendum on whether Mr. Moneybags can just start throwing his weight around without people getting really suspicious as to why.

When some out-of-state clown with a cheese hat on wants to tell people a state Supreme Court seat is about the fate of civilization and pours millions out in a kind of ostentatiously scammy-looking sort of way, it kind of feels suspicious, doesn't it? 

Like, what makes it so important to HIM, anyway?

Anyway, that's just something everyone should keep in mind for next election. Maybe a whiff of Musk can be a problem for the GOP. 

The Celebrity Apprentice, But For VP

 

Fit My Feet does amazing work to make custom insoles. Just wait… I’m gonna be so fast! 👟 pic.twitter.com/RujfkjWPrc

— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) March 14, 2024

First it was an ad for cosmetic dentistry, and now she's touting custom insoles--just what, you may ask, is up with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem? 

My personal best guess is, she's angling to raise her profile for VP by doing Celebrity Apprentice challenges because she can't count on Corey Lewandowski to put in a good word for her.  I mean, what is one supposed to do--stay in South Dakota? It's the Indiana of just a scootch over to the west. And as with Mike Pence, there's only so much right wing signifying you can do as a governor before you sort of wonder how it will pay off. Or not pay off, as the case may be. 

Does it feel like she's using her office a little bit for commercial purposes in a conflict of interest? Like, is she expecting something in return (or has she received something in return we don't know about)? Who knows? Maybe she only went into politics because she wanted to be a spokesmodel someday, and never got that Star Search contract. But as I've said before, the GOP secret to conflicts of interest is, if you always work in your own self- interest, there's never a conflict! 

Texas-Sized Corruption

 

NEW: Ken Paxton’s far-right backers are promising swift retribution for those who supported his impeachment — namely House Speaker Dade Phelan — as the Texas GOP’s long-running civil war continues to escalate. #txlege #PaxtonTrial https://t.co/9ByJBI1qQe

— Robert Downen (@RobertDownen_) September 17, 2023

I have very little surprise reserved in the tank for Ken Paxton's acquittal: long story short, how can Texas Republicans even hold someone accountable for acting in his self-interest and doing the bidding of his big donors when it isn't in their self-interest and sends the wrong message to their big donors? But it's more than that:

“You and your band of RINOs are now on notice,” Defend Texas Liberty PAC leader Jonathan Stickland tweeted at Phelan on Saturday, as voting continued in the Texas Senate. “You will be held accountable for this entire sham. We will never stop. Retire now.”

Paxton’s impeachment trial was the latest — and among the most consequential — battle in an ongoing civil war between the Texas GOP’s establishment members and a well-funded right wing that has for years claimed the party is insufficiently conservative.

Being even somewhat opposed to Paxton's corruption is simply not conservative and you are not a real Republican if you bring it up.  He may even be corrupt, but he's the right kind of Republican so long as he's right-wing enough. 

I think the party refers to this ethos as: Values!

A Win for Democracy in Ohio!

 

The people of Ohio decided, in an August election devised by Republicans, that no, maybe they do want a simple majority to determine referendums to the constitution, and maybe they do want more direct representation about what does make it onto the ballot. This vote was also about abortion--a referendum to enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio constitution is on the ballot this year. 

I'm basically going to reiterate what I said around this time last year regarding the vote in Kansas--bodily autonomy, one's right to privacy and self-determination are popular. People do not want their private life dictated to and understand the personal stakes of having a choice. They know that it is not right for the state to deny a 11-year old rape victim the medical intervention for a pregnancy no reasonable person would make her carry. They understand that making a pregnant patient wait until the heartbeat of their doomed fetus stops, at the risk to their own health, is simply wrong. They don't want doctors criminalized for giving needed medical care. 

Abortion rights are popular and receiving that care should remain safe and legal. It is up to anti-abortion people to try, finally, to actually concentrate on legislation that might make that procedure more rare--by concentrating on access to health care. trying to resolve what is broken in the health care system regarding high infant and maternal mortality, strengthening the rights of pregnant workers, ensuring affordable and safe child care, and other measures that make it easier and safer to carry, bear and raise a child. 

But they should relent on the idea that they should make choices about other people's bodies. And Democrats should not be timid about supporting reproductive rights.

TWGB: The Truth Has a Way

 

A funny old thing just happened--Mike Lindell lost in arbitration a stupid claim that he would pay $5 million to someone who proved his stolen election data wrong. Of course it was proven to be bullshit. Trump lost. He just did. He didn't win the popular vote the first time around, and in 2020 he massively lost the popular vote and didn't win the electoral either. He lost it by too much to plausibly even steal it. His whole ass got kicked in by Joe Biden. 

I get that people like Pete Navarro think that Trump had a path to victory via state legislatures doing the most. This is of course stealing and a fraud. It's funny he cops to that in order to slag "The Kraken"--Sidney Powell. She was operating at the time as a whole soldier though--she was probably instrumental in acquiring the breached data that TrumpWorld was going to use to challenge Georgia's vote--you know, the vote interference that Fani Willis and Special Counsel Jack Smith are both looking into. 

Powell's stupid conspiracy theories were bad and looked bad. The line Navarro wants to use is--why screw about with theories as to why the vote totals don't work out in Trump's favor when state legislatures can just overrule them anyway? 

The theories are dumb--the steal is smart. 

Tennessee Republicans Practice Confederate Values: UPDATED

 

It's one thing for MS Gov. Tate Reeves to declare April Confederate Heritage Month, but it's a whole other thing for the majority Republican State House in Tennessee to expel two young Black lawmakers for, get this, siding with their constituents on a matter of vital local importance, namely, gun control in the wake of another national tragedy, gun violence at one of our schools. 

Whew--see, that's actually showing some Confederate values, right there.

The legislators who were expelled exercised their freedom of speech, and represented the people who brought them to office. Whether you agree with them or not, it's hard to say that what they had done was on the same plane as what some previous office-holders were distinctly not expelled for, such as pedophilia and corruption. A White legislator, Rep. Gloria Johnson, who had stood with them, was not expelled, and gave a transparent answer as to why: it's skin color. 

Above, I selected a picture of Rep. Justin Jones being arrested protesting the bust of KKK founder Nathan Bedford Forrest being on display in the State House. It looks to me like there are people who can not distinguish the difference between causing good and bad trouble on the moral plane, but this young man gets it. 

A lot of young people get it, which is probably why states like Florida don't want "getting it" being taught in the schools and deride "wokeness" and CRT. I think the Tennessee GOP's actions here were execrable, and they will be hearing from the vox populi on this next election time. 

UPDATE: The GOP-led leg promises to be economic terrorists if their bête noire is reinstated, which seems very fascist indeed.  Among other, obviously derogatory descriptors. Also, too, our VP Kamala Harris came in support of these Democratic heroes. 

Kansas Institutes the Pee Parts Police

 

Kansas Republicans just overrode the Democratic governor’s veto, enacting a new law that allows for forced genital inspections of children to make sure they’re not transgender. https://t.co/7Zx1nVQc1y

— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) April 5, 2023

The trans panic that somehow, exposure to the existence of people who did not identify with their birth gender assignment will "contaminate" others has now resulted in something ghoulish and perverted that affects all kids who want to do sports in Kansas--they have to subject their genitalia to someone's review. 

Kansas decided to be the pee parts police and go totally weird. The Powers That Be decided to become genital inspectors to decide who can do sports.  Wow. People want to be the deciders of genital correctness. Trans athletes in k-12 education are probably less than 1% of candidates to participate in school sports, but here is Kansas, deciding to physically humiliate any children. Any children at all*. Who just want to do sports. And should not have their genitals subjected to some weird review. No one should!  These legislators do not care who it humiliates, who it hurts, how it is offensive and does not affect the non-trans people in anyway. They just have their scapegoat and here they are--goat scaping. 

The idea that anyone should be the pee parts police is just ridiculously intrusive. We don't think people should search a house or a car without some reasonable pretext--why body parts? This isn't conservatism--it's a perversion. Why are so-called GOP family values conservatives so interested in underage genitals? It is sick and should be treated like a sickness. 

UPDATE: For any who are confused when I say "any", when the law is supposed to focus on trans students, all students are going to be suspect, I mean, the concept of what is feminine or masculine is subjective, and human anatomy doesn't necessarily agree with social parameters. So you get a Caster Semanya. She is no man. She is just XX with high androgens. But other athletes can get challenged about their gender because of their skill. 

There's no reason to think trans people are going to change their gender just to participate in sports--that's a whole lot for any human to center their lives, loves, and legal documents around just to excel at some participatory meritocracy thing. So what I think is going to happen, sadly, is snitch culture will challenge the genitalia of really good athletes who aren't trans at all and kill women's sports specifically. Because trans rights are human rights, but are also rights feminists need to be attuned to. 

Trains and Gaslight

 

new: OH officials appear to have relied solely on prelim H20 sampling conducted by a rail contractor to initially declare water in East P. safe

Ind. experts called sampling "sloppy" & "amateur"—initial batch not collected in accordance w/ EPA standardshttps://t.co/ZbpzrlnmZY

— Chris D'Angelo (@c_m_dangelo) February 18, 2023

It's difficult to wrap my head around how we do things in this country when it comes to potential corporate malfeasance: we take their word for things. If the rail company is responsible for a chemical disaster, why would we take their word for whether the water and soil are ok? If the rail company advocates for a release of toxic chemicals to be burnt in the first place (which cleared the tracks for more trains to come through) certain governors will just accept that advice. Even though there are hundreds of train derailments every year, and they many times do involve chemical spills and even explosions, we still listen to lobbyists on behalf of those companies who want less, not more regulation. 

And certain presidential administrations have even agreed with them. 

I've noticed that this particular accident and subsequent health concerns has become fodder for the right wing to demonstrate something about the Biden Administration. Whether it's when DeWine has finally requested federal assistance or whether FEMA even really is the agency that aid would come from seem like a weird muddying to me of who is responsible for what and creates a space for conspiracy theory and resentment to grow. 

When the rail company is just living in 1899 with the robber barons just enjoying cover from the partisans and trying to get people to sign away their future settlement rights for a pittance. It's what they've come to expect. They have a history. 

Now, Trump says he's going to make an appearance in East Palestine to basically be as useful as a cottage cheese dildo while additionally fanning the flames of conspiracy and (white) resentment. And we wouldn't expect anything less.

Reality is What Red State Governors Can Get Away With

 

NEW AUDIO: Brian Kemp says he is open to banning contraceptionhttps://t.co/8SVPoL2uT0

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) September 15, 2022

I noted in my comments regarding Sen. Graham's 15 week abortion ban proposal that it is always reasonable to define Republicans as being just as extremist as they tell us they are--and here is another proof.

Gov. Kemp., who isn't the biggest fan of democracy, doesn't care that a lot of women do use birth control or at least feel like this is a good option for women to have.  If the Dobbs decision means he can ban birth control, despite the needs or desires of the women of his state, he feels like this is okay--because once you start culling the voter rolls of voters you don't think are with you, you stop giving a fuck about whether you are aligned with the voters' needs or concerns. You just side with the right-wing ideologues who brought you. 

Georgians, check your voter registration. If you are not on the rolls, you have until October 11.  Your governor does not care about your choices and wants to take them away. 

I hate governors who want to take rights away. This is why I am dead-set against Doug Mastriano in my neck of the woods, who is the same or worse. He scoffs at "my body, my choice", too. And I will live with my body my whole life, but I won't live comfortably if I didn't fight against someone who wanted to make choices for everyone else without considering their whole life experience and reality. Or rather, just keep government out of it. 

It's not their right. And they should not be in a position to pretend it is. 

UPDATE: Because we are not ever finished with radical Republican, woman-hating ideas, I have two related stories to add. First, there's a Michigan candidate for Attorney General who thinks Plan B should be treated like fentanyl. Yes, Plan B, the "morning after pill"--which is an emergency contraceptive. If life starts at conception, preventing conception would be, um, not taking a life. Don't worry, though, because the gentleman would do this having no idea how any of that works. He is just really certain that if you were the recipient of unexpected penis, you need to deal with unexpected fetus. And carry it all the way through. Why yes! He is a Republican. (My beloved friends and acquaintances let's don't ever have GOP AG's. They really are the worst.)

The other vicious nightmare of a potential Republican future is criminal penalties for abortion patients. They want to imprison people who terminate pregnancies, or worse.  Probably the death penalty. After all, if you want to say abortion is murder, what better way to signify that you are "pro-life" than to put someone to death for ending a pregnancy? And I can easily imagine people on death row for miscarriages, because why wouldn't someone with their head up their ass about the "miracle of life" add miscarriage of justice to the tragedy of potential life lost? 

The SCOTUS Dobbs decision has legitimized the logic of the clinic-bombers into law. To my mind, the vagaries of human sexual intercourse and development of human embryos are such that the law should back the whole hell off of trying to codify what is collectively right and leave a space for pregnant individuals to be respectfully treated as unique private persons with their own moral, physical, mental, economic realities. There was a lot of wisdom in the Roe decision, and today's partisan court totally lost the plot. 

There's Something Right with Kansas

 

I believe the idea was simple enough--put a referendum on altering the Kansas state constitution with respects to abortion on the primary ballot in a red state in a midterm year and let the natural conservatism and low turnout do the rest. 

Yeeeeaaaah, that's not what happened. Instead, there was very strong voter turnout against that measure. The somewhat Orwellian named "Value Them Both" bill (which is more like, "Value them Both but While the Pregnant Person is Pregnant, Value the Fetus Just a Bit More") failed. Despite mushy-sounding language that made the proposition sound like it was affirming rights in the state constitution and preventing the funding of abortions in a way that was not being proposed, activism and clear messaging hammered home the idea that opting for "Yes" meant opening the door to an abortion ban.

In the post-Roe landscape, as people come more and more to look at the stark cost of denying reproductive freedom, these bans are not popular, because the burden of unwanted or unviable pregnancies without the remedy of abortion access is undue. 

Preserving rights, giving people choices, respecting freedom of conscience, and recognizing that laws should be humane because they are made for humans, and not the other way around, should be simple common sense. In a world where anti-abortion figures enthuse that 13 year olds can do "phenomenal" things as parents, it only becomes too clear that so-called pro-life activists are living in a dangerous fantasy that ignores the messiness of human events, where reasonable people understand all too well that children should not have to be phenomenal, and adult humans should be free to make choices that affect them physically, financially, and impact their whole families. 

Social conservatives are in denial that reserving freedom of choice is popular, because most people have not willfully blinded themselves to the realities of a heart-breaking miscarriage, the denial of life-saving care, the economic strain, or the simple need to let people have reproductive freedom because forced labor is wrong. 

To me, this says that anti-abortion extremists are already on the back foot and need to be booted. There's no good reason not to lean in on letting people know: one party respects your rights, and the other party wants to take them away, and make some pastor your private parts policeman. Make it crystal clear that it's abortion rights today, birth control tomorrow. If SCOTUS wanted this in the hands of the people--the people will need to decide--and if it's in the hands of the state, then it must be clear who needs to run the state senates, houses or assemblies as well. 

Trump's Still at It?

 

It's one thing when perennial weirdo and pillow empresario Mike Lindell continues to promise that with One Weird Trick, Donald Trump will be reinstated as president. It's kind of hard to say whether Lindell is a huge grifter or actually potty, but he definitely seems, uh, a rare creature. Ditto some of the so-called "prophets" who from time to time maintain that Trump never really lost.

It's another when participants in the initial Big Lie/election reversal scheme are still trying to work over state legislatures a year and a half late--as John Eastman tried to do a few months ago. 

But it is something quite else to hear that just last week, Trump was still himself working on getting WI Asssembly Speaker Robin Vos to decertify Biden's win. This is why Trump is now calling him a RINO--and um. Trump seems to believe his not being president is still an "everyone else" problem. 

We know Trump running in 2024 will be in part because he wants to put a stop to his current assorted legal woes. (Yeah--that won't work.) But I guess he believes if he can get back into the White House before 2024, he can wish everyone he doesn't like into a corn field. 

Or something like that. But it is definitely very Twilight Zone. 

The Biden Administration Makes a Good Decision

 

The Biden admin reassured doctors that they’re protected by federal law if they perform an abortion in an emergency situation — and threatened to fine or strip Medicare status from hospitals that don’thttps://t.co/E93Sm4f2kA

— POLITICO (@politico) July 11, 2022

One of the most heartbreaking things about the anti-choice laws being rammed in place or triggered by the SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe was that for many health care providers, the fear of liability in the case of laws that were either without any exception for life of the pregnant person (made by anti-science or anti-woman legislators) or that were very vague regarding the physician's latitude would lead to life-saving healthcare being denied. 

I think there is a likelihood that either a religious-based organization or state AG will challenge this if an appropriate case presents itself, although not being remotely an attorney, I couldn't say how likely it would be to succeed (supremacy clause?) but in the meanwhile this will save lives, and that is what matters. 

I also want to stress that while I have posted how I think the Administration hasn't done what it could messaging-wise, this is the kind of meaningful decision that they should be making; it's just that it feels like it's trailing the SCOTUS announcement and should have been ready within days of it, especially since we were given a sneak-preview into what was going to happen. 

 

It's a Confession, if You're Listening

 

Here's a first--I'm linking to Newsmax because they have themselves a scoop even if they don't know it because Trump made a confession:

Trump fired his ire at the committee, and rejected a hearing claim he mocked Pence as "a wimp" for not kicking the Electoral College vote certifying President Joe Biden's election back to the states. 

 "I never called Mike Pence a wimp," Trump said. "I never called him a wimp, Mike Pence. Had a chance to be great. He had a chance to be frankly, historic. 

 "But just like [former Attorney General] Bill Barr and the rest of these weak people — Mike and I say it sadly, because I like them — but Mike did not have the courage to act. Bill Barr was afraid of certain things, and you know what they were: Please don't impeach me. Don't impeach me. 

 "'Bill Barr, please,' I said. 'What's wrong with being impeach? I was impeached twice and my poll numbers went up.'

Of all the dumb things to reject having done, saying he didn't call Pence a "wimp" (or, the word he wouldn't say there, of all places, "pussy") feels really tame against the actual claim that he vilified the man as a traitor in the hopes that an angry mob would dispatch him. Of course he's being stupid about the impeachment claims. Trump was impeached only once before 1/6. Once. He's retconning what he said. Did his numbers go up? Into 2020, the hell year? 

That's just a stupid thing to assert. But he also did state that he told Pence to kick the Electoral College vote to the state legislatures. And the 1/6 committee says they can verify Trump's involvement in the fake elector plot--that is to say, the scheme of what would happen right after Pence did throw the matter back to the state legislators.  This was the reason that people from Giuliani to Ginni Thomas were working state legislatures hard, to get some of them to overturn the will of the people. That's why Rep. Scott Perry and a raft of PA people need to get their asses looked at. And Michigan, too, and Arizona, and Wisconsin. Because Trump's scheme had them lined up for mischief, and it was this scheme Pence said no to: being Mr. Trump's conveyor belt. 

Interrupting the Solemnities

 

Democratic gubernatorial challenger Beto O'Rourke interrupted the assembled unified Republicans at their press conference whilst they were performing part of their sacred office--moving from the ritual saying of thoughts and prayers that sanctified the slaughter of the innocents, to the Ceremonial Blaming of Other Things. 

By pronouncing the feared "assigning of blame to Republicans about anything, ever", there was a narrow danger that attention might be directed at the people in the room who literally do less than nothing every single time this horrific nightmare happens. O'Rourke was expelled for the grave sin of politicizing the solemn event, because you know, people who politicize human misery are the wooooorrrrst. The danger past, the Republicans went on to assign blame to various things, like mental illness and doors, as others suggested rap music, fatherlessness, and lack of prayer in the schools. 

This is how Republicans demonstrate that they are so very serious about gun violence, in addition to mentioning Chicago. They will probably all go to a nice NRA event in a couple of days and their jowls will cease to quiver with rage about the heathen who violated their safe space with the threat of accountability and reality-facing. 

Perdue Demeans Himself

 

It's rare to see the NYT actually use the "r" word (racist) to describe a Republican's rhetoric, but it has finally come to this--because it's pretty hard to ignore that David Perdue has to know full well what he sounds like in his last-minute attacks, not on Kemp, who will beat his ass in this primary, but on Stacey Abrams, the Democratic contender for Georgia governor. Today he gave two comments, both vile--he describe Abrams as "demeaning her own race" and said she should "go back where she came from."

Ah. These were in response to comments she made regarding what could be improved in Georgia--like job creation (she did not specify race when she talked about job creation, Perdue chose to racialize it by saying "demeaning her race" for suggesting there should be more opportunities than farm work or hospitality) and improving key quality of life statistics, such as maternal mortality. 

GA may be #1 place for biz, but we’re #48 in mental health, #2 in uninsured. #1 in maternal mortality & new HIV cases, #9 in gun violence. For too many, Kemp’s Georgia doesn’t include them. Why? Because #KempDoesntCare

As Governor, I’ll lead #OneGeorgia that’s #1 for all of us.

— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) May 22, 2022

That latter comment was the one that made him suggest she should go back to where she came from, and since her family moved to Georgia when she was a child, it's safe to presume he was not referring to Wisconsin or Mississippi.

You really don't need a dog whistle dictionary to know what Perdue was getting at. And it really isn't even a first for Perdue to be obvious with his racist comments--I think we can all recall his "Kamala-mala-mala" moment--he's not better than this. It is what it is. 

My only criticism of Abrams comments is that Georgia is actually number two in maternal mortality. The number one spot goes to Louisiana, although Senator Bill Cassidy of LA advises us it would not be so high if we adjusted for black pregnancies. I can't think of any good reason why we would want to exclude certain citizens of his state due to race, but he acknowledges their mortality is higher "for some reason" and even if he declines to mention the reason, I think I could suggest the one he isn't about to say as a working member of the Republican party. 

UPDATE: Perdue got his sorry ass shellacked.

TWGB: Are We New to This?

 

Trump "ReTruthed" a comment regarding civil war on his lil' Mastodon knock-off, and yes, it is pretty serious that he's endorsing the idea after an attempted coup and on the same weekend he's shared a CPAC event with a notorious racist (I mean, among other notorious racists, c'mon....) but to be quite honest--there have been echoes of civil war with Trump for a very long time. This is definitely not the first time, and it hasn't even been subtle. 

"Civil War" was even a branded clothing item worn at the 1/6 insurrection. This isn't new, and long past disturbing. 

This is why I don't doubt the story that Trump suggested that MI elections official Jocelyn Benson be tried for treason for not overturning the results in that state. It is partially a joke to call Trump the "MAGA king", but in his mind, this person who likes to talk about shooting people in the legs--is it too far out to think he might declare "Off with her head!" like some demented monarch? 

It also isn't so far out to think he directed State Department officials to meet with activists pushing, let's be entirely clear, fraudulent election fraud narratives. How in the hell is that State Department business? you might ask, if you didn't already know Trump's attitude was "L'etat c'est moi." 

Shit. The Theocrat Won

 

New from our news team: Mastriano, winning the GOP nomination for governor, vows to 'reignite torch of liberty' in Pa. https://t.co/XtZTHoRqUi

— LNP | LancasterOnline (@LancasterOnline) May 18, 2022

I don't trust this guy even more than I don't trust most (ok, any other) Republicans. There is a sense some people have about Republicans electing crazies during their primaries that really insists on us assuming that the crazies can't win a general election. I am not a person who is going to make that assumption. He is a threat to democracy in my state, but also a harbinger of the increasingly Dominionist turn the GOP seems to be making. 

UPDATE: Oh.

Oops! https://t.co/wnorfEKa9K pic.twitter.com/Py3wyxbtL5

— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) May 18, 2022

Like I said--I don't assume that the most radical candidate is going to lose.

TWGB: "Actual Fraud is Irrelevant"

 

Politico dropped a story about John Eastman's emails that show that he was working with state legislatures regarding strategies to overturn the election, vis getting the alternate elector slates approved in the states where the vote totals demonstrated Trump lost. The plan? Basically, throw out the number of votes you don't like the look of, and just count the ones you actually want. Easy peasy! 

PA State Rep. Russ Diamond understood the assignment pretty well, I think:

(click to embiggen)

He basically said, welp, the Trump attorneys didn't prove their case and at least once totally lied, but why prove actual fraud if you don't agree with the election.  Apparently "there oughta be a law!" against people voting against Trump.  And yes, I hate it, because that's my vote they were talking about throwing out so casually. I didn't even give my ballot to a Soros-funded mule. I mailed the SOB by mailbox. Russ Diamond voted for Act 77  (he was for it before he was against it) that made voting this way possible.

See why I don't trust Republicans? I was born in the election year of the Watergate break in. They have been like this my whole life. 

But anyway, the bigger message is--the Trump side hasn't ever actually proved fraud--they basically have been throwing spaghetti against the wall this whole time. When you list the claims, they get ridiculous:  the Venezuelan software, the Italian satellites, the German servers, the Chinese thermostats, the Chinese ballots (with bamboo in the fibers, even!), and the South Korean jet planes, etc.

The claims never had to make sense. Time was of the essence and all they wanted to do was get everything finagled into place by 1/6th. Here in Pennsylvania, in Georgia, in Arizona, etc. All the "audits" and stuff after the fact are more about 2024. I mean, they worked so hard to find fraud--it would be silly to think states forked over a bunch of money to prove something that never really existed at all right?

HAHAHAHAHA! Yeah. but this is TrumpWorld. It's funny that way.

Fighting Back With the Truth

 

Senator Lana Theis accused me by name of grooming and sexualizing children in an attempt to marginalize me for standing up against her marginalizing the LGBTQ community...in a fundraising email, for herself.

Hate wins when people like me stand by and let it happen. I won't. pic.twitter.com/jL5GU42bTv

— Mallory McMorrow (@MalloryMcMorrow) April 19, 2022

MI State Senator Mallory McMorrow's speech went viral because she went for the heart of the "groomer" smear against LGBT folks and their allies: the people making these smears are bad, lying people who are using this harmful bandwagon to hurt people. Very much like the speech of MO state Rep. Ian Mackey, the effectiveness is in using truth to point out that these people aren't just spreading bad information, it's that they know very well what they are doing and should think about the consequences. Republican hate-mongers have been using religious piety as a fig leaf for their ambition and sadism. Calling it what it is is the only way to properly confront it, not timidly, but righteously.

"Not Many People Know it...."

 

TN GOP state senator uses Hitler as an example of how people can make something of themselves after being homeless.

This is absurd. pic.twitter.com/bhyTWIz6C1

— The Republican Accountability Project (@AccountableGOP) April 14, 2022

There was a time when I would wonder if this kind of nut-picking was fair. Can you really point to what some state legislator dumbass says and then somehow judge the whole GOP because of it? And as I looked around me, I eventually decided yes. Yes, I absolutely should make the connection. When someone takes a look at the life story of Adolf Hitler, the takeaway should not actually be that, say what you will about the man, he was a real go-getter. (And a terrific dancer!) 

There is a real problem when a party regularly demonstrates that they don't actually see the problem with Hitler comparisons because, well...they don't see the problem. They are deliberately not seeing the problem.  And if Republicans wonder where folks get the idea from that they are represented by people like Patrick Little or Arthur Jones or Paul Nehlen, or...you get the picture. 

This was a gaffe. They guy made an unfortunate positive reference to Hitler, in regards to a bill that punishes people who have no homes for camping in public spaces. (I rankle at the term "camping"--it's called "living". People exist with bodies that have to go somewhere. They are living in those bodies in those places because shelters are for whatever reason not a possibility for them. But it isn't a pastime for them and they don't have a home to otherwise go be in. 

Why am I pointing this out? The idea that vagrancy is a choice and should be punished is to classify the people as the problem. There is a long history of the in the US and elsewhere--but it certainly isn't helpful. And absent good options, it can lead to people deciding where "undesirable people" or "asocials" need to go. 

I worry about that. Republicans are very good at labelling people as the problem. And they are even re-locating people they consider a problem. Stupid, dangerous stunts today--but with a kernel of something very dangerous in them that makes me wonder what we will see from them in the future. The party of "Don't say Gay" and "Where's your Papers?" feels like they aren't making mistakes when stuff like this pops out, just letting a mask slip/