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pudding-parade · 8 months ago

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OK, I'm sorry for posting about politics. Truly. I'll post something sims-related later to make up for it. But for me this is local politics, and Ken Buck -- a man with whom I vehemently disagree, politically, but whom I respect for his commitment to democracy and his stance on the 2020 election not being stolen and for his continuing denouncement of the January 6th insurrection despite things like death threats made against himself and his family by MAGA loonies -- has made my day today. I have literally (and I mean that in the true sense of the word) been spending my afternoon/evening periodically chortling from sheer schadenfreude, so I just have to memorialize this and hope that I don't have to eat my words in November.

For context, or for non-USians, or for just the (slightly) shorter version if you don't want to look at the article....

Lauren Boebert, a super-"MAGA" fascist, is, depressingly, my current representative in the US House of Representatives. She only barely won reelection in 2022 despite the fact that, while I live in a very blue, hippie spot of it, the district has historically leaned heavily conservative because most of the district is made up of very Christian rural ranchers, who are conservative, yes, but in their case, generally speaking, traditionally so. They're mostly not the weird, Trump-flag-waving, MAGA-cult breed of it. So, Bobo only won reelection in 2022 by a few hundred votes and, since then, Adam Frisch, the centrist (which, by non-US standards, is right-wing) Democrat who opposed her and is running again, has only gotten more popular, as the House has proceeded to get absolutely nothing done, despite having a majority, precisely because of the shenanigans of MAGA idiots like Bobo.

So, Bobo decides that for the 2024 election, she'll instead run for the district east of mine, which was Mr. Buck's and which is even more conservative. She announced this decision right after Mr. Buck announced that he was retiring and would not be running for reelection. It was obvious that Bobo figured that that district would be a much easier win than the traditionally conservative district she very nearly lost.

But just today, Mr. Buck announced that instead of staying in Congress until this coming January, he's out as of this coming Friday. Which forces a special election in his district to fill his seat until January. Our (Democrat) state governor announced that that election will on the 25th of June, which is by law the longest delay possible, thus leaving Mr. Buck's seat empty until then, thus eroding the Republicans' majority until then. And if Bobo wanted to enter that special election, she'd have to resign from her current seat immediately because you can't be a sitting congressperson for one district and run for and be elected in another. Bobo has announced that she's not going to give up her current seat. And, for various reasons, all of this means that her chances of winning Buck's district in the regular election in November are now worse. And, she can't change her mind and run for reelection in the regular election for her current district, even if she wanted to, because the deadline for entering that election has recently passed.

So basically it's (probably) bye-bye Bobo! (And probably hello, Mr. Frisch for me, and while I'd be happier with a progressive, I'll take a centrist over a MAGA idiot any day.) And also? Mr. Buck, who has publicly stated that his party no longer aligns with his values, has not only screwed Bobo with his well-timed decision to "spend more time with his family," but also Mike "Christian Nationalist Fascist" Johnson, the Speaker of the House -- who, as the icing on the cake, was not informed of Mr. Buck's decision in advance of the announcement of it -- as his parting gift to MAGA.

Why? Because the Republicans now have a majority of just four or five seats, and, from next Friday until July, when Mr. Buck's (most likely Republican but perhaps not MAGA) successor will be sworn in, they now have one less, with the next election only eight months away and at a time when the Repugs need all hands on deck, so to speak, if they have any hope of getting anything at all done and, therefore, of having anything "positive" (by the conservative definition of that word) that they can talk up and run on from now until November. I'm pretty sure this big "screw you" was Mr. Buck's intention before he announced even his original retirement plans, so...Well played, Mr. Buck. Well. Played.

The question is: Will other House Republicans with integrity (there are a few left) follow Mr. Buck's lead? Could we see the House change majority before the 2024 election? It's not likely, but it's possible! And either way, this one conservative man dealt a blow to the MAGAs today, and I, as an extreme leftie, am here for it.

#non sims #oh no!#US politics #i swear US politics is a goddamn soap opera now #it would be entertaining as hell #if people's rights hadn't been lost/put in jeopardy because of people who share Bobo's views

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takeonmetakemeon · 4 months ago

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I don't know. When someone starts talking about the Republican Party like it has some sort of cohesive ideology I kind of stop listening to them. Seriously, how long has it been since that was true?

It might have stopped being true when George W. Bush was reelected and without a shred of self-doubt announced he was going to privatize Social Security. A moment everyone has forgotten. If it wasn't then, it certainly stopped being true during the Obama administration.

Since Barack Obama left office and left his veto pen behind, Republicans haven't dared to pass much of anything lest they offend some key faction of their party.

When Trump came along and united the different factions in his person, the only thing keeping Republicans from fighting each other was dislike of or outright hatred for Democrats. That was it. I mean it kind of still is, but there is also Trump.

Before Trump, Republicans' answer to their increasingly angry voters was to blame Democrats. Democrats were keeping them from passing the changes the country needed. So they got the House. And the Senate. And the White House. And....

Somehow it was still Democrats' fault.

No matter what Mitch McConnell might want you to believe, it is not Democrats who paralyze Republicans, but their own fear of the electorate. And I suppose that is what frightens me. Republicans are caught between their lies to their enraged base and reality, coming steadily closer to the day when they must choose between admitting they have for at least 20 years promised them things they could never deliver or finally deliver them over the objections of the majority.

And if they choose the latter, there won't be any more middle class tax cuts. Their need for those will vanish with democracy. But at least the budget will be balanced.

The dysfunction of the current Congress, where the majority party cannot pass much of anything without votes of Democrats and can barely agree on a speaker, is not some new thing. This has been going on for years. Their current narrow margin exposed the divisions in the party. It didn't create them.

Consider what Democrats were able to do with smaller margins than Republicans had in 2017. Of course, it was Biden leading the charge and he is one of the most underestimated politicians in the US (though nothing like his vice president). But it's also true that even including Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, Democrats were more ideologically united than Republicans have been in some time.

Yes, Trump passed a tax cut. The easiest thing to pass. Governments around the world would pass a tax cut every five years to grand acclaim if they didn't have to live in the real world, which apparently this generation of Americans does not. Someday we'll reach the point where the US government collects no taxes at all and still finds money to hand to taxpayers on April 15.

Trump especially is not attracting voters to a concrete ideology. The whole idea of trumpism without Trump is specious. Because there is no trumpism. There is only Trump. The miracle-worker whose iconic anti-liberal status elevates him above the party's divisions. The man whose ideology is so muddled and whose convictions are so obscured that he can stand for whatever you want. As long as it isn't what Democrats want.

But if other people want to play the game and talk about Republican ideology, they can go ahead. I will find other things to do.

It's not that I think Republicans are too stupid to see their reality. I don't. I think they are the aging man who can't admit his abilities aren't what they were, the once-wealthy socialite borrowing their way into bankruptcy rather than acknowledge their bank account is empty, the fading movie star desperately grabbing one last headline.

And the press? Their longtime friend who shuts their eyes, telling themself they *must* know what they're doing.

And the rest of us? We're along for the ride.

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prettyyoungandbored · 4 years ago

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Becoming Mrs. Wayne [The Dark Knight] Two

Pairing: Christian Bale!Bruce Wayne x OC

Summary: Demetria Gallagher knew her cozy life would change the second she became engaged to Bruce Wayne. But what she doesn’t know is she’s getting more than what she agreed to. (I am trash at summaries.)

Taglist: @dragonballluver

Warning: Semi-smut, dirty talking, etc.

Previous chapter

Demetria removed her coat, throwing it over her arm as Bruce spoke to the host. She could feel the eyes of other patrons glancing over at her as they leaned over to whisper to one another. She flashed a small smile, hoping they’d get the hint that either a.) she was well aware of their staring and felt deeply uncomfortable by it or b.) she was just waiting for her fiancé to finish up talking so they could sit and eat.

She then felt Bruce take her hand, her eyes shifting to him.

“Shouldn’t we wait for the host?” she asked.

“They know where we’ll be.”

He led her through the restaurant, eyes of other patrons following their every move. Demetria pulled back her lips as she quickened her pace a bit to walk by her fiancé’s side.

“Rachel, fancy that.”

Demetria looked over to find Rachel and Harvey sitting at a table. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Harvey.

“Yeah Bruce,” Rachel responded ever so cooly. “Fancy that.” She stood up and hugged Demetria. “Good to see you as always.”

“You too and I love this dress,” Demetria said, taking a step back to admire it. She then turned to Harvey. “I see you changed your shirt after your soy sauce debacle.” She turned to Rachel. “I tell him several times not to open the damn packet with his teeth--.”

“He doesn’t listen,” Rachel finished, nodding her head. She turned to Bruce. “Bruce, this is Harvey Dent.”

Harvey got up and shook Bruce’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“You as well. I’ve heard a lot about you from Rachel and Demetria.”

“Demetria’s told me a lot about you.”

“Well I certainly hope not everything,”Bruce laughed. “What do you say we push some tables together?”

“I don’t know if they’ll let us,” Harvey responded.

“Oh they should,” Bruce assured, motioning to the waiter. “I own the place.”

Demetria whipped her head. “You own what now?”

Bruce smirked at her. “I told you it was a surprise.”

After the waiters moved the tables together, Bruce took the seat next to Rachel while Demetria took the seat beside Harvey.

“So Demetria, Harvey introduced me to your mom over the phone,” Rachel spoke up. “She sounds like she’s over the moon about the engagement.”

Demetria nodded. “She’s flooding my emails with ideas for the wedding decor when we haven’t even set a date.”

“Bruce, have you met Olivia?” Harvey brought up, taking a sip of water.

“I did,” Bruce nodded. “When she came up to the city for the weekend a few months back.”

“How’d you guys manage that?” Harvey asked Demetria.

“We had dinner at my place,” Demetria answered.

“Oh, you mean you ordered take out?”

Demetria shot Harvey a glare. “It was from a nice restaurant.”

He smirked. “I’m sure she had a lot to say about it.”

“She actually loved it.”

“What did she think of Gotham City?” Rachel asked.

“She has her reservations, but really she’s just nervous because of all the crimes and whatnot. She keeps asking me if this is a place I wanna raise kids in.”

“Well I was raised here and I turned out ok,” Bruce remarked.

Demetria smiled at him, patting his leg with her hand.

“Is Wayne Manor in the city limits?” Harvey questioned.

Bruce let out a wry laugh. “The Palisades? Sure. You know, as our new DA, you might want to figure out where your jurisdiction ends.”

Harvey sat back in his chair as Demetria, uncomfortable at the scene that was playing out in front of her, changed the subject. “If anything, she’s just weirded out by Batman and how, as she puts it, Gotham City looks up to a guy in a mask.”

“Gotham City is proud of an ordinary citizen standing up for what’s right,” Harvey defended.

“But who appointed the Batman,” Bruce joked.

“We did,” Harvey answered. “All of us who stood by and let scum take control of our city. When their enemies were at the gates, the Romans would suspend democracy and appoint one man to protect the city and it wasn’t considered an honor, it was considered a public service.”

Rachel leaned toward him. “Harvey, the last man that they appointed to protect the republic was named Caesar and he never gave up his power.”

“Ok fine. You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

“I actually find him fascinating,” Demetria spoke up.

“What do you mean?” Harvey questioned.

“Think about it, most people who do heroic things do it because deep down, they secretly want to feel good about themselves, right? Everyone wants to achieve some sort of glory, even if they don’t want to admit. Here comes this guy who’s actually going out and making some sort of a difference, and he's doing it without giving out who he really is.”

“Well he’s giving some sort of an identity,” Bruce corrected. “He just works under a different name.”

“But still, it’s someone who is actually going out there and is taking care of the problem without abusing their power like most police officers do,” Demetria went on. “He doesn’t even give any kind of hint to who he is. He could be anybody. I mean, even Harvey, you could...” She paused, before waving her hand. “Actually, you couldn’t be the Batman. You got your ass beat in intramural football in college too many times.”

Rachel nearly choked on her drink, excusing herself as she tried to fight back laughter. Bruce smirked, eyes down on the ground.

Harvey tilted his head. “Hey, while we’re on the topic of embarrassing college memories, remember the time I walked in on you and that guy from Student Government at that party senior year?”

Demetria’s eyes widened while Bruce lifted his head up, intrigued. “I’d like to hear more about that.”

“It was a one time thing,” she said, clenching her teeth.

“Look, whoever the Batman is he doesn’t want to do this for the rest of his life,” Harvey continued. “How could he? Batman is looking for someone to take up his mantle.”

“And you think that person could be you?” Demetria asked.

He shrugged. “If I’m up to it.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Do you honestly think Batman is gonna come up to you and say, ‘Hey, I don’t wanna do this anymore so can you handle this?’”

“Not like that no.”

“Then how the hell do you know what he wants?”

“At the end of the day, no one wants the sole responsibility of carrying the safety of the entire city on their shoulder.”

“Except you, and to be fair, that’s what makes you a great District Attorney.”

Harvey and Demetria exchanged smiles. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me all night, Dem.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I have my moments.”

“Well I’m sold, Dent,” Bruce chimed in. “I’m gonna throw you a fundraiser.”

Demetria whipped her head to Bruce. “You’re what?”

“That’s nice of you, Bruce,” Harvey chuckled. “But I’m not up for reelection for three years.”

Bruce shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. One fundraiser with my pals, you’ll never need another cent.”

“It’s a kind gesture-.”

“You can also think of it as a thank you for bringing my future wife to Gotham,” Bruce cut him off, looking to Demetria. “Without your persistence, I wouldn’t have found her.”

She smiled as he took her hand in hers.

“I guess I can’t say no then,” Harvey remarked.

_________________________________________________________________

Back at the penthouse, Bruce undid his tie as Demetria sat on the edge of the bed kicking off her heels.

“So, you’re really gonna throw a fundraiser for Harvey?” she asked.

He looked over his shoulder at her. “Yeah. Why?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great you support him and the offer is so generous but...I mean, you just met the guy.”

“I think he deserves one,” he shrugged.

“But why now? Like he said, he’s not up for re-election for another three years.”

He put his tie in the drawer. “I think he’s what the city needs so why not garner future votes to keep him in office?” He turned to her. “Besides, it gives me an excuse to show off my gorgeous fiancé.”

Demetria blushed as she tried reaching for the zipper on the back of her dress, struggling to latch on to the zipper. “Well, I’m sure your support will really...” She grunted. “Can you please help me?”

Bruce went over to her and slowly zipped down the back. Demetria inhaled sharply, the cool breeze slowly hitting her bare back.

She glanced over her shoulder, a small smile on her lips. “Thank you.”

When she went to step away, Bruce quickly grabbed her and tossed her on the bed, before climbing on top of her.

“Jesus, you could warn me next time,” Demetria giggled. “Not all of us spend our nights training like you do.”

“But it’s so much more fun to surprise you.”

His lips hovered over hers as she cupped his cheek with the palm of her hand.

“Tell me, did the guy from Student Government turn you on like I do?” Bruce whispered.”

“Oh my god,” she groaned, her cheeks flushing. She threw her hands over her face. “I’m gonna kill Harvey for telling you that.”

Bruce moved his lips to her neck. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Demetria lifted her head up, removing her hands from her face. “I don’t remember! It was years ago!”

“I bet he didn’t make you cum like I do.”

She made a face, pretending to think about it. “Well now that you bring it up, I think he did.”

Bruce pulled back, fighting the playful smile on his lips “Wow.”

She pointed a finger at him. “You started it!”

“So that’s how we’re gonna do this..”

“Are you going to fuck me or not because I don’t remember him taking this long to-.”

Bruce shut her up by crashing his lip onto hers. He made damn sure she was gonna scream his name loud enough for the kid from Student Government to hear wherever he was.

_____________________________________________________________

She woke up to find herself alone in bed, curled up on her side as the sating sheets wrapped tightly around her nude body. She sighed and laid on her back, knowing Bruce was probably training at the gym.

As much as she loved him and was proud of him for being so dedicated, she wished some nights she could wake up and find him still there, still holding her. She wanted to see the way the moonlight reflected off his body as they went off in one of their deep talks.

But he was dedicated to what he did and she respected that.

She grabbed her glass of water from the nightstand to find it empty. Tossing, the sheets off her, she made her way to the set of drawers Bruce bought for her and grabbed a pair of black yoga shorts and her old Gotham University hoodie.

She then walked into the kitchen area and quietly filled her cup with water from the kitchen sink. Turning off the water after filling up, she took a quick sip before looking over her shoulder at the twinkling lights from other building lights.

She wandered outside, gently closing the door behind her. Setting her glass on the ledge, she leaned over the railing and gazed as the city in front of her.

While she never cared about Bruce luxurious lifestyle, she did love how his balcony had the best view of the city. She could get used to spending some quiet nights out here.

It was a fact that Gotham was its most dangerous during the nighttime, which Demetria found to be waste because in the right light, like the one she was currently looking at, the city could be absolutely breath taking at night.

“You should be inside.”

She jumped, her arm flinging and knocking over the glass of water on the ground.

“Fuck me,” she whispered. She then turned to her side to find Batman standing there. Her mouth hung open a jar, as she took in the sight before her. “Wow...”

“What?” His voice was rough, calloused, and almost hushed.

“You’re just...bigger than I thought.” She folded her arms across her chest. “You’re also a lot more intimidating in person.”

“I scare you?”

She chuckled nervously. “Well, considering you show up and beat the shit out of people, I mean yeah. You are.”

Silence fell as she waited for him to respond. “So are you gonna beat me up or...?” she joked, half-heartedly.

Once again, no response. Her smile fell as she nodded her head awkwardly. “You’re not much for conversations, are you?”

He didn’t respond, again. She pulled back her lips. “Well then, I’m going to get a broom and clean up the glass.”

She went to turn around when she heard, “You’re the billionaire’s wife.”

She turned to face him. “He has a name and so do I.” She paused. “Also, I’m his fiancé.”

“But you’re going to be his wife.”

“If you don’t kill me tonight, then yeah.”

He made one step toward, causing her heart to drop to her stomach. She took a couple steps back.

“I won’t hurt you,” he told her.

“Then can you tell me why you’re here so I can go about my life and you can go take out some member of the mafia?”

“Your life is valuable. Stay inside.”

He then grabbed the railing and jumped off, Demetria leaning over to watch him soar off into the night.

Running her hand through her hair, she let out a long sigh. “Jesus fucking christ.”

She went inside and quietly went back inside to grab a broom and the garbage can.

She cleaned up the glass, throwing the pieces in the garbage can. Putting the broom back in the kitchen closet and the garbage can away, she went back into the bedroom and closed the door. She turned on her bedside lamp and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV, settling on an old episode of “I Love Lucy.”

_________________________________________________________

Bruce entered the apartment quietly, as though not to wake anyone. He quickly glanced over to find Demetria was no longer out on the balcony, a small wave of relief crashing over him.

He’d made a promise to himself to keep Demetria away from Batman as best as he could; however, between the constant coverage the press was giving her and the copycats and the mob and their affiliates running around at night, he had to do what he could to protect her.

He entered their bedroom to find the TV on and Demetria lying awake in bed.

“What’re you doing up?” he asked, laying his gym bag on the floor.

She pulled her knees to her chest. “If I told you, you’d think I was crazy.”

He got into the bed and wrapped an arm around her. “Try me.”

She sighed. “I met Batman.”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “Really?”

“I was out on the balcony and he just showed up and, I don’t know, he just...he was strange.”

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, no, no. He just told me I should stay inside because I’m apparently valuable.” She leaned her head against Bruce’s chest and sighed. “God, this city’s so fucking weird.”

He chuckled. “It’s not all that bad.”

Her fingers gingerly ran through his hair lazily. “How was your workout? Any more injuries?”

“It was fine and no, not a scratch on me.”

“And last night’s scratches? They’re ok?”

“Perfectly so.” His smile softened. “Thank you.”

“For what?” “For being you. For taking care of me.”

She smiled. “Happy to help.”

“What would I do without you?”

She lifted her head up. “Fuck half the Moscow ballet?”

Bruce shook his head, laughter escaping his lips. “I love you, Demetria.”

“I love you too, Bruce.”

He kissed her forehead before turning his eyes to the TV. “ ‘I Love Lucy’?”

“I couldn’t go back to sleep.”

She reached over for the remote on the bed when Bruce grabbed it first. He turned up the volume a bit, pulling Demetria closer to him. She threw one arm over him as they watched the show together.

Bruce knew his days as Batman would eventually end and when they did, he couldn’t wait to spend a normal night curled up with his wife watching a mindless show.

Those days were coming soon, at he least hoped they would.

#bruce wayne x oc #bruce wayne imagine #batman fanfic #batman #bruce wayne x reader #christian bale #christian bale x reader #bruce waye #the dark knight fanfiction #the dark knight #the joker #tdk trilogy #tdk #bruce wayne fluff #bruce wayne smut #batman x reader

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techcrunchappcom · 4 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/colliding-crises-shake-already-chaotic-campaigns-last-month-news-sports-jobs/

Colliding crises shake already chaotic campaign’s last month | News, Sports, Jobs

FILE – In this Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump walks from Marine One to the White House in Washington as he returns from Minnesota. The Republican president has trailed Democratic challenger Joe Biden in polls for most of the year. Trump’s approval ratings barely budge, consistently ranking him as among the weakest first-term presidents in living history. And for five consecutive months, no more than roughly 3 in 10 voters have believed the nation is moving in the right direction. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — The closing days of the presidential campaign were already dominated by the worst public health crisis in a century, millions of jobless Americans, a reckoning on civil rights, the death of a Supreme Court justice and uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s willingness to accept the election outcome.

And that was before the president woke up in a military hospital on Saturday — the most powerful man in the world unable to escape a virus that has so far killed more than 200,000 Americans.

One month before Election Day and with ballots already being cast in some states, there are few parallels in American history to such a stunning collision of crises in the late stage of a campaign. But beneath the volatility, the broad contours of the 2020 contest are remarkably stable.

The election began as, and remains, a referendum on Trump’s turbulent presidency.

The Republican president has trailed Democratic challenger Joe Biden in polls for most of the year. Trump’s approval ratings barely budge, consistently ranking him as among the weakest first-term presidents in living history. And for five consecutive months, no more than roughly 3 in 10 voters have believed the nation is moving in the right direction.

“You have all these events, but the basic structure of everything has stayed fairly intact,” said veteran Democratic strategist James Carville.

Even before Trump’s hospitalization, Republicans were growing increasingly concerned about the direction of the election. Trump’s allies were particularly worried that his troubling debate performance on Tuesday might further alienate key groups of swing voters: women and college-educated voters, among them.

Still, it is hard to underestimate the weight of the uncertainty looming over the next four weeks.

Beyond Trump’s health or the economy, the pillars of American democracy — an independent judiciary, a strong legislative branch and a fair and free electoral system — are under stress.

“Never in modern American history have more institutions and more people been at the breaking point than right now,” said longtime Republican pollster Frank Luntz.

He noted, however, that an incredibly small slice of voters are truly undecided.

“It’s good news for Joe Biden, because he’s established a lead that Trump has to somehow break, and as you get closer to the election it’s harder to change peoples’ minds,” Luntz said.

Trump’s challenge becomes exponentially more difficult after his positive coronavius diagnosis.

Even if he recovers quickly, the president will be physically unable — at least for two weeks or so — to lead the large, in-person rallies that have long served as the lifeblood of his political operation. The outbreak has also hit his senior political team. Campaign manager Bill Stepien, GOP chair Ronna McDaniel, first lady Melania Trump and a handful of other advisers have been infected in recent days.

In an effort to show the reelection effort is not frozen, the Trump campaign on Saturday announced “Operation MAGA” to call on top surrogates, coalitions and Trump supporters to “carry the campaign forward until the President returns to the trail.” Virtual events were planned ahead of Wednesday’s vice presidential debate, followed by in-person events, to keep the campaign “at full speed,” a statement said.

It’s rare for a president to confront such a significant personal health crisis so close to Election Day. Ronald Reagan was shot shortly after taking office in 1981, while Dwight Eisenhower suffered a serious heart attack more than a year before his 1956 reelection.

As Trump recovers in the hospital, the election is further complicated by his attempts to undermine the integrity of the election.

In Tuesday’s debate, he repeated his baseless claims of voter fraud and refused to say he would accept the election outcome if he lost. He also declined to condemn white supremacists and called on his supporters to closely monitor voting places, which critics fear may lead to widespread voter intimidation.

Not since perhaps Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860 has there been such doubt about the peaceful transfer of power in the United States, said Republican strategist Steve Schmidt.

Schmidt, co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, is no stranger to final-weeks political drama, having led John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008. A global financial meltdown rocked the contest that fall.

“You have an American president threatening political instability … and at the same time making wild accusations and spreading conspiracy theories about the legitimacy of an American election,” Schmidt said.

“Not only is there no comparison to the 2008 election, there’s no comparison to any election,” he continued. “There’s nothing between us and the edge of the cliff.”

At the same time, local election officials in key states are wading through a blizzard of legal challenges. As Democrats work to make voting easier during the pandemic, Trump’s team and its GOP allies have used a combination of threatening letters, lawsuits, viral videos and presidential misinformation to fight election procedures on a county-by-county basis.

Amid legal and health concerns, it’s difficult for pollsters and campaigns to predict how many voters will ultimately cast ballots.

Stacey Abrams, a former Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Georgia now focused on voting rights, said she fears that the Republican tactics will roil elections up and down the ballot. She’s encouraging people to make a specific plan to vote.

“We’re doing the right thing, which is telling people not to panic,” Abrams said.

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megacircuit9universe · 4 years ago

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Civil Unrest

SAT MAY 30 2020

Last Monday, a cop in Minneapolis brutally extinguished the life of an unarmed black man, in extreme cold blooded fashion, in broad daylight. The man, George Floyd, was accused by a cashier of trying to pass a counterfeit twenty dollar bill. He was slowly asphyxiated, over the course of eight agonizing minutes, by one of the arresting officers, who had a knee over his neck, as Floyd lay, hands cuffed behind his back, in the street by the police car, with other officers on the scene doing nothing to intervene as he repeatedly gasped for help saying he could not breathe.

The whole thing was caught by a bystander on video, which went viral, and sparked protests in Minneapolis the next night, Tuesday the 26th. The protests began peacefully, but devolved into riots, vandalism, looting, and arson later that night.

This lead to four more nights (and counting) of ongoing protests and civil unrest, not just in Minneapolis, but across the entire country... with similar protests in every major city... turning into riots after curfew each night so far.

Prior to Tuesday, nobody imagined any story would come along to get Covid19 out of the headlines, but the George Floyd protests have done exactly this, and the protests sparked by this act of police brutality have absolutely dwarfed the AstroTurf anti-mask wearing protests by right wingers in weeks previous.

All these things, however are related.

Covid19 lead to stay at home orders, and a massive economic shutdown, which left people out of work, and stuck at home, with nothing better to do than watch the news... which told them first, of an incompetent President who didn’t give a shit... a vindictive Senate who refused to help anybody financially... followed by cynical Astro Turf protests against the shut downs by armed idiots at courthouses demanding the right to get hair cuts and not wear masks in public... followed by this unconscionable act of police brutality which resulted in an innocent man’s death... in cold blood... in broad daylight.

And so yes, of course we have a real, grassroots protest movement of angry as hell working class people, representing all races, out there raising holy hell across the country... burning down police precincts, and cars, and looting big box stores, smashing up police cars and spray painting them, defying curfews, and... for the first three nights at least... forcing law enforcement and firefighters both to retreat.

It’s too early to say where this is all going. I can’t remember another time where we saw civil unrest on this scale, for so many nights in a row, with no sign of tapering off.

This could all be history by next week, with law and order restored and justice served to the police officer who has already been charged with murder... or... this could be the beginning of a years long civil war.

All I know right now is... 4th of July is a little over a month away. With all official fireworks displays cancelled thanks to the pandemic... it could wind up being the loudest, most explosive.... most potentially violent 4th of July since the National holiday has been celebrated.

This also does not look good for Donald Trump’s reelection resume’. He’s been impeached. The economy’s been destroyed. The pandemic death toll in America has now far exceeded that of any other country, per capita, with little sign of slowing, and now riots are breaking out around the nation on such a scale that law enforcement can’t deal with them.

“He is rich. He is strong. And he is going to crash the stock market. Sidewalks crack, and streets go dark. Ten Thousand bankers shake and scream for Dalton’s pyramid.“ - Pronunciation Book

Meanwhile, looking at Allan Lichtman’s 13 Keys to the White House, in which, for an incumbent to lose reelection six or more keys must be false... for the first time ever, it appears that Trump now scores false on eight keys, with two still nether true nor false, but open.

[F] Party Mandate: After the midterm elections, the incumbent party holds more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives than after the previous midterm elections. (lost house in a landslide.)

[T] Contest: There is no serious contest for the incumbent party nomination.

[T] Incumbency: The incumbent party candidate is the sitting president.

[T] Third party: There is no significant third party or independent campaign.

[F] Short term economy: The economy is not in recession during the election campaign. (it’s in the toilet.)

[F] Long term economy: Real per capita economic growth during the term equals or exceeds mean growth during the previous two terms. (not anymore!)

[F] Policy change: The incumbent administration effects major changes in national policy. (unless you count a tax cut for the rich and babies in cages, no.)

[F] Social unrest: There is no sustained social unrest during the term. (not anymore!)

[F] Scandal: The incumbent administration is untainted by major scandal. (impeachment anybody?)

[F] Foreign/military failure: The incumbent administration suffers no major failure in foreign or military affairs. (countless foreign affairs failures, as well as military failures, such as almost starting WW3, and backing a now dead dictator, in Kim Jong Un.)

[F] Foreign/military success: The incumbent administration achieves a major success in foreign or military affairs. (none.)

[O] Incumbent charisma: The incumbent party candidate is charismatic or a national hero. (he’s not a national hero, and his charisma is pretty questionable now that even Fox News and Twitter have been turning on him... and he can’t hold rallies anymore.)

[O] Challenger charisma: The challenging party candidate is not charismatic or a national hero. (there’s a possibility that by November, Joe Biden could be seen as more charismatic, relative to Trump.)

I have been checking back with these keys a couple times a year since he was elected in 2016, and it’s only now, in 2020, that Trump has finally crossed that threshold of six or more false keys. He had the two economy keys in the bag for a long time, and others remained open, such as third party challenger, scandal, and social unrest, but here on the eve of June... he’s got eight false, with the potential to go false on two more before November.

Not that Lichtman’s keys are a foolproof guide to the outcome of a presidential election, but... they’ve predicted some unexpected upsets in the past, most notably Trumps victory over Clinton in 2016... in that case mainly because there was no incumbent.

Though the keys were worked out by Lichtman by researching the history of presidential elections, it’s fairly self evident that they are simply measures of how competent a president is... while also giving any incumbent a huge edge for the win, even if he/she is only doing the bare minimum.

It does seem now, with the clock counting down to election day, that there is little Trump can do to win reelection.

He could even try to postpone or cancel the elections, but that doesn’t save him from the fact that, constitutionally, his presidency still ends on January 2nd 2021. And in the current climate, it would be extremely difficult for him to try and defy that by going full dictator.

He and his junta have already had ample opportunity to go full dictator this year, first with the pandemic, and now with the riots. And in both cases, they’ve shied away from overt, top-down authoritarian measures... opting instead to back away, keep hands off, and dog whistle for... governors, corporations, white trash with guns... to do... something? Anything? Please?

Their plan (Trump, McConnel, and their junta) was not to take over by force... at least not on such a short deadline. It was to slowly dismantle the three branches of democracy over eight years... packing the courts, undercutting the free press, sowing confusion, taking credit for the self driving economy, voter suppression, etc... until they had it all under control, and only THEN... phasing in the monarchy.

Of course, there were scenarios where a top-down overnight crackdown would’ve worked... like a Y2K, or a WW3... a global scale catastrophe that called for some kind of emergency suspension of democracy altogether.

But, as I’ve said in earlier entries, global pandemic doesn’t lend itself to that... it’s rather the Achilles heel of such a junta, because the only enemy is a primitive, microscopic virus, and while it disrupts the economy and life around the world, competent, compassionate leadership is good enough to mitigate the worst effects... and expose states or nations who cannot mitigate the effects for their incompetency and/or cold neglect.

Also, a pandemic has a time window which is short enough for most to see a light at the end of the tunnel... but far too long for any election schedule, and impossible to get out of the headlines using distractions, in the mean time.

To give in and do the right thing... provide universal basic income and free health care for the duration, while striving to keep a frazzled nation of home bound citizens united with inspirational speeches and reassurances that if we all work together, we can prevail... runs entirely counter to the playbook, and core beliefs of the junta.

Their playbook calls only for sowing division, demonizing the jobless and homeless, and funneling money up the chain, from the poor to the rich... increasing the wealth divide ever further until the working class are indentured servants who live hard scrap lives in perpetual debt, sacrificing everything for the sake of the monarch and the elites.

This is why, all they can do right now is try to bait GOP governors into ending shut downs, and corporations into ending furloughs too early... while dog whistling for ground level supporters to rally against wearing masks... and calling for old people to sacrifice their lives.

It’s a losing strategy, and the riots that are currently breaking out nightly around the nation are proof of that.

What sparked these riots off? Some low level police officer, with deeply racist, and authoritarian leanings, who was emboldened by such dog whistles to think it was okay to slowly asphyxiate a helpless citizen in broad daylight, against the protest of many bystanders, knowing he was being filmed by multiple smart phones.

The junta created a climate in which this officer, and even his police companions on the scene felt this type of obscene public execution, without judge or jury, for a man who purportedly passed a counterfeit twenty, was fully sanctioned by those at the top... because he was black.

But that’s happened too many times already in the country over the past four years for anybody right now... living through the pandemic and the crashed economy, after everything else... to just sit back and take it... or do a peaceful protest that lasted an afternoon.

And now we are looking at the nightmare of every powerful politician, and every rich man... the dreaded uprising of the people!

So, we’ll see where things go from here.

For tonight, that’s all I’ve got to record and observe.

Time for bed.

Justice for George Floyd!

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politicoscope · 6 years ago

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Roger Stone Biography and Profile

New Post has been published on https://www.politicoscope.com/roger-stone-biography-and-profile/

Roger Stone Biography and Profile

Roger Stone (Roger Jason Stone Jr.) was born on 27 August, 1952 in Connecticut, USA. The website CelebrityNetWorth.com estimates Roger Stone’s net worth at $5 million. Mr Stone first got involved in politics at the age of 8, agitating for Democratic candidate John F Kennedy. A political veteran, Mr Stone has worked with Republicans since the 1970s and bears a tattoo of Richard Nixon on his back. Roger Stone, a political strategist and long-time ally of President Donald Trump.

Roger Jason Stone Jr. Having a Richard Nixon Tattoo

“It’s always better to be talked about than not talked about,” Roger Stone, longtime confidant of President Donald Trump, once told the Miami Herald in an interview. “And the biggest sin in politics is to be boring.”

But his most visible work has been on his books. The Man Who Killed Kennedy essentially argues that Lyndon Johnson shot his way into the White House, ordering the deaths of nearly a score of men over the course of his political career — the last of them Kennedy, gunned down by a convicted Texas murderer named Malcolm Wallace who was “Lyndon Johnson’s personal hit man.”

Roger Jason Stone Jr. Full Biography Roger Stone pundit and legendary American Republican political consultant who has played a key role in the election of Republican presidents from Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan to Donald J. Trump.

Ronald Reagan and Roger Jason Stone Jr.

Roger Stone is the subject of the smash hit Netflix documentary Get Me Roger Stone and serves as a political commentator for InfoWars.

Stone is the author of The Man Who Killed Kennedy – the Case Against LBJ (Skyhorse). Stone is also the author of Tricky Dick, a broader look at the rise and fall and rise and fall and final comeback of Richard Milhouse Nixon, the Bush Crime Family, an inside look at that corrupt American dynasty, the Clinton’s War on Women, the definitive work on the shocking crimes of Bill and Hillary Clinton and The Making of the President 2016 – how Donald Trump orchestrated a revolution.

A friend an advisor to Donald Trump for over 30 years Roger Stone urged Donald Trump to seek the Presidency as early as 1988 and again in 2000, 2016 and finally 2016.

Stone has also chronicled men’s fashion for the New York Times and the Daily Caller. His annual “Ten Best and Worst Dressed” list has been featured on the Daily Caller and StoneOnStyle.com since 2009. Stone serves as Men’s Style Correspondent for the Daily Caller as well as hosting the War Room on InfoWars.com five days a week.

A Goldwater zealot in grade-school after a neighbor gave him Barry Goldwater’s Conscience of a Conservative, Stone was elected Young Republican National Chairman in 1977.

Stone was appointed Chairman of Youth for Nixon for Connecticut by Gov. John Davis Lodge who would become Stone’s mentor. Stone was the youngest member of the staff in President Richard Nixon’s re-election camping in 1972, the notorious CREEP – Committee for the Re-Election of the President. At CREEP Stone would fall under the tutelage of the legendary Murray Chotiner, Nixon’s early campaign manager and the inventor of negative campaign advertising and tactics. In 1973 Stone went to work for Senator Bob Dole as a staff assistant and travel aide.

Richard Nixon and Roger Jason Stone Jr.

In 1976 Stone was named by Senator Paul Laxalt as National Director of Youth for Reagan, a division of Governor Ronald Reagan’s 1976 Presidential campaign. In 1978, Stone co-founded the National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC) where he is credited with developing the negative campaign into an art form and pioneering the modern use of negative campaign advertising which Mr. Stone calls “comparative, educational, not negative.”

Starting in 1979, Stone served as Regional Political Director for Governor Reagan’s 1980 campaign for President handling New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, his native State. Stone became known for his expertise and strategies for motivating and winning ethnic and Catholic voters. Stone went on to serve in the same capacity in Reagan’s 1984 reelection campaign adding responsibility for Pennsylvania and Ohio to the states Stone managed in 1980. He also served as a Senior Consultant for California for President George H. W. Bush’s campaign. Bush beat Dukakis by 1% in the Golden State.

In 2000 Stone is credited with the hard-ball tactics which resulted in closing down the Miami-Dade Presidential recount. Stone is credited in HBO’s recent movie, “Recount 2000” with fomenting the so-called “Brooks Brothers Riot” in which a Republican mob swarmed the recount demanding a shutdown while thousands of Cuban-Americans marched outside the Courthouse demanding the same thing.

Mr. Stone would later regret his support for the Bushs and opposed the war in Iraq.

The New York Times and Miami Herald reported it was Mr. Stone who first tipped of the FBI to Governor Eliot Spitzer’s use of prostitutes.

Stone has worked for pro-American political parties in Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. He is consulted regularly on communications and corporate and public relations strategy by fortune 500 ECO’s and pro-democracy foreign leaders.

Stone endorsed former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson for President before switching his registration from Republican to the Libertarian Party. Stone rejoined the Republican party with the nomination and election of Donald Trump in 2016.

Stone has been profiled in the Weekly Standard, The New Yorker, and the Miami Herald. Mr. Stone has written for InfoWars.com, the New York Times Sunday Magazine, The New York Times Op Ed page and for Newsmax.com, Breitbart, the FOX Opinion page and has appeared recently on FOX News and CNN.

Here are what people are saying about Roger Stone:

“Professional lord of mischief” – Weekly Standard

“Legendary conservative political hit man” – TheHill.com

“A fascinating and colorful figure who has played a role in GOP politics for decades” – PoliticsNJ.net

“A dashing, colorful artist of the underhanded” – David Brooks, New York Times

“Nailed Eliot Spitzer” – Newsmax

“A Republican who doesn’t always toe the party line” – MSNBC

“Made his bones in the Reagan Era” – Washington Times

“The keeper of the Nixon flame” – Maureen Dowd, The New York Times

“Republican political mastermind” – Gawker.com

“He [Roger] is one of its fiercest warriors, with the battle scars to prove it.” – The Weekly Standard

“A dragon slayer who helped bring down New York State’s most powerful man” – NY Daily News

“A long history of bare-knuckle politics” – The New York Times

“The GOP’s dapper Pugilist” – The Washington Post

“Seasoned practitioner of hard-edged politics” – The New York Times

“Master Political Strategist and Street fighter” – LeftVoice.com

“The most dangerous person in America today…” – The Village Voice

“Still, Stone gets results” – FirstPost.com, UK

“Skilled in the dark arts of politics” – The Atlantic

“Those that love creativity, loves Roger’s work” – invinciblearmor.com

“Notorious” – Vanity Fair

“Doesn’t Mince words” – The Washington Post

“Master of right-wing political hit jobs… – Politico.com

“Controversial” – The Washington Post

“Infamous” – Gothamist.com

“The dapper don of dirty deeds” – DullardMush.com

“Directly involved in the downfall of Clinton campaign chief strategist Mark Penn” – RADAR

“Known for hard-ball politics and a cloak and dagger sensibility” – The New York Times

“At times, Stone’s real party seems to be the vaudevillian rather than the GOP” – New Yorker Magazine

“The organizers [of the recount team in Miami] in the RV outside, who G.O.P. protesters have told TIME were led by hardball Washington strategist Roger Stone…” – TIME Magazine

“Respected, hated, and always controversial Republican political knife fighter…” – NoQuarterUSA.net

“Mr. Stone is nothing if not resilient” – Public Lives – The New York Times

“The High Priest of political hijinks” – Weekly Standard

“An equal-opportunity trickster” – NY Daily News

“The undisputed master of the black arts of electioneering” – Scotsman.com

“Call Roger Stone” – James A. Baker III, HBO Recount 2000

Roger Stone Parents

His father, Roger J. Stone was a businessman and his mother is Gloria Rose who was a reporter in their small town. He has described his family as middle-class, blue-collar Catholics.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Roger Stone

Roger Jason Stone Jr. was born on 27 August 1952, in Norwalk, Connecticut. He was born to Roger J. Stone and Gloria Rose, grew up in Lewisboro, New York, and is of Italian and Hungarian descent.

He became a Republican at the age of 12, after reading Barry Goldwater’s “The Conscience of a Conservative.”

Stone dropped out of George Washington University; while he was there he became the youngest player in the Watergate scandal at age 19.

He has been married twice. His first marriage ended in 1990 and he remarried in 1992.

Stone co-founded the National Conservative Political Action Committee in 1978, after seeing how difficult it was for Republican candidates to raise money.

He was called “The Godfather” and “The Prince of Darkness” in the Republican Party.

Stone has been acquainted with President Donald Trump since the 1980s, when he worked for Trump’s casino business as a lobbyist.

He has a tattoo of President Richard Nixon on his back, which he got in Venice Beach, California.

Stone ran for governor in Florida in 2014, and his platform focused on gay rights and legalizing marijuana.

He was banned from appearing on CNN and MSNBC in 2016 after calling out Ana Navarro on Twitter and attacking other media personalities through the platform. His account was suspended in April 2017.

Roger Jason Stone Jr Biography and Profile (AP / Roger Stone / Politicoscope)

#Biography and Profile #Roger Jason #Roger Jason Stone Jr #Roger Jason Stone Jr Biography and Profile #Roger Stone Biography and Profile #US

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politicoscope · 6 years ago

Text

Roger Stone Biography and Profile

New Post has been published on https://www.politicoscope.com/roger-stone-biography-and-profile/

Roger Stone Biography and Profile

Roger Jason Stone Jr. Having a Richard Nixon Tattoo

Ronald Reagan and Roger Jason Stone Jr.

Roger Stone is the subject of the smash hit Netflix documentary Get Me Roger Stone and serves as a political commentator for InfoWars.

A friend an advisor to Donald Trump for over 30 years Roger Stone urged Donald Trump to seek the Presidency as early as 1988 and again in 2000, 2016 and finally 2016.

A Goldwater zealot in grade-school after a neighbor gave him Barry Goldwater’s Conscience of a Conservative, Stone was elected Young Republican National Chairman in 1977.