#royce white

[simply-ivanka]

Former NBA player Royce White wins GOP Senate primary to take on Amy Klobuchar

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4826598-royce-white-amy-klobuchar-nba/

[nodynasty4us]

These Republicans talk like Trump and back Trump, but they're doing this independently of Trump. Trump endorsed Micah Beckwith's primary opponent. Royce White was endorsed by Matt Gaetz, Steve Bannon, Alex Jones, Kari Lake, and Mike Lindell, but Trump didn't endorse him. The Republican Party was full of deranged extremists like Michele Fiore long before Trump entered politics, and there's a hunger for deranged extremist candidates in the party that will continue even if Trump drops dead. Democrats need to portray the Republican Party as the party of these people as well as the party of Trump. It might have been easier to beat Trump this year if more voters realized that most of his party is like this.

No More Mister Nice Blog: EXTREMIST REPUBLICAN DERANGEMENT HAS MANY FACES, NOT JUST ONE

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Last Saturday, the Minnesota GOP voted overwhelmingly to endorse Royce White — an avowed conspiracy theorist, homophobe, and misogynist — for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate.

Along with that considerable baggage, White carries a long list of probable campaign finance violations into his primary and the general election — if he’s the nominee — against popular, LGBTQ+ ally Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) in November.

White, 33, made a national name for himself by leveraging his fame as an NBA basketball player for the Houston Rockets and his leading role in the Black Lives Matter protests following the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, where White grew up.

But now, as a Black darling of the far-right MAGA crowd and a true believer of former President Donald Trump, Royce has broadened his political ambitions. His past missteps and a history of abusive attacks — including social media posts calling people “fag,” “cunt,” and “retard” among them — are catching up with the 6’8″, 260-pound athlete.

In 2022, White, with the backing of mentors like former Trump advisor Steve Bannon and anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, made a bid for the U.S. House seat in Minnesota currently held by “squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D). He lost in the primary.

But you’d never know it based on his campaign expenses, which continued to pile up even after White lost.

A week after his defeat, White’s campaign used donor funds to pay a bill topping $1,200 at the Gold Rush Cabaret in Miami, a “full liquor and full nude” strip club 1,800 miles from the congressional district he just lost in, according to reporting by The Daily Beast. The charge went through at five in the morning.

But the strip club outlay is just one questionable expense in a mountain of unexplained payments to vendors over the course of White’s campaign that would make even George Santos’ treasurer blush.

The questionable expenses include more than $100,000 in mysterious wire transfers and checks, reported as paid to the campaign; huge tabs at a long list of late-night hot spots; thousands paid to limo services and swank hotels in at least seven states; unexplained cash withdrawals; and purchases of shoes, clothing, and electronics that beg for an explanation that isn’t purely personal.

“Misusing campaign funds can be a serious criminal offense — many politicians have gone to jail for diverting donor funds to personal expenses,” Brendan Fischer, a specialist in campaign finance law and deputy executive director of Documented, explained. “A close read” of White’s spending “suggests an incredibly long list of illegal expenditures.”

Among the brands that the White campaign spent lavishly on: Heimie’s Haberdashery, K&G Fashion Superstore, New Balance (“shoe purchase for door knocking”), Nordstrom, Nike, Asos, Express, Crocs, and Lululemon.

White’s donors reportedly footed the bill for more than $3,200 in purchases at Guitar Center, more than $2,500 at Dick’s Sporting Goods, and more than $700 at Sally Beauty stores in two states.

When asked about his post-election strip club expenditure, White told The Daily Beast, “I like the food there.”

[schraubd]

Antisemitism in Oregon Minnesota and Beyond

I'm heading to Eugene tomorrow to do two events on antisemitism and Islamophobia at the University of Oregon (one Wednesday evening, one Thursday morning). Both events will be with Hussein Ibish, someone who I've long admired and am thrilled to collaborate with on this endeavor. So what's going on in the antisemitic America this week? Well, the Minnesota GOP is trying to nominate Royce White to take Amy Klobuchar's Senate seat, in spite (or because) of him criticizing "the Jewish elite" and claiming that Jews use the Holocaust "to provide a victimhood cover for their own corrupt practices." It will shock no one to learn he is a Kanye West defender ("They called Kanye West antisemitic because he was pushing a Black Republican or Conservative message wrapped in the gospel."). And while sometimes the story of these far-right antisemitic GOP pols is that they decide to merge hating Jews with loving Israel, White is very much a hater of both: Israel is, he says, "the lynchpin of the New World Order." In general, while there's a lot more antisemitism in today's GOP than many give it, er, credit for, Minnesota really does seem to stand out from the pack for the regularity with which antisemites emerge as top-level Republican politicos. That said, while I think White is DOA against Klobuchar (who has throttled far more serious opponents than he), I am very idly curious to see whether he makes inroads amongst the "uncommitted" cadre that (unlike in some states) did seem to perform disproportionately well against Biden in Minnesota. I think the lefty complaint "Biden is worse than Trump on Israel" (or even "Biden and Trump are the same on Israel") is wildly off-base, it is actually arguable that if your only criteria is "who hates Israel the most", White is "better" than Klobuchar. For people looking for a permission structure, White's status as an African-American man who led racial justice protests in the wake of the George Floyd murder certainly helps. Moreover, the Muslim community in America is not as liberal as people sometimes think, and if there is a contingent of, say, the Somali Muslim community in Minnesota that is really committed to Palestine uber alles, well, this race arguably presents a genuinely interesting choice. Again, I think that Klobuchar will win quite handily. But it wouldn't surprise me if there were some inroads in communities where Republicans historically have struggled. As I've said before, antisemitism is a major growth opportunity for the GOP in minority communities (not because minorities are especially antisemitic, but because minorities most likely to defect to the GOP are in fact disproportionately prone to be antisemitic), and by accident or intentionally they're starting to realize it. Oh, and Donald Trump is promising a "unified Reich" if he's elected. So there's that too. via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/IFyCKEH

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Matthew Chapman at Raw Story:

Minnesota Republican Senate candidate��Royce White is not apologizing after proclaiming Republicans are "losers" if they try to win votes from suburban women.

White, a former NBA player known for his embrace of conspiracy theories, was recently called out by MSNBC's Ja'han Jones for proclaiming on his "Please Call Me Crazy" podcast that Republicans who seek the votes of suburban women are "delusional" people who are “living in a cucked mentality.” "Cucked" is short for "cuckolded," a crude term commonly used by the far-right to deride people they perceive as weak and emasculated. Taking to X on Monday, White quoted Jones' article, "Senate candidate Royce White says suburban women voters are for suckers," and doubled down on all of it. "This headline is a prime example of yellow journalism… They think you’re stupid and yes the GOP better go to the inner cities and go after new voters to win this election," wrote White. "This isn’t rocket science! If suburban women understand inflation to be important, this isn’t even a contest. Only a cuck would say that’s demeaning, only a loser would dance around that reality. Hence, cucks and losers!"

Enjoy being shellacked at the polls by Amy Klobuchar, Mr. Royce White. #MNSen

See Also:

NBC News: Senate candidate Royce White says suburban women voters are for suckers

[muddypolitics]

(via GOP-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate mistakes drinking fountains for crime in map mix-up • Minnesota Reformer)

A “mistake” from the aptly named Royce White:

The map, on the other hand, didn’t show crime at all, but rather the locations of 195 public drinking fountains in the city.

It’s the latest in a long line of embarrassments for a candidate who has himself pled guilty to theft and disorderly conduct, endorsed conspiracy theories, denigrated women and LGBTQ people, described himself as an “antisemite,” fallen behind on child support, and played fast-and-loose with campaign finance laws.

It also reflects poorly on the state political party that endorsed him in May despite much of his history being public knowledge, and which so far has stood by him as new revelations have surfaced.

a “mistake”

maga trying to generate fear of crime despite dropping crime rates

[planetofsnarfs]

[thewatcher0nthewall]

"Dance with me then"

[bennedeto]

[mrs-trophy-wife]

[amber-laughs]

Dancing to the Song of Ice and Fire

“Ser Waymar met him bravely. “Dance with me then.” He lifted his sword high over his head, defiant.” A Game of Thrones - Prologue

Our introduction to not just the Others but to the world itself. "Dance with me then"

The sight made Lady Alys smile. "Do you dance often, here at Castle Black?" "Every time we have a wedding, my lady." A Dance with Dragons - Jon X

When the Night King wed his Corpse Bride it took Brandon the Breaker with his forces and Joramun, King-Beyond-the-Wall, with his forces coming together to take him down. There was a wedding and then their armies had to dance with the Others.

"You could dance with me, you know. It would be only courteous. You danced with me anon." "Anon?" teased Jon. "When we were children." She tore off a bit of bread and threw it at him. "As you know well." A Dance with Dragons - Jon X

Anon is a word that we don't use as much in this context anymore but it means both "Soon" and "Shortly". For example in Romeo and Juliet when her nurse is calling for her Juliet responds "I come anon" meaning she'll be there shortly. It is never before and never again used in A Song of Ice and Fire.

Alys is telling Jon he danced with her for a brief time, specifically in the past tense and specifically to replace the word "shortly". But when Jon recalls this moment a few chapters later he misremembers it.

"A snowflake danced upon the air. Then another. Dance with me, Jon Snow, he thought. You'll dance with me anon." A Dance with Dragons - Jon XII

Jon now recalls this in the future tense and uses Anon to replace the word "soon". It's not that he danced in the past it's that he'll dance in the future. He'll dance with the Others soon just like Waymar Royce.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Alex Bollinger at LGBTQ Nation:

Republicans across the country are outraged that Democrats have decided to start calling them “weird” this election season, and one GOP Senate candidate’s response was to throw overly sexualized insults at Democrats while posting videos of LGBTQ+ people. Royce White, the state GOP-endorsed candidate for Senate in Minnesota who could face incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) this fall, accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) of engaging in explicit gay sex acts while reposting a clip of Walz calling Republicans weird. “We’re weird? You freaks support pride festivals where grown men are getting pissed on and sucking each other off in public,” White wrote. “You’re a clown and you’re lucky your term wasn’t up or I would’ve run against you. The People Are Coming! You communists are exposed.”

Cry more, Royce White! #MNSen

[chaylattes-art]

✨️THE CHAYNEMATIC GALA 2024✨️

PART I: WATER

this past month i've been imagining what various OCs of mine-- some from a DECADE ago, some of which i've never talked about publicly-- would look like in MET gala style outfits! the theme was THE FOUR ELEMENTS and characters were sorted into whichever element i felt suited them best.

water | air | earth | fire

director's commentary below the cut!

Zeya Kade (The Gemini Heist). Zeya's look was fun because i didn't want to put her in a dress, and kept seeing all these cool ceramic corsets. the water theme is a bit more subtle with her, though. i wanted something moon-related as the moon represents mystery and Zeya has that mysterious air about her. the pattern on her corset is not marble, but ocean waves 🥲

Maeve Santana O'Reilly & Kitty Royce (UnSuper Squad). Maeve's look is just a simple military style jacket embedded with seashells; she's a pretty lowkey person stylistically but would still be faithful to a theme. her girlfriend Kitty has a cute, sparkly, wave-inspired two piece set accented with pearls. they're not the type of couple to fully match but they do complement each other nicely.

Marie-Claude Prince (Girls With White Teeth). MC is the daughter of a model and an online influencer so you bet she had to serve at this gala. she's wearing a literal mermaid dress, with a seashell bra and iridescent scale tail. while pretty, this looks incredibly impractical to walk around in.

Mila Freeman (Girls With White Teeth). Mila had to be in something cute, because she is cute. she's giving ocean princess in her little sparkly dress adorned in seashells, pearls, and glistening starfish. and perhaps her earrings whisper compliments in her ears like in Aquamarine (2006) bc god knows she needs it.

Blanche Saint-Pierre (Aurora Hearts: Mirage). Blanche is a very old OC (lowkey an Elsa Frozen ripoff lol) that i repurposed for a friend's universe. naturally i put her in an ice queen outfit.

Emma Chakravarty (Strangewayes Library of the Arcane). Emma is a grad student in magical theory. she's a bit of a refined girlie and i wanted to give her something simple but elegant, so a famous painting on her skirt felt like the move.

[fallout-lou-begas]

About this time of year back in 2022, I made a zine called Fictional Women that was primarily about female characters that were important to me in one way or another in the early 2020s. Here are the five art spreads that I made for the zine, and you can read/download the full zine (with written text-inserts explaining all the importance) here.