Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.

Days Since JD Vance Insulted Women Across America: Zero

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

It’s not hopeless, and we’re not helpless.

This fight is for everything.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

President Biden is doing good where he can, and getting it done.

Second rate reporter says what?

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

T R E 4 5 O N

We’re not going back!

The choice is between normal and crazy.

You are here: Home / Political Fundraising / Insurrections Have Consequences, and Elections Do Too!

Insurrections Have Consequences, and Elections Do Too!

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Insurrections have consequences – and they are catching up with certain prominent Arizona Republican ELECTION DENIERS.  It couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of people.

We all know that Arizona is a critical swing state in 2024.  But things are not going well for its clownish Republican party.   Here’s one more example.

Arizona State Attorney General Mayes has been quietly working behind the scenes to assemble ironclad cases against Arizona’s slate of fake electors and their enablers, including two Arizona Republican Congressmen.  She may soon be ready to make her move.  My favorite part of the article below is one of the headlines.

Fake elector says Mayes ‘weaponizing our justice system’

So sad!

(azcentral)  Attorney General Kris Mayes again said her investigation of the Republican electors who falsely claimed Donald Trump won Arizona in 2020 would wrap up “very soon” as new details came to light about the broadening reach of the probe.

“As I’ve said all along, we are engaged in a very serious, very professional investigation into what happened with the fake electors,” Mayes told reporters on Thursday following a news conference on a different topic. “I’m not ready to stand before you here today and announce anything, but we will have something for you on that front very soon.”

Odious Congressman Andy Bigg and Paul Gosar are also in the AG’s crosshairs for their role in the state’s fake elector scheme.  AG Mayes subpoenaed both Congressmen to testify before the grand jury, although that doesn’t necessarily mean she will bring charges against them.  Yet.

I hope Paul Gosar is as distressed about that as he looks in this photo.  That probably makes me a bad person.  :: shrug ::

Both congressmen were closely tied to the plan to create slates of alternate electors — so-called fake electors — to keep Trump in the White House over the will of voters.

Gosar was outlining his argument for challenging Arizona’s election result when rioters overtook the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Biggs, in text messages to Trump aide Mark Meadows three days after the election, said in “states where there’s been shenanigans” he should submit alternate electors for Trump and have Republican-led legislatures formally support him.

Paul Gosar, you may recall, is in a competition with RFK Jr. to see how many family members will disavow their candidacy.

Attorney General Mayes is not stopping there.  She is hauling insurrectionists before the Grand Jury even if they signaled an intent to do nothing other than plead the fifth. I applaud her decision to make them sit there squirming as they take the fifth over and over and over.  Plus, to this non-lawyer, it seems that would make an impression on the jury, and I’m all for that.

(Politico):

In recent weeks, Mayes’ office has sent out a wave of grand jury subpoenas. She also has required Arizona Republicans who falsely claimed to be the state’s presidential electors to assert their Fifth Amendment rights in front of the grand jury — an unusual step that has generated criticism from some former prosecutors.

This is proof of concept that some state and local races can have national consequences.

Kris Mayes won her race by only 400 votes against Republican Abe Hamedeh (who has kept himself busy in defeat by gardening and filing frivolous lawsuits to overturn the election).  Further, Arizona was Biden’s narrowest win in 2020 – a margin of only 10,457 votes earned him the state’s 11 electoral votes.   These margins are miniscule in a state with 7.4 million people and over four million registered voters.

Yeah, you read that right.  Mayes won by only 400 votes in a state with 4 million registered voters.

In the last cycle, Balloon Juice funded a Worker Power GOTV team for three weeks in October 2022 in Maricopa County.  We helped fund Four Directions’ registration and GOTV push in the Native communities.  And, when the races were down to the wire, we directly funded several state and local candidates in Arizona, including AG Mayes!  Four Hundred Votes.  It’s hard to believe that Balloon Juice didn’t make a difference.

We have an external match and we still have Balloon Juice Angels for both Arizona and Nevada, which means that anything you donate up to $50 will turn into 4x the amount you donate.

To count toward the match, let us know about your donation in the comments, or you can drop me an email message if you prefer.  Let me know which state or state in the comments.

ARIZONA

 

NEVADA

Reader Interactions

107Comments

  1. 1.

    WaterGirl

    Not everyone reads the top post, so I’ll copy this here:

    In the last cycle, Balloon Juice funded a Worker Power GOTV team for three weeks in October 2022 in Maricopa County.  We helped fund Four Directions’ registration and GOTV push in the Native communities.  And, when the races were down to the wire, we directly funded several state and local candidates in Arizona, including AG Mayes!  Four Hundred Votes. 

    It’s hard to believe that Balloon Juice didn’t make a difference in Arizona.

  2. 2.

    SiubhanDuinne

    OMG, that photo!! Gosar was a dentist. Can you imagine being in his chair, your mouth jammed open, staring into that face!? I think I’ve given myself nightmares for the next month.

  5. 5.

    RaflW

    Being Politico, I had to look a little deeper into their claim that making subjects plead the fifth is “an unusual step that has generated criticism from some former prosecutors.”

    In the linked article, Paul Charleton was a Bush Jr. appointee prosecutor. That’s the only former prosecutor cited as a critic. Politico goes heavy for an AZ criminal defense lawyer for quotes, and also hits up Renato Mariotti, the only other former prosecutor cited, who calls it a ‘departure’ from normal, but thinks those called up to testify would have slim luck using a bias claim if the Grand Jury indicts the fifth-pleaders.

    So, yeah, what I’d expect. Mayes is stepping out a bit, but these fake elector cases are damn serious, and observing the normal niceties of a defense atty sending a letter saying “my client will plead the fifth” and having the AG say, “okay, maybe next time” are not what defending democracy needs. IMO.

  7. 7.

    Areyougonnaeatthatsandwich

    Just contributed $100 to each state. Thanks for the great work!

  10. 10.

    Central Planning

    @WaterGirl: I think you have a double negative on BJ’s impact on the races. If you cancel them out, it makes it hard to believe BJ had an impact.

  11. 11.

    WaterGirl

    @RaflW: In a podcast I listened to at some point in the last week, they were saying – not in reference to this – that prosecutors often to don’t bring people before the Grand Jury if all they are going to do is plead the fifth.  So i think that probably is a thing, generally.

    I am super glad she is going to make them repeat that over and over to the Grand Jury.

  12. 12.

    Suzanne

    Further, Arizona was Biden’s narrowest win in 2020 – a margin of only 10,457 votes earned him the state’s 11 electoral votes.   These margins are miniscule in a state with 7.4 million people and over four million registered voters.

    Thank you for pointing this out.

    As I have said in multiple threads, Arizona is not a blue state. Dems have gotten lucky with their opponents in recent cycles. But non-MAGA Republicans have been successful in their elections. Arizona has a large LDS voting contingent that doesn’t align neatly to Trump, but also isn’t liberal.

  14. 14.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    Something to understand about the dominant class.of Republicans; to them, crime is more about vibes* than statutes.

    *Addmittedly charitable interpretation

  19. 19.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @WaterGirl: But for Republicans, no criminal act is required to prove criminality. They, instead, raise a miasma if innuendo designed to fit in the gaps of knowledge everyone, inevitably, has.

  21. 21.

    JoyceH

    @WaterGirl: I’m glad too. Being excused on a vow of global fifth-taking can be spun as general noncooperation with the process. It’s a lot more impactful for the jury to hear each specific question that the guy is refusing to answer on the grounds that it might incriminate him.

  22. 22.

    SomeRandomGuy

    If I heard correctly, it’s odd to have an indictment target testify before a grand jury. I suppose the reason to do it in this case is to lead the grand jury to the specifics of the charge. In this case, where so many partisans are simply lying to everyone’s face, it’s in the public interest to make sure you can show the grand jury considered every element and agreed that all such elements seemed to be reasonable allegations.

  25. 25.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @WaterGirl: My favorite example of this is Hunter Biden. His purported financial criminality by way of trading on his name was extensively investigated before it even reached broad public notice. No crime was committed.

    I’ll eagerly agree that politicians’ relatives shouldn’t be able to trade connections for financial success and the laws could likely use tightening.   A responsible governing party would focus on changing the law rather than, for their own convenience, focusing on one individual and trying to assert criminality where it does not exist.

    Besides, I want to party with Hunter.

  29. 29.

    wjca

    @SomeRandomGuy: There is also the benefit that taking the 5th when under oath can counter the flood of lies made by the same person in public statements.

    Not unlike when TIFG’s lawyers would stand on the courthouse steps and declaim “proof of electoral fraud!”  And then, when in court, say “Oh no, your honor, we are not alleging electoral fraud.”

    EDT for clarity

  31. 31.

    The Kropenhagen Interpretation

    @wjca: Not unlike when TIFG’s lawyers would stand on the courthouse steps and declaim “proof of electoral fraud!” And then, when in court, say “Oh no, your honor, we are not alleging electoral fraud.”

    Funny how their tune changes when there are consequences for lying.

  34. 34.

    TBone

    A clarion call that might’ve fit better in a previous thread, but people should see it so here it is.  Joyce Vance went hard against this on xitter but you can read/view here without giving fascists clicks:

    https://crooksandliars.com/2024/04/new-video-far-right-financier-supporting

    Trump posted a video on his Truth Social platform this Saturday titled “Trump’s Virtues,” featuring far-right financier Thomas Klingenstein that ought to scare the crap out of every single sane American still left in our country.

  35. 35.

    RaflW

    Here’s some insane fuckery afoot in Ohio (Vanity Fair): Biden Might Not Appear on the Ohio Ballot in November Due To Technicality

    Biden may face eligibility issues on the Ohio ballot in November. At least that’s according to a letter from the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, which informed the state’s leading Democrats that this summer’s Democratic National Convention may take place too late for Biden to appear on the ballot on Election Day. …

    “The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to convene on August 19, 2024, which occurs more than a week after the August 7 deadline to certify a presidential candidate to the office,” Paul Disantis [chief legal counsel for Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State, Frank LaRose] wrote.

    —

    Note that the 2020 Democratic Convention was held Aug 17-20 & GOP’s was Aug 24-27.
    The GOP moved theirs much earlier, to July 15-18 this year. I’m sure the contemptible Ohio GOP legislature cooked up this shit to fit the current facts. Bastards.

  37. 37.

    azlib

    I agree with Suzanne as a fellow Arizonan that the 2020 margin was razor thin. However, Maricopa County which contains 60% of the State’s voters is trending blue. I predict Biden will carry Arizona by a wider margin this year given the disarray the State Republican Party apparatus is in among other factors. But to get to that result will still take a lot of hard work.

  38. 38.

    WaterGirl

    @RaflW: There are ways to deal with that without moving the convention.  Still, it seems important to know how this happened.

    What several of us were wondering about yesterday was whether this was a fuckup on the part of the Dems or was this fuckery from the OH legislature.

    Does anybody know?

  39. 39.

    TBone

    @WaterGirl: the lisp is the Miracle Whip on that shit sandwich.  I am punching him so hard in my mind right now.  So hard.  Fucking die, fascist!

  42. 42.

    Another Scott

    @TBone: @WaterGirl:

    Something, something Adolph loved his dogs and Pol Pot was anti-corruption and …

    No click from me.

    “Republicans don’t lie to be believed – they lie to be repeated.”  –  LOLGOP.

    Beautiful day here in NoVA.  I’m finally going to cut the grass.

    Have a good afternoon, everyone.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  44. 44.

    Timill

    @WaterGirl: Well, the change was made some years ago, and @Scout211 posted details yesterday:

    In 2010, Ohio changed the deadline for a qualified party to certify the names of its presidential and vice-presidential nominees from 75 days before the general election, to 90 days before the general election. This was a very irrational act, because it is quite common for at least one of the major parties to hold its presidential convention after that deadline.

    In 2012, the first year the conflict existed, the Ohio legislature during 2012 passed SB 509, moving the deadline for 2012 only to 60 days. This was done to help both major parties, because that year the Republican convention was August 27-30, and the Democratic convention was September 4-6.

    There was no problem in 2016, because both major parties nominated in July. But in 2020, it was again a problem, because the Republican convention chose Donald Trump and Mike Pence on August 24 in Charlotte. Because of covid, that was a scaled down convention, with only 6 delegates from each state and proxy voting permitted. It is believed that the Ohio legislature passed a bill again setting an exemption for 2020.

    Now the problem has arisen for 2024, because the Democratic convention is August 19-22. See this story. It says the Ohio legislature may pass a bill changing the deadline. If it does not, the Democratic Party would have an easy lawsuit to strike down the deadline. This is exactly the type of lawsuit in which Trump v Anderson, the U.S. Supreme Court decision of last month, would be relevant. For Ohio to leave the Democratic nominees off the ballot would create the ballot access “patchwork” that the court unanimously felt was bad policy.

    Now I don’t know whether there’s been a proposal to fix it this year or not, but I’m inclined to let the Ohio lege off this one.

    Goes against the grain, of course…

  45. 45.

    TeezySkeezy

    @Another Scott: This reminds me of the Curb episode where the guy names his German Shepherd Adolf, ostensibly after his grandfather, and Larry says, “if my grandfather was named Pol Pot, I still definitely wouldnt name my dog Pol Pot!”

  46. 46.

    TBone

    @Another Scott: that’s why I didn’t post a Xitter link but instead an article about the danger, and WG posted the direct video link.  I’m not taking my eyes off these fucks because they thrive in darkness and we must treat them like vampires with sunlight.  He’s posting this absolute nightmare on Troof Soshul for his cult. We need to know.

  49. 49.

    TxTiger

    @WaterGirl I just donated $50 for Arizona. Thanks for reminding us of the stakes in elections like this!​

  50. 50.

    RaflW

    @Timill: Thanks for this info. It does seem that Ohio decided quite some time ago to be a special snowflake and have a deadline much earlier than other states.

    One does wonder what the legislative rationale was back then. And, given how the Ohio Republican Party has reacted to the voters passing Issue 1, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the GOP-held legislature ‘fails’ to pass a one-off rule change for this year, given the GOP national convention is compliant.

    Let the lawsuits roll.

  52. 52.

    Lacuna Synecdoche

    WaterGirl @ Top:

    I hope Paul Gosar is as distressed about that as he looks in this photo. That probably makes me a bad person.

    I doubt it. There are worse things in the world than hoping traitorous neo-fascist insurrectionists feel as distressed as they deserve.

  53. 53.

    japa21

    @RaflW: Unfortunately, I can see SCOTUS allowing this as the rules were set up ahead of time, well before the convention was scheduled.  Not that it would make a difference regarding Biden’s chances, but would definitely hurt Brown.

  55. 55.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @The Kropenhagen Interpretation:

    But for Republicans, no criminal act is required to prove criminality. They, instead, raise a miasma if innuendo designed to fit in the gaps of knowledge everyone, inevitably, has.

    The Ur example is Whitewater. Throughout the 90s, no one could tell me what, exactly, the Clintons did that was a crime. People would say, “It’s not the crime, it’s the cover up” and I would respond “If there’s no crime, there’s nothing being covered up.”

    As you know doubt suspect, I got nowhere with such people. And they weren’t all Republicans. Many were tote- baggers who just assumed “there must be something there” or the New York Times – their oracle – would not be writing about it so much.

  56. 56.

    RaflW

    @japa21: Given how Buckeyes turned out for Issue 1, a well funded campaign to piss off Ohio Democrats over blocking Biden could, in theory, be orchestrated to help Sherrod. But it’d be better for our democracy not to have a state just not have a major-party candidate on the statewide ballot.

    It’s a bad look. Especially in these proto-authoritarian times. Shades of Dear Leader ‘elections’.

  57. 57.

    mvr

    At trial a judge allowing a prosecutor to put a defendant on the stand just to plead the 5th would be grounds for reversal. The 5th amendment says a person cannot be forced to provide evidence against him or herself.  Courts have long held that invoking this constitutional right can’t be used as evidence of guilt.  (This doesn’t apply when a defendant decides to testify and then invokes the fifth on cross examination or direct for that matter.)

    In general, calling defendants to a grand jury is unusual.  It would be more unusual yet to call them in order to have them invoke the 5th in front of the grand jury.  In federal court once a witness is a target they must be warned and informed of their right to remain silent. State laws vary about lots of things and I would expect them to vary with respect to notifying witnesses that they are targets.  I would imagine that some states will have rules prohibiting calling likely defendants before the grand jury when the defendant or defendant’s lawyer has indicated they will invoke the 5th, though I don’t know that they do.

    Apart from rules saying you can’t do it, you don’t want your grand jury using evidence not admissible at trial to find that there is probable cause to charge the person. It would be a waste of time and effort if they indict based on inadmissible evidence. Grand juries are notoriously easy to persuade to indict. If you really needed that to persuade them, your case would be pretty weak.  So you would be doing something somewhat self-defeating if you called them in order to get the jury to consider that they invoked the fifth.  On the other hand, if you are genuinely unsure whether they will be a defendant and unsure about what they know, there might be good reason to call them knowing that it is likely they will invoke the fifth.

  58. 58.

    JaySinWA

    In AZ for $50.

    Are we going to hear some specifics about NV Four Directions activities?

  60. 60.

    StringOnAStick

    @mvr: It might be that some of these folks are being called to testify as a way of concentrating, as it were, their attention about just what degree of trouble they might be in.  Could be a way of hopefully getting someone to be the first flipper.  Who knows?

  62. 62.

    Another Scott

    @TBone: Understood. People are different.

    My view is that there are only so many hours in the day.  Time spent on fighting nonsense and dangerous memes (which are never ending*) is time that isn’t spent pushing positive things that we think are important.

    Other people are different, and I think Snopes is a treasure.

    YMMV, and that’s ok.  🤪

    * – https://xkcd.com/386/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  64. 64.

    RaflW

    @mvr: What I wonder, but don’t know how to sort out, is if Mayes is 1) making the threat to have them appear to increase perceived leverage/get one or more to flip, or 2) trying to establish some pattern via people she doesn’t envision charging but can’t get to cooperate, to go after bigger fish?

    eta: As an example of #2, perhaps Mayes has evidence that (hypothetically), Gosar texted five different fake electors. She gets each on the stand, they ‘fifth’ their texting activities, and she uses that in building the pressure to indict Gosar. Just a hunch. Might be too TV and not real life, since IANAL.

  65. 65.

    Baud

    @raven:

    Agreed. The Marlins may finally get their first win of that season!

    ETA: I didn’t realize SC was undefeated. But off to a slow start.

  67. 67.

    Gin & Tonic

    @raven: I wish the announcers would shut up. Maybe call me sexist too, but you should hear my wife here shouting “just shut the fuck up!”

    ETA: My error, we were on ESPN, not ABC

  68. 68.

    dirge

    @RaflW: trying to establish some pattern via people she doesn’t envision charging but can’t get to cooperate

    Could be she’s contemplating charging people who’ve told the grand jury stuff like “X is my alibi,” or “Y will confirm my story,” so she needs to get X and Y on the record about that, even (or especially) if they take the 5th.

  70. 70.

    Soprano2

    @raven: I’m watching it too. I haven’t watched Clark much this year, so I decided to watch today because I had the time. This game is exciting! It reminds me of what Missouri State’s women’s team used to be. They were never this good, but when they had Jackie Stiles they were pretty damn good. She’s the 3rd or 4th highest scoring woman in college basketball now. MO State could fill the arena when Stiles was here. She tried to recruit Clark for the team, but no luck.

  73. 73.

    WaterGirl

    @RaflW: I wouldn’t trust anything to OH, especially electoral college votes.  Or to the Supreme Court if something would ultimately make it there.  Either a bad decision, not based in law, or “they just couldn’t get around to it in time, so no Electoral College voters for Biden, sorry, not intentional.”

  77. 77.

    Geminid

    @Baud: Dawn Staley is an excellent coach. She was quite a college and pro player too, and won 3 Olympic gold medals in 1996, 2000 and 2004.

    Staley started out coaching at Temple University, in her home town of Philadelphia. Her parents migrated to Philly from South Carolina, so it’s fitting she went from coaching Owls to coaching Gamecocks.

  80. 80.

    Lapassionara

    @Geminid: Dawn Staley is a great coach. I’m glad SC was able to hire her. But isn’t a “lady gamecock” a contradiction in terms?

  84. 84.

    VFX Lurker

    That Paul Gosar photo reminded me of Andy Serkis reciting:

    …and we forgot the taste of bread,
    the sound of trees,
    the softness of the wind.
    We even forgot our own name.

    My precious.

  86. 86.

    mrmoshpotato

    Paul Gosar, you may recall, is in a competition with RFK Jr. to see how many family members will disavow their candidacy.

    Haha!  Forgot about Gosar’s entire family disowning his running for office.

  87. 87.

    emjayay

    I hope Paul Gosar is as distressed about that as he looks in this photo.

    He always looks like that. Ever see any video of him?

  92. 92.

    RaflW

    I didn’t do NV yesterday, and AZ is pulling ahead (which isn’t a bad thing).
    So, in for $25 for the Big Sagebrush state.

  95. 95.

    mvr

    @RaflW: If I had to guess I would guess it is genuinely investigatory and she doesn’t know that the people she calls will take the fifth for every question she wants to ask them. This is based on my thinking that the point of calling them is unlikely to be to get them to take the fifth.  But my reasoning is based on general reasoning about criminal law and grand juries and not on anything specific to this case.

  96. 96.

    Jackie

    I am very much interested to see what Hope Hicks testifies to have witnessed between TIFG and Cohen’s conversations re the Hush Money trial:

    Legal analyst Renato Mariotti appeared on MSNBC Sunday, where he was asked about Trump’s various legal issues.

    snip

    Mariotti was asked about former  Trump aide Hope Hicks, who is reportedly scheduled to be a witness in the upcoming criminal hush money trial against the ex-president.

    “What could she reveal in her testimony?” the host asked.

    “There were records from the federal prosecutors in particular who took a look at this, that Hope Hicks was on conversations and calls with Michael Cohen and Donald Trump, which is important,” he answered. “Michael Cohen, when you’re talking to an attorney or in this case, he was probably operating more as a fixer. In any event, Trump at that point was being very forthcoming with Michael Cohen.”

    He continued:

    “She was in the thick of those conversations. On phone calls with Trump and Cohen. She was texting with Cohen during that time period. It is important because the intent matters here. Trump says his intent in making these payments and covering up that fact in his books and records was essentially to spare his wife some embarrassment from the fact that he was unfaithful. The district attorney is alleging it was actually part of a scheme to influence the election and he lost interest in hiding this once he got elected president. His intent, and his words on the calls and is going to be very important. I think Hope Hicks will be an important witness for the prosecution.”

    https://www.rawstory.com/trump-hope-hicks-witness/

    Hicks’ testimony takes Cohen vs TIFG from “he said/he said” scenario. She’s going to verify one is testifying truthfully – and a witness for the prosecution, TIFG’s gotta be shitting his diapers 😊

  103. 103.

    wjca

    @Jackie: She’s going to verify one is testifying truthfully – and a witness for the prosecution, TIFG’s gotta be shitting his diapers

    I hope she’s got serious 24/7 protection.

  105. 105.

    wjca

    @Jackie: Maybe she’s let them know she’s got the equivalent of a dead man switch.  Documents which automatically get made public if she is killed (or which she can make public if attacked) which would destroy him.  It seems likely that she could have info like that.  Something like a paper trail of payments from Putin would do it.

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