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justinspoliticalcorner · 3 months ago

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Kevin Robillard at HuffPost:

In June 2015, former President Donald Trump infamously came down a golden escalator and declared himself the man who couldn’t be bought. “I’m using my own money,” Trump said in the opening speech of his presidential election campaign. “I’m not using the lobbyists. I’m not using donors. I don’t care. I’m really rich.” Trump, who did self-fund large portions of his 2016 primary campaign, would return to this theme again and again. He would run against a field of more mainstream GOP politicians, each backed by super PACs filled with million-dollar checks from wealthy donors, and then against Democrat Hillary Clinton, who many voters saw as the embodiment of a moneyed class of Washington insiders. Now, almost a decade later, he is running as a candidate who is openly for sale. He has said he’ll offer plum jobs to major donors like Elon Musk, promised favors to oil executives, bragged to the wealthy about the tax cuts he can deliver and has even taken time away from his campaign to pitch a cryptocurrency project for his sons.

Americans can even buy DJT on the stock market, in the form of shares in the publicly traded holding company that owns his social media site, Truth Social. That company’s revenues are meager, with the share price hitting all-time lows, but it’s still being propped up by the former president’s loyal political fandom. “He just thinks he operates in his own world,” Fred Wertheimer, a veteran of decades of fights over campaign finance and government ethics, told HuffPost. “What he’s doing is incredibly brazen in both asking for large amounts of money and telling people what he’s going to do for them in return.” “Bottom line, I’ve never seen anyone do what he’s doing,” Wertheimer said. Trump’s campaign did not respond to an email seeking comment for this story. His new strategy may have created an opening for Democrats, if Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign can seize it.

[...] Trump’s image as an outsider/businessman, unafraid to upset political apple carts, powered his run through the 2016 GOP primaries. He took special aim at former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the beneficiary of the outside group Right to Rise, which had stunned observers with its explosive fundraising. “They will be bombarded by their lobbyists that donated a lot of money to them,” Trump told a crowd in Iowa of his primary rivals, not long after his campaign’s launch. “Jeb raised $107 million, OK? They’re not putting that money up because it’s a wonderful charity.” Standing on a debate stage in Boulder, Colorado, that October, Trump decried how super PACs were corrupting his fellow candidates. “Super PACs are a disaster,” he said. “They’re a scam. They cause dishonesty. And you better get rid of them because they are causing a lot of bad decisions to be made by some very good people.”

Republicans who worked on the campaigns against Trump remember the message as particularly devastating, if not especially novel. Alex Conant, who was then the communications director for the presidential campaign of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), noted plenty of candidates had tried to run as outsiders taking on the establishment before, but said the tactic was far more effective for a New York real estate developer. “That was his most salient message in 2016,” Conant said. “He was a uniquely good messenger for it, because he was such an outsider, and it also kind of excused all the unconventional stuff — attacking John McCain, attacking Republican Party leaders. A more typical politician, if they were doing that, you would think they were idiots. For him, it was part of what made him so authentic.” In the general election, Trump relied more on outside groups and traditional fundraising than he did during the primary campaign. But as he took on a rival from a second political dynasty ― Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton, who was battling scandals about her email account and a trio of paid speeches she delivered to Goldman Sachs — he still ran as an insurgent.

[...]

‘Always Will Be A Con Man’

Despite his rhetoric, Trump did little to “drain the swamp” upon taking office. He failed to follow through on a promise to divest his business holdings. His hotel quickly became a gathering spot where those hoping to win Trump’s favor could also line his pockets. He appointed lobbyists to key government positions overseeing defense, trade and environmental protection. He took in up to $160 million from international business deals while he was president. “He has and always will be a con man who’s really only looking out for himself and whatever helps him to obtain power,” said Tiffany Muller, the president of the Democratic campaign finance group End Citizens United. “All his promises went out the window. Instead of draining the swamp, he brought the swamp to him and his properties and cashed in.”

Donald Trump and his supporters have long pushed the baseless refrain that “he can’t be bought.”

Well, I have some news that the MAGAdonians don’t like: Trump didn’t drain the swamp but expanded the swamp and has been bought by Super PACs to fulfill their agendas.

#Donald Trump #2024 Presidential Election #2024 Elections #Super PACs #Hillary Clinton #Jeb Bush #Marco Rubio #2016 Presidential Election #2016 Elections

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moobs-lover-9000 · 2 months ago

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Losing your faith in U.S. democracy as a kid, watching one candidate win the vote and the other get elected, is hard. Somehow losing faith you didn’t know was left as a voting adult is even harder.

Fuck political propaganda. Fuck fear-mongering. Fuck lobbyists and corporations and super PACs and Elon Musk in particular. Fuck every voter who couldn’t bear to vote for a woman, a person of color, an intelligent and educated person. You didn’t have to agree with her but you had to understand that Trump’s presidency makes the lives of SO MANY PEOPLE more dangerous.

When the republican agenda trickles down to you I hope you suffer the most.

#I hope you feel the consequences of your actions #us politics #election 2024 #harris walz 2024

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thekimspoblog · 4 months ago

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Ok, I'm sorry. But I have to make a separate post about this. I can't say with certainty that fans speculating about how far Kim could have made it in life if she had never met Jimmy, are missing the point of BCS. But if fans aren't missing the point of the show, then this just demonstrates why the show is missing the point of reality.

We live in an incredibly sexist and oligarchic country. So no, sweetie; Kim Wexler would not be the president if only she never listened to Jimmy. If she had never met Jimmy, I'm not convinced she ever would have even become a partner at HHM. But thank you for calling attention to the exact reason BCS gets under my skin so much: this series makes one of the most compelling arguments I've ever seen in a work of fiction, that the glass ceiling is real, and we cannot rely on our betters to magnanimously hand power down according to merit. While preaching out the other side of its mouth, a much less cogent argument that something something "rule-breaking is bad m'kay?" (even though we spend six seasons glamorizing it).

You want to know how to become president? You listen to the devil on your shoulder, and you stick with the one man who ever actually believed in you. You use the Sandpiper money to buy think tanks, and lobbyists, and super-pacs and all that crap. You sew yourself into the inner circle of the rich and powerful and start slitting throats when they let their guard down. You accept that Howard might have been a regrettable casualty, but he was good practice for dealing with rich white men who REALLY need to die. You use the experience to harden your heart, against the war crimes you will inevitably become complicit in if you actually achieve any notable position in global politics, even as you fight to stop the atrocities and diffuse the attacks on women's civil liberties.

I don't like Kim's character arc, because the resolution seemed to amount to "You might think you won't regret destroying someone you perceive as an obstacle to your success, but you will in the light of day". And I just have to ask... what if you're wrong? What if I won't be? I agree with 5x10 Kim way more than I do 6x09 Kim; you don't know me, Vince Gilligan. You don't know ruthless women, or where our priorities lie. You don't know what I'm capable of doing, without losing much sleep over it. Honestly the fact that the series doesn't mention abortion rights once, makes me feel like maybe I understood the stakes and scope of Kim's story better than the writers did. Because if the aesop is "the ends don't justify the means", I'm sorry but I'm not persuaded.

Where would Kim be without Jimmy? Still tiring herself out on the hamster wheel, that's where!

#better call saul #kim wexler #slippin kimmy #and if you like this interpretation check out my fanfics #vote harris

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hoursofreading · 1 month ago

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Where Bernie and I differed was that he seemed to see the dysfunction of our politics almost solely as a problem of money, whereas I thought ideology and tribalism also played significant roles. Bernie talked as if 99 percent of Americans would back his agenda if only the lobbyists and super PACs disappeared. But that wouldn’t turn small-government conservatives into Scandinavian Socialists or make religious fundamentalists embrace marriage equality and reproductive rights. I also was—and am—concerned about the Republican-led assault on voting rights, their efforts to gerrymander safe congressional districts, and the breakdown of comity in Congress. In addition to getting big money out of politics, I thought we had to wage and win the battle of ideas, while also reaching across the aisle more aggressively to hammer out compromises. That’s how we can start to break down the gridlock and actually get things done again.

What Happened -- Clinton, Hillary Rodham -- 2017 -- Simon & Schuster -- c0c38de3052d9851d39aae72bcbf1c3c -- Anna’s Archive

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pashterlengkap · 7 months ago

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Texas’ governor is spending millions & using anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric to defund public education

Greg Abbott, the anti-LGBTQ+ Republican governor of Texas, is actively campaigning against state GOP candidates and incumbents who oppose his plan for a statewide school voucher program that would give taxpayer funds to private schools — and out-of-state donors are spending millions to help him. Abbott has said parents should support the program so that their kids aren’t educated by LGBTQ+ teachers. Even though Republicans dominate the Texas legislature, school voucher bills supported by Abbott have repeatedly failed to pass into law because of Republican legislators who oppose the plan. Such so-called “school choice” programs claim to promote “parental rights” by giving families financial support to send their children to private schools. However, critics of school vouchers say such programs defund public schools and benefit predominantly wealthier families whose children already attend schools outside the public school system. . Related GOP governor promises to “end” careers of trans & gender nonconforming teachers Greg Abbott called out a teacher who wore dresses to school events and said he was “trying to normalize” gender nonconformity. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Abbott’s latest proposal would give 40,000 students access to $10,500 in vouchers for private schooling or $1,000 for homeschooling. Some Republican and Democratic legislators have opposed his proposal, saying it could cost the state $2 billion annually by 2028. But to make his case for the vouchers, Abbott has shared social media posts from Chaya Raichik, an anti-LGBTQ+ activist who goes by Libs of TikTok. Earlier this year, Raichik targeted Rachmad Tjachyadi, a now-former teacher in Lewisville, Texas, who wore dresses to various school events. Raichik claimed without evidence that he had a “fetish for wearing women’s clothing.” In February, he shared Raichik’s posts and wrote, “No parent should be forced by the state to send their child to this school.” In a March speech to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, he added, “If you’re a parent in that situation, should you be trapped within a school district that’s focusing on issues like that? Of course not.” Abbott’s rhetoric is part of a larger goal of voucher advocates: encouraging parents to file lawsuits accusing public schools of violating their rights by teaching students about racial and LGBTQ+ issues. These lawsuits could eventually secure a U.S. Supreme Court victory that would redirect billions of taxpayer funds from public schools to religious homeschools, private schools, and charter schools. This election cycle, Abbott has endorsed pro-voucher candidates and appeared next to them on the campaign trail. Abbott is expected to spend $11 million in his state’s primary races, including donations to political action committees (PACs) — including his own — to promote candidates who support his plans. In the past, Abbott spent only around $500,000 in primaries, one source told Politico. John Colyandro, a Texas lobbyist and former top aide to Abbott, said, “It’s just so unusual for an incumbent governor to campaign against members of his own party.” Abbott considers vouchers a top priority and even called special legislative sessions to unsuccessfully try and pass pro-voucher legislation the issue. “I came out with no ambiguity about where I stood or what I expected,” Abbott said. “If the governor puts something on the emergency item list, that means this is something that must pass. And if it doesn’t pass, there’s going to be challenges to deal with.” Typically, PACs and campaigns spend around $250,000 in a state legislative race. This year, that amount has increased to $1 million per race, thanks to out-of-state pro-voucher groups. The Libertarian PAC Make Liberty Win successfully attacked incumbent state Rep. Glenn Rogers (R) with mailers that accused him of… http://dlvr.it/T7Mslt

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grits-galraisedinthesouth · 1 year ago

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DeSantis Latest Relaunch to Save Failing Campaign

"James Uthmeier has zero campaign political experience, he is a lawyer with specific economic and legal skills related to his former job at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where he served as legal counsel. Given the nature of the reason for the Wall Street Sea Island group to support the 2024 DeSantis operation, having a multinational advocate in the role of campaign manager oddly does make sense. There are trillions at stake."

Nikki Fried, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party, said in a statement that allowing Uthmeier to take a leave of absence is “a blatant middle finger to the people of Florida — who’s actually going to run the state while he’s gone? It’s certainly not Ron.” Fried had previously filed ethics complaints against Uthmeier and Kopelousos for allegedly soliciting donations from lobbyists and lawmakers for DeSantis’ presidential campaign.

Generra Peck is out just weeks after advisers said her job was secure.

By GARY FINEOUT 08/08/2023

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Ron DeSantis has replaced his campaign manager, Generra Peck, in what is the third major reshuffling of his operations, a campaign spokesperson and a person familiar with the move confirmed to POLITICO.

Peck will be shifted to a role of chief strategist as part of the new order. Taking her place atop the campaign will be James Uthmeier, who has served as chief of staff in DeSantis’ governor’s office. In a text message, Uthmeier said the change was happening “ASAP.”

The move comes just weeks after the DeSantis campaign and close advisers insisted that Peck’s job was secure, even after the team shed a third of its staffers amid a budget crunch and concern about the direction of the operation.

The governor’s team pledged to scale back, build an insurgent operation, and do more mainstream media outreach. They’ve done all that. But the results have yet to be reflected in the polls.

One person close to the campaign, who was granted anonymity to freely discuss the issue, said that Peck’s removal, which was first reported by The Messenger, was “no surprise. Should have happened a few weeks ago.”

DeSantis’ campaign spokesperson, Andrew Romeo, also confirmed the staff moves in a statement, saying that “Uthmeier has been one of Governor DeSantis’ top advisors for years and he is needed where it matters most: working hand in hand with Generra Peck and the rest of the team to put the governor in the best possible position to win this primary and defeat Joe Biden.”

He added that David Polyansky, who worked with Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting DeSantis, will also move to the campaign.

One person familiar with the shake-up said that Uthmeier, who had conducted a review of campaign operations before the switch, has the “trust” of DeSantis and his wife, Casey, and is also well-regarded by campaign staff. This person, who was not authorized to speak about the matter, said there was “managerial angst” with Peck who had “lost [the] confidence” of the campaign team.

The person also described Uthmeier’s role as “CEO” of the campaign but who will rely on David Polyansky —and Marc Reichelderfer, a veteran political consultant from Tallahassee — as “senior vice presidents” with national campaign experience.

Ryan Tyson, a well-regarded pollster, is also expected to have an elevated role in the campaign.

Uthmeier has served as DeSantis’ chief of staff since October 2021 and worked as the governor’s general counsel before he became his top aide. He has been involved in some of the governor’s most high profile initiatives, including the controversial program to transport migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard last year.

Uthmeier also worked as a senior adviser to former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross but his background is primarily in legal work and not in running political campaigns.

Uthmeier is taking an unpaid leave of absence from the administration to work on the campaign and is not resigning permanently from his job as chief of staff, according to the governor’s office.

Alex Kelly, a former top deputy to DeSantis who was recently appointed to be the secretary of the Department of Commerce, will step in as acting chief of staff while Uthmeier works with the campaign, which operates out of an office building in Tallahassee.

This is not the first time that DeSantis — whose inner circle is very tight — has leaned into people who worked for him in the governor’s office to help with his presidential aspirations.

In early July, Stephanie Kopelousos, the governor’s long-time legislative affairs director, left to work for the DeSantis campaign while Taryn Fenske, the governor’s communications director, departed to work for Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting DeSantis.

It was Peck who tried to reassure donors and supporters during a retreat held late last month in Utah. During the event, she acknowledged that the campaign had spent too much money ramping up its operation and that the campaign would turn to a leaner “insurgent” posture.

Since that time, DeSantis has been relying on smaller campaign events — some of which are being done in concert with Never Back Down — while also sitting down for interviews with mainstream media outlets. This week, for example, DeSantis did an interview with NBC News just months after a top spokesperson in office said they were boycotting the network.

DeSantis: 2020 election theories ‘did not prove to be true’

Fried had previously filed ethics complaints against Uthmeier and Kopelousos for allegedly soliciting donations from lobbyists and lawmakers for DeSantis’ presidential campaign.

Despite polls showing him trailing former President Donald Trump, DeSantis has vowed to plow ahead in the early states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

While brushing aside some of his poll numbers, DeSantis told NBC News this week that “I would much rather be underestimated” when asked about some of the problems with his campaign so far.

From The Messenger

Outgoing campaign manager Generra Peck will remain as chief strategist on the campaign as part of the restructuring. Peck guided DeSantis’s blowout reelection bid last year, but she quickly became the subject of criticism from DeSantis advisers and donors in mid-July after his presidential campaign stalled and money dried up.

The campaign then twice cut staff and expenses and retooled DeSantis’s press strategy to make him more available to the mainstream media.

But donors and some outside advisers weren’t satisfied, leading DeSantis last week to ask Uthmeier to diagnose problems with the campaign and see if he could fix them. Ultimately, it led the governor to ask Uthmeier to take the job.

Uthmeier shies away from calling the reshuffling a “reboot.” It’s a despised word in the campaign, where advisers prefer to call this the last campaign “reload” -- and they're going to win, despite the naysayers and early polling.

“People have written Governor DeSantis’s obituary many times,” Uthmeier said in a written statement to The Messenger. “From his race against establishment primary candidate Adam Putnam, to his victory over legacy media-favored candidate Andrew Gillum [in 2018], to his twenty point win over Charlie Crist [in 2022], Governor DeSantis has proven that he knows how to win. He’s breaking records on fundraising and has a supporting super PAC with $100 million in the bank and an incredible ground game. Get ready.”

Joining Uthmeier as a deputy campaign manager will be David Polyansky, an experienced Iowa operative who boasts of never losing a Republican presidential primary in the first-in-the-nation caucus state. Polyansky is currently an adviser to the pro-DeSantis super PAC, Never Back Down. He spent extensive time with DeSantis this month on his repeat visits to the first-in-the-nation state, which is crucial to DeSantis’s chances against frontrunner Donald Trump.

The campaign’s senior adviser and pollster, Ryan Tyson, will have an elevated role along with Marc Reichelderfer, a seasoned political operative and Tallahassee lobbyist who is currently advising the campaign.

Replacing Uthmeier in the governor’s office as acting chief of staff will be Alex Kelley, who is currently Florida’s Secretary of Commerce. Kelley will work side-by-side with David Dewhirst, who was hired last month as an adviser in the governor’s office and was the former solicitor general of Montana and deputy attorney general in Idaho.

Uthmeier and Peck have been close allies ever since the governor’s reelection campaign. As chief of staff, Uthmeier was actively engaged in raising money for DeSantis’s presidential campaign. In a written statement, Peck pledged help DeSantis notch a comeback win against Trump.

“Governor DeSantis is running one of the most aggressive early state campaigns in modern history,” Peck said. “Our organization welcomes the best of the best and James is one of my closest colleagues and friends — we are better for his joining and providing day to day leadership. This team is built to last and built to win.”

At 35 with no campaign management experience, Uthmeier has risen in the ranks of the governor’s office to become the top political and policy adviser to DeSantis. A member of the conservative Federalist Society legal group with DeSantis, Uthmeier began serving as deputy legal counsel after DeSantis was first sworn into office in Tallahassee in 2019 and was soon elevated to chief legal counsel before becoming chief of staff in the fall of 2021.

Over the years, Uthmeier earned a reputation in Florida political circles as the governor’s always-on-offense conservative fixer. He has had a key role in nearly every conservative and controversial policy that built the DeSantis brand with conservatives.

Uthmeier led DeSantis’s legal efforts to prohibit local government mask mandates, ban private business vaccine passports and reopen schools quickly in response to COVID. That earned DeSantis national condemnation from health experts and widespread negative mainstream media coverage but the support of Florida voters, who went on to reelect him by his historic margin in 2022. It also propelled him into the top tier of GOP presidential contenders.

Uthmeier also helped direct the controversial effort by DeSantis to redraw Florida’s congressional maps and eliminate a Black-held congressional seat. He also helped recruit legislative and school board candidates favorable to DeSantis’s conservative pro-business tax-cutting agenda.

During the fight over Florida’s law limiting the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms, Uthmeier managed the state’s strategy to remove Disney’s special treatment under Florida law, earning DeSantis more criticism and legal challenges. Closely involved in the establishment of the governor’s Faith Office, which liaises with numerous state agencies, Uthmeier helped ensure that the “heartbeat bill” 6-week abortion ban made it through the legislature.

That abortion legislation recently led DeSantis’s biggest contributor, billionaire Robert Bigelow, to announce he would no longer fund the governor’s presidential campaign if he didn’t moderate. Bigelow has contributed a total of $30 million toward DeSantis’s reelection and presidential campaign efforts.

Almost as important as gaining DeSantis’s trust, Uthmeier is also a top ally of First Lady Casey DeSantis, who plays an outsized role as the governor’s eyes and ears and his campaign trail surrogate. Uthmeier took a keen interest in her “Hope Initiative” to help lift people out of poverty, which she talks about on the campaign trail.

One senior campaign staffer described Uthmeier as “loyal, honest, and a true believer in the conservative principles that Governor DeSantis fights for. Over the years, James has earned the governor's trust and confidence — and the team enjoys working with him. He is exactly the right person to manage this campaign so we can help Governor DeSantis win the White House and save our country.”

Last week, Uthmeier took time off from his government job to lead the review of the state of the campaign at headquarters in Tallahassee, where he worked alongside Florida’s first lady reviewing strategic plans and interviewing staffers about what changes need to be made. DeSantis’s policy director, Chris Spencer, also took time off in a volunteer capacity and reviewed the finances of the campaign.

The DeSantis campaign’s financial problems only became apparent to the candidate and broader campaign in the final days of the financial quarter ending July 1. Though DeSantis hauled in a sizable $20 million in his first quarter of fundraising, it masked structural issues with his campaign’s high burn rate because of extensive private jet travel and a huge staff of more than 90.

In mid-July, the layoffs began in waves, instead of all at once. That led to a steady drip of negative media coverage – from the financial problems, to staffers who created a controversial homophobic (yet strangely homoerotic) web ad and then another created by another staffer that used Nazi imagery. In both cases, the campaign initially and falsely denied its staffers created the videos.

Peck offered to resign late last month at a donor retreat in Utah where some DeSantis advisers began criticizing her to the governor. Casey DeSantis, who is also close to Peck and appreciated her hard work and loyalty, balked, according to two sources.

“If you talk to Generra, she’ll be the first to tell you that she made mistakes.,” said a donor who attended the Utah meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Messenger to freely discuss the campaign. “She admitted her mistakes and lots of people appreciate that honesty. I like her. I think she’s great. But this is the NFL. This is about winning.”

In a press release issued after publication of this story, DeSantis communications director Andrew Romeo said that “Uthmeier has been one of Governor DeSantis' top advisors for years and he is needed where it matters most: working hand in hand with Generra Peck and the rest of the team to put the governor in the best possible position to win this primary and defeat Joe Biden. David Polyansky will also be a critical addition to the team given his presidential campaign experience in Iowa and work at Never Back Down. We are excited about these additions as we continue to spread the governor's message across the country. It's time to reverse our nation's decline and revive America's future."

#ron desanctimonious #ron desantis #Dishonest DeSantis #florida #RNC #jill casey black pga #Casey DeSantis #never back down #iowa #new hampshire #south carolina #N2America #Generra Peck

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automatismoateo · 2 years ago

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Christian tried to block me from making friends during freshman year of college via /r/atheism

Christian tried to block me from making friends during freshman year of college

I'll start off by saying that I grew up without religion. I've never had the ability to have faith in something without evidence. I was always very neutral about the beliefs of others until I went to college and had first hand experience of evangelical christianity.

During my freshman year of college, I tried to make a few quick friends so that I had someone to hang out with during the football games and after classes. I met a group (2 guys and 3 girls) and started hanging out with them. They were pleasant to be around and (initially) didn't talk about religion.

About a month into college, another one of their friends (who lived on a different area of campus) visited our dorm and asked me if we could have a private conversation. I said sure and she took me off to the side and grilled me with questions about my religious beliefs. I told her that I don't have any. She asked me if I liked one of the guys I had been hanging out with and I said "yeah, he's been nice and we go to the football games as a group." She clarified if I liked him romantically and I said no. She said that was good because he's looking for a girl whose "heart is on fire for Jesus" and is waiting for someone who he can properly court. At the time I hadn't done much reading on evangelical culture so I was highly confused. I said ok and that I wasn't trying to date him. She went on to say that if I wanted to continue to hang out with this group, that I should strongly consider attending their student ministry group since they are "devoted to their faith" and want to surround themselves with similar people. I declined and she said I need to think about it and get back to her. I didn't and stopped hanging out with them. Thankfully I made some better friends not long after.

I lived in the dorms for 2 years total and I still got hounded by these people to join their ministry cult thing. I read more about it online and found out that the group funds lobbyists and super PACs all the while the members are courting, getting married, and pumping out kids at lightning speed.

This experience jump started my morbid fascination with evangelical christianity and cults. I read the book "The Family" by Jeff Sharlet and found this college ministry group mentioned pretty early on. I highly recommend the book and the Netflix documentary.

Submitted June 23, 2023 at 04:18AM by yesampfas (From Reddit https://ift.tt/m8aFDJr)

#reddit

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karen-anti-r-cml · 2 years ago

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Don't Trust Republican-Confederate MAGA Loyalist, Billionaires Are Paying Them More Than "We The People" Can Afford.

Dick Uihlein Gave $1 Million + to an Ohio R-CML PAC to Support This Resolution

2022: Dick and Liz Uihlein gave $40 Million + to Support Campaigns for... Ron Johnson, Herschel Walker and others.

2023: The Uihlein's Are Reportedly the 4th Biggest Campaign Donors in the U.S., giving $190 million +

"Secret IRS Files Reveal How Much the Ultrawealthy Gained by Shaping Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Tax Cut”

"Ohio House R-CML votes to send amendment to special election in August"

"Richard/Liz Uihlein"

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justinspoliticalcorner · 7 months ago

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Alanna Vagianos at HuffPost:

Some people may believe that the end of Roe v. Wade was simply a matter of luck: Following the then-black swan event of Donald Trump winning the 2016 election, Trump got to appoint two Supreme Court Justices in his first two years and a third after an octogenarian passed away weeks before the 2020 election.

The court then had a 6-3 conservative supermajority, and that was that. But the project to overturn the federal right to abortion was much more calculated, involving an alliance of Republican groups aiming to reshape Congress, the courts and American life. And while conservatives may have won a huge battle, it’s not the end of their unholy war. That’s the story New York Times reporters Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer tell in their new book, “The Fall of Roe,” a deeply reported accounting of the machinations of anti-abortion activists and lawmakers to reverse the 1973 ruling that reshaped both society and women’s lives. The book recounts the conservative network’s past victories, yes, but is also a window into the future, highlighting just how crucial November’s elections are for our rights and freedoms. That’s because if Trump wins a second term, this conservative coalition will bring even more litigation to strip away people’s rights — and would likely face a Supreme Court that’s even more untouchable than it is now.

The group most connected to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case that overturned Roe, is Alliance Defending Freedom, a far-right Christian advocacy group. But ADF certainly didn’t do it alone, per Dias and Lerer �� correspondents on religion and politics, respectively. In many ways, two other organizations laid the groundwork for this victory: The Federalist Society, a judicial group that drafted a list of Trump’s Supreme Court nominees, judges Trump said were all opposed to Roe; and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an anti-abortion political group with an affiliated PAC.

And they’re all funded with massive amounts of dark money, including from billionaires like the Koch brothers. The 30,000-foot view is that these groups worked together to draft and pass unpopular state laws and have conservative lawyers defend them in front of friendly judges who had been confirmed to lifetime appointments by Republican senators. The network could use this playbook on any number of issues in the future. ADF wrote Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban at issue in the Dobbs litigation. Dias and Lerer report that a conservative Wisconsin lawyer suggested crafting a ban at exactly 15 weeks basically as a dare for abortion rights proponents to challenge it, believing the Supreme Court would find the ban reasonable and gut Roe without fully overturning it.

The lawyer, Misha Tseytlin, allegedly floated the idea at a Trump victory party hosted by Federalist Society Chair Leonard Leo, and then someone connected to ADF heard it, and the organization had Tseytlin present his theory at a July 2017 ADF summit. (This story shows that conservatives picked 15 weeks not because of emerging medical research, but because abortion rights advocates had chosen not to sue over previous 20-week bans designed to challenge Roe.) ADF drafted a model bill, identified states that might pass it and that had anti-abortion attorneys general who would defend it, and started talking to lobbyists. Then-Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) signed the 15-week ban into law in 2018, and litigation began. By the time the Supreme Court was considering taking the case, it was early September 2020. Then Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, and Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett, giving a 5-4 court a 6-3 conservative supermajority, with three Justices appointed by Trump — a president who lost the popular vote. The court agreed to hear the case in May 2021, and the rest is history.

That playbook worked for striking down Roe, but the coalition is not done. Dias and Lerer write that ADF, in particular, will “work to restore an understanding of marriage, the family and sexuality that reflects God’s creative order.” First, abortion opponents think Dobbs is not enough; they want a nationwide ban starting at egg fertilization.

[...] ADF also has its sights set on reversing the 2015 ruling establishing marriage equality, but Waggoner also seems to resent when journalists ask her about Obergefell v. Hodges. (That ruling was 5-4, and two of the Justices in the majority are no longer on the court — you only need four votes out of nine to take a case.) “I’m worried you’re gonna just use a choice little quote, and anybody that reads the article is going to think I’m abandoning Obergefell, and I am not,” she told The New Yorker. “I think it is wrong and it should be reversed, but I don’t wake up in the morning thinking about how to do that.” The group wants to roll back transgender rights in employment (Bostock v. Clayton County, 2020) and expand parental rights (Troxel v. Granville, 2000) so that parents can override the medical needs of their children with gender dysphoria, The New Yorker reports. ADF is also behind the rash of state laws banning gender-affirming care for minors and trans kids’ participation in sports — the group wrote model legislation. We’re watching a redux of the anti-abortion battle plan in real time. “It’s not that the Court is going to say, ‘Gender ideology is bad,’” Waggoner told The New Yorker. “But I do think the Court could say, ‘Parental rights are fundamental rights.’”

The Fall of Roe book by Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer, a pair of New York Times reporters, takes a vital look at how anti-abortion activists delivered a win for their cause by overturning Roe in Dobbs and that they want more.

#Roe v. Wade #Women #Abortion #The Fall Of Roe #Elizabeth Dias #Lara Lerer #Books #Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America #Federalist Society #Alliance Defending Freedom #Mississippi HB1510 #Misha Tseytlin #Leonard Leo #Fetal Personhood #Kristen Waggoner

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worldwatcher3072 · 2 years ago

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Citizens United

Money in politics is a highly debated topic, as it has the potential to influence political decisions and undermine the democratic process. In this context, here are 10 facts about money in politics:

The Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision removed restrictions on campaign spending by corporations and unions, opening the floodgates for outside spending in politics.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, spending on federal elections has skyrocketed since Citizens United, with more than $14 billion spent on the 2020 elections alone.

Super PACs, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns, have become a major force in American politics since the Citizens United decision.

Wealthy donors have an outsized influence on the political process. In the 2020 elections, just 1.5% of donors contributed 68% of all donations to federal candidates and political parties.

The revolving door between government and the private sector allows special interests to gain access and influence over elected officials.

Lobbying is a major industry in Washington, D.C., with more than 11,000 registered lobbyists spending billions of dollars each year to influence policymakers.

Dark money, or undisclosed political spending, is a growing problem in American politics, with more than $1 billion spent by dark money groups in the 2020 elections.

Campaign finance laws vary widely by state, with some states imposing strict limits on contributions and others allowing unlimited donations.

Public financing of elections is an alternative model used in some states and municipalities, which provides a set amount of funding to qualified candidates who agree to abide by certain rules.

The influence of money in politics has led to calls for reform, including proposals for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and limit the role of money in elections.

#Campaign finance #Money in politics #Political spending #Super PACs #Dark money #First Amendment #Supreme Court #Corporate personhood #Democracy #Election integrity

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msclaritea · 2 years ago

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A Betsy DeVos-backed group helps fuel a rapid expansion of public money for private schools

The American Federation for Children has found success amid a 20-year low in support for K-12 education and protests over lessons involving race and identity.

A growing number of states have enacted laws that offer families money for private education, which could significantly upend how K-12 schools are funded.NBC News / Getty Images

March 30, 2023, 4:00 AM MST

By Tyler Kingkade

DES MOINES, Iowa — A conservative nonprofit group founded by former Trump administration Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said it poured about $9 million into state elections last year, backing nearly 200 candidates. Now, some of those candidates are pushing a wave of legislation boosting DeVos’ longtime goal: subsidizing private schools with public dollars.

Using at least $2.5 million from DeVos and her husband, the American Federation for Children has played a pivotal role in getting what supporters call “school choice” policies passed into law in at least three states and introduced in several more, according to current and former GOP legislators, lobbyists for teachers unions and academics.

Republican lawmakers in over a dozen states have recently cited complaints about liberal ideology in public schools as a reason to support helping parents pay for private education. That shift in strategy has been hailed by organizations like the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that helped spur parent protests over lessons about racism. And it has helped cement funding for private schooling as a benchmark of Republican governance.

The nonprofit group has found success amid a 20-year low in approval for the K-12 education system and after two years of protests over lessons involving race and LGBTQ identity. It is now on the verge of ushering in a transformation in how large swaths of the country fund schools.

“They’ve been quite strategic,” Patrick Wolf, an education policy professor at the University of Arkansas, said of the group. “They’ve particularly targeted rural Republicans who are opposed to school choice. They just had to take out a few marginal incumbents, and thereby put the fear of God into the rest of them.”

It’s difficult to determine whether the laws would have been enacted without the American Federation for Children’s involvement; other groups supporting the same “school choice” policies also targeted lawmakers with campaign ads last year. Each state’s political landscape is unique and subject to myriad factors. But the federation’s spending preceded a marked increase in both the scale of private school subsidies on the table at the state level and the rate at which the laws have been enacted.

In Florida, where the American Federation for Children’s state political action committee spent $1.7 million during last year’s elections, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law Monday that will allow more families to receive public funds to pay for private education, regardless of their financial need.

In Iowa and Arkansas, where the organization’s PAC put money into ousting incumbent Republicans who had resisted past proposals to subsidize private education, GOP governors signed sweeping legislation this winter to offer money for school tuition for every child in their states.

And in Texas, where the American Federation for Children’s PAC spent $1 million during last year’s election cycle, and in Georgia, where it spent $380,000, bills recently advanced in the GOP-controlled legislatures to create programs to fund private schooling.

“We’re doing a lot of winning — I’m almost getting tired of winning so much because we’re winning all across the country,” Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at the federation, said in a Twitter Space on Sunday.

DeVos and other conservatives have long advocated for financially supporting families who want to move their children from public schools to private ones, calling these policies “school choice,” and arguing that they would help poor children get a better education. Opponents, including teachers unions, educators and Democrats, have pushed back, arguing that such policies would siphon students and money away from public schools.

DeVos, a billionaire philanthropist, was unsuccessful in pushing for “school choice” bills in Congress during her time in the Trump administration and was stymied in attempts to reroute federal dollars toward private education, but the political winds among the GOP base have changed since then.

DeVos said in a June 2022 C-SPAN interview that parent protests had driven increased interest in “education freedom” policies, and that this was having an electoral impact.

“Importantly, we’ve seen this issue really inform many of the primary races this year in states where there haven’t been programs and where there’s been legislation introduced in the past but there simply hasn’t been enough support,” she said. “But this issue has really popped to the top of the list for many states. And so I think in this next year or two, we’re going to see some major gains.”

Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children, said the group targeted 69 incumbents in state legislatures last year and ousted 40 of them.

The group is “willing to beat opponents of either party who oppose the desires of parents who want these educational options,” Schultz said in a statement.

“Especially after 2020 and the chaos created for parents by the teachers’ unions and the education establishment,” he added, “parents are now winning one of the most important domestic policy issues of our time: school choice.”

Removing incumbents is a move that sends a strong signal, said Maurice Cunningham, a University of Massachusetts-Boston professor who studies the impact of dark money groups: “Get in our way, and you’ll be gone.”

“Politicians are rational,” Cunningham said. “It intimidates people. Who wants to be next after that?”

DeVos left her role as chairman of the American Federation for Children when she joined the Trump administration, but she remains one of its largest financial backers. She and her husband, Dick, gave at least $2.25 million to the nonprofit group’s national PAC and $250,000 to its Texas PAC last year. The organization’s national political arm also drew $1 million from Cleveland Browns co-owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam for its national election efforts. Jim Walton, a billionaire banker and son of the Walmart founder, put in $100,000 toward the group’s work in Arizona last year.

The American Federation for Children “helps make sure what’s best for students comes first by ensuring parents, not just the unions, have a seat at the table when it comes to education policy,” Nate Bailey, DeVos’ chief of staff, said in an email.

The Haslams said in a statement that they support the American Federation for Children’s efforts “to help students from all different areas and backgrounds have a chance for a quality education and a brighter future.”

You know what comes next, after the DeVos family and the Catholic Church succeed in destroying public schools? Our children under the control of an organization that historically are known as extreme abusers.

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theyoungturks · 2 years ago

Video

youtube

A Republican lawmaker was very offended that anyone might suggest that bank are failing because of deregulation. Ana Kasparian and Cenk Uygur discuss on The Young Turks. Watch TYT LIVE on weekdays 6-8 pm ET. http://youtube.com/theyoungturks/live Read more HERE: https://www.levernews.com/republican-tells-lobbyists-its-hackish-to-blame-bank-failures-on-deregulation/ "The Republican lawmaker overseeing the House investigation into the ongoing banking crisis told an influential bank lobbying group last week that it was "hackish" to blame deregulation for recent bank failures — including the collapse of an institution that’s been his top individual source of campaign cash. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), who has received $275,000 in donations since 2013 from executives at Signature Bank, will lead the House Financial Services Committee’s first hearing on Wednesday looking into the sudden failures of Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) earlier this month. One key factor in Signature Bank’s collapse was its decision to aggressively pursue cryptocurrency companies’ deposits before the crypto market imploded. McHenry, who benefited last election cycle from nearly $170,000 in spending by a pro-crypto super PAC, has been an avid supporter of the industry, which is built around digital money or assets. *** The largest online progressive news show in the world. Hosted by Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian. LIVE weekdays 6-8 pm ET. Help support our mission and get perks. Membership protects TYT's independence from corporate ownership and allows us to provide free live shows that speak truth to power for people around the world. See Perks: ▶ https://www.youtube.com/TheYoungTurks/join SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: ☞ http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=theyoungturks FACEBOOK: ☞ http://www.facebook.com/TheYoungTurks TWITTER: ☞ http://www.twitter.com/TheYoungTurks INSTAGRAM: ☞ http://www.instagram.com/TheYoungTurks TWITCH: ☞ http://www.twitch.com/tyt 👕 Merch: http://shoptyt.com ❤ Donate: http://www.tyt.com/go 🔗 Website: https://www.tyt.com 📱App: http://www.tyt.com/app 📬 Newsletters: https://www.tyt.com/newsletters/ If you want to watch more videos from TYT, consider subscribing to other channels in our network: The Watchlist https://www.youtube.com/watchlisttyt Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey https://www.youtube.com/indisputabletyt Unbossed with Nina Turner https://www.youtube.com/unbossedtyt The Damage Report ▶ https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport TYT Sports ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytsports The Conversation ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytconversation Rebel HQ ▶ https://www.youtube.com/rebelhq TYT Investigates ▶ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwNJt9PYyN1uyw2XhNIQMMA #TYT #TheYoungTurks #BreakingNews 230330__TA04HackishRECUT by The Young Turks

#IFTTT #YouTube

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violetsystems · 2 years ago

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#personal

I've been steadily filling out applications and sending out resumes. I would say I average about five or six a week. Seeing as how I've been looking for a job since 2020 after being forcibly retired, there's been enough learning through error to know how to apply. It also helps to have a resume though it seems mine gets ignored more than often. Last night I got hit with a question for the second time that seemed fucked up. They asked my sexual orientation. Incels can rest assured asexual is on there but you would think heterosexuals would love to brag about it. This question came after pronouns which I don't mind answering as he/him/his. But gender is a motherfucker and sexuality is nobody's business when it comes to putting a roof over your head. Neither is a governor in Florida trying to pass a law that targets bloggers with fines for writing about him on the internet. Him and his buddies have a lot of money involved in the Chicago election. There's even no cap for political spending so people can be on TV all days in commercials trashing each other. But growing up in a forgotten generation because Boomers and Zoomers rhyme together makes me feel a little more invisible than usual. You read all this shit in the news about how people who lost their jobs just recently are already bouncing back. And the news in America is largely paid for by special interests. I guess that's what don't say gay guy considers bloggers under his proposed laws. We're lobbyists. Except people like me don't influence anything at all. People like to think I do. Like to think that I'm the closet mastermind of some communist revolution. But I'm just some guy that knows how to read iron clad contracts. I went to a cybersecurity conference last summer to network and the key note was given by a lawyer. Not a tech luminary. A fucking lawyer. It seems you are only represented in America in terms of constitutional rights if you get a lawyer. And nobody really has 20k to defend themselves. Bloggers like me you can guess can't even get a lawyers attention. So good luck proving you are being discriminated against in the job market. If your basic rights are protected by the constitution most of the time, it means you have to defend it. Mostly against lawyers, developers of property, outside shadow pacs that donate infinite money to influence the democratic process your country brags about being superior for on the world stage. All the world's a stage, especially when I lock the gate behind me so the meter reader goes away.

That stage really hasn't got much to do with me. It gets in the way of the things I want to focus on like my career and the people I really deeply care about. But it does seem when you have more reason to counter sue they just pretend you disappeared altogether entirely. They'll focus on dirty tricks they can get away with with no fear of retaliation. Which is why Tumblr blaze I guess makes so much money. I wouldn't know I'm ad free for another year. And I don't really use this site for anything other than to communicate with my friends. I don't think anyone understands my life in reality. They just tiptoe around the perimeter. And for years when I tried to be more combative they probably stalked this blog looking for clues. Which seems to be par for the course going forward in America. Even I think it's gotten to be scary, pathetic and depressing. The guy at the DOJ who was supposed to save women's rights and abortion just took a trip to the Ukraine. Our rights that politicians start wars for around the world have disappeared and they're still tap dancing on the ashes. But really all of that is so far removed from reality on the ground. You never really had any rights to begin with. And I live in a weird gray zone of statement shirt hangovers from a bygone era. Everybody still thinks I'm undercover. And I've aged gracefully into the aesthetic and out of all the movements. I have far less to prove except for the fact I feel I'm being blacklisted in the job market. And even then I wake up and face the grim reality that if I didn't have my friends on here I would go fundamentally insane from all the targeting, hate, and subliminal communication everyone in this city wants to have with me. I did my taxes. And I do have a tax lawyer. So communication lines on that are blocked. But everything else? People seem to think it's alright to haze, roast, and terrorize me because they seem to know more about my relationships than I do. This platform has always been fairly anonymous. It really depends how you use it. And people have spent years comparing their basic ass shit to me without ever interacting with me. And I get why that happens by now. And I get that trying to be part of anything other than a job that pays me in the interim while we figure things out is in my best interest. Nobody else around here seems to.

I guess over time some of the people I share property with have grown to understand the nuance. And even then, we like to think of America as a place that respects your right to your own business. Especially when things are complicated and you aren't being represented by Congress or a lawyer. Strategic ambiguity is always in play on the high seas where countries like to play pirates of the Caribbean. If anything I learned it from watching you dad. But after all these years on the catwalk of the post apocalyptic political landscape I can handle myself out there. I just don't think anyone should really put themselves out there. Even applying for jobs and offering data like who you like to fuck is abused. Your bank information and what stocks you choose. Who has billions of dollars to use that information against you? The people buying our next mayor. Around here pope Francis is more in control and I'm not even Catholic. I've travelled all over the world. Even to China by myself. People act like I never left this block. Like they're so much more informed by the internet than me. And this is where I've had to learn to be ok with tuning out. Just like I've had to be ok with reading between the lines. My life sucks don't get me wrong. But being able to devote the time, energy and love to someone you care about is a great feeling. And it's a feeling people think they have an opinion about. Which is nothing new. All America out here has ever tried to do is bully me like basic training in the army. In fact, I wonder if it's learned abusive behavior from all this military service and chauvinistic attitudes passed down from generation to generation. My dad was a sargeant. A military cop auditor. Like if you armed the IRS. I dislike authority but I never hated my dad. My dad never really imparted on me anything in terms of toxic masculinity. But we lived in a matriarchal household. I am also a child of divorce. I'm not a normal person to compare yourself to if you are looking for some political fight. I don't even have instagram, TikTok or Facebook. Next thing you know they'll be asking for that on your resume. The boundaries of the fourth wall that I maintain are for your protection out there. You may think you know what you are reading but you don't wake up with me in my dash. So if you've read this far looking for a lawsuit? Maybe start with a suit coat for that statement shirt so I don't have to read into your bullshit anymore. For the rest of us? They don't call it a long march for nothing. <3 Tim

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