A Deeply Fractured US

[Brad Sallows]

Can’t disagree and I suspect it’s an election ploy more than anything else.

But maximum terms and codes of ethics and conduct are good things.

If term limits were always good, we'd have them for everything.

The USSC already has a code of ethics, recently adopted, and always had customary standards. The chickensh!t stuff Democrats have been serving up in their attempts to pry loose at least one of the two oldest Republican-appointed justices (Thomas and Alito) is a poor pretext for the sudden interest in the subject. No matter what is done, I suppose Democrats will just keep demanding one more thing. I predict that if they ever feel like they have 5 pliable justices on their side, the activism will stop.

Democrats are enraged that they might have to persuade voters to grant them majorities in Congress that would allow them to legislate things that should be legislated instead of seeking creative separation-of-powers-breaching solutions through courts or executive branch overreach. It affects their judgement, and it shows in their actions. Temper tantrums and political vote-stoking gambits ought not be taken seriously.

 

[KevinB]

Yeah I am curious how they do this.

The problem with an all female ticket is that may turn off some people if they decide to do the whole glass ceiling but Clinton did and push that angle,

Honestly I think Senator Kelly is a good choice and balances them out nicely and he’s apparently on the short list. Astronaut, Gabby Giffords his his wife etc etc. Checks a lot of boxes to counter the GOP attack lines.

Kelly will lose a lot of gun owning Democrats.

I don’t think he’s a good choice in many respects, but I know some Democrats and he would be a result in a non vote.

Honestly they need a much more middle of the road VP choice of they want to shore up support.

 

[Remius]

If term limits were always good, we'd have them for everything.

Lifetime appointments are never good. I’m surprised you would support that.

The USSC already has a code of ethics, recently adopted, and always had customary standards. The chickensh!t stuff Democrats have been serving up in their attempts to pry loose at least one of the two oldest Republican-appointed justices (Thomas and Alito) is a poor pretext for the sudden interest in the subject. No matter what is done, I suppose Democrats will just keep demanding one more thing. I predict that if they ever feel like they have 5 pliable justices on their side, the activism will stop.

Ok so you don’t like strengthened codes of conduct and ethics. I suspect that the activism would just be in reverse if it were on their side.

Democrats are enraged that they might have to persuade voters to grant them majorities in Congress that would allow them to legislate things that should be legislated instead of seeking creative separation-of-powers-breaching solutions through courts or executive branch overreach. It affects their judgement, and it shows in their actions. Temper tantrums and political vote-stoking gambits ought not be taken seriously.

Translation: if it comes from the side I don’t like it isn’t good.

I do agree that it won’t see the light of day. In the end my GAFF for it is low as it has no effect on us here politically. Just interesting to watch and comment on.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Kelly will lose a lot of gun owning Democrats.

Probably. Vote-killing issues are more influential than vote-attracting issues, for issues that people feel strongly about. This is just a recognized outcome of human behaviour. (Example: no amount of pork is likely to buy a voter for whom the 2A is iconic.) It's why an election platform ought not have too many key planks, because each one turns off all the voters for whom it's a single-issue killer. If there isn't much overlap between voters turned off by each issue, it's possible to have a situation in which each issue polls really well individually, but the sum of the lost voters is enough to lose the election.

Some of the pandering the Democrats are doing to appease the leftmost progressives (gun control, USSC reforms) could easily cost them greater numbers of votes in the centre.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Lifetime appointments are never good. I’m surprised you would support that.

Ok so you don’t like strengthened codes of conduct and ethics. I suspect that the activism would just be in reverse if it were on their side.

Translation: if it comes from the side I don’t like it isn’t good.

Lifetime appointments tend to insulate against interference and reduce the frequency of the now customary political fights over nominations. It simply isn't the case that there are no benefits at all.

The low-level noise Democrats have been harassing justices with highlights that whatever customary rules justices have been following have been working well enough - if Democrats could find something more substantial, they'd use it. It's easy to argue in the abstract that strengthened codes of conduct are good, and I agree. In reality, they're a vehicle for political interference. I see the reality; I'm not going to play the fool or the useful idiot and admire the emperor's clothes.

I've been observing USSC politics long enough to conclude that when Republicans don't get the results they prefer, they whine about it for a while and work on using the existing system as-is when they have a chance to nominate. When Democrats don't get the results they prefer, they whine about it for a long time and continue agitating to change the system. I'm inclined to be conservative; I don't see a need for reform and I do see quite clearly stuff that is being promoted for pure political advantage. The obvious base politics are not only insufficient reasons for change; they are sufficient reasons to resist change.

 

[Remius]

Kelly will lose a lot of gun owning Democrats.

Possible yes. But he’s seen as strong on the border and has worked with people across the floor on that which might be a counter balance.

I don’t think he’s a good choice in many respects, but I know some Democrats and he would be a result in a non vote.

Honestly they need a much more middle of the road VP choice of they want to shore up support.

Shapiro possibly but I suspect he is an asset in his state whether he’s the VP pick or not.

 

[dimsum]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/30/politics/project-2025-paul-dans/index.html

Project 2025 Director steps down amidst backlash from Trump

 

[dimsum]

Trump splits with GOP lawmakers on national security, raising alarm

National security-minded Republican lawmakers are alarmed by what they see as a growing split between themselves and former President Trump on key issues, including the war in Ukraine, preserving t…

thehill.com

Headline: Trump splits with GOP lawmakers on national security, causing alarm

 

[dimsum]

https://www.reddit.com/r/LeopardsAteMyFace/s/ZiFBrIqZRq

I don’t support him in general, but it’s a bit telling that he goes against Trump for less than a day on gun rights, and this is one of the responses that comes out. The backlash gets to the point that he has to retract his statements and support Trump.

 

[brihard]

View attachment 87045

https://www.reddit.com/r/LeopardsAteMyFace/s/ZiFBrIqZRq

I don’t support him in general, but it’s a bit telling that he goes against Trump for less than a day on gun rights, and this is one of the responses that comes out. The backlash gets to the point that he has to retract his statements and support Trump.

Yup, the Republicans have Rittenhouse completely whipped - he tried to take what for him was a stand on principle, saw his grift collapsing immediately, and reversed pretty friggin' quick. He's facing huge civil liability that will probably ruin him; he can't afford to cut off any source of income of financial support for his legal woes.

 

[The Bread Guy]

If term limits were always good, we'd have them for everything.

Or, like alternative election systems, if all sides, regardless of team jersey, benefits from the status quo, nobody really wants to change things.

 

[brihard]

Meanwhile, the cases for attempting to steal the 2020 election continue. Former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis has accepted a cooperation deal in Arizona that will see her dodge prosecution on nine felonies in exchange for cooperating against multiple conspirators in the state’s prosecution of the false electors scheme.

Next will probably be one or two quick plea deals from other defendants who realize they’re hooped, and who parlay cooperation and testimony for reduced charges.

As this is a state prosecution, there is no option for a presidential pardon.

Attorney General Mayes Announces Cooperation Agreement in Fake Electors Case

PHOENIX – Attorney General Kris Mayes today announced a cooperation agreement with a defendant in the fake electors’ case. Jenna Ellis signed the agreement earlier this morning. The State has agreed to drop the charges against Ms. Ellis in exchange for her cooperation with the prosecution.

www.azag.gov

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Not sure if this the proper place, so Mods are free to move. Friday night a Florida Deputy was killed and two wounded in an apparent ambush by a family with apparent anti-government views. Three of the alleged attackers later kill themselves and the alleged instigator is arrested.

Deputy, and 3 shooters, dead in Florida: possible anti-government attack

Overshadowed yesterday (Monday) here in "The Sunshine State" by Hurricane Debby was what happened just before dark Friday night. It was in northeast Lake County, just across the Saint John's River from here (Deland, just north of Orlando). I view...

www.dailykos.com

Detail from above article:

News reports say the home was filled with weapons, and also indications that the residents were attracted to anti-government things.

Video from yesterdays briefing of events leading up to the shooting and the shooting itself:

 

[brihard]

Not sure if this the proper place, so Mods are free to move. Friday night a Florida Deputy was killed and two wounded in an apparent ambush by a family with apparent anti-government views. Three of the alleged attackers later kill themselves and the alleged instigator is arrested.

Deputy, and 3 shooters, dead in Florida: possible anti-government attack

Overshadowed yesterday (Monday) here in "The Sunshine State" by Hurricane Debby was what happened just before dark Friday night. It was in northeast Lake County, just across the Saint John's River from here (Deland, just north of Orlando). I view...

www.dailykos.com

Detail from above article:

Video from yesterdays briefing of events leading up to the shooting and the shooting itself:

God damn, that’s awful.

There are a lot of badly screwed up and unbalanced individuals out there, full of hate and paranoia, and often well armed. We have concerning number of them up here too. Every interaction with any agents of the state is a potential powder keg, and sometimes they do something that makes an interaction unavoidable. I see some of this from the investigative end, but here’s a lot of good cops out on the road who have to roll the dice and deal in person with these types every day, and my hat’s off to them. I don’t miss attending those calls.

 

[dimsum]

Inside Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos

“Eradicate climate change references”; only talk to conservative media; don’t leave a paper trail for watchdogs to discover. In a series of never-before-published videos, Project 2025 details how a second Trump administration would operate.

www.propublica.org

If one of your videos is about not leaving a paper trail, maybe making a video about it isn’t the best idea.

 

[KevinB]

I spat out my coffee when I opened it to see the movie recommendation for the Clinton's while isolating.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I spat out my coffee when I opened it to see the movie recommendation for the Clinton's while isolating.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

That is fucking priceless!

 

[dimsum]

I’m not sure this is the best thread to put it in, but also not sure any other thread would be better.

Plus, he has a bit of insight into how Canadians, Australians, and New Zealanders think - I’m not totally sure I agree with his stance on how Canadians think, but he might not be wrong.

 

[Good2Golf]

Less the farmland along the St.Lawrence and the Prairies, he got the passive-aggressive part right (less the missing superiority-inferiority complex)…

Zeihan’s piece about demographics, financial policy, technology, supply chain resilience and productivity is pretty interesting as a portent for the future global community: (hour long, but good on a slow rainy day)

 

[QV]

Not sure if this belongs here or in the "trust in institutions" thread or the thread talking about trust the experts... in any case, not that we didn't already know, Zuckerberg states the WH pressured Meta to remove (over 20 million pieces) content related to C-19. Zuckerberg regrets it.

Zuckerberg says White House 'pressured' Meta to pull COVID-19 content

Meta Platforms chief executive Mark Zuckerberg alleged that Facebook was “pressured” by the U.S. government to COVID-19 content. Read more.

nationalpost.com