Republican Politics

Monday Evening Open Thread: The GOP (Back End of the) Horse Race

by Anne Laurie| June 5, 20236:18 pm| 124 Comments

This post is in: 2024 Primaries, C.R.E.A.M., Open Threads, Republican Politics, Schadenfreude

#BREAKING: @ChrisSununu tells me that he is NOT running for President. Live now on @CNN. pic.twitter.com/TXhfEjzFKD

— Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) June 5, 2023

Some people are very hard to satisfy…

Not to be too churlish, and good for Governor Sununu on this, but criticizing Trump on his policy failures, while not noting that he is also a sociopath who incited an insurrection seems a little too gentle https://t.co/VfdhefInIT

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) June 5, 2023

JUST IN: RNC announces criteria for first GOP debate this summer

— Candidates must sign pledge to support eventual nominee
— Candidates must have a minimum of 40,000 unique donors with 200 per state/territory in at least 20 states
— Poll at least 1% in three recognized polls pic.twitter.com/LsZzeRTJQT

— Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) June 2, 2023

… The criteria for the debate, scheduled for Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, come as the Republican presidential primary field grows more crowded, with several contenders expected to join the race in the coming days and weeks. A second debate could be held on Aug. 24 if enough candidates qualify, the R.N.C. said in a statement.

To qualify for the stage, candidates must garner support of at least 1 percent in multiple national polls recognized by the committee, and some polling from the early-voting states will count as well. The candidates must also have a minimum of 40,000 unique donors to their campaign, with at least 200 unique donors per state or territory, in 20 states and territories, according to the committee.

The 40,000-donor debate threshold is likely to prove a consequential and costly barrier to some underfunded candidates. Republican campaigns had already been told informally about the criteria, and some were racing to ensure they had enough donors. Some super PACs are spending money for online ads to drive small donations to the campaigns…

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This is not the first time there have been efforts to cull the Republican debate stage participants. In 2016, lower-polling candidates were relegated to undercard debates…

Two Republicans familiar with the discussions said Gov. Ron DeSantis’s team had wanted a higher threshold than 1 percent, which would have been likely to thin out the stage, giving him a more direct interaction with former President Donald J. Trump, the current Republican front-runner.

Mr. Trump, for his part, has already suggested that he may skip primary debates, claiming that it was not worth his time to debate his rivals because of his polling advantage.

Candidates hoping to debate in the August matchup are also expected to promise not to participate in any debate not approved by the party committee for the rest of the election cycle, and to pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee…

People say Trump won't sign the pledge, but he'll 100% sign it and then just break it later under the theory that *what happened was very, very unfair.* https://t.co/pfAeZOvxdJ

— CavsKermit (@JbkJbk1234) June 2, 2023

The pledge only works towards Trump's benefit and to the detriment of candidates like Christie whose sole purpose is to prevent Trump from winning.

— CavsKermit (@JbkJbk1234) June 2, 2023

the collapse of the RNC and the decentralization of fundraising with functionally unlimited pools of money is a pretty underrated factor when discussing how the republican party broke every chain of comity that formerly bound it https://t.co/syPsHx4PY6

— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) June 2, 2023

when there were meaningful limits on what you could accept, republicans had to be more discerning about who they could be seen taking money from. once those were removed, they got a lot less choosy. self-policing has mostly held up on the dem side, but has collapsed for the GOP

— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) June 2, 2023

It's kind of morbidly hilarious how much Citizen's United and the unlimited money in politics has been BAD for the Republicans.

— NeoTiamat 🇺🇦 (@NeoTiamat) June 3, 2023

Monday Evening Open Thread: The GOP (Back End of the) Horse RacePost + Comments (124)

Repub Venality Open Thread: James Comer & Chuck Grassley Are Loyal to Their Party, Not Their Country

by Anne Laurie| June 1, 20237:49 pm| 44 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Republican Politics, Republican Venality, Assholes

Wow.

Chuck Grassley admits the truth of his and @JamesComer’s silly FBI form stunt:

“We aren’t interested in whether or not the accusations against Vice President Biden are accurate” pic.twitter.com/fLfvDjjG2W

— Ian Sams (@IanSams46) June 1, 2023

I personally find it interesting that James Comer, spotlight hound, has suddenly chosen to shove Addled Granpa Grassley in front of the cameras. If this fishing expedition backfires as badly as it looks to do, our Jimbo would much rather let Chuck take the ‘credit’, as it were…

FOX: How damning is this document for Biden?

GRASSLEY: I, I dont know that

FOX: But you've read it

GRASSLEY: Let's put it this way, there are accusations in it pic.twitter.com/HxZqg35QG6

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 1, 2023

But why plan to publicize something without knowing if it’s true?

“Well, listen: I’m oversight of the FBI. I got to know what they think about it,” Grassley said.https://t.co/Lt2T2zuz07

— Arthur Delaney 🇺🇸 (@ArthurDelaneyHP) June 1, 2023

Grassley and Comer have both seen the document themselves, can't vouch for its accuracy, refuse to describe its contents other than to say it alleges Biden took a bribe as VP, and are insisting on a physical copy instead of access at FBI HQ https://t.co/x7GCP5IFyB

— Arthur Delaney 🇺🇸 (@ArthurDelaneyHP) June 1, 2023

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The White House slammed two Republican lawmakers for their efforts to demand the FBI hand over a document about President Biden, calling it a political stunt to get on Fox News. https://t.co/qmOuTaEyjk

— The Hill (@thehill) June 1, 2023

“Comer commits to contempt vote for FBI director, mulls release of confidential record”

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said an FBI offer to review a document he subpoenaed has not swayed his plans to hold Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress, adding he may release the confidential tip publicly.

Comer issued a subpoena earlier this month compelling Wray to produce any FD-1023 forms — records of interactions with confidential sources — from June 2020 that contain the word “Biden.”…

Speaking with reporters shortly after the call, Comer said he plans to bring the matter up for a vote in committee next week, a move that was slammed by Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), the top Democrat on the panel.

“Obviously the purpose of requesting the subpoena is to try to get a contempt motion against the FBI director. There’s no other explanation for it, because they’re essentially offering anything that they want,” Raskin said Wednesday…

The Tuesday letter from the bureau stressed “concern over the chilling effect that could flow from the wide dissemination of investigative files, to include reduced willingness of confidential human sources to provide valuable reporting.”

“As you know, confidential sources are critical to the FBI’s ability to build cases, including those against violent gangs, drug cartels, and terrorists,” it added.

The FBI also reiterated the unverified nature of the information.

That was a point echoed by Raskin, who was blocked from joining Comer’s call with Wray but spoke to the director afterwards.

“This Form 1023 is a record of some information that comes to the FBI. It could be based on double, triple, quadruple or quintuple hearsay. Somebody told somebody who told somebody who told somebody who told somebody this tip, right? So I don’t know the specifics of this, but a Form 1023 overwhelmingly does not lead to a criminal investigation or prosecution,” Raskin said.

A contempt vote for Wray, while a remarkable move, would have little practical effect for the director. The vote, which also must be approved by the full House, serves as a recommendation to the Department of Justice (DOJ), which would make the final call over whether to pursue a criminal prosecution…

Tweet from last month:

Am I the only one who's thinking that the "missing informant" is actually just a Facebook post referencing a Breitbart story about a Tweet?https://t.co/BXYtgMArdY

— Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ (@padresj) May 14, 2023

Doubt that Comer is gonna be able to slide out of all blame, now:

total political stunt. Comer knows no way he can make contempt charges stick, when Wray is protecting info about confidential sources. It's just to generate an anti-FBI talking point.
FBI director Chris Wray to face contempt of Congress vote, Comer says https://t.co/vx0dLTeaOC

— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) June 1, 2023

Despite Fox News mentioning it more than 100 times this month, it’s worth recognizing how thin the GOP allegations against Biden are — and how they’re trying to hide that. https://t.co/K0xROYEcey

— Philip Bump (@pbump) May 27, 2023

Chairman Comer tells me he'll schedule a committee markup for contempt proceedings for Wray next Tuesday or Wednesday, if they don't get the document they're seeking. https://t.co/TkQQPZTx6l

— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) June 1, 2023

So @JamesComer wants to let Joe Biden pick a new FBI Director because he and @ChuckGrassley are STILL chasing Russian disinformation?

Why can't Comer try to find dirt that Russia didn't feed him? https://t.co/sItQJP0LZM

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) May 31, 2023

Bartiromo: I wish your facts were better https://t.co/CTtbsHMB1I

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) June 1, 2023

Repub Venality Open Thread: James Comer & Chuck Grassley Are Loyal to Their Party, Not Their CountryPost + Comments (44)

Thursday Night Open Thread: A Small Cabal of Morons, Led By Monsters

by Anne Laurie| May 25, 20238:38 pm| 135 Comments

This post is in: Books, Education, LGBTQ Rights Are Human Rights, Open Threads, Republican Politics, Peak Wingnut Was a Lie!

This is the one parent who successfully got Amanda Gorman’s poem banned. Will the Miami-Dade school district reverse this decision now that it’s surfaced that parent as ties to a white supremacist organization? Or does the comfort of a white supremacist matter more? https://t.co/aat6k4injI

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) May 23, 2023

Okay the headline is insane but I assure you: This story gets much, much worse as you read through it! And you should. This is what it's like being Floridian these days! https://t.co/xblNOw37LK pic.twitter.com/1YcJ1bOkz1

— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) May 25, 2023

Months before a Miami-area mother persuaded a local school to restrict access to an Amanda Gorman poem, she was posting antisemitic memes on her Facebook page.

Now, Daily Salinas is apologizing for one of those things — and unrepentant about the other.

“I want to apologize to the Jewish community,” Salinas told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Wednesday. She was saying sorry for a Facebook post she shared in March offering a summary of “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a notorious antisemitic forgery written more than a century ago in Russia…

Salinas challenged the Gorman poem — which she says she hasn’t read in its entirety — on the grounds that it contains “indirect hate messages.” The review committee said it “erred on the side of caution” in deciding to limit students’ access.

The Miami Herald did not mention Salinas’ social media activity. But after the story about her was published, a left-wing group, Miami Against Fascism, called attention to a Facebook account it identified as hers. The account, which JTA reviewed, features a flood of political posts reflecting right-wing ideologies — and the antisemitic Protocols…

Reached by JTA on Wednesday, Salinas confirmed that the post about the “Protocols” was hers and apologized for it, saying she hadn’t read it beyond the word “communism.” Salinas said her aversion to communism stems from her Cuban identity. She added that English is not her first language.

“I see the word ‘communism,’ and I think it’s something about communism,” she said. “I didn’t read the words.”…

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Salinas’ Facebook feed reflects the kinds of right-wing memes that continue to circulate widely, although she told JTA that she did not post everything on it herself. Miami Against Fascism also shared video of Salinas with the Proud Boys, a far-right group with ties to antisemitic activists, as well as a video of her attending a school board protest last year with Moms For Liberty, a “parents’ rights” group active in pushing for book removals across the country. Such groups have been instrumental in leveraging laws signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that enable parents to challenge the presence of any book in school libraries. In some instances, those challenges have led to the removal of books about the Holocaust and Jewish culture.

Salinas told JTA she was not a member of either group and said she had just been in attendance at protests where they were both present. A Moms For Liberty media representative also told JTA Salinas was not a member of the group and said, “We denounce antisemitism in all its forms.”…

That Libs of TikTok lady? One of the *good* Jews!

pic.twitter.com/57w6o1m1hM

— Aaron Showtime Taylor (@rebirthofchick) May 23, 2023

i can't believe it. you're telling me that this is a well-organized campaign led by a small group of partisan activists who aren't representing any majority constituency, and who are forcing their values onto everyone else? i'm shocked! https://t.co/Y3uEZlyOEY

— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) May 23, 2023

Hannah Natanson, for the Washington Post — “Objection to sexual, LGBTQ content propels spike in book challenges” [gift link]:

Books about LGBTQ people are fast becoming the main target of a historic wave of school book challenges — and a large percentage of the complaints come from a minuscule number of hyperactive adults, a first-of-its-kind Washington Post analysis found.

A stated wish to shield children from sexual content is the main factor animating attempts to remove LGBTQ books, The Post found. The second-most common reason cited for pulling LGBTQ texts was an explicit desire to prevent children from reading about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary and queer lives.

The Post requested copies of all book challenges filed in the 2021-2022 school year with the 153 school districts that Tasslyn Magnusson, a researcher employed by free expression advocacy group PEN America, tracked as receiving formal requests to remove books last school year. In total, officials in more than 100 of those school systems, which are spread across 37 states, provided 1,065 complaints totaling 2,506 pages.

The Post analyzed the complaints to determine who was challenging the books, what kinds of books drew objections and why. Nearly half of filings — 43 percent — targeted titles with LGBTQ characters or themes, while 36 percent targeted titles featuring characters of color or dealing with issues of race and racism. The top reason people challenged books was “sexual” content; 61 percent of challenges referenced this concern…

A small number of people were responsible for most of the book challenges, The Post found. Individuals who filed 10 or more complaints were responsible for two-thirds of all challenges. In some cases, these serial filers relied on a network of volunteers gathered together under the aegis of conservative parents’ groups such as Moms for Liberty…

Bibliophobia… pic.twitter.com/HQNhQlyvQo

— Jeffrey Levin ???? (@jilevin) May 23, 2023

Thursday Night Open Thread: A Small Cabal of Morons, Led By MonstersPost + Comments (135)

Cold Grey Dawn Schadenfreude Open Thread: Gone, DeSantis

by Anne Laurie| May 25, 20234:20 am| 39 Comments

This post is in: 2024 Primaries, Open Threads, Republican Politics, Ron DeSanctimonius, Schadenfreude

Could not have happened to two* more deserving dudes!

It’s been a right-wing talking point that Elon Musk fired 90% of the company and the site works just fine, and the second he absolutely needs it to work it is crashing people’s entire phones.

— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) May 24, 2023

(*Two and a half, I guess, if we’re including David Sacks.)

"Servers are straining somewhat" — Elon Musk on his Twitter Space with Ron DeSantis pic.twitter.com/XOm6jcX8G2

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 24, 2023

how is every headline now not

Twitter Blew

— L O L G O P (@LOLGOP) May 25, 2023

I'd say it's a Mickey Mouse operation, except the Mickey Mouse operation has Ron by the throat already. https://t.co/jAq3tX8PYc

— Radio Justice ????? (@justiceputnam) May 25, 2023

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DeSantis is currently giving a speech that largely consists of repeating the word "woke" over and over again to an audience about 1/3 of the size he started out with when the original Space collapsed

— Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp) May 24, 2023

lmao the PlayStation showcase today had well over 2,000,000 viewers and it went fine https://t.co/87yuuqtK2s

— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) May 24, 2023

Ron DeSantis' campaign announcement has devolved into a bunch of people just thanking Elon Musk and complaining about Twitter.

— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) May 24, 2023

Honestly, what presidential campaign announcement has guest stars? What candidate wants to be overshadowed by other public figures at his own announcement?
I said it before, I'll say it again: Ron DeSantis is a weird guy. https://t.co/aBr9x0hbac

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 24, 2023

David Sacks asks DeSantis about bitcoin pic.twitter.com/1ZifQPpZu5

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 24, 2023

Gets to take a break from his lifts tho https://t.co/jLXMvdjDmy

— zeddy (@Zeddary) May 24, 2023

Dark, Brandon!

Thanks to Elon Musk, we know this tweet already has 1.6 million views which will be fun to keep in mind when the DeSantis Team runs with 'well 500,000 users tuned in' cope. https://t.co/x1MsVFa3R5

— zeddy (@Zeddary) May 24, 2023

Okay, here's my take. Obviously the tech snafu at the beginning is going to be the irresistible headline. A major fail. The announcement he read was a mess. Once they actually got down to talking, DeSantis is fairly good at talking about the issues that matter to …

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) May 24, 2023

2/ him. But the issue is what matters to him. This is a way way WAY online minded campaign. And really lives within the keyboard warrior world of the right. What are the issues a winning GOP presidential campaign is going to run on? Border, Inflation, weakness abroad, etc.

3/ They hit on the border a bit at the end, sort of realizing they’d all but ignored it. But almost the whole thing was fluffing Musk for buying Twitter, the freedom fighters who were left back on Twitter, the mainstream media, and then at the end DEI and “gender ideology.”

4/ This is super niche stuff that most of the country doesn’t even know what he’s talking about. I noted that just a short time ago Sacks said DeSantis would be like a “cool headed ruthless assassin” turning back to the woke mob. To most people that sounds kinda nuts.

5/ Something that comes off 4Chan and weird mass slaughter chic. Anyway, DeSantis did get his stride. But again, this is almost all within the conversation of the Twitter far right. That’s not where the country is.

Fox News' homepage really twisting the knife on Elon Musk right now.

The homepage even has a "Breaking News" alert pop-up dunking on Twitter's failure. pic.twitter.com/v6ta2Djnxd

— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) May 24, 2023

Well, at least there’s still traditional political media…

even donald trump, legendary fuckup, fascist and world-class heavyweight cheapskate champion of the world, would have paid out of pocket to have this ready. https://t.co/aPfkfNgr7J

— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) May 25, 2023

if i were a donor, i would be absolutely volcanically pissed about this amateur hour, grabass horseshit. this is not a man ready to actually compete for the presidency. this isn’t even a man ready to lose a primary.

— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) May 25, 2023

Congratulations to DeSantis's crack comms team, @BryanDGriffin, @ChristinaPushaw, and @JeremyRedfernFL, for organizing a totally effective and non-humiliating campaign launch for their boss with tech genius @elonmusk. Bravo!

Remember, their pitch is 'Trump but competent.' Lol.

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 24, 2023

Tim Scott did the actual Howard Dean thing. But then Elon’s launchpad FODded DeSatan on ignition like Starship. #FailureToLaunch pic.twitter.com/PMKKX3tNBv

— La vache vaccinée ???? (@craigertweeter) May 25, 2023

Cold Grey Dawn Schadenfreude Open Thread: Gone, DeSantisPost + Comments (39)

Thursday Evening Open Thread: Another GOP Candidate Throws Himself Into the Volcano

by Anne Laurie| May 22, 20237:52 pm| 116 Comments

This post is in: 2024 Primaries, Open Threads, Republican Politics

"I’m announcing today that I’m running for president of the United States…OF AMERICA!"

Tim Scott goes wild while officially announcing his candidacy. pic.twitter.com/tgPouuQAwH

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) May 22, 2023

Alternate title: Another GOP politician announces his Vice-Presidential candidacy...

Apparently Tim Scott yelled so loud into the mic that he broke it… pic.twitter.com/Sba6hxhLbw

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) May 22, 2023

CNN’s already running Fact Checks!

Commentor Rikyrah posted this warning recently…

Laugh your ass off, DM your friends. But, we, Black folks, are going to be edgy when it comes to Tim. The risk of giving bad faith Republicans an opening to call you racist ain't worth. Now let Black folks give Tim this work.

— John V. Moore (@johnvmoore) May 20, 2023

Keeping those wise words in mind:

BREAKING: GOP Sen. Tim Scott announces 2024 White House bid, as list of Trump challengers grows. (via The ReidOut Blog) https://t.co/mhSLpzBlbW

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 22, 2023

Ja’han Jones, for MSNBC’s ReidOut Blog:

… Scott’s interest in running for president has been a topic of speculation ever since he vowed, in 2019, that 2022 would be his last Senate race and said he wouldn’t run for governor of South Carolina. This is Washington we’re talking about, so the idea of a senator willfully fading into obscurity — particularly, this senator, who has never seen a camera he didn’t like — seemed highly unlikely.

The senator’s political profile is simple. His role in the Republican Party — as the GOP’s only Black senator — is a role commonly played by Black members of today’s conservative movement: He’s largely used to rebut and downplay allegations of bigotry lobbed at Republicans over their agenda, replete with anti-Black, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ and anti-woman rhetoric. You could read many of my previous posts about Black men tapped to run in the Republican Party — from failed Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker to North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron — and they’ll serve as a perfect primer for what you ought to expect from Scott’s campaign.

He’s known for political minstrelsy: embarrassing public acts meant to amuse white bigots and ameliorate their policies in the public eye.

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Scott has given us many examples of this in the past, but the most perfect one — a video — is rather difficult to come across these days. And that’s because Republicans appear to have tried to scrub it from the internet to the best of their ability. And for good reason.

Back in 2017, as Republicans controlled the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives, they trotted out Scott to try to sell Americans on their regressive tax plan that immensely favored rich people. Someone seems to have had the brilliant idea for Scott to appear in a promotional video for Senate Republicans — and for him to deploy a catchy hashtag to misleadingly tout the tax plan as beneficial to nonwealthy Americans.

What did they come up with?

#KeepYoMoney…

Axios — which has to fill a lot of empty space over the next 17 months — chooses to highlight “Tim Scott’s pitch: the optimistic Republican”:

… Scott, the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, is positioning his new campaign in a lane that could be wide open in the MAGA- and grievance-dominated world of GOP politics.

– And with Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison in his corner, Scott likely will have the bankroll to stay in the race for a while.

What we’re watching: At his kickoff rally in Charleston, Scott, 57, seemed to tweak Trump in particular when he told more than 1,500 supporters that the GOP’s choice in 2024 boils down to “victimhood or victory,” and “grievance or greatness.”…

The mood in the room was a sharp contrast to Trump’s rallies, which typically feature large crowds of defiant, angry supporters yelling in agreement with Trump as he speaks and heckling reporters in attendance.

Reality check: Scott has been polling the low single digits in early GOP voter surveys, far behind Trump and DeSantis. To have any hope of winning the party’s nomination, Scott will need to sway an electorate heavily invested in Trump and his MAGA — or in DeSantis and his efforts to retire Trump from politics.

– “I don’t know how much he’s going to make up,” Thune acknowledged about Scott, when asked about Trump’s bid lead…

The big picture: Part of Scott’s pitch revolves around his personal story as a Black man who grew up poor, in a single-parent household.

– “For those of us who think America is a racist country, take a look!” he said, calling America “a land of opportunity, not oppression.”

– It was a notion echoed by Kathryn Wilson, 75, who told Axios while in line before the rally that Scott’s identity as a Black man with conservative values “shows we are not a racist country. How many white people came to support him?” …

Sidebar:

seeing a lot of “no-chance GOP candidate about to announce for president” and- this is hopium, certainly- a thing that could explain it is if there are rumors in the GOP donor set about something that’s going to happen to Trump

— post malone ergo propter malone (@PropterMalone) May 19, 2023

Thursday Evening Open Thread: Another GOP Candidate Throws Himself Into the VolcanoPost + Comments (116)

Things I Did Not Know

by WaterGirl| May 18, 20238:30 pm| 47 Comments

This post is in: Politics, Republican Politics, Republican Stupidity, Republican Venality

Learning about all sorts of things I have missed today.

I don’t know if this is the most important, but it’s surely the most interesting in terms of palace intrigue. Has anyone heard about this?

This is a really important story. Why hasn't the GOP legislature taken the ministerial step to allow DeSantis to sign this bill?

Could it be that Trump allies are holding it up over the provision allowing DeSantis to run for president without resigning as governor?👀 https://t.co/E1bQzWwqq5

— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) May 14, 2023

Did we talk about the vote here on BJ?
Not one single wants to do something about Santos?
Not even one.

Every single House Republican voted to protect George Santos from expulsion. pic.twitter.com/VKnldKhCrd

— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) May 17, 2023

Given our corrupt Supreme Court, I suppose it’s fair to assume that this is not a good sign?

BREAKING: U.S. Supreme Court will hear case arguing that South Carolina's congressional map is racially gerrymandered. In the lower court, a three judge panel found that the state's 1st Congressional District violates the 14th Amendment and must be redrawn.https://t.co/K3XaQ8iYXR

— Democracy Docket (@DemocracyDocket) May 15, 2023

I don’t know what this is about, and I haven’t had time to look into this.
Hoping someone here already knows and is willing to share.

This was entirely self inflicted by the DeSantis PAC. They brought a lawsuit. They lost. And they may well have screwed the candidate they literally were created to support. https://t.co/kC8IuVyMKZ

— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) May 18, 2023

As far as I’m concerned, DeSantis can keep sticking his tiny dick into the blender.
How soon before he learns?

Open thread.

Things I Did Not KnowPost + Comments (47)

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Shamelessness, the GOP Superpower

by Anne Laurie| May 12, 20236:59 am| 170 Comments

This post is in: 2024 Elections, Biden Administration in Action, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republican Politics, Trumpery

Hakeem Jeffries on MSNBC: "The Republican Party under Donald Trump and Trumpism has three basic philosophical pillars. One, facts don't matter. Two, hypocrisy is not a constraint to their behavior. And three, they actually believe that shamelessness is a superpower." pic.twitter.com/OnmiwAc8rV

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 11, 2023

The Biden campaign has released a really good ad contrasting Biden’s Wednesday priorities with TFG’s, which you can see at the bottom of the last post or by clicking the link above. (Never say I don’t care about some peoples’ tender sensibilities.)

A Biden campaign adviser’s summary of tonight’s town hall: “Weeks worth of damning content in one hour. … It was quite efficient."

— Mike Memoli (@mikememoli) May 11, 2023

Should have booked the *real* ratings draw: Joe Biden.

— Centrism Fan Acct ?? (@Wilson__Valdez) May 11, 2023

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TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Shamelessness, the GOP SuperpowerPost + Comments (170)

sdhays on ‘Find Out’ Level Unlocked (Jun 6, 2023 @ 3:57pm)

Anyway on ‘Find Out’ Level Unlocked (Jun 6, 2023 @ 3:55pm)

Suzanne on ‘Find Out’ Level Unlocked (Jun 6, 2023 @ 3:55pm)

Chris on ‘Find Out’ Level Unlocked (Jun 6, 2023 @ 3:45pm)

Tony Jay on ‘Find Out’ Level Unlocked (Jun 6, 2023 @ 3:44pm)

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

A consequence of cucumbers

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Everybody saw this coming.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

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

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Monday Evening Open Thread: The GOP (Back End of the) Horse Race

Repub Venality Open Thread: James Comer & Chuck Grassley Are Loyal to Their Party, Not Their Country

Thursday Night Open Thread: A Small Cabal of Morons, Led By Monsters

Cold Grey Dawn Schadenfreude Open Thread: Gone, DeSantis

Thursday Evening Open Thread: Another GOP Candidate Throws Himself Into the Volcano

Things I Did Not Know

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Shamelessness, the GOP Superpower