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babylonsister
babylonsister's Journal
babylonsister's Journal
May 17, 2022
The Supreme Court just made it much easier to bribe a member of Congress
A case brought by Ted Cruz is a huge boon to rich candidates and moneyed lobbyists.
By Ian Millhiser May 16, 2022, 1:30pm EDT
Share this story
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has been at war with campaign finance laws for more than a dozen years, stretching at least as far back as its decision in Citizens United v. FEC (2010). On Monday, the Court’s six Republican appointees escalated this war.
The Court’s decision in FEC v. Ted Cruz for Senate is a boon to wealthy candidates. It strikes down an anti-bribery law that limited the amount of money candidates could raise after an election in order to repay loans they made to their own campaign.
Federal law permits candidates to loan money to their campaigns. In 2001, however, Congress prohibited campaigns from repaying more than $250,000 of these loans using funds raised after the election. They can repay as much as they want from campaign donations received before the election (although a federal regulation required them to do so “within 20 days of the election”).
The idea is that, if already-elected officials can solicit donations to repay what is effectively their own personal debt, lobbyists and others seeking to influence lawmakers can put money directly into the elected official’s pocket — and campaign donations that personally enrich a lawmaker are particularly likely to lead to corrupt bargains. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) manufactured a case to try to overturn that $250,000 limit, and now, the Court has sided with him.
Indeed, now that this limit on loan repayments has been struck down, lawmakers with sufficiently creative accountants may be able to use such loans to give themselves a steady income stream from campaign donors.
more...
https://www.vox.com/2022/5/16/23074957/supreme-court-ted-cruz-fec-bribery-campaign-finance-first-amendment-john-roberts-elena-kagan
The Supreme Court just made it much easier to bribe a member of Congress
The Supreme Court just made it much easier to bribe a member of Congress
A case brought by Ted Cruz is a huge boon to rich candidates and moneyed lobbyists.
By Ian Millhiser May 16, 2022, 1:30pm EDT
Share this story
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has been at war with campaign finance laws for more than a dozen years, stretching at least as far back as its decision in Citizens United v. FEC (2010). On Monday, the Court’s six Republican appointees escalated this war.
The Court’s decision in FEC v. Ted Cruz for Senate is a boon to wealthy candidates. It strikes down an anti-bribery law that limited the amount of money candidates could raise after an election in order to repay loans they made to their own campaign.
Federal law permits candidates to loan money to their campaigns. In 2001, however, Congress prohibited campaigns from repaying more than $250,000 of these loans using funds raised after the election. They can repay as much as they want from campaign donations received before the election (although a federal regulation required them to do so “within 20 days of the election”).
The idea is that, if already-elected officials can solicit donations to repay what is effectively their own personal debt, lobbyists and others seeking to influence lawmakers can put money directly into the elected official’s pocket — and campaign donations that personally enrich a lawmaker are particularly likely to lead to corrupt bargains. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) manufactured a case to try to overturn that $250,000 limit, and now, the Court has sided with him.
Indeed, now that this limit on loan repayments has been struck down, lawmakers with sufficiently creative accountants may be able to use such loans to give themselves a steady income stream from campaign donors.
more...
https://www.vox.com/2022/5/16/23074957/supreme-court-ted-cruz-fec-bribery-campaign-finance-first-amendment-john-roberts-elena-kagan
May 16, 2022
Supreme Court sides with Ted Cruz, striking down cap on use of campaign funds to repay personal campaign loans
Fredreka Schouten byline
By Ariane de Vogue and Fredreka Schouten, CNN
Updated 11:21 AM ET, Mon May 16, 2022
Washington (CNN)The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in a case involving the use of campaign funds to repay personal campaign loans, dealing the latest blow to campaign finance regulations.
The court said that a federal cap on candidates using political contributions after the election to recoup personal loans made to their campaign was unconstitutional.
snip//
In her dissenting opinion, Kagan criticized the majority for ruling against a law that she said was meant to combat "a special danger of corruption" aimed at "political contributions that will line a candidate's own pockets."
more...
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/16/politics/supreme-court-campaign-funds-ted-cruz/index.html
SC sides with Ted Cruz, striking down cap on use of campaign funds to repay personal campaign loans
Supreme Court sides with Ted Cruz, striking down cap on use of campaign funds to repay personal campaign loans
Fredreka Schouten byline
By Ariane de Vogue and Fredreka Schouten, CNN
Updated 11:21 AM ET, Mon May 16, 2022
Washington (CNN)The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in a case involving the use of campaign funds to repay personal campaign loans, dealing the latest blow to campaign finance regulations.
The court said that a federal cap on candidates using political contributions after the election to recoup personal loans made to their campaign was unconstitutional.
snip//
In her dissenting opinion, Kagan criticized the majority for ruling against a law that she said was meant to combat "a special danger of corruption" aimed at "political contributions that will line a candidate's own pockets."
"In striking down the law today," she wrote, "the Court greenlights all the sordid bargains Congress thought right to stop. . . . In allowing those payments to go forward unrestrained, today's decision can only bring this country's political system into further disrepute."
more...
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/16/politics/supreme-court-campaign-funds-ted-cruz/index.html
May 16, 2022
17 hours ago
Melania Trump Continues Her White House Legacy: Bitter and Petty as Ever
Be best.
Inae Oh
Save for a few tacky NFTs that no one wanted to buy, things have been relatively quiet for Melania Trump since her husband lost the 2020 presidential election. But, surprise, a return to private life does not appear to have given way to much self-reflection. In fact, as evidenced in her first television interview since leaving the White House, the former first lady proved as bitter as ever, taking shots at Vogue and complaining about the state of the country.
“With your business background, your fashion background, and your beauty—never on the cover of Vogue,” Fox News host Pete Hegseth asked, pointing to the covers of Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, and Michelle Obama as apparent evidence that the media had been unfair to her. “Why the double standard?”
Elsewhere in the interview, Trump lamented over the “sad” state of the country under President Biden. “A lot of people are struggling and suffering,” Trump said. “It’s very sad to see and I hope it changes fast.” She also made sure to plug her NFT ventures. “My NFTs, they are available on MelaniaTrump.com and USMemorabilia.com.”
As for a potential return to the White House, “Never say never,” Trump appeared to tease. Downright chilling stuff.
Melania Trump Continues Her White House Legacy: Bitter and Petty as Ever
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/05/melania-trump-has-some-complaints-vogue-fox-news/17 hours ago
Melania Trump Continues Her White House Legacy: Bitter and Petty as Ever
Be best.
Inae Oh
Save for a few tacky NFTs that no one wanted to buy, things have been relatively quiet for Melania Trump since her husband lost the 2020 presidential election. But, surprise, a return to private life does not appear to have given way to much self-reflection. In fact, as evidenced in her first television interview since leaving the White House, the former first lady proved as bitter as ever, taking shots at Vogue and complaining about the state of the country.
“With your business background, your fashion background, and your beauty—never on the cover of Vogue,” Fox News host Pete Hegseth asked, pointing to the covers of Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, and Michelle Obama as apparent evidence that the media had been unfair to her. “Why the double standard?”
“They have likes and dislikes, and it’s so obvious,” Trump answered, indirectly accusing longtime editor Anna Wintour of being “biased” for never putting her on the cover while she was the first lady. Trump then claimed that she had “more important” issues to tend to during her time in the White House, which, of course, is dubious; Trump was largely seen as an absent first lady, even bored at the notion of public duty. And it remains unclear what, if anything, was ever done with her non-ironic anti-bullying campaign, “Be Best.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Trump lamented over the “sad” state of the country under President Biden. “A lot of people are struggling and suffering,” Trump said. “It’s very sad to see and I hope it changes fast.” She also made sure to plug her NFT ventures. “My NFTs, they are available on MelaniaTrump.com and USMemorabilia.com.”
As for a potential return to the White House, “Never say never,” Trump appeared to tease. Downright chilling stuff.
May 16, 2022
"What do you think about the event from yesterday which is the basis of our question today?" Echevarria wondered.
"And how does that relate to yesterday's event?" Echevarria pressed.
"OK. That's not yesterday's event you're talking about," the C-SPAN host pointed out. "How does that relate to yesterday's event?"
"OK," Echevarria stated. "You can't use language on that so we're going to cut you off right there."
CSPAN Caller Calls Host 'Racist' For Saying Buffalo Shooter Is White
Brain trusts. 
https://crooksandliars.com/2022/05/c-span-caller-accuses-host-being-racist
CSPAN Caller Calls Host 'Racist' For Saying Buffalo Shooter Is White
A Republican caller on C-SPAN's Washington Journal program accused host Pedro Echevarria of being a "racist," simply because he pointed out facts about the Buffalo shooter.
By David — May 16, 2022
A Republican caller on C-SPAN's Washington Journal program accused host Pedro Echevarria of being a "racist."
During the daily call-in show, Echevarria asked guests to react to a shooting in Buffalo that appeared to be a hate crime where most of the victims were Black.
"It's stir-the-pot Sunday," a Republican caller named John complained. "Trying to get everybody to hate each other on a Sunday. Like the first caller. He thinks white people are systematically out hunting Black people. I guess he doesn't watch channel 6 news in Philadelphia, where Blacks kill Blacks three, four in the middle of the afternoon."
"What do you think about the event from yesterday which is the basis of our question today?" Echevarria wondered.
"I don't think nothing of it!" John remarked. "Because I think you're just trying to start a race war. You had the guy in Wisconsin that ran over those Christians in that parade. They were all white. But that wasn't a race crime. OK? And then you just had the guy from Philadelphia that went to New York City and shot the people in the subway."
"And how does that relate to yesterday's event?" Echevarria pressed.
"How does it relate?" John exclaimed. "He is a racist! He went from Philadelphia to New York just to kill white people on a subway."
"OK. That's not yesterday's event you're talking about," the C-SPAN host pointed out. "How does that relate to yesterday's event?"
"You're a goddamn racist!" the caller shouted.
"OK," Echevarria stated. "You can't use language on that so we're going to cut you off right there."
May 15, 2022
Pennsylvania US Senate candidate Fetterman suffers stroke but says he's 'well on my way to a full recovery'
CNN Digital Expansion 2017
By Dan Merica, CNN
Updated 5:02 PM ET, Sun May 15, 2022
(CNN)John Fetterman, the favorite to win Pennsylvania's Democratic US Senate contest, announced Sunday that he's recovering after a stroke.
Fetterman is at the Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, according to a statement, which noted he first went to the hospital Friday.
Pennsylvania's primary is on Tuesday, and polls show Fetterman, Pennsylvania lieutenant governor, holding a significant lead over US Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta. Fetterman, who began canceling events on Friday, said Sunday he is continuing in the race.
"I had a stroke that was caused by a clot from my heart being in an A-fib rhythm for too long," he said, adding, "I'm feeling much better, and the doctors tell me I didn't suffer any cognitive damage. I'm well on my way to a full recovery."
He continued: "Our campaign isn't slowing down one bit, and we are still on track to win this primary on Tuesday, and flip this Senate seat in November."
more...
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/15/politics/fetterman-health-pennsylvania-senate-campaign/index.html
Pennsylvania US Senate candidate Fetterman suffers stroke...
Pennsylvania US Senate candidate Fetterman suffers stroke but says he's 'well on my way to a full recovery'
CNN Digital Expansion 2017
By Dan Merica, CNN
Updated 5:02 PM ET, Sun May 15, 2022
(CNN)John Fetterman, the favorite to win Pennsylvania's Democratic US Senate contest, announced Sunday that he's recovering after a stroke.
Fetterman is at the Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, according to a statement, which noted he first went to the hospital Friday.
Pennsylvania's primary is on Tuesday, and polls show Fetterman, Pennsylvania lieutenant governor, holding a significant lead over US Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta. Fetterman, who began canceling events on Friday, said Sunday he is continuing in the race.
"I had a stroke that was caused by a clot from my heart being in an A-fib rhythm for too long," he said, adding, "I'm feeling much better, and the doctors tell me I didn't suffer any cognitive damage. I'm well on my way to a full recovery."
He continued: "Our campaign isn't slowing down one bit, and we are still on track to win this primary on Tuesday, and flip this Senate seat in November."
more...
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/15/politics/fetterman-health-pennsylvania-senate-campaign/index.html
May 15, 2022
How America Lost One Million People
May 15, 2022 at 8:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
How America Lost One Million People
https://politicalwire.com/2022/05/15/how-america-lost-one-million-people/How America Lost One Million People
May 15, 2022 at 8:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
New York Times: “The magnitude of the country’s loss is nearly impossible to grasp.”
“More Americans have died of Covid-19 than in two decades of car crashes or on battlefields in all of the country’s wars combined.”
“Experts say deaths were all but inevitable from a new virus of such severity and transmissibility. Yet, one million dead is a stunning toll, even for a country the size of the United States, and the true number is almost certainly higher because of undercounting.”
“It is the result of many factors, including elected officials who played down the threat posed by the coronavirus and resisted safety measures; a decentralized, overburdened health care system that struggled with testing, tracing and treatment; and lower vaccination and booster rates than other rich countries, partly the result of widespread mistrust and resistance fanned by right-wing media and politicians.”
“More Americans have died of Covid-19 than in two decades of car crashes or on battlefields in all of the country’s wars combined.”
“Experts say deaths were all but inevitable from a new virus of such severity and transmissibility. Yet, one million dead is a stunning toll, even for a country the size of the United States, and the true number is almost certainly higher because of undercounting.”
“It is the result of many factors, including elected officials who played down the threat posed by the coronavirus and resisted safety measures; a decentralized, overburdened health care system that struggled with testing, tracing and treatment; and lower vaccination and booster rates than other rich countries, partly the result of widespread mistrust and resistance fanned by right-wing media and politicians.”
May 14, 2022
Altercation: How Republicans Argue: They Lie
Which the media generally doesn’t bother to point out (or contrast what they say with the truth) after quoting them
by Eric Alterman
May 13, 2022
snip//
The second piece of meta-context to always keep in mind when reading about U.S. politics is how deeply the contemporary right wing is embedded with the enemies of democracy, including its murderous dictators. It’s not just that CPAC is having its convention in Victor Orban’s Hungary. Nor is it just that Fox News is a more effective propaganda tool for Vladimir Putin than RT ever was. It’s also that the Republicans keep nominating candidates who are either personally, financially, or via their staffs playing for Putin’s team as well. It wasn’t just Trump and the people with whom he peopled the government. It was, as Steve Schmidt revealed this week, also John McCain, something that was originally reported by The Nation back during the 2008 campaign but lied about by the campaign and ignored by the McCain-besotted mainstream media. That article noted, and Schmidt has now confirmed, that “despite McCain’s tough talk, behind the scenes his top advisers have cultivated deep ties with Russia’s oligarchy—indeed, they have promoted the Kremlin’s geopolitical and economic interests, as well as some of its most unsavory business figures, through greedy cynicism and geopolitical stupor.” (If one wants to be really cruel or learn something important about the psychology of the Washington press corps, go back and read the loving coverage offered to McCain in real time. I wrote about that here, again, back in 2008, and here, two years later. I’ve got more, but that’s enough for now.)
The third and among the most important meta-media-related factors never to forget in contemporary political reporting is the mass addiction of contemporary conservatives to the practice of “bald-faced lying.” (I’m using the term in its philosophical senses.) This compulsion is evident even among many who profess distaste for Trump’s brand of dishonesty. Look, for instance, at this Peggy Noonan column in The Wall Street Journal. In support of her nutty contention that a leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion—which is not even against the law—is somehow the equivalent of a murderous insurrection designed to overthrow the government of the United States, Noonan argues, “Other high court decisions that liberalized the social order—desegregation of schools, elimination of prayer in the schools, interracial marriage, gay marriage—were followed by public acceptance, even when the rulings were very unpopular.” I suppose it is conceivable that Noonan—a regular not only in the Journal but also on NBC News’s Meet the Press—is so ignorant of history that she is unaware that the case she picks first—desegregation of schools—was met with what was proudly called “massive resistance” in the South up to and including one district in Virginia shutting down its entire public school system rather than comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Now, Noonan may just be nuts. There is certainly evidence to support this view. But she has editors and copy editors and other people—researchers, I imagine—who help her produce her columns. Most likely, all of these people have gone to college and are at least minimally familiar with the history of the United States in the second half of the 20th century. So the only explanation for her ridiculous contention is that Peggy feels she has a license to lie. And it doesn’t even matter if her readers know she is lying. That’s the beauty of the bald-faced lie. The truth doesn’t matter. What matters are the politics and in this case, it’s a neat combination of racism and anti-feminism tied together by know-nothingism: a pretty good, albeit partial, description of the contemporary Republican Party. (I’ve no space to get into personal corruption, for example.)
snip//
Republicans know they cannot win without lying. And they know that most of the time, the media will “both sides” their lies to the point where citizens cannot discern what’s true and what’s not (to the degree that they are sufficiently engaged with old-fashioned politics even to care). And so Republicans resist all attempts to address the issue, no matter how vulnerable it leaves the rest of us to violent extremists, both from within and without. It’s actually amazing to me, as I write these words, the degree to which conservatives have become virtually carbon copies of the enemies that so excited them during the Cold War. I haven’t watched this crappy movie for a long time, but if it were being made honestly today, it would be called I Was a Republican … well, the FBI is not allowed to look into this kind of thing either.
We are really screwed.
Altercation: How Republicans Argue: They Lie
https://prospect.org/politics/altercation-how-republicans-argue-they-lie/Altercation: How Republicans Argue: They Lie
Which the media generally doesn’t bother to point out (or contrast what they say with the truth) after quoting them
by Eric Alterman
May 13, 2022
snip//
The second piece of meta-context to always keep in mind when reading about U.S. politics is how deeply the contemporary right wing is embedded with the enemies of democracy, including its murderous dictators. It’s not just that CPAC is having its convention in Victor Orban’s Hungary. Nor is it just that Fox News is a more effective propaganda tool for Vladimir Putin than RT ever was. It’s also that the Republicans keep nominating candidates who are either personally, financially, or via their staffs playing for Putin’s team as well. It wasn’t just Trump and the people with whom he peopled the government. It was, as Steve Schmidt revealed this week, also John McCain, something that was originally reported by The Nation back during the 2008 campaign but lied about by the campaign and ignored by the McCain-besotted mainstream media. That article noted, and Schmidt has now confirmed, that “despite McCain’s tough talk, behind the scenes his top advisers have cultivated deep ties with Russia’s oligarchy—indeed, they have promoted the Kremlin’s geopolitical and economic interests, as well as some of its most unsavory business figures, through greedy cynicism and geopolitical stupor.” (If one wants to be really cruel or learn something important about the psychology of the Washington press corps, go back and read the loving coverage offered to McCain in real time. I wrote about that here, again, back in 2008, and here, two years later. I’ve got more, but that’s enough for now.)
The third and among the most important meta-media-related factors never to forget in contemporary political reporting is the mass addiction of contemporary conservatives to the practice of “bald-faced lying.” (I’m using the term in its philosophical senses.) This compulsion is evident even among many who profess distaste for Trump’s brand of dishonesty. Look, for instance, at this Peggy Noonan column in The Wall Street Journal. In support of her nutty contention that a leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion—which is not even against the law—is somehow the equivalent of a murderous insurrection designed to overthrow the government of the United States, Noonan argues, “Other high court decisions that liberalized the social order—desegregation of schools, elimination of prayer in the schools, interracial marriage, gay marriage—were followed by public acceptance, even when the rulings were very unpopular.” I suppose it is conceivable that Noonan—a regular not only in the Journal but also on NBC News’s Meet the Press—is so ignorant of history that she is unaware that the case she picks first—desegregation of schools—was met with what was proudly called “massive resistance” in the South up to and including one district in Virginia shutting down its entire public school system rather than comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Now, Noonan may just be nuts. There is certainly evidence to support this view. But she has editors and copy editors and other people—researchers, I imagine—who help her produce her columns. Most likely, all of these people have gone to college and are at least minimally familiar with the history of the United States in the second half of the 20th century. So the only explanation for her ridiculous contention is that Peggy feels she has a license to lie. And it doesn’t even matter if her readers know she is lying. That’s the beauty of the bald-faced lie. The truth doesn’t matter. What matters are the politics and in this case, it’s a neat combination of racism and anti-feminism tied together by know-nothingism: a pretty good, albeit partial, description of the contemporary Republican Party. (I’ve no space to get into personal corruption, for example.)
snip//
Republicans know they cannot win without lying. And they know that most of the time, the media will “both sides” their lies to the point where citizens cannot discern what’s true and what’s not (to the degree that they are sufficiently engaged with old-fashioned politics even to care). And so Republicans resist all attempts to address the issue, no matter how vulnerable it leaves the rest of us to violent extremists, both from within and without. It’s actually amazing to me, as I write these words, the degree to which conservatives have become virtually carbon copies of the enemies that so excited them during the Cold War. I haven’t watched this crappy movie for a long time, but if it were being made honestly today, it would be called I Was a Republican … well, the FBI is not allowed to look into this kind of thing either.
We are really screwed.
May 14, 2022
Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board Says GOP Candidates Are Too Nuts to Endorse
‘SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS’
Justin Rohrlich
Reporter
Published May. 13, 2022 9:45PM ET
Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board Says GOP Candidates Are Too Nuts to Endorse
https://www.thedailybeast.com/philadelphia-inquirer-editorial-board-says-gop-are-too-insane-to-endorse-anyone-for-governor-or-senate?ref=homePhiladelphia Inquirer Editorial Board Says GOP Candidates Are Too Nuts to Endorse
‘SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS’
Justin Rohrlich
Reporter
Published May. 13, 2022 9:45PM ET
Pennsylvania will be holding primaries for governor and senator on Tuesday, but The Philadelphia Inquirer won’t be endorsing any Republicans this year because the paper says none are “operating in the same reality.” In a blistering editorial on Friday, the board said that while it has historically leaned toward Democrats, it has also endorsed Republicans “even when a candidate’s views didn’t exactly align” with their own. However, when sending out surveys to Pennsylvania GOP candidates in the Senate primary, only one would even acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. “How do you find points of agreement when you can’t reach common ground on facts so basic that they could be used in a field sobriety test?” the editorial board wrote. And although the GOPers in this year’s gubernatorial primary conceded that Trump’s lie about winning was, and continues to be, a lie, their extreme views on abortion were dubbed a “sad state of affairs” by the editorial board.
May 14, 2022
The Rude Pundit
Proudly lowering the level of political discourse
5/11/2022
A Case for Letting Trump Back on Twitter: I Know, But Listen...
I know, I know, I fucking know. I remember that tense feeling, somewhere between shit-yourself anxiety and stroke-inducing rage, of wondering what deliberate, fuck-up-your-day provocation Donald Trump had tweeted. Of course, if you're of a devolved or brain-damaged or cynical mindset, you looked forward to the Trump tweets like they were worms disgorged from Daddy Bird's beak into your hungry, squawking throats. And then the rest of us would get extra rage jolts from the idea that all the greedy-mouthed baby birds were loving this whole situation.
So I'm not here to tell you that Donald Trump should be allowed back on Twitter because of free speech or censorship or whatever. Twitter is not a government entity. Trump wasn't banned for being conservative. He was banned for being a lying dick. His First Amendment rights weren't violated. No one is passing a law saying he should be punished for being a lying dick. He's free to be a lying dick in lots of places, and, well, he totally is. So, no, I don't actually give a fuck about Trump being banned. I've been tossed from shitty bars for being less of a dick and I wasn't a whiny bitch about it. I just figured it was the bar owner's prerogative and went to the next bar.
But now we're hearing that potential future Twitter owner Elon Musk (motto: "I'm not a megalomaniacal sociopath with delusions of world domination. Society just needs to bend to my will." ) would allow Trump back onto the social media platform that runs many of our lives. And former CEO and Twitter co-founder Jack "Totally not a supervillain beard" Dorsey agreed with Musk, calling the decision to ban Trump something that should be reversed because the situation has "evolved." It bears saying that the reason Trump was finally banned was because he had helped foment an insurrection against the United States, but, hey, that was over a year ago. No big.
Already the debate is under way about whether a freed Trump twittering away will destroy the country or destroy Republicans. Jill Filipovic makes a ton of good points, as she usually does, in a CNN column about how Trump drove the news cycle, in part through his Twitter feed, during the 2016 election, encouraging his debased troll army of followers, leading to both his election and the 2021 insurrection. In Slate, Richard Hasen sees the corrosive effect of a tweeting Trump on election laws and voter rights, arguing that Twitter employees should raise hell to make sure he's not allowed to return. On the flip side, Democrats and others have said that Trump's tweets will remind everyone of what an abject cockscab he is and that will work for Democrats.
more...
https://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2022/05/a-case-for-letting-trump-back-on.html
The Rude Pundit: A Case for Letting Trump Back on Twitter: I Know, But Listen...
https://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2022/05/a-case-for-letting-trump-back-on.htmlThe Rude Pundit
Proudly lowering the level of political discourse
5/11/2022
A Case for Letting Trump Back on Twitter: I Know, But Listen...
I know, I know, I fucking know. I remember that tense feeling, somewhere between shit-yourself anxiety and stroke-inducing rage, of wondering what deliberate, fuck-up-your-day provocation Donald Trump had tweeted. Of course, if you're of a devolved or brain-damaged or cynical mindset, you looked forward to the Trump tweets like they were worms disgorged from Daddy Bird's beak into your hungry, squawking throats. And then the rest of us would get extra rage jolts from the idea that all the greedy-mouthed baby birds were loving this whole situation.
So I'm not here to tell you that Donald Trump should be allowed back on Twitter because of free speech or censorship or whatever. Twitter is not a government entity. Trump wasn't banned for being conservative. He was banned for being a lying dick. His First Amendment rights weren't violated. No one is passing a law saying he should be punished for being a lying dick. He's free to be a lying dick in lots of places, and, well, he totally is. So, no, I don't actually give a fuck about Trump being banned. I've been tossed from shitty bars for being less of a dick and I wasn't a whiny bitch about it. I just figured it was the bar owner's prerogative and went to the next bar.
But now we're hearing that potential future Twitter owner Elon Musk (motto: "I'm not a megalomaniacal sociopath with delusions of world domination. Society just needs to bend to my will." ) would allow Trump back onto the social media platform that runs many of our lives. And former CEO and Twitter co-founder Jack "Totally not a supervillain beard" Dorsey agreed with Musk, calling the decision to ban Trump something that should be reversed because the situation has "evolved." It bears saying that the reason Trump was finally banned was because he had helped foment an insurrection against the United States, but, hey, that was over a year ago. No big.
Already the debate is under way about whether a freed Trump twittering away will destroy the country or destroy Republicans. Jill Filipovic makes a ton of good points, as she usually does, in a CNN column about how Trump drove the news cycle, in part through his Twitter feed, during the 2016 election, encouraging his debased troll army of followers, leading to both his election and the 2021 insurrection. In Slate, Richard Hasen sees the corrosive effect of a tweeting Trump on election laws and voter rights, arguing that Twitter employees should raise hell to make sure he's not allowed to return. On the flip side, Democrats and others have said that Trump's tweets will remind everyone of what an abject cockscab he is and that will work for Democrats.
more...
https://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2022/05/a-case-for-letting-trump-back-on.html
May 14, 2022
https://politicalwire.com/2022/05/13/ted-cruz-mocks-republicans-who-suck-up-to-trump/
Ted Cruz Mocks Republicans Who Suck Up to Trump
May 13, 2022 at 7:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard
Ted Cruz Mocks Republicans Who Suck Up to Trump
https://politicalwire.com/2022/05/13/ted-cruz-mocks-republicans-who-suck-up-to-trump/
Ted Cruz Mocks Republicans Who Suck Up to Trump
May 13, 2022 at 7:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) mocked Republicans for sucking up to Donald Trump while campaigning in Pennsylvania for U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick (R).
Said Cruz: “Just once, I’d love to see a Republican candidate stand up in a primary and say, ‘I am a moderate, establishment squish. I stand for absolutely nothing.’ It would be refreshingly honest at least. But nobody says that.”
He added: “And by the way, they all pledge their love for Donald Trump. ‘I love Donald Trump.’ “No, no. I love Donald Trump more.’ ‘No, no, I have Donald Trump tattooed on my rear end.’”
Said Cruz: “Just once, I’d love to see a Republican candidate stand up in a primary and say, ‘I am a moderate, establishment squish. I stand for absolutely nothing.’ It would be refreshingly honest at least. But nobody says that.”
He added: “And by the way, they all pledge their love for Donald Trump. ‘I love Donald Trump.’ “No, no. I love Donald Trump more.’ ‘No, no, I have Donald Trump tattooed on my rear end.’”
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