Political Digression Thread -- Save UP! Move the politically focused stuff here

[kermit]

So a quick reminder that Dick Burr profited off of non-public information about the pending threat of the virus, all while not bothering to tell any of his constituents that they should prepare for the approaching virus.

In addition, it now appears he felt like the threat was significant enough to tell his brother-in-law (but again, not any of the people he represents in congress)

Dick has still not faced any consequences or been held accountable for his actions.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article242556081.html

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by kermit

[kermit]

We are getting closer to national vote by mail. 40 million more people (minus kids and the unregistered) will get a ballot (with return postage) automatically sent to them for the November election.

Quote

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday said he had signed an executive order for all California registered voters to receive a mail-in ballot for the November election.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-california/california-voters-to-get-mail-in-ballots-for-2020-election-governor-idUSKBN22K2T3

No reason we can't do this in NC.

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by kermit

[Madison Parkitect]

2 hours ago, kermit said:

We are getting closer to national vote by mail. 40 million more people (minus kids and unregistered voters) will get a ballot (with return postage) automatically sent to them for the November election.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-california/california-voters-to-get-mail-in-ballots-for-2020-election-governor-idUSKBN22K2T3

No reason we can't do this in NC.

 

No reason we can't do it nationwide, except that it would make certain demographics more likely to vote and therefore certain types of politics more likely to lose.

[Crucial_Infra]

1 hour ago, Madison Parkitect said:

No reason we can't do it nationwide, except that it would make certain demographics more likely to vote and therefore certain types of politics more likely to lose.

There’s actually no definitive data to support that. In fact, there are many studies that show vote by mail would disproportionally favor Republicans. We just don’t know. But it’s tru that if the GOP believes it helps Dems, they won’t go for it. My prediction: not gonna matter In terms of turnout. Dems will crawl over broken glass to vote against Trump. See what happened in Wisconsin recently. 

[kermit]

So this happened:

 

Quote

To obtain a search warrant, federal agents and prosecutors must persuade a judge they have probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. The law enforcement official said the Justice Department is examining Burr’s communications with his broker.

Such a warrant being served on a sitting U.S. senator would require approval from the highest ranks of the Justice Department and is a step that would not be taken lightly. Kerri Kupec, a Justice Department spokeswoman, declined to comment.

Back in the day, NC was known as a state that did not tolerate corruption from its elected officials. I wonder what happened?

Seems like the donald must have nodded to allow this to happen, but it sure does seem like Burr has an awful lot of dirt on trump to spill.

Edited May 14, 2020 by kermit

[davidclt]

9 hours ago, kermit said:

So this happened:

 

Back in the day, NC was known as a state that did not tolerate corruption from its elected officials. I wonder what happened?

Seems like the donald must have nodded to allow this to happen, but it sure does seem like Burr has an awful lot of dirt on trump to spill.

If Loeffler gets a subpoena, I'll may start to believe this isn't just a political witch hunt against a Republican politician who didn't toe the Trump/Barr/McConnell corrupt axis of evil party line. On the surface this looks like nothing more than a targeted silencing of the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and gives Mitch McConnell the political cover to replace Burr with  a senator more friendly to the President. There is  another volume of information regarding the Senate's findings on interference in the 2016 election.

[SouthEndCLT811]

21 minutes ago, davidclt said:

If Loeffler gets a subpoena, I'll may start to believe this isn't just a political witch hunt against a Republican politician who didn't toe the Trump/Barr/McConnell corrupt axis of evil party line. On the surface this looks like nothing more than a targeted silencing of the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and gives Mitch McConnell the political cover to replace Burr with  a senator more friendly to the President. There is  another volume of information regarding the Senate's findings on interference in the 2016 election.

Try not to wade in here often but I did see Joe Bruno tweeted that Roy Cooper would be provided a list of 3 replacement options within the same party and he'd decide who fills Burr's chair.

Here's the thread responding to the LA Times article

 

[TCLT]

32 minutes ago, davidclt said:

just a political witch hunt against a Republican politician who didn't toe the Trump/Barr/McConnell corrupt axis of evil party line.

It's not really a witch hunt if Burr actually did what he's accused of. And everything points to the fact that he did indeed do something at best extraordinarily immoral, if not outright illegal.

But semantics aside, your larger point appears to be true. The targeted nature of this seems to indicate a continued purge of any Republicans who aren't wholly committed to the cult. Not that a Burr resignation would be a huge loss. The fact that Cooper gets to sign off on the successor probably means they can't be too much worse than Burr. The only downside is that they'd get two years and the benefit of incumbency before the next election.

[kermit]

1 hour ago, TCLT said:

The fact that Cooper gets to sign off on the successor probably means they can't be too much worse than Burr. The only downside is that they'd get two years and the benefit of incumbency before the next election.

Probably not a politically wise move, since there is less to be gained from it, but it sure would be satisfying if Cooper pulled a McConnell and simply refused to appoint anyone the NCGOP suggested (“the people should choose”). I believe the choice of Burr’s replacement would have been Cooper’s alone before the yall’qaeda changed the rules in their temper-tantrum following his election.

Merrick Garland says hi.

Edited May 14, 2020 by kermit

[davidclt]

2 hours ago, TCLT said:

It's not really a witch hunt if Burr actually did what he's accused of. And everything points to the fact that he did indeed do something at best extraordinarily immoral, if not outright illegal.

But semantics aside, your larger point appears to be true. The targeted nature of this seems to indicate a continued purge of any Republicans who aren't wholly committed to the cult. Not that a Burr resignation would be a huge loss. The fact that Cooper gets to sign off on the successor probably means they can't be too much worse than Burr. The only downside is that they'd get two years and the benefit of incumbency before the next election.

Yeah, sorry to give the impression that it was a witch hunt. I should have said it was retaliation against a senator for not toeing the party line. If they bring charges against Loeffler, then maybe I'd think it was more than blatant retaliation. That said, no lawyer would allow me to sit on a jury of either of these Senators because I believe both (many) are grifting off of information they receive in the course of their service in the US Senate.

[videtur quam contuor]

He is guilty "of being insufficiently servile to the administration" while simultaneously following administration practices for self enrichment.

"This is the business we have chosen" kind of thing.

[Matthew.Brendan]

[rancenc]

19 hours ago, Matthew.Brendan said:

Of course this President has the attention span of a slug, but Charlotte was really the only city that bid for this convention and it was spearheaded by Mayor Vi Lyles.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/07/gop-awards-2020-convention-to-charlotte-the-only-bidder.html

Edited May 26, 2020 by rancenc

[JRNYP2C]

5 hours ago, Matthew.Brendan said:

Again - veiled threats and empty promises from this man.  He really does not know when to stop.  Throughout the day, from what I have heard and read, he has NO authority to make any decision on the Convention.  They are way to far into the weeds to move it - let alone find somewhere that "wants" to host this.  Financial and legal issues would abound.

Read this from WSOC this afternoon.  She says for Cooper "to put the good of the state's economic recovery above any political posturing or personal feelings."  Um, isn't that what her beloved leader is doing to start with.  Hypocrisy at its ultimate best happening here.

In response to Trump’s tweet and warning, Sarah Reidy-Jones, the vice-chairman of the Mecklenburg County Republican Party issued the following statement:
“The Mecklenburg County Republican Party has been looking forward to serving as the host county for the 2020 Republican National Convention for over two years. We understood the economic boost to our local economy for the 2012 DNC and had looked forward to hosting the RNC in just 90 days. Now more than ever, we need the economic boost that this convention brings, especially to a hospitality industry that has been especially hard hit. Governor Cooper’s policies have been drastically devastating for North Carolinians, especially the 1 in 7 Charlotte residents that comprise of its hospitality sector. We strongly encourage Governor Cooper to put the good of the state’s economic recovery above any political posturing or personal feelings. We will pressure our local elected officials that do so much to try to harm our economic freedoms that originally made Charlotte and the metro region flourish and to those trying to use COVID-19 as an opportunity to interject dangerous policies that compromise our elections, our children’s educations and our livelihoods in the form of social experimenting.”

I really wish there was a deep pocket individual or individuals who would step up and call the president's bluff and say go for it.  We will pick up the projected cost to the hospitality workers who would be benefitting from this convention.

In all honesty, i hate getting political - especially on this board.  But the current individual in the White House has become quite tiresome by this point.

 

 

 

[Matthew.Brendan]

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/26/gop-north-carolina-convention-282493

North Carolina throws convention threat back at Trump and GOP

The state’s health department is asking the Republican Party for a plan on how it can pull off a 50,000-person event safely.

But Republicans involved in convention planning say there remains strong interest in holding the event in North Carolina, a critical swing state. They also acknowledge privately that switching the venue would pose major logistical challenges. 

Nothing was decided, and one senior Republican called the situation “a mess.” Indeed, the twin developments in North Carolina and Washington signal a difficult stretch for the GOP as it tries to navigate Trump's insistence on a full-blown convention with public health concerns on the ground.

Cohen, Kelly and Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper discussed the convention during a Friday conference call, according to the letter — a positive sign for proponents of keeping the convention in North Carolina. But the two sides aren't close to agreement on what modifications might be needed because of the coronavirus.

Fueling the GOP’s angst is a perception that Cooper is unlikely to lift restrictions to accommodate them. With cases rising in the Charlotte area, Republicans say they're skeptical that the Democratic governor will allow a mass gathering.

North Carolina on May 22 entered the second phase of its reopening strategy, which still bars indoor gatherings of more than 10 people. Moreover, the state health department reported its largest spike in cases over Memorial Day weekend, threatening to push North Carolinians back inside for another weeks-long stay-at-home order.

Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham, who represents the city’s business district, called Republicans’ plans to host a fully attended convention “literally insane,” citing the number of attendees, vendors and volunteers it would require.

“Obviously, that’s not going to happen in Charlotte, nor would it happen in any other city that they're going to move it to,” Graham, a Democrat, said in an interview. 

Fellow Council member Dimple Ajmera, also a Democrat, agreed.

“It's just absurd. To think that we are going to host 50,000 people three months from today,” she told POLITICO. “And to ask for a guarantee from the governor, that’s just unreasonable. If [Trump] wants to go somewhere else, please go ahead.”

In a four-tweet thread Monday, Trump threatened to seek another venue for the convention if Cooper doesn’t cooperate.

“Unfortunately, Democrat Governor,@RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena,” the president wrote. “Plans are being made by many thousands of enthusiastic Republicans, and others, to head to beautiful North Carolina in August. They must be immediately given an answer by the Governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be fully occupied. If not, we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site. This is not something I want to do.”

[JacksonH]

There is some speculation that Trump might be creating this brouhaha with Cooper just as an excuse (and with a person he can blame) to move the convention to one of his resort properties so he can rake in a lot of cash for himself.  But what is certain is that he craves applause from big crowds, even if it's at the expense of other people's lives.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Edited May 27, 2020 by JacksonH

[Madison Parkitect]

7 hours ago, JacksonH said:

There is some speculation that Trump might be creating this brouhaha with Cooper just as an excuse (and with a person he can blame) to move the convention to one of his resort properties so he can rake in a lot of cash for himself.  But what is certain is that he craves applause from big crowds, even if it's at the expense of other people's lives.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

That's what I think he's trying to do, get it moved to Doral to make up for not having the G8 or whatever it was. I don't think he'll be successful, but I definitely think that's his intention.

[southslider]

The narcissist seeks to blame others for lower turnout at his coronation.

[Nick2]

He must be going stir crazy missing his rallies full of raving lunatics. No crowds of chanting cultists to stroke his ego. Just the horrible reality of covid-19 existing and his lies and decisions having actual consequences.

[CLT704]

I wouldn’t mind the RNC being here, God knows we could visit the economic injection from it, but I do not want a full convention here. By all means have the RNC here but, to have so many people flooding in, I have my concerns. 
 

As for this whole Trump debacle, are we really surprised?

[rancenc]

He is awaiting his final anointment with holy water from the River Jordan!

[Cadi40]

We’ve been planning for the event ever since it was awarded. You simply can’t plan an event of this scale in the time he has remaining. North Carolina is a key state he needs to win and he’ll likely lose voters by revoking the RNC.

[JRNYP2C]

5 hours ago, rancenc said:

He is awaiting his final anointment with holy water from the River Jordan!

I think it would have a vampire effect and burn his skin!!

[kermit]

3 hours ago, Cadi40 said:

We’ve been planning for the event ever since it was awarded. You simply can’t plan an event of this scale in the time he has remaining. North Carolina is a key state he needs to win and he’ll likely lose voters by revoking the RNC.

The man is a psychopath. If he cared about loosing voters then he would not twiddled his thumbs while 100,000 Americans died (more than 700 North Carolinians).

Instead of doing anything to make us safer (tests, data reporting standards, national policies for reopening, following scientific consensus, modeling good prevention techniques, refraining from providing misleading information (drink bleach!), PPE, timely traveler screening from Europe, etc.) he just played golf and pushed drugs that endanger people's lives (but make donald richer). Donald Trump is responsible for those 100,000 deaths.

Edited May 28, 2020 by kermit

[CLT704]

Thoughts? I am very angry in general at what has happened recently so the following is me ranting really. 

Honestly, I have absolutely no confidence in the police and Tariq's tweets have made me lose a lot of respect for him (in fact, I view him very much as a slimeball now). The police have every opportunity to do the right thing every day and, on multiple occasions in multiple cities, they have failed: people have been murdered by the police so if they're not going to change themselves then they need to be forced to change. It is also an extremely privileged position to nitpick how and why changes should be made, especially when people are hurting across the country. The way CMPD operations entrenches the system of oppression that perpetuates racism/inequality in our community, especially if any changes are resisted. For example, the incident on June 2, in which CMPD boxed in protestors yet claimed it was not their intention (https://medium.com/@Jeff_Jackson/review-of-incident-in-charlotte-on-4th-street-on-the-evening-of-june-2nd-2963d4598500), that is either a. incompetence or b. bullcrap, either way there is no reason what so ever why CMPD should have acted the way they did. 

I also want to comment on how Tariq shared a latter from spouses of CMPD officers: again, I am repulsed by the fact that talking about how shocked they are at everything that has happened recently but then implore use to consider what the CMPD think/do. GTFO... CMPD has failed multiple times (not just recently but most notably with Keith Lamont Scott) and those officers chose to be cops and willing participate in an institution that contributes to systematic racism in this country. Their letter talks about the emotional toll their spouses undergo, well what about the emotional toll of the families of people murdered by police? That said, I do feel for families of murdered police officers because no one in this country should be killed for no good reason and many cops are decent people but, if you equate the looting/riots with the entire BLM protests, then bad cops are equated with the entire police force. Why can bad cops get away with murder and other abuses of power? The letter reeks of privilege and initially reads as a meek attempt to sympathise with what has happened before completely missing the point of the protests. 

Warren vs D.C. states that police have no specific legal duty to protect the public so the argument that CMPD 'serves and protects' is rendered mostly pointless. Police should not be an omnipresent, omnipotent force yet they are: I am fully in favour of splitting up CMPD into more appropriate law enforcement departments. "Abolish the police" does not mean no law enforcement nor advocates for anarchy, it a shorthand way of saying there are potentially better alternatives, such as social workers or mental health professionals. 

Black Lives F'ing Matter so it's time Charlotte starts acting like they do. As a city we do not have a good history when it comes to race relations, I would like to emphasise Dorothy Counts and Keith Lamont Scott, so we should push for transformative change that leads the nation. We need law enforcement that people trust and respect, with those principles being mutual.