The Political Junkie Thread

[ArkieDukie]

Disgusting. This is politics today, in a nation literally built on the right to protest.

In an extraordinary, emotionally charged session marked by tense exchanges and punctuated by boos and chants from onlookers, Tennessee’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to expel two Black lawmakers – but failed to oust a third representative – a week after the three Democrats led a gun reform protest in the chamber.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/06/us/tenne ... index.html

So blatantly racist.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Disgusting. This is politics today, in a nation literally built on the right to protest.

In an extraordinary, emotionally charged session marked by tense exchanges and punctuated by boos and chants from onlookers, Tennessee’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to expel two Black lawmakers – but failed to oust a third representative – a week after the three Democrats led a gun reform protest in the chamber.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/06/us/tenne ... index.html

I cannot imagine living in a pretty blue city like Nashville or Memphis knowing that most of the rest of the state is OK with things like this. The same obviously applies in other states (hi, Austin!). I know people from the northeast and elsewhere who are having second thoughts about having their kids apply to schools like Vanderbilt because of behavior like this.

Similarly (though obviously not equivalent), I have read a few articles about how eastern Oregon is trying to secede and become part of Idaho because everything about them is much more similar to Idaho than the more urban, coastal part of Oregon that is very blue and controls the state.

[ArkieDukie]

Disgusting. This is politics today, in a nation literally built on the right to protest.

In an extraordinary, emotionally charged session marked by tense exchanges and punctuated by boos and chants from onlookers, Tennessee’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to expel two Black lawmakers – but failed to oust a third representative – a week after the three Democrats led a gun reform protest in the chamber.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/06/us/tenne ... index.html

I cannot imagine living in a pretty blue city like Nashville or Memphis knowing that most of the rest of the state is OK with things like this. The same obviously applies in other states (hi, Austin!). I know people from the northeast and elsewhere who are having second thoughts about having their kids apply to schools like Vanderbilt because of behavior like this.

Similarly (though obviously not equivalent), I have read a few articles about how eastern Oregon is trying to secede and become part of Idaho because everything about them is much more similar to Idaho than the more urban, coastal part of Oregon that is very blue and controls the state.

St. Louis is a blue city in a red state as well. The state actually tries to override decisions made by St Louis City and County councils. Former AG (now Senator) Eric Schmitt sued during the pandemic to block mask mandates, etc. They’ve voted in the past to block a $15 minimum wage that the city voted to enact. That’s just two examples. I can see similar things happening in TN, given what just happened.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Disgusting. This is politics today, in a nation literally built on the right to protest.


https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/06/us/tenne ... index.html

I cannot imagine living in a pretty blue city like Nashville or Memphis knowing that most of the rest of the state is OK with things like this. The same obviously applies in other states (hi, Austin!). I know people from the northeast and elsewhere who are having second thoughts about having their kids apply to schools like Vanderbilt because of behavior like this.

Similarly (though obviously not equivalent), I have read a few articles about how eastern Oregon is trying to secede and become part of Idaho because everything about them is much more similar to Idaho than the more urban, coastal part of Oregon that is very blue and controls the state.

St. Louis is a blue city in a red state as well. The state actually tries to override decisions made by St Louis City and County councils. Former AG (now Senator) Eric Schmitt sued during the pandemic to block mask mandates, etc. They’ve voted in the past to block a $15 minimum wage that the city voted to enact. That’s just two examples. I can see similar things happening in TN, given what just happened.

Yes. They cry for state's rights, local authority, etc. when it is convenient for them. But then they try to overrule it when it doesn't work. Hypocrisy is the theme of the Republican party. The blue cities in red states are a very interesting situation.

It is amazing how Missouri went from being a pretty purple state to being so red. As I understand it, most of the nicer suburbs of St. Louis are in MO but will this make the Illinois suburbs more desirable (are there even any Illinois suburbs)?

[Phredd3]

It is amazing how Missouri went from being a pretty purple state to being so red. As I understand it, most of the nicer suburbs of St. Louis are in MO but will this make the Illinois suburbs more desirable (are there even any Illinois suburbs)?

The Illinois suburbs of St. Louis are called East St. Louis, and they are the most depressed neighborhoods of the whole region. I was explicitly told that if you miss the last eastbound exit before the Mississippi river, make sure you either just keep driving, or turn around and get right back on the freeway without leaving your car. Jackie Joyner-Kersee is from East St. Louis, and the joke was always that she was that good an athlete because she had to learn to run fast to keep away from trouble at a very early age.

It would take some major repression to get people to move across the river.

[ArkieDukie]

It is amazing how Missouri went from being a pretty purple state to being so red. As I understand it, most of the nicer suburbs of St. Louis are in MO but will this make the Illinois suburbs more desirable (are there even any Illinois suburbs)?

The Illinois suburbs of St. Louis are called East St. Louis, and they are the most depressed neighborhoods of the whole region. I was explicitly told that if you miss the last eastbound exit before the Mississippi river, make sure you either just keep driving, or turn around and get right back on the freeway without leaving your car. Jackie Joyner-Kersee is from East St. Louis, and the joke was always that she was that good an athlete because she had to learn to run fast to keep away from trouble at a very early age.

It would take some major repression to get people to move across the river.

There are some nice burbs on the Illinois side of the river, but Phredd is correct. East St. Louis is not nice. You’ve got to go a bit further out.

[OPK]

Didn’t Clark Griswald get his car stripped in East St. Louis on his way to Wally World?

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Didn’t Clark Griswald get his car stripped in East St. Louis on his way to Wally World?

The only stripping I recall from that movie involved Christie Brinkley and a swimming pool. But I digress...

Back on topic, the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court election was a big win for the Dems. They now hold a majority in the court, which has been very activist in favor of the Republicans. The state is very heavily gerrymandered and the court can now undo that. They also now have power regarding abortion, and since Wisconsin will be heavily in play in the 2024 election, they will have power regarding any ridiculous election challenges. I read somewhere that theoretically the heavily Republicans state legislature could theoretically remove some of the Democrat judges, but that would be a really bold move (so given the state of the Republicans, not likely, but not something we can totally write off).

It is sad that courts have become so political, but if that is the way the game will be played, the Dems can't bring a knife to a gun fight. I think this was yet another case of the Republicans putting up a fairly lousy candidate, though I think the Democrat won by a pretty decent margin so it likely wasn't just that.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Tim Scott is checking out the water. That will be fun if he jumps in, he's one of the biggest Trump rump kissers out there.

In a video released Wednesday morning, Scott announced he was forming an exploratory committee, which moves him closer to a formal campaign for the White House. He leaned into his biography as a Black man who overcame poverty to argue that Democrats are too liberal and have needlessly divided the country by fostering a “culture of grievance.”

https://www.witn.com/2023/04/12/tim-sco ... committee/

[Phredd3]

Tim Scott is checking out the water. That will be fun if he jumps in, he's one of the biggest Trump rump kissers out there.

In a video released Wednesday morning, Scott announced he was forming an exploratory committee, which moves him closer to a formal campaign for the White House. He leaned into his biography as a Black man who overcame poverty to argue that Democrats are too liberal and have needlessly divided the country by fostering a “culture of grievance.”

https://www.witn.com/2023/04/12/tim-sco ... committee/

I can save his committee some trouble: He's got no shot.

[OPK]

At some point, they can’t all keep dancing around Trump and hope he goes away. Someone has to try to fight it out with him.

Is there anyone other than Chris Christie you can see filling that role? I’m not a fan but I can see him at least taking the primary fight to Trump. Merely pointing out Trump’s baggage does not seem to dent his hold on his base.

[CameronBornAndBred]

At some point, they can’t all keep dancing around Trump and hope he goes away. Someone has to try to fight it out with him.

Is there anyone other than Chris Christie you can see filling that role? I’m not a fan but I can see him at least taking the primary fight to Trump. Merely pointing out Trump’s baggage does not seem to dent his hold on his base.

It's truly a unique situation. We've never had (at least in our lifetimes) a candidate that every one of his opponents had spent a previous four years fawning over.

[OPK]

Jury selection underway in Dominion v. Fox lawsuit. This really could be a big deal.

[CameronBornAndBred]

This is likely to be very bad news for Donald.

Former President Donald Trump is reportedly under investigation by federal prosecutors probing the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol for alleged wire fraud related to his fundraising efforts between the 2020 presidential election and President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
---
The report explains that Special Counsel Jack Smith is looking at potential wire fraud crimes committed by Trump and his “fundraising operation” for using false claims of election fraud to elicit donations, which would “violated wire fraud laws.” The Post notes that under federal law it is “illegal to make false representations over email to swindle people out of money.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 8a0a&ei=37

[OPK]

This is likely to be very bad news for Donald.

Former President Donald Trump is reportedly under investigation by federal prosecutors probing the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol for alleged wire fraud related to his fundraising efforts between the 2020 presidential election and President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
---
The report explains that Special Counsel Jack Smith is looking at potential wire fraud crimes committed by Trump and his “fundraising operation” for using false claims of election fraud to elicit donations, which would “violated wire fraud laws.” The Post notes that under federal law it is “illegal to make false representations over email to swindle people out of money.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 8a0a&ei=37

Ruh roh.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Jury selection underway in Dominion v. Fox lawsuit. This really could be a big deal.

They could be well screwed. I wonder if they ever offered to settle. They may have and Dominion said "screw you, seeya in court".

However, some legal experts are convinced that Dominion Voting Systems has a substantial case. CNN chief legal analyst Elie Honig weighed in with his perspective.

“I would not want to be in the position of defending Fox here,” said Honig. “I think they’re headed for a full-blown journalistic and legal disaster."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 40fe&ei=83

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Jury selection underway in Dominion v. Fox lawsuit. This really could be a big deal.

They could be well screwed. I wonder if they ever offered to settle. They may have and Dominion said "screw you, seeya in court".

However, some legal experts are convinced that Dominion Voting Systems has a substantial case. CNN chief legal analyst Elie Honig weighed in with his perspective.

“I would not want to be in the position of defending Fox here,” said Honig. “I think they’re headed for a full-blown journalistic and legal disaster."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 40fe&ei=83

I'm guessing Fox offered to settle and Dominion said no. I'm surprised Dominion has not made any of these offers public, or perhaps it is customary not to discuss them publicly?

I truly hope Fox takes a beating (mentioned before as full disclosure - I briefly worked for News Corp about 15 years ago as I was working for a company that was acquired by them). However, if they take a beating, I'm afraid that what they were afraid would happen if they went against Trump will happen - some other network will gain power, take their place, and tell the people what they want to hear, even if it is lies.

[OPK]

Jury selection underway in Dominion v. Fox lawsuit. This really could be a big deal.

They could be well screwed. I wonder if they ever offered to settle. They may have and Dominion said "screw you, seeya in court".

However, some legal experts are convinced that Dominion Voting Systems has a substantial case. CNN chief legal analyst Elie Honig weighed in with his perspective.

“I would not want to be in the position of defending Fox here,” said Honig. “I think they’re headed for a full-blown journalistic and legal disaster."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 40fe&ei=83

I'm guessing Fox offered to settle and Dominion said no. I'm surprised Dominion has not made any of these offers public, or perhaps it is customary not to discuss them publicly?

I truly hope Fox takes a beating (mentioned before as full disclosure - I briefly worked for News Corp about 15 years ago as I was working for a company that was acquired by them). However, if they take a beating, I'm afraid that what they were afraid would happen if they went against Trump will happen - some other network will gain power, take their place, and tell the people what they want to hear, even if it is lies.

Generally, you do not discuss settlement offers in public.

Dominion may not want to settle because a typical condition of the paying party is that there is no admission of guilt. Dominion needs a public declaration that Fox is wrong for business reasons, and Fox won’t want to pay a settlement if they also need to publicly eat crow. That impasse could well be the deal-breaker for both parties.

Another possibility that the case hasn’t settled is the amount of damages sought by Dominion. Dominion may be right on liability but the damages claimed may not be realistic to what the most likely range of verdicts could be from Fox’s perspective. I’ve certainly tried cases from the defense side that I expected to get hit, but for a lot less than the other side would take before trial. Sometimes you gotta just catch that spear when the other side has an unrealistic value on the case.

Either of those could scuttle a negotiated settlement. Not saying either is true here — no one knows — but both are common reasons why cases do not settle despite a view that they “should”.

Also, be aware — I’ve settled cases while the jury is out. The fact that the trial may start does not mean that a settlement may not happen. “The best deals often are made at the courthouse steps.”

[CameronBornAndBred]

Mike Pompeo says fuck that, and announces he won't be running.

[OPK]

Mike Pompeo says fuck that, and announces he won't be running.

His now-forced testimony must not have gone well.

Lawyer up, Mike.