Short Attention Span Musing - mixed bag edition

Just a prediction, an observation, and some advice

First up,  the prediction, and NO, I'm not going to make a prediction about Tuesday's results.  I've already done that.

Nope, the prediction is this:

If Cheeto gains a 2nd term as POTUS, he'll only be president for 3-6 months before his VP, J.D. Vance, teaches him all about the Constitution.  

Not all of it, just the 25th Amendment to it.

Observation:  Aside from trumpkins and other bigots, the folks who are most in favor of a Cheeto victory on Tuesday may be the writers of fake news,  The writers for monologues for late night talk shows and shows like SNL's Weekend Update and /or The Daily Show will have nothing to do beyond putting Cheeto's blatherings to paper.  And the writers for Faux News and other conservative outlets will simply be in orgasmic bliss.

Advice, and it's given with the knowledge that it almost certainly won't be heeded: Democratic candidates should neither seek nor accept the endorsement of a police-affiliated organization.  Endorsements of groups of public employees may help.  If those employees are firefighters or teachers (especially in primaries).

Neither of those groups is known for assaulting and/or killing unarmed civilians.

An endorsement from a police organization may serve to suppress the vote of groups who would support Democratic candidates while not delivering the votes of every member of such an organization.

Secondary advice:  All campaigns should forget how to hit the "Send" on emails and mass texts.  Don't send 'em more than once per day.

I've already deleted 48 emails today (and that doesn't include the ones that went directly to my spam folder).  I don't know how many texts were sent to me today because I've had to block so many numbers.

And all of them can be summarized the same way:

Gimme.

I realize that the consultants hired by each campaign are looking only for their next paycheck and will highlight the number of messages they sent and not the number of potential voters for their candidates they turned off.

In other words, this will happen for the next few cycles (at least.)

Short attention span musing

...From the "Is anyone really surprised by this?" file:

From AP -

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia registers as independent, citing ‘partisan extremism’

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Friday he has switched his registration to independent, raising questions about his political plans since the move could help his chances should he seek elected office again in a state that has turned heavily Republican.

Manchin, 76, has often been at odds with the Democratic Party and an obstacle to many of President Joe Biden’s legislative priorities. But he played a central role in helping Biden get a landmark climate change and health care bill over the finish line in 2022.

Maybe he can caucus with Kyrsten Sinema.  Probably not gonna happen though.

Both would want to be considered the leader of that particular caucus, and she may be the one person in the U.S. Senate who is as utterly self-focused as him (and that's saying something in a body that numbers Ted Cruz among its members.)

...From the "It worked so well on January 6, 2021 so it should be done again." file: 

From Reuters -

Trump supporters call for riots and violent retribution after verdict

Supporters of former President Donald Trump, enraged by his conviction on 34 felony counts by a New York jury, flooded pro-Trump websites with calls for riots, revolution and violent retribution.

After Trump became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime, his supporters responded with dozens of violent online posts, according to a Reuters review of comments on three Trump-aligned websites: the former president's own Truth Social platform, Patriots.Win and the Gateway Pundit.

Some called for attacks on jurors, the execution of the judge, Justice Juan Merchan, or outright civil war and armed insurrection.

“Someone in NY with nothing to lose needs to take care of Merchan,” wrote one commentator on Patriots.Win. “Hopefully he gets met with illegals with a machete,” the post said in reference to illegal immigrants.

On Gateway Pundit, one poster suggested shooting liberals after the verdict. “Time to start capping some leftys,” said the post. “This cannot be fixed by voting."

...From the "It's not just the GOPer base." file:

From Axios -

GOP senator aims to block floor action over Trump conviction

Eight Republican senators are vowing to vote against any spending bills, judicial nominees or other Democratic legislation brought to the floor in protest of former President Trump's conviction on 34 felony charges.

[snip]

Driving the news: "Strongly worded statements are not enough," Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who led the effort, tweeted. "Those who turned our judicial system into a political cudgel must be held accountable."

• He was joined by two Trump VP contenders — Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Oh.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — as well as Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) who recently announced a bid for GOP leader.
• Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kans.) also joined.
• Lee plans to keep the letter open for the foreseeable future, and is calling on more Senators to join their pledge of non-cooperation.

...From the "One can be despised by lousy human beings and still be a lousy human being." file:

Also from Axios -

Johnson urges Supreme Court to "step in" on Trump verdict

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called for the U.S. Supreme Court to "step in" to overturn the guilty verdict against former President Trump in his New York hush money trial.

Why it matters: It's one of the starkest examples yet of Republicans, furious about the jury's decision, calling for some form of intervention to protect the ex-president.

Johnson has faced withering criticism from the loons in his caucus who are more right-wing than he is.

...From the "At least in Arizona, 'petty snit' is an accepted partisan position." file:

From AZMirror, written by Caitlin Sievers -

House Republicans who investigated AG Mayes say she should be impeached

A group of Arizona House Republicans is calling for the impeachment of Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes based on allegations that she abused her power, neglected her duties and “committed malfeasance.” 

House Speaker Ben Toma created the House Committee on Executive Oversight in late March, specifically to examine the duties and powers of the attorney general, to investigate allegations against Mayes and to make corresponding recommendations to the House amidst allegations from Republicans that Mayes was unconstitutionally picking and choosing which laws to enforce. 

Mayes, along with all the Democrats assigned to the committee, refused to participate in its meetings, calling the entire undertaking a “sham”. Republicans on the committee chided the Democrats for skipping out. 

In a letter to Toma on May 28, Rep. Jacqueline Parker, the San Tan Valley Republican who chaired the panel, recommended that the House adopt a resolution to impeach Mayes for “malfeasance in office.”  

 The committee's agenda from 4/17 is here.

Speaking of "malfeasance," the fake electors hadn't yet been indicted; if they had been, I'm pretty sure that would have been added to the laundry list of unfounded Republican whines/complaints about Mayes.

Short attention span musing - democracy isn't for dilettantes edition

- If, in 2019, someone told me that our election center should nicknamed "Fortress Democracy." I would have laughed.

Then 2020 happened.

From AP -

Arizona expects to be back at the center of election attacks. Its top officials are going on offense

The room sits behind a chain-link fence, then black iron gates. Guards block the entrance, which requires a security badge to access. The glass surrounding it is shatterproof.

What merits all these layers of protection is somewhat surprising: tabulating machines that count the votes during elections in Arizona’s Maricopa County. The security measures are a necessary expense, said the county recorder, Stephen Richer, as Arizona and its largest county have become hotbeds of election misinformation and conspiracy theories that have led to near continuous threats and harassment against election workers.

[snip]

The false claims, promoted by prominent Republicans such as presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump and Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, have driven protesters to rally outside vote-counting centers and to patrol drop boxes. The claims have fueled death threats against election workers and their families and prompted top election officials to quit across Arizona.

The battleground state also has become a target for attacks from election meddlers and other bad actors who repeatedly attempt to hack or disable the state’s electronic systems, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said.

- It seems that throwing ideological bombs is preferable to actually, you know, governing.  At least it is for certain people..

From The Independent (UK) -

Marjorie Taylor Greene insists she doesn’t want ‘chaos’ after second threat to oust House Speaker

Marjorie Taylor Greene has defended her bid to oust Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson - after threatening to do so in January - and insisted that she was not seeking to throw the government into “chaos”.

The Georgia representative and other far right members of the House opposed the $1.2trn federal spending package that passed Congress this past week, and claimed that it was full of wasteful spending.

She denounced Mr Johnson as “willing to do the bidding of [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer”.

[snip]

Ms Greene denied that the House’s paralysis is due to far-right conservatives, or the second effort to oust a speaker in six months.

“Those people stepping down early and leaving, are the ones leaving us at risk of the Democrats controlling the majority, not me,” the congresswoman said.

She's not the only GOPer in the House who is ticked at Johnson over the budget deal.

- It seems redundant to make a deep fake video about a dilettante, but it sure can be entertaining.

From Arizona Agenda, written by Hank Stephenson -

Hey Agenda readers!

We have a very special announcement today. 

To our great surprise, Kari Lake, the former newscaster turned political candidate and frequent subject of our derision, offered to film a testimonial about how much she likes the Arizona Agenda. 

[snip]

At least, did you spot it before she told you?

Or — like most people that we’ve shown this to — did it take a second for your brain to catch up even after our “Deep Fake Kari Lake” told you she was fake?

 

Many commentators/outlets have bemoaned the effect of deep fake videos on politics.

My concern is the effect of AI-generated videos on credibility; nobody will be able to believe what they see.

And while I believe that the destruction of credibility, especially institutional credibility, is an end goal of MAGA types, it will go far beyond politics.

Can you say "reasonable doubt"?

Short Attention Span Musing - Popcorn Edition

...Kari Lake is looking to make nice with the same people that she trashed in 2022

From Politico -

Kari Lake ‘drove a stake’ through the heart of McCain Republicans. Now she wants a meeting.

Kari Lake is finally ready to move on from the 2022 election — or at least she wants her rivals to.

The Arizona Republican has given up — for now — the fire-and-brimstone approach she took in her failed gubernatorial bid last year, adopting a different tack in her current Senate campaign: diplomacy.

One thing in the article caught my attention (emphasis added by me) -

She has not made contact with former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, according to a person familiar with their interactions. And Sharon Harper, a consigliere for Cindy McCain, the widow of the late senator, said Lake has not reached out to her. Harper is fundraising for Sinema.

My guess is that many of the "traditional" Rs want to vote for Kyrsten Sinema, if she runs for re-election.  If she doesn't, those folks will be faced with two options that they won't like - voting for Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, or voting for Kari Lake, someone who openly despises them.

If Gallego can siphon off enough supporters, it may help him.

...If Lake wins election to the US Senate, she may be moving to a schoolyard...at a middle school. 

From The Oklahoman -

OK Sen. Markwayne Mullin defends Senate fight, tells Sean Hannity it's 'Oklahoma values'

U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, said he believed Oklahomans "would be pretty upset" at him if he hadn't threatened a union leader to a fight during a senate hearing,

Mullin, 45, and Teamsters leader Sean O'Brien had a heated exchange during a senate hearing on labor unions, at the end of which Mullin asked O'Brien if he wanted to fight. Mullin even stood from his chair, but was stopped by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, who was chairing the hearing.

...In what may be the news of the week, a convicted felon is joining the clown car of the race to replace the outgoing Debbie Lesko in CD8.

From NBC -

'QAnon Shaman' who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 files paperwork to run for Congress

Jacob Chansley, the Arizona man who gained notoriety as the “QAnon Shaman” who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, filed paperwork to run for Congress as a Libertarian candidate in the battleground state’s 8th Congressional District.

Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., announced last month that she won’t seek re-election.

Chansley cannot vote for a candidate for elected office as a convicted felon, but he *can* run for office.

One question: will he be in costume while on the campaign trail?  I'm guessing "Yes."

From the NBC story -

.

While he has yet to form an FEC committee for the run, at least not one that I can find, he has filed a statement of interest with the Arizona Secretary of State

That statement, emphasis added by me -

 

Short Attention Span Musing

 ...Around a week ago, I came across an article that set me to thinking (always a dangerous thing :) ).

From BusinessInsider, dated February 3, 2023 -

The housing shortage is the root of all of America's problems

The US housing shortage isn't just fueling an affordability crisis. It could be contributing to several of the major problems the country is facing. 

Imagine you're a city-dweller living paycheck-to-paycheck. You're trying to save so you can afford a down payment on a home someday, but there's not much left to stash away after paying rent.

Is it significant?  Yes.

Does it need to be addressed?  Yes.

Is it the "root" of ALL of our problems?  No.

Much like the fact that we have more than one problem, the fact is that there is more than one cause behind those problems.

Abject poverty in the U.S. is also a significant cause, but I think that there is one overarching cause -

Inveterate greed.

...In 2024, is she running for Senate from AZ or Vice President of the U.S.?  Or is she just acting as one of Cheeto's surrogates?

From the Des Moines Register -

'I just want to save America': In Iowa, Kari Lake won't slam door shut on being Trump's VP

Arizona Republican Kari Lake said Saturday she isn’t in Iowa running for president or trying to raise her profile to become vice president — but she didn’t completely shut the door on being Donald Trump’s running mate if he asks.

“I really believe his policies are the ones that can help save this country, truly,” she told the Des Moines Register in an interview. “And so I'm going to do whatever I can. If he wants me to help him in any way, shape or form, I will do that. I will campaign for him. I'll do whatever I need to. But I'm not running for VP. I'm not running for president. I am just running to save America, if there's such a thing. I just want to save America.”

Personally, I believe  that while she hopes to be on a ticket with Cheeto, she'll keep her options open by running in the R primary for Kyrsten Sinema's seat.

...I expect/hope that Thursday will be a VERY bad day for Cheeto.

From CBS -

Judge orders release of parts of Georgia grand jury report on Trump's post-election conduct

A Georgia judge on Monday ordered the release of parts of a special grand jury's report on efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election, but said that most of the report will remain under wraps for now.

Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney largely ruled against media organizations who sought to make the report public, writing that all but three sections should remain undisclosed until Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' investigation is complete. He said the introduction, conclusion and a section in which the grand jury "discusses its concern that some witnesses may have lied under oath during their testimony" should be released.

Short Attention Span Musing

- Let me be clear - I don't wish death on *anyone*...but there are certain folks who I think shouldn't be mourned.

Elected officials who use their positions to turn their private hatreds into public policy fall into that group.

The Arizona House and Senate have unanimously passed HCR2027, a death resolution commemorating the life of the infamous Russell Pearce.

While it talks about the many public agencies he was part of, it glosses over the bigotry and corruption that suffused any agency he was part of.

I'm not going to mourn a stone bigot, and if some folks believe that makes me a bad person, so be it.

- Booze and guns?  This isn't going to end well.

Pointed at this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

From Jezebel via Yahoo! News -

Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Is Trying to Open a Gun Range That Serves Alcohol

There’s a pivotal election in April that you may not have heard about: A conservative judge on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is retiring, and four people are running in a race that could tip the body from its 4-3 conservative majority. It’s not hyperbole to say that whoever wins the race will determine whether the state’s abortion ban gets overturned and could rule on the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. (The two candidates in the race who support abortion rights are Judges Janet Protasiewicz and Everett Mitchell.)

According to local news reports, Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow, a conservative candidate, and her husband Brian, are developing an indoor gun range that would not only host weddings and other events, but would also serve alcohol. The couple requested a Class B liquor license to sell beer and wine to members and guests in the “clubhouse.” The range would also sell firearms and accessories on-site. The Dorows said in city documents that they devised an “alcohol safety policy” consisting of hand stamps to prevent members from entering the shooting range after drinking and a breathalyzer to be used on “suspicious individuals.” 

And I thought that AZ had the craziest people...

- AZ GOP legislators vote to protect corruption.  Color me so not shocked.

From NBC via Yahoo! News -

Arizona’s GOP legislators vote to shield themselves from public records laws

Arizona’s Republican-controlled Legislature approved a measure this week exempting itself from the state’s public records law and authorizing the destruction of all emails sent or received by legislators and their staffs after 90 days.

The new rules adopted by both GOP-led chambers effectively shield members and their staff from public records requests, making investigations into any potential wrongdoing far more difficult.

Methinks that it's time to change the AZ Constitution, in ways that both compel publicly elected officials to maintain and transmit all records of their activities and so that the legislature is subject to all of the laws that they craft.

Short Attention Span Musing

...Am I the only one who thinks that Congress-elect George Santos is the incoming Congress' version of Madison Cawthorn?  Just as creepy, but with even more baggage?  And not just US-based baggage?

...It's been popcorn-riffic to see Republican Kevin McCarthy's desperation to be Speaker of the US House of Representatives.  He's made a lot of concessions to the MAGA types in his caucus in order to gain the support, but at this point, he could offer to step into the well of the house chamber and publicly kiss the ass of each member of the GQP's "Freedom" Caucus, and many of them still wouldn't vote for him.

...USSC Chief Justice John Roberts is desperate, too.  Unlike McCarthy though, he's worried about the legacy of his court.

It's too late - his time as chief justice will be remembered with neither fondness nor respect.

Short Attention Span Musing

...Could someone please explain to why military and military-style weapons in non-military hands is a good thing?

From ABC News -

2 Connecticut officers killed in AR-15 ambush after apparent phony 911 call: Sources

Two police officers were shot and killed and a third was injured after a gunman allegedly ambushed them at a Bristol, Connecticut, home, according to sources.

The Bristol police officers were shot while responding to a 911 call reporting a possible domestic violence incident between two siblings Wednesday night, according to Connecticut State Police.

...Was Tulsi Gabbard, one of Putin's useful idiots, *ever* a Democrat?

From CNN -

Tulsi Gabbard, who sought 2020 Democratic nomination, says she’s leaving party

Former congresswoman and 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard announced on Tuesday that she is leaving the Democratic Party.

For Gabbard, the announcement is the culmination of years in which she has been increasingly at odds with the Democratic Party and its policies.

...As if four years of Trump weren't telling enough, the West Coast brings us more evidence that there may be a negative correlation between great wealth and great intelligence.

From NBC -

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso declares he's not white because he's Italian

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso insisted he's not white but really Italian — and thus "Latin" — in an awkward debate moment Tuesday in the country's second-largest city.

Caruso, a billionaire real estate developer, faces U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, a Democrat seeking to become the city's first Black female mayor.

Short Attention Span Musing

Time to bring this concept back...

...Am I the only one who believes that if Barry Goldwater, the man who was too crazy conservative to win the presidential election in 1964. would be proclaimed to be "too liberal" by his own party and would be primaried for even a PC slot?

...If...OK,*when*...Cheeto announces his intent to run for POTUS in 2024, he'll get at least one less vote than he did in 2020.

From ABC -

'I'll never vote again' for former President Trump: Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers

Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers may lose his Republican primary for an open state senate seat this week, after he testified to the Jan. 6 committee about the pressure campaign from former President Donald Trump and his associates to undo the presidential election results in the state.

Bowers has drawn the ire of the Arizona GOP, who censured him earlier this month, and of former President Trump. But he's unapologetic about his congressional testimony and his decision not to overturn the Arizona's results.

"If we want to base a party and an authority and move people to solve problems, you can't base it on a lie. Ultimately, that falls apart," he told "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl in an exclusive interview at his home in Mesa, Arizona.

...Chuck Todd, the moderator of NBC's Meet the Press, is a moron.  Not exactly a new or original opinion,  I know, but today brought it home.  He was on Channel 12's Sunday Square Off with Brahm Resnik and he pronounced that Senator Kysten Sinema wouldn't kill the climate/deficit reduction deal agreed to my Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin.

I think that not only will she do so, she'll have a twinkle in her eye and a song in her heart when she does so.

And the song will be playing so loud that others will be able to hear it.

I hope to be wrong about this, but her track record on things isn't positive.