The Biden Administration and All Things Politics

[Red]

This threat to Kavanaugh’s seat could be a DNC or an RNC creation although the involvement of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse suggests it is coming from the left.

Yes, led by one of my state’s senators. I have always really appreciated the guy. He leads the fight against “dark money”in our politics and elections. I enjoy his weekly climate change talks, even though they address a largely empty chamber, more often than not. And, I think he’s just still attempting to keep a promise he made in 2018 in this particular matter. Good. Here he is making that promise:

 

[Al-O-Meter]

I do not consider that full access...the senators who were only able to read them in a secure room without the benefit of taking notes.

This is all true, but it is worth noting the restricting of these documents to a secure room with no allowed note taking was not dictated by the FBI, the DOJ, or the President. These were rules put in place by the Senate themselves, and even that can't be blamed on the Republicans because those rules were set in place by a bipartisan agreement in 2009 during the confirmation process for Sonia Sotomayor.

Inside the secure room where senators saw the secret FBI report on Brett Kavanaugh

Throughout the day, senators walked into a secure room in the basement of the Capitol Visitor Center to read the 46-page FBI report.

www.usatoday.com

 

[One Brow]

Information on why people aren't more afraid of SARS-CoV-2 has been studied for decades? Sure One Brow.

You think SARS-CoV2 is that different from other medical interventions? Get real.

 

[Red]

This is all true, but it is worth noting the restricting of these documents to a secure room with no allowed note taking was not dictated by the FBI, the DOJ, or the President. These were rules put in place by the Senate themselves, and even that can't be blamed on the Republicans because those rules were set in place by a bipartisan agreement in 2009 during the confirmation process for Sonia Sotomayor.

Inside the secure room where senators saw the secret FBI report on Brett Kavanaugh

Throughout the day, senators walked into a secure room in the basement of the Capitol Visitor Center to read the 46-page FBI report.

www.usatoday.com

So, they kneecapped themselves on that one. Still, I don’t think Sen. Whitehouse was out of line with his promise to Ford, and I don’t think he’s out of line now. I can blame White House counsel for not telling senators which of the 4500 tips the FBI had deemed relevant, and that such a subset of the 4500 did exist. It does not take much imagination on my part as to why White House counsel McGahn would not volunteer that info, however. And it’s part of what made the hearings a sham I should think…..

 

[The Thriller]

The seeds are already being planted not to trust the 2022 elections or any election for that matter if you don't win.

Not just the seeds, but the infrastructure. Red states are passing legislature that allow them to overturn voting elections no matter the results or lack of evidence of fraud. Republicans can just overturn elections whenever they lose. This is textbook authoritarianism.

 

[The Thriller]

So, they kneecapped themselves on that one. Still, I don’t think Sen. Whitehouse was out of line with his promise to Ford, and I don’t think he’s out of line now. I can blame White House counsel for not telling senators which of the 4500 tips the FBI had deemed relevant, and that such a subset of the 4500 did exist. It does not take much imagination on my part as to why White House counsel McGahn would not volunteer that info, however. And it’s part of what made the hearings a sham I should think…..

Shouldn’t we want to know if the Supreme Court justices we have aren’t guilty of sexual assault? Shouldn’t that be important?

 

[One Brow]

This is all true, but it is worth noting the restricting of these documents to a secure room ...

is completely irrelevant when disassociated from the context of not being informed which of the information was considered reliable and significant.

 

[Avery]

The Big Lie is just funny to me as it was apparent to everybody through dozens of legal requests that there was no smoking gun or anything even close to being concrete.

Yet people believe it hook, line and sinker as it's all they have to hold on to as to how a candidate could lose vs. looking at the obvious in that a lot of people simply didn't like the candidate.

 

[The Thriller]

The Big Lie is just funny to me as it was apparent to everybody through dozens of legal requests that there was no smoking gun or anything even close to being concrete.

Yet people believe it hook, line and sinker as it's all they have to hold on to as to how a candidate could lose vs. looking at the obvious in that a lot of people simply didn't like the candidate.

Whatever. Remember when Rudy had a slam dunk case and farted next to Jenna Ellis? The Supreme Court just didn’t have the courage to hear Rudy! Trump won, in a landslide! Even though his approval never went above 50 percent and even though he spent 4 years ****ing up. There’s just no way sleepy Joe Biden could’ve won. The Chinese brought in bamboo ballots! And dominion voting machines!



With lawyers like these, it’s obvious that Trump won!

 

[Avery]

Whatever. Remember when Rudy had a slam dunk case and farted next to Jenna Ellis? The Supreme Court just didn’t have the courage to hear Rudy! Trump won, in a landslide! Even though his approval never went above 50 percent and even though he spent 4 years ****ing up. There’s just no way sleepy Joe Biden could’ve won. The Chinese brought in bamboo ballots! And dominion voting machines!



With lawyers like these, it’s obvious that Trump won!

Ah yes, I remember the blonde woman they had in those meetings that was a meme all by herself. Quite credible.

 

[fishonjazz]

The Big Lie is just funny to me as it was apparent to everybody through dozens of legal requests that there was no smoking gun or anything even close to being concrete.

Yet people believe it hook, line and sinker as it's all they have to hold on to as to how a candidate could lose vs. looking at the obvious in that a lot of people simply didn't like the candidate.

Agreed
And what makes the believers of the big lie look even more stupid is the fact that Trump was talking about the election being stolen from him back in August of last year before anyone had even voted. He knew he would probably lose and so he started the big lie early.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

 

[Al-O-Meter]

The Big Lie is just funny to me as it was apparent to everybody through dozens of legal requests that there was no smoking gun or anything even close to being concrete.

The whole idea is dangerous because it fosters the idea that the United States is a democracy. The whole point of the vote is the same as the First Amendment, to allow people to have a say. There is no requirement that anyone has to listen to what you have to say, and there shouldn't be. The moment the population collectively believes they have a right to have their every opinion acknowledged and that right is being denied we're over as a country. People who believe their rights are being unfairly taken become resentful and that is what leads to revolution.

The United States is a constitutional republic. The people don't elect the President, the Electoral College does. It is not unusual for the Electoral College to elect a President that didn't win the popular vote. We are a republic. We are not a democracy. It is the reason we've survived as a country as long as we have. Democracies never last and the end is usually bloody.

The Big Lie is going to get a boost in a few weeks when the Arizona election audit presents their findings. They've already found some legitimate issues with ballot scanning alignment and the use of substandard paper that facilitates bleed-through with real proof. They presented the findings on this small section of their investigation to the Arizona state government, and all of social media immediately removed the official government video feed for violations of their terms of service.

The bigger finding come out in a few weeks. I don't know what they'll show but I do know that everyone claiming "our democracy is under attack" is making this worse. It isn't under attack because we don't have a democracy. It doesn't matter what Arizona finds because the people of Arizona don't elect the President. This constant democracy gaslighting is so dangerous even if the intention is the opposite of contesting the last election. We. Are. A. Republic.

 

[The Thriller]

Agreed
And what makes the believers of the big lie look even more stupid is the fact that Trump was talking about the election being stolen from him back in August of last year before anyone had even voted. He knew he would probably lose and so he started the big lie early.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

Exactly.

Also, has trump ever shown grace and humility in his life? Everyone could see he’d be a poor sport about losing from a mile away.

 

[Avery]

The whole idea is dangerous because it fosters the idea that the United States is a democracy. The whole point of the vote is the same as the First Amendment, to allow people to have a say. There is no requirement that anyone has to listen to what you have to say, and there shouldn't be. The moment the population collectively believes they have a right to have their every opinion acknowledged and that right is being denied we're over as a country. People who believe their rights are being unfairly taken become resentful and that is what leads to revolution.

The United States is a constitutional republic. The people don't elect the President, the Electoral College does. It is not unusual for the Electoral College to elect a President that didn't win the popular vote. We are a republic. We are not a democracy. It is the reason we've survived as a country as long as we have. Democracies never last and the end is usually bloody.

The Big Lie is going to get a boost in a few weeks when the Arizona election audit presents their findings. They've already found some legitimate issues with ballot scanning alignment and the use of substandard paper that facilitates bleed-through with real proof. They presented the findings on this small section of their investigation to the Arizona state government, and all of social media immediately removed the official government video feed for violations of their terms of service.

The bigger finding come out in a few weeks. I don't know what they'll show but I do know that everyone claiming "our democracy is under attack" is making this worse. It isn't under attack because we don't have a democracy. It doesn't matter what Arizona finds because the people of Arizona don't elect the President. This constant democracy gaslighting is so dangerous even if the intention is the opposite of contesting the last election. We. Are. A. Republic.

You'll have to forgive me if I take anything the Arizona audit has under consideration. It's a completely one-sided affair led by a group of Pro-Trump counterparts with no experience in conducting audits and we all know it. It's laughable rubbish.

I would feel the same way if it were Democrats protesting the results in a place like Florida - you lost, get over it.

 

[Avery]

Oh yes, highly confident that this recount is well-worth the investment even though the AZ Senate still doesn't even know who's paying for parts of the audit as it's a fuzzy money trail of fundraising.

No shame in it, but GOP will really need to start investing more in the state as it's a true swing now. Good thing for them is that Florida/Ohio are trending right.

Arizona GOP Audit Director Barred After Sharing Data Backing Trump Loss

Arizona Senate President Karen Fann reportedly made the decision to block Ken Bennett from the building.

www.newsweek.com

 

[fishonjazz]

You'll have to forgive me if I take anything the Arizona audit has under consideration. It's a completely one-sided affair led by a group of Pro-Trump counterparts with no experience in conducting audits and we all know it. It's laughable rubbish.

I would feel the same way if it were Democrats protesting the results in a place like Florida - you lost, get over it.

A Republican official stood by the original vote count in Arizona's Maricopa County. Now he's being barred from the Cyber Ninjas audit site.

Ken Bennett, the audit's director, was barred from entering the building where the votes are counted after he shared data that confirmed Trump's loss.

www.yahoo.com

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

 

[Al-O-Meter]

It's a completely one-sided affair led by a group of Pro-Trump counterparts with no experience in conducting audits and we all know it.

Yes, and that is a healthy way to operate. Having reporters who hated the previous administration covering the previous administration made us safer. The press pool shouldn’t have been limited to only friendly reporters. Having a committed hostile entity double and triple checking every tiny detail makes us safer. Audits should be antagonistic and carried out by those with a motivation to challenge events. That is how malfeasance is uncovered. I’m not saying there was any malfeasance but I’d have a higher level of confidence if hostile auditors failed to come up with anything significant after being given access than if BS reasons were given to block access or only friends were allowed to affirm how uncorrupt their supported official was.

 

[fishonjazz]

Yes, and that is a healthy way to operate. Having reporters who hated the previous administration covering the previous administration made us safer. The press pool shouldn’t have been limited to only friendly reporters. Having a committed hostile entity double and triple checking every tiny detail makes us safer. Audits should be antagonistic and carried out by those with a motivation to challenge events. That is how malfeasance is uncovered. I’m not saying there was any malfeasance but I’d have a higher level of confidence if hostile auditors failed to come up with anything significant after being given access than if BS reasons were given to block access or only friends were allowed to affirm how uncorrupt their supported official was.

And if this extremely partisan audit comes up with BS malfeasance that they literally invented out of thin air and that causes people to no longer trust elections would that be awesome?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

 

[fishonjazz]

The whole idea is dangerous because it fosters the idea that the United States is a democracy. The whole point of the vote is the same as the First Amendment, to allow people to have a say. There is no requirement that anyone has to listen to what you have to say, and there shouldn't be. The moment the population collectively believes they have a right to have their every opinion acknowledged and that right is being denied we're over as a country. People who believe their rights are being unfairly taken become resentful and that is what leads to revolution.

The United States is a constitutional republic. The people don't elect the President, the Electoral College does. It is not unusual for the Electoral College to elect a President that didn't win the popular vote. We are a republic. We are not a democracy. It is the reason we've survived as a country as long as we have. Democracies never last and the end is usually bloody.

The Big Lie is going to get a boost in a few weeks when the Arizona election audit presents their findings. They've already found some legitimate issues with ballot scanning alignment and the use of substandard paper that facilitates bleed-through with real proof. They presented the findings on this small section of their investigation to the Arizona state government, and all of social media immediately removed the official government video feed for violations of their terms of service.

The bigger finding come out in a few weeks. I don't know what they'll show but I do know that everyone claiming "our democracy is under attack" is making this worse. It isn't under attack because we don't have a democracy. It doesn't matter what Arizona finds because the people of Arizona don't elect the President. This constant democracy gaslighting is so dangerous even if the intention is the opposite of contesting the last election. We. Are. A. Republic.

Ah great, now Trumpers are trying to turn democracy into a bad word. Awesome

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

 

[The Thriller]

Ah great, now Trumpers are trying to turn democracy into a bad word. Awesome

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

Yeah… that’s uhhh alarming. I thought by 2024 they’d be touting Russian style kleptocracy. But now I think it’s probably going to happen by the midterms.

What’s sad is the misunderstanding about what the founders actually meant when they talked about terms like “democracy” and “republic.” A democracy at that time meant what we understand today as a “direct democracy.” Clearly, a direct democracy (like in Athens) where everyone gets to vote and decide things would be stupid. But no country today has a direct democracy. Democracies today have some form of electing representatives, presidents, prime ministers, chancellors, etc. Today’s “representative democracy” is no different than yesterday’s “republic.” They mean the same thing.

Republicans are claiming that we aren’t a democracy but a republic are doing this because:
A) they fundamentally misunderstand the difference between a direct democracy, representative democracy, and republic.
B) they’re trying to conflate democracy to being a direct democracy in order to justify minority rule, like what we had in the 1800s or what South Africa had until apartheid failed or like Russia today. Who are becoming minorities? White conservative Christian men. They want to rule over the majority of multiethnic people. That’s all there is to it.

Sen. Mike Lee’s tweets against "democracy," explained

A prominent Republican senator set off a controversy by tweeting that "we’re not a democracy." Here’s what he actually meant — and why the seemingly minor controversy actually matters.

www.vox.com