January 15, 2022
Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "For years, U.S. officials have tiptoed around the question of how much military support to provide to Ukraine, fear of provoking Russia. Now, in what would be a major turnaround, senior Biden administration officials are warning that the United States could throw its weight behind a Ukrainian insurgency should President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia invade Ukraine. How the United States, which just exited two decades of war in Afghanistan, might pivot to funding and supporting an insurgency from fighting one is still being worked out. But even a conversation about how far the United States would go to subvert Russian aims in the event of an invasion has revived the specter of a new Cold War and suddenly made real the prospect of the beginnings of a so-called great power conflict." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Russia/Ukraine. Natasha Bertrand & Jeremy Herb of CNN: "The US has information that indicates Russia has prepositioned a group of operatives to conduct a false-flag operation in eastern Ukraine, a US official told CNN on Friday, in an attempt to create a pretext for an invasion. The official said the US has evidence that the operatives are trained in urban warfare and in using explosives to carry out acts of sabotage against Russia's own proxy forces. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the Defense Department has credible information indicating Russia has 'prepositioned a group of operatives' to execute 'an operation designed to look like an attack on them or Russian-speaking people in Ukraine' in order to create a reason for a potential invasion. The allegation echoed a statement released by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense on Friday, which said that Russian special services are preparing provocations against Russian forces in an attempt to frame Ukraine. National security adviser Jake Sullivan hinted at the intelligence during a briefing with reporters on Thursday." A Washington Post story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here. ~~~
~~~ Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times: "Russia's main security agency said on Friday that at the request of the United States government it had dismantled REvil, one of the most aggressive ransomware crime groups attacking Western targets, and arrested some of its members. The agency, known as the F.S.B., said 'the organized crime gang ceased to exist' after a sweeping operation that was carried out in 25 locations across five Russian regions. The raids followed multiple requests by the Biden administration for the Kremlin to help shut down such groups. The arrests were announced on the same day that the U.S. government accused Russia of sending saboteurs into Ukraine to create a pretext for invasion, and that hackers shut down dozens of Ukraine's government websites -- an attack that Ukrainian officials suggested had originated in Russia." A CNN story is here.
Get Out! Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "The Biden White House has forced the resignation of a Trump-appointed member of a U.S. commission who has promoted the baseless claim that the FBI planted agents among the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Darren Beattie was named by ... Donald Trump to the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad in November 2020. In a letter Friday, Gautam Raghavan, deputy director of the White House office of presidential personnel, told Beattie that he must turn in his resignation by the end of business Friday and if he did not, his position would be terminated.... The White House move comes days after Beattie's actions as a right-wing blogger attracted attention from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack.... Beattie was put on the board of the commission ... after he was fired from the Trump White House for attending a conference frequented by white nationalists.... Before that, Beattie served as one of Trump's speechwriters. On Sunday, the former president issued a statement praising Beattie for pushing his baseless claims about Jan. 6...."
Ellen Nakashima & David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "Federal prosecutors are expected to soon seek dismissal of charges against a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology accused of failing to disclose research ties to China, according to three people familiar with the matter. The dropping of the case against Gang Chen, a Chinese American academic, would probably happen in the coming weeks, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.... Prosecutors in Boston this week sent a dismissal memo to the Justice Department headquarters in Washington, which has not yet signed off, but is expected to, the people said. It would mark arguably the most high-profile setback of the Justice Department's China Initiative, a wide-ranging and sometimes controversial effort launched in 2018.
** Michael Wines of the New York Times: "A newly disclosed memorandum citing 'unprecedented' meddling by the Trump administration in the 2020 census and circulated among top Census Bureau officials indicates how strongly they sought to resist efforts by the administration to manipulate the count for Republican political gain.... In particular, the administration was adamant that -- for the first time ever -- the bureau separately tally the number of undocumented immigrants in each state. Mr. Trump had ordered the tally in a July 2020 presidential memorandum, saying he wanted to subtract them from House reapportionment population estimates.... Kenneth Prewitt, a Columbia University public-affairs scholar who ran the Census Bureau from 1998 to 2001, said in an interview that the careful bureaucratic language [of the memo] belied an extraordinary pushback against political interference." The memo went to Wilbur Ross, the odious Commerce Secretary, who says he can't recall a thing about it. MB: I guess not, because Ross himself was a Census manipulator extraordinaire, to the point of lying to Congress about the effort.
Andrew Kaczynski & Melanie Zanona of CNN: "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said publicly and privately in the days following the deadly riots at the US Capitol that ... Donald Trump admitted personally bearing some responsibility for the attack -- one of several reasons why the select committee on January 6 wants to hear from the House's top Republican. McCarthy shared the details of his conversation with Trump in a little-noticed local radio interview done a week after the insurrection, in which McCarthy said he supported a committee to investigate the attack and supported censuring then-President Trump.... The radio interview -- in which McCarthy has harsh words for Trump and strongly condemns the violent attack -- provides yet another example of how the California Republican has shifted his tone in the year since the insurrection." (Also linked yesterday.)
Annette Nevins, et al., of the Washington Post: "Shackled at his wrists and ankles, [Oath Keeper Stewart] Rhodes appeared briefly in federal court [in Plano, Texas,] Friday. Magistrate Judge Kimberly C. Priest Johnson ordered him to remain in jail at least until a detention hearing on Jan. 20." Referred to in many court filings as "Person One," Rhodes "is the most high-profile person charged in the wide-ranging investigation to date.... Another newly charged Oath Keeper, Edward Vallejo of Phoenix, appeared briefly before a federal magistrate judge in Arizona, who ordered that he, too, should be held in custody until a detention hearing next week."
Zachary Cohen & Curt Devine of CNN: "Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes has spewed violent rhetoric and whipped up unsubstantiated fears about secret government plots and imminent civil war for more than a decade with the help of another purveyor of extremism: conspiracy monger and internet powerhouse Alex Jones. Jones, who has built a staggering online following around his Infowars empire, has given Rhodes a platform to reach a wider audience -- from the day Rhodes plugged the Oath Keepers' first public meeting to the weeks surrounding the invasion of the US Capitol. At the same time, Rhodes' Oath Keepers protected Jones at multiple 'Stop the Steal' rallies."
Marie: Mike Pence writes a stupid op-ed in the Washington Post arguing that the voting rights bills are a "power grab" to try to "nationalize elections." But his opening remarks are notable: "Now that the anniversary of Jan. 6 has come and gone, some of us who lived through that tragic day in 2021 are getting a clearer picture of what was and is at stake. On Jan. 6, an angry mob ransacked the Capitol, largely to try to get Congress and me, as the president of the Senate, to use federal authority to overturn results of the presidential election that had been certified by all 50 states." Unlike most Republican politicians, mike remains in touch with the reality that a violent attack that included calls to hang him was not a normal tourist visit.
Looking for the Lost & Found. Michael Luciano of Mediaite: "... they are morons.... Some of the people who stormed the Capitol later called Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office in an effort to retrieve ... belongings [they left behind], Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) told Insider in an interview published Friday. According to Raskin, who serves on the Jan. 6 committee, rioters called and were 'asking whether there was a lost and found because they forgot their phone there, or they left their purse or what have you.' Predictably, authorities ... suckered the rioters into giving them their personal information.... Raskin also said that many of the rioters appeared to have no understanding of how the government works on the most basic level. 'They didn't have any kind of subtle understanding of the separation of powers,' he said. 'They just thought that the number one person in the U.S. government had invited them to be there, and therefore they had a right.' The congressman said that the rioters' reaction 'underscores the central role that Donald Trump played in it.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: In fairness to the morons, Trump didn't quite grasp the separation of powers either. He thought the other branches of government should do exactly what the President* ordered, especially Congressional Republicans & the Supremes he appointed. His hatred of John McCain and his "disappointment" with Bart O'Kavanaugh are examples. The morons, of course, aren't all wingers. Despite all the publicity Manchinema have received for their opposition to the Biden agenda, Joe Biden's current unpopularity numbers are the result of people's not understanding why he didn't pass voting rights and Build Back Better legislation. ~~~
~~~ As an aside, the morons' willingness to give their info to investigators reminds me of a scene in a British TV procedural I saw recently. The cops bring in a kid involved in some ruckus & present him to the desk sergeant. The kid refuses to give his name. The beat cops object but the sergeant is sympathetic. "I get it," he tells the kid. "In fact, we have a form for your situation. Just sign here and you don't have to tell us your name." He pushes a form on a clipboard in front of the kid, who happily signs his name at the bottom.
Felicia Sonmez & Donna Cassata of the Washington Post: "Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) said Friday he will not seek another term in Congress, becoming the third of the 10 Republicans who voted last year to impeach ... Donald Trump to announce their retirement.... In a whiplash-inducing turn last year, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had deputized Katko to negotiate with Democrats on legislation to create an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob. Katko, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security panel, reached a deal with the chairman, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), and announced the plan, only to have McCarthy reject it." A CBS News report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
TuKKKer Hosted (Alleged) Seditionist. Madeline Peltz of Media Matters: "Fox News' Tucker Carlson has repeatedly hosted alleged Oath Keeper Thomas Caldwell, who was charged on January 13 with seditious conspiracy alongside Oath Keeper leader Stewart Rhodes and nine others in connection to the anti-government militia's plot to violently overthrow the government on January 6, 2021. Carlson has interviewed Caldwell on both his Fox News show and his Fox Nation show. With Carlson's help, Caldwell and his wife cast themselves as victims of overzealous prosecution for the events of January 6. In their discussions Carlson and his guests overlooked some key details while portraying Caldwell, who was first arrested and indicted for his January 6 actions shortly after that day, merely as a ' disabled veteran.' As noted in the indictment, Caldwell was stationed outside Washington, D.C., on January 5, standing ready to distribute weapons to his fellow militia members at the direction of Rhodes." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ MB: Thus, Fox "News" and the Murdoch boys, who have stood behind TuKKKer & all of his despicable shenanigans, now find themselves supporting an alleged terrorist who helped organize the overthrow of the U.S. government. Rupert, who is chairman of Fox, is an American citizen, but his son Lachlan, who is CEO is an Australian citizen. I suggest the U.S. deport him as an undesirable (unless DOJ would rather charge both of them for aiding & abetting an enemy of the U.S.; that would be treason for Rupert -- oh, and for TuKKKer). There's nothing wrong with a journalist's interviewing an alleged criminal, but TuKKKer advocated for Caldwell, telling him on-air, "I hope you crush these people [the feds].... It's shocking this could happen in our country." And so forth.
Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: Pro-covid confederates are very upset with Brett Kavanaugh because he voted, along with CJ Roberts & Sotomayor, Kagan & Breyer, to permit President Biden's vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. Among Kavanaugh's detractors: Tucker Carlson, who called Kavanaugh a "cringing little liberal," Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Covid) & Donald Trump, Jr. "They've decided to put [Kavanaugh] on notice that they'll go after his character at the drop of a hat when he rules the wrong way -- even when he rules the right way [-- the workplace protocols --] the very same day."
Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post: "The [Supreme Court] has been effectively closed to outside visitors since the start of the pandemic. Now that the justices have begun hearing oral arguments in person, the lawyers appearing before it, and the reporters in the chamber, must test negative and be masked, except when speaking. Justices who aren't comfortable with those protocols -- or with the maskless behavior of their colleagues -- have the flexibility to work remotely. If only the court were willing to extend similar protections to the rest of us, in our workplaces.... The factory workers standing cheek by jowl on assembly lines, the office workers crammed side by side at their cubicles, the cashiers and sales clerks at retail establishments -- none of them enjoy the guaranteed safety protocols that the court has awarded to itself.... In states with laws that prohibit vaccine and mask mandates, employers who want to adopt such policies are prohibited from doing so." If you have a WashPo subscription, read on. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Marcus reviews some of the confederate justices' sophistic arguments. Here's a doozy: "Although covid-19 is a risk that occurs in many workplaces, it is not an occupational hazard in most. Covid-19 can and does spread at home, in schools, during sporting events, and everywhere else that people gather." That's like saying that because you can fall off a ladder at home, OSHA cannot regulate ladder safety in the workplace. We already knew the confederates were anti-worker, but to the point of ensuring that workers get sick on the job??? That's a violation of basic human rights. ~~~
~~~ Update. Adam Serwer of the Atlantic (partially republished in LG&$) makes the same point, calling this argument "laughable logic." Scott Lemieux, in LG&$ obviously agrees: "This argument is astoundingly stupid. The fact that stuff can fall on your head at home doesn't mean that the OHSA can't require workers in construction sites to wear hardhats. Nobody could actually believe it. And yet it's the foundation on which the entire opinion rests." Serwer observes that what underlies the decision is the Foxification of the Supremes: it "hinges on a new and alarming embrace of the right-wing culture war against vaccination, a deeply regrettable cost of conservative political strategy and political-identity formation.... The conservative wing of the Court wants to have it both ways: insisting they are not questioning the safety or efficacy of vaccination, while issuing decisions that are entirely premised on the right's newfound and quasi-religious conception of them as traumatic and metaphysically significant -- a necessity for the mandates to be seen as oppressive. This is little more than culture war dressed up in the language of constitutionalism." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Foxification, or a version of it, is hardly new. Opinion essays, after all, are written for the purpose of influencing others. That's what the ancient Greek philosophers were up to. That's what the Bible is all about. That's why advocates submit friend-of-the-court briefs on upcoming cases to the Supremes. And the Supremes do heed ideas spread by their favored media outlets. Justice Antonin Scalia admitted that's all he read or listened to. And that mattered. In oral arguments during the first big effort to strike down Obamacare, Scalia famously said, "Everybody has to buy food sooner or later. Therefore, you can make people buy broccoli." The broccoli reference didn't spring from the Mind of Scalia. James Stewart of the New York Times traced it to an article by Terence Jeffrey, the editor in chief of the Conservative News Service: "'Can President Barack Obama and Congress enact legislation that orders Americans to buy broccoli?' Mr. Jeffrey wrote in his Oct. 21, 2009, CNS column." Stewart finds that the broccoli reference spread from there, including to Rush Limbaugh, who shared it -- as if it were an original thought -- on air.
Oliver Darcy & Brian Stelter of CNN: "One America News, the right-wing conspiracy channel favored by ...t Donald Trump, will be dropped later this year by DirecTV, a spokesperson for the television carrier said Friday evening. The move will deal a significant blow to the fringe outlet. Not only will OAN be removed from the millions of households that use DirecTV as a television provider, it will also suffer a major hit to its revenue. Reuters, citing sworn testimony that an OAN accountant gave in 2020, reported last year that 90% of the channel's revenue came from subscriber fees paid by AT&T-owned platforms, including DirecTV.... The decision also comes after significant controversy following Reuters's story, which reported that AT&T played a key role in OAN's founding." MB: So if you're an AT&T or DirecTV customers, it looks as if you won't be paying for Donald Trump's favorite propaganda outlet much longer.
Rebecca Robbins & Cecilia Kang of the New York Times: "Martin Shkreli, the former pharmaceutical executive best known for unapologetically hiking the price of a lifesaving medication, must pay $64.6 million and will be barred for life from the drug industry for violating antitrust law, a federal court ordered on Friday. Mr. Shkreli is serving a seven-year prison sentence for defrauding investors related to his work running two hedge funds and a different pharmaceutical company. That conviction is unrelated to the drug pricing saga that elevated him to notoriety. He is expected to be released this year."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday clarified its stance on various kinds of masks, acknowledging that the cloth masks frequently worn by Americans do not offer as much protection as surgical masks or respirators. While this disparity is widely known to the general public, the update marks the first time the C.D.C. has explicitly addressed the differences. The agency's website also no longer refers to a shortage of respirators.... Its updated language now says that 'a respirator may be considered in certain situations and by certain people when greater protection is needed or desired.' The previous version of the recommendations said individuals may choose to use a disposable N95 respirator instead of a mask 'when supplies are available.' N95 respirators, so named because they can filter out 95 percent of all airborne particles when used correctly, were in short supply early in the pandemic."
Yasmeen Abutaleb of the Washington Post: "A federal website where Americans can order free coronavirus rapid tests will be launched Wednesday and allow each household to order up to four tests, senior administration officials said Friday. The website, called covidtests.gov, will require that users provide their names and addresses to receive the tests. The government purchased 500 million rapid tests that will be available to every household, and will limit to four the number of tests sent to each address, the senior officials said during a briefing with reporters." The article is free to nonsubscribers.
Virginia. Andrea Swalec of NBC 4 Washington, D.C.: "Virginia's incoming governor, Glenn Youngkin [R], said he will lift the state's school mask mandate and change other COVID-19 policies after taking office Saturday, Jan. 15. The change in direction is expected amid what the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association called the fifth surge of the pandemic.... School districts will be able to keep mask recommendations in place, but parents can choose not to follow them, he added."
Beyond the Beltway
New York. Michael Levenson of the New York Times: "A former senior adviser in the Obama administration pleaded guilty on Friday to charges that he had orchestrated a scheme to steal more than $200,000 from a network of charter schools that he founded, prosecutors said. The former adviser, Seth Andrew, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and will face up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 14, prosecutors said. He has also agreed to pay restitution to the charter schools he founded, Democracy Prep Public Schools, prosecutors said. Mr. Andrew was charged last April with stealing $218,000 from the network, which teaches mostly low-income students of color in New York and other states. Prosecutors said last year that he had used the money to get a lower interest rate on a mortgage for a $2 million apartment in Manhattan." An NBC News story is here. MB: Greedy bastid.
Ohio. Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: "Thousands of Ohio prison guards will begin wearing body cameras for the first time this year, bringing more transparency inside prison walls at a time when the coronavirus pandemic and guard shortages are making many prisons more dangerous. Annette Chambers-Smith, the head of the state prison agency, said the state was buying 5,100 body-worn cameras that will be used by guards and parole officers in all of the state's prisons.... Axon, the company that is supplying the cameras, said the state was adopting the largest body camera program of any prison agency in the world.... The plan to roll out body cameras follows the death in January of last year of Michael A. McDaniel, a 55-year-old prisoner who collapsed and died after guards pushed him to the ground several times following a fight outside of his cell. A coroner ruled that his death was a homicide...."
Virginia. Teach the Kids about Lincoln Debating Frederick Douglass. Gillian Brockell of the Washington Post: In a bill designed "to ban 'divisive concepts' from being taught in Virginia public schools," Republican freshman Del. Wren Williams inserted some examples of what were proper subjects of discussion. They included "the first debate between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass." Of course Lincoln did not debate the great civil rights leader; rather, he debated Democratic U.S. Sen. Stephen A. Douglas when Lincoln was running to unseat Douglas. (Lincoln lost.) A state agency took responsibility for the bill's error, but Brockell is not convinced. MB: Funny Del. Williams specified including only the first Lincoln-Douglas(s?) debate, which was the one debate (of four) which Brockell says Douglas won. The main topic of the debates was slavery, and Douglas was the more pro-slavery candidate. Anyhow, almost makes you think legislators should butt out of trying to dictate school curricula. (Also linked yesterday.)
Way Beyond
U.K. Mark Landler of the New York Times: "Capping a week of abject contrition, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain apologized on Friday to Buckingham Palace for raucous parties held in Downing Street the night before Queen Elizabeth II buried her husband, Prince Philip, in a socially distanced ceremony that left her grieving alone in a choir stall.... The reports of more alcohol-fueled socializing at Downing Street, on the eve of a somber funeral ceremony remembered for its poignant image of an isolated, masked monarch, dealt a fresh blow to an already reeling prime minister.... The Downing Street spokesman did not say whether Mr. Johnson planned to apologize personally to the queen the next time he has a weekly audience with her."
News Ledes
New York TImes: "An underwater volcano erupted on Saturday near the remote Pacific nation of Tonga, triggering tsunami warnings across the South Pacific and for the West Coast of the United States, and causing strong waves and currents in many coastal areas. The volcano's eruption was dramatic, sending plumes of gas and ash thousands of feet into the atmosphere, though early reports of damage were limited. A four-foot tsunami wave was reported to have hit Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa, sending people rushing to higher ground, and witnesses said ash had fallen from the sky. There were no immediate official reports on the extent of injuries or damages, but internet service in the country was disrupted, according to The Associated Press, making it difficult to assess." This report is being live-updated. ~~~
~~~ Space.com has some video images here (slow-loader), which RAS linked the other day. A New York Times video is here.
New York Times: &"Heavily armed police officers and F.B.I. negotiators converged Saturday on a synagogue in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where a man who could be heard shouting on a livestream was inside along with other people. Katie Chaumont, an F.B.I. spokeswoman, confirmed that the agency's SWAT team members and crisis negotiators had responded along with the local police to Congregation Beth Israel, a Reform synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, a city of about 26,000 residents that is about 15 miles northeast of Fort Worth." This report is being live-updated. ~~~
~~~ Update: "Hours after a man who claimed to have weapons and explosives took a rabbi and several others hostage at a synagogue in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, all the hostages had been rescued, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas said on Saturday night.... The suspect died in the standoff, said Michael Miller, police chief of Colleyville, Texas, where the standoff took place." ~~~
~~~ An ABC News report is here. It also has been updated to reflect the rescue of the hostages.
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Reader Comments (11)
Asking logical consistency of conservatives is asking too much.
We have before us the current example of the Supremes who allow themselves protections they don't believe America's workers are entitled to, but that doesn't begin to cover the breadth of nonsensical territory current conservative thinking spans.
Pence's ramblings, which I skimmed before going to bed last night, also highlighted the philosophic box they are in. After the sensible introduction Marie quotes, he wandered into a misinformed Constitutional argument about the states' role in elections, ignoring Constitutional language that didn't fit his desired outcome: He says that the Constitution implies it's just fine for states to restrict voting rights, when it says no such thing.
Granted, the Constitution is no great fan of democracy but it does allow for federal control of elections, an established fact which Pence (or whoever wrote the piece for him; many commenters speculated Mother did) skips over.
Of course, Pence is just following Scalia's Procrustean approach to Constitutional interpretation: Cut it (the well ordered militia thing) to fit.
So with the current conservative Supremes' interpretation of OSHA's reach: A workplace rule that should not apply to the workplace. This time around they took refuge in the absence of specific language in the enabling legislation. When convenient, specifics (like the Constitutional language Scalia and Pence happily ignore) don't matter.
In conservative thinking, logic plays no part. Nor does honesty.
For conservatives, desire always comes first. What do I want? Guns? Power? Money? Social preeminence?
Then come up with a specious argument to justify it.
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do." Ken, I'm pretty sure that the great souls of the Republican party have left the building.
RAS: reading your comment from yesterday I thought, Sinema is the Susan Collins of the Democrats. There is no there, there.
Finally, if Russia moved into Canada, what would be think? I believe that the name for it is "Cuban Missile Crisis".
THE "VIRUS THAT INFECTS"
Cheer up, Ken–just maybe we are seeing some action in getting the miscreants behind bars ( the head of the Oath Keepers) plus newspapers are calling out numskulls like Ron Johnson from Wisconsin who is planning to run again in order to spread his cheese wonky word salad. Yesterday the Wisconsin Capital Times tore into Ronny and put the above label on his sorry seat along with other bashings. Not that it will deter the die hards, the ones that are gurgling with listerine to ward off the virus that Johnson said would be a dandy thing to do. But–-it's something and I'll take that something at this stage.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ron-johnson-capital-times-editorial_n_61e271f0e4b0c6802ee6f314
Once upon a time Lady Gregory said to Yeats that as far as she was concerned re: the old battle of those and thems– was-"between those who use a toothbrush and those who don't." I'll buy that.
@citizen625: Yes, I had the same thought about Sinema & Collins. Sinema's assertion that she's for the voting rights bills but gosh she just can't abide voting for measures that will make it happen is pretty much akin to Susan Collins saying she's for abortion rights but she'll vote to confirm Bart O'Kavanaugh.
Citizen625 point to the dangers of a "foolish consistency."
When it comes to judging consistency, it's the baseline that counts.
In our politics, tho' when convenient some would say it's the language of the Constitution that matters, it's the intent we choose to assign to the various parts of that document that does.
If we're after advancing democracy, what most benefits the majority, we will look at Constitutional consistency one way. If we wish to use the Constitution to advance our own interests, we'll look at it in another, and prove to be willing to tie the document we pretend to revere in knots.
Constitutional interpretations that consistently support and advance democracy may also seem "inconsistent," but in both scenarios the goal is the constant.
It's either the good for the few--or the good for the many.
And we know which is which.
Writing about Wisconsin I suddenly recalled a piece in the New Yorker last summer by Jane Mayer who fleshed out the big money behind the big lie––projects headed by wealthy wonks––non-profits who have one thing in common: they all have have received funding from the Lynde and Harry Bradley foundation –- according to my notes––that is based in Milwaukee, and is a private, tax-exempt organization that has become an extraordinary force in persuading mainstream Republicans to support radical challenges to election rules–-a tactic once relegated to the far right. I found it somewhat improbable that a low-profile family foundation in Wisconsin has assumed a central role in our current struggle over our American democracy but there you go–––– and yet I have heard little about this and wonder why. I do know Senator Whitehouse is on it with his "Dark Money" presentations but it doesn't seem to cough up the kind of media coverage it should.
"It's a massive covert operation run by a small group of billionaire elites. these are powerful interests with practically unlimited resourses who have moved on to manipulating that most precious of American gifts––the vote" Whitehouse
and on second thought, Ken–-maybe the "cheer up" was premature.
Bad Limerick Time (again)
There’s not much to laugh about as we watch our hopes for free and fair elections get shivved in the back. And not just by the Traitors, but members of our own party. Gives new meaning to that old saw about keeping your friends close but your enemies closer. In this case so-called Democrats, enemies posing as friends.
And traitors to more than just their party.
They asked Coal Mine Joe about voting
He said, “Can’t hear you, I’m boating”
So they asked Krysten Sin
Who said “You won’t win!
I’m all in with the traitors.
And we’re gloating!”
The central canard in the Manchinema rationale for helping Moscow Mitch and the Trumpists effect a takeover of the government is their sad complaint that killing the filibuster will increase divisiveness and hurt bipartisanship.
What bipartisanship? That boat sailed years ago, hit a mine, caught fire, blew up and sank with all hands. No survivors.
And this bullshit about divisiveness? They’re helping the Party of Divisiveness. I would love to hear either of them explain how bending over backwards for the traitors will get them to be nicer, do their job, and protect democracy. They can’t do it. It’s like saying gravity can be overcome if we all just wish hard enough.
It’s like saying that locking our doors at night against burglars and other crooks shouldn’t be done because it will give the criminals reason to believe we don’t trust them.
We don’t!
But I’m sure neither of these assholes believes the shit they’re shoveling. They get payback in other ways.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel apparently wrote an editorial about RoJo that he didn't like so he wrote a rebuttal to it. The paper published it, including almost 20 annotations to rebut his butt. Those people in Wisconsin are so mean to him.
Manchin and Sinema both have lots of friends on the other side of the aisle. And yet none of their conservative buddies are ever willing to cross the aisle and vote to help them pass policies they "strongly support." Bipartisanship, like most everything else in politics, only goes one way. Manchinema spend all their time covering for and excusing the soulless GOP, and in return they get some fat checks written with their name on it.
Here is some scary Mother Nature, a huge undersea volcano erupted in the Pacific Ocean. They could see it from space, the pictures are terrifying.
I just read, "Unwashed" "butt" Ron Johnson. That is about the size of it.