What happens to the Republican Party now? (2 Viewers)

[MT15]

This election nonsense by Trump may end up splitting up the Republican Party. I just don’t see how the one third (?) who are principled conservatives can stay in the same party with Trump sycophants who are willing to sign onto the TX Supreme Court case.

We also saw the alt right types chanting “destroy the GOP” in Washington today because they didn’t keep Trump in power. I think the Q types will also hold the same ill will toward the traditional Republican Party. In fact its quite possible that all the voters who are really in a Trump personality cult will also blame the GOP for his loss. It’s only a matter of time IMO before Trump himself gets around to blaming the GOP.

There is some discussion of this on Twitter. What do you all think?

 

[CoolBrees]

Reason #12,365,908 I will never, ever live in Arkansas.

 

[Optimus Prime]

It has now been more than three months since House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) issued a release in which they accused President Biden of having been “allegedly engaged in a bribery scheme with a foreign national.

“
That allegation was based on an FBI interview of an informant who had spoken with Mykola Zlochevsky, founder of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. If validated, it would mark not only a significant legal violation on the part of Biden, but the first time that Comer’s breathless efforts to tie Biden to foreign payments was actually demonstrated.


It was not validated.

Comer and Grassley — who were already familiar with an FBI form detailing the contents of the interview — spent a few weeks demanding that the FBI release the interview to the public. The FBI, concerned both about putting the informant at risk and about making public unsubstantiated claims, decided to offer a redacted version of the memo for legislators to see.

Comer and Grassley then started complaining about the redactions as they demanded more people be able to see the interview. Eventually, Grassley just went ahead and released a lightly redacted version on social media.

The idea that Biden (and his son Hunter Biden, who served on Burisma’s board) had been bribed took hold as an article of faith on the right.

Fox News has mentioned “bribe” or “bribery” in the context of “Biden” more than 1,100 times since the allegation was first made — despite the lack of evidence beyond that FBI interview document and despite the erosion of the credibility of the allegation in at least two ways.

Hunter Biden’s business associate Devon Archer testified under penalty of perjury that Joe Biden wasn’t involved in his son’s business.

Meanwhile, an old conversation between Zlochevsky and an ally of former president Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani was unearthed in which Zlochevsky denied having any contact with or receiving any assistance from Joe Biden……

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/09/comer-biden-analysis/

 

[Optimus Prime]

Oregon state lawmakers who sought to halt all legislative business over their unhappiness about bills being considered by the majority-Democrat legislature have just been handed a major defeat.

As Republicans have failed to take the state legislature of Oregon in several subsequent election cycles, a group of conservatives began trying a new effort in 2019: Skipping votes they knew their side would lose.

It was a novel strategy, and one that seemed effective under state law: A quorum must be present for legislative business to proceed, and the number of Republicans resisting by not showing up prevented key legislation from moving forward. The practice began with legislation regarding efforts to fight climate change, but has expanded and continued for nearly half a decade.

Republicans turned to that tactic once again this past May. For more than 40 days, all but two Republican members of the state Senate refused to attend legislative business sessions.

Now, voters in the state appear to have reached the end of their patience for these shenanigans. In 2022, a ballot measure that sought to introduce a new law that would disqualify lawmakers from seeking another term should they be “absent from 10 legislative floor sessions without permission or excuse” was considerd by voters. It passed in a landslide, with nearly 70 per cent of the vote.

And the state’s highest elections authority has just signalled that the measure will go into effect this year, meaning that Republicans whose terms end this year (or after) will be prevented from running for reelection should they meet, or have already met, that threshold.…….

Oregon Republicans who skipped votes will be barred from standing for re-election

Republicans sought to disrupt official proceedings by skipping them

www.independent.co.uk

 

[CoolBrees]

Oh and don't you think this is exactly what we hoped would happen.

The list of R's that are now barred from running is every member but 2- both in the House, all Senators. They were gone for over 40 days and the line is 10. Neither remaining member is in party leadership.

We already had a super majority.

We just destroyed the entire Republican Party in the state for several election cycles.

Actually check that. We didn't do anything. The dumbasses slit their own throats to steal a line from tough guy Meatball Ron.

 

[MT15]

 

[MT15]

This isn’t healthy for people to have this much distrust and fear. It’s just not. And I’ve never seen a major political party be this way.

 

[MT15]

It’s good to see Fox News pushing back on this ridiculous claim. Hopefully she won’t get fired.

 

[MT15]

Hadn’t hear this:

 

[MT15]

 

[DaveXA]

Hadn’t hear this:

 

[MT15]

Are they starting to realize that they have an actual scandal right in front of them from someone who actually was part of government?

 

[Taurus]

Hadn’t hear this:

In order to be actionable, I still think Cheato will have to be convicted of something.
It's not like he proclaimed himself King of Trumplandia.

 

[MT15]

Didn’t the RNC make up that “loyalty pledge” to keep Trump from running 3rd party if he doesn’t win the nomination? Of course he won’t sign it - therefore nobody should sign it.

 

[SFIDC3]

Are they starting to realize that they have an actual scandal right in front of them from someone who actually was part of government?

My first thought is anything to distract from Trump himself....

 

[zztop]

we've seen Rs taking credit for things they voted against before, but at least there has been some effort to push back against it

 

[Optimus Prime]

Texas Republicans have no good argument to justify the state’s construction of buoys separated by circular saw blades in the Rio Grande. This dangerous stunt is a clear violation of federal law, which grants the federal government—not Texas—control over the river. So GOP lawmakers and lawyers have fallen back on a series of claims that run from disturbing to comical.

They say the Rio Grande, which law enforcement navigates every day, is not “navigable.” They assert that Texas is under “invasion” by “thousands of aliens” that warrants the use of force to repel migrants, and potentially merits the invasion of Mexico by state law enforcement. And they fall back on the story of Noah’s Ark to bolster their defense. Yes, the tale of the divine deluge has been invoked in support of a death trap meant to turn back migrants fleeing violence and poverty. Just as the Bible intended.

The buoy border, a project of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, is part of Operation Lone Star, the state’s broader crackdown on unauthorized migration. This operation has been a multibillion-dollar failure with no apparent impact on illegal crossings. State troops and National Guardsmen stationed at the border reportedly have little to do, and suicide is rising in their ranks at an alarming rate.

In July, a whistleblower reported that Guardsmen were instructed to line the river with razor wire and push migrants who got caught in it, including children and pregnant women, back into the water. Abbott added the buoys—which use serrated metal plates to pierce the flesh of anyone who tries to pass them—as a direct affront to the Biden administration, which has jurisdiction over the river. The Department of Justice promptly sued, citing the Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1899, which prohibits “the building” of any “structure” or “obstruction” in a “navigable river” without permission from the federal government.

Abbott’s lawyers, aided by a group of mostly Texan GOP congressmen, filed their response on Wednesday, and it is, to put it mildly, not the work of serious people. Their defense rests on two basic arguments, one amusingly asinine, the other deeply disturbing. First, Texas Republicans argue that the portion of the Rio Grande is not a “navigable river” and that, even if it were, the buoys don’t interfere with navigation; either way, they say, the structure does not fall under the Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act.

Unfortunately for Texas, the U.S. Coast Guard has explicitly found that this entire stretch of the Rio Grande is navigable, as has the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This fact is supported by the reality that law enforcement vessels can and do navigate this portion of the river. Moreover, a federal study found that the buoys do interfere with navigation, contrary to Texas’ baseless assertion. But that’s actually irrelevant, because the law prohibits all unapproved “structures” in the Rio Grande, regardless of whether they interfere with navigation.

Faced with these facts, the congressmen defending the buoys pivot to the Bible. In their brief, they take issue with the Justice Department’s claim that the river is still legally “navigable,” noting that at certain points it becomes unnavigable because of changing depths, currents, dams, or other factors. The DOJ’s “theory” that a river is still “navigable” even when some parts become unnavigable, they declare, “would lead to absurd” outcomes because “most of Texas was once covered by seas.”

But don’t just trust the geological record; also consider “the Book of Genesis,” which, taken “literally,” says “the entire world was once navigable by boats large enough to carry significant amounts of livestock.” For support, the brief cites Genesis 7:17–20, which tells the story of Noah’s Ark. Checkmate, libs.............

MSN

 

[Optimus Prime]

In July, the Florida department of education announced that it had approved the use of content by PragerU Kids for the coming school year. PragerU Kids was recently described by Time magazine as “a resource for schools”. But it is only a “resource” because the state of Florida has deemed it so. PragerU is not an actual university. It has no accreditation. It is a conservative media company whose goal since its founding in 2009 has been to spread rightwing ideology to adults and children.

And it has been incredibly successful at doing that. PragerU’s latest annual report says that the company’s self-described “edutainment” videos racked up more than 1.2bn views in 2022, with more than 7bn since its founding. Its content has been mostly available online, particularly on Facebook and YouTube, but now it is making its way into US classrooms with the promise of fighting the so-called “woke agenda”.

PragerU makes no secret of its agenda. Its co-founder, Dennis Prager – a conservative radio talkshow host and writer who has been attacking progressive causes since the 1980s – was recently glib in responding to claims that PragerU “indoctrinates kids”. “Which is true,” Prager said in a speech to the conservative “parental rights” group Moms for Liberty. “We bring doctrines to children. That is a very fair statement. I said, ‘But what is the bad of our indoctrination?’”

PragerU Kids’ cartoon videos for children as young as kindergarten age not only soft-pedal the history of slavery, racism, colonialism and police brutality – they show sympathy for them. In one video, Leo and Layla Meet Christopher Columbus, Columbus tells young Leo and Layla: “Slavery is as old as time and has taken place in every corner of the world … Being taken as a slave is better than being killed, no?”.

Another PragerU Kids video describes George Floyd, who was murdered by the Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020, as a “Black man who resisted arrest”. Another features a cartoon version of the Black American educator and author Booker T Washington comforting white children by saying, “Future generations are never responsible for the sins of the past.” To which his young listener responds: “OK, I’ll keep doing my best to treat everyone well and won’t feel guilty about historical stuff.”

Another video says that British colonialism transformed India “in many positive ways”.

PragerU Kids’ videos for teens often focus on sexuality and gender, promoting traditional gender roles in ways that could be considered anti-feminist. In one, How to Embrace Your Femininity, a young blond woman with perfect hair and makeup tells viewers: “Most gender stereotypes exist because they reflect the way that men and women are naturally different. And those differences aren’t bad … So don’t let anyone tell you it’s bad to fit stereotypes. Those people are just trying too hard to be cool.”..........

Florida wants to let a rightwing group teach history to children. This is appalling | Nancy Jo Sales

PragerU’s cartoon videos for children downplay our country’s history of slavery, racism, colonialism and police brutality. Other states may follow

www.theguardian.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

article in increasing role of women in far right movement
====================================
Researchers who track how the far right in the US mobilizes, self-promotes and recruits are reporting that women are playing a growing role in the movement.

They often work behind the scenes to advance conspiracy theories through social media and softly attract new women into the fold. But at the same time, in recent years “alt-right” women have also shifted to influential public-facing roles in rightwing media production and far-right national politics.

They have taken prominent roles in events like the January 6 attack on the Capitol, count US congresswomen in their number and have seen the emergence of powerful new groups like Moms for Liberty.

“[Far-right women] have a lot more power than you think,” said Dr Sandra Jeppesen, a professor of media and communications at Lakehead University in Ontario, Canada.

Despite their seemingly understated presence in extremist groups and far-right politics, they can be effective organizers, responsible for bringing thousands of people to the Capitol for the January 6 “Stop the Steal” rally and now mobilizing against inclusive education.

Some women figures on the far-right scene have a lot of money, especially the most prominent ones, said Tracy Llanera, an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Connecticut. The most high-profile far-right conservative women are involved in social media production because they fit the mold of what Llanera calls “the acceptable faces of conservative propaganda”.

They include Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren and Canadian far-right YouTuber Lauren Southern, who produce conservative media and rightwing propaganda, amassing a huge following and millions of dollars.

Even so-called “Tradwives” – such as the TikToker Estee Williams, who promotes strict adherence to traditional gender roles – generate income from their social media content. The Global Network on Extremism & Technology recently linked Tradwives to “alt-lite” and “alt-right” ideologies.

“I think women definitely want power,” Jeppesen argued. “I don’t think ‘alt-right’ women go into politics for altruistic reasons.”

Like men in the movement, women commit to far-right politics believing there is a crisis and they have to commit to extraordinary action, she stated. In the days leading up to 6 January 2021, Marjorie Taylor Greene, the extremist congresswoman from Georgia, paid tens of thousands of dollars for a promoted Parlor post stating the need for a grassroots army and created a Photoshopped image of her and Donald Trump...........

Other female insurrectionists played a pivotal role in the riots and spreading election denial conspiracies during and after.

Jessica Watkins, an Oath Keepers member and founder of the Ohio State Regular Militia, arranged for both militias to travel to the Capitol, organizing and communicating on site with the encrypted walkie-talkie-style app Zello. She was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison; people such as Watkins are considered political prisoners to members of the far-right movement.

When Ashli Babbit was killed by Capitol Hill police during the January 6 attack, she was promoted as a martyr, with even the former US president Donald Trump calling her parents. “Women make better martyrs in the ‘alt-right’,” Jeppesen said about Babbit’s lingering effect.

Another growing power on the far right is Moms for Liberty, a group that began as a small parents’ rights group but which has spread across the US and is a leading force in promoting book bans.

The group – with a fervent membership of conservative mothers – aims to affect US education, attacking anything that meddles with the far-right view of what is suitable for bringing up children, said Llanera of the University of Connecticut. “Mothers protect their offspring, out of the private sphere where they are most relevant,” she added.

Iowyth Ulthiin, a PhD student at Toronto Metropolitan University and researcher at Lakehead University, explained that rightwing sects will use a broad appeal to a general issue like children’s safety in order to spread far-right ideas.

“Who doesn’t love children and want them to be safe?” Ulthiin said.

Far-right mothers start building rapport with other parents, using the vulnerability of their children to open the door to QAnon conspiracy theories and anti-government sentiment.

The far right can take the same recruitment posture online. Ulthiin’s research has seen women in the “mommy blogger aesthetic” on Instagram, known for sharing photos of “lovely, enviable lives”, become subtly political and then escalate rapidly into conspiracy theories..............

‘Better martyrs’: the growing role of women in the far-right movement

The pipeline from mommy blogger to Tradwife to book-banner is an important aspect of the extreme right wing in the US

www.theguardian.com