crooksandliars--2020-07-31--WAAHMBULANCE! Wisconsin Republicans Melt Down After Face Mask Order

In May 2020 , the Wisconsin Supreme Kangaroo Court ruled in favor of the COVID 19 pandemic and immediately put an end to Governor Tony Evers stay at home order .
Predictably , people went nuts , threw personal safety and personal responsibility out the window and commenced to party like mad and go on vacations , usually to the scenic areas of Northern Wisconsin .
Also predictably , the number of new cases of COVID 19 began to climb at an every accelerating rate .
When the Supreme Court issued their decision , new cases were averaging about 100-125 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wisconsin saw it 's first day of over 1000 new cases .
Despite the pandemic growing further and further out of control , even in the most rural counties , the Republicans did nothing but campaign and sit with their thumbs up their asses .
Finally , on Thursday , as Wisconsin hit its first 1,000+ new cases in one day , Evers took action and issued a health emergency declaration and a mandatory face mask executive order .
Suprisingly , many businesses , especially bankers , supported this measure .
And just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heels , Evers went on the offensive : But Democratic lawmakers and Wisconsin bankers praised the order , saying it will help reverse a worsening outbreak in the state and provide uniform rules for businesses operating in different counties .
Evers said he decided to issue the orders as a way to get on top of a virus outbreak growing out of control in recent weeks .
`` We tried their way .
Folks , it ’ s not working , '' Evers said Thursday of Republican lawmakers ' successful lawsuit to remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm sure that the timing of Evers ' order was not accidental .
The order goes into effect Saturday , August 1 .
That 's the same day that Jill Karofsky takes her seat on the Supreme Court , narrowing the right wing majority to 4-3 .
But if Justice Brian Hagendorn had sided with Evers on the stay at home order .
If he stays consistent , that would give Evers a 4-3 decision in his favor .
Adding to this complex 3D chess game is that any court challenges are likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also tightened their power grab by passing a law stating that they could dismiss and executive order with a majority in both houses of the state legislature , which they currently have .
As the gentle reader probably guessed , the Republicans started having conniptions and hissy fits over the order .
As much fun as that was too watch , their reasoning for these temper tantrums was purely a laugh riot .
My personal favorite is the ones claiming that it 's an infringement of their rights .
Yet these same people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expectations such as wearing clothes , using seat belts or other common sense safety measures .
Some are arguing that the few local governments that have passed their own face mask laws are sufficient .
But doing face mask laws in this piecemeal way is absolutely useless .
It 's like saying that it 's OK to pee in certain parts of a swimming pool but not in others .
Others are only upset that it does n't follow their laws on how such orders should be issued , revealing that they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power struggles than saving people 's lives .
One such fool is State Senator Steve Nass , who is well-named since he truly is An Ass .
Nass is calling for a special session to end the order , despite the fact that the Republicans had more than 100 days to get off their asses and actually take care of business before now .
Making an even bigger ass out of himself is the twisted logic he used in calling for this special session and projecting his party 's failures on Evers : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scott Fitzgerald , had expressed that he is considering calling a special session , it is questionable at best whether it would go anywhere .
Being a little more political savvy than usual , Speaker of the Assembly Robin Vos is trying to distance himself from taking such an action : Assembly Speaker Robin Vos , R-Rochester , said there are constitutional questions about Evers ' new public health emergency and mask order but signaled he would not be suing the governor over them .
`` I understand the necessity of doing all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 .
We all know it ’ s serious , '' Vos said in a statement .
`` Local governments have been responding appropriately and increasing precautionary measures as needed .
But Wisconsin shouldn ’ t have a one-size-fits-all mandate . ''
Vos said a statewide mandate `` doesn ’ t build public support when there are questions surrounding the metrics and the constitutionality of this mandate . ''
He said legal challenges from `` citizen groups '' are likely coming .
Vos probably recognizes the fact that taking such an action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ probably cause a major backlash and be political suicide for the Republicans .
And since he wants to be governor , Vos wants to be a bit more careful as that in the 2018 elections , all the state wide seats went to the Democrats .
Fitzgerald and the other senators feel much more safe in their gerrymandered districts than Vos would be .
Just as the Republicans ceded their self-proclaimed title of being the party of law and order and the family party , they are surrendering their false claim of being @ @ @ @

In May 2020, the Wisconsin Supreme Kangaroo Court ruled in favor of the COVID 19 pandemic and immediately put an end to Governor Tony Evers stay at home order.
Predictably, people went nuts, threw personal safety and personal responsibility out the window and commenced to party like mad and go on vacations, usually to the scenic areas of Northern Wisconsin. Also predictably, the number of new cases of COVID 19 began to climb at an every accelerating rate. When the Supreme Court issued their decision, new cases were averaging about 100-125 cases per day. On Thursday, Wisconsin saw it's first day of over 1000 new cases.
Despite the pandemic growing further and further out of control, even in the most rural counties, the Republicans did nothing but campaign and sit with their thumbs up their asses.
Finally, on Thursday, as Wisconsin hit its first 1,000+ new cases in one day, Evers took action and issued a health emergency declaration and a mandatory face mask executive order. Suprisingly, many businesses, especially bankers, supported this measure. And just to help keep the Republicans on their heels, Evers went on the offensive:
But Democratic lawmakers and Wisconsin bankers praised the order, saying it will help reverse a worsening outbreak in the state and provide uniform rules for businesses operating in different counties. Evers said he decided to issue the orders as a way to get on top of a virus outbreak growing out of control in recent weeks. "We tried their way. Folks, it’s not working," Evers said Thursday of Republican lawmakers' successful lawsuit to remove state-imposed restrictions on daily life.
I'm sure that the timing of Evers' order was not accidental. The order goes into effect Saturday, August 1. That's the same day that Jill Karofsky takes her seat on the Supreme Court, narrowing the right wing majority to 4-3. But if Justice Brian Hagendorn had sided with Evers on the stay at home order. If he stays consistent, that would give Evers a 4-3 decision in his favor.
Adding to this complex 3D chess game is that any court challenges are likely to be unsuccessful since the state Republicans also tightened their power grab by passing a law stating that they could dismiss and executive order with a majority in both houses of the state legislature, which they currently have.
As the gentle reader probably guessed, the Republicans started having conniptions and hissy fits over the order. As much fun as that was too watch, their reasoning for these temper tantrums was purely a laugh riot.
My personal favorite is the ones claiming that it's an infringement of their rights. Yet these same people don't have an issue following similar expectations such as wearing clothes, using seat belts or other common sense safety measures.
Some are arguing that the few local governments that have passed their own face mask laws are sufficient. But doing face mask laws in this piecemeal way is absolutely useless. It's like saying that it's OK to pee in certain parts of a swimming pool but not in others.
Others are only upset that it doesn't follow their laws on how such orders should be issued, revealing that they are more concerned about politics and getting into power struggles than saving people's lives.
One such fool is State Senator Steve Nass, who is well-named since he truly is An Ass. Nass is calling for a special session to end the order, despite the fact that the Republicans had more than 100 days to get off their asses and actually take care of business before now. Making an even bigger ass out of himself is the twisted logic he used in calling for this special session and projecting his party's failures on Evers:
Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) called on Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald to immediately call the Legislature back into session to pass a joint resolution ending Evers’ emergency declaration. "Governor Evers actions today are nothing more than a political stunt to create a partisan fight with the Legislature," Nass said in a statement. "This is not about improving public health. Today’s emergency declaration is all about the November election and the weak performance of Democrats in this state."
While the state senate majority leader, Scott Fitzgerald, had expressed that he is considering calling a special session, it is questionable at best whether it would go anywhere.
Being a little more political savvy than usual, Speaker of the Assembly Robin Vos is trying to distance himself from taking such an action:
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said there are constitutional questions about Evers' new public health emergency and mask order but signaled he would not be suing the governor over them. "I understand the necessity of doing all that we can to control the spread of COVID-19. We all know it’s serious," Vos said in a statement. "Local governments have been responding appropriately and increasing precautionary measures as needed. But Wisconsin shouldn’t have a one-size-fits-all mandate." Vos said a statewide mandate "doesn’t build public support when there are questions surrounding the metrics and the constitutionality of this mandate." He said legal challenges from "citizen groups" are likely coming.
Vos probably recognizes the fact that taking such an action just three months before the elections would probably cause a major backlash and be political suicide for the Republicans. And since he wants to be governor, Vos wants to be a bit more careful as that in the 2018 elections, all the state wide seats went to the Democrats. Fitzgerald and the other senators feel much more safe in their gerrymandered districts than Vos would be.
Just as the Republicans ceded their self-proclaimed title of being the party of law and order and the family party, they are surrendering their false claim of being the pro-life party.


crooksandliars--2020-07-31--Friday News Dump: Trump Continues To Undermine Vote By Mail, And Other News

Trump keeps complaining about the practically non-existent difference between absentee and mail-in voting .
Meanwhile , his new political appointee is doing his best to ruin the post office and not coincidentally , make it much more difficult to vote by mail : Hours after suggesting a possible delay in the 2020 U.S. presidential election , President Trump said he did not want to postpone the vote , but remained concerned that millions of mail-in ballots would cause problems https : //t.co/YIyxUAhWPe pic.twitter.com/rUxCUevOtH White House senior adviser Stephen Miller appears on Fox to promote Donald Trump 's lies about mail-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ballot has their identity confirmed .
Nobody even checks to see if they 're a U.S .
citizen . ''
This is a baseless fearmongering .
pic.twitter.com/zLNr4GPAA3 NEW : The Postal Service is experiencing days-long backlogs of mail across the country after a top Trump donor running the agency put in place new procedures described as cost-cutting efforts , raising alarms for November election .
From me & @ jacobbogage : https : //t.co/FMStyt6xHa WaPo : The U.S .
Postal Service is experiencing backlogs of mail after a top Trump donor running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , alarming postal workers who warn that the policies could undermine their ability to deliver ballots on time .
https : //t.co/MSZCDebDEO '' After he filled it out he said : 'And I ’ ve just voted , ' before he held the absentee ballot up to the camera and added : 'At least you can say , the Trumpster doesn ’ t give up right ?
You ’ ve got to vote . '
'' https : //t.co/dfxDeR24V9 Asked why the US coronavirus outbreak is so much worse than it has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state shutdown orders did n't go far enough and were rescinded too soon pic.twitter.com/RUD5KyPNGh Official with ventilator maker Philips wrote to CDC official on Jan. 21 : “ Please let us know how we could help out or if you may expect a need to accelerate any shipments . ''
House D report finds admin did n't respond for 6 weeks , until March 4 https : //t.co/cpVtL9DB1i pic.twitter.com/ldjuSAZQeg All pretense that # COVID19 US govt data is reliable is now gone .
Since @ HHSGov stripped tracking of hospitalizations , ICU use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & gave it to 2 private companies ( incl # Palantir ) daily data is gone , & poor weekly is in .
Now we count on renegades👇🏿 pic.twitter.com/pMgTK7utX4 Propublica reports that “ 144 Trump appointees were employed at , or connected to # Koch & RW orgs At the HHS alone , 13 current & former jobholders came from those ranks , as have a few others holding key health policy positions beyond HHS.. '' Even Gottlieb ( AEI ) is a Koch appointee pic.twitter.com/H5OqYTx7Zn Other countries took a big economic hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under control .
We took a big economic hit and do n't have the virus under control .
The virus is the same everywhere .
Other countries have more or less competent and serious national governments .
We do n't .
pic.twitter.com/kZS14owEeo Black Americans long faced systemic racism that has set them back economically—Then the pandemic hit , hurting Blacks especially hard And although Trump told Blacks , `` What do you have to lose , '' they 're seeing they 've had a ton to lose under racist Mr Trumphttps : //t.co/Nx2hDVgkRk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would burn the courthouse down once the Feds left .
Turns out , the protests died down when the agitators - the Feds - left .
It 's almost like Trump was the chaos agent .
https : //t.co/p6SgfKuV1e So excited for you to hear the first episode of The # MichelleObamaPodcast with @ BarackObama !
I wanted to start this season off by discussing our relationship with our community and our country .
I hope you 'll tune in on @ Spotify : https : //t.co/iEjVDPIxEs .
pic.twitter.com/9svSKNHRZ0 They 're doing better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ genuinely happy for them .
How a packed slum in Mumbai beat back the coronavirus , as India ’ s cases continue to soar https : //t.co/bT8Umg6cVG NEW to @ NBCNews 👉House Democrats find Trump overspent for ventilators by as much as $ 500 million 1 .
They paid 4-5 times as much as the Obama admin did for functionally identical machines 2 .
Did n't enforce prior contract or try to build on it .
https : //t.co/uzOSfLn0m9 BREAKING : the @ OHDems just filed suit to require that electronic applications for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Elections .
As our complaint says , Ohio law makes clear that such applications “ need not be in any particular form.
” Here ’ s a quick video explainer : pic.twitter.com/wJ75kQrHbr So I opened my @ LAist daily email and what do I see ?
A conversation on race with @ TazzyStar , who I kind of , sort of know from the old BlogHer days and Twitter .
Gon na have to take the time to sit down and watch this !
https : //t.co/Bx9xAkmOKd DEPT .
OF 'DEAR GOD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ OVER' # FlashbackFriday Orphan Mukkoka owes his life to one of our routine aerial patrols .
His tiny footprints were spotted among hundreds of animal tracks by one of our rangers who identified them as belonging to a lone baby elephant !
Read more : https : //t.co/U2P883Q21g pic.twitter.com/0kbnup24O6

Other countries took a big economic hit and got the virus more or less under control.
We took a big economic hit and don't have the virus under control.
The virus is the same everywhere.
Other countries have more or less competent and serious national governments. We don't. pic.twitter.com/kZS14owEeo
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) July 31, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-07-31--Morgan Freeman Reads Rep. John Lewis’ Last Words

While my time here has now come to an end , I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me .
You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society .
Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division .
Around the country and the world you set aside race , class , age , language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity .
That is why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Plaza in Washington , though I was admitted to the hospital the following day .
I just had to see and feel it for myself that , after many years of silent witness , the truth is still marching on .
Emmett Till was my George Floyd .
He was my Rayshard Brooks , Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor .
He was 14 when he was killed , and I was only 15 years old at the time .
I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those days , fear constrained us like an imaginary prison , and troubling thoughts of potential brutality committed for no understandable reason were the bars .
Though I was surrounded by two loving parents , plenty of brothers , sisters and cousins , their love could not protect me from the unholy oppression waiting just outside that family circle .
Unchecked , unrestrained violence and government-sanctioned terror had the power to turn a simple stroll to the store for some Skittles or an innocent morning jog down a lonesome country road into a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as one unified nation , we must discover what so readily takes root in our hearts that could rob Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina of her brightest and best , shoot unwitting concertgoers in Las Vegas and choke to death the hopes and dreams of a gifted violinist like Elijah McClain .
Like so many young people today , I was searching for a way out , or some might say a way in , and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ discipline of nonviolence .
He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice .
He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by .
He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up , speak up and speak out .
When you see something that is not right , you must say something .
You must do something .
Democracy is not a state .
It is an act , and each generation must do its part to help build what we called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world society at peace with itself .
Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble , necessary trouble .
Voting and participating in the democratic process are key .
The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society .
You must use it because it is not guaranteed .
You can lose it .
You must also study and learn the lessons of history because humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching , existential struggle for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every continent have stood in your shoes , through decades and centuries before you .
The truth does not change , and that is why the answers worked out long ago can help you find solutions to the challenges of our time .
Continue to build union between movements stretching across the globe because we must put away our willingness to profit from the exploitation of others .
Though I may not be here with you , I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace , the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way .
Now it is your turn to let freedom ring .
When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century , let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence , aggression and war .
So I say to you , walk with the wind , brothers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide .

This was a great idea.
In a special Last Word, Morgan Freeman reads the words of John Lewis’ final essay, which he requested be published in the New York Times on the day of his funeral: “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation.”
Transcript
While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity.
That is why I had to visit Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, though I was admitted to the hospital the following day. I just had to see and feel it for myself that, after many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on.
Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. He was 14 when he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time. I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me. In those days, fear constrained us like an imaginary prison, and troubling thoughts of potential brutality committed for no understandable reason were the bars.
Though I was surrounded by two loving parents, plenty of brothers, sisters and cousins, their love could not protect me from the unholy oppression waiting just outside that family circle. Unchecked, unrestrained violence and government-sanctioned terror had the power to turn a simple stroll to the store for some Skittles or an innocent morning jog down a lonesome country road into a nightmare. If we are to survive as one unified nation, we must discover what so readily takes root in our hearts that could rob Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina of her brightest and best, shoot unwitting concertgoers in Las Vegas and choke to death the hopes and dreams of a gifted violinist like Elijah McClain.
Like so many young people today, I was searching for a way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio. He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.
Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.
You must also study and learn the lessons of history because humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching, existential struggle for a very long time. People on every continent have stood in your shoes, through decades and centuries before you. The truth does not change, and that is why the answers worked out long ago can help you find solutions to the challenges of our time. Continue to build union between movements stretching across the globe because we must put away our willingness to profit from the exploitation of others.
Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.
When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.


crooksandliars--2020-07-31--Jim Jordan Flips Out When Colleague Notes His 'Conspiracy Theories' In House Meeting

Never forget that Michael Flynn was caught working out a bribe and quid pro quo -- removal of Russian sanctions in exchange for natural gas stock in his own pocket , just before Trump took office .
He lasted twenty-two DAYS as Trump 's first National Security Advisor .
Informing Congress that the American citizen in the transcripts of phone calls with Russians is Michael Flynn ?
That 's called unmasking .
It happens all the time .
I explained it in this post .
And here 's Jim Jordan , with a real opportunity to talk about trust-busting and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our economy and politics , instead making squeaky noises about `` silencing conservatives '' and `` unmasking Michael Flynn . ''
Because Jim Jordan 's ONLY JOB is to provide brainwashing soundbites for Fox News viewers .
JIM JORDAN : We have the history of what Google has done and the history of 2016 , where they obviously , according to one of your marketing executives , tried to help Clinton .
And here we are 97 days before the election and we want to make sure it 's not going to happen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're not going to tailor or configure your platform to help Joe Biden ?
And second , that you 're not going to use your search engine to silence conservatives ?
Can you give us those two assurances today ?
... Can you assure us you 're not going to silence conservatives and assure us that you 're not going to configure your features as you did for Clinton in '16 , can you assure us you 're not going to do the same thing for Joe Biden in 2020 ?
Thank the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who has been a rock star this week .
MARY GAY SCANLON : Thank you , gentlemen .
I ’ d like to redirect you to antitrust law rather than fringe conspiracy theories .
And then Jim Jordan freaked out and started yelling .
`` Mr. Chairman , we have the email !
There is no fringe conspiracy theory ! ''
And when a colleague asked Jordan to put his mask on , Jordan said , `` Talk about masks .
Why would the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury unmask Michael Flynn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one said `` Because Michael Flynn was committing treason against the United States , '' which is the only answer you should ever give that question , the end .
UPDATE : In case you think Jim Jordan IS N'T engaged in fake theater :

Never forget that Michael Flynn was caught working out a bribe and quid pro quo -- removal of Russian sanctions in exchange for natural gas stock in his own pocket, just before Trump took office. He lasted twenty-two DAYS as Trump's first National Security Advisor.
Informing Congress that the American citizen in the transcripts of phone calls with Russians is Michael Flynn? That's called unmasking. It happens all the time. I explained it in this post.
And here's Jim Jordan, with a real opportunity to talk about trust-busting and the actual control social media has on our economy and politics, instead making squeaky noises about "silencing conservatives" and "unmasking Michael Flynn." Because Jim Jordan's ONLY JOB is to provide brainwashing soundbites for Fox News viewers.
JIM JORDAN: We have the history of what Google has done and the history of 2016, where they obviously, according to one of your marketing executives, tried to help Clinton. And here we are 97 days before the election and we want to make sure it's not going to happen again. Can you assure us you're not going to tailor or configure your platform to help Joe Biden? And second, that you're not going to use your search engine to silence conservatives? Can you give us those two assurances today? ...Can you assure us you're not going to silence conservatives and assure us that you're not going to configure your features as you did for Clinton in '16, can you assure us you're not going to do the same thing for Joe Biden in 2020?
Thank the moon for Pennsylvania Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon, who has been a rock star this week.
MARY GAY SCANLON: Thank you, gentlemen. I’d like to redirect you to antitrust law rather than fringe conspiracy theories.
And then Jim Jordan freaked out and started yelling. "Mr. Chairman, we have the email! There is no fringe conspiracy theory!"
And when a colleague asked Jordan to put his mask on, Jordan said, "Talk about masks. Why would the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury unmask Michael Flynn’s name?"
And no one said "Because Michael Flynn was committing treason against the United States," which is the only answer you should ever give that question, the end.
Jim Jordan says the dumbest fucking shit all the time but he yells it so the right always thinks it’s brilliant. — Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) July 31, 2020
UPDATE: In case you think Jim Jordan ISN'T engaged in fake theater:


crooksandliars--2020-07-31--Tucker Carlson Calls Barack Obama A 'Greasy Politician' After Eulogy For John Lewis

John Lewis 's entire life was about civil rights .
And his eulogy would be as well .
And that means the first Black president would eulogize his friend by calling for a continuation of his mission .
Equal rights to the ballot box for Black people .
And representation in Congress without a White minority filibustering even a Supreme Court nominee .
And of course , because it 's Obama , right wing media would have a collective freak out over Obama daring to open his mouth and speak political truth .
How .
Dare .
He !
Tucker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one example .
Transcript via Media Matters , emphasis mine : TUCKER CARLSON ( HOST ) : It 's hard to believe that clip is real , but it is , down to the clawing fake accent , Mr. Hawaii guy .
But take three steps back - imagine if some greasy politician showed up at your loved one 's funeral and started throwing around stupid partisan talking points about Senate procedure .
Can you imagine that ?
You would be shocked if that happened .
You 'd probably walk out .
Desecrating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of person would do that ?
But Democrats in the audience did n't seem offended , they did n't blink , they cheered .
It all seemed normal to them and why would n't it ?
Political power is their religion .
It 's not out of place in a church , it 's what they worship .
People who will politicize a funeral will do anything and they 're trying to .

John Lewis's entire life was about civil rights. And his eulogy would be as well.
And that means the first Black president would eulogize his friend by calling for a continuation of his mission. Equal rights to the ballot box for Black people. And representation in Congress without a White minority filibustering even a Supreme Court nominee.
And of course, because it's Obama, right wing media would have a collective freak out over Obama daring to open his mouth and speak political truth. How. Dare. He!
Tucker Carlson's White Power Hour is just one example. Transcript via Media Matters, emphasis mine:
TUCKER CARLSON (HOST): It's hard to believe that clip is real, but it is, down to the clawing fake accent, Mr. Hawaii guy. But take three steps back - imagine if some greasy politician showed up at your loved one's funeral and started throwing around stupid partisan talking points about Senate procedure. Can you imagine that? You would be shocked if that happened. You'd probably walk out. Desecrating a funeral with campaign slogans? What kind of person would do that? But Democrats in the audience didn't seem offended, they didn't blink, they cheered. It all seemed normal to them and why wouldn't it? Political power is their religion. It's not out of place in a church, it's what they worship. People who will politicize a funeral will do anything and they're trying to.


crooksandliars--2020-07-31--New Lincoln Project Ad: Waking Up From A Three-Year Coma

Via Huffington Post , the new Lincoln Project ad really hits people in the face with reality : If you woke up from a three year coma and someone described to you what happened , would n't you be shocked ?
Watch as family members tie themselves in knots , trying to justify the past three years : The Lincoln Project says their latest video is intended to be a wake-up call for Republicans who support President Donald Trump .
The new short film from the never-Trump conservative group envisions a Republican who wakes in the hospital after being in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spot from Jon Turteltaub , director of films such as “ National Treasure , ” “ The Meg ” and “ While You Were Sleeping , ” then shows the man ’ s family ― all still Trump supporters ― trying to fill him in on what he ’ s missed .
Earlier this month , Lincoln Project cofounder John Weaver said the group was working to influence other conservatives .
“ We ’ re trying to move a percentage of Republican voters and Republican-acting independents away from Trump and into the Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said on MSNBC .

Via Huffington Post, the new Lincoln Project ad really hits people in the face with reality: If you woke up from a three year coma and someone described to you what happened, wouldn't you be shocked? Watch as family members tie themselves in knots, trying to justify the past three years:
The Lincoln Project says their latest video is intended to be a wake-up call for Republicans who support President Donald Trump.
The new short film from the never-Trump conservative group envisions a Republican who wakes in the hospital after being in a coma for 3-and-a-half years. The spot from Jon Turteltaub, director of films such as “National Treasure,” “The Meg” and “While You Were Sleeping,” then shows the man’s family ― all still Trump supporters ― trying to fill him in on what he’s missed.
Earlier this month, Lincoln Project cofounder John Weaver said the group was working to influence other conservatives.
“We’re trying to move a percentage of Republican voters and Republican-acting independents away from Trump and into the Biden column in key states,” he said on MSNBC.


crooksandliars--2020-07-31--BOMBSHELL: Kushner And The White House Decided Covid Was A 'Blue State Problem'

Remember how the White House early response to the virus was so weak , so disturbingly inept that we actually started to suspect the White House was indifferent to the human toll -- because they were Democrats ?
Look like we were right .
Via Vanity Fair : Most troubling of all , perhaps , was a sentiment the expert said a member of Kushner ’ s team expressed : that because the virus had hit blue states hardest , a national plan was unnecessary and would not make sense politically .
“ The political folks believed that because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states , that they could blame those governors , and that would be an effective political strategy , ” said the expert .
That logic may have swayed Kushner .
“ It was very clear that Jared was ultimately the decision maker as to what [ plan ] was going to come out , ” the expert said .
It started with Jared 's pals , a group of well-meaning businessmen with no actual experience in government who tried to reinvent the wheel and develop a national pandemic strategy .
As you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Because running government like a business always works out so well ! )
Kushner ’ s team hammered out a detailed plan , which Vanity Fair obtained .
It stated , “ Current challenges that need to be resolved include uneven testing capacity and supplies throughout the US , both between and within regions , significant delays in reporting results ( 4-11 days ) , and national supply chain constraints , such as PPE , swabs , and certain testing reagents.
” The plan called for the federal government to coordinate distribution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be surged to heavily affected areas , and oversee a national contact-tracing infrastructure .
It also proposed lifting contract restrictions on where doctors and hospitals send tests , allowing any laboratory with capacity to test any sample .
It proposed a massive scale-up of antibody testing to facilitate a return to work .
It called for mandating that all COVID-19 test results from any kind of testing , taken anywhere , be reported to a national repository as well as to state and local health departments .
But for a variety of reasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the stock market , Dr. Deborah Birx 's apparent belief that the virus would soon fade away , advisors ' resistance to the idea of a large federal response -- the White House blew it .
You know who stepped up and tried to work around the White House to coordinate a national strategy ?
The Rockefeller Foundation .
The result has been the raging pandemic .
It 's all too painful to read , but it 's also hard to look away .
Reaching out to state and local governments , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with calls for help from school districts , hospital systems , and workplaces , all desperate for guidance .
In regular video calls , a core advisory team that includes Shah , former FDA commissioner Mark McClellan , former National Cancer Institute director Rick Klausner , and Section 32 ’ s Mike Pellini worked through how best to support members of its growing coalition .
Schools “ keep hitting refresh on the CDC website and nothing ’ s changed in the last two months , ” Shah told his colleagues in a video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of trustworthy federal guidance , the Rockefeller team hashed out an array of issues : How should schools handle symptomatic and asymptomatic students ?
What about legal liability ?
What about public schools that were too poor to even afford a nurse ?
The heart of the story , though , is Jared 's purchase of 52.5 million testing kits through improper channels -- sidestepping the civil service professionals who could have avoided this outcome : But perhaps most relevant for Americans counting on the federal government to mount an effective response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the test kits didn ’ t work .
As the Health and Human Services cable to the UAE embassy noted : “ When the kits were delivered they were tested in accordance with standard procedures and were found to be contaminated and unusable.
” An FDA spokesperson told Vanity Fair the tests may have been rendered ineffective because of how they were stored when they were shipped from the Middle East .
“ The reagents should be kept cold , ” the spokesperson said .
I blame the movie `` Dave '' for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any reasonably intelligent , well-meaning individual could handle , because this administration is a textbook example of the foolishness of trying to run government like a business .

Remember how the White House early response to the virus was so weak, so disturbingly inept that we actually started to suspect the White House was indifferent to the human toll -- because they were Democrats?
Look like we were right. Via Vanity Fair:
Most troubling of all, perhaps, was a sentiment the expert said a member of Kushner’s team expressed: that because the virus had hit blue states hardest, a national plan was unnecessary and would not make sense politically. “The political folks believed that because it was going to be relegated to Democratic states, that they could blame those governors, and that would be an effective political strategy,” said the expert. That logic may have swayed Kushner. “It was very clear that Jared was ultimately the decision maker as to what [plan] was going to come out,” the expert said.
It started with Jared's pals, a group of well-meaning businessmen with no actual experience in government who tried to reinvent the wheel and develop a national pandemic strategy. As you can imagine, it was a mess. (Because running government like a business always works out so well!)
Kushner’s team hammered out a detailed plan, which Vanity Fair obtained. It stated, “Current challenges that need to be resolved include uneven testing capacity and supplies throughout the US, both between and within regions, significant delays in reporting results (4-11 days), and national supply chain constraints, such as PPE, swabs, and certain testing reagents.” The plan called for the federal government to coordinate distribution of test kits, so they could be surged to heavily affected areas, and oversee a national contact-tracing infrastructure. It also proposed lifting contract restrictions on where doctors and hospitals send tests, allowing any laboratory with capacity to test any sample. It proposed a massive scale-up of antibody testing to facilitate a return to work. It called for mandating that all COVID-19 test results from any kind of testing, taken anywhere, be reported to a national repository as well as to state and local health departments.
But for a variety of reasons -- Trump's worries about reelection and the stock market, Dr. Deborah Birx's apparent belief that the virus would soon fade away, advisors' resistance to the idea of a large federal response -- the White House blew it.
On April 27, Trump stepped to a podium in the Rose Garden, flanked by members of his coronavirus task force and leaders of America’s big commercial testing laboratories, Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp, and finally announced a testing plan: It bore almost no resemblance to the one that had been forged in late March, and shifted the problem of diagnostic testing almost entirely to individual states.
You know who stepped up and tried to work around the White House to coordinate a national strategy? The Rockefeller Foundation.
“I had this naive optimism: This is too important to be caught in a partisan filter of how we view truth and the world,” said Rick Klausner, a Rockefeller Foundation adviser and former director of the National Cancer Institute. “But the federal government has decided to abrogate responsibility, and basically throw 50 states onto their own.”
The result has been the raging pandemic.
Experts are now warning that the U.S. testing system is on the brink of collapse. “We are at a very bad moment here,” said Margaret Bourdeaux. “We are about to lose visibility on this monster and it’s going to rampage through our whole country. This is a massive emergency.”
It's all too painful to read, but it's also hard to look away.
Reaching out to state and local governments, the foundation and its advisers soon became flooded with calls for help from school districts, hospital systems, and workplaces, all desperate for guidance. In regular video calls, a core advisory team that includes Shah, former FDA commissioner Mark McClellan, former National Cancer Institute director Rick Klausner, and Section 32’s Mike Pellini worked through how best to support members of its growing coalition. Schools “keep hitting refresh on the CDC website and nothing’s changed in the last two months,” Shah told his colleagues in a video meeting in June. In the absence of trustworthy federal guidance, the Rockefeller team hashed out an array of issues: How should schools handle symptomatic and asymptomatic students? What about legal liability? What about public schools that were too poor to even afford a nurse?
The heart of the story, though, is Jared's purchase of 52.5 million testing kits through improper channels -- sidestepping the civil service professionals who could have avoided this outcome:
But perhaps most relevant for Americans counting on the federal government to mount an effective response to the pandemic and safeguard their health, the test kits didn’t work. As the Health and Human Services cable to the UAE embassy noted: “When the kits were delivered they were tested in accordance with standard procedures and were found to be contaminated and unusable.” An FDA spokesperson told Vanity Fair the tests may have been rendered ineffective because of how they were stored when they were shipped from the Middle East. “The reagents should be kept cold,” the spokesperson said.
I blame the movie "Dave" for the insidious message that governing is something any reasonably intelligent, well-meaning individual could handle, because this administration is a textbook example of the foolishness of trying to run government like a business.
UPDATE: Wonkette brings the fire


crooksandliars--2020-08-01--Headline Of The Day

Headline Of The Day

During the Maryland Congressman 's second round of questioning , he spent his time completely disproving every argument Jim Jordan @ @ @ @ @ protests and restrictions on churches .

Can you help us out?
For 18 years we have been exposing Washington lies and untangling media deceit, but now Facebook is drowning us in an ocean of right wing lies. Please give a one-time or recurring donation, or buy a year's subscription for an ad-free experience. Thank you.


crooksandliars--2020-08-01--Watch Mike Pompeo Refuse To Say Whether Trump Can Delay The Election

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slithered into the Senate today to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , where he was confronted about the Trump administration ’ s many questionable foreign policy moves including the dismissal of career diplomats and the decision to withdrawal U.S. troops from Germany .
While Pompeo was deflecting questions about his conduct and questionable moves at the State Department , Donald Trump was busy tweeting to the world , wondering if the November election should be delayed .
Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine used his time to ask Pompeo about Trump ’ s tweet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delay the election .
Pompeo replied , “ Senator , i 'm not going enter a legal judgment on that on the fly this morning.
” Kaine did not let go and noted Pompeo is a Harvard Law School grad who was on the Harvard Law Review , and questioned why he was struggling to answer such a basic legal question with a very clear answer : The president absolutely positively does not have that power .
When Kaine kept pressing for an answer , Pompeo said , “ Senator , in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will make that legal determination .
We all should want—I know you do too , Senator Kaine , want an election everyone is confident in.
” Do you feel confident in Mike Pompeo ’ s response ?
I don ’ t .
And for the record , only Congress has the power to set the election date .
Mike Pompeo , a former member of Congress , undoubtedly knows that , too .
Kaine : In the last 24 hours we passed 150,000 deaths in this country to coronavirus .
In my view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many , a sizable percentage of those were preventable had the United States handled the pandemic better .
This morning the Department of Commerce indicated that the economy , because of COVID , shrunk at the greatest rate ever recorded in history in the second quarter of the year .
In the last 24 hours we passed 150,000 deaths in this country to coronavirus .
In my view and I think in the view of many , a sizable percentage of those were preventable had the United States handled the pandemic better .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the economy , because of COVID , shrunk at the greatest rate ever recorded in history in the second quarter of the year .
And then this morning the president is suggesting that the presidential election should be delayed .
And I sort of want to start there .
This is not something either you or I were prepared to talk about today because I think it happened in the middle of the hearing .
The president sent out a tweet that said , quote , “ delay the election until people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go , ” question mark .
Not saying it will happen but raising a question .
Can a president delay the November presidential election , Mr. Secretary ?
Pompeo : Senator , I 'm not going enter a legal judgment on that on the fly this morning .
Kaine : Mr. Secretary , you are an honors graduate of West Point .
You are a graduate of the Harvard Law School .
You were on the Harvard Law Review .
I was at Harvard Law School and I went to a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t on the Harvard Law Review .
Pompeo : Very kind of you .
Kaine : You are one of the most highly trained and accomplished lawyers who are part of this administration .
Can a president delay a presidential election ?
Pompeo : Senator , in the end the Department of Justice and others will make that legal determination .
We all should want—I know you do too , Senator Kaine , want an election everyone is confident in .
Kaine : Are you indifferent to the date of the election ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ So for the record because you may not want to comment on it , but I do think it 's important : A president can not delay an election .
The day of the election was established by Congress .
It was established in 1845 .
There 's no ability for a president to delay an election , and I do n't think it 's that hard a question or one that should lead to any equivocation by someone who ’ s fourth in line of succession to be president of the United @ @

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slithered into the Senate today to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he was confronted about the Trump administration’s many questionable foreign policy moves including the dismissal of career diplomats and the decision to withdrawal U.S. troops from Germany.
While Pompeo was deflecting questions about his conduct and questionable moves at the State Department, Donald Trump was busy tweeting to the world, wondering if the November election should be delayed. Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine used his time to ask Pompeo about Trump’s tweet and whether he believes Donald Trump could delay the election. Pompeo replied, “Senator, i'm not going enter a legal judgment on that on the fly this morning.”
Kaine did not let go and noted Pompeo is a Harvard Law School grad who was on the Harvard Law Review, and questioned why he was struggling to answer such a basic legal question with a very clear answer: The president absolutely positively does not have that power. When Kaine kept pressing for an answer, Pompeo said, “Senator, in the end the Department of Justice and others will make that legal determination. We all should want—I know you do too, Senator Kaine, want an election everyone is confident in.”
Do you feel confident in Mike Pompeo’s response? I don’t. And for the record, only Congress has the power to set the election date. Mike Pompeo, a former member of Congress, undoubtedly knows that, too.
Transcript below:
Kaine: In the last 24 hours we passed 150,000 deaths in this country to coronavirus. In my view and I think in the view of many, a sizable percentage of those were preventable had the United States handled the pandemic better. This morning the Department of Commerce indicated that the economy, because of COVID, shrunk at the greatest rate ever recorded in history in the second quarter of the year. In the last 24 hours we passed 150,000 deaths in this country to coronavirus. In my view and I think in the view of many, a sizable percentage of those were preventable had the United States handled the pandemic better. This morning the Department of Commerce indicated that the economy, because of COVID, shrunk at the greatest rate ever recorded in history in the second quarter of the year. And then this morning the president is suggesting that the presidential election should be delayed. And I sort of want to start there. This is not something either you or I were prepared to talk about today because I think it happened in the middle of the hearing. The president sent out a tweet that said, quote, “delay the election until people can properly, securely, and safely go,” question mark. Not saying it will happen but raising a question. Can a president delay the November presidential election, Mr. Secretary? Pompeo: Senator, I'm not going enter a legal judgment on that on the fly this morning. Kaine: Mr. Secretary, you are an honors graduate of West Point. You are a graduate of the Harvard Law School. You were on the Harvard Law Review. I was at Harvard Law School and I went to a lot of Red Sox games, I wasn’t on the Harvard Law Review. Pompeo: Very kind of you. Kaine: You are one of the most highly trained and accomplished lawyers who are part of this administration. Can a president delay a presidential election?
Pompeo: Senator, in the end the Department of Justice and others will make that legal determination. We all should want—I know you do too, Senator Kaine, want an election everyone is confident in. Kaine: Are you indifferent to the date of the election? Pompeo: It should happen lawfully. Kaine: It should happen lawfully. So for the record because you may not want to comment on it, but I do think it's important: A president cannot delay an election. The day of the election was established by Congress. It was established in 1845. There's no ability for a president to delay an election, and I don't think it's that hard a question or one that should lead to any equivocation by someone who’s fourth in line of succession to be president of the United States.
Posted with permission of Daily Kos


crooksandliars--2020-08-01--Right Wing Militias' Warning Of 'Excessive Federal Power' Comes True – But Where Are They?

Militias and many other Second Amendment advocates have long argued that their primary desire to own firearms – often , many of them – is rooted in a need to protect themselves and their families from a tyrannical federal government , or to discourage the government from becoming tyrannical in the first place .
But with the mayor of a major U.S. city warning that “ tyranny and dictatorship ” have already arrived on the streets – in the shape of unidentified federal troops using questionable tactics – militia groups appear reluctant to throw their lot in with protesters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ government action to suppress peaceful demonstrators .
Certainly the scenes in Portland have alarmed civil liberties groups : Heavily armed and camouflaged federal officers , wearing no name tags or other insignia , are on the streets of Portland , Oregon , and have teargassed and arrested seemingly peaceful protesters with little or no provocation .
President Donald Trump has said similar forces are coming to other cities – many run by Democrats .
To some , it may look exactly like what the militias have been warning of .
As a scholar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have seen in recent months a new divide emerging in these groups .
Some , often calling themselves the “ boogaloo movement , ” see the current political unrest as an opportunity to wrest power from an overbearing federal government .
Others support police and their enforcement of strict law and order , even if that means authorities using powerful weapons and overwhelming force .
Assessing what these groups are doing , and how they are discussing recent events , has become more difficult for observers like me in recent weeks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ had removed hundreds of accounts and groups allegedly related to the “ boogaloo movement.
” The move came in the wake of several arrests of alleged boogaloo adherents across the country , including three in Nevada accused of plotting to “ firebomb ” federal land and one in Texas accused of killing one police officer and critically injuring another .
Boogaloo groups still have a social media presence and , until recently when the portion of the site they used was closed , a large presence on the Reddit discussion site , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post anonymously .
Now the movement ’ s public face is smaller and harder to find without insider knowledge .
For instance , until recently it was common to see groups with the words “ big igloo ” in their names , a play on the word “ boogaloo.
” After Facebook ’ s crackdown , some groups are using the word “ icehouse ” or other synonyms that may not be as obvious .
They are therefore harder for algorithms to find , but also for people to find – whether to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups who “ back the boogaloo ” imply , or even outright declare , that the U.S. is no longer a free country , and generally call for supporters to oppose , violently if necessary , federal forces and the government they represent .
In the days after George Floyd ’ s death , I saw some of these groups call for members to participate in protests opposing police violence .
But I have not seen similar calls in response to federal officers ’ violence in Portland .
That may change if federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially areas geographically closer to active “ back the boog ” supporters .
It is also possible that the groups are discussing protests or other actions in less public ways , in private messages or on platforms like Parler , that have marketed themselves as friendlier toward a variety of conservative views .
There are still militia members who support police , often called “ back the blue ” groups .
Commentators have observed that silence from them and other Second Amendment supporters certainly seems to be hypocritical , at best , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ context .
That ’ s not the way they see it .
They argue that one of the few legitimate functions of the federal government is to protect citizens from others who might infringe on their rights or safety .
They support police who say that Portland authorities have failed to protect regular people from violent protesters .
That ’ s also what these groups claimed happened in Seattle ’ s autonomous zone – though they rely on news sources that describe the protesters as inherently dangerous and hampering business and free association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports that these characterizations are exaggerated .
In my research , I found that militia members were likely to exclusively trust sources like Fox News or even more conservative sites for their information , and recent data confirms that such sources may strongly shape viewers ’ understanding of political and other events .
This view of protesters as violent is amplified by some “ back the blue ” members ’ belief that the demonstrators are “ Marxist ” members of antifa , a mostly nonviolent leaderless collective movement generally opposing fascism .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video of Christopher David , the Navy veteran beaten by federal officers in Portland , talking about his experience .
A commentator responded , “ The end of the video tell [ s ] the tale , he ’ s going to raise money for [ Black Lives Matter ] !
He is a liar he went there to stand with his commie comrades.
” Scholarship on conservative groups argues that they use anti-communist language to cast political opponents as not real Americans who have thus have forfeited any protections U.S. citizens should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blue ” members see hypocrisy in liberals , noting that few , if any , on the left objected when federal officers killed LaVoy Finicum during the 2016 standoff between federal officials and armed supporters of rancher Cliven Bundy during a land dispute elsewhere in Oregon .
There are sharing pages like one on a well-known conservative satire site that suggests the same Oregon authorities opposing federal officers tolerate violent behavior from protesters because of “ identity politics ” – the idea that certain groups favored by liberals , in this case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different and more lax standard .
Several Facebook pages shared an image of a modified Gadsden flag , with a Black Lives Matter fist and promising “ we will tread ” as “ proof ” that Portland protesters would take away others ’ rights , including the right to bear arms , if given the chance and thus do not deserve protection themselves .
One comment in support of such a post read , “ I [ ’ m ] glad to see I ’ m not the only person happy to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away .
Yes , I know that this could just as easily be turned around and that we could also be dragged away in broad daylight .
But if they aren ’ t stopped now , and they do somehow manage to gain complete power , we ’ ll get dragged away anyways .
Better them than us , before it ’ s too late.
” [ Deep knowledge , daily .
Sign up for The Conversation ’ s newsletter . ]
Federal intervention has not stopped the Portland protests from growing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the response in an attempt to appeal to his supporters as the country heads into the November election .
Many people fear that move would spark violence .
The “ back the blue ” militia members generally respect law and order enough to not fulfill their threats of violence or criminal action – but the “ back the boog ” groups may not be so restrained .
The “ back the blue ” groups may also act if federal action escalates , and members believe they are needed or useful to help defend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

Amy Cooter, Vanderbilt University
Militias and many other Second Amendment advocates have long argued that their primary desire to own firearms – often, many of them – is rooted in a need to protect themselves and their families from a tyrannical federal government, or to discourage the government from becoming tyrannical in the first place.
But with the mayor of a major U.S. city warning that “tyranny and dictatorship” have already arrived on the streets – in the shape of unidentified federal troops using questionable tactics – militia groups appear reluctant to throw their lot in with protesters. In fact, many have been supporting government action to suppress peaceful demonstrators.
Certainly the scenes in Portland have alarmed civil liberties groups:
Heavily armed and camouflaged federal officers, wearing no name tags or other insignia, are on the streets of Portland, Oregon, and have teargassed and arrested seemingly peaceful protesters with little or no provocation. President Donald Trump has said similar forces are coming to other cities – many run by Democrats.
To some, it may look exactly like what the militias have been warning of.
As a scholar of the U.S. domestic militia movement, I have seen in recent months a new divide emerging in these groups.
Some, often calling themselves the “boogaloo movement,” see the current political unrest as an opportunity to wrest power from an overbearing federal government. Others support police and their enforcement of strict law and order, even if that means authorities using powerful weapons and overwhelming force.
Shifting online dynamics
Assessing what these groups are doing, and how they are discussing recent events, has become more difficult for observers like me in recent weeks. On June 30, Facebook announced it had removed hundreds of accounts and groups allegedly related to the “boogaloo movement.”
The move came in the wake of several arrests of alleged boogaloo adherents across the country, including three in Nevada accused of plotting to “firebomb” federal land and one in Texas accused of killing one police officer and critically injuring another.
Boogaloo groups still have a social media presence and, until recently when the portion of the site they used was closed, a large presence on the Reddit discussion site, where comments are loosely regulated and people can post anonymously.
Now the movement’s public face is smaller and harder to find without insider knowledge. For instance, until recently it was common to see groups with the words “big igloo” in their names, a play on the word “boogaloo.” After Facebook’s crackdown, some groups are using the word “icehouse” or other synonyms that may not be as obvious. They are therefore harder for algorithms to find, but also for people to find – whether to observe or to join in.
Big Doc's Icehouse Bonanza/Facebook
‘Backing the boog’
The groups who “back the boogaloo” imply, or even outright declare, that the U.S. is no longer a free country, and generally call for supporters to oppose, violently if necessary, federal forces and the government they represent.
In the days after George Floyd’s death, I saw some of these groups call for members to participate in protests opposing police violence. But I have not seen similar calls in response to federal officers’ violence in Portland.
That may change if federal forces do appear in other places, especially areas geographically closer to active “back the boog” supporters. It is also possible that the groups are discussing protests or other actions in less public ways, in private messages or on platforms like Parler, that have marketed themselves as friendlier toward a variety of conservative views.
‘Backing the blue’
There are still militia members who support police, often called “back the blue” groups. Commentators have observed that silence from them and other Second Amendment supporters certainly seems to be hypocritical, at best, and possibly supportive of tyranny in the current context.
That’s not the way they see it. They argue that one of the few legitimate functions of the federal government is to protect citizens from others who might infringe on their rights or safety. They support police who say that Portland authorities have failed to protect regular people from violent protesters.
That’s also what these groups claimed happened in Seattle’s autonomous zone – though they rely on news sources that describe the protesters as inherently dangerous and hampering business and free association. They seemingly ignore or discount other reports that these characterizations are exaggerated. In my research, I found that militia members were likely to exclusively trust sources like Fox News or even more conservative sites for their information, and recent data confirms that such sources may strongly shape viewers’ understanding of political and other events.
Mistaken perceptions?
This view of protesters as violent is amplified by some “back the blue” members’ belief that the demonstrators are “Marxist” members of antifa, a mostly nonviolent leaderless collective movement generally opposing fascism.
For example, one Facebook group shared a video of Christopher David, the Navy veteran beaten by federal officers in Portland, talking about his experience. A commentator responded, “The end of the video tell[s] the tale, he’s going to raise money for [Black Lives Matter]! He is a liar he went there to stand with his commie comrades.”
Scholarship on conservative groups argues that they use anti-communist language to cast political opponents as not real Americans who have thus have forfeited any protections U.S. citizens should have.
Anti-liberal rhetoric
Some other “back the blue” members see hypocrisy in liberals, noting that few, if any, on the left objected when federal officers killed LaVoy Finicum during the 2016 standoff between federal officials and armed supporters of rancher Cliven Bundy during a land dispute elsewhere in Oregon.
There are sharing pages like one on a well-known conservative satire site that suggests the same Oregon authorities opposing federal officers tolerate violent behavior from protesters because of “identity politics” – the idea that certain groups favored by liberals, in this case, Black people, are held to a different and more lax standard.
Several Facebook pages shared an image of a modified Gadsden flag, with a Black Lives Matter fist and promising “we will tread” as “proof” that Portland protesters would take away others’ rights, including the right to bear arms, if given the chance and thus do not deserve protection themselves. One comment in support of such a post read, “I[’m] glad to see I’m not the only person happy to see these commies being snatched up and dragged away. Yes, I know that this could just as easily be turned around and that we could also be dragged away in broad daylight. But if they aren’t stopped now, and they do somehow manage to gain complete power, we’ll get dragged away anyways. Better them than us, before it’s too late.”
[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]
Federal intervention has not stopped the Portland protests from growing, but some analysts expect Trump to increase the response in an attempt to appeal to his supporters as the country heads into the November election. Many people fear that move would spark violence.
The “back the blue” militia members generally respect law and order enough to not fulfill their threats of violence or criminal action – but the “back the boog” groups may not be so restrained. The “back the blue” groups may also act if federal action escalates, and members believe they are needed or useful to help defend the interests of average citizens.
Amy Cooter, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Vanderbilt University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


crooksandliars--2020-08-01--Indiana Schools Reopen, And Have A COVID-Positive Student On Their FIRST DAY

Schools in certain parts of the country began reopening in late July , and it is not going well at all .
The New York Times is reporting that in one school district in Indiana , just ONE day in , a student attending the first day of classes tested positive for coronavirus .
This was just hours after classes resumed for the '20-'21 school year , at Greenfield Central Junior High School .
The school immediately isolated the student and ordered everyone who was in class with the student , or potentially had contact with the student , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL .
It is not clear yet if the student infected anyone else , but we should know within a week or two .
The superintendent of Greenfield-Central , Harold Olin , said : “ We knew it was a when , not if , '' but stated that they were `` very shocked it was on Day 1.
” Many other school districts are not shocked , either , which is why so many opted to go 100 % distance learning for the fall semester .
But watching this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide further proof that the decision to not bring back students was the right idea .
This should also lead other school districts that have refused to close schools to reconsider their plans ( I am looking at you , Florida . )
The New York Times reports that `` of the nation ’ s 25 largest school districts , all but six have announced they will start remotely , although some in places like Florida and Texas are hoping to open classrooms after a few weeks if infection rates go down , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Let 's see if that changes now .
Even if schools reopen with the most rigorous cleaning methods , social distancing , enforced mask-wearing , temperature checks , and hand washing , these do n't stop the number one delivery system : an asymptomatic carrier .
Kids over 10 can transmit the infection just as well as adults can , although most of them are asymptomatic — which makes them the deadliest and most dangerous group .
They do not know they are sick , so they go to school and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and custodians , who DO get sick .
That is how the wildfire spreads .
One small ember .
Once a handful of kids in one school tests positive , which will happen in a matter of days , if not weeks , contact tracing , staff and student quarantine , and panic among parents will lead many schools to shut down one by one .
Houses where siblings go to different schools will likely lead to further outbreaks , if just one kid in the house is positive and then introduces it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( ie middle school to elementary , ) which would lead to more quarantine and contact tracing .
School districts that are unwilling to close down for the fall will soon realize their mistake when cases spike in kids , a group that has been considered unlikely to get sick .
The fallacy in the argument of these largely Republican politicians is that kids were not sick because they were home when the outbreak was flaring .
Once you reintroduce them to peers and teachers , they will realize that kids do get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point of death in most cases ) and that they bring it home to their parents , grandparents and siblings .
This is the first of many of these stories that we will see .
Absolutely awful .

Schools in certain parts of the country began reopening in late July, and it is not going well at all. The New York Times is reporting that in one school district in Indiana, just ONE day in, a student attending the first day of classes tested positive for coronavirus. This was just hours after classes resumed for the '20-'21 school year, at Greenfield Central Junior High School.
The school immediately isolated the student and ordered everyone who was in class with the student, or potentially had contact with the student, to quarantine for 14 days. ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. It is not clear yet if the student infected anyone else, but we should know within a week or two.
The superintendent of Greenfield-Central, Harold Olin, said:
“We knew it was a when, not if," but stated that they were "very shocked it was on Day 1.”
I am not.
Many other school districts are not shocked, either, which is why so many opted to go 100% distance learning for the fall semester. But watching this scary scenario play out in Indiana should provide further proof that the decision to not bring back students was the right idea. This should also lead other school districts that have refused to close schools to reconsider their plans (I am looking at you, Florida.)
The New York Times reports that "of the nation’s 25 largest school districts, all but six have announced they will start remotely, although some in places like Florida and Texas are hoping to open classrooms after a few weeks if infection rates go down, over strong objections from teachers’ unions."
Let's see if that changes now.
Even if schools reopen with the most rigorous cleaning methods, social distancing, enforced mask-wearing, temperature checks, and hand washing, these don't stop the number one delivery system: an asymptomatic carrier. Kids over 10 can transmit the infection just as well as adults can, although most of them are asymptomatic — which makes them the deadliest and most dangerous group. They do not know they are sick, so they go to school and infect their teachers, the staff, and custodians, who DO get sick. That is how the wildfire spreads. One small ember.
Once a handful of kids in one school tests positive, which will happen in a matter of days, if not weeks, contact tracing, staff and student quarantine, and panic among parents will lead many schools to shut down one by one. Houses where siblings go to different schools will likely lead to further outbreaks, if just one kid in the house is positive and then introduces it to a sibling who attends another school (ie middle school to elementary,) which would lead to more quarantine and contact tracing.
School districts that are unwilling to close down for the fall will soon realize their mistake when cases spike in kids, a group that has been considered unlikely to get sick. The fallacy in the argument of these largely Republican politicians is that kids were not sick because they were home when the outbreak was flaring. Once you reintroduce them to peers and teachers, they will realize that kids do get sick (although maybe not to the point of death in most cases) and that they bring it home to their parents, grandparents and siblings.
This is the first of many of these stories that we will see. Absolutely awful.


crooksandliars--2020-08-01--Impeachment Hero Lt. Col. Vindman Pens Op-Ed Decrying Trump's Authoritarianism

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was pushed out of his lifelong career of military service by Donald Trump for standing up for what is right .
Col. Vindman defended his country and the Constitution , and stepped forward to defend the law during impeachment hearings against Trump .
For his trouble and his bravery , he was bullied , physically threatened , and stonewalled at his job .
He retired from the military when it became clear he could no longer advance because of Trump 's retaliation and abuse .
Today , he published an op-ed in The Washington Post expressing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of hope and urgency to act .
A year ago , unknown to me , my concerns over the president ’ s conduct and the president ’ s efforts to undermine the very foundations of our democracy were precipitating tremors that would ultimately shake loose the facade of good governance and publicly expose the corruption of the Trump administration .
At no point in my career or life have I felt our nation ’ s values under greater threat and in more peril than at this moment .
Our national government during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the authoritarian regime my family fled more than 40 years ago than the country I have devoted my life to serving .
Our citizens are being subjected to the same kinds of attacks tyrants launch against their critics and political opponents .
Those who choose loyalty to American values and allegiance to the Constitution over devotion to a mendacious president and his enablers are punished .
The president recklessly downplayed the threat of the pandemic even as it swept through our country .
The economic collapse that followed highlighted the growing income @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grieving the loss of loved ones and many more have lost their livelihoods while the president publicly bemoans his approval ratings .
Jonathan Capehart 's panel discussed the tragic turn this man 's career has taken on AM Joy this morning , with guests Rosa Brooks and Jonathan Swan weighing in .
BROOKS : No , it 's heart-breaking to listen to his comments .
There was a period of time , I do n't know if this is the case , but during the impeachment proceedings , in which the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vindman 's home protect him and his family after the death threats he was receiving as a result of the president 's comments .
It is hard to know what to say to that , that it 's appalling .
SWAN : It 's of a piece with a series of denunciations that have come from retired and very prominent Pentagon officials , including James Mattis , who had been very , very reluctant to speak out publicly .
Very much so , in fact , he saw it as his duty to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office , but after the episode at Lafayette Park with the tear gas and clearing out the crowd , Mattis came out and described Trump as a unique threat to this country in his lifetime .
So I would place that in the context of Mattis of warnings from John Kelly , McRaven , you go down the list , there is a whole series of formers that are coming out publicly to denounce Donald Trump .
And yet , Lt. Col. Vindman still has hope , and plans to fight the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is building that will issue a mandate to reject hate and bigotry and a return to the ideals that set the United States apart from the rest of the world .
I look forward to contributing to that effort .
In retirement from the Army , I will continue to defend my nation .
I will demand accountability of our leadership and call for leaders of moral courage and public servants of integrity .
I will speak about the attacks on our national security .
I will advocate for policies and strategies that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against internal and external threats .
I will promote public service and exalt the contribution that service brings to all areas of society .
Let 's hope an overwhelming and unuestionable majority of citizens follow his example in November and beyond .

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was pushed out of his lifelong career of military service by Donald Trump for standing up for what is right. Col. Vindman defended his country and the Constitution, and stepped forward to defend the law during impeachment hearings against Trump. For his trouble and his bravery, he was bullied, physically threatened, and stonewalled at his job. He retired from the military when it became clear he could no longer advance because of Trump's retaliation and abuse.
Today, he published an op-ed in The Washington Post expressing his dismay, combined with a glimmer of hope and urgency to act.
A year ago, unknown to me, my concerns over the president’s conduct and the president’s efforts to undermine the very foundations of our democracy were precipitating tremors that would ultimately shake loose the facade of good governance and publicly expose the corruption of the Trump administration. At no point in my career or life have I felt our nation’s values under greater threat and in more peril than at this moment. Our national government during the past few years has been more reminiscent of the authoritarian regime my family fled more than 40 years ago than the country I have devoted my life to serving. Our citizens are being subjected to the same kinds of attacks tyrants launch against their critics and political opponents. Those who choose loyalty to American values and allegiance to the Constitution over devotion to a mendacious president and his enablers are punished. The president recklessly downplayed the threat of the pandemic even as it swept through our country. The economic collapse that followed highlighted the growing income disparities in our society. Millions are grieving the loss of loved ones and many more have lost their livelihoods while the president publicly bemoans his approval ratings.
Jonathan Capehart's panel discussed the tragic turn this man's career has taken on AM Joy this morning, with guests Rosa Brooks and Jonathan Swan weighing in.
BROOKS: No, it's heart-breaking to listen to his comments. There was a period of time, I don't know if this is the case, but during the impeachment proceedings, in which the United States Army had to post security around Col. Vindman's home protect him and his family after the death threats he was receiving as a result of the president's comments. It is hard to know what to say to that, that it's appalling. CAPEHART: Jonathan Swan, your reaction to Lt. Col. Vindman? SWAN: It's of a piece with a series of denunciations that have come from retired and very prominent Pentagon officials, including James Mattis, who had been very, very reluctant to speak out publicly. Very much so, in fact, he saw it as his duty to maintain a silence while Trump remained in office, but after the episode at Lafayette Park with the tear gas and clearing out the crowd, Mattis came out and described Trump as a unique threat to this country in his lifetime. So I would place that in the context of Mattis of warnings from John Kelly, McRaven, you go down the list, there is a whole series of formers that are coming out publicly to denounce Donald Trump.
And yet, Lt. Col. Vindman still has hope, and plans to fight the best way he knows how.
A groundswell is building that will issue a mandate to reject hate and bigotry and a return to the ideals that set the United States apart from the rest of the world. I look forward to contributing to that effort. In retirement from the Army, I will continue to defend my nation. I will demand accountability of our leadership and call for leaders of moral courage and public servants of integrity. I will speak about the attacks on our national security. I will advocate for policies and strategies that will keep our nation safe and strong against internal and external threats. I will promote public service and exalt the contribution that service brings to all areas of society.
Let's hope an overwhelming and unuestionable majority of citizens follow his example in November and beyond.


crooksandliars--2020-08-01--Why Bill Barr May Be A Bigger Threat To The November Election Than Trump

While Trump threatens to sabotage the November election , Never Trumper Tom Nichols advised that the best way to war game is to follow the competent people in the Trump administration , such as Bill Barr .
In a discussion about a recent bipartisan war game of the election , in which all the scenarios found the law `` almost helpless '' against Trump should he decide to ignore it , Never Trumper and Lincoln Project adviser Tom Nichols had some good advice .
First , Nichols agreed with host Jonathan Capehart that Trump is probably afraid of leaving office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crimes .
“ I think he ’ s probably researching how to pardon himself forever and in perpetuity , ” Nichols said .
But there are others who want to keep Trump in power by any means necessary : NICHOLS : You know , you have two separate groups here that have an interest in destroying the election .
Trump is about Trump .
I do n't think Trump ever wanted to be elected president .
But once he was in , he was stuck and now he wants to ride that rocket @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But there 's also a group of Republicans and conservatives around him .
They 're like remoras stuck to the belly of this dying , thrashing shark .
They think that keeping Trump in power by any means necessary is kind of their last-ditch effort to save western civilization , to pack the courts … to try to keep moving forward with voter suppression so that they can enable minority rule for years to come .
As horribly depressing and frightening as that is , Nichols also predicted “ a lot of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Mitch McConnell is telling Republicans it ’ s OK to distance themselves from Trump indicates that at least some people will balk , Nichols said .
That ’ s why the best way to game out election shenanigans is probably by watching Barr and other professionals on Team Trump : NICHOLS : Here we are , basically , having to game out an election full of chaos and violence because of one man and because of the people around him who have a vested interest in letting him be the agent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , let 's not get too distracted by Trump .
Keep your eye on Bill Barr , keep your eye on some of the people around him who are a lot more competent , a lot less emotionally disorderered than he is and who know exactly what they 're doing .

While Trump threatens to sabotage the November election, Never Trumper Tom Nichols advised that the best way to war game is to follow the competent people in the Trump administration, such as Bill Barr.
In a discussion about a recent bipartisan war game of the election, in which all the scenarios found the law "almost helpless" against Trump should he decide to ignore it, Never Trumper and Lincoln Project adviser Tom Nichols had some good advice.
First, Nichols agreed with host Jonathan Capehart that Trump is probably afraid of leaving office for fear of being charged with federal crimes. “I think he’s probably researching how to pardon himself forever and in perpetuity,” Nichols said.
But there are others who want to keep Trump in power by any means necessary:
NICHOLS: You know, you have two separate groups here that have an interest in destroying the election. Trump is about Trump. I don't think Trump ever wanted to be elected president. But once he was in, he was stuck and now he wants to ride that rocket all the way down to destruction. But there's also a group of Republicans and conservatives around him. They're like remoras stuck to the belly of this dying, thrashing shark. They think that keeping Trump in power by any means necessary is kind of their last-ditch effort to save western civilization, to pack the courts … to try to keep moving forward with voter suppression so that they can enable minority rule for years to come.
As horribly depressing and frightening as that is, Nichols also predicted “a lot of that” will backfire. The fact that Sen. Mitch McConnell is telling Republicans it’s OK to distance themselves from Trump indicates that at least some people will balk, Nichols said.
That’s why the best way to game out election shenanigans is probably by watching Barr and other professionals on Team Trump:


crooksandliars--2020-08-01--Hillary Clinton Was Right About The Deplorables: Pandemic Edition

Published with permission of PRESS RUN , Eric Boehlert ’ s new must-read media newsletter .
Subscribe here .
The country could effectively put the crippling Covid-19 pandemic behind us , but Trump supporters , including Republican officials , are making that impossible by waging a cultural war against common-sense pandemic solutions , such as wearing masks to curb the virus ' spread .
As most countries now enjoy post-coronavirus recoveries , Trump 's America careens deeper into the crisis .
If only somebody had warned us about how dangerous his fanatic followers are .
Hillary Clinton , of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crucified her for it .
In September 2016 , she suggested half of Trump supporters fit into a “ basket of deplorables . ''
The baskets included , `` “ racist , sexist , homophobic , xenophobic , Islamaphobic . ''
At the time , a Reuters/Ipsos poll found 44 percent of Trump supporters viewed blacks as ruder than whites , 46 percent viewed them as more criminal and almost 50 percent viewed them as more violent .
A Public Policy poll found 61 percent of Trump supporters thought Obama was born in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believed he was is a Muslim— Clinton ’ s comment was an accurate one .
Still , the D.C. press clutched its pearls ( ‘ How dare she ?
’ ) and staggered around for days over the Clinton statement .
The press elevated the throw-away line to Very Serious status , as a Beltway full of commentators , following the GOP 's orchestrated lead , offered up ceaseless tsk-tsk analysis .
In terms of newsworthiness , the press treated Clinton 's `` deplorable '' story on par with Trump 's fraudulent charity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his refusal to release his tax returns , and his mocking of the disabled , among the candidate 's many blockbuster transgressions .
Looking back , `` Clinton 's comments about Trump 's human deplorables were overly generous , '' Salon 's Chauncey DeVega noted in January .
`` Trump 's reign has encouraged a wave of lethal hate crimes and other violence against nonwhites , Muslims , Jews , gays and lesbians .
Trump 's foot soldiers have engaged in acts of political violence and terrorism against Democrats and others deemed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And then came the pandemic .
With the GOP 's Southern strategy of aggressively reopening red states now proving to be public disaster as daily confirmed Covid-19 cases skyrocket into the tens of thousands in states like Florida , Texas , and Arizona , Trump supporters have shifted from gloating about beating the virus , to refusing to help combat it .
Staging public tempter tantrums over wearing masks , Trump 's deplorables are keeping America down and wrecking the economy in the process.
“ Robert Redfield , director of the Centers for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believes the pandemic could be brought under control over the next four to eight weeks if “ we could get everybody to wear a mask right now , ” ” the Wall Street Journal reported .
Yet Trump 's deplorables wage an ugly war on common sense : •A man in Royal Palm Beach , Florida got into a dispute over refusing to wear mask inside a local WalMart .
He quickly pointed a gun at a fellow shopper and threatened to kill him .
The man was soon arrested .
• '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mask ? ''
a Florida store owner asked a customer after he flashed a gun in his waistband when asked to wear a mask inside the woman 's shop .
• A Louisana man hit a police officer with his vehicle , twice , after the man was told to leave a Walmart when he refused to wear a face covering .
( “ You can ’ t make me wear a f**king mask.
” ) • A Costco shopper staged a sit-down protest when an employee politely informed her that store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face .
`` I am an American , ” the woman angrily responded .
“ I have constitutional rights , '' which has nothing to do with a private business mandating coverings for shoppers .
• In Colorado , a local county public health chief has needed a police escort home each night because of the violent , disturbing threats she was receiving while trying to keep her community safe from the pandemic .
“ References to Nazism .
Calling me Mrs. Hitler , ” Joni Reynolds said , recounting the hate emails @ @ @ @ @ @ @ curse words .
Threatening harm to me , my family , my home . ''
Agitators clearly get their cues from Republicans and from Fox News .
Georgia 's Republican governor , Brian Kemp , recently barred local governments from requiring mask use .
In Missouri , Gov .
Mike Parson stunned observers when recently insisted , `` These kids have got to get back to school .
And if they do get COVID-19 , which they will — and they will when they go to school — they ’ re not going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` They ’ re going to go home and they ’ re going to get over it.
” In Texas , Betsy Price , Fort Worth 's Republican mayor , claims the pandemic was `` an unknown for everyone , '' which made it impossible to prepare for .
`` The virus has been a big surprise . ''
As for Fox News , the lying remains incessant : The American right wing has created the most politicized and partisan pandemic the world has ever seen .
And that 's deplorable .

Published with permission of PRESS RUN, Eric Boehlert’s new must-read media newsletter. Subscribe here.
Trump’s deplorables are keeping America sick.
The country could effectively put the crippling Covid-19 pandemic behind us, but Trump supporters, including Republican officials, are making that impossible by waging a cultural war against common-sense pandemic solutions, such as wearing masks to curb the virus' spread. As most countries now enjoy post-coronavirus recoveries, Trump's America careens deeper into the crisis. If only somebody had warned us about how dangerous his fanatic followers are.
Hillary Clinton, of course did just that, and the press crucified her for it. In September 2016, she suggested half of Trump supporters fit into a “basket of deplorables." The baskets included, " “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic."
At the time, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found 44 percent of Trump supporters viewed blacks as ruder than whites, 46 percent viewed them as more criminal and almost 50 percent viewed them as more violent. A Public Policy poll found 61 percent of Trump supporters thought Obama was born in a foreign country, and 66 percent believed he was is a Muslim— Clinton’s comment was an accurate one.
Still, the D.C. press clutched its pearls (‘How dare she?’) and staggered around for days over the Clinton statement. The press elevated the throw-away line to Very Serious status, as a Beltway full of commentators, following the GOP's orchestrated lead, offered up ceaseless tsk-tsk analysis.
In terms of newsworthiness, the press treated Clinton's "deplorable" story on par with Trump's fraudulent charity, his illegal "university," his refusal to release his tax returns, and his mocking of the disabled, among the candidate's many blockbuster transgressions.
Looking back, "Clinton's comments about Trump's human deplorables were overly generous," Salon's Chauncey DeVega noted in January. "Trump's reign has encouraged a wave of lethal hate crimes and other violence against nonwhites, Muslims, Jews, gays and lesbians. Trump's foot soldiers have engaged in acts of political violence and terrorism against Democrats and others deemed to be the "enemy.""
And then came the pandemic.
With the GOP's Southern strategy of aggressively reopening red states now proving to be public disaster as daily confirmed Covid-19 cases skyrocket into the tens of thousands in states like Florida, Texas, and Arizona, Trump supporters have shifted from gloating about beating the virus, to refusing to help combat it. Staging public tempter tantrums over wearing masks, Trump's deplorables are keeping America down and wrecking the economy in the process.“
Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said he believes the pandemic could be brought under control over the next four to eight weeks if “we could get everybody to wear a mask right now,”” the Wall Street Journal reported.
Yet Trump's deplorables wage an ugly war on common sense:
•A man in Royal Palm Beach, Florida got into a dispute over refusing to wear mask inside a local WalMart. He quickly pointed a gun at a fellow shopper and threatened to kill him. The man was soon arrested.
•"Are you intending to shoot me over a mask?" a Florida store owner asked a customer after he flashed a gun in his waistband when asked to wear a mask inside the woman's shop.
• An Oklahoma woman protesting a store’s mask policy began throwing shoe boxes at a saleswoman.
• A Louisana man hit a police officer with his vehicle, twice, after the man was told to leave a Walmart when he refused to wear a face covering. (“You can’t make me wear a f**king mask.”)
• A Costco shopper staged a sit-down protest when an employee politely informed her that store policy requires all shoppers to cover their face. "I am an American,” the woman angrily responded. “I have constitutional rights," which has nothing to do with a private business mandating coverings for shoppers.
• In Colorado, a local county public health chief has needed a police escort home each night because of the violent, disturbing threats she was receiving while trying to keep her community safe from the pandemic. “References to Nazism. Calling me Mrs. Hitler,” Joni Reynolds said, recounting the hate emails. “Calling me vile names — curse words. Threatening harm to me, my family, my home."
Agitators clearly get their cues from Republicans and from Fox News. Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, recently barred local governments from requiring mask use. In Missouri, Gov. Mike Parson stunned observers when recently insisted, "These kids have got to get back to school. And if they do get COVID-19, which they will — and they will when they go to school — they’re not going to the hospitals." He stressed, "They’re going to go home and they’re going to get over it.”
In Texas, Betsy Price, Fort Worth's Republican mayor, claims the pandemic was "an unknown for everyone," which made it impossible to prepare for. "The virus has been a big surprise."
As for Fox News, the lying remains incessant:
Fox News repeated coronavirus misinformation 253 times in its weekday coverage from July 6 through 10, including claims that undermined scientific research about the pandemic, eroded trust in public health experts and policy recommendations, called for reopening schools and businesses without regard to public health precautions, and politicized the country’s response to the virus.
The American right wing has created the most politicized and partisan pandemic the world has ever seen. And that's deplorable.