Republicans

[JackLuis]

Marco Rubio’s final humiliation: His seven-year campaign against key Obama policy was just terminated by the Supreme Court

“Q: Did Marco Kill Obamacare?” asked a 2015 tweet from the presidential campaign of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., before presumptively answering the question: “A: You bet he did.”

OK, so who wants to tell him?

Rubio, like his fellow failed presidential aspirant Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, staked his campaign on bringing down Barack Obama’s signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Rubio began his specific effort to sabotage the law in 2013, a few short years after entering the Senate and before setting out to win the White House. Seven years later, the Supreme Court made clear what was otherwise evident then: Rubio and his fellow Republicans didn’t kill Obamacare, they only made it a bigger mess.

The Republican rider effectively pulled the rug out from under insurers. After companies had already locked in their 2015 rates on the assurance of a government stopgap, Congress changed the rules such that the federal government could only afford to pay 13 cents of every dollar owed to the insurance companies. Insurers compiled an overall loss of $5.5 billion the year after the Republicans blocked one avenue of funding. The risk corridors were a temporary program, which expired after 2016, but insurers ultimately lost $12 million due to Rubio’s shenanigans.

 

[JackLuis]

‘I don’t have the coronavirus’: Mike Pence explains why he didn’t wear a mask

Maggie Haberman
✔
@maggieNYT
· 1h

Pence on lack of a mask: “As Vice President of the United States I'm tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus,” he told reporters, per pool.

Maggie Haberman
✔
@maggieNYT

“And since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it'd be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers these incredible healthcare personnel and look them in the eye and say thank you.” more Pence per pool

Additionally, Pence was visibly not following social distancing recommendations either.

With Pence heading the Coronavirus Task Force, he could risk infecting other members of the team, or even the president himself.

Clever Mike, give Donnie the virus and take office when he dies!!!

 

[JackLuis]

‘A blue tsunami is likely’: Elections expert gives GOP a dire 2020 forecast

Political scientist Rachel Bitecofer, a professor at Christopher Newport University, has penned a dire 2020 election forecast for the Republican Party.

The Niskanen Center, which published Bitecofer’s analysis, summarizes her projection as “a blue tsunami” being the “likely outcome” of the 2020 elections.

Bitecofer argues that Democrats this cycle are more likely to benefit from “negative partisanship” that is defined by one political faction’s fear and dislike for the political party that holds the White House.

Bye bye Mitch!

 

[hogjack]

Anal Probe Discovers Previously Lost Anal Probe

 

[JackLuis]

Florida is now blocking medical examiners from releasing COVID-19 death totals

The state of Florida has now stopped its medical examiners from releasing numbers about people who have died from COVID-19.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that Florida’s state health department intervened earlier this month to suppress the medical examiners’ reports, which regularly showed death totals that were 10 percent higher than the official tallies put out by the state.

Dr. Stephen Nelson, the chairman of the state Medical Examiners Commission, tells the Tampa Bay Times that state officials have told him they’re planning to remove probably causes of death from the examiners’ report, which would make it impossible to tell how many people the examiners believe have died from coronavirus.

Why would they do that? Suppressing the truth is not reasonable, unless you're a Rethuglicunt who is afraid that the people would rise up in revolt if your deaths numbers start soaring due to STUPIDITY! People have a right to know that their Government is fumble fucking the Covid-19 response, or not.

 

[JackLuis]

Republicans made a deal with the devil — and now the bill is coming due

Not that anyone should feel a moment of pity for any single Republican on Capitol Hill. Democrats gave Republicans a golden opportunity to remove Trump earlier this year, after the House of Representatives impeached the president in December on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to his blackmail scheme against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

But rather than take that impeachment for the gift that it was — an opportunity to remove a chaotic presence who constantly undermines the party with his erratic behavior — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rallied his troops. With the sole exception of Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, every single Republican voted to acquit Trump, avoiding the easy escape hatch of replacing him with Vice President Mike Pence, who may be a right-wing Christian dingbat but at least isn’t a chaos monkey who screws over everyone he meets, even his own political colleagues and supporters.

The conundrum Republicans created for themselves, by not dumping Trump when they had the chance, is evident in the fight between the president’s re-election campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

 

[JackLuis]

The time has come for Republicans to climb out of the Trump hellhole or be consumed by its flames

Now is the moment for elected Republicans held hostage by Donald Trump to break free. The political gun he has held to their heads, threatening to end their careers unless they cravenly bowed down, is out of bullets.

Trump’s own polls show that Joe Biden will trounce him in November, prompting Trump to react behind closed doors in his classic privileged-boy style by shouting at his own campaign staff as if it’s their fault.

Republicans who lost their way and want a second act in American politics now have a leader. He has shown that they can improve their political fortunes by escaping the incompetence and immorality of Trumpism. That leader is Mike DeWine, the Republican governor of Ohio.
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After DeWine stopped subjugating himself to Trump’s malignant narcissism his approval numbers rose. Asked about DeWine’s handling of the pandemic, 85% approved, compared to only half for Trump. That’s not surprising since Trump’s declarations about opening the economy as if the coronavirus is magically vanishing aren’t resonating.

 

[JackLuis]

Texas AG warns county officials they could be prosecuted for promoting mail-in ballots to fight coronavirus

On Friday, Matt Largey of KUT Austin reported that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is threatening county officials in a new letter that they could be prosecuted for election fraud if they encourage people at risk for coronavirus to apply for mail-in ballots.

The threat is almost identical to one Paxton made two weeks ago, in which he warned that voting rights groups that encourage people to apply for absentee ballots to avoid coronavirus could face criminal sanctions.

Texas has among the strictest rules on absentee ballots of any state in the country. By law, voters in Texas may only request a mail ballot if they are over the age of 65, disabled, or absent from their county or confined in lockup during the voting period, but otherwise eligible to vote. Voting rights groups want the state to interpret “disabled” to include those who reasonably fear contracting coronavirus if they vote in a public place — something Paxton is fiercely resisting.

 

[jaF0]

Why would they do that? Suppressing the truth is not reasonable, ...

'Probably' and 'believe' are not truths. Only conclusive test results are. Since there are few if any of those ....

 

[JackLuis]

Republicans in tight races flee Trump as November election disaster looms: report

According to a report in the New York Times, Republican officeholders in competitive districts fear Donald Trump’s unpopularity — particularly in light of his coronavirus failures and the subsequent collapse of the economy — will swamp their chances of holding onto their seats in November.

As GOP lawmaker put it: “I’m holding on.”

Rethug's trying to swim away as Trumptanic sinks from Cronaberg!

 

[JackLuis]

Florida governor kept beaches open while medical examiner was begging for them to close: documents reveal

But WHY would he do that? Could it have been the Chamber of Commerce and love of Mammon? Was Filthy Lucre at the heart of his decision?

 

[JackLuis]

Devin Nunes and his attorney could face court sanctions after angering judges with ‘absurd’ filings

The attorney for Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) could face court sanctions after receiving a pair of warnings from judges.

Steven Biss is representing Nunes and others in a variety of lawsuits, and some of the individuals and organizations they’re suing have asked judges to punish the attorney for filing complaints accusing news outlets and Democrats of conspiring to hurt his clients, reported The Fresno Bee.

A federal judge also smacked Biss as part of his lawsuit on behalf of the Russian graduate student, and told him he must follow federal law if he files another claim.

“If I got one warning like that from a judge, I would be extremely careful going forward,” said Kevin Martingayle, a former Virginia State Bar president. “I can’t recall seeing it in an order after practicing law for 30 years, which has included some pretty contentious defamation cases.”

 

[hogjack]

Anarchy Lobbyists Throw Out All the Old Rules for Success

 

[JackLuis]

Key judge opens the door for ethics inquiry into Mitch McConnell’s actions to shape federal courts

Sen. Mitch McConnell may be facing an independent investigation into whether he pressured federal judges into retiring.

“Just days before a high-profile Senate confirmation hearing to fill a vacancy on the prestigious U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the court’s chief judge has opened the door to an inquiry into whether ethical improprieties occurred in the creation of the coveted opening,” The New York Times reported Monday.

“In an order dated May 1, Judge Sri Srinivasan asked Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to assign another circuit to look into a complaint filed by the progressive advocacy group Demand Justice, which questioned the timing and circumstances of Judge Thomas B. Griffith’s retirement announcement in early March,” the newspaper explained.

Can Federal Judges be impeached for dumb fuckery?

 

[hogjack]

Lawsuit Exchanged for More Comfortable Lawtracksuit

 

[JackLuis]

Ohio GOP lawmaker says he won’t wear a face mask because God doesn’t wear one

God is omnipotent, you sir are not. And besides, have you ever seen God? Thought not.

Asshole!

 

[JackLuis]

Mitch McConnell is pouring dark money into Maine to save Susan Collins from electoral doom

A dark-money group aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is dropping more than half a million dollars on an advertisement shielding Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, an embattled Republican incumbent, from criticism of her response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The group, One Nation, is a political nonprofit that doesn’t have to disclose its donors. It also shares offices and staff with the Senate Leadership Fund, a McConnell super PAC. The 30-second ad will run across Maine on radio, TV and the web.

This is my "concerned" face.

 

[JackLuis]

Kamala Harris burns down Trump intelligence nominee over the president’s lies about COVID

“So, repeat the question,” Ratcliffe said. “Because I guess I’m misunderstanding.”

“Has he accurately conveyed the severity of COVID-19 to the American people?” Harris repeated.

“Um, I believe so,” Ratcliffe insisted.

Harris then unleashed a litany of statements made by the president which minimized the threat of COVID-19.

 

[hogjack]

8-Track Tapes Make Comeback Under COVID-8-Track Brand Name

 

[JackLuis]

WHO says it has seen zero ‘data or specific evidence’ to support White House claim that COVID-19 came from Wuhan lab

The World Health Organization is pushing back against evidence-free claims by U.S. President Donald Trump and other top White House officials that the coronavirus emerged from a government research laboratory in Wuhan, China, the original epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“From our perspective, this remains speculative,” Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO’s emergencies director told reporters in Geneva on Monday. “We have not received any data or specific evidence from the U.S. government relating to the purported origin of the virus.”

RADDATZ: Do you believe coronavirus was man-made?

POMPEO: The best experts seem to think so

R: But the DNI says the consensus is it wasn't

P: That's right. I agree with that

R: So to be clear, which is it?

P: What's important is the Communist Party could've prevented this

Pompeo is a dick and a liar and trying to deflect from Trumpski's piss poor performance!

 

[JackLuis]

Mike Pompeo snaps at reporter who asked him why no other countries agree with him on China intel

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been making bold assertions about COVID-19 being released from a lab in China, despite the fact that other allied intelligence agencies have said otherwise.

During a press conference on Wednesday, a reporter asked Pompeo what he made of intelligence officials in United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand stating that it is “unlikely” that COVID-19 came from a lab, and the secretary of state angrily attacked her.

“Your efforts to spend your whole life trying to drive a little wedge between senior American officials, it’s just, it’s just, it’s just false!” Pompeo fumed.

Sort of like the false story Pompeo has been touting?

 

[hogjack]

Wyoming Quietly Asks New York to Leave the Union

 

[KeithD]

Wyoming Quietly Asks New York to Leave the Union

So, how was Wyoming expecting to get its bills paid? It's been subsidized by New York since it was still the Wyoming territory?

 

[JackLuis]

Fox News legal analyst slams ‘dangerous’ McConnell plan to shield businesses from coronavirus lawsuits

Fox News judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano said on Thursday that a Republican plan to shield businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits is “dangerous.”

Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) suggested that he would not support additional relief funds to households and businesses unless the package also includes a measure shielding businesses from liability for coronavirus infections.

Napolitano pointed out that the only other instance where Congress has restricted state courts is a law that prohibits gun manufacturers from being sued over gun violence.

“I think that this liability shield business is very dangerous,” he added. “The decision of whose fault someone was harmed by should be decided by juries and not by politicians.”

Rethug's can't have that!

 

[jaF0]

Since there is virtually no way to determine where, when or IF someone may or may not have gotten this bug, I can support blocking frivolous lawsuits. The lawyers can make their money suing Governors.