#Republican Party aka GOP

[filosofablogger]

Oh It's That Time Again ... 'Toon Time!

I’m a bit at loose ends tonight, for some reason.  Tired, for one,  and news overload for another, I think.  But luckily, my cartoon stash was about to overflow anyway, so what better time to share them with you and clean out the bucket to start fresh later today!

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ed Kilgore at NY Intelligencer:

As you probably know, we’re beginning the final week of a dead-even presidential contest between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, with Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes being the most desperately sought prize by both campaigns. Team Trump is already having a difficult week in the Keystone State thanks to a crude racist joke about Puerto Rico that one of Trump’s comedian buddies told at his wild Madison Square Garden rally, which is not going over well among the pivotal bloc of Puerto Rican voters in northeastern Pennsylvania. Now, Harris has gotten a helping hand in the same vicinity from none other than House Speaker Mike Johnson, as NBC News reports:

[House Speaker Mike Johnson took a dig at Obamacare during an event in Pennsylvania on Monday, telling a crowd there will be “massive” health care changes in America if Donald Trump wins the election. “Health care reform’s going to be a big part of the agenda. When I say we’re going to have a very aggressive first 100 days agenda, we got a lot of things still on the table,” Johnson, R-La., said in Bethlehem while campaigning for GOP House candidate Ryan Mackenzie, according to video footage obtained by NBC News. “No Obamacare?” one attendee asked Johnson, referring to the law Democrats passed in 2010, also known as the Affordable Care Act. “No Obamacare,” Johnson responded, rolling his eyes. “The ACA is so deeply ingrained, we need massive reform to make this work and we got a lot of ideas on how to do that.”]

Health care is not at all an issue Trump wants Republicans talking about. The effort to repeal Obamacare was one of the less popular initiatives of his presidency and, not coincidentally, one of his biggest failures. It’s also one of the areas where Harris has outpolled him. He added to his problems during the September debate with his rival when he could cite only “the concepts of a plan” for replacing Obamacare despite having allegedly spent many years on his own yet-to-be-revealed proposal.

Worse yet, Johnson’s remarks very strongly suggest two things that are potentially dangerous to Trump in the eyes of swing voters: (1) He plans to make repealing Obamacare an immediate priority if Trump wins and Republicans control Congress, which likely means it would be rolled into a gigantic budget-reconciliation bill and steamrolled through to passage if possible, and (2) his party’s designs on health-care policy are radical, meant to replace the regulations central to Obamacare’s coverage guarantees with “free market” provisions almost certain to return the health-care system to the days when insurers aggressively discriminated against anyone old, sick, or poor. Johnson’s rhetoric will also give Democrats an opportunity to remind voters that the last “repeal Obamacare” package aimed to decimate Medicaid, the federal-state health-care program for poor people and a key part of the country’s social safety net

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is vowing to repeal the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) if the Republicans get a trifecta. This is a wakeup call to vote Democratic, especially in the House and the Presidential race.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Helen Pluckrose

Published: May 2, 2023

Yesterday, I wrote about whether or not liberalism has failed or whether we are failing to do liberalism. My contention is that it is the latter. No political/ethical/social/economic philosophy can work if we don’t use it. Currently, there simply aren’t enough people consistently defending freedom of belief and speech, opposing the evaluation of individuals by their race, sex or other immutable characteristics and taking an evidence-based reformist (rather than revolutionary or reactionary) approach to social progress for liberalism to work, either in law or in culture. This seems to be due to many liberals having forgotten how to do this consistently and everybody else not wanting to do it in the first place.

This piece is a continuation of this theme by looking at the question of whether liberalism is the best way to defeat Critical Social Justice (CSJ): AKA wokeism. People raise this very reasonable question with me often. I recently had a very angry American gentleman appear randomly on an Instagram post of mine to ask if I will ever have the honesty to admit that I was 100% wrong to urge Americans liberals not to vote for Donald Trump. After reminding me of my own claim that the liberal left is needed to push back the Critical Social Justice left and then informing me of President Biden’s complicity in the promotion of “gender ideology” and “CRT malarkey” he concludes: “When are you going to admit you were wrong and those on the "extreme alt-right" (but really just normal people who are not stupid) were correct about where this would all go?” He then either blocked me or Instagram blocked him so I was unable to reply. I would have said:

I am not in the habit of calling normal people who are not stupid “the extreme alt-right.” Nor would I put conservatives more generally into this category. I particularly respect liberal conservatives trying to address illiberalism on the right. (Well done on the liberal trajectory towards acceptance of same-sex marriage). Nor do I at all deny that a right-wing party would be less tolerant of Critical Social Justice than a left-wing one. This is because CSJ is an illiberal movement on the left. I have been very open in my criticism of this movement and about this being what liberals on the left currently need to work against particularly strongly when a left-wing party is in power. In the same way, liberals on the right have to address illiberalism in their parties particularly strongly when they are in power.

This is why I can be completely honest and say I still think the GOP is “not the solution for anyone who values science and reason and wants to protect a liberal society that defends freedom of belief and speech and viewpoint diversity as well as rigorous scholarship and consistently ethical activism for genuine racial, gender & LGBT equality.” If that wasn’t what you wanted to protect, I was not addressing you. If it was, then we can oppose authoritarian Critical Social Justice together as a legitimate impediment to it, but do pay attention to all the book banning and conspiracy theorizing coming from the right. For me, all the women who no longer have access to abortion & could die due to actions driven by the Republican party when it wasn’t even in power stand out. If you can avoid being a single issue thinker, you might see why somebody could be unconvinced that the GOP is the party more committed to liberal principles right now, even if you still disagree with them.

Single issue thinking is simply not compatible with liberalism. Even an authoritarian wants to protect the freedom of people who agree with them. Unfortunately, it is quite easy for a liberal to become an authoritarian. As the political scientist, Karen Stenner argues and demonstrates in her 2005 book, The Authoritarian Dynamic, authoritarianism is not a stable personality trait but can arise in response to a perceived threat. When we feel ourselves to be secure, humans are most tolerant of difference. When we feel ourselves to be in danger, we are the least tolerant. Jonathan Haidt, discussing authoritarianism in relation to nations and drawing on Stenner’s work says:

Countries seem to move in two directions, along two axes: first, as they industrialize, they move away from “traditional values” in which religion, ritual, and deference to authorities are important, and toward “secular rational” values that are more open to change, progress, and social engineering based on rational considerations. Second, as they grow wealthier and more citizens move into the service sector, nations move away from “survival values” emphasizing the economic and physical security found in one’s family, tribe, and other parochial groups, toward “self-expression” or “emancipative values” that emphasize individual rights and protections—not just for oneself, but as a matter of principle, for everyone.

We have many examples of this phenomenon historically when a relatively stable community faces a threat and responds by becoming intolerant of difference. There is no rational reason at all why the arrival of the Black Death in Europe should have resulted in mass persecution of Jews, but it did. “Survival values” came to the fore during a disaster and intensified in-group bias and out-group hostility even though the out-group was not at all responsible for the disaster? On an individual level, this can take the form of ‘radicalisation’ in which the individual is worked upon to induce a sense of fear and danger from, again, an out-group, which can result in dehumanisation and violence.

It is this switch that can be flipped from emancipative (liberal) values to survival values that can make a liberal an authoritarian and I would suggest that ‘single issue thinking’ can also have this effect. Those of us who focus intensely on one kind of cultural problem need to be particularly careful not to flip this switch in ourselves. It is all too easy for somebody who begins studying a particular cultural issue and starts out with liberal principles which they try to apply consistently to become increasingly anxious and convinced that this is the one big threat to society until they are no longer guided by their principles but determined only to defeat this one thing. This phenomenon is often seen in online political commentators and described with the phrase “If you stare too long into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.”

Today, one of my readers ( a much more thoughtful Dutchman)* commented on the last essay saying that he thought it was a fair empirical question to ask whether liberalism is the most effective way to combat CSJ. I think he is quite right. However, I would quibble a little and say that the exchange of just one word would produce different answers in my mind.

Is liberalism is the most effective way to combat CSJ?

Probably not, no.

Is liberalism the best way to combat CSJ?

Yes, absolutely. It’s essential.

It depends very much on what your primary aim is. If the primary aim is to get rid of CSJ, then pushing it out with another popular illiberal belief system could well be more effective than trying to get a consensus on the 'live and let live' approach of liberalism. If your primary aim is to live in a liberal society I do not see any other way to achieve that than liberalism.

There really are only two ways to deal with any authoritarian movement that has power and prestige in society.

Become more strongly liberal and fully & consistently insist upon people's rights to hold and express their own views and not to have others' imposed on them

Put our strength behind whichever authoritarian belief system we dislike least that also has the potential to squash out the ones we dislike most.

While belief systems vary widely, any that gains the cultural power to make the social rules will ultimately either allow people freedom of belief and speech or it won't. If you have to pretend to hold certain political, religious or philosophical views or pretend not to hold the ones you do hold to avoid material harm to your person or livelihood, it is authoritarian. If you are being “held accountable” to anybody else’s religion, politics or philosophy, rather than just reasonable laws and responsibilities of citizenship that apply to everyone, it it is authoritarian.

Yesterday, I said I will not do the Ibram X. Kendi style argument about liberalism: “You can either be liberal or illiberal. There is no such thing as ‘non-liberal.’ When speaking of a worldview that someone holds it can certainly be non-liberal if it does not share the foundational principles of philosophical liberalism but is not authoritarian in that it does not seek to impose any views on or ban any views of other people. I do not intend to tell anyone who is not an authoritarian that they are a philosophical liberal. They could, for example, be a conservative Christian who does not wish to force anybody else to be one. In this case, their own worldview is not liberal, but their attitude towards the religious freedoms of others is.

When it comes to wielding power to make the social rules and penalise dissent, this really can only go one way or the other depending on whether it does penalise dissent or not. There is no such thing as ‘a little bit authoritarian’ or ‘partial freedom of speech.’ Whenever somebody says “I support freedom of speech but…” followed by something that forbids the expression of certain ideas or justifies penalising people for expressing them, they would do better to say that they believe protecting people from certain ideas is more important than freedom of speech. This is a coherent and arguable ethical position. It is just not a liberal one.

I am belabouring this point because it is central to understanding the significance of the question “Is liberalism the best way to defeat wokeness?” The answer to this comes down to whether you see liberalism as a tool to defang a specific ideology or as an end goal in itself.

Take our hypothetical conservative Christian again and put him in a predominantly Muslim country. It is in his interests then to strive for a liberal government and culture as this will enable him freedom of religion. But is it in his principles? We can find out if we move him to a predominantly Christian country. If he still defends freedom of religion even though it now benefits people who are not him and believe things he must think are wrong, it seems very likely that he sees a liberal society as an end goal in itself. If he does not defend freedom of religion but supports or condones authoritarian Christianity, it is very likely he was using liberalism as a tool in a specific situation and his end goal is primarily a Christian society. Again, this is a coherent and arguable ethical position if he believes Christianity to be better for society than freedom of belief. Again, it is not a liberal one.

It is important to be clear about whether you consider liberalism to be your end goal or whether it is a tool in your arsenal for reaching a different end goal. My impression is discussion is that a significant number of people are not clear about this. If you are somebody who considers yourself liberal and opposes the Critical Social Justice movement and its authoritarianism, do you primarily oppose CSJ or authoritarianism? Do you consistently oppose authoritarianism and consider CSJ to be a current, powerful example of it? Or is your primary goal defanging CSJ specifically so that you might consider a range of options including giving an alternative ideology equivalent power to make the social rules and impose them on people?

Of course, practical reality is not so black and white as this, however principled we may be and however committed to liberalism as an end goal. As discussed above, liberals are quite often forced into a ‘lesser of two evils’ position when it comes to voting when neither party is being particularly liberal and the only alternative is not voting at all. Many seem to feel that we are in a similar position now with cultural movements and that it has come to a ‘lesser of two evils’ choice from which, if obtained, it could be easier to work towards liberalism as an end goal. I see their point but I am holding out and would encourage everybody to hold out. I have been accused by a good friend of taking this to an extreme, but I am pretty sure that I would become authoritarian before it came to the situation he describes. Maybe.

==

Liberalism is what we should be doing anyway. Wokeness or not.

[tomorrowusa]

It has been a bad week for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia. Youngkin (AKA: Glenn Trumpkin) has been trying to position himself as the savior of the Republican Party in order to gain national political traction.

Trumpkin's centerpiece of Republican salvation has been what I call Faux Roe. It's his proposal to restrict abortion to the first 15 weeks and offer almost no exceptions thereafter. His plan was to flip the Virginia Senate and enact Faux Roe into law. He had tried to portray the real Roe v. Wade and Democratic support for it as "extremist".

Not only did Trumpkin fail to flip the state Senate, but Republicans also lost control of the Virginia House of Delegates. Trumpkin will now have to face a legislature with BOTH chambers under Democratic control for the last two years of his term.

Democrats have secured full control of the Virginia state legislature, winning a majority in the house of delegates and depriving the Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, of the opportunity to enact a 15-week abortion ban. Democrats maintained their majority in the state senate and flipped control of the house of delegates, where Republicans previously held a narrow advantage. Democrats’ victories quashed Youngkin’s hopes of securing a Republican-controlled legislature that would be able to advance his policy agenda, casting doubt upon his prospects as a potential presidential candidate. “Governor Youngkin and Virginia Republicans did everything they could to take total control of state government, but the people of the Commonwealth rejected them,” Susan Swecker, chair of the Democratic party of Virginia, said in a statement. “Virginians won’t go backwards. Instead of extremism and culture wars, people voted for commonsense leadership and problem solvers.”

Virginia's off-off year elections take place in odd years prior to Congressional and presidential elections. They provide some insight as to the direction of the prevailing political winds.

As one of the only states holding off-year elections, the Virginia results could serve as a bellwether for the presidential race next year.

Things haven't been going well for radical anti-abortion, anti-democracy Republicans in general.

The Democratic victory in Virginia was good news for President Biden.

Why Democrats’ big Virginia win is also a victory for Biden

Joe Biden wasn’t on the ballot on Tuesday in Virginia. But Democrats’ big win will bring welcome news on the other side of the Potomac. Virginia’s off-year elections have long been seen as a bellwether of the broader political environment — and a partial referendum on the incumbent president. So Democrats sweeping control of the state legislature — which both parties believed was in play — will serve as a boost to Biden’s reelection campaign next year. [ ... ] Tuesday’s wins will likely validate Democrats’ plans to continue to run on abortion next year, a strategy that has given them a series of almost uninterrupted wins since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer. “In hundreds of races since Donald Trump’s conservative Supreme Court appointments overturned Roe v. Wade, we’ve seen Americans overwhelmingly side with President Biden and Democrats’ vision for this country,” Biden’s campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez said in a statement Tuesday night. “That same choice will be before voters again next November, and we are confident the American people will send President Biden and Vice President Harris back to the White House to keep working for them.” They also show that Youngkin doesn’t have the silver bullet for solving the GOP’s electoral problems with abortion, as his operation had hoped.

Republicans had been trying for 49 years to get Roe v. Wade overturned. When the GOP Supreme Court finally did the deed last year, it turned out to be a poison pill for Republicans running for office.

In Virginia, Democrats won 21 of 40 seats in the Senate and 51 of 100 seats in the House of Delegates.

When the official counting of late absentee ballots and provisional ballots is completed next week, Dems could end up gaining one additional seat in each chamber. 🎉

[odinsblog]

Joe Biden fetishizing “bipartisanship” with the crazy ass fascists of the GOP is so completely on brand for him. Unfortunately.

Quite honestly, it disgusts me.

The racist extremists in the GOP just used thee most partisan of tactics to extort the U.S. economy + eviscerate the social safety net + harm the poor, but Joe Biden’s anachronistic ass thinks that’s just swell, because fucking “bipartisanship.”

Look, there is no such thing as a “moderate” Republican. The media has completely destroyed that word beyond all recognition. If Joe Manchin is advocating for the poor to starve to death, as long as he isn’t yelling or swearing, the media will call him a moderate.

There is no such thing as a MAGA Republican—that’s the overwhelming majority of the GOP and conservative voters.

If you think that there is somehow an “acceptable” amount of fascists in the Republican Party, let me remind you about the “shit in your milkshake” analogy: How much (or how little) shit is acceptable in your milkshake? 10% shit? 5% shit?? Or are you, like me, only satisfied with no shit in your milkshake?? I know that’s being a little picky, but that’s how I feel.

Same thing with fascists in the Republican Party. There are enough white supremacists + fascists in the GOP that the whole damn thing is rotten to the core. Just like a shit milkshake.

“Bipartisanship” is not the fucking end goal of politics, and I’m super tired of seeing Dems chronic devotion to “reaching across the aisle” to make nice with a Party of white supremacists who religiously fuck them over at every opportunity.

Establishment Dems are the only ones who believe in this foolishness. Republicans repeatedly show that they will block a SCOTUS nominee, repeal Roe v. Wade, slit your throat, and not give a single solitary shit about being “bipartisan.” But hey, Biden thinks we should all be on our knees praising bipartisanship, y’all. Because Republicans only managed to kill the safety net a little bit, this time. But trust me, they’ll finish the job when the time limit (aka: poison pill) runs out, and ~*magically*~ nobody will be able to get enough votes to get rid of them, thus making it the “temporary compromise” a permanent one.

Istg I’m worried shitless about the upcoming election.

[astropithecus]

Excellent editorial from a former GOP voter. Gun control isn't a left vs. right issue, it's a reality vs. fantasy issue.

To paraphrase Hemingway, my personal and political epiphany occurred gradually and then, suddenly, all at once. One of the results of my road-to-Damascus moment was an increasing discomfort with an official GOP platform that accepts widespread, preventable death and suffering. I don't actually believe most Republican voters accept that either, but the GOP apparatus does — not because party officials do not comprehend the gun-created, blood-splattered abattoirs in community after community, but because they need the votes of everyone who believes that any constitutionally reasonable laws to reduce gun-related deaths and injuries are a coordinated conspiracy between Democrats, RINOs, communists, socialists, globalists (aka a global Jewish cabal), Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the Marxists. (I ask you: What did the Marx Brothers ever do to incur the ire of the Republican Party?)  Anyone who believes that kind of outrageous hysteria has a right to do so. I question whether they should be legally permitted to own a gun.

Was a nation awash in guns what the framers of the Constitution intended? I am loath to speak for them, but if those who constructed our Constitution and Bill of Rights were alive today, I doubt they'd ratify the Second Amendment. If they did, they would surely seek to modernize it.  If they chose not to strengthen our current federal gun laws, then we would know they were not the sagacious, prescient, august and erudite intellects we've been taught to believe in. And if our constitutional rights are God-given, then the Lord did some sloppy work, considering that chattel slavery and the oppression of women were overlooked. To quote the late George Carlin, that doesn't sound like divine planning to me. 

[jeanjauthor]

Think of it this way:

We have a problem with mold, here in the PNW. (I mean, duh, west of the Cascades, it's a humid environment when it's not summertime.) Anyway...

You don't just wipe that stuff off the walls in one spot in a little spot-cleaning action. You SCOUR THE AREA where the black mold is sitting, AND you do it for more than a foot all around, beyond the visible stuff.

Because you may not see it, but trust me, it is still there. Lurking in miniscule amounts, and just waiting to regrow.

The rot that has taken over the GOP is lurking at all levels of government. Not just the big, easily seen ones at the federal level, but at the state level, county level, city level...hell, we all know how evil most HOAs are! The rot begins close to home in very tiny amounts! You won't see it until it's at the state level, but it is there at the local level.

So. You may not have time to replace the drywall / sheet rock right at this moment. You certainly will have to find & fix the leaks--AND get some air circulating in that area! Fresh air will dry out the moistness allowing that mold to grow!!

But spot-cleaning just whatever is "most" visible isn't going to be enough.

And don't go for the "most environmentally friendly" version. You don't have time for that. Vote for the candidates who have the biggest chance of winning.

For actual mold: Bleach is the strongest, but is best used on non-porous surfaces, and can be a breathing hazard. Use in a well-ventillated area and wear gloves, etc. (You'll want ventillation anyway because it's mold, which thrives in moist conditions with little to no air movement.)

Vinegar can also do the job, especially on porous surfaces, but only if you saturate things thoroughly with it and do repeat applications. (82% effectiveness, so you have to apply it more than once.) use the strongest vinegar you can find (cleaning vinegar is specifically strong enough for this), use gloves & goggles & ventillation.

Spray the vinegar heavily on the surface undiluted, let it sit for an hour, wipe it off and let it air-dry, then come back a few days later and repeat the process. Be careful with which vinegar you use, as it can & will stain surfaces--when in doubt, white distilled vinegar will work. Just remember that you have to keep reapplying it a few times.

This isn't a quick process. (Even with bleach.) Don't expect it to magically disappear in an instant!

Vote at every level to clean up the mold infesting America. Don't hold out for "a better candidate." Vote strategically.

What does that mean? If you're in a place where you have no choices other than "Republican" and "Libertarian"...wear a metaphorical respirator, goggles, and gloves, study the problems carefully, and vote for the one who has been openly distancing themselves from the mold infesting our nation...especially staying away from the ones embracing the existence of MAGAts.

While we do need some conservativism to apply the "let's think twice about this" brakes on the sometimes runaway train of liberalism (and I say this as a lifelong liberal!!), unfortunately, the rot inside the Republican party, aka the GOP (Grand Old Party, for those outside the US who won't know what that acronym stands for)...the rot in the GOP is pretty damn strong and needs to be removed.

Unfortunately, an infestation that deep & strong means cutting into the walls and taking all infected baseboards & sheetrock panels outside for disposal away from human habitation.

We just don't have the time to do a full renovation. (Yet.)

(Never vote for the ones that have been staining our nation's honor, folks. We don't have time to strip everything down to the metaphorical studs and check to see if those need to be replaced, too!)

We don't have that much time...but thankfully, we still have some time.

Most places still have Primaries to run. Vote for the party and the candidates in your area, gauged individually for each and every position, that will have the greatest chance at removing the rot fouling our nation.

Be LOUD away from the polling places about your refusal to vote Republican, too.

They don't listen often, but if enough of us show our disgust, a few of the vaguely better ones might wake up and walk away from the heart of the rot. (It's always good to leave the ones who won't wake up & walk away filled with absolute dread at the coming backlash, should they win.) (Do Not Threaten Anyone, btw. Just sayin'.)

NOTE: If you are dealing with a literal mold infestation, please do some research online, since the methods I mentioned above are only bare minimum tips on what to do. You have my sympathies, but DO find the source of the moisture (roof or plumbing leaks, inadequate ventillation, etc) and get it fixed! Spot-cleaning surfaces to visually remove the (literal) mold doesn't work if you don't fix what's causing it to proliferate!

(Also, I know for sure that Washington State has a big problem with black mold infestations west of the Cascades, and that there are laws in my state that will be on the renter's side which allow renters to press landlords who are refusing to fix leaks, etc, causing health hazard living conditions. Other states may also have renter-friendly regulations if your landlords are being a putz.)

Either way, gGet your gloves, goggles, facemasks, and ventillation equipment ready, folks.

Nobody else is going to do a damn thing about the mold in your home, now that you know it is there, and that you can do things about it.

REMEMBER:

You deserve to live in a healthy home, healthy city/county/state, and a healthy nation!

even if you're resigned that trump is going to win, 1/3 of the country lives in states with competitive senate elections. if democrats win the senate, there is very little that trump can do (can't even appoint supreme court nominees)

the following states all have competitive senate elections:

arizona

florida

maryland

michigan

montana

nevada

ohio

pennsylvania

texas

wisconsin

even if you don't think your state is competitive at all, THESE SENATE RACES STILL ARE, SO IF YOU LIVE IN ONE OF THESE STATES, MAKE SURE TO VOTE

and even if you don't live in one of those states, you could live in a competitive house seat. if democrats win the house, then trump can't pass any bills

and even if you don't live in a competitive state or district, your local elections matter even more than federal ones because they have a much more direct impact on your life

so VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

[filosofablogger]

Musical Irony From 'Cross The Pond

Our good friend Roger often seems to understand our political turmoil better than we who live here in the U.S. do.  Couple that understanding with his sardonic wit, his wide expanse of knowledge, and it’s a recipe for this post, whereby he finds just the right songs to represent one of the U.S.’ political parties (I’m not sayin’ which one!)  Thanks, Roger … you’ve hit the nail on the head with…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dean Obeidallah at The Dean's Report:

Today’s GOP controlled Supreme Court is nothing more than an arm of the Republican Party focused on imposing their right-wing agenda upon us--from ending fundamental rights like abortion and marriage equality to undermining voting rights and more.  That is why we must work to win control of the Supreme Court the same way we work to win control of the House, Senate and White House. That means going forward every Democratic presidential candidate must commit to “winning the court” (aka “reform of the Supreme Court”) or we should not support that person. The latest example of this grotesquely partisan court came Thursday in the oral argument of Donald Trump’s appeal that he has absolute immunity to commit all the crimes he wants as President. The six GOP Justices—who were all active in Republican politics or administrations before being picked by GOP presidents to serve—showed zero concern that Trump was charged with crimes for attempting to wage a coup to remain in power despite losing.  Instead, it was clear that the Republican justices are focused on protecting Trump by delaying his Jan 6 trial beyond Election Day.

If these justices were truly concerned with protecting our Republic, they would have agreed to hear this case in December 2023 when Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the court to fast track Trump’s appeal of the trial judge’s decision denying him immunity in the Jan 6 case.  But that was rejected by the GOP controlled court to help Trump delay his trial. And in the end, the Republican justices may render a decision that makes it all but impossible to prosecute Trump for his crimes in the Jan 6 case. In reality, no one should be surprised that the Republican justices would protect the presidential nominee of their party in an election year. That is especially true given that three of those justices were appointed by Trump. [...]

And the GOP Supreme Court is helping Republicans impose these women killing abortion bans. We saw this on Wednesday when the court considered a challenge from Idaho Republicans to a federal law that mandates doctors to provide an abortion to a woman who is faced with an medical emergency.  It’s clear from the oral argument that GOP justices support the Idaho state law that makes it illegal for doctor to perform an abortion--even if a woman is suffering horribly or could suffer permanent injuries. Only if a woman is literally on the doorstep of death after suffering extensively and begging for help would these Republican justices allow an abortion. This is barbarism—and it’s also the mainstream GOP position. The GOP controlled court has also repeatedly chipped away at the wall between church and state to pave the way for a theocracy consistent with their right-wing religious views. For example, in 2023, the GOP justices rolled back anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community in the name of “religious freedom.”

In addition, these same GOP justices weakened the Voting Rights Act and greatly restricted the ability of the EPA to address climate change. And in a case that will literally result in more Americans being killed by gun violence, these same six Justices struck down in 2022 a century old New York state law that limited who can carry a concealed weapon.  Justice Thomas—in between lavish gifts from his billionaire benefactor—wrote in that case that modern gun control laws must be “consistent with the Second Amendment’s text and historical understanding.” This decision has resulted in courts striking down a wide range of modern gun laws—including prohibitions on guns in mass transit, guns in post offices, guns with obliterated serial numbers and gun possession by certain felons. Whatever the GOP wants, this court will deliver. That means—as Justice Thomas has vowed—the court will, when given a chance, limit access to forms of birth control that right wing theocrats oppose, roll back marriage equality and more. The reason the GOP Supreme Court is so acutely dangerous to our freedoms and rights is that there are no checks on their power. These justices don’t answer to the voters. There is no way to directly defeat them in an election. (We can’t even force Thomas to recuse himself from Jan 6 cases despite his obvious conflict of interest!)

[...] That is why Democrats going forward must make reforming this court a priority. That could mean—by way of a federal law--expanding the court to say 13 justices to match the number of federal court of appeals. It could mean rotating judges from Supreme Court to lower federal courts after a set number of years. Reform can also mean “term limits” for justices—which polls show is supported by 67 percent of Americans. There is no greater threat to our freedoms, rights and democratic Republic than today’s corruptly partisan Supreme Court. That is why every Democratic presidential candidate and those seeking a House or Senate seat must make “reforming the court” a priority. It’s time to transform the US Supreme Court from an arm of the GOP back to a real a court!

Dean Obeidallah nails it: The Supreme Court must be expanded and reformed to counter the ill-gotten GOP edge on the court.

[tomorrowusa]

Somebody please call maintenance. The Republican Party needs to be scraped off the wall.

The GOP has been wanting to kill Social Security since the 1930s and Medicare since the 1960s. They often assert this. But when they get caught saying so out loud, they deny everything and try to change the subject.

President Joe Biden (AKA: “Dark Brandon”) conducted a clinic on owning rich Republicans the day after his State of the Union.

Sen. Rick Scott is one of the odious Republicans currently afflicting Florida. He used to run a large insurance company; in that capacity he was responsible for HÜGELY defrauding Medicare.

Rick Scott, who is filthy rich, wants to take granny’s Social Security away so he can line his own pockets with loot even more.

Medicare is linked to Social Security. Get rid of Social Security and out goes Medicare too. Many progressives favor “Medicare for all”. Many wealthy Trump Republicans favor “Medicare for none”.

Don’t be timid about reminding older relatives about Republicans’ longstanding ambition to ax Social Security.

Republicans Are Angry at Joe Biden for Accurately Describing Plan to Sunset Social Security

[sniperct]

It's not just trump, but the entire republican party has become his personal cult. That's how dangerous he is, he has half the government still working for him.

Here's a link explaining their agenda for when they next regain full power.

TLDR its the blueprint for a fascist takeover of the United States and reversal and erasure of decades of progress for women, racial minorities, poor folks, and LGTBQ people. This is Trump's Agenda, this is the GOP's agenda.

Say good bye to birth control, say hello to a christian nationalist nation run by Dominionists, aka the ones trying to bring about the end times.

AZ's republican party cheered when they blocked a repeal of that 1864 anti-abortion law. The party is all in on this.

They, like Trump, need to be kept from the levers of power forever. Because once they have them again they will not let them go and our elections will look a lot like how Putin stays in power in Russia.

Oh yeah, don't forget Trump is Putin's Puppet. That's an important thing too.

to be honest it would make me a lot more comfortable if you guys would show a little concern about trump running for president again. Do not inbox me and say you don’t like joe biden omg i already know. but can we show a little concern. about donald trump. being the republican candidate for president. for the third election in a row.

[cyarskj1899]

View on Twitter

They are escalating their lame 💩💩💩watermelon game in Brooklyn. Someone give them a copy of "Community Organizing for Dummies" please, cause on top of being racist - they are clueless.

Why am I calling them punks? They ain't targeting our homegrown Nazi-facsist-KKK Rethuglican Party (aka the GOP) They are aiding and abetting MAGA. They are lying down with dogs...get the flea spray please.

(And to folks in Brooklyn watching this bullcrap ...snatch some of this too...)

GIF by vsafafnculo

The dsa don’t care about the people. Nor, they care about the city of New York. All of this sh*t is performative. Otherwise they would take all their outrage at maga, republicans, Bibi and Hamas. The DSA, Our Revolution and all these other “progressive” groups don’t like Black and Brown people of the city. Another reason why I have ZERO respect for them.

Insta-block please if any of 'em come up in here today trying to "school" me. I am not in tolerate mode. Don’t fquck with me!

[faulentzer]

Quote from J D Vance, aka The Human Pretzel: ““People say that J.R. was a bad candidate,” Vance said in a brief interview. “I think he had a very dishonest smear come out against him, and he had national Republicans abandon him. That's not his fault.”

How is it a “dishonest smear” to point out that a candidate for elected office has lied about his military service? This race really hi lites how morally bankrupt the republican party has become.

[gatekeeper-watchman]

The GOP and MAGA The Republican Party of today, however, has evolved. It is “absolutist”. From all appearances, our illustrious president has introduced a mafia-type culture into the party and it is now appearing to become if it hasn’t already, the party of MAGA in charge whose strategy is "Divide and Conquer".

Tragically, the American people now supporting the party do not understand what is happening to them and our country as a result. Our democracy is being destroyed in the process. It is even worse than that. If you are willing to look at the whole picture, the whole state of affairs, Our Democracy is under attack on three fronts: One, as we just discussed, it is under attack by MAGA the Trump Party (I don’t even want to call it Republican anymore); Two, it is under attack by the Corporatocracy and Power Elite, aka the huge international corporations and the very powerful rich, the 1%, which control our nation through their lobbyists and “big” money; and Three, the severe lack of active and enlightened participation by we the citizenry—far too many of us do not take our responsibilities of democracy seriously. We have become lethargic in our willingness to read, study, and keep abreast of our knowledge of history and current events.

In the overall scheme of things, during my lifetime (and that’s a long time), I have never seen the Republican Party as the party of the people; and now I even question its representation of this nation. It has forsaken the original Republican Party to become a party of hypocrites and bigots, selfishly putting personal agendas and careers ahead of both the party and the nation for the sake of their party and not the whole. The Party has become the party of ignorant misfits and, to be honest, with the people and our nation “sucking hind tit” in the economy. In the meantime, the GOP and its regime (along with the big corporations and the top one percent of our people, i.e. again, the Corporatocracy and Power elite) are filling their coffers, laughing all the way to the bank to the detriment of our people and our nation. 

One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to see and understand what I have just said. It doesn’t take a college degree. It might help, but one doesn’t even need a high school diploma. Just stop, look, and think. Even when they talk, these so-called Republicans look and sound like fools in their insincere defense of nothing but lies and deceit.

Rep. Comer said, “The Democratic Party is trying to lead this country on a Socialist agenda”. What is Socialism? You may know what it is; or, when you stop to ask yourself and think about it, you may not. Frankly, most people don’t. They couldn’t sit down and write a paragraph about it to save their lives. I know one thing for sure. Over the years, the word has become a pejorative. The minute it is spoken and heard, people become angry, caused by its poor and incompetent governance and abuse in the past. We get mad, we argue, we fight, and the discussion ends. All is lost. So, let’s not use this word. We can gain nothing.

We are a nation of three hundred plus million people, each having their own opinion, thus three hundred million ideas. Also, there are always those who go off in their directions; but, given responsible knowledgeable leadership with integrity and reliable information, we can usually arrive at reasonable decisions and get things done. With that in mind, let’s start from there.

First, as indicated above, there may be some exceptions, but Democrats are not “trying to lead this country on a Socialist agenda”. In our nation, the rich and powerful have been plundering the income and wealth of the people, slowly reducing the standard of living of the common citizen over the past forty years. Look it up. Google it. The Democrats are just trying to get back our country for the people to whom it belongs and provide them their fair share of the economy. Every able-bodied citizen is entitled to the value of his (or her) productivity. Livable wages on the worth of their productivity are the right of everyone. Those who for reasons beyond their control are unable to produce should be provided appropriate aid or relief. So also, are equal opportunity, quality healthcare, education, and the right to vote the right of everyone. These should be inscribed in our Constitution. A healthy, educated, and prosperous people make for a strong and prosperous nation—call it what you will.

Lastly, our nation is in the condition we find it because of neglect, neglect of the people, and neglect of those who govern us. A democracy by its very definition must have the participation of the people to survive. First, they must vote, in support of which, they must be and stay informed. Mental laziness is the plague of all of us—just some more than others. Also, those who govern us must be honest and govern with integrity, putting the country ahead of party, patriotism, and service ahead of self. Without both of these on an overall basis, a democracy will ultimately fail. Dictatorship will inevitably take its place. Failure of loyalty is a prescription for failure. Do not forget those famous words, “United we stand, divided we fall”.

From: Steven P. Miller @ParkermillerQ,  gatekeeperwatchman.org Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups Tuesday, October 24, 2023, Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA.  X ... @ParkermillerQ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA, Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956, #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Ephraim1, #IAM, #Sparkermiller, #Eldermiller1981

[sassyscribe]

Trump took away Roe v Wade and the GOP is already stopped women's right to her own body. The party of small government is trying to take my social security that I worked for...so f THAT!. The Bi partisan Border bill would've fixed half the issues per the border patrol union but trump told them aka the MAGAs in congress not to sign it and they didn't. It gives him an issue to run on but no solutions. The GOP wants to go after the middle class...and for the life of me I will never understand how anyone votes for a republican. The socalled family values, small government, fiscallly responsible party is all about big government in your business. Texas and other red states are all about banning wokeness...with their war on acronyms & owning the libs. I'm voting Biden, whose not my first choice but the only choice.

The consequences of voting for Biden and any Democrat. If this doesn't make your blood boil, then you love getting kicked in the balls and shouldn't be allowed to vote.

[filosofablogger]

What Would We Do Without ... 'TOONS!!!

Okay, brace yourself … I’ve got more ‘toons coming out of my ears!  Y’know, it occurs to me that if it weren’t for the Republican Party, I would likely only have one cartoon post every six months or so … as it is, I consistently have two every week! Eisenhower quote, Republican quotes, political cartoon