occupydemocrats--2020-10-14--Kamala grills Trump’s Supreme Court nominee and gets her to admit her climate change skepticism

In her second turn at questioning Amy Coney Barrett , Donald Trump ’ s Supreme Court nominee , Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris ( D-CA ) managed to get the ultra-conservative judge to reveal more than she expected she was divulging about her attitude towards climate change , albeit through some canny grilling that forced Barrett to disclose her feelings in an indirect manner .
Senator Harris started by trying to get assurances from the right-wing judicial nominee that she would base her decisions in environmental cases on the scientific findings of experts rather than any political considerations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more and stronger that climate change is real , and it is caused by manmade greenhouse gas pollution and it poses significant threats to human life , ” Harris began .
“ If a case that comes before you would require you to consider scientific evidence , my question is , will you defer to scientists and those with expertise in the relevant issues before rendering a judgment ?
” It was a simple and relevant question , but Barrett ’ s answer didn ’ t give Senator Harris the comfort level she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At this point , Harris ’ s experience as a prosecutor helped her devise a line of questioning that would get Barrett to reveal her true feelings about whether climate change is a scientific fact or a politically-motivated hoax perpetrated by radical leftists who want to deprive America of its hamburgers .
“ Do you accept that COVID-19 is infectious ?
” Harris queried the nominee .
“ I think yes , I do accept that COVID-19 is infectious , ” Barrett answered .
“ That ’ s something I feel like we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s an obvious fact , yes.
” .
“ Do you accept that smoking causes cancer ?
” Harris next asked .
“ I ’ m not sure exactly where you ’ re going with this , ” Barrett said suspiciously .
“ But you know , the notice that ’ s taken— ” “ It ’ s just a question , ” Harris interrupted .
“ The question is what it is .
You can answer if you believe , yes or no.
” “ Senator Harris , yes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smoking causes cancer , ” Barrett was forced to agree .
The California senator readied her wind-up and released her strike-out pitch .
Barrett fell right into her trap with her ill-considered answer .
“ Senator , again , I was wondering where you were going with that .
You have asked me a series of questions that are completely uncontroversial , like whether COVID-19 is infectious , whether smoking causes cancer , and then trying to analogize that to eliciting an opinion from me that is on a very contentious matter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do that .
I will not express a view on a matter of public policy , especially one that is politically controversial because that ’ s inconsistent with the judicial role as I have explained.
” Of course , the very existence of climate change is only “ politically controversial ” to those who seek to profit from existing investments in the fossil fuels that are creating an extreme environmental crisis that has been well-documented and has had its causes agreed upon by the vast majority of climate scientists around the world .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ elicited her true opinion on the validity of climate science — that it is a “ contentious matter of public debate , ” rather than settled science — Senator Kamala Harris smiled sweetly as she delivered her victorious conclusion .
Anyone who values clean air , fresh water , renewable energy resources , and other lofty environmental goals should call their own senator now and urge them to reject the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for the open seat in the Supreme Court .
Your descendants will thank you .
You can watch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s questioning of Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the clip below .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

In her second turn at questioning Amy Coney Barrett, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) managed to get the ultra-conservative judge to reveal more than she expected she was divulging about her attitude towards climate change, albeit through some canny grilling that forced Barrett to disclose her feelings in an indirect manner.
Senator Harris started by trying to get assurances from the right-wing judicial nominee that she would base her decisions in environmental cases on the scientific findings of experts rather than any political considerations.
“Scientific consensus has grown even more and stronger that climate change is real, and it is caused by manmade greenhouse gas pollution and it poses significant threats to human life,” Harris began. “If a case that comes before you would require you to consider scientific evidence, my question is, will you defer to scientists and those with expertise in the relevant issues before rendering a judgment?”
It was a simple and relevant question, but Barrett’s answer didn’t give Senator Harris the comfort level she was seeking from the Trump nominee.
“If a case comes before me involving environmental regulation, I will certainly apply all applicable law, deferring when the law requires me to,” Barrett replied. “And as I’m sure you know, Senator Harris, the Administrative Procedure Act does require courts to defer to agency fact-finding and to agency regulations when they’re supported by substantial evidence.”
At this point, Harris’s experience as a prosecutor helped her devise a line of questioning that would get Barrett to reveal her true feelings about whether climate change is a scientific fact or a politically-motivated hoax perpetrated by radical leftists who want to deprive America of its hamburgers.
“Do you accept that COVID-19 is infectious?” Harris queried the nominee. “I think yes, I do accept that COVID-19 is infectious,” Barrett answered. “That’s something I feel like we can say you take judicial notice of. It’s an obvious fact, yes.”. “Do you accept that smoking causes cancer?” Harris next asked. “I’m not sure exactly where you’re going with this,” Barrett said suspiciously. “But you know, the notice that’s taken—” “It’s just a question,” Harris interrupted. “The question is what it is. You can answer if you believe, yes or no.” “Senator Harris, yes, every package of cigarettes warns that smoking causes cancer,” Barrett was forced to agree.
The California senator readied her wind-up and released her strike-out pitch.
“And do you believe that climate change is happening and is threatening the air we breathe and the water we drink?” Harris continued with her line of questioning.
Barrett fell right into her trap with her ill-considered answer.
“Senator, again, I was wondering where you were going with that. You have asked me a series of questions that are completely uncontroversial, like whether COVID-19 is infectious, whether smoking causes cancer, and then trying to analogize that to eliciting an opinion from me that is on a very contentious matter of public debate, and I will not do that. I will not express a view on a matter of public policy, especially one that is politically controversial because that’s inconsistent with the judicial role as I have explained.”
Of course, the very existence of climate change is only “politically controversial” to those who seek to profit from existing investments in the fossil fuels that are creating an extreme environmental crisis that has been well-documented and has had its causes agreed upon by the vast majority of climate scientists around the world.
Having backed Barrett into a corner and elicited her true opinion on the validity of climate science — that it is a “contentious matter of public debate,” rather than settled science — Senator Kamala Harris smiled sweetly as she delivered her victorious conclusion.
“Thank you, Judge Barrett, and you’ve made your point clear that you believe it’s a debatable point,” the Senator summed up her interrogation target’s inadvertent admission.
Anyone who values clean air, fresh water, renewable energy resources, and other lofty environmental goals should call their own senator now and urge them to reject the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for the open seat in the Supreme Court.
Your descendants will thank you.
You can watch a video of Senator Kamala Harris’s questioning of Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the clip below.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Matthew Chapman at RawStory.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-14--Eyebrows are raised after Trump goes hoarse in afternoon speech

Donald Trump may be out of quarantine and ready to kiss any open mouth in the vicinity of one of his superspreader rallies , but his appearance at a speech he made today before the New York Economic Club does not present the image of a president steeped with the invulnerability that he so laughably claims of late .
Vox ’ s Aaron Rupar — who so dutifully documents the president ’ s public utterances and posts them to Twitter with his scathing commentary— noted that Trump was experiencing what some people might take for respiratory issues just days after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feeling better than ever .
Hmm , Trump is talking so hoarse that one is tempted to call him Mr. Ed .
( You younger folks can Google the reference . )
For all of Trump ’ s attacks on Joe Biden for relying on a teleprompter while giving his speeches , Trump read all of his likely ghost-written remarks directly from a screen , a good thing given how many big words like “ reciprocity ” that they contained .
If only his voice was up to the task .
Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t help convince the quants at the New York Economic Club that he ’ s gotten a handle on the disease that ’ s devastated the global economy and more than his froggy voice did .
His apocalyptic prophesies about the American economy if his opponent Joe Biden is elected probably did little to convince his financial industry audience after Goldman Sachs analysts predicted the exact opposite last week — that a Democratic sweep of the White House and Congress in a “ blue wave ” would actually boost the economy compared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic policies and disastrous trade wars .
Trump sure doesn ’ t know how to read the room when he ’ s talking in front of a bunch of Armani-suited free-trade advocates rather than a bunch of blue-jeaned rural supporters in MAGA hats .
Luckily the stench of Trump ’ s B.S .
is not yet capable of being transmitted over the interwebs , but a radius of several miles around the president ’ s podium was probably affected with that load .
But wait !
There ’ s more where that came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see whether Trump ’ s shaky voice is an early indicator of a COVID-19 relapse or just the normal wear and tear of a demanding campaign schedule on a geriatric president in questionable health even before his coronavirus diagnosis .
The next few days will tell us more , that ’ s for certain .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

Donald Trump may be out of quarantine and ready to kiss any open mouth in the vicinity of one of his superspreader rallies, but his appearance at a speech he made today before the New York Economic Club does not present the image of a president steeped with the invulnerability that he so laughably claims of late.
Vox’s Aaron Rupar — who so dutifully documents the president’s public utterances and posts them to Twitter with his scathing commentary— noted that Trump was experiencing what some people might take for respiratory issues just days after he claimed to be COVID-19 free and feeling better than ever.
Hmm, Trump is talking so hoarse that one is tempted to call him Mr. Ed. (You younger folks can Google the reference.)
For all of Trump’s attacks on Joe Biden for relying on a teleprompter while giving his speeches, Trump read all of his likely ghost-written remarks directly from a screen, a good thing given how many big words like “reciprocity” that they contained.
If only his voice was up to the task.
Trump's talking point that he saved 2 million lives because if government literally did nothing 2.2 million might've died from coronavirus is pretty weak pic.twitter.com/fZtHiRURBG — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 14, 2020
Trump’s speculative coronavirus mathematics likely didn’t help convince the quants at the New York Economic Club that he’s gotten a handle on the disease that’s devastated the global economy and more than his froggy voice did.
His apocalyptic prophesies about the American economy if his opponent Joe Biden is elected probably did little to convince his financial industry audience after Goldman Sachs analysts predicted the exact opposite last week — that a Democratic sweep of the White House and Congress in a “blue wave” would actually boost the economy compared to a continuance of Trump’s failed economic policies and disastrous trade wars.
ah yeah, there's that free market capitalism that Republicans love Trump for pic.twitter.com/4jMmfvqfMr — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 14, 2020
Trump sure doesn’t know how to read the room when he’s talking in front of a bunch of Armani-suited free-trade advocates rather than a bunch of blue-jeaned rural supporters in MAGA hats.
"We were starting to get that number down" — Trump brazenly lies and says the national debt was decreasing under his watch before the coronavirus hit. In fact it was growing because of his tax cuts for the rich. pic.twitter.com/zAZOgp9Cmj — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 14, 2020
Luckily the stench of Trump’s B.S. is not yet capable of being transmitted over the interwebs, but a radius of several miles around the president’s podium was probably affected with that load.
But wait! There’s more where that came from!
It will be interesting to see whether Trump’s shaky voice is an early indicator of a COVID-19 relapse or just the normal wear and tear of a demanding campaign schedule on a geriatric president in questionable health even before his coronavirus diagnosis.
The next few days will tell us more, that’s for certain.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Aaron Rupar at Vox.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-14--Trump’s SCOTUS nominee is unable to name the 5 freedoms of the First Amendment

The conventional wisdom about the confirmation hearings for President Trump ’ s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barett is that this is merely a formality in order to afford the president the illusion of normalcy and cover up the fact that this is a last-minute power grab to reshape our nation ’ s highest court for a generation by an illegitimate president on the precipice of a historic electoral defeat .
But it is still infuriating to see the lack of seriousness with which our Republican Senators are treating the entire affair .
Yesterday , Sen. Ted Cruz gave a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speech and today accused Democrats of wanting to give serial killer Charles Manson , who is dead , the right to vote .
Lindsey Graham used his time on Tuesday to complain about how he was being victimized by his opponent ’ s fundraising and this morning quipped about the “ good old days of segregation.
” Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell : No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration !
But it was Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska who truly disgraced himself by launching into a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be just an excuse to complain about the Houston Astros ’ 2018 cheating scandal .
To add insult to injury to the millions of Americans who believe the next president should choose to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the untimely death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , Amy Coney Barrett couldn ’ t even name the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment — one of the most basic things any lawyer in the United States should know , let alone one about to be promoted to a lifetime position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Barrett already disqualified herself when she refused to say whether or not the president could legally delay or otherwise interfere in the election , but this inability to recall one of the most important parts of the First Amendment should be the nail in her coffin in a sane world .
Sasse and Barrett are both making a mockery of these confirmation hearings with their behavior , but sadly we know by this point that there is literally nothing that she could say or do to prevent Republicans from ramming her through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s SCOTUS nominee during an election year .
It is imperative that we see for ourselves who and what Amy Coney Barrett really is — and take that into consideration when we consider drastic options like packing the court to keep radical and undemocratic extremists from dictating law in this nation for the next generation .

The conventional wisdom about the confirmation hearings for President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barett is that this is merely a formality in order to afford the president the illusion of normalcy and cover up the fact that this is a last-minute power grab to reshape our nation’s highest court for a generation by an illegitimate president on the precipice of a historic electoral defeat.
But it is still infuriating to see the lack of seriousness with which our Republican Senators are treating the entire affair. Yesterday, Sen. Ted Cruz gave a line-by-line recitation of his 2016 Iowa stump speech and today accused Democrats of wanting to give serial killer Charles Manson, who is dead, the right to vote.
Lindsey Graham used his time on Tuesday to complain about how he was being victimized by his opponent’s fundraising and this morning quipped about the “good old days of segregation.”
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell: No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration!
But it was Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska who truly disgraced himself by launching into a long-winded baseball metaphor that turned out to be just an excuse to complain about the Houston Astros’ 2018 cheating scandal.
.@SenSasse: "I'd like to talk about the Houston Astros who are miserable cheaters…all baseball fans know that the Houston @Astros cheat. They steal signs. They bang on cans…they deserve to be punished probably more than they have been."#SCOTUS #SCOTUShearing #ALCS pic.twitter.com/uBBUOOA84J — CSPAN (@cspan) October 14, 2020
To add insult to injury to the millions of Americans who believe the next president should choose to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the untimely death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Amy Coney Barrett couldn’t even name the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment — one of the most basic things any lawyer in the United States should know, let alone one about to be promoted to a lifetime position on our nation’s highest court.
Under questioning by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), Amy Coney Barrett is unable to name the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. pic.twitter.com/U3KFm5FA97 — The American Independent (@AmerIndependent) October 14, 2020
Barrett already disqualified herself when she refused to say whether or not the president could legally delay or otherwise interfere in the election, but this inability to recall one of the most important parts of the First Amendment should be the nail in her coffin in a sane world.
Sasse and Barrett are both making a mockery of these confirmation hearings with their behavior, but sadly we know by this point that there is literally nothing that she could say or do to prevent Republicans from ramming her through despite refusing to confirm President Obama’s SCOTUS nominee during an election year.
It is imperative that we see for ourselves who and what Amy Coney Barrett really is — and take that into consideration when we consider drastic options like packing the court to keep radical and undemocratic extremists from dictating law in this nation for the next generation.
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-14--Sen. Klobuchar calls Amy Barrett “the opposite of RBG” to her face in fiery hearing speech

After providing one of the highlights of yesterday ’ s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Donald Trump ’ s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett , Senator Amy Klobuchar ( D-MN ) was back in action for today ’ s edition of the hearing .
Today the Minnesota senator ’ s focus was on both the illegitimacy of even holding a confirmation hearing to confirm a justice when the more pressing issue of pandemic relief sits unaddressed as multitudes of Americans continue to contract the coronavirus and die .
Add to that the fact that we are in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring a new president with their own judicial nominees to the White House and you have a potent argument against even considering Barrett ’ s qualifications .
Senator Klobuchar made that point forcefully in the time allotted to her , questioning why the Senators were even meeting with Barrett at this moment while pointing out exactly what was on the line if she were to be confirmed .
Senator Klobuchar also explicitly summarized one of the main objections that everyone not already on board for Barrett ’ s confirmation has raised about confirming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away : that her replacement with this acolyte of the late ultra-conservative jurist Antonin Scalia would seriously change the composition and political balance of the Supreme Court in a way that simply does not reflect the will of the American people .
With Justice Ginsburg dying wish being that the winner of the next election is allowed to name her replacement , the confirmation of her “ polar opposite ” to her vacant seat is the equivalent of spitting on the grave of the late legal legend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate Judiciary Committee are doing their best to fight the battle to prevent Barrett ’ s confirmation , but the mathematics of the GOP majority in the Senate means that unless four Republican senators defect and vote against the inexperienced judge — who was nonetheless shoved towards a nomination by the right-wing arbiters of reactionary justice , The Federalist Society — her ascension to the court is a done deal .
The only recourse the public has is to make the GOP senators aware of the political price they will pay if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ RGB ’ s antithesis to a lifetime seat on what will soon devolve into a retrograde shadow of its former self .
Call your Senator today and let them know how you feel .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

After providing one of the highlights of yesterday’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) was back in action for today’s edition of the hearing.
Today the Minnesota senator’s focus was on both the illegitimacy of even holding a confirmation hearing to confirm a justice when the more pressing issue of pandemic relief sits unaddressed as multitudes of Americans continue to contract the coronavirus and die.
Add to that the fact that we are in the midst of an election that will hopefully bring a new president with their own judicial nominees to the White House and you have a potent argument against even considering Barrett’s qualifications.
Senator Klobuchar made that point forcefully in the time allotted to her, questioning why the Senators were even meeting with Barrett at this moment while pointing out exactly what was on the line if she were to be confirmed.
"We shouldn’t be here right now.
We are in the middle of the pandemic, and people are sick.
We are in the middle of the election, and people are voting. And yet here we are stuck in a nomination hearing…[where] health care is on the line." —@AmyKlobuchar pic.twitter.com/eZlXuOPurf — CAP Action (@CAPAction) October 14, 2020
Senator Klobuchar also explicitly summarized one of the main objections that everyone not already on board for Barrett’s confirmation has raised about confirming her to the seat that opened when liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away: that her replacement with this acolyte of the late ultra-conservative jurist Antonin Scalia would seriously change the composition and political balance of the Supreme Court in a way that simply does not reflect the will of the American people.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar expresses concerns over balance on the Supreme Court, citing Amy Coney Barrett's past statements and actions: "These tracks lead us to one place and that is you will have the polar opposite judicial philosophy of Justice Ginsburg." https://t.co/fSSgN9dgtc pic.twitter.com/SZxUbkhoxJ — ABC News (@ABC) October 14, 2020
With Justice Ginsburg dying wish being that the winner of the next election is allowed to name her replacement, the confirmation of her “polar opposite” to her vacant seat is the equivalent of spitting on the grave of the late legal legend.
Klobuchar and the other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are doing their best to fight the battle to prevent Barrett’s confirmation, but the mathematics of the GOP majority in the Senate means that unless four Republican senators defect and vote against the inexperienced judge — who was nonetheless shoved towards a nomination by the right-wing arbiters of reactionary justice, The Federalist Society — her ascension to the court is a done deal.
The only recourse the public has is to make the GOP senators aware of the political price they will pay if they take this misbegotten step and confirm RGB’s antithesis to a lifetime seat on what will soon devolve into a retrograde shadow of its former self.
Call your Senator today and let them know how you feel.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-14--Watchdogs sound alarm over serious Amy Coney Barrett SCOTUS conflict of interest

As Donald Trump ’ s latest Supreme Court nominee , Amy Coney Barrett , undergoes questioning on the third day of her confirmation hearings , questions are being raised about a massive potential conflict of interest in a case that is destined for the court ’ s docket in the months ahead .
Less than two weeks ago , the Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal by Royal Dutch Shell and other massive fossil fuel companies that are being sued by cities and states for the environmental and climate change-related damage those companies caused .
Shell and the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case to be heard in federal court where they expect a friendlier reception than in the state judicial systems .
If you ’ re wondering where Judge Barrett ’ s conflict sits in all of this , consider the fact that her father , a corporate attorney , spent most of his legal career as an attorney with Shell in New Orleans .
Yes , Royal Dutch Shell , a petroleum producer whose own internal company documents — uncovered by a Dutch news organization — show that they were aware as far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and risks of global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions .
Barrett has already listed Shell on the recusal list that governs her tenure in her existing role as a judge on the Seventh Circuit Court .
Barrett was questioned yesterday by Senator Patrick Leahy ( D-VT ) about whether she would recuse herself from any potential Supreme Court cases regarding disputes over the 2020 election , a likely outcome given the blustering already being fomented by Donald Trump over the supposed massive mail-in ballot fraud that he ’ ll blame for his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rote and reassuring .
In a later exchange , however , she gave a more nuanced answer that was less unconditional in its promises .
Refusing to answer hypotheticals was a common thread throughout Barrett ’ s testimony yesterday , much to the chagrin of the Democratic Senators trying to draw out the nominee ’ s pre-existing prejudices .
Give Barrett ’ s ostrich-like , GOP-friendly reply to a question on her views on climate change — “ I ’ ve read about climate change .
I ’ m certainly not a scientist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read things on climate change .
I would not say I have firm views on it.
” — everyone to the left of a Hummer owner is seeking a more definitive answer to questions about whether she will recuse herself in cases involving the company her father worked with for so many years .
That the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — which has filed an amicus brief supporting Shell and the other petroleum giants in the case — has been “ mobilizing its resources and lobbying lawmakers and businesses across Washington , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barrett ’ s confirmation doesn ’ t inspire a great deal of confidence in progressive eyes over her future rulings if she does make it to the court .
Perhaps for the Chamber of Commerce , she will .
But for the rest of America ’ s ordinary citizens , who seek a sustainable planet with clean air , clean water , and a reversal of climate change , Barrett ’ s confirmation will likely lead to more downed trees , more polluted rivers , and more corporate control of common resources like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Call your Senator today and insist that they vote against the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and allow the winner of the election just 20 days from now to pick the replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
Original reporting by David Sirota , Andrew Perez , and Walker Bragman at The Daily Poster .
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As Donald Trump’s latest Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, undergoes questioning on the third day of her confirmation hearings, questions are being raised about a massive potential conflict of interest in a case that is destined for the court’s docket in the months ahead.
Less than two weeks ago, the Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal by Royal Dutch Shell and other massive fossil fuel companies that are being sued by cities and states for the environmental and climate change-related damage those companies caused. Shell and the other polluters are petitioning the court to allow the case to be heard in federal court where they expect a friendlier reception than in the state judicial systems.
If you’re wondering where Judge Barrett’s conflict sits in all of this, consider the fact that her father, a corporate attorney, spent most of his legal career as an attorney with Shell in New Orleans.
Yes, Royal Dutch Shell, a petroleum producer whose own internal company documents — uncovered by a Dutch news organization — show that they were aware as far back as the 1980s of the science and risks of global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions.
Barrett has already listed Shell on the recusal list that governs her tenure in her existing role as a judge on the Seventh Circuit Court.
“The Seventh Circuit employs an automatic recusal system to help identify potential conflicts for the judges. Each judge maintains a recusal list, and a computer program flags potential conflicts against that list,” Barrett explained.
Barrett was questioned yesterday by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) about whether she would recuse herself from any potential Supreme Court cases regarding disputes over the 2020 election, a likely outcome given the blustering already being fomented by Donald Trump over the supposed massive mail-in ballot fraud that he’ll blame for his expected loss.
Her initial response was rote and reassuring.
“I commit to you to fully and faithfully apply the law of recusal and part of that law is to consider any ‘appearances’ questions,” she replied to Senator Leahy.
In a later exchange, however, she gave a more nuanced answer that was less unconditional in its promises.
“Recusal itself is a legal issue. You know there’s a statute, 28 U.S.C. § 455, that governs when judges and justices have to recuse; there’s precedent under that rule. Justice Ginsburg, in explaining the way recusal works, said that it’s always up to the individual justice, but it always involves consultation with the colleagues — with the other eight justices. So that’s not a question that I could answer in the abstract.”
Refusing to answer hypotheticals was a common thread throughout Barrett’s testimony yesterday, much to the chagrin of the Democratic Senators trying to draw out the nominee’s pre-existing prejudices.
Give Barrett’s ostrich-like, GOP-friendly reply to a question on her views on climate change — “I’ve read about climate change. I’m certainly not a scientist. I mean, I’ve read things on climate change. I would not say I have firm views on it.” — everyone to the left of a Hummer owner is seeking a more definitive answer to questions about whether she will recuse herself in cases involving the company her father worked with for so many years.
That the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — which has filed an amicus brief supporting Shell and the other petroleum giants in the case — has been “mobilizing its resources and lobbying lawmakers and businesses across Washington,” as Axios put it, to ensure Barrett’s confirmation doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence in progressive eyes over her future rulings if she does make it to the court.
“America’s free enterprise system depends on the fair application of the law, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has no doubt that Judge Barrett will treat all litigants — including the business community — fairly,” said Chamber president Thomas Donohue. “She will make an excellent associate justice.”
Perhaps for the Chamber of Commerce, she will. But for the rest of America’s ordinary citizens, who seek a sustainable planet with clean air, clean water, and a reversal of climate change, Barrett’s confirmation will likely lead to more downed trees, more polluted rivers, and more corporate control of common resources like pristine wilderness and mineral-rich public land.
Call your Senator today and insist that they vote against the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and allow the winner of the election just 20 days from now to pick the replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by David Sirota, Andrew Perez, and Walker Bragman at The Daily Poster.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-14--Outrage erupts after Lindsey Graham cites the “good old days of segregation” in SCOTUS hearing

One of the , if not the , defining political goals of the Donald J. Trump Republican Party is to roll back the clock and return America to its dark past , where white men ruled supreme and minorities and women were second class citizens .
While fighting social progress and dragging our nation backwards has always been the Republican way , code-words and dog whistles were generally used to appeal to the most base instincts of the white voter — until Trump came along .
Now we are treated to the sight of a sitting United States Senator wistfully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ segregation ” in a Senate confirmation hearing for a Supreme Court Justice .
Sen. Lindsey Graham , who is locked a very tight race for re-election against a Black Democrat , Jamie Harrison , used the phrase the “ good old days of segregation ” in a discussion on the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that began the desegregation of American schools .
Perhaps he was attempting to be sarcastic , but there ’ s no evidence in his face or in his tone of voice or other body language indicators that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was , it is in extremely poor taste and is a wildly offensive comment to make in the United States Senate building .
Segregation and the Jim Crow era and the murders of the Ku Klux Klan represent one of the most disgraceful periods in our nation ’ s history , and it is beyond infuriating to see a sitting Senator speak longingly of the good old days when Black Americans were treated as second-class citizens .
We can only assume that once again , Graham is openly saying the quiet part out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Supreme Court nominee chosen by a president who is openly campaigning on resegregating the suburbs and pushes a white supremacist agenda from the White House .
It just so happens that you can donate to Jamie Harrison at this link .

One of the, if not the, defining political goals of the Donald J. Trump Republican Party is to roll back the clock and return America to its dark past, where white men ruled supreme and minorities and women were second class citizens. While fighting social progress and dragging our nation backwards has always been the Republican way, code-words and dog whistles were generally used to appeal to the most base instincts of the white voter — until Trump came along.
Now we are treated to the sight of a sitting United States Senator wistfully discussing “the good old days of segregation” in a Senate confirmation hearing for a Supreme Court Justice.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is locked a very tight race for re-election against a Black Democrat, Jamie Harrison, used the phrase the “good old days of segregation” in a discussion on the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that began the desegregation of American schools.
The good old days?
Sen. Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC) just asked a question about the "good old days of segregation." pic.twitter.com/vUkh3STrJv — The Recount (@therecount) October 14, 2020
Perhaps he was attempting to be sarcastic, but there’s no evidence in his face or in his tone of voice or other body language indicators that would indicate this.
Even if it was, it is in extremely poor taste and is a wildly offensive comment to make in the United States Senate building. Segregation and the Jim Crow era and the murders of the Ku Klux Klan represent one of the most disgraceful periods in our nation’s history, and it is beyond infuriating to see a sitting Senator speak longingly of the good old days when Black Americans were treated as second-class citizens.
We can only assume that once again, Graham is openly saying the quiet part out loud as he helps ram through a Supreme Court nominee chosen by a president who is openly campaigning on resegregating the suburbs and pushes a white supremacist agenda from the White House.
It just so happens that you can donate to Jamie Harrison at this link.
Social media immediately erupted in outrage:
https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/1316387076632457222?s=20
I want senators and leaders that dont call segregation "the good old days". I am tired of all these men trying to revive the 1950s. Either we drag them into the future or we need to get rid of them so we can have a future. https://t.co/8hGinxXjVQ — Russell Foster for Texas (@RussellFosterTX) October 14, 2020
Disgusting: Senator Lindsey Graham and Amy Coney Barrett talking about “the good old days of segregation”pic.twitter.com/CUmmYNvGtN — Ben Meiselas (@meiselasb) October 14, 2020
There was a time when the responsible media would ignore clear politically motivated misinformation and only cover real news. I miss that time as much as @LindseyGrahamSC misses the days of segragation. — Joe Lockhart (@joelockhart) October 14, 2020
Dear Black People in South Carolina Lindsey Graham JUST called segregation/Jim Crow the "good old days" Please vote that racist bastard out of office — BlackWomenAreKryptoniteToGOP (@battletested5) October 14, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-10-15--Reporters obtain audio of Republican Senator trashing Trump to his voters

You ’ ve always suspected that most Republican lawmakers secretly despise Donald Trump and only maintain their public support of the president out of fear of political retribution , cowardice , lack of principles , money , and/or power .
Senator Ben Sasse ( R-NE ) just confirmed your every suspicion .
An audio recording of a telephone conference call that Senator Sasse held with constituents was obtained this week by The Washington Examiner and published today that has the Nebraska legislator spewing his true feelings about the president in an unguarded moment .
It is a moment that demonstrates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re-election with the Trump albatross hanging around their necks are now feeling and the ever-growing necessity to distance themselves from the president that GOP candidates are now feeling increasingly free to display publically as election day looms .
Sasse ’ s comments on Trump came after a constituent on the call asked the senator to explain his “ relationship with the president ” and queried why the lawmaker has “ to criticize him so much.
” After a brief moment outlining his considerable areas of agreement with the president , Senator Sasse soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most people would take as a strong argument against re-electing Trump .
He started with criticisms of Trump ’ s response to the COVID-19 pandemic , although he leavened that critique by equally blaming the media for piling all of the blame for the coronavirus disaster at the president ’ s feet .
“ [ The media ] pretended that COVID is literally the first public health crisis ever .
And somehow , it ’ s Donald Trump ’ s fault .
That ’ s not true .
They just wanted to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ But the reality is that he careened from curb to curb .
First , he ignored COVID .
And then he went into full economic shutdown mode .
He was the one who said 10 to 14 days of shutdown would fix this , ” Sasse added .
“ And that was always wrong .
I mean , and so I don ’ t think the way he ’ s lead through COVID has been reasonable or responsible , or right , ” Sasse declared , trying to ensure that history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the right side of the pandemic post-mortem .
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell : No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration !
Senator Sasse wasn ’ t finished .
There was so much more to find fault with about this president ’ s performance to date , and the senator apparently didn ’ t want to miss any of the major atrocities .
“ The way he kisses dictators ’ butts .
I mean , the way he ignores that the Uighurs are in literal concentration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he hasn ’ t lifted a finger on behalf of the Hong-Kongers , ” he said .
“ The United States now regularly sells out our allies under his leadership , the way he treats women , spends like a drunken sailor .
The ways I criticize President Obama for that kind of spending ; I ’ ve criticized President Trump for as well , ” Sasse claimed .
“ He mocks evangelicals behind closed doors .
His family has treated the presidency like a business opportunity .
He ’ s flirted with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sasse has been reading Occupy Democrats ’ memes .
If so , it seems that the only message he got from them is that Donald Trump ’ s “ stupid political obsessions ” are driving America ’ s youth far from any affiliation with the conservative causes that the Republican party likes to champion by blatantly exposing the cruelty , mendacity , and contempt for ordinary Americans that prior editions of the GOP liked to hide behind closed doors rather than tweet about every day .
“ If young people become permanent Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the obsessive nature of our politics , or if women who were willing to still vote with the Republican Party in 2016 decide that they need to turn away from this party permanently in the future , ” Sasse said .
“ I ’ ve spent lots of the of the last year on a campaign bus , and when you listen to Nebraskans , they don ’ t really want more rage tweeting as a new form of entertainment , ” he said .
“ I think the overwhelming reason that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because Hillary Clinton was literally the most unpopular candidate in the history of polling.
” Until now that is .
It remains to be seen whether Senator Sasse ’ s furious back-peddling to distance himself from Donald Trump can save his Senate seat .
His campaign , however , makes no excuses for the Senator ’ s focusing on saving his own skin at this point in the race .
Whether Sasse or any of his GOP colleagues will go so far in separating themselves from Trump as to vote against confirming his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still remains to be seen , but any Republican who decides that their own political future would be better served by becoming to this nomination what John McCain was to the fateful “ no ” vote on repealing Obamacare could help tip the balance and become an overnight media star .
Hopefully , four or five of them will see the light , but , in the meantime , Republican voters may want to hear what GOP insiders really think about their party ’ s presidential candidate and seriously contemplate voting for Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the very good reasons that Senator Sasse delineates .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

You’ve always suspected that most Republican lawmakers secretly despise Donald Trump and only maintain their public support of the president out of fear of political retribution, cowardice, lack of principles, money, and/or power.
Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) just confirmed your every suspicion.
An audio recording of a telephone conference call that Senator Sasse held with constituents was obtained this week by The Washington Examiner and published today that has the Nebraska legislator spewing his true feelings about the president in an unguarded moment.
It is a moment that demonstrates both the desperation that Republicans running for re-election with the Trump albatross hanging around their necks are now feeling and the ever-growing necessity to distance themselves from the president that GOP candidates are now feeling increasingly free to display publically as election day looms.
Sasse’s comments on Trump came after a constituent on the call asked the senator to explain his “relationship with the president” and queried why the lawmaker has “to criticize him so much.”
After a brief moment outlining his considerable areas of agreement with the president, Senator Sasse soon launched into a litany of reasons that most people would take as a strong argument against re-electing Trump.
He started with criticisms of Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, although he leavened that critique by equally blaming the media for piling all of the blame for the coronavirus disaster at the president’s feet.
“[The media] pretended that COVID is literally the first public health crisis ever. And somehow, it’s Donald Trump’s fault. That’s not true. They just wanted to use it against him,” Sasse said. “But the reality is that he careened from curb to curb. First, he ignored COVID. And then he went into full economic shutdown mode. He was the one who said 10 to 14 days of shutdown would fix this,” Sasse added. “And that was always wrong. I mean, and so I don’t think the way he’s lead through COVID has been reasonable or responsible, or right,” Sasse declared, trying to ensure that history — and Nebraska voters — find him on the right side of the pandemic post-mortem.
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell: No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration!
Senator Sasse wasn’t finished. There was so much more to find fault with about this president’s performance to date, and the senator apparently didn’t want to miss any of the major atrocities.
“The way he kisses dictators’ butts. I mean, the way he ignores that the Uighurs are in literal concentration camps in Xinjiang. Right now, he hasn’t lifted a finger on behalf of the Hong-Kongers,” he said. “The United States now regularly sells out our allies under his leadership, the way he treats women, spends like a drunken sailor. The ways I criticize President Obama for that kind of spending; I’ve criticized President Trump for as well,” Sasse claimed. “He mocks evangelicals behind closed doors. His family has treated the presidency like a business opportunity. He’s flirted with white supremacists.”
It seems like Senator Sasse has been reading Occupy Democrats’ memes.
If so, it seems that the only message he got from them is that Donald Trump’s “stupid political obsessions” are driving America’s youth far from any affiliation with the conservative causes that the Republican party likes to champion by blatantly exposing the cruelty, mendacity, and contempt for ordinary Americans that prior editions of the GOP liked to hide behind closed doors rather than tweet about every day.
“If young people become permanent Democrats because they’ve just been repulsed by the obsessive nature of our politics, or if women who were willing to still vote with the Republican Party in 2016 decide that they need to turn away from this party permanently in the future,” Sasse said. “I’ve spent lots of the of the last year on a campaign bus, and when you listen to Nebraskans, they don’t really want more rage tweeting as a new form of entertainment,” he said. “I think the overwhelming reason that President Trump won in 2016 was simply because Hillary Clinton was literally the most unpopular candidate in the history of polling.”
Until now that is.
It remains to be seen whether Senator Sasse’s furious back-peddling to distance himself from Donald Trump can save his Senate seat.
His campaign, however, makes no excuses for the Senator’s focusing on saving his own skin at this point in the race.
“The fragile Senate seats that will determine whether Democrats nuke the Senate are the races Ben cares about, the races he’s working on, and the only races he’s talking about,” spokesman James Wegmann told The Washington Examiner.
Whether Sasse or any of his GOP colleagues will go so far in separating themselves from Trump as to vote against confirming his misbegotten Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett still remains to be seen, but any Republican who decides that their own political future would be better served by becoming to this nomination what John McCain was to the fateful “no” vote on repealing Obamacare could help tip the balance and become an overnight media star.
Hopefully, four or five of them will see the light, but, in the meantime, Republican voters may want to hear what GOP insiders really think about their party’s presidential candidate and seriously contemplate voting for Joe Biden in this election, if only for the very good reasons that Senator Sasse delineates.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by David M. Drucker at The Washington Examiner.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-15--Trump brags that his U.S. Marshals executed a political enemy they didn’t want to arrest

Is Donald Trump an accessory to legally sanctioned murder ?
That could be the implication of the comments the president made at his campaign rally in Greenville , North Carolina today .
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell : No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration !
Trump was discussing the apparently cold-blooded killing of Michael Forest Reinoehl — a Portland , Oregon man who was charged with second-degree murder in the Aug. 29 shooting death of Patriot Prayer supporter Aaron “ Jay ” Danielson — by federal marshals in early September .
The marshals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bringing him before a judge for arraignment and an eventual trial by his peers as the U.S. justice system mandates under the presumption of innocence .
In Trump ’ s eyes , and apparently in the eyes of those sent to capture the progressive activist , the presumption of guilt was the rule of the day .
Eyewitness accounts as cited by Oregon Public Broadcasting show that no attempt was actually made to try to arrest Reinoehl peacefully .
Instead , it appears as if the federal marshals did not even identify themselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killing the fugitive suspect .
While the official line has been that “ Reinoehl jumped out of his car , his hand on the .380-caliber pistol in his pocket , defying a shouted command : “ Stop !
Police !
” as OPB reported , Trump ’ s account of the incident at his rally seems to confirm the accusations of bystanders that “ they heard no warning from federal agents , and saw no flashing lights that indicated the arrival of law enforcement , just a fusillade that one neighbor likened to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Call of Duty.
” That such a blatant violation of human rights and the principle of due process could occur in America is shameful enough given our supposed commitment to the rule of law , but to have the president bragging about the violation as a shining example of his “ Law & Order ” policies while on the campaign trail , is a five-alarm banshee wail that should have every American who values their freedoms screaming for Trump ’ s impeachment , arrest , and conviction as soon as possible .
With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we may have to settle for simply ensuring that Trump is defeated by Joe Biden in an overwhelming landslide .
After the election , he should be held accountable a second time in the courts , once his presidential immunity dissolves in front of all of our eyes .
Yes , even Donald Trump will have the due process that was denied to Michael Reinoehl .
It may be the first step on our return to normalcy in this nation .
Original reporting by Conrad Wilson and Bryan Denson at OPB .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

Is Donald Trump an accessory to legally sanctioned murder?
That could be the implication of the comments the president made at his campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina today.
Trump: We sent in the US Marshals, took 15 minutes and it was over… They knew who he was, they didn’t want to arrest him and 15 minutes that ended pic.twitter.com/fJA5BsJVeF — Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) October 15, 2020
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell: No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration!
Trump was discussing the apparently cold-blooded killing of Michael Forest Reinoehl — a Portland, Oregon man who was charged with second-degree murder in the Aug. 29 shooting death of Patriot Prayer supporter Aaron “Jay” Danielson — by federal marshals in early September.
The marshals were supposedly tasked with arresting Reinoehl and bringing him before a judge for arraignment and an eventual trial by his peers as the U.S. justice system mandates under the presumption of innocence. In Trump’s eyes, and apparently in the eyes of those sent to capture the progressive activist, the presumption of guilt was the rule of the day.
Eyewitness accounts as cited by Oregon Public Broadcasting show that no attempt was actually made to try to arrest Reinoehl peacefully.
Instead, it appears as if the federal marshals did not even identify themselves or their mission before opening fire and killing the fugitive suspect.
While the official line has been that “Reinoehl jumped out of his car, his hand on the .380-caliber pistol in his pocket, defying a shouted command: “Stop! Police!” as OPB reported, Trump’s account of the incident at his rally seems to confirm the accusations of bystanders that “they heard no warning from federal agents, and saw no flashing lights that indicated the arrival of law enforcement, just a fusillade that one neighbor likened to a scene out of the video game Call of Duty.”
That such a blatant violation of human rights and the principle of due process could occur in America is shameful enough given our supposed commitment to the rule of law, but to have the president bragging about the violation as a shining example of his “Law & Order” policies while on the campaign trail, is a five-alarm banshee wail that should have every American who values their freedoms screaming for Trump’s impeachment, arrest, and conviction as soon as possible.
With the election only 19 days away, we may have to settle for simply ensuring that Trump is defeated by Joe Biden in an overwhelming landslide.
After the election, he should be held accountable a second time in the courts, once his presidential immunity dissolves in front of all of our eyes.
Yes, even Donald Trump will have the due process that was denied to Michael Reinoehl. It may be the first step on our return to normalcy in this nation.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Conrad Wilson and Bryan Denson at OPB.
We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-15--Lincoln Project FEC filing shows millions of donor dollars funneled to personal companies

Over the past year , the “ NeverTrump ” Republicans at the Lincoln Project have raised millions of dollars and become the latest darling of extremely online # resistance members , who are happy to overlook the vile racism and the warmongering pasts of men like Rick Wilson , Steve Schmidt , and John Weaver if it helps defeat Donald Trump .
But almost inevitably , new FEC reports raises serious questions about just how the members of the “ Lincoln Project ” Super PAC are spending their money .
After raising nearly $ 40 million dollars in the third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost half of that money into their own personal firms and spent a sky-high $ 13 million in donor money on questionable “ operating expenditures.
” The latest FEC filing for Q32020 shows that the Lincoln Project paid cofounder Reed Galen ’ s firm $ 18.8 million , Ron Steslow ’ s $ 8.7 million , and senior advisor Kurt Bardella ’ s $ 153,000 .
Reed Galen ’ s firm had previously had just one payment of $ 12,000 for a race in 2018 , for an ad in which accused pro-Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
These firms then subcontract out the actual ad creation and ad buying expenditures to other companies in the exact same way that Trump uses his campaign to launder donor money .
In comparison , the group Tech4Campaigns raised $ 8 million in Q3 but spent just $ 17,000 on operating expenses .
While the “ Republican Voters against Trump ” group spent 570k out of $ 5,700,000 raised .
Of course , this is not the first time that the Lincoln Project has come under fire for suspicious financial behavior .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lincoln Project reported that they raised 1.4 million dollars and spent nearly 90 % of it on “ overhead costs.
” Open Secrets reports that in Q1 , “ almost all of that money went to the group ’ s board members and firms run by them .
The super PAC spent nearly $ 1 million with Summit Strategic Communications , a firm run by Lincoln Project treasurer Reed Galen .
Another $ 215,000 went to Tusk Digital , a company run by Lincoln Project adviser Ron Steslow.
” It would be one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the super-wealthy , but a large proportion of the Lincoln Project ’ s donations are from small donors who are truly trying to do everything they possibly can to help drive Trump from office .
It ’ s hard to understand how their ads could cost tens of millions of dollars , especially when some of their content is shamelessly plagiarized from other accounts on social media that never get compensated : The “ Lincoln Project ” ostensibly exists to appeal to the largely mythical “ good Republicans ” and moderates who need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they will — but in reality , it exists to sell themselves to Democrats .
Now that blood-and-soil fascism and QAnon conspiracy theorists have entirely taken over the GOP , George Conway and his gutless pals are politically obsolete and have no home in the GOP .
Correctly labeled as “ losers ” by Donald Trump for working on the failed McCain and Romney presidential campaigns , these men have decided they will be the vanguard of the “ ex ” Republican invasion of the Democratic Party , buying our approval with snarky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jingoism designed to stimulate the fear receptors of Russiagate-paranoid liberals .
This is not because they actually want to defeat Trump so much as they and the rest of their fellow blood-drenched Iraq War promoters like Bill Kristol and Jennifer Rubin and Max Boot can remain politically relevant — and of course , to make sure they can siphon off a slice of the outrageous amount of money pouring into the 2020 race .
The American people deserve to know if these Dick Cheney office alumni are exploiting the public ’ s revulsion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal profit off of civic-minded citizens who are expending some of their meager resources to in hopes of fighting for a better future for this nation — a nation which is in this position now because of the men who run the Lincoln Project and the Republican Party they ’ ve spent their entire careers working for .
Rick Wilson helped get Trump ally Rudy Giuliani elected Mayor of New York with a wildly racist , fearmongering campaign — just like the one Trump is running now .
Do you think he really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slew of them worked for George W. Bush , who left this country in the throes of the worst recession in a century while New Orleans lay in ruins , the deficit reaching the stratosphere and hundreds of thousands of innocents dead in Iraq .
Just because they have turned their backs on Trump does not make them our friends — and they have a lot of questions to answer about their latest scam .

Over the past year, the “NeverTrump” Republicans at the Lincoln Project have raised millions of dollars and become the latest darling of extremely online #resistance members, who are happy to overlook the vile racism and the warmongering pasts of men like Rick Wilson, Steve Schmidt, and John Weaver if it helps defeat Donald Trump.
But almost inevitably, new FEC reports raises serious questions about just how the members of the “Lincoln Project” Super PAC are spending their money.
After raising nearly $40 million dollars in the third quarter of 2020, the PAC funneled almost half of that money into their own personal firms and spent a sky-high $13 million in donor money on questionable “operating expenditures.”
The latest FEC filing for Q32020 shows that the Lincoln Project paid cofounder Reed Galen’s firm $18.8 million, Ron Steslow’s $8.7 million, and senior advisor Kurt Bardella’s $153,000. Reed Galen’s firm had previously had just one payment of $12,000 for a race in 2018, for an ad in which accused pro-Trump Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of being disloyal to Trump.
The Lincoln Project convinced Democratic donors to part with $39,384,397 in Q3. It burned a staggering $13 million on operating expenditures, made $23.9M of IEs (mostly routed into its founders firms), and ended with $13.2M on hand. https://t.co/wvOXUYp7ed — Rob Pyers (@rpyers) October 14, 2020
Nice work if you can get it. Lincoln Project founder Reed Galen's Summit Strategic logged $129,668 in expenditures for lodging reimbursement in August. pic.twitter.com/lzcsD9yWS8 — Rob Pyers (@rpyers) October 14, 2020
Looking through the top transactions, the amount spent on 'Research Services' suggests they're overpaying for someone to trawl through twitter to snatch up other people's content. pic.twitter.com/Rl2YRiREfB — Rob Pyers (@rpyers) October 14, 2020
These firms then subcontract out the actual ad creation and ad buying expenditures to other companies in the exact same way that Trump uses his campaign to launder donor money.
In comparison, the group Tech4Campaigns raised $8 million in Q3 but spent just $17,000 on operating expenses.
Democratic group @Tech4Campaigns raised $8.19M in Q3, including $5M from Y Combinator co-founder Jessica Livingston. It spent $4.08M (mostly on anti-Trump digital ads) and ended the quarter with just under $5.5M on hand. pic.twitter.com/GnK6YPJjsh — Rob Pyers (@rpyers) October 15, 2020
While the “Republican Voters against Trump” group spent 570k out of $5,700,000 raised.
Stark contrast between two anti-Trump groups…while the Lincoln Project burned over 35% of its Q3 outlays on questionable operating expenditures, the $573.5K from Republican Voters Against Trump accounted for less than 12% of its Q3 spending.https://t.co/uVzcHj41HB — Rob Pyers (@rpyers) October 15, 2020
Of course, this is not the first time that the Lincoln Project has come under fire for suspicious financial behavior. In their Q1 FEC filing, the Lincoln Project reported that they raised 1.4 million dollars and spent nearly 90% of it on “overhead costs.” Open Secrets reports that in Q1, “almost all of that money went to the group’s board members and firms run by them. The super PAC spent nearly $1 million with Summit Strategic Communications, a firm run by Lincoln Project treasurer Reed Galen. Another $215,000 went to Tusk Digital, a company run by Lincoln Project adviser Ron Steslow.”
It would be one thing if all the donations were from the super-wealthy, but a large proportion of the Lincoln Project’s donations are from small donors who are truly trying to do everything they possibly can to help drive Trump from office.
It’s hard to understand how their ads could cost tens of millions of dollars, especially when some of their content is shamelessly plagiarized from other accounts on social media that never get compensated:
The “Lincoln Project” ostensibly exists to appeal to the largely mythical “good Republicans” and moderates who need to see other conservatives supporting Biden before they will — but in reality, it exists to sell themselves to Democrats.
Now that blood-and-soil fascism and QAnon conspiracy theorists have entirely taken over the GOP, George Conway and his gutless pals are politically obsolete and have no home in the GOP. Correctly labeled as “losers” by Donald Trump for working on the failed McCain and Romney presidential campaigns, these men have decided they will be the vanguard of the “ex” Republican invasion of the Democratic Party, buying our approval with snarky high-quality ads and outrageous anti-Russian Cold War jingoism designed to stimulate the fear receptors of Russiagate-paranoid liberals.
This is not because they actually want to defeat Trump so much as they and the rest of their fellow blood-drenched Iraq War promoters like Bill Kristol and Jennifer Rubin and Max Boot can remain politically relevant — and of course, to make sure they can siphon off a slice of the outrageous amount of money pouring into the 2020 race.
The American people deserve to know if these Dick Cheney office alumni are exploiting the public’s revulsion at President Donald Trump and making a personal profit off of civic-minded citizens who are expending some of their meager resources to in hopes of fighting for a better future for this nation — a nation which is in this position now because of the men who run the Lincoln Project and the Republican Party they’ve spent their entire careers working for.
Rick Wilson helped get Trump ally Rudy Giuliani elected Mayor of New York with a wildly racist, fearmongering campaign — just like the one Trump is running now. Do you think he really has changed his beliefs? The whole slew of them worked for George W. Bush, who left this country in the throes of the worst recession in a century while New Orleans lay in ruins, the deficit reaching the stratosphere and hundreds of thousands of innocents dead in Iraq.
Just because they have turned their backs on Trump does not make them our friends — and they have a lot of questions to answer about their latest scam.
We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-15--Lindsey Graham under fire for breaking federal law to try and save his skin

It would be fun to watch Republican senators flailing frantically in desperation as these see their chances at re-election sinking on the S.S. Trumptanic .
It would be fun , that is , if some of those GOP legislators weren ’ t wantonly breaking laws as they try everything they can to reverse their fate in their panic — everything but admit that their fealty to Donald Trump is exactly what landed them in their current situation .
Please !
( Thank you , Henny Youngman , for that eternally lasting bit of humor . )
The South Carolina Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be cruising to easy re-election in the traditionally conservative Southern state .
The reality he faces in 2020 , however , is an opponent — a popular former chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party , Jaime Harrison — who has raised vastly greater sums of money for his campaign than the three-term Senator .
The reasons for the fund-raising disparity are legion .
One reason that someone could point to is Senator Graham ’ s notorious flip-flopping on his opinions of Donald Trump — from stating that “ Trump is destroying the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the GOP opposition to Trump headed by his former colleague and best friend the late Arizona Senator John McCain and cuddling up as close to the president as a lap dog could possibly be .
Another reason could be statements like he made this week at the Senate Judiciary Committee ’ s confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett referring to the “ good old days of segregation.
” Is it any wonder that donations to his opponent have surged from both in-state Democrats and from an angry crowd of progressives across the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obstructive and damaging GOP majority in the Senate ?
With the race now polling as a virtual tie — and with Trump ’ s failures to manage the COVID-19 pandemic dragging down the Republican ticket across the nation — Graham ’ s situation is much more serious and competitive than he may have ever expected .
Now it appears that the lack of financial support for his re-election bid has Senator Graham willing to take desperate moves to raise last-minute funds to finance a final round of advertising to salvage a victory amidst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in fact , that Graham was willing to break the law to encourage people to contribute to his re-election campaign as he did yesterday .
Speaking to reporters in the Capitol Building , the senator said — in full view of the rolling video cameras — that people “ excited about Judge Barrett , ” Trump ’ s right-wing extremist nominee for the Supreme Court seat previously held by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , should contribute to his campaign , in direct violation of U.S. law barring members of Congress from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I don ’ t know how much it affected fundraising today , but if you want to help me close the gap , LindseyGraham.com .
A little bit goes a long way , ” Graham said on camera .
“ The bottom line is my opponent raised $ 57 million .
Congratulations to him , that ’ s the most anybody ’ s ever raised in the history of the Senate , ” the senator continued .
“ I raised $ 28 million , the most any Republican has ever raised .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has taken on sort of a national profile .
I think in my case is that I stood up for Kavanaugh , and that made some people pretty upset on the left.
” Graham ’ s comments immediately raised hackles on Twitter in people who were outraged by the blatant disregard for the rule of law from a close supporter of our supposedly “ Law & Order ” president .
It ’ s sort of pitiful to watch Senator Graham groveling for money as his world collapses around him .
Given his behavior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begrudge you a little schadenfreude .
As a good friend of his once said : “ Lock him up !
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It would be fun to watch Republican senators flailing frantically in desperation as these see their chances at re-election sinking on the S.S. Trumptanic.
It would be fun, that is, if some of those GOP legislators weren’t wantonly breaking laws as they try everything they can to reverse their fate in their panic — everything but admit that their fealty to Donald Trump is exactly what landed them in their current situation.
Take Senator Lindsey Graham.
Please! (Thank you, Henny Youngman, for that eternally lasting bit of humor.)
The South Carolina Republican may have once thought that he would be cruising to easy re-election in the traditionally conservative Southern state.
The reality he faces in 2020, however, is an opponent — a popular former chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, Jaime Harrison — who has raised vastly greater sums of money for his campaign than the three-term Senator.
The reasons for the fund-raising disparity are legion.
One reason that someone could point to is Senator Graham’s notorious flip-flopping on his opinions of Donald Trump — from stating that “Trump is destroying the Republican Party” in 2015 to renouncing the GOP opposition to Trump headed by his former colleague and best friend the late Arizona Senator John McCain and cuddling up as close to the president as a lap dog could possibly be.
Another reason could be statements like he made this week at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett referring to the “good old days of segregation.”
Is it any wonder that donations to his opponent have surged from both in-state Democrats and from an angry crowd of progressives across the country anxious to put an end to the obstructive and damaging GOP majority in the Senate?
With the race now polling as a virtual tie — and with Trump’s failures to manage the COVID-19 pandemic dragging down the Republican ticket across the nation — Graham’s situation is much more serious and competitive than he may have ever expected.
Now it appears that the lack of financial support for his re-election bid has Senator Graham willing to take desperate moves to raise last-minute funds to finance a final round of advertising to salvage a victory amidst his plummeting fortunes.
So desperate, in fact, that Graham was willing to break the law to encourage people to contribute to his re-election campaign as he did yesterday.
Speaking to reporters in the Capitol Building, the senator said — in full view of the rolling video cameras — that people “excited about Judge Barrett,” Trump’s right-wing extremist nominee for the Supreme Court seat previously held by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, should contribute to his campaign, in direct violation of U.S. law barring members of Congress from soliciting donations while inside federal buildings.
“I don’t know how much it affected fundraising today, but if you want to help me close the gap, LindseyGraham.com. A little bit goes a long way,” Graham said on camera. “The bottom line is my opponent raised $57 million. Congratulations to him, that’s the most anybody’s ever raised in the history of the Senate,” the senator continued. “I raised $28 million, the most any Republican has ever raised. I think the contest in South Carolina has taken on sort of a national profile. I think in my case is that I stood up for Kavanaugh, and that made some people pretty upset on the left.”
It’s illegal to solicit campaign contributions inside a federal building. — aída chávez (@aidachavez) October 15, 2020
Graham’s comments immediately raised hackles on Twitter in people who were outraged by the blatant disregard for the rule of law from a close supporter of our supposedly “Law & Order” president.
Exactly. You know what to do, people! https://t.co/tOND5wdPm3 — Rose Bloomin (Broome) (@rosical) October 15, 2020
Seems a little unethical when you’re the Chair of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee and you’re soliciting donations in violation of Federal Code. — PatriotDaughter (@Cubfan13241) October 15, 2020
https://twitter.com/pamwallace/status/1316622044252057601?s=20
https://twitter.com/howdidwehether1/status/1316692515827978240?s=20
The good old days in S.C..where segregation ruled! People of color were dragged down the streets pulled by trucks , yelling until they could yell no more. Being accused of falsehoods & hung .Yeah Lindsay those were YOUR old good days. Send him home plz! — carol perez (@CarolPrissy48) October 15, 2020
He knows what we want he just doesn’t care ! — RebeccaC (@rebeccac0602) October 15, 2020
It’s sort of pitiful to watch Senator Graham groveling for money as his world collapses around him.
Given his behavior throughout his career, no one will begrudge you a little schadenfreude.
As a good friend of his once said: “Lock him up!”
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Original reporting by Jake Johnson, Common Dreams at RawStory.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-10-15--“Dealmaker” Trump sabotages his own negotiations with childish insults at Pelosi

There is perhaps no better distillation of the core difference in priorities between the Democratic and Republican parties than their respective approaches to the ongoing economic stimulus negotiations .
Over 215,000 Americans are now dead , huge swathes of the population are unemployed , and even those with jobs are struggling to get by in an economy that has been shredded to the bone in large part because of President Trump ’ s incompetence .
With such a dire state of affairs , one might think the two parties would come together to pass a massive stimulus to save those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue to nickel and dime the bill .
The Democrat-controlled House has passed a $ 2.2 trillion stimulus package and the Republican-controlled Senate refuses to pass it , arguing that the number should be lower .
The GOP has no problem spending trillions to give tax cuts to billionaires and corporations , but when it comes to helping average Americans they suddenly develop frugality .
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell : No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration !
If Trump cared one iota about this country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constantly pressuring Senate Majority Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) to meet Speaker Nancy Pelosi ’ s ( D-CA ) reasonable demands and endorse the House ’ s bill .
Instead , the president is demonstrating the same lack of leadership that has characterized his entire tenure in the White House .
Not only is he failing to take appropriate action and do his job , he ’ s wasting his time lobbing mud at his political opponents , making the entire process that much more fraught .
Earlier today , Trump called into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When asked if he would “ pick up the phone and call Speaker Pelosi with a higher offer , ” Trump once again made it clear how little he cares about these negotiations .
“ Sure I would but it ’ s you know , I know my people , I know life .
She ’ s got a lot of problems , she ’ s got a lot of mental problems and it ’ s going to be very hard to do anything with her , ” alleged Trump , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought these days .
“ She wants to wait till after the election .
She thinks it hurts the Republicans and I don ’ t .
I think it hurts them , ” claimed the president .
The theory is , of course , nonsense .
If Pelosi wanted to wait until after the election she never would have passed the bill in the House .
The ball is firmly in the Republicans ’ courts and yet again they ’ re failing the American people .
There is simply no sane argument for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in power at this point .
People are dying .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

There is perhaps no better distillation of the core difference in priorities between the Democratic and Republican parties than their respective approaches to the ongoing economic stimulus negotiations. Over 215,000 Americans are now dead, huge swathes of the population are unemployed, and even those with jobs are struggling to get by in an economy that has been shredded to the bone in large part because of President Trump’s incompetence.
With such a dire state of affairs, one might think the two parties would come together to pass a massive stimulus to save those in need, but instead the Republicans continue to nickel and dime the bill. The Democrat-controlled House has passed a $2.2 trillion stimulus package and the Republican-controlled Senate refuses to pass it, arguing that the number should be lower. The GOP has no problem spending trillions to give tax cuts to billionaires and corporations, but when it comes to helping average Americans they suddenly develop frugality.
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell: No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration!
If Trump cared one iota about this country’s suffering, he would be constantly pressuring Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to meet Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) reasonable demands and endorse the House’s bill. Instead, the president is demonstrating the same lack of leadership that has characterized his entire tenure in the White House. Not only is he failing to take appropriate action and do his job, he’s wasting his time lobbing mud at his political opponents, making the entire process that much more fraught.
Earlier today, Trump called into Fox News and spoke with Stuart Varney. When asked if he would “pick up the phone and call Speaker Pelosi with a higher offer,” Trump once again made it clear how little he cares about these negotiations.
“Sure I would but it’s you know, I know my people, I know life. She’s got a lot of problems, she’s got a lot of mental problems and it’s going to be very hard to do anything with her,” alleged Trump, who struggles to even string together a coherent thought these days. “She wants to wait till after the election. She thinks it hurts the Republicans and I don’t. I think it hurts them,” claimed the president.
The theory is, of course, nonsense. If Pelosi wanted to wait until after the election she never would have passed the bill in the House. The ball is firmly in the Republicans’ courts and yet again they’re failing the American people. There is simply no sane argument for letting Trump and his GOP enablers remain in power at this point. People are dying.
Trump tells Stuart Varney that he won't call up Pelosi and negotiate a stimulus bill because she has "a lot of mental problems" pic.twitter.com/UBcUD5F3iy — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 15, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-10-15--Trump embarks on childish posting spree that swears at Biden and promotes wrestling grifter

President Trump ’ s newfound and possibly steroid-induced aggression continues to manifest itself in his Twitter feed on a nightly basis as he sinks ever deeper into a wormhole of right-wing conspiracy , immaturity , and petulance .
Over the past ten hours , the president has embarked on a 32 tweet and retweet posting spree , with its content becoming progressively more disgraceful and appalling with every new press of a button .
Much of his posting revolved around the right-wing outrage about the questionable decision by social media companies to ban the sharing of a New York Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden ’ s son Hunter and his business dealings with Ukrainian gas company Burisma .
The story itself is nonsense and falls apart under the most cursory of scrutiny , but by banning it from being shared , Twitter and Facebook have thrown red meat to the rabid right-wing ’ s insatiable victimhood complex .
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell : No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration !
The ban immediately prompted a cacophony of weeping and moaning that they are being “ censored ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook traffic and ensuring that the contents of the story are much more interesting because it is being blocked , instead of allowing it to get lost in the churning whirlpool of imaginary right-wing conspiracy brain worm bullshit that nobody except the President and his most online supporters care about or can even understand .
But some of his other retweets seemingly had nothing to do with anything except puerile expressions of hatred towards his political enemies .
One retweet featured a giant middle finger telling Vice-President Joe Biden to fuck off .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ BeanFromPA , ” showed the letters BLM with the words BURN , LOOT , MURDER next to them — a wildly racist and incendiary corruption of the Black Lives Matter slogan .
One retweet showed a video from UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal , who is apparently a Trump supporter and is now running a grift where he teaches patriots to protect themselves from “ hooligans ” and “ antifa-like individuals.
” Accompanying these tweets were a slew of videos from his latest rally , some edited and deceptive propaganda videos from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and disinformation about ballot harvesting .
While we ’ re all sadly used to these kinds of shenanigans at this point , there ’ s still something so unsettling about seeing the President of the United States curse at his opponent by way of a boomer Facebook meme and promote wrestlers in between outrageous self-promotion and baseless conspiracy theories .
He clearly is feeling deeply insecure about his chances at re-election this November , and nothing could be more important than driving him from office and restoring some kind of sanity to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @

President Trump’s newfound and possibly steroid-induced aggression continues to manifest itself in his Twitter feed on a nightly basis as he sinks ever deeper into a wormhole of right-wing conspiracy, immaturity, and petulance.
Over the past ten hours, the president has embarked on a 32 tweet and retweet posting spree, with its content becoming progressively more disgraceful and appalling with every new press of a button.
I’ve gone through years of a Fake, Illegal, and Totally Discredited Witch-Hunt, and now it’s revealed that it was a Hoax by the “other side”, which must pay a price for what they did. Think of where we’d be now without Fake & Fraudulent stories every night, for years!!! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2020
Much of his posting revolved around the right-wing outrage about the questionable decision by social media companies to ban the sharing of a New York Post article containing almost certainly false allegations about Joe Biden’s son Hunter and his business dealings with Ukrainian gas company Burisma.
Congratulations to the @nypost for having exposed the massive corruption surrounding Sleepy Joe Biden and our Country. He’s always been a corrupt politician. Disgraceful! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2020
The story itself is nonsense and falls apart under the most cursory of scrutiny, but by banning it from being shared, Twitter and Facebook have thrown red meat to the rabid right-wing’s insatiable victimhood complex.
Sign the petition to tell Mitch McConnell: No vote on a new Supreme Court Justice until after inauguration!
The ban immediately prompted a cacophony of weeping and moaning that they are being “censored” despite right-wing pages commanding a monopoly on Facebook traffic and ensuring that the contents of the story are much more interesting because it is being blocked, instead of allowing it to get lost in the churning whirlpool of imaginary right-wing conspiracy brain worm bullshit that nobody except the President and his most online supporters care about or can even understand.
But some of his other retweets seemingly had nothing to do with anything except puerile expressions of hatred towards his political enemies. One retweet featured a giant middle finger telling Vice-President Joe Biden to fuck off.
Another from the same woman, a “BeanFromPA,” showed the letters BLM with the words BURN, LOOT, MURDER next to them — a wildly racist and incendiary corruption of the Black Lives Matter slogan.
One retweet showed a video from UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal, who is apparently a Trump supporter and is now running a grift where he teaches patriots to protect themselves from “hooligans” and “antifa-like individuals.”
https://t.co/GE2NiJUxDc and learn how to protect yourselves from hooligans and other antifa like individuals #supernecessary pic.twitter.com/ZvLPF2c2Hf — Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) October 14, 2020
Accompanying these tweets were a slew of videos from his latest rally, some edited and deceptive propaganda videos from the clowns at “Project Veritas,” and disinformation about ballot harvesting.
While we’re all sadly used to these kinds of shenanigans at this point, there’s still something so unsettling about seeing the President of the United States curse at his opponent by way of a boomer Facebook meme and promote wrestlers in between outrageous self-promotion and baseless conspiracy theories. He clearly is feeling deeply insecure about his chances at re-election this November, and nothing could be more important than driving him from office and restoring some kind of sanity to the world’s most powerful office.
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Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts