CO-04 (Special Election) See Full Big Line

(R) Greg Lopez

(R) Trisha Calvarese

90%

10%

President (To Win Colorado) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Biden*

(R) Donald Trump

80%

20%↓

CO-01 (Denver) See Full Big Line

(D) Diana DeGette*

90%

CO-02 (Boulder-ish) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse*

90%

CO-03 (West & Southern CO) See Full Big Line

(D) Adam Frisch

(R) Jeff Hurd

(R) Ron Hanks

40%

30%

20%

CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado) See Full Big Line

(R) Lauren Boebert

(R) Deborah Flora

(R) J. Sonnenberg

30%↑

15%↑

10%↓

CO-05 (Colorado Springs) See Full Big Line

(R) Dave Williams

(R) Jeff Crank

50%↓

50%↑

CO-06 (Aurora) See Full Big Line

(D) Jason Crow*

90%

CO-07 (Jefferson County) See Full Big Line

(D) Brittany Pettersen

85%↑

 

CO-08 (Northern Colo.) See Full Big Line

(D) Yadira Caraveo

(R) Gabe Evans

(R) Janak Joshi

60%↑

35%↓

30%↑

State Senate Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

80%

20%

State House Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

95%

5%

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
November 22, 2022 10:53 PM UTC

Wednesday Open Thread

  • 54 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“The older I get, the surer I am that I’m not running the show.”

–Leonard Cohen

Tweet
Share

Comments

54 thoughts on “Wednesday Open Thread”

  1. While yesterday’s posting was somewhat cathartic, I suggest a new tactic for everyone today: avoidance.

    And with that, I wish a happy day to Former Guy after his exceptionally successful legal forays so far this week, losing in the Supreme Court on his tax returns and having a spectacularly losing hearing in front of two of his own appointees and a reliably ultra-conservative Dubya appointee on the 11th Circuit over his pet judge Cannon’s special master appointment. Also, I suppose the reactivation of the Stormy Daniels payoff criminal investigation should count for something.

    In election news, Alaska will hold its runoff vote tally tomorrow; Rep. Mary Peltola (D) should get the <2% bump she needs to hit 50% and be re-elected to her seat, and my personal prediction is that Lisa Murkowski will gather the votes she needs to win her Senate seat for another six years. (Insert Murkowski's 6-year uncomfortable feeling here...)

    Also in election news, in Arizona two counties are following through on their Big Lie madness by refusing to certify the vote totals for their counties; should Cochise County fail to send in certified vote totals (they demand a full manual count), then Arizona’s new 6th district will tip from Republican to Democrat without Cochise’s vote. And if either Cochise or Mohave Counties fail to send in their certified vote totals, the loss of those votes would move Arizona’s one statewide race currently led by a Republican into Democratic hands. (This is because, without certification, these votes cannot be used in election results.) H/t Mother Mags at Daily Kos for the rundown on this one.

    1. I think it would be great theater to have sfb sitting in the court room, at the table, when the decision is announced.  To see the bloated one standing there with attorneys (who might not be attorneys in the future) explaining that he lost, not won, lost, would be wonderful.

      1. He'll be doing some showing up at court tables sometime this year, my prediction. But the 11th Circuit ruling isn't important enough for him; it got him past the election and into his 2024 candidacy, and the document review was bound to end sooner or later anyway. In my mind at least, the question is: how seriously do they rebuke Judge Cannon over this? None of the judges seemed really happy to have the case appear before them, and the Frump lawyers didn't present anything more than legal slight-of-hand, which they came prepared for. (One might say they expected to receive a blizzard of crap.)

    2. Phoenix, some of the Republicans exhibit unbelievable behavior. Are these people in Arizona foolish enough to give-up a congressional seat, at a time when the Republicans have the thinnest majority in the House, and simultaneously give-up the only statewide race they won and thereby intentionally harm their bench for future elections – all in support of the still unproven Big Lie. So the net result of this nonsense is the Republicans are going to disenfranchise voters in bright red counties. I wonder if the Republican leaders in Cochise and Mohave counties consulted their voters before taking their “principled” stand. This is one more example of why the voters across America need to go to the polls at the next election and vote the Republican Party out of existence. It is no longer an organization that has any intention of governing. Its primary goal and purpose is the undermining of our institutions.  

      1. The counties have until Monday to certify. Both have indicated they might actually do so, and that this is performance theater. Still, it would be just desserts if their board all came down with COVID or something and couldn't make the meeting to do the certification and it cost them and their citizens because of the performance delays.

        Secretary of State, soon to be Governor Katie Hobbs has been quite blunt with them about the consequences of not certifying the vote (not the Congressional and State Education position flips, but the "your votes won't be counted" message). I suspect they'll figure it out.

    3. I agree with you, PR.

      tim-tams' premise for attacking Pols doesn't pass the smell test. He/she/it is just a fucking troll trying to drive liberals away from Pols with phony outrage. Nothing more. Just another fucking troll.

      Alva can deal with this troll, as they have before.

       

      1. Yeah, but it's tedious in the meantime. I know there is a way to block particular posters so they don't even appear in my feed, but I don't remember how. Help, anyone?

      5. Why do people troll? 

        In their daily interactions, most people are motivated by positive social rewards, meaning that they experience positive feelings after engaging in friendly or helpful behavior.

        Trolls are a bit different. They have higher levels of something called negative social potency. This is a fancy way of saying that they like to cause mischief and suffering, along with the attention that entails.
         

        1. There is privilege in being or passing for heterosexual. One can talk about one’s partners and family life at work without fear of being ostracized, or at worst, fired. I pass for heterosexual at work – but until recently, I could have been fired for mentioning my “alternative lifestyle”. 
           

          Additionally, there is a “wage gap” for LGBTQ folks, particularly women and trans folk. 

          Walking on the street or going to the bathroom is more dangerous for trans women, especially women of color. 
          So yeah, being “out” often means losing privilege: financial security and realative personal safety.

          But the Q club killer is still a killer, and shouldn’t have had access to firearms, and their victims are still dead or injured.

          1. Thanks for that, k. It is good to keep things in perspective.

            BTW..Happy Thanksgiving, if it is a holiday you celebrate. Many don't, but it is always good to live life with gratitude.

            1. Thanksgiving is the one holiday I cherish.  The rest have all been ruined by commercialism.  You, my on-line family, will be in my thoughts tomorrow.  I am grateful for our camaraderie and open spirits.  I even include Perishable Pear in that group, on the theory that you can’t have a Camelot without a Mordred. heart

              1. Happy Thanksgiving to you, V, and all of you who make this community a special place. Tomorrow we'll be joined by a Buffalo Soldier, age 97.  An incredible man who we discovered was on the mountain next to my great-uncle and three other Wray-ites in Italy during the war.  A great reminder of the sacrifices made by so many on behalf of a free nation.  

                  1. He is, V.  Still golfing nearly every day and has a new girlfriend after the passing of his wife of 60 years!  He could pass for 20 years his junior.  We all feel very blessed to know him. 

          2. I don't know that it makes him more or less responsible, though. He went in to the club specifically to fire on LGBTQ+ people. That makes it a hate crime regardless of the legitimacy of his post-murder-spree declaration.

            Maybe he really is non-binary and has lived all these years in a hateful family suppressing his nature – not a pretty scenario, and not uncommon – but shooting up the club at best makes them essentially a self-hating queer. (Where "self-hating" usually translates into broader hated of the community.) It's still a hate crime, and Colorado isn't going to buy in to the "I did it out of fear" self-defense defense.

            1. Assignment of motive will no doubt be a part of the investigation, probably will be a part of the charging decisions, and if Aldrich has attorneys assert an identity, part of the trial.  All of that is a LOONNNNGGGGGGGG way off.

              Given the pace of mass killings (e.g., Walmart in Virginia in today's news is #40 in 2022, trailing only 2019, with 45), I'm pretty numb to the nuance of the self-described gender of an alleged shooter.

              1. "Given the pace of mass killings"

                And with Black Friday and the holiday shopping looming on the horizon, there is a good chance that today's Walmart shooting will be old news in another 48 hours.

                Ho, ho, ho …… Merry Fucking Christmas!

    2. Just an excuse to drag the community into the muck with him. His neighbors and acquaintences all say he identifies as male and is homophobic on days of the year not corresponding to being accused of shooting up a trans rememberence day party.

    3. I went to look at several stories — and what nearly ALL of them say, eventually, is the defense motions filed have a footnote saying the client will be consistently identified as Mx. Aldrich. 

      Public defenders have a policy of not talking, only gesturing mutely to the filings.

      I guess I'm waiting to see what the judge and accused individual do in the actual hearing … if there will be a question about preference in manner of address and pronouns, if there is an actual claim of preferring some status or another.

        1.   It might affect the prison he serves his five consecutive life sentences in. 

          . Given that the sentence is life without parole, any hate crime conviction is utterly irrelevant. I argue for restoring the death penalty in hate crime murders but many of you disagree.

          1. "Given that the sentence is life without parole, any hate crime conviction is utterly irrelevant."

            All it does is make getting a conviction more work for the prosecution because it adds elements which must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

            The penalty is the same.

  3. Looks as if the hockey refs have assessed fighting majors against two players.

    In my experience with political microblogging on any platform, I find it's usually sort of worthwhile when people honestly stick to issues and keep personal judgment to a minimum. Honest, respectful disagreement might help open-minded users and readers see differing points of view. I've enjoyed being here on Pols because most people seem able to make a point, maybe show their work, and move on when the dead horse no longer needs beating. I hope that's mostly how we'll move forward when/if the penalties expire.

    Wishing everyone the best this weekend no matter how you celebrate or even if you celebrate. Peace out!

      1. Extremely minimal research revealed:

        "(Adler) believed that each individual controlled his or her life by their choice of how to interpret their environment. In other words, each person can choose the meaning to give whatever happens to them and act accordingly."

    1. I read that article, but didn’t think too much of it.

      Maybe it has some true facts in it, but to understand anything about the “intellectual right”, you need to place the facts and characters into context and categories. Right-wing quotes alone are more like random tweets than anything like an ideology.

      I mean, there are several categories of conservative writers, most of which are based on dishonesty: well-paid fox newscasters, grifting the rubes, spewing propaganda or gathering electoral power. In those cases you can’t talk about beliefs or intellectualism; it’s all just agit-prop.

      There are organizations, lobbyists and think tanks that follow the same pattern.

      Maybe there are perhaps some “true believers” like Racists, Catholic fascists, christian nationalists, Libertarian-fascists (or Libertarian-feudalists, I can’t keep them separate).

      Finally there are the merely Autocratic, Monarchic, Mafia/Organized Crime, Inherited wealth, Billionaire class. There’s no ideology there, only a desire to keep all the gold and control the army.

      In other words, good luck trying to find an authentic conservative on the right-wing who has an actual philosophy of society that isn’t based on lies or maintenance of dominance and authority.

      I mean, Steve Bannon is an anarchist tear-down-the-walls kind of guy, but what category of “intellectual” is he?

      What category is Elon Musk?

      How about Trump?

      1. Trump? You mean #GalaxyBrain #StableGenius #CadetBoneSpurs #NoblePeacePrizeWinner #ShitForBrains former guy? He was lying to us about his intellectual capacity and service to our country?

      2. “I read that article, but didn’t think too much of it.”

        I didn’t either but what caught my attention was that some of these folk – in the interests of winning – are prepared to compromise on abortion to maintain their other cultural conservative positions (i.e., hated towards immigrants, racial/religious minorities, LGBTQ. etc.).

        That struck me as a pretty big concession to make just to be able to go on hating certain groups. Especially since they begin with life starting at conception as a fundamental premise for their pro-birth position.

      3. I think you are dismissing the implications of the article for a pedantic argument of granular separations of conservative elites. They are the chief proponents and architects of a culture war, which despite being rejected by voters, they believe must be won with or without democracy but preferably without strong government at any level. They are doubling down on this specifically to destroy public education. 

        They are the high brow where Michael Flynn's christian warriors are the low brow. (See PBS Frontline: Flynn's War) They believe everything bad is related to a degradation of American society and if they don't bring GOD back we face "a 1000 years of darkness". Despite having no evidence of how these cultural items impact the greater body it gives them a central boogeyman to fight against. 

        Follow the timeline for the rise of these intellectual elite of their publications: 

        https://www.foxnews.com/person/r/christopher-f-rufo

        A direct line from his mind to the midterms. 

         

         

    2. There was a similar article in yesterday's edition of The Bulwark dot com……

      "The Growing Religious/Secular Rift in the Illiberal Right," by Joshua Tait.

          1. "So far all you’ve offered me is coconuts and treason." ~ ~Serena

            Meanwhile at the Ellis ranch…."Under his eye"

  5. Am I the only one who thinks the intellectual right is a contradiction in terms?

    Still, happy Thanksgiving to all. I’m like V that it’s our best holiday, although I put the Fourth of July into the same category. I love the observance (or not, as you prefer) of the day.

    I’m my case, Thanksgiving involves a turkey and fixings (because turkey leftovers are highly under-rated) with whomever we like. The Fourth of July involves either staying home to burn meat and blow shit up, usually with neighbors, or going camping on the Grand Mesa to get the dogs out of blowing shit up. No matter. Commercialization isn’t involved.

     

    2. Both are highly commercialized. Sweet potato topped with marshmallows only because of marketing. Green bean casserole only because of soup sellers. Hot dogs only because of Oscar Mayer. Stop and be thankful for commercialization commerce is what nits us together as a country 

        1. Lol, "GRE E.D." Your id is showing, ya limp dicked high school dropout.

          Happy Black Friday, turkey brain. Did ya think of me over your Marie Callendar's pot pie yesterday?

          #BanVoyageur.

Leave a Comment

Recent Comments


Posts about

Donald Trump
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Lauren Boebert
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Yadira Caraveo
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado House
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado Senate
SEE MORE

223 readers online now

Newsletter

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!