Politics Discussion

[tampa24]

Here's today's take on Sen. Josh Hawley. It encapsulates much of what could be said of so many other bad actors who call themselves Republicans and trade in false conspiracy theories and lies for their own political benefit. Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, Rudy Giuliani, DJTJ and many others.

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The Week

GOP Sen. Josh Hawley loses book deal, mentor, major donor after Capitol assault, gains 2 scathing editorials

Peter Weber

Fri, January 8, 2021, 12:39 AM EST

If Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) thought leading the small band of Republican senators to challenge President-elect Joe Biden's electoral victory on Wednesday would benefit him politically, it appears the opposite happened.

On Thursday, political mentor former Sen. John Danforth (R-Mo.) called supporting Hawley's Senate bid "the worst mistake I ever made in my life," a GOP donor who gave millions to his campaigns denounced him as "a political opportunist willing to subvert the Constitution," Simon & Schuster canceled his book deal, and Missouri's two biggest newspapers called on him to resign immediately.

Manuel Quinones
@ManuelQ

Jan 6
From our Francis Chung, Sen. Josh Hawley greeting protesters in the east side of the Capitol before riots began.



"If Hawley had shown any evidence that there’s a conscience in there somewhere, underneath the ambition and the artifice and the uncommon combo of striving and laziness that he's somehow made work for him," he'd resign, The Kansas City Star said in an editorial. "We can't appeal to a sense of decency that doesn't exist. But we can say that Hawley, who gave a raised fist of encouragement to the likes of that proud lout who put his feet up on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk, cannot continue to be our man in Washington, and so will have to be expelled." The Senate, the Star editorialists added, "must do more than censure his treasonous behavior."

"Hawley's tardy, cover-his-ass condemnation of the violence ranks at the top of his substantial list of phony, smarmy, and politically expedient declarations," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said in an editorial. "Hawley's presidential aspirations have been flushed down the toilet because of his role in instigating Wednesday's assault on democracy. He should do Missourians and the rest of the country a big favor and resign now."

Joplin businessman David Humphreys, who personally and with his family largely bankrolled Hawley's state attorney general and Senate races, told the Missouri Independent on Thursday that Hawley "has shown his true colors as an anti-democracy populist by supporting Trump's false claim of a 'stolen election,'" and urged the Senate to censure him.

Simon & Schuster, meanwhile, said it "cannot support Sen. Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom."



Hawley said Simon & Schuster was making a "direct assault on the First Amendment" and threatened to sue for breach of contract.

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Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-sen-josh-hawley-loses-053931620.html

 

[Jaybifla]

It seems when it’s all said and done, Josh Hawley might end up being a Broke Straight Boys

 

[tampa24]

Lol

 

[tampa24]

I'm so happy to hear of Twitter's decision to permanently suspend Trump's account!

Twitter is like his drug of choice. It's where he goes to have his temper tantrums when he shows his true colors as an emotionally stunted 3 year old whiny spoiled brat. So when he wants to bully somebody, call them puerile elementary school playground names...or whine like the the thin-skinned little bitch that he really is, spread and repeat more lies, etc...he won't be able to pick up his phone and immediately make it happen. I could almost piss for joy! haha I predict that that particular severing of communication with his base will do more to get under his skin and piss him off than many people realize.

I'm almost happier about that than I am to hear that articles of impeachment will be officially brought up on him as early as Monday. Almost.

 

[tampa24]

I love this response on Twitter to the insurrectionist Josh Hawley who is whining about the loss of his book deal and his outrage over the supposed trampling of his First Amendment rights as a citizen. Along with his threat to take the publisher to court. This is especially rich given that he is supposed to be a hyper-educated Constitutional lawyer. Someone on Morning Joe said that he might be the stupidest person ever to graduate from Stanford and Yale. He knows that The First Amendment doesn't mean that private companies have to publish all your work. Nor do private companies have to tolerate any hate speech you choose to spout on their private platforms because of any legal obligation to protect your rights of free speech. Nor do other member of private platforms have to be a captive audience to whatever vile things someone else feels like saying.

I'm reminded of certain other members who have been banned in the forum in the past. A guy with a name sounding like something oval for instance. Someone like that who is emotionally unstable, bullies other paying members, makes borderline physical threats against other members and even models...and then cries foul at the threat of being banned because, "This is a free country. I have the legal right to free speech. It's illegal for you to try to deny me my free speech in here..." Yada, yada, yada. People like that get shown the door. And no amount of protest or threats of lawsuits will help them.

And the crazy thing about Josh Hawley is that he knows all that. (Or at least he certainly should.) But he is trying to further incite the right wing conspiracy theory mob by playing an unfairly mistreated martyr himself. If I were any of his former law professors at Yale, I would be appalled and embarrassed for the reputation of the school. He is not doing anything to add to the prestige, value, or the supposed rigorous high standard of academic and intellectual achievement required in order to attain a Yale law degree. Based on Hawley's behavior and his warped interpretation of the First Amendment, can you get a Yale law degree by paying a ton of money and simply printing it off of a computer terminal or pulling it out of a Cracker Jack box? haha

 

[Repareur]

These were just too rich not to share.

 

[tampa24]

This is chilling the way the people at Twitter headquarters itself interpreted Trump's final tweets before suspending him permanently.

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Permanent suspension of @realDonaldTrump

By Twitter Inc.
Friday, 8 January 2021


After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.

In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action. Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly. It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open.

However, we made it clear going back years that these accounts are not above our rules entirely and cannot use Twitter to incite violence, among other things. We will continue to be transparent around our policies and their enforcement.

The below is a comprehensive analysis of our policy enforcement approach in this case.

Overview

On January 8, 2021, President Donald J. Trump tweeted:

“The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”

Shortly thereafter, the President tweeted:

“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”

Due to the ongoing tensions in the United States, and an uptick in the global conversation in regards to the people who violently stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, these two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President’s statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks. After assessing the language in these Tweets against our Glorification of Violence policy, we have determined that these Tweets are in violation of the Glorification of Violence Policy and the user @realDonaldTrump should be immediately permanently suspended from the service.

Assessment

We assessed the two Tweets referenced above under our Glorification of Violence policy, which aims to prevent the glorification of violence that could inspire others to replicate violent acts and determined that they were highly likely to encourage and inspire people to replicate the criminal acts that took place at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

This determination is based on a number of factors, including:

President Trump’s statement that he will not be attending the Inauguration is being received by a number of his supporters as further confirmation that the election was not legitimate and is seen as him disavowing his previous claim made via two Tweets (1, 2) by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Dan Scavino, that there would be an “orderly transition” on January 20th.

The second Tweet may also serve as encouragement to those potentially considering violent acts that the Inauguration would be a “safe” target, as he will not be attending.

The use of the words “American Patriots” to describe some of his supporters is also being interpreted as support for those committing violent acts at the US Capitol.

The mention of his supporters having a “GIANT VOICE long into the future” and that “They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!” is being interpreted as further indication that President Trump does not plan to facilitate an “orderly transition” and instead that he plans to continue to support, empower, and shield those who believe he won the election.

Plans for future armed protests have already begun proliferating on and off-Twitter, including a proposed secondary attack on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17, 2021.

As such, our determination is that the two Tweets above are likely to inspire others to replicate the violent acts that took place on January 6, 2021, and that there are multiple indicators that they are being received and understood as encouragement to do so.

@Twitter
Twitter Inc.

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Source: https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/suspension.html

 

[kgmets]

The classic example of speech which is not protected by the First Amendment is yelling fire in a crowded theatre. Hawley raising his fist to egg on domestic terrorists to launch a murderous assault upon our Capitol to prevent electoral votes from being counted would appear to fall into that category.

 

[tampa24]

The classic example of speech which is not protected by the First Amendment is yelling fire in a crowded theatre. Hawley raising his fist to egg on domestic terrorists to launch a murderous assault upon our Capitol to prevent electoral votes from being counted would appear to fall into that category.

Good point KG. That's another example of the nefarious use of "free speech" than can actually be considered illegal and prosecutable.

When I wrote earlier of the shame and dishonor Hawley is bringing upon his 2 alma maters of Stanford and Yale I will say more explicitly here that it is not about just his wrong and self-serving interpretation of the First Amendment. It's the fact that after graduating from Yale Law School and supposedly respecting the rule of law and the democratic process upon which the country was founded, that as soon as he achieved even a slight bit of power and influence within the country's national government...he was/is so shallow, so devoid of moral character and principles and power-hungry for ever more power, that he saw nothing wrong with participating in an attempted coup against the very democratic government and Constitution he had taken an oath to defend just 2 years ago.

He has more ambition than brains apparently. And running for and hopefully becoming president himself is so important to him that it justifies absolutely any means necessary. A coup, an insurrection, a revolution, loss of life. Whatever. He has shown his hand that it is all worth it to him if it means that he has a chance to sit on top of the heap further down the road. And of course every bit of this can be said about Trump and Ted Cruz too.

 

[mikeyank]

It seems when it’s all said and done, Josh Hawley might end up being a Broke Straight Boys

That is very funny Jay! I can just hear David asking him, "What brings you to Broke Straight Boys?". lolololol

As much of a dick as he is he is actually very cute. Hell even some of the Nazi's were hot looking. Being cute has nothing to do with how rotten a person you might be!

I usually say that straight guys shouldn't have to bottom on Broke Straight Boys, but in his case I would definitely like to see someone like Calhoun fuck him hard!!!!

 

[tampa24]

That is very funny Jay! I can just hear David asking him, "What brings you to Broke Straight Boys?". lolololol

"I got student loans to pay off. My book deal fell through, and I might be unemployed soon. Besides, this is all stuff I used to do in secret with buddies in college anyway."

 

[tampa24]

Going back to people in the Trump administration who are trying to distance themselves from him now with fake excuses and faux outrage and indignation after the sad game is all but wrapping up... These are people like Chao and De Vos who will try to distance themselves now and well into the future hoping to whitewash their complicity, enabling, willful silence and participation...and hope for a collective public amnesia of the last 5 years. And I don't mean to make these particular two the whipping boys/girls here as if they're the worst people in the whole administration. Unfortunately even I would have to say they are not. (Even though they are up there.)

Here is Chao standing directly next to Trump to his immediate left as he praises the "Good people on both sides" after a woman was killed in Charlottesville protesting against the KKK and neo-Nazi's. In it Trump lies and says that the counter-protesters didn't have a permit to be there. The truth was that both sides had been granted permits to march.

So Trump had been in office only 7 months in August of 2017 when he showed in very stark terms that he was a racist, Nazi-sympathizing, KKK-sympathizing, fascist dictator in the making. And Elaine Chao, Steve Mnuchin and John Kelly were all standing inches and feet away from him at the time

“When someone shows you who they are believe them; the first time.”
― Maya Angelou

Elaine Chao made her deal with the devil that she wanted the power and prestige of the office for the perks of being the boss of several thousand people, the power to enrich herself and her family's shipping company, getting paid a substantial salary with all the perks of federal retirement benefits, free travel on the taxpayer dime, etc. She didn't care about Trump's ideology and behavior as long as he granted her access to her own power. And if Trump had won another term she would have stayed in Trump's government to continue more of the same.

Like others to follow she is acting out now (only after the failure of the attempted coup) and responding with faux shock and indignation at the sudden epiphany realization that Trump is a racist, fascist dictator. It's quite pathetic.

For the sake of brevity Trump doesn't start talking about Charlottesville until around the 7 minute mark.

 

[Repareur]

That is very funny Jay! I can just hear David asking him, "What brings you to Broke Straight Boys?". lolololol

As much of a dick as he is he is actually very cute. Hell even some of the Nazi's were hot looking. Being cute has nothing to do with how rotten a person you might be!

I usually say that straight guys shouldn't have to bottom on Broke Straight Boys, but in his case I would definitely like to see someone like Calhoun fuck him hard!!!!

Amen to that. Calhoun hard. And we want to here him call Calhoun daddy! Lol

 

[tampa24]

Amen to that. Calhoun hard. And we want to here him call Calhoun daddy! Lol

Any use of lube would be negotiable.

 

[tampa24]

Schwarzenegger invokes Nazi Germany in powerful video denouncing Capitol Hill riot

Colin Campbell·Managing Editor
Sun, January 10, 2021, 10:52 AM EST


Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released a moving video on Sunday recounting his childhood in Austria while denouncing the riot last week in Washington that left five people dead.

In the nearly eight-minute clip, the actor turned politician directly invoked Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi attack against Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues that was a prelude to the Holocaust — and addressed his own father’s Nazi past.

President Trump “sought a coup by misleading people with lies. My father and our neighbors were misled also with lies,” the Austrian-born Schwarzenegger said, adding that Kristallnacht was conducted “by the Nazi equivalent of the Proud Boys,” one of the right-wing groups that assembled in support of Trump's false claims about the election. Egged on by Trump, the rioters stormed the Capitol Building and temporarily halted Congress’s certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. Congress reconvened and certified Biden’s win later that night.

“Wednesday was the Day of Broken Glass right here in the United States; the broken glass was in the windows of the United States Capitol,” Schwarzenegger said in the video. “But the mob did not just shatter the windows of the Capitol; they shattered the ideals we took for granted. They did not just break down the doors of the building that housed the American democracy; they trampled the very principles upon which our country was founded.”

He went on to discuss a “painful memory” from growing up in Austria in the immediate aftermath of World War II.

“I was surrounded by broken men drinking away the guilt over their participation in the most evil regime in history,” he said.

“My father would come home drunk once or twice a week, and he would scream and hit us,” he continued. “I did not hold him totally responsible because our neighbor was doing the same thing to his family, and so was the same neighbor over.”

Schwarzenegger, California’s last Republican governor and a frequent critic of Trump, did not hold back in his latest attacks against the outgoing president.

“President Trump sought to overturn the results of an election ... by misleading people with lies. ... And I know where such lies lead. President Trump is a failed leader. He will go down as the worst president ever. The good thing is he will soon be as irrelevant as an old tweet,” he said.

The former bodybuilder and “Terminator” star went on to dramatically end the video by holding up a sword and comparing it to the strength of American democracy.

“This is Conan’s sword,” said Schwarzenegger, who also starred in “Conan the Barbarian.”

“Our democracy is like the steel of this sword. The more it is tempered, the stronger it becomes.”

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Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/arnold-schwarzenegger-capitol-hill-riot-kristallnacht-155259895.html

 

[tampa24]

Our First lady (who never wanted the job in the first place) is now leaving. After 4 long years of her husband doing his best to turn the country into his own personal fiefdom and fascist dictatorship...and bullying all of his political and personal rivals from online on Twitter...and using every other means the presidential pulpit and bullhorn afforded him to belittle, namecall, harrass, lie about and falsely accuse...Melania leaves us a legacy of imploring all of us outside of the White House grounds to stop online bullying and "Be Best". And she had such lovely taste in re-landscaping the Rose Garden. (Ahem.) Along with her endearing, charming words that in her most candid hear of hearts...she doesn't give an F about Christmas. Oh, how we'll miss her.

(Colored highlighting of final paragraph and another starkly hypocritical statement herein is my own.)

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The Daily Beast

Melania Identifies Real Victim of the Deadly Capitol Riots: Herself

Jamie Ross
Mon, January 11, 2021, 8:05 AM EST


Reuters/Hannah McKay


Last week, five people died as rioters incited by President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol seeking lawmakers to lynch. But First Lady Melania Trump has identified the worst thing about the entire horrific spectacle—people saying mean things about her online.

In a deeply weird and jarring farewell statement posted by the White House early Monday morning, Melania first paid tribute to those who lost their lives in last week’s violence carried out in support of her husband, before going on to settle some scores against unspecified people who she claims have “attacked” her over the past few days since the riots.

In a deeply weird and jarring farewell statement posted by the White House early Monday morning, Melania first paid tribute to those who lost their lives in last week’s violence carried out in support of her husband, before going on to settle some scores against unspecified people who she claims have “attacked” her over the past few days since the riots.

“I am disappointed and disheartened with what happened last week,” she began, in a paragraph which, at first, you assume is a condemnation of Trumpist rioters. But she then goes on to say: “I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me—from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda. This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens. It should not be used for personal gain.”

It’s not exactly clear what she’s referring to—it’s hard to believe that Melania has really been at the forefront of anyone’s mind since last week’s unprecedented assault on American democracy. It could be a reference to a CNN report that she was doing a photoshoot at the White House when rioters were laying siege to the Capitol on behalf of her husband.

It could also refer to Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who previously served as an aide to the first lady, who condemned her last week. In an article for The Daily Beast, Melania’s former BFF wrote after the Capitol riot: “It was an assault on human life and our great democracy. Unfortunately, our president and first lady have little, if any, regard for either.” Her chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, resigned on the day of the insurrection.

Elsewhere in her decidedly odd statement, Melania offered her first condemnation of the riots, five days after they happened. She wrote that she “absolutely condemn the violence that has occurred on our Nation’s Capitol,” and added: “I implore people to stop the violence, never make assumptions based on the color of a person’s skin or use differing political ideologies as a basis for aggression and viciousness.”

However, she also seems to praise Trump’s supporters—hitting entirely the wrong note in the wake of last week’s violence. “It is inspiring to see that so many have found a passion and enthusiasm in participating in an election, but we must not allow that passion to turn to violence,” she wrote.

It’s also been noted that the statement paid tribute to the pro-Trump rioters who died last week before she mentions deceased Capitol Police Officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood. Sicknick was struck by rioters with a fire extinguisher, while Liebengood died by apparent suicide on Saturday, days after responding to the destructive siege.

The statement also misspelled the surname of Ashli Babbitt, the Trump-supporting Air Force vet who was shot dead during the riot.

Melania signs off with an apparent farewell message to the American people, saying that serving as first lady has been “the honor of [her] lifetime.” She adds: “I want to thank the millions of Americans who supported my husband and me over the past four years and shown the incredible impact of the American spirit... Most importantly, I ask for healing, grace, understanding, and peace for our great Nation.”

So there goes Melania, signing off exactly as she served: Complaining about people being mean to her, completely misjudging the mood of the nation, and spouting trite soundbites about morality and good behaviour while saying nothing about the deranged actions of her husband.

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Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/melania-identifies-real-victim-deadly-130556589.html

 

[tampa24]

[Late edit.] The word harass is spelled with one r. haha

 

[kgmets]

That is very funny Jay! I can just hear David asking him, "What brings you to Broke Straight Boys?". lolololol

As much of a dick as he is he is actually very cute. Hell even some of the Nazi's were hot looking. Being cute has nothing to do with how rotten a person you might be!

I usually say that straight guys shouldn't have to bottom on Broke Straight Boys, but in his case I would definitely like to see someone like Calhoun fuck him hard!!!!

He most definitely deserves to be fucked raw without lube for what he did to his country last week.

 

[kgmets]

Last Friday David Brooks suggested that in lieu of impeachment a more feasible remedy would be to invoke Article 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment which disqualifies from holding any federal office any person who has engaged in insurrection against the Constitution of the US or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof with Congress having the power by a vote of two-thirds or more to remove such disability. In other words Brooks was suggesting that the House pass a resolution censuring Trump and further make a finding based upon the videotape of his incitement to insurrection last Wednesday and his automatic removal from office and then let the Senate Republicans try to round up a two-thirds of more vote to reinstate Trump's ability to hold federal office. Interesting thought.

 

[tampa24]

I'm all for any remedy that would prevent him from considering or threatening to run again in 2024.