#Republican Doug Burgum

[socialjusticeinamerica]

🤦🏽🤦🏻‍♂️🤦‍♀️

[contemplatingoutlander]

These moments totally happened at the GOP primary debate

WaPo satirist Alexandra Petri add her spin on the Republican primary debate. This is a gift 🎁 link so that those who do not subscribe to The Washington Post can read the entire article. Below are some excerpts. Enjoy! 😁

If you said, “Would you like to watch Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, Mike Pence, Asa Hutchinson and Chris Christie talk to each other for two hours? FYI, the place where they’ll do so is hotter than Beelzebub’s armpit!,” I would have said, “No, thank you.” But if you said, “The alternative is watching Donald Trump talk to Tucker Carlson on the website formerly known as Twitter,” I would say, “I can’t wait to hear what Ron, Vivek, Nikki, Tim, Doug, Mike, Asa and Chris have to say!” [...] Here is approximately how it went. Bret Baier: Hello. We have brought a bell just because we enjoy the sound of a bell. Martha MacCallum: Feel free to speak over it; it will give the evening a fun, musical vibe. Baier: Yes, and speaking of music, candidates, the number one song in America is something called “Rich Men North of Richmond”! Governor DeSantis, introduce yourself by providing a close reading of the subtle lyrics of this song. DeSantis: Hang on, first I have some prepared remarks! Joe Biden’s basement! Hunter Biden’s paintings! “Rich Men North of Richmond”! Taxes! Florida! Baier: Chris Christie, why would you be better as president? Christie: Bret, I have spent the last four years sailing around sharpening my traffic-cone harpoon for my hated foe (from hell’s heart I spit my last breath at him!), and the one question I did not expect was about a scenario where I could actually become president. Uh, I was governor of New Jersey? So, take that for what it’s worth.

[See more under the cut.]

Scott: I have come to this debate with some specific numbers at my fingertips! I was told everyone would be excited about specific numbers! If not, I would really like those hours back. Ramaswamy: Hello! You may be wondering, who is this skinny guy with a funny name? I’m not a politician who is going to offer you a series of prepared, meaningless platitudes. I’m a businessman with no political experience who is going to offer you a series of prepared, meaningless platitudes. Isn’t it time we stopped running away from things and started running toward things? I am not running for president so much as I am running for the title of Favorite Grandson of your Fox News grandmother. Have you ever considered that people don’t love God anymore? [...] Pence: Hello! I am here to recite scripture and keep referring to the Trump-Pence administration, and I’m all out of scripture. That was some Mike Pence humor; I will never be out of scripture! I am unquestionably the best-prepared person in this race, the single individual with the experience that is closest to being the president, with no exceptions that spring to mind. I have been in the hallway. I have been in the White House. Do you like what my administration did with the Supreme Court? [...] Ramaswamy: You think now is the time for incremental reform. I think it is the time for actual revolution. Pence: Good Lord, no thank you. I do not have any revolutionary proposals. I believe in mild, small, incremental change. Except for a nationwide 15-week ban on abortion, which I want to implement because I promised it to God. Haley: Let’s be realistic! Women hate hearing this. Let’s just admit that it will never happen. But we’re all going to say we want it to happen! But, ladies, it’s not going to happen. [...] Young Person: Please tell me that anyone on this stage believes in climate change, the only issue I care about because I anticipate living on this planet for at least 60 years. I am starting to get worried. Can we have a show of hands? DeSantis: No! We are not schoolchildren! We will not raise our hands or acknowledge the existence of science! Ramaswamy: As the only one on this stage who is not bought and paid for, I have a thought. Christie: I have had enough of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT and stole his opening gambit from Barack Obama. I came here to bludgeon Donald Trump verbally, but Trump is not here and I have a lot of verbal bludgeoning built up. [...] Baier: Why do we have homelessness, drugs and crime? Pence: Because Democrats talked about defunding the police, and everyone knows that if you say “Defund the police!” into a mirror three times, crime appears. It’s just science, or, as Governor DeSantis and I prefer, religion. Christie: I disagree. Crime went up because Hunter Biden did it.

Please use the gift link above to read the rest of Petri's cutting satire.

Just one thing I would like to comment on though. I grew up in NJ... BEYOND the exits on the Turnpike. Why does there always have to be a NJ joke?🤦🏻‍♀️There really are nice parts of NJ. Really. I mean it. 😉

[edited]

[tomorrowusa]

Evoking The Godfather, Trump seeks a Vice-Don at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump puts great importance on others not overshadowing him. While I won't call this a prediction, Doug Burgum is a rich old white guy who looks the part of a VP in Trump's mind and presents the fewest problems.

If Trump picks J.D. Vance, there will be frequent mentions of J.D. calling Trump "America's Hitler" among other things.

“I go back and forth between thinking Trump might be a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he might be America’s Hitler,” Vance wrote, according to McLaurin's tweet. “How’s that for discouraging?” Vance previously used words like “idiot,” “noxious” and “reprehensible” to describe Trump — but that was before he sought the former president's endorsement. He’s since deleted his tweets criticizing Trump and said he regrets speaking ill of him.

Li'l Marco Rubio presents constitutional problems. The presidential and VP candidates are supposed to be from different states. Rubio is a sitting US senator from Florida and can't simply move without quitting his seat.

Elise Stefanik is a woman and is smarter than Trump (despite her support for him). That's two strikes against her.

Burgum would be a disposable VP – sort of like Mike Pence but without the fundamentalism. He would not draw too much attention to himself while he secretly hopes Trump chokes on a double cheeseburger.

[nodynasty4us]

Ben Mathis-Lilley considers several possible candidates and asks:

What they would bring to the ticket

How they are demeaning themselves and/or civil society as a whole

[queenpiranhadon]

Just a normal teenager

So uh idk how involved y’all are with US politics but I just watched the first republican debate with my family and I present to you the nicknames I have provided for the candidates:

Nicki Haley: They all suck and so do you

Vivek Ramaswamy: Mr. Dora the Explorer

Tim Scott: The Intern

Mike Pence: The Veteran

Chris Christie: Bob Duncan

Ron DeSantis: The Bobblehead

Doug Burgum: Steve

Asa Hutchinson: Sherman

Don’t ask why, there’s are just what I chose 😭😭😭😩✋🏾

Bonus:

Joe Biden: Sir Stumbles a Lot (Sir Stammers a lot too)

Donald Trump: Annoying (and Angry) Orange

Who do you think is going to win?

[filosofablogger]

Looking For Integrity Under The Rocks

In all my 72 years on this earth, I have never seen as many people willing to drop to the ground and start licking boots as I’ve seen recently, especially in this past week. As you all know by now, Ron DeSantis ended his campaign this weekend.  I was frankly surprised, though others say they saw it coming.  But despite the fact that Donald Trump has called DeSantis just about every made-up…

[spacelazarwolf]

i looked up the current candidates for the 2024 presidential election in the usa and it is. really fucking bleak.

democrats:

joe biden - current president. doing...ok. he's pro trans rights and has been doing some good stuff to fight climate change, but he's like a hundred years old and

robert f kennedy jr - seems to have decent opinions on a lot of policy, but thinks that chemicals in the water are making kids transgender and has suggested that covid is a conspiracy by ashkenazi jews and chinese people

marianne williamson - anti vaxxer apparently, also i guess thinks love is the only thing that will defeat trump

republicans:

ryan binkley - conservative pastor that thinks marriage is "between one man and one woman", anti choice, wants to Build A Wall

doug burgum - republican governor that has actively passed anti trans legislation, anti regulation (unless what you're regulating is trans people ig????)

chris christie - is apparently opposed to bans on gender affirming care, but vetoed a bill allowing trans people to change their gender marker, anti choice

ron desantis - i feel like i don't need to explain

larry elder - denies systemic racism and wants police to be harder on crime, anti crt and dei, pretty solidly anti trans

nikki haley - anti choice, extremely anti trans, anti immigrant, supports israel while also having an evangelical pastor who has a history of antisemitism and racism and queerphobia open for one of her events

will hurd - doesn't seem too horrendous, not noticeably anti trans, but supports 15 week abortion ban

asa hutchinson - great value brand trump

perry johnson - was republican candidate for governor of michigan but was disqualified due to fraudulent ballot signatures

mike pence - yeah

vivek ramaswamy - "anti wokeism", would pass a law requiring teachers to disclose to parents if they found out their kid is trans, supports bans on gender affirming care, wants to end sanctuary cities and address mental health through "faith based approaches", hedge fund bro

tim scott - said that america is not a racist country and the biggest problem facing black people is "fatherlessness incentivized by welfare", opposes same sex marriage and gender affirming care and thinks democrats are using school to "indoctrinate children"

corey stapleton - montana secretary of state, couldn't find much abt him

donald trump - donald trump

independent

cornel west (green party) - seems really cool actually but two party system will fuck him over

i hate the two party system so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

also congrats to the dems for yet another milquetoast kennedy, and congrats to the republicans for having the most racially diverse list of racist and transphobic candidates!!!

[wilwheaton]

The most generous analysis — the kind you might hope to see in mainstream media coverage — would focus on a Republican Party in disarray on a level conservatives have long falsely accused Democrats of but which no party has exhibited to this degree since before WWII. By comparison, the Democrats of 1968 look like they were cast for that iconic Coke commercial of the era. The Republican field sans Trump couldn’t agree on Trump, the Constitution, Jan. 6, Ukraine, climate change, or — unbelievably — abortion. Kumbaya. And yet that still doesn’t fully capture the dysfunction and self-delusion that the GOP exhibited last night. It’s not riven by factionalism or dueling power bases vying for supremacy. Chris Christie, Asa Hutchison, and Doug Burgum represent no one and had no place being on the debate stage. Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and Tim Scott represent the last vestiges of the former GOP, and their anemic response to Trump even now exemplifies how the Republican Party got itself into this mess to begin with. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy are explicit about wanting to be the next Trump and are soulless enough to pull it off but lack his skills and appeal. Ramaswamy was particularly horrifying to watch, a know-nothing who will say anything and do so convincingly. If this debate had an iconic moment it was the halting raising of hands captured in the photo above when the candidates were asked if they would support Trump as GOP nominee even if he were a convicted felon by then. All but Christie and Hutchison were down for Trump 2.0. No winners in this debate. Just losers.

The Most Unsettling Presidential Debate Spectacle Ever

[notwiselybuttoowell]

Trump has nominated a longtime oil and gas industry representative to oversee an agency that manages a quarter-billion acres of public land concentrated in western states.

Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Colorado-based oil industry trade group Western Energy Alliance, was named Bureau of Land Management director, a position with wide influence over lands used for energy production, grazing, recreation and other purposes. An MIT graduate, Sgamma has been a leading voice for the fossil fuel industry, calling for fewer drilling restrictions on public lands that produce about 10% of US oil and gas.

If confirmed by the Senate, she would be a key architect of Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” agenda alongside the interior secretary Doug Burgum, who leads the newly formed National Energy Council that Trump says will establish US “energy dominance” around the world. Trump has vowed to boost US oil and gas drilling and move away from Joe Biden’s focus on the climate crisis.

The former interior secretary David Bernhardt relocated the land bureau’s headquarters to Colorado during Trump’s first term, leading to a spike in employee resignations. The bureau went four years under Trump without a confirmed director.

The headquarters for the 10,000-person agency was moved back to Washington DC under Biden, who installed the Montana conservationist Tracy Stone-Manning at the bureau to lead his administration’s efforts to curb oil and gas production in the name of fighting the climate crisis.

Sgamma will be charged with reversing those policies, by putting into effect a series of orders issued last week by Burgum as part of Trump’s plan to sharply expand fossil fuel production.

Sgamma said on social media she was honored to be nominated.

She said she greatly respects the agency’s work to balance multiple uses for public lands – including energy, recreation, grazing and mining — with stewardship of the land. “I look forward to leading an agency that is key to the agenda of unleashing American energy while protecting the environment,” she wrote on LinkedIn.

But environmentalists warned that Sgamma would elevate corporate interests over protections for public land. “Kathleen Sgamma would be an unmitigated disaster for our public lands,” said Taylor McKinnon at the Center for Biological Diversity, adding that Sgamma has “breathtaking disdain for environmental laws, endangered species, recreation, or anything other than industry profit”.

Trump nominated Brian Nesvik to lead the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which also is under the interior department and helps recover imperiled species and protect their habitat.

Nesvik until last year led the Wyoming game and fish department, where he pushed to remove federal protections for grizzly bears. That would open the door to public hunting for the first time in decades after the animals bounced back from near-extinction last century in the northern US Rocky Mountains.

The Biden administration in its last days extended protections for more than 2,000 grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone and Glacier national parks, a move that was blasted by Republican officials in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from The Desert Sun:

All of America's national monuments must be reviewed for potential oil and gas drilling and mining reserves, critics say, per bureaucratic language tucked deep in a sweeping order issued on Monday by newly sworn-in Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

His order 3418, “Unleashing American Energy,” mandates that the Interior Department finish its initial monument review by Feb. 18.

That means 157 locations in 33 states and several national territories — including the freshly designated Chuckwalla National Monument and Sattitla National Monument in California — could be subjected to the expedited 15-day review, and attempts could be made to "revise" their boundaries.

Monuments protect cultural and historic resources and the lands that contain them, and are created by Congress or U.S. presidents. California has more monuments than any other state, with more than 4 million acres likely under review, one expert said, from popular desert off-roading trails to massive coastal redwoods. They include Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow, Carrizo Plain, Muir Woods, Devils Postpile, Cabrillo, Lava Beds, California Coastal, Sequoia NF, Cesar Chavez, Fort Ord, San Gabriel Mountains, Berryessa Snow Mountain and Castle Mountains.

The relevant portion of Burgrum's order includes “actions to review and, as appropriate, revise all withdrawn public lands, consistent with existing law, including 54 U.S.C. 320301 and 43 U.S.C. 1714."

Although not spelled out in plain English, those sections of code govern the Antiquities Act of 1906, under which 20 U.S. presidents have set aside millions acres of land and historic sites, from Alaska to Florida.

[Additional information from a story from Inside Climate News:

The order calls on the Interior’s assistant secretaries to identify in their action plans how to accomplish “actions to review and, as appropriate, revise all withdrawn public lands” under the Antiquities Act of 1906, the law that allows presidents to create national monuments, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, which outlines how federal lands can be used and allows for the establishment of national wildlife refuges and more. ]

Many Republican lawmakers have criticized presidents' use of the Antiquities Act to block mining, fossil fuels and other industrial development on federal monument lands.

But myriad environmental, hunting and fishing groups sharply condemned Burgum's actions, once the meaning became clear.

"Burgum knows that attacking monuments is incredibly unpopular, which is why he won't even use the words 'national monuments' or 'Antiquities Act' in his orders. He's trying to operate in secret here, and definitely does not want any public input," said Aaron Weiss, deputy director of Center for Western Priorities.

"This is a sneaky, unpatriotic attack that strikes at the very foundation of the country’s beloved public lands," a coalition of groups said in a news release condemning the order. "These national treasures are broadly beloved. They safeguard our water, buoy the outdoor recreation economy, protect our trails, and preserve a national heritage rich in culture and natural beauty. Attacks on the outdoors, such as this order from Secretary Burgum, threaten the $640-billion recreation economy, putting millions of jobs at risk."

The statement added that "the order fails to recognize that oil production hit record highs under the Biden administration. This isn’t about energy dominance. Washington politicians and their billionaire advisors have an unpatriotic anti-public lands agenda that aims to dismantle our national monuments for corporate polluters."

And here's a statement from the Conservation Lands Foundation:

These orders also willfully ignore the rural residents and communities whose personal and local incomes rely on these lands being protected from privatization. Outdoor recreation on BLM lands contributes more than $11 billion to the economy and substantial income to individuals, small and large businesses, and rural communities through hunting, fishing, camping, climbing, riding off-highway vehicles, and many other activities. 

With roughly 85% of BLM lands already available for energy production–and roughly half of existing oil and gas leases not being used–it's crystal clear that these recent orders targeting the 15% of public lands that are protected for the public’s use have nothing to do with the nation’s energy portfolio.  

There’s really no explanation other than this administration is trying to sneakily and greedily sell off the 15% of protected public lands to the wealthy and well-connected, thereby blocking access for everyone else. It’s an attack that flies in the face of America’s ideals and the Conservation Lands Foundation will be unrelenting in our fight on the side of the people–85% of voters in the west–who support keeping public lands in the public’s hands.

More information from the story from Inside Climate News:

Secretary Burgum’s order would also weaken protections for migratory birds, whose numbers are declining because of climate change, disease, changes in land use and habitat loss. 

In North America, there are 3 billion fewer birds now than in 1970, according to federal documents. The populations of many of the 1,093 species protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act are also declining.

The intention of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act is to curb those losses by prohibiting the accidental killing and incidental takes—killings that are unintentional but not unexpected—of protected birds.  

In his first term, President Trump weakened the MBTA to prohibit only deliberate killings of migratory birds, not incidental takes. The rule benefited business, development and energy companies because it “significantly reduced the activities that would result in liability,” according to the National Law Review. For instance, ponds of toxic waste that accidentally poison birds were no longer subject to the act’s restrictions.

The Biden administration rescinded the Trump rule and restored some protections for migratory birds while granting several exemptions for incidental takes.

The latest order would reinstate the rules implemented during the first Trump administration.]

[madamepestilence]

2024 US Election Information

We have roughly 1 year until the 2024 US election. I've put in some research, and here are my conclusions.

TLDR for those of you who don't have time or focus: Cornel West (Democratic Socialist running as People's Party -> Green Party) is the ideal candidate to vote for - normally I wouldn't advocate voting third party, but we may actually have a shot for once, and he has excellent policies. Jill Stein (Green Party) is a potential backup, though if West drops out, our best option for Democratic party is Marianne Williamson.

Please spread this information, especially to residents of Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada. Detailed information under the cut.

Current Fascist and Republican Candidates

Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Tim Scott, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, Ryan Binkley, and Doug Burgum.

I'm not going to entertain their details, but I will note that the information I picked up while being exposed to alt-right communities from the inside via my fascist parents earlier this year shows strong evidence that Republicans are likely going to split between Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis (viewed as a betrayal by Trump supporters), and openly fascist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (I'll cover him later).

My guess is a 6/3/1 Republican vote split between Trump/DeSantis/Kennedy, Jr..

Current Democratic Candidates

Joe Biden, Marianne Williamson, and Dean Philips.

Biden has overall failed to complete the majority of his campaign promises, and has been directly supporting Israel during the genocide of Palestine, as well as deferring to Republicans to be "bipartisan" (I don't think I have to stress enough that a bipartisan democrat is not a democrat) - do not vote for him.

Williamson is a high-school educated 71-year-old author from Los Angeles, California. She is known for being Oprah Winfrey's, "spiritual advisor," (double red flag), and dropped out during the 2020 election (another red flag).

While she supports the reinstatement of Roe v. Wade, the decriminalization of cannabis and psychedelic drugs, the reduction of CO2, and moving to 100% renewable energy by 2035, her advocacy for the outright banning of assault and semi-assault weapons for civilians without military reform of the same is a slight red flag when combined with her relationship with Oprah Winfrey (an Obama supporter, the president who authorized quite a lot of drone strikes in West Asia) and drop-out makes her not a great candidate.

Philips is a Bachelor's (Brown University) and Master's Business (University of Minnesota) educated 54-year-old three-term congressman who is noted for criticizing Biden running for a second term on account of both political moderacy and medical concerns.

Philips unfortunately wants to increase police funding for some reason, but advocated for better training, including mental health training. He also advocates for what he calls, "comprehensive immigration reform," in the form of increased border security and streamlining legal entry (this ignores the problem outlined by the UN that people seeking asylum are likely to have to enter a country illegally before they can seek support), and the only real good stance he has is giving reproductive rights to patients, rather than politicians.

Philips is essentially a moderate Republican, and is a bad candidate. Do not vote for him.

Current Independent Candidates

Fascist (not his stated political stance, but it's what he is)

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a fascist that has openly quoted Nazi propaganda in his political campaigns, is an anti-vaccine activist, and has spread anti-science conspiracy theories such as vaccines causing autism and the non-existence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. I cannot stress this enough, do not fucking vote for Kennedy, Jr.

Democratic Socialist

Cornel West is a Bachelor's (Harvard University), Master's, and Ph.D. (both Princeton University) educated 70-year-old progressive activist that switched his running party from the People's Party to the Green Party, despite being a both public- and self-described democratic socialist.

When asked why he wasn't running as a Democrat against Biden, he stated that, "Neither party is speaking to the pressing needs of poor and working people."

His party plans are a wealth tax on the rich, a national $27 minimum wage, a federal Universal Basic Income, 6 months of paid family leave, a 4-day work week, national free Pre-K childcare, "Immediate cessation of all oil and gas leasing projects on federal lands and waters," "Federal moratorium on fracking, carbon capture, and direct air capture technologies, geoengineering, and other false climate solutions," putting abortion rights in the Constitution, and nationalized healthcare.

Here's where I want to lay out something important. I normally wouldn't advocate for voting for a third party candidate due to the Spoiler Effect, but

Considering the United States' Democratic majority, popular vote records showing a common Republican minority, the absolutely incredible policies West stands for,

The growing support for third parties in the United States, and his policies aligning with public opinion,

Cornel West is the ideal candidate to vote for. Spread this information like wildfire - we may have one shot at the first third party win in US history in the upcoming 2024 election, and

If successful the dominant parties will be Fascist vs. Socialist, denying most, if not all, future Republican wins.

Our target toss-up states are Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada.

Converting Texas to third party, or even just Democrat, will throw the Republican vote entirely and all but guarantee a Democrat, or hopefully third party, 2024 election win,

Which is absolutely possible, as Texas is majority Democrat and wins Republican votes via gerrymandering despite public opinion, which is why it swings occasionally.

Democrat states also need to be switched to majority third party votes, with particular emphasis on California, New York, and Illinois.

GET PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR CORNEL WEST!

Reference map of polling for the future 2024 election:

Libertarian (slightly Conservative to alt-right, really depends on the person)

Chase Oliver is a surprisingly progressive high school educated 38-year-old anti-war Libertarian that left the Democratic party after witnessing Obama's aggressive anti-West Asian war policies who has expressed desires for criminal justice reform and ending wars abroad, though hasn't elaborated on either.

Green Party

Jill Stein is a Bachelor's (Harvard University) and Medical (Harvard Medical University) 73-year-old Jewish doctor who previously ran for and represented the Green-Rainbow Party as the governor of Massachusetts.

Stein is notable for being an activist and protestor who has both protested outside buildings and testified before legislative and other government bodies against coal plants, mercury leaks, and unclean and unsafe groundwater.

Presumably, her stances will focus on environmental protections, trans rights, and Jewish protections, making her a potential alternative should West drop out.

Conclusions:

Again, don't fucking vote for Trump, Haley, Ramaswamy, Hutchinson, Scott, DeSantis, Christie, Binkley, Burgum, Biden, Philips, or Kennedy, Jr..

Our potential backup Democratic candidate is Williamson.

The ideal candidate is West, with Stein as a viable backup.

As absurd as it sounds, I want you to vote third party for Cornel West.

If you want a wealth tax on the rich, a national $27 minimum wage, a federal Universal Basic Income,

6 months of paid family leave, a 4-day work week, national free Pre-K childcare,

"Immediate cessation of all oil and gas leasing projects on federal lands and waters," "Federal moratorium on fracking, carbon capture, and direct air capture technologies, geoengineering, and other false climate solutions,"

putting abortion rights in the Constitution, and nationalized healthcare,

VOTE FOR CORNEL WEST AND GET OTHER PEOPLE TO DO THE SAME.

WE HAVE A CHANCE AT THE FIRST THIRD PARTY WIN IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE DENIAL OF FUTURE REPUBLICAN WINS.

[profeminist]

"North Dakota on Monday adopted one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country as Republican Gov. Doug Burgum signed legislation banning the procedure throughout pregnancy, with slim exceptions up to six weeks’ gestation.

In those early weeks, abortions would only be allowed in cases of rape or incest, or in medical emergencies. After six weeks, rape and incest victims cannot get abortions. Abortions to treat some medical emergencies, such as ectopic pregnancies, are allowed at any stage of pregnancy."

"After six weeks, rape and incest victims cannot get abortions."

Read the full piece here: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-north-dakota-six-week-ban-2bccde2925d30dd4772aaed84f3c2d98

U.S. readers, register to vote here

GET ANGRY, STAND UP: In Oklahoma, a woman was told to wait until she's 'crashing' for abortion care

[tomorrowusa]

"Like a dog!"

Who says Trump doesn't enjoy pets?

At least currently, I think that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is the favorite for Trump's VP choice. He's a rich white guy who spends money foolishly. He's also noticeably not as tall as Trump – an important factor for the vain Trump.

Burgum would also have some appeal to homophobes in the GOP.

How Doug Burgum sold out LGBTQ North Dakotans for conservative clout

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Judd Legum at Popular Information:

In recent days, several high-profile Republican political figures have traveled to the Manhattan Criminal Court, where Donald Trump is on trial. Outside the courthouse, they addressed the media and attacked key witnesses, the jury, and even the judge's daughter.  The comments by Trump's Republican allies are nearly identical to attacks that Trump has made previously in interviews and social media posts. But Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that, in so doing, Trump violated the gag order he imposed to preserve the integrity of the trial. Merchan has already fined Trump for violating the gag order 10 times and has warned that future violations could result in incarceration.

Merchan's order prohibits Trump from "directing others to make public statements about known or reasonably foreseeable witnesses." The order also prohibits Trump from directing others to attack the jury, the court staff, or family members. Asked on Tuesday if he directed the Republicans to speak about the trial on his behalf, Trump described them as his "surrogates" and praised them for "speaking very beautifully." Trump has also entered the courthouse flanked by his surrogates, effectively giving them his imprimatur. If Trump directed his surrogates to speak, their comments could constitute criminal contempt of the gag order by Trump.  Trump’s attorneys challenged the legitimacy of the gag order, but the New York Supreme Court rejected his argument on Tuesday. A five-judge panel found that Judge Merchan appropriately balanced "the competing considerations of [Trump's] First Amendment rights to free expression and the effective functioning of the judicial, prosecutorial, and defense processes."

The red tie brigade

On Monday, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), and Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) addressed the media in front of the courthouse. On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (R), Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL), former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R), and Congressman Cory Mills (R-FL) did the same. Tuesday's group, in an apparent show of solidarity, wore Trump's signature blue suit and red tie. 

[...] Prosecutors could have difficulty, however, proving that these comments were given at Trump's direction. None of the Republican officials are subject to Merchan's order, so the only conduct at issue would be whatever direction Trump provided, if any, behind the scenes.  Trump's acolytes are making a tough task a bit easier. Tuberville, in an appearance on Newsmax, admitted that he traveled to New York to help Trump "overcome this gag order." Turberville said that he and other Trump supporters were there to "represent" Trump and speak "for President Trump." Similarly, Vance acknowledged that he came to Manhattan specifically to say what Trump “is prevented from saying."

In recent days, Trump sycophants such as J.D. Vance, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Doug Burgum have traveled to Manhattan to show solidarity for criminal defendant Donald Trump, where the People of New York v. Trump case is being tried.

See Also:

Dean Obeidallah: Trump must be held in Contempt for directing MAGA allies to violate Gag Order!

[mariacallous]

The richest man in the world now sits close to the President elect and uses his powerful social media platform, X, to opine on everything from daylight savings time to visas for skilled workers. As the new administration takes shape, the number of multi-millionaires and billionaires moving to Washington grows. While this is good for Washington area real estate agents, is it good for democracy? Will someone who earns $14 million per day be able to appreciate how important $1,976.00 (the average monthly social security payment) is to millions of Americans?

We are right to worry about the uber-rich having too much influence. It is therefore important to look at whether those who are actually elected and thus the final decision makers have lives that are closer to the average American. One way to look at this is to track the number of people who have run for office and who have made significant contributions to their campaigns out of their own pockets. To do this we used data collected by OpenSecrets to count every presidential, congressional, and senate candidate in a primary or general election who contributed $1 million or more to their campaigns from their personal funds in the years 2018 to 2024. Only a very small fraction of Americans can give this much money to a campaign; especially given that the average net worth of an American is $1,063,700.

Here’s what we found:

Altogether across four election cycles from 2018 to 2024 there were 183 candidates who contributed more than $1 million of personal money to their campaigns.

Of those only 33 candidates or 18% won their races.

Of those who won seven were incumbents.

Of those the majority were Republicans; only 51 Democrats or 28% of the candidates contributed more than $1 million to their campaigns. Republicans constituted 68% of all candidates contributing more than a million to their campaigns. (There were 8 independent candidates included in the totals.)

The average cost per vote varied greatly.

Long shot presidential candidates spent the most per vote.

Table 1 shows personal spending among senate and congressional candidates in three ways. Given that the range of spending is wide, the median number is lower than the average number. So, for instance, in 2024 Democratic Rep. David Trone (D-MD.) spent a whopping $62,771,000 on his primary campaign against Angela Alsobrooks—only to lose to her by 10% of the vote in the primary. At $219 per vote, Trone’s spending was well above the median and average of 2024 congressional candidates.

If personal spending in some senate and congressional campaigns is high, it is nowhere near what some long shot presidential candidates spend to try and win the presidential nomination of their party, as Table 2 illustrates. The biggest spender was North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who got so few votes before dropping out of the race that he ended up spending over $27,000 per vote.

The fact is that most rich people who spend personal money on campaigns lose—some big time. Why do they do it? There are probably psychological reasons; plain old vanity or a belief that— “If I’m so rich why aren’t I powerful?” Some probably think they can “give back” to the country that made them so rich. Some, probably have a passion for one big issue. For instance, Tom Steyer had a strong belief that we had to deal with the threat of climate change. Others mistakenly believe that a genius at business is the same as a genius at politics. That may be the case for Donald Trump but not for many others.

Should the failure of self-funding politicians make us feel better about the state of democracy? Only a little. Instead of running for office, what many more very wealthy people do is use their wealth to lobby, fund advocacy organizations, and avoid political accountability via dark money. And many of them form relationships with people who are good at politics, which is how the richest man in the world seems to be sitting at the right hand of the president-elect. Will the interests of Elon Musk and Donald Trump align, and more importantly will their policies align with the interests of the voters?

In 2013, three political scientists studied the political views of over 100 rich Americans, whose median wealth was $7,500,000.00. They found large differences between the policy preferences of the rich compared to average Americans. While wealthy individuals often have different priorities, their influence on democracy can vary depending on their ability to shape policies or political outcomes.

[locustheologicus]

An Abusive Party Claiming to be the Victim

Gov. Burgum demonstrates how the Republican Party suffers from Narcisistic Behavior Disorder

Watch this segment above. Ms. Kaitlin attempts to demonstrate the sheer ridiculousness claim that Gov. Burgum makes on the Biden administration, and in this segment, he argues that the reason he is calling the current administration a dictatorship is because many are expressing concern for Trump's own dictatorial style and overtly stated agenda.

Having suffered emotional and mental abuse from narcissistic behavior, I have learned to read the signs. These types of behavior disorders develop a defensive mechanism that spares the individual from reality outside of their control and manipulation. I have found that narcissists can be incredibly charming and persuasive at the beginning of a relationship. They are experts in creating an illusion of a perfect partner, often referred to as "love bombing." During this phase, they will shower you with affection, compliments, and attention, making you feel that they truly care for you while suggesting that others don't. But there are red flags such as excessive self-centeredness, a lack of empathy, a need for constant admiration, and a tendency to manipulate and control. Narcissists, or toxic energy vampires as they are also referred to, are adept at playing games and manipulating people to secure their own needs and desires.

Other characteristics include the following:

It very much appears that the far right has developed a socio-political version of this condition. Notice how Trump can also create that illusion that he connects and cares for the voter in hopes of achieving the attention and admiration he so desperately craves. Once you are attentive to the red flags, it becomes easy to see how, in the end, all that matters are his needs and desires. As for those who follow him, it appears that they feel that their own needs and desires are interconnected with his. Here again, you see the master manipulator at work. The MAGA community and the Republican party have embraced this condition to the point of a dysfunctional social co-dependancy.

The master manipulator then controls the social reality for his community. He is their only point of reference, and they can dismiss any other source that contradicts his narrative no matter how valid their point is. Just look at how skewed reality is for Trump in how he predicted the Biden administration from what it actually accomplished.

Consider also how Trump supporters are so willing to ignore facts and believe the fear and division that he feeds them. Yrs, Trump is a narcisist, but those who follow him and the party that completely supports him are themselves caught up in this condition as well. Sociologists would do well to consider the sociological condition that mimics behavioral disorders we see in individuals. What motivates a community to take up these patterns, to have a skewed sense of social responsibility, an intense form of social victimization, and an openness to abuse other groups that are perceived as a threat. Discovering this could help us understand the intense genocidal episodes that emerge throughout human history and why groups allow these atrocities to happen.