Lessons of History and Trying To Avoid the Same Mistakes

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

Now that Donald Trump has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Republicans are whipping out their black lights and diligently searching President Joe Biden’s basement futon for chocolate chip smudges. A party that’s long been ultra-torqued about so-called hoaxes that clearly and demonstrably aren’t hoaxesis now perpetrating a brazen hoax against Biden, and it’s frankly gotten kind of sad.

Of course, while there’s no real reason to believe anything Republicans say—like, at all, or ever—we have particular cause to be skeptical here. First and foremost, the unverified whistleblower report they’re using to claim Biden took $5 million in bribes from a Ukrainian energy company executive was ostensibly brought to the FBI by Lord Fiddle-Pants Magoo, who’s roughly two bottles of scotch and a dodgy Percocet away from claiming the 2020 election was stolen by the Hamburglar.


For another, their witnesses keep mysteriously disappearing or dying—almost as if they never existed at all. On top of that—and perhaps most telling of all—this information was brought to the FBI in 2020 during the Trump administration and was never acted on. If there were anything at all to any of this, the Eye of Sour-Don would have surely alit thereupon and revealed Biden’s perfidy to the wide world. In fact, a spokesperson for Democrats on the Oversight Committee has stated that the FBI “informed the Committee, in no uncertain terms, that this assessment was closed in August 2020 after it failed to identify sufficient evidence to justify further investigation.”

Of course, if you’re still not convinced, you might want to listen to someone who’s a bit more trustworthy than Rep. James Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley, who’ve been trying to pass off this leftover nothingburger as fresh red meat for weeks now.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas and member of the House Oversight Committee, has actually seen the whistleblower document in question and—surprise, surprise—she asserts that it doesn’t actually say what Comer, Grassley, et al. claim it does. She joined MSNBC’s Ayman Mohyeldin on Friday to discuss the GOP’s transparent and childish hoax against Biden, and her take on the document in question was revealing.

MOHYELDIN: “What do you make of this nonsense from the Republicans? I mean, this recycled Giuliani-created conspiracy theory that now seems to be at the center of this Republican obsession.
CROCKETT: [Laughs] “I mean, the Republicans are, like, good at distractions, and that’s exactly what we have. It is so unfortunate that they are talking about what they read, but let me make it very plain for the people that are watching. The very first document that we read specifically said that we are not to disclose what it is that we’re reading. So I’m going to tell you that, for some reason, I don’t really trust their ability to actually read and take in what it is that they’ve read, because the very first page said do not talk about the contents. And so all I will say, because as Democrats we like to follow rules, is that their rendition of what was in this document is a little different from what I read in this document. Now, granted, I did read the redacted version. I’ve read redacted documents for years and years and years practicing law, but I’m telling you, I don’t think that those few black marks that I saw had all this information that the senator has been talking about.”

Wait, you mean Republicans are maybe, possibly misrepresenting what they’ve seen with their own eyes? And here I was all ready to take one of those special Capitol tours where they hand out complimentary bear spray, zip ties, and “Hang Mike Pence—peacefully!” beer can koozies.

Crockett then notes Republicans’ penchant for whataboutism and their extensive probing of Democrats like Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, and predicts that Biden will not face anything like the legal peril Trump has going forward.

She then further called B.S. on Republicans’ public proclamations about the whistleblower document, saying, “Honestly, some of this stuff they’re talking about, I’m like, ‘that wasn’t in there.’”

CROCKETT: “I want people to understand the timeline. This is, I think it was three pages total. It was basically two pages and then a portion of another page that we reviewed. As far as the timeline is concerned, we’re talking about someone recounting something that was told to them at least three years after allegedly they were told this, and they had all these details in their mind and whatnot. And also, to be clear, as my ranking member, who can be trusted with the truth, Jamie Raskin, he laid it out and made it clear that it’s not that this information came and then it was just thrown away. It was actually Trump’s administration, it was Trump’s DOJ, that received this information and they followed through and there was nothing to follow through with. So, yes, we do have all these ghost witnesses and things like that. But let me tell you who has real witnesses. Trump. Trump. His lawyer. They’re coming out for him. They pierced the attorney-client privilege ...”

Yes, the evidence against Trump is real, and it’s spectacular. But Republicans really wish you’d avert your eyes from his bathroom reading, so be prepared for more distractions. No doubt they’ll be equally as absurd as this one and—if Rudy has anything to do with it—even more redolent of Glenlivet and rancid hair goo.


(full article online )

Congresswoman who's seen Biden whistleblower document says it's not what GOP claims it is

Now that Donald Trump has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Republicans are whipping out their black lights and diligently searching President Joe Biden’s basement futon for chocolate chip smudges. A party that’s long been ultra-torqued...

www.dailykos.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

The effort has encumbered its targets with expansive requests for information and, in some cases, subpoenas — demanding notes, emails and other information related to social media companies and the government dating back to 2015. Complying has consumed time and resources and already affected the groups’ ability to do research and raise money, according to several people involved.

They and others warned that the campaign undermined the fight against disinformation in American society when the problem is, by most accounts, on the rise — and when another presidential election is around the corner. Many of those behind the Republican effort had also joined former President Donald J. Trump in falsely challenging the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. [...]

Targets include Stanford, Clemson and New York Universities and the University of Washington; the Atlantic Council, the German Marshall Fund and the National Conference on Citizenship, all nonpartisan, nongovernmental organizations in Washington; the Wikimedia Foundation in San Francisco; and Graphika, a company that researches disinformation online.

G.O.P. Targets Researchers Who Study Disinformation Ahead of 2024 Election

A legal campaign against universities and think tanks seeks to undermine the fight against false claims about elections, vaccines and other hot political topics.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

For generations Republicans have railed against Democrats for trying to create a “nanny state,” the kind of place where the government, not individuals, controls just about every aspect of our lives.

But here’s the thing.

It’s a lie.

If anything, just the opposite is true.

And no place proves it better than Arizona, where the Republican-controlled Legislature passed bill after bill that would have replaced free choice with government mandates. And the only thing that prevented it from happening was Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ 100-plus vetoes of “nanny state” legislation.


(full article online )

The Arizona Republic

www.azcentral.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

A cartoon by Mike Luckovich.

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Flash]

The best lesson of History?

Don't ever, ever, ever let Leftest get power.

 

[Sixties Fan]

Trump left STAMMERING on air when caught in DISASTROUS answer​

 

[Sixties Fan]

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/20/1183344228/arkansas-2021-gender-affirming-care-ban-transgender-blocked?link_id=10&can_id=6e84143cce349aec0c9a0b4e4a28c9c6&source=email-trump-absolutely-implodes-in-disastrous-new-interview&email_referrer=email_1964586&email_subject=trump-absolutely-implodes-in-disastrous-new-interview

 

[Sixties Fan]

Virginians oust Democrat who sought abortion limits and Republican who denied 2020 results

A handful of Virginia incumbents prevailed over challengers in a closely watched primary election. But two of the state’s most controversial political figures — Republican Sen. Amanda Chase and Democrat Sen. Joe Morrissey — lost their party’s nomination Tuesday. Both parties and both General...

apnews.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

Right-wing billionaire tech bozo Elon Musk ignited yet another outrage cycle by joining an anti-vax pile-on against a respected vaccine researcher who refused to debate crank presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., prompting many scientists to finally ditch Twitter. They say the platform has devolved into a cesspit under Musk and now does more harm than good.

Scientists on Twitter head for the exit

A feud on Twitter highlights the perils of engaging on the platform and a growing tension among researchers and medical professionals.

www.axios.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves traveled to Alabama for a Republican fundraising event as people in his state were still reeling from back-to-back tornadoes that killed one person, injured dozens and destroyed homes and businesses, and in the midst of lingering power outages from severe thunderstorms.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and Reeves headlined a Republican Governors Association fundraiser on Monday at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Birmingham, according to an invitation obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press. Ticket prices ranged from $5,000 for one person to $50,000 for four people.

Reeves is policy chairperson for the RGA and is seeking a second term as governor this year. His campaign manager Elliott Husbands said in response to questions Tuesday that the event was planned long ago, and money raised there was not earmarked for any specific campaign. Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi have the only governor’s races this year.


(full article online )

Tornadoes clobber Mississippi. Hours later, its governor attends Republican fundraiser in Alabama

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves traveled to Alabama for a Republican fundraising event as people in his state were still reeling from death, injury and destruction from back-to-back storms. Tornadoes struck two south Mississippi communities since late Sunday. Thousands of central Mississippi...

apnews.com

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

I haven’t read much of this thread in the past — but there is actually a lot of good information here!

Just read the recent article revealing Republican Supreme Court Judge Alito’s billionaire-funded trip to Alaska and his refusal to report it as a gift … or recuse himself on related cases … in the spirit of evidently even more corrupt Clarence Thomas.

I like most everything in this thread sourced from ProPublica, which is a very useful investigative news source, edited by a week-known conservative ex-managing editor of the Wall Street Journal. Here is a new and revealing well-researched ProPublica article on this subject:

Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court

In the years after the undisclosed trip to Alaska, Republican megadonor Paul Singer’s hedge fund has repeatedly had business before the Supreme Court. Alito has never recused himself.

www.propublica.org

 

[Sixties Fan]

Hunter Biden & The Rule of Law

Tuesday started with news that Judge Aileen Cannon had entered a preliminary order in U.S. v. Trump that included a mid-August trial setting. Unfortunately, that’s not going to be the actual trial date. It’s a place holder for the real date, which will be set down the road, once the judge has a...

joycevance.substack.com

 

[Sixties Fan]

 

[Sixties Fan]