Domestic Politics

Marco Rubio is a boring, incurious, unprincipled hack who first gained state-level political office in South Florida by telling big fat lies about his family history. He slithered into the U.S. Senate only because of some epically dumb fuckery from opponents. Once in office, he hoovered up millions in NRA money and then cynically used the tragedy at the Pulse Nightclub to renege on his promise not to run for reelection after Trump curb-stomped his ass in the 2016 GOP presidential primary.

His conversion from snarly Trump critic to obsequious Trump boot-licker is perhaps second only to Lindsey Graham’s for spit-take inducing shamelessness, and that’s in a very crowded field. Rubio is an empty suit, a phony Christian and completely useless in every sense except maybe one: he’s a flaccid windsock who reliably reveals which way the wind is blowing in mainstream Republican Party politics. And he recently confirmed it’s blowing in a dangerous direction. From Florida Politics:

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has largely expressed faith in America’s electoral system, but recent comments he’s made — and declined to make — indicate he might be thinking of adopting rhetoric similar to that of former President Donald Trump if things go poorly for Republicans this November.

Rubio, Florida’s senior U.S. Senator, is facing his stiffest test in years in Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings. Polling shows the two candidates are in a statistical tie.

When asked Sunday by the Washington Post if he’d accept the outcome of the Nov. 8 election, Rubio joined 11 other GOP candidates — including Gov. Ron DeSantis — declining to answer the question.

As we discussed in a thread downstairs, Trump seems to be fading as a political force, which is perhaps why he’s openly embracing the loony cult he inspired. That’s dangerous because according to a 2021 PRRI survey, approximately 17% of Americans are in the Qanon cult. That’s more than 50 million people!

The survey says a quarter of Republicans are in the cult, which is a problem in a country with just two viable political parties. We all hope this lunacy redounds to the benefit of the one party that isn’t living in a delusional fascist cuckoo world, i.e., Democrats. But if milquetoast Republican nonentities like Rubio are now embracing lies about stolen elections in the year of some people’s lord 2022, it’s hard to see how the country continues to function as a going concern.

Joe Biden knows this, which is why he’s trying to divide Republicans into MAGA and non-MAGA factions to see if the latter can prevail over the former. Nancy Pelosi knows this, which is why she underscored the need for a strong opposition party in much-misinterpreted remarks and urged Republicans to “take back your party from this cult.” Rubio’s slide tells me only another consecutive whupping will do the trick.

Open thread.

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Double-decker shirted pustule Steve Bannon was indicted for fraud for the We Build the Wall scam — this time at the state level, where the Trump pardon won’t be enforced: [WaPo]

Bannon’s case will be handled in New York Supreme Court by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

In a statement issued after the indictment was unsealed, Bragg said Bannon “acted as the architect of a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud thousands of donors across the country – including hundreds of Manhattan residents.”

Bannon “took advantage of his donors’ political views to secure millions of dollars which he then misappropriated,” James said in her own prepared remarks. “Mr. Bannon lied to his donors to enrich himself and his friends.”

The list of scammed donors is pure fucking gold! Imagine being stupid enough to believe contributing a portion of your social security check or Walmart greeter earnings to Steve Bannon would result in the construction of a multi-trillion-dollar, barbed-wire topped wall from sea to shining sea?

It’s a certainty that shady fraudsters nationwide are willing to auction off their mothers and first-born children to get their grubby mitts on that list!

Next up, some personal news:

I've considered volunteering as a poll worker in my very Trumpy county even though I'm busy as hell and it sounds like a pain in the ass. This convinced me to do it. https://t.co/dkqwK7Z1Lh

— Betty Cracker 🐊 (@bettycrackerfl) September 8, 2022

I half-way hope the Republicans who run the county elections weed me out as a donkey crank, maybe due to my bumper sticker that says, “No, really. HE LOST, and you’re in a cult.” The job sounds horrific. But Jesus, that CNN clip is scary. Someone’s gotta do something, and here and now, it might as well be me.

Also, this made me laugh:

Asking patients who the president is, as part of a neuro exam.

Now it’s a psych exam too.

— Nurse Ashley 💁🏼‍♀️✨ (@TheBlondeRN) September 7, 2022

So true. Open thread.

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It probably speaks poorly of my character that I post more about conservative tribulations than liberal triumphs. But that’s how I roll, and there’s no shortage of good news posts around here these days, so let us savor the impending downfall of a lawless scoundrel who richly deserves the dump truck-load of trouble that’s barreling his way: James O’Keefe, the proprietor of the mendaciously misnamed Project Veritas.

An unmitigated asshole, O’Keefe rose to prominence in conservative circles with a “sting” video, which, despite being ridiculous and deceptively edited, brought down ACORN, an organization that had the temerity to ensure poor people were counted in the U.S. Census and encouraged to vote. Thanks to O’Keefe’s lies (and cowardly defensive crouches assumed by some Democrats who should have known better, it must be noted), ACORN was effectively destroyed in the U.S.

O’Keefe never quite matched that “success.” Subsequent stunts aimed at a woman who worked for CNN, New Jersey teachers, Medicaid offices in several states, polling places, newspapers, etc., were redolent of flop sweat and misogyny. That odor wafting from O’Keefe reached Donald Trump’s nostrils in 2016, and Trump donated (other people’s money for sure) to Project Veritas and eagerly elevated an organization and leader almost as gross, tacky and deceitful as himself.

In 2020, O’Keefe attempted to repay the favor by helping the future twice-impeached, two-time popular vote loser Trump secure another term — with the aid of a pair of Florida scumbags who stole a diary belonging to President Biden’s daughter. The scheme backfired spectacularly, and last fall, the feds raided O’Keefe’s NYC apartment and the homes of some of his associates.  [NYT]

The raid occasioned much meeping about press freedom from fascists who would shut down the independent press within five minutes of getting their fat fascist fingers on the levers of power. And if O’Keefe had just paid the Florida scumbags for the diary, that would be sleazy but possibly protected by the First Amendment.

But O’Keefe also instructed the Florida scumbags to steal more stuff and dispatched an employee across state lines to transport the stolen goods, activities that are not protected by the First Amendment and are in fact crimes that can result in serious legal consequences. O’Keefe is not now and never has been a journalist, and the Florida scumbags who stole the diary flipped and have text messages that detail the shady scheme, so it looks like O’Keefe is probably o’fuct. [TPM]

This is all extra-hilarious because O’Keefe never even published the fucking diary! Before the election, he tried to conduct yet another lame “sting” on Biden’s daughter, whose lawyers took his “interview” request as an extortion attempt. That prompted them to alert federal prosecutors, and here we are. To sum up, it appears O’Keefe’s grift empire will collapse in yet another epic flop.

The end.

And also, open thread.

O’Keefe is O’FuctPost + Comments (136)