US Politics, April 2020 -- Where's the Vax Returns?

it's still going strong. what a fucking imbecile

Karl read a book

i highly recommend these books:

https://michaelkelly.artofeurope.com/karl.htm

not watching it but a lot of people on my FB feed are commenting on how crazy this is. are the major networks still airing it?

Fake-news CNN, not sure if anyone else does.

beats me. after the 10 minute campaign video, he then went on an (of course) unhinged rant on how good he was and how perfect etc etc, for like 30-40 minutes straight. he really wants everyone to tell him how good he is doing

i checked in for a few seconds. hoo boy

He's now openly threatening governors who don't follow a federal open-up order.

"when someone is president of the united states, the authority is total"

I haven't watched CNN in years. MSNBC at least has decent commentators.

another case of him playing to his base, insisting on powers he knows he doesn't have

or should know he doesn't have

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/492503-trump-claims-he-not-governors-has-authority-on-opening-state

(xpost) Just came to post that remarkable Nixon-like statement. Not being American, I just assume the call to re-open (still an abstract concept as to what that exactly means) is up to the states, no? It's going to be so bizarre watching the political calculus on states' rights turned on its head. (Obviously, I'm all for the states here.)

yeah, he's full of shit

Wow. In so many words, he just clarified what he means by total authority: he has the ventilators, governors don't.

"when someone is president of the united states, the authority is total"

did he actually say that?

That's a direct quote.

GOP governors and state legislators aren’t dumb enough to give Trump the precedent here. They might be really dumb, but they like having power. Trump is suggesting he can nullify that at a whim.

"when someone is president of the united states, the authority is total"

Kind of wondering how much of this is (A) Kabuki to galvanize the chuds and (B) a lie he can cite later about powers "we don't want to give Biden!"

it’s not kabuki, it’s kayfabe

Checks out.

#PressBriefing Read the CNN chirons ....As Trump lies and Rants ! 😀 Read the chirons...CNN was ready for Trump tonight as he goes after the Media, they’re ready 😀

Why oh! Why! Do his handlers let him go out in this mode?🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/nTUAWA8sHV

— Josey Chuks (@cocoajo) April 13, 2020

just for the images, not the account

without having seen any exit poll and only the results - not sure why the gop thought that making people show up to polling sites during a pandemic that kills lots of old people and doesn't kill lots of young people was a slam dunk for them

Jill Karofsky beat Walkers appointee for State Supreme Court in Wisconsin despite GOP rigging. Did not expect that.

Was just coming to post that. Unexpected, huge win.

Some exact quotes from this afternoon:

"If some states refuse to open, I would like to see that person run for election."

"When someone's the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that's the way it's gotta be--total."

"You know what we're gonna do? We're going to write up papers on this--it's not going to be necessary, because the governors need us one way or the other."

"I haven't asked anybody [i.e., governors]. Because you know why?--because I don't have to."

several of those came within the same 1 minute or so, too. just a real wild time. i would love to show this to someone in the year 2014

"When someone's the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that's the way it's gotta be--total."

holy shit if Obama had said this

Threatening to run third party

Thanks. I’m looking at it closely this week.

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) April 14, 2020

did WI's Supreme Court race ever get polled? I expected Kelly to win due to the ratfucking in Milwaukee plus the enormous amount of Kelly signs I saw everywhere I went but I wonder how big an upset it actually was. considering that the presidency is basically gonna run through Wisconsin this seems like a big deal

"And that's the way it's gotta be--total."

we really shdn't wait til November

even with karofksy's shocking win "conservatives" still enjoy a majority on the wisco supreme court :(

lmao

Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his big victory in Wisconsin!

The state was critical in 2016, and we are working hard to keep it in the WIN column in November!

— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) April 13, 2020

Took me a minute to piece together she literally means winning the state primary, which loooooool.

the reason Trump made all those statements today is just like with "firing Mueller", he isn't going to strongarm the state governments, because he'll wind up going along with what they say and just say "well it's a good thing they listened to me, they knew what was good for them! but I totally could have shut them down if they'd defied me!"

lol Ronna is such a fuckin' pathetic clown

The Wisconsin GOP scored an own goal in last Tuesday's voter suppression efforts. Turnout in deep blue Milwaukee is up nearly 20% v 2018 and 2016, vote shares in key swing counties are around 5-10 percentage points more liberal and all but 3 counties have shifted to the left. https://t.co/jz63B2Uea2

— G. Elliott Morris (@gelliottmorris) April 14, 2020

WTF? We are so fucked.

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/gov-greg-abbott-to-address-texas-response-to-covid-19-ahead-of-easter-weekend

aight, there's one state I ain't visiting for a while

this is how we're gonna wind up fucking it up

we'll see the new projections forecasting deaths at 60,000, ignoring that these numbers assume distancing through at least May, we'll reopen things, suddenly we'll be back in the shit again

wtf

At this point, I'm just hoping the mayor of Austin pushes back on this

he could still wind up fucking the state like Desantis did FL, by passing lighter restrictions that supersede local ordinances

bad headline

the actual story indicates they wouldn't open up until early may, and the language of it makes it seem like there's room for flexibility (which is good. i hope they flexibly change their minds):

AUSTIN, Texas — At his third press conference of the week, Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas businesses can expect an executive order from his office next week, with plans on how to begin reopening the state's economy.

Abbott says he has been in constant contact with President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to discuss how to proceed with beginning the process of allowing businesses to open up again.

"We have a desire to make sure it's done in a way that it's safe, understanding that if everyone were to rush the doors and go back into the job market overnight, we would see an outbreak of COVID-19 all over again. That's exactly why I'm issuing the executive order next week establishing what the statewide standards would be in the coming days about what the approach is. These are standards we've been working in conjunction with the White House on," Abbott said. "We will focus on protecting lives, while restoring livelihoods. We can and we must do this. We can do both."

This announcement came hours after Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick said on a town hall call with the Texas GOP that he would like to start opening businesses back up by the first week of May.

"We’re not going to open up everything immediately, but it will be done in phases, but we need to get started, and I hope that’s the first week of May, barring any unforeseen big spikes," Patrick said on the call.

gonna have to plan to plan on that one. now, let us proceed with the important business of beginning the process!!

That's exactly why I'm issuing the executive order next week establishing what the statewide standards would be in the coming days about what the approach is.
That's exactly why I'm issuing the executive order next week establishing what the statewide standards would be in the coming days about what the approach is.
That's exactly why I'm issuing the executive order next week establishing what the statewide standards would be in the coming days about what the approach is.
That's exactly why I'm issuing the executive order next week establishing what the statewide standards would be in the coming days about what the approach is.
That's exactly why I'm issuing the executive order next week establishing what the statewide standards would be in the coming days about what the approach is.

i'm like, the very worst at english composition, both in theory and execution, and even i know that would empty the red ink of an editor's pen

Austin just extended their lockdown to May 8th, with other Texas cities to follow.

Yes, so far the Gov is not at odds with local restrictions, I am not at all reassured that a battle over this isn't right around the corner. I have zero faith in Abbott to make the right call on this one.