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lees1975
lees1975's Journal
lees1975's Journal
May 20, 2022
Marjorie Taylor Green might have won a conservative congressional district in the deep South, in Georgia, but Tim Ryan is banking on the fact that her conspiracy theories and her nutcase politics won't play well in Cleveland, or Columbus or Cincinnati or Akron. Or Zanesville.
And I'm fairly certain that they won't.
Oh, I am sure there are plenty of Ohioans who buy into everything that Greene thinks represents the real world. It's a poison that a lot of people can't seem to resist the temptation to resist, and just because you live in Ohio doesn't mean you aren't susceptible to being gullible or ignorant. But Ohioans don't see all of the things she does or says, especially the extremist rhetoric based on conspiracy theories that can't be reconciled with any existing or known fact. I knew she was a nutcase lunatic, but some of what he features in his commercial is as bad and as crazy as anything she says. And playing, and replaying, Vance's endorsement and approval of her is a great way to help people make the connection.
Here's the kind of political ad I like to see Democrats run
https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2022/05/new-tim-ryan-for-senate-ad-is-exactly.htmlMarjorie Taylor Green might have won a conservative congressional district in the deep South, in Georgia, but Tim Ryan is banking on the fact that her conspiracy theories and her nutcase politics won't play well in Cleveland, or Columbus or Cincinnati or Akron. Or Zanesville.
And I'm fairly certain that they won't.
Oh, I am sure there are plenty of Ohioans who buy into everything that Greene thinks represents the real world. It's a poison that a lot of people can't seem to resist the temptation to resist, and just because you live in Ohio doesn't mean you aren't susceptible to being gullible or ignorant. But Ohioans don't see all of the things she does or says, especially the extremist rhetoric based on conspiracy theories that can't be reconciled with any existing or known fact. I knew she was a nutcase lunatic, but some of what he features in his commercial is as bad and as crazy as anything she says. And playing, and replaying, Vance's endorsement and approval of her is a great way to help people make the connection.
May 19, 2022
John Fetterman's chances of flipping Pat Toomey's senate seat to the Democratic party just got even greater the day after the primary as Kathy Barnette, who finished third on the GOP side, declared she would not support either of the other Republican candidates who are waiting on the results of a statewide recount to find out if they are the Republican nominee.
What a wonderful thing it is to see a bona fide extremist right winger go after Sean Hannity following a primary election loss. That kind of honesty from a right wing extremist is rare. Of course she's just resentful and angry that Hannity didn't take her side and in spite of the fact that she, Hannity, McCormick and Oz are not all that far apart in their extremist views. But, here we have a right wing extremist whose words and actions post-election are publicly questioning Hannity's credibility and refusing to support the party's nominee, including the former failed President 45's hand-picked endorsement. That's quite a wide crack in Republican la-la land.
Cracks appearing and widening in GOP; Hannity smacked down
https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2022/05/barnette-loses-pennsylvania-senate.htmlJohn Fetterman's chances of flipping Pat Toomey's senate seat to the Democratic party just got even greater the day after the primary as Kathy Barnette, who finished third on the GOP side, declared she would not support either of the other Republican candidates who are waiting on the results of a statewide recount to find out if they are the Republican nominee.
What a wonderful thing it is to see a bona fide extremist right winger go after Sean Hannity following a primary election loss. That kind of honesty from a right wing extremist is rare. Of course she's just resentful and angry that Hannity didn't take her side and in spite of the fact that she, Hannity, McCormick and Oz are not all that far apart in their extremist views. But, here we have a right wing extremist whose words and actions post-election are publicly questioning Hannity's credibility and refusing to support the party's nominee, including the former failed President 45's hand-picked endorsement. That's quite a wide crack in Republican la-la land.
May 18, 2022
It's no longer politics as usual. We can't keep doing the same thing, hoping to turn people out to vote and that they will listen to the issues and we'll keep a majority. It is time to turn the tables, throw a fit and claim back territory that has been given up which, if the minority keeps it, will lead to the loss of our democracy.
Democrats have to start taking the conservative social agenda seriously. We're not talking about a fringe of extremists. We just had an eighteen year old white supremacist plan and conduct a mass shooting in a supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood three hours from his home because he believes white people are being "replaced" by black people, instigated by the Jews, for their own purposes. And a significant percentage of those who self identify as Republicans, 50% of them, claim they believe what he stated in his "manifesto." We can't be policy wonks, arguing the lack of virtue or idiocy of such an idea. We have to use the tools we have at hand to take any kind of political power out of the hands of people like that.
When was the last time you went to a protest at a Trump rally?
Democrats need to get with the times
https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2022/05/time-for-democrats-to-get-with-times.htmlIt's no longer politics as usual. We can't keep doing the same thing, hoping to turn people out to vote and that they will listen to the issues and we'll keep a majority. It is time to turn the tables, throw a fit and claim back territory that has been given up which, if the minority keeps it, will lead to the loss of our democracy.
Democrats have to start taking the conservative social agenda seriously. We're not talking about a fringe of extremists. We just had an eighteen year old white supremacist plan and conduct a mass shooting in a supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood three hours from his home because he believes white people are being "replaced" by black people, instigated by the Jews, for their own purposes. And a significant percentage of those who self identify as Republicans, 50% of them, claim they believe what he stated in his "manifesto." We can't be policy wonks, arguing the lack of virtue or idiocy of such an idea. We have to use the tools we have at hand to take any kind of political power out of the hands of people like that.
When was the last time you went to a protest at a Trump rally?
May 14, 2022
1. The "failed" troop withdrawal from Afghanistan was Biden's fault.
2. Any effort at racial reconciliation or social justice reform is "CRT".
3. The 2020 election results in many states need to be audited and re-counted because they do not accurately reflect the will of the voter.
4. The Mexican border is a disaster.
If I hear this one more time, I'm going to scream
https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2022/05/if-i-hear-this-one-more-time-im-going.html1. The "failed" troop withdrawal from Afghanistan was Biden's fault.
2. Any effort at racial reconciliation or social justice reform is "CRT".
3. The 2020 election results in many states need to be audited and re-counted because they do not accurately reflect the will of the voter.
4. The Mexican border is a disaster.
May 12, 2022
This was too good not to repeat and put back with some additional commentary.
But as bad as it was then, it has become a cult that has completely overtaken many Evangelical churches now. In 2016, in the middle of a sermon in an Evangelical church, I'd had enough. I'd been a member there for five years, but patience had been wearing thin with references to extremist right wing politics, and then, as Trump entered the Presidential race, efforts to paint him in a more "Christian" light. This sermon featured an outright endorsement. I looked at my wife and at that moment, decided that courtesy was not required. We got up, gathered our stuff and walked out, and I noticed one other couple doing the same. That was the tipping point. But beyond that, we never returned, but not a single person with whom we had shared fellowship in church for five years called to see what was wrong. That confirmed we'd made the right decision.
In finding a congregation in which to worship, we discovered just how bad it had become. After observing a decades long fight in our denomination over the words "inerrant and infallible" being applied to the Bible, we found churches in which scripture passages were either distorted beyond recognition and out of context, or simply set aside in favor of a political diatribe. And I don't use the term "diatribe" in an exaggerated manner. Right wing politics is so much a part of the culture of most white, conservative Evangelical churches that the members cannot distinguish Biblical truth from political propaganda in the pastor's sermon. The "conversion" experience that is being sought is to convert members of the congregation to cast their ballot for right wing politicians.
Yes, it is that bad.
Christian Churches hijacked by politics are becoming a cult
https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2022/05/could-this-be-why-most-evangelical.htmlThis was too good not to repeat and put back with some additional commentary.
But as bad as it was then, it has become a cult that has completely overtaken many Evangelical churches now. In 2016, in the middle of a sermon in an Evangelical church, I'd had enough. I'd been a member there for five years, but patience had been wearing thin with references to extremist right wing politics, and then, as Trump entered the Presidential race, efforts to paint him in a more "Christian" light. This sermon featured an outright endorsement. I looked at my wife and at that moment, decided that courtesy was not required. We got up, gathered our stuff and walked out, and I noticed one other couple doing the same. That was the tipping point. But beyond that, we never returned, but not a single person with whom we had shared fellowship in church for five years called to see what was wrong. That confirmed we'd made the right decision.
In finding a congregation in which to worship, we discovered just how bad it had become. After observing a decades long fight in our denomination over the words "inerrant and infallible" being applied to the Bible, we found churches in which scripture passages were either distorted beyond recognition and out of context, or simply set aside in favor of a political diatribe. And I don't use the term "diatribe" in an exaggerated manner. Right wing politics is so much a part of the culture of most white, conservative Evangelical churches that the members cannot distinguish Biblical truth from political propaganda in the pastor's sermon. The "conversion" experience that is being sought is to convert members of the congregation to cast their ballot for right wing politicians.
Yes, it is that bad.
May 11, 2022
Polls now breaking in favor of Democrats on generic ballot
What a difference a leaked brief makes!
Of six polls taken between May 3rd and 9th, only one, an 800 participant, B-C rated OnMessage poll, had the Republicans at +1 on the generic ballot. The other 5, which included a B+ YouGov of 1,361 registered voters that had the Democrats at +2, and a 2,000 registered voter Morning Consult B rated also at +2, two Engine insights and two additional YouGov polls, were ranging from +3 to +5, respectively.
That's a ten point swing in three weeks. An Ipsos from May 8th, 2,000 registered voters and rated A, has it at 51-42 Democrats. That's the most recent.
If you like really good news, take a look at how Mark Kelly is polling against any of the right wing nuts in Arizona. Average lead is in double digits.
May 10, 2022
As a Christian, I believe that abortion is a wrong choice. Medical advance has made it relatively safe physically, and so it has become a birth control option among many. I consider life as a gift, sacred and precious, and the birth of a child, something planned, prepared for, and welcomed. My belief is rooted in the Christian scripture of the New Testament, around the teaching of Christ regarding marriage.
But if the rights of some individuals who are not Christian, or who do not practice any religion, can be taken away, so can the rights of anyone else the majority doesn't particularly like or favor. That's tyranny, by definition. Who's to say that a future congressional majority down the road might not have much of a liking for Baptists, or Episcopalians, or Hottentots or tongue-talking Pentecostals? The number of Americans who worship in a church of any kind on any given Sunday has now dropped into the mid-30% range.
On Abortion and Abortion Rights from a Christian perspective
https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2022/05/on-abortion-and-abortion-rights.htmlAs a Christian, I believe that abortion is a wrong choice. Medical advance has made it relatively safe physically, and so it has become a birth control option among many. I consider life as a gift, sacred and precious, and the birth of a child, something planned, prepared for, and welcomed. My belief is rooted in the Christian scripture of the New Testament, around the teaching of Christ regarding marriage.
But if the rights of some individuals who are not Christian, or who do not practice any religion, can be taken away, so can the rights of anyone else the majority doesn't particularly like or favor. That's tyranny, by definition. Who's to say that a future congressional majority down the road might not have much of a liking for Baptists, or Episcopalians, or Hottentots or tongue-talking Pentecostals? The number of Americans who worship in a church of any kind on any given Sunday has now dropped into the mid-30% range.
May 10, 2022
I really hate to admit that Failed President 45 was right about anything, but...
he sure hit the nail on the head when he called Ted Cruz, "Lyin' Ted."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ted-cruz-gets-busted-by-ted-cruz-as-his-own-words-come-back-to-haunt-him/ar-AAX5qdk?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=37ceddf9cfe6470b964afa619f680a59
It's not possible to take this guy seriously. This has to be an act, no one could be that duplicitous on purpose.
May 6, 2022
I know this has been out there for a while, but there are a couple of aspects of this that indicate the high level of risk of our ability to keep our democracy. I can understand that people might actually cast votes for this guy, by name and reputation and for no other reason. But we need to have a government that works, and people who are committed to making it do that.
He doesn't have a clue. And he shouldn't be elected.
It's a sign of just how desperate the Republicans have become, that they need a big name rather than skills, experience and intelligence, in a candidate in the state of Georgia. The question would be more about who is actually calling the shots with him than about any political decisions he would make. He'd just be an automatic robot vote, which is exactly what Mitch McConnell wants, though it appears that it would be possible to goad or trick him into voting a different way.
An Educated Electorate is the Key to Successful Democracy
https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2022/05/this-is-just-incredible.htmlI know this has been out there for a while, but there are a couple of aspects of this that indicate the high level of risk of our ability to keep our democracy. I can understand that people might actually cast votes for this guy, by name and reputation and for no other reason. But we need to have a government that works, and people who are committed to making it do that.
He doesn't have a clue. And he shouldn't be elected.
It's a sign of just how desperate the Republicans have become, that they need a big name rather than skills, experience and intelligence, in a candidate in the state of Georgia. The question would be more about who is actually calling the shots with him than about any political decisions he would make. He'd just be an automatic robot vote, which is exactly what Mitch McConnell wants, though it appears that it would be possible to goad or trick him into voting a different way.
May 4, 2022
The record is clear on both Justices. They did indeed tell Collins that they believe Roe was settled law, and that the landmark decision was safe. That's all she needed to hear to vote for their confirmation.
To have two justices on the nation's highest court who were duplicitous, being dishonest to gain personal advantage, undermines the whole justice system and every value on which it is built. If they were uncertain about decisions they would make, which would be understandable given the nature of everything the Supreme Court does, they should have been honest with her, knowing that she met with them specifically over this question. If there was any doubt at all that they could not take that position, or that they wouldn't take it, they should have said so.
It's water under the bridge at this point, except that it is just one more example of the duplicity and mendacious nature of being a Republican in America in the 21st century. Conservative critics of those who wore masks and got vaccinated during the pandemic like to call them "sheep" in derision of their opinion. I'd suggest that those who ignore the lies and the corruption and continue to support Republicans like this in office are cattle, waiting for the next person to come along and tell them what to think and do, and how to vote.
Add Lying to a US Senator from your own party to the list of GOP actions considered "OK"
https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2022/05/as-senator-collins-gets-lesson-in-trust.htmlThe record is clear on both Justices. They did indeed tell Collins that they believe Roe was settled law, and that the landmark decision was safe. That's all she needed to hear to vote for their confirmation.
To have two justices on the nation's highest court who were duplicitous, being dishonest to gain personal advantage, undermines the whole justice system and every value on which it is built. If they were uncertain about decisions they would make, which would be understandable given the nature of everything the Supreme Court does, they should have been honest with her, knowing that she met with them specifically over this question. If there was any doubt at all that they could not take that position, or that they wouldn't take it, they should have said so.
It's water under the bridge at this point, except that it is just one more example of the duplicity and mendacious nature of being a Republican in America in the 21st century. Conservative critics of those who wore masks and got vaccinated during the pandemic like to call them "sheep" in derision of their opinion. I'd suggest that those who ignore the lies and the corruption and continue to support Republicans like this in office are cattle, waiting for the next person to come along and tell them what to think and do, and how to vote.
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Member since: Wed Dec 25, 2019, 01:02 AM
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