11 thoughts on “Wednesday Open Thread”

1. Today's GOP has a clear disdain for democracy

   …top Republicans in Washington are pulling out all the stops to do unpopular things and avoid doing popular things. Their main proposals — more tax cuts for the rich, corporate legal immunity, pushing the post office into bankruptcy — have strikingly little support among voters, even among Republican voters. Meanwhile, they are resisting highly popular measures, such as additional relief for states, localities and ordinary workers, that would almost certainly increase their likelihood of holding onto power this fall.

   At the same time, Republicans in red states have used partisan gerrymandering and voter restrictions to disadvantage citizens outside their base. The latter include voter ID laws, the indiscriminate purging of the voter rolls and rules that make it harder to register, get to the polls, vote early and (especially crucial now) vote remotely. In the latest move, the Republican National Committee and other Republican groups sued California to stop the state from mailing all registered voters absentee ballots for the fall election. Besides being fundamentally at odds with democratic equality, all these efforts further undermine electoral accountability.

   In the pandemic, these strategies have become much more dangerous. If Republicans stick to their unpopular positions, they will have to build their twin bulwarks even higher to escape accountability, magnifying racial and cultural divisions and undermining free and fair elections in ways that threaten not just the health of citizens but the health of our democracy

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2. Saw my first Cory Gardner teevee ad yesterday. Ripping good stuff, I tell you what. Cory Gardner got us a hundred ventilators from the feds! Cory Gardner got us a ton of PPE from South Korea! Jared Polis loves Cory Gardner and so should you! It was all quite vomit inducing, but pretty tame compared to the 18-wheeler full of monkeys on PCP crashing into a train loaded with diarrhea that is the Trump administration (h/t – Patton Oswalt).

   In other news, another day, another cop murdering a black man under color of state law.

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   1. The murder of George Floyd is a good place for Joe Biden to begin to do as Charlamagne tha God suggests…pick up the banner to make some changes here.

      Joe needs to start creating his Justice Dept.    Stat.

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      1. In fact, Joe should call LeBron and Colin Kaepernick, and make a statement together on social media. 

         "In a Joe Biden administration, there will be a change in the way we hold local police accountable for their actions."

         Extrajudicial killings are not acceptable in this country…are they?

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         1. Here is a video by blogger Ken Winsor, of a grassroots street protest against George Floyd’s murder. As risky as public assembly is, many people walked, biked, or drove through the street and area where Floyd was killed by police. I am sad and angry at the structural racism that said Floyd’s life didn’t matter… and proud of the protesters.

             

            And then, Now This Politics reports, rocks were thrown, and police fired rubber bullets and tear gas in response. So now it really is a riot. It happened in Minneapolis yesterday.
            

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            1. All that was missing were the dogs and we’re back in Bombingham, circa. 1963

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3. Is it possible that AG Barr could be disbarred for being a terrible AG?

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   1. A variety of people and organizations have called for bar associations to begin review of ethics complaints about Barr.  I don’t think the standard is “being terrible” at the job of AG — but if it is shown he actively lied to a court or Congress, suborned perjury from others, or is indicted for some other crime, bar associations can begin their investigation (even before conviction).

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4. If there is a God she'll let Steve eek out a win in the primary only to get thrashed by JD in November.. (seems like just yesterday he was shilling for our junior senator). 

   Steve King is on the ropes

   “We feel so strongly that this is the first time we’ve ever gone against a sitting member," said Sarah Chamberlain, the president of the Republican Main Street Partnership. "Some of the things he says are just not helpful."

   King's comments reflect poorly on the whole GOP, Chamberlain added, comparing him to Todd Akin, the former Missouri congressman whose 2012 Senate campaign collapsed after he said that “legitimate rape” rarely leads to pregnancy. "That caused a problem for the entire Republican Party," she said.

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5. While we're being distracted by PeeTwitty's antics today lets saunder back to October, 2017 when the VP staged a walk-out during the national anthem at a Colts/49er's game – all to shore up Drumpf's base (all with the backdrop of the riots in Minneapolis as I type this). 

   #MAGA

   Pence Flies to NFL Game to Stage Walkout Over Anthem Protests

   Pence promoted the stunt heavily on social media. Before the game, he tweeted a three-year-old image of himself in the stands wearing Colts apparel saying he was excited for the game and to be able to honor former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, whose number was retired on Sunday. Pence then left the game before it began — overshadowing the celebration of Manning — and quickly struck a patriotic pose on Twitter:

   

    

    

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6. Can the president close twitter with a tweet?

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