Right wing nuts thread (3 Viewers)

[DaveXA]

Wasn't sure where to put this, but we need a thread for the wing nuts. Lauren Boebert.

 

[Optimus Prime]

The evangelical lawyer who defended Donald Trump during his firstimpeachment trial has made $145 million from his association with the former president and right-wing causes— and the cash is still rolling in, according to a new report.

Jay Sekulow and his family are now chasing donations for a campaign to keep Trump on state ballots.

In the past few years, the attorney’s nonprofit legal group has been involved in Supreme Court fights that have led to the defeat of Roe vs. Wade, gun control issues, ending affirmative action at universities and halting student debt forgiveness.

Meanwhile, since 2001 more than $145 million has gone to Sekulow, his family and their businesses, according to records kept by the watchdog group Accountable.US and reported by Rolling Stone.

“Jay Sekulow is the latest case of textbook right-wing MAGA grift,” Accountable.US’ president Caroline Ciccone told the publication. “These extremists will stop at nothing to force their radical, unpopular agenda on everyday Americans while personally profiting — this time to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.”

“Basically, what this guy has done is he’s used a charity to make himself rich,” said Bob Lord, a senior adviser on tax policy at Patriotic Millionaires, a nonpartisan group that focuses on inequality. “To me, this one screams of a problem.”

Sekulow's most recent legal action was petitioning the Supreme Court on behalf of the Colorado Republican Party to overturn that state’s decision to ban Trump from its ballot.

A Trump lawyer since his first months in office, Sekulow co-led the then-president's defense in the first impeachment trial in 2020 involving dealings with Ukraine. The president was acquitted.............

MSN

 

[Optimus Prime]

Aright-wing pastor whose congressional ambitions crashed and burned after a person paid by his campaign was found to have committed ballot fraud is now claiming his election was "stolen" from him.

The Assembly reports that Mark Harris, who last year announced he was once again going to run for Congress in North Carolina's 8th congressional district, now says Democrats "stole" the election from him in 2019, just like they supposedly did to former President Donald Trump, who legitimately lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden in both the popular vote and the electoral college.

But as The Assembly documents, it was Harris himself who called for a new election in North Carolina after evidence emerged that a Republican operative had engaged in ballot fraud on his behalf.

What's more, the seat was not won by a Democrat in the new election, but by Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC), who is running for North Carolina state attorney general next year.

Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College, tells The Assembly that Bishop's rhetoric is a clear attempt to rally Trump's base to his side by parroting bogus stolen election claims.

"What the former president is focused on is the politics of grievance," he explained. "So it may be a helpful alignment [for Harris] to say ‘Trump had an election stolen from him and I can relate to that. … I will fight on his behalf because of that experience.’”...........

MSN

 

[Optimus Prime]

RANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has been hired to help lead a group pushing back against what it sees as “woke ideology” in the corporate sector, marking the Republican's next chapter since losing his bid for governor in one of the nation's most closely watched elections in 2023.

Cameron accepted the job as CEO of 1792 Exchange, a role that will include trying to thwart investing that considers environmental, social and governance factors. It was an issue Cameron dealt with as attorney general and frequently talked about during his unsuccessful attempt to unseat Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who notched a convincing victory for a second term last November.

Cameron, 38, who was pegged as a rising Republican star with ties to U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and former President Donald Trump, didn't rule out another run for elected office but said he's looking forward to delving into his new role in the meantime.

“We will shine a bright light on those whose ideological agendas seek to dismantle American freedom and prosperity," Cameron said in a news release. "We will stop investment management firms, elected officials and corporate interests from using other people’s money to advance their radical political agendas.”................

Kentucky’s former attorney general Daniel Cameron to help lead conservative group 1792 Exchange

Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has been hired by a group pushing back against what it sees as “woke ideology” in the corporate sector.

apnews.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 4 House Republican, has yanked her endorsement from an Ohio Republican whose caught on a leaked tape dissing former President Donald Trump.

Craig Riedel, a former Ohio state lawmaker, had once been a leading candidate to win the GOP's nomination to take on longtime incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a House Democrat who represents a seat that Trump won in 2020. Riedel's campaign was upended after a tape leaked of him criticizing Trump.

"I was very disappointed in his inappropriate comments regarding President Trump," Stefanik wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "As we begin 2024, my focus is on ensuring we nominate the strongest candidates on the ballot who are committed to electing President Trump this November and expanding our House GOP Majority."

On the leaked tape, Riedel calls Trump "arrogant" and adds that he would not seek the former president's support in the race.

"Look, Donald Trump, he's a different person than me," Riedel said on the tape, which was posted on X by conservative media personality Charlie Kirk. "I don't like the way he communicates. I do think he is arrogant. I don't like the way he calls people names."............

MSN

 

[Optimus Prime]

Haven't several women already written and directed episodes of various Star Wars TV Shows?
=========================================

Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is attached to direct an upcoming “Star Wars” film, making her the first woman to helm a film in the iconic franchise—but right-wing critics are blasting the movie as “woke” after Obaid-Chinoy said it’s “about time” a woman directed a “Star Wars” installment.

Obaid-Chinoy told CNN in a televised interview this week it’s “about time that we had a woman come forward to shape a story in a galaxy far, far away,” adding she’s “thrilled” about the upcoming project.

Obaid-Chinoy, a filmmaker known for directing feminist documentaries, was announced in April 2023 as director of an upcoming, unnamed film set in the “Star Wars” universe and starring Daisy Ridley—who portrayed protagonist Rey in the sequel trilogy of the main “Star Wars” series.

Obaid-Chinoy will be the first woman and the first person of color to direct a film set in the “Star Wars” universe.

Some right-wing pundits criticized Obaid-Chinoy, deeming her comments “woke,” and resurfaced remarks she made at a 2015 Women in the World summit in which she said she likes to “make men uncomfortable” through her art.

Conservative pundits criticized Obaid-Chinoy’s comments, including Benny Johnson, who claimed the “Star Wars” franchise is “doomed.” Pundit Matt Walsh posted a video of Obaid-Chinoy’s Women in the World summit interview, stating the film is “destined to be Disney’s biggest flop yet.” “It’s like they ENJOY losing money,” the popular right-wing account Libs of TikTok posted in response to Walsh.

Conservative personality Ben Shapiro called Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy the “worst entertainment executive of my lifetime.”

Kennedy has faced some online criticism, and even a skewering on “South Park,” because of speculation she is pushing for more inclusive content at Disney, though the Hollywood Reporter noted some criticism may be misattributed because she is “not in charge of Disney’s overall slate — or considered the mastermind behind the company’s so-called woke push.”............

MSN

 

[MT15]

Good, I’m glad the venue cancelled her.

 

[superchuck500]

 

[Bigdaddysaints]

Good, I’m glad the venue cancelled her.

i heard the 4 Seasons Total Landscaping Venue is free. lol .

 

[LA - L.A.]

Warning signs point to there being a legitimate threat of a holy war being waged against a majority of Americans by a minority of Americans. Here's a little more info on Bill Cook and his ilk:

Meet the ‘Black Robe Regiment’ of Extremist Pastors Spreading Christian Nationalism

“There is a very serious spiritual battle we have and we don't have any problem with saying we are fighting things we can't see.”

www.vice.com

And he’s part of a growing national religious political movement called the Black Robe Regiment, a modern-day group inspired by a myth of a group of militant pastors during the American Revolution who took up arms to lead their flock into battle against the British. The movement, imbued with support from far-right political activists like Michael Flynn, wants pastors to play a central role in not only preaching politics from the pulpit but also actively getting their congregations to rise up and claim election fraud by weaving myths about the American Revolution together with modern-day conspiracy theories and hard-line Christianity. These pastors believe they’re saving democracy, though what they’re really doing is encouraging supporters to undermine the democratic process.

Flynn, the disgraced former national security adviser-turned-de facto leader of the nationwide election denial movement, is one of the regiment’s biggest supporters.
“You cannot preach the Bible without the United States Constitution. Period,” Flynn announced to a crowded hall on stage of the QAnon-infused evangelical “ReAwaken America” July tour stop in Virginia Beach. Thousands were in attendance, and Flynn’s speech was full of fire and brimstone, espousing a Christian nationalist ideology about how the church should be at the heart of all aspects of American society.

During Flynn’s speech, dozens of pastors stood right behind him; in total, 150 pastors had just signed a pledge to become part of the regiment. Flynn’s group was founded by Virginia pastor William Cook with the aim of putting a Black Robe pastor in every single constituency in the United States. This new iteration of the group wants pastors to preach the gospel of Trump, actively spread conspiracies about COVID vaccines and stolen elections, and get more involved in local politics. Many of the pastors aligned with the movement were involved in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, including several who encouraged their flocks to take part in the protest and then traveled to D.C. themselves. And experts worry that their incendiary language about spiritual warfare could incite real-world violence.

Cook’s organization is growing fast: An old website full of dead ends and missing content has been replaced by a slick new site with PayPal links and sign-up forms. Cook has already established outposts across the country that are making inroads into local and state government, and he has the backing of some of the most influential figures within the evangelical community, including longtime Trump adviser Paula White.

But that hasn’t stopped Cook. The Virginia pastor’s goals are simple: He wants pastors to become the de facto political leaders in their district. He wants them elected to school boards, become members of their local Republican Party, and push Christian nationalist dogma to political leaders in their area.

 

[MT15]

Crazy talk

 

[DaveXA]

Crazy talk

Not that I believe those numbers, but profiting $7 billion on $3 billion of assets is a hell of a sacrifice.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Since all plagiarizing is bad she will now withdraw right?
====================================

Mayra Flores, who is running to reclaim her former Texas congressional seat, has described herself as “a proud Latina who knows how to cook” — now she’s enmeshed in a scandal dubbed “Grubgate”

A former Texas congresswoman has been accused of downloading other people’s food pictures and passing them off as her own on social media.

Mayra Flores was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2022 to 2023, making history as the first Mexican-born member of the House before being voted out after one term. In recent days, her name has been in headlines for non-political reasons: she’s reportedly been posting food photos that she didn’t take and pretending they’re her own.....



Since Anderson broke open the scandal, multiple people and news outlets, including the Texas Tribune, have scoured Flores’ social media and found other instances of her taking credit for other people's food photos. Internet users quickly dubbed the controversy “Grubgate.”

Another example of a pilfered post was a photo originally posted in 2021 by Izabal Magazine, similarly about preparing food on a ranch. Flores shared it, writing, “As a proud Latina who knows how to cook, homemade Mexican food tastes better from a gas stove,” per MSNBC.

In August, Flores shared a post reflecting on “the Rancho life surrounded by my beautiful family,” and the photo she posted was traced back to a Facebook page called Comida De Rancho, who originally posted the photo in 2019, VICE News shared. That post has since been deleted...........

Former GOP Congresswoman Caught Stealing Food Photos from the Internet and Passing Them Off as Her Own

Texas Republican Mayra Flores, who is running to reclaim her former congressional seat, has described herself as 'a proud Latina who knows how to cook' — now she’s enmeshed in a scandal dubbed 'Grubgate'

people.com

 

[MT15]

That’s just weird. Why are these people so weird?

 

[superchuck500]

 

[Taurus]

i heard the 4 Seasons Total Landscaping Venue is free. lol .

That's another thing that disgusts me about Cheato and his pals. They're just so...bush league. So incompetent and pathetic. From holding a press conference at a garden store instead of just canceling and rescheduling, like a professional would do...if a professional were to make such a stupid, rookie error, to having shoeblack just ooze down Rudy's head on live TV. It's just amateur hour over and over.

How can his cult continue to justify it? Doesn't America deserve a better class of tyrant?

I'm trying to imagine this crew of lamebrains organizing something like a Nuremburg rally. It'd just be a chaotic, gun-filled version of Woodstock with people defecating, urinating, ejaculating and shooting randomly all over the place. Oh, and a quarter of them wouldn't arrive until the next day due to a foulup with the invites.

 

[SystemShock]

How can his cult continue to justify it?

Because they are a cult, and Trump is their messiah, and everything he does is righteous, and everything said in his praise or defense is righteous, and everything said against him is heresy and requires the U.S. armed forces to round up Democrats and execute them.

 

[Optimus Prime]

A group of Michigan Republicans voted on Saturday to remove Kristina Karamo as state party chair after months of infighting and slow fundraising raised concerns her leadership would hurt the party’s chances in the key swing state in 2024.

Karamo, a former community college instructor and election-denying activist who was elevated to her post in February, has indicated she would not respect Saturday’s vote, setting the stage for a potentially messy court battle over party leadership.

At a special meeting called by critics of Karamo, nearly all of the state committee members present voted to remove her from her post, according to Bree Moeggenberg, a state committee member who helped organize the meeting in Commerce CharterTownship.

“We have voted to remove Kristina Karamo as the Chair of the Michigan Republican Party. It is now time to collaborate and grow forward,” Moeggenberg said in a statement.

After running unsuccessfully for Michigan secretary of state in 2022, Karamo ran for the party’s top position with a promise to break free from the big donors she vilified as part of the “establishment” while expanding the base of small donors.

She has failed to deliver on that promise while angering many of her supporters with what they have called a lack of transparency from her administration. Contributions from the party’s largest donors have dried up, leading to a cash crunch.

A report released last month by Warren Carpenter, a former congressional district chair and one-time Karamo supporter, said the state party was mired in debt, on the “brink of bankruptcy” and “essentially non-functional” under her leadership.

Calls for Karamo to step down came three years after she made claims of election fraud on her Christian podcast that would propel her to a leading voice in Donald Trump’s campaign discrediting the 2020 election.

Karamo continued to espouse her outlandish views last year after winning the party seat, echoing the QAnon conspiracy theory that a shadowy cabal of elites are harvesting children’s organs.

“There’s a ton of money involved in those freshly harvested organs,” Karamo said on a 2020 podcast hosted by RedPill78, a conspiracy theory website. She has also called Beyoncé and Jay-Z “satanists”, said yoga is a satanic ritual and described Cardi B as a “tool of Lucifer”.…….

Election denier Kristina Karamo voted out as Michigan Republican party chair

Critics say the QAnon conspiracy theorist, in the position less than a year, failed to deliver on funding promises

www.theguardian.com

 

[MT15]

This guy is trying to organize to get folks out of the cult.