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Thursday, December 31, 2020
Thursday, December 24, 2020
"Democratic victories do not count, because Democratic voters are not truly American" say Trump cultist culture.
The sad fact is, there are no consequences for trying to overthrow our democracy by throwing out an election, especially those in certain heavily Democratic counties that play by the same rules as every other county in the state. And there likely won't be any.
The latest? Two numbskull Republicans who don't know who the Senate Majority leader is: Remember who they are...
JSOnline: Two Republican state lawmakers are suing Gov. Tony Evers as part of a federal lawsuit to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania … having governors certify electors without support of state legislative bodies violates the U.S. Constitution.
Reps. Jeff Mursau, David Steffen, and Debbie Jacques who is running to replace outgoing state Rep. John Nygren are plaintiffs in a lawsuit court against officials in all five states, including Evers, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Sen. Howard Marklein, who is listed in the lawsuit as Senate majority leader but does not hold that position.
The lawsuit argues a "cabal" of public-private partnerships "directed the manner of the election contrary to state law creating disorder the state legislatures were unable to address." The lawsuit seeks to require state legislatures to approve the certification of elections.
The Heart of the Steal: Here's The Atlantic's Adam Serwer describing what I've already seen so many times whining out of my Trump-cultist friend in Milwaukee, someone I've known most of my life:
To Trump’s strongest supporters, Biden’s win is a fraud because his voters should not count to begin with, and because the Democratic Party is not a legitimate political institution that should be allowed to wield power even if they did.
This is why the authoritarian remedies festering in the Trump fever swamps—martial law, the usurpation of state electors, Supreme Court fiat—are so openly contemplated. Because the true will of the people is that Trump remain president, forcing that outcome, even in the face of defeat, is a fulfillment of democracy rather than its betrayal. The Republican base’s fundamental belief, the one that Trump used to win them over in the first place is that Democratic victories do not count, because Democratic voters are not truly American.
WP: The FBI has concluded that Iran was behind online efforts earlier this month to incite lethal violence against the bureau’s director, a former top U.S. cyber expert and multiple state elections officials who have refuted claims of widespread voter fraud promoted by President Trump and his allies, federal and state officials said Tuesday …a dozen people whose images, home addresses and other personal information were posted on a website titled “Enemies of the People.” Crosshairs were superimposed over the photos.
“I’ve definitely had some extra police protection,” Hagedorn told WISN 12. “Not just me but some of the justices because of some of the things directed our way. I’m not aware of any specific death threats necessarily. There are some things that are concerning and not fun as a father of five children to hear. It’s been the case that my 12-year-old daughter asked me at one point, ‘Dad can we play in the front yard today or should we play in the backyard?’”
The Atlantic: Armed protesters gathered outside the home of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson demanding that she overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in her state. “We will not stand down, we will not stop, we will continue to rise up, we will continue to take this election back for the president that actually won it by a landslide,” one protester at the scene declared, NPR reported. In a state where Trump-supporting militants were caught plotting to kidnap the governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is obviously disturbing.
Many of the same people criticizing Iowa Democrat Rita Hart's decision to contest the result of the race for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, which she lost by six votes, have vocally defended Trump's attempt to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss to Joe Biden, whose total of 306 Electoral College votes Trump once called a "landslide."
Hart formally asked the House to review uncounted ballots that she believes could reverse her defeat last month. Republicans were quick to lambaste Hart for challenging the vote count in what they charged was a "political" move …"Rita Hart's attempt to leapfrog Iowans and our judicial process in favor of Nancy Pelosi's partisan process demonstrates a lack of respect for Iowa's election results," Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds tweeted on Tuesday. "Disappointed that Rita Hart has chosen a partisan political process to overturn @millermeeks's victory in #IA02," agreed her lieutenant governor, Adam Gregg.
Georgia Republican lawmakers have claimed - without evidence - there is widespread fraud with absentee voting … The necessary ingredient is not actual voter fraud, but Democratic victory at the ballot box, real or potential.
NPR's FOWLER: So GOP state senators say they want to get rid of no excuse absentee voting, add more photo ID requirements for those who do vote by mail and eliminate secure drop boxes as an option to return. Democrats questioned the sudden change of heart. Representative Renitta Shannon, says "I just don't remember from other Republicans there being such an attack against absentee voting when it was mostly Republicans using it. So it seems to me that this new kind of upspring about Democrats, largely Black and brown voters, who are using mail-in voting as of this year so much - it just really seems interesting.
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Monday, December 21, 2020
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Friday, December 11, 2020
Republicans Fail to Overthrow Election Results. Do we throw this rot out now?
"Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another state conducts its elections," the court said in a brief order. It dismissed all other related claims as moot.
This is what happened prior to this final stake through the heart of seditious Republicans.
It's this amazing, and it's this simple:
And then there's this:
One state trying to overturn the Election in Another State? No one could have seen this coming:
Eighteen states — now including Arizona — have backed a Texas lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia. That lawsuit was filed directly with the United States Supreme Court on Monday, Dec. 7.And then Republican Congress cultists jumped on board.
“The states violated statutes enacted by their duly elected legislatures, thereby violating the Constitution. By ignoring both state and federal law, these states have not only tainted the integrity of their own citizens’ vote, but of Texas and every other state that held lawful elections,” said Paxton. “Their failure to abide by the rule of law casts a dark shadow of doubt over the outcome of the entire election. We now ask that the Supreme Court step in to correct this egregious error.”
"More infuriating, the driving impetus of this lawsuit—outrageously joined by 17 other Republican run-states and supported by 106 House Republicans who signed an amicus brief—is to steal a presidential election.
It is an act of cynical, unpatriotic, undemocratic hypocrisy unrivaled in American history, a pure power play on behalf of a president whose disregard for the very Constitution these people have long claimed to adore is total. It is shameful. Infuriatingly shameful."
All that’s left is an orange smudge. But, apparently, we are not done yet. As TrumpWorld pushes for the Supreme Court to wipe out the results of a presidential election, we can also forget about notions like “judicial restraint,” and “strict constructionism.” And federalism. And states’ rights.
Other twitter comments said as much:
1. "The GOP does not care about democracy. They care about subjugating the majority to Republican minority rule -- to protect the powerful and prevent us from solving our nation's crises. This is our generation's defining fight. We need everyone to win it."
2. "Several ways to think about this: 1) A majority of one of the two major parties would rather lose democracy than lose the presidential election. Their behavior - refusing to accept their opponents' victory - is incompatible with democracy."
“Activists Begin Doxxing GOP Officials for Assassination.”Secessionist Call to Arms:
A website went live this morning, but has already been deleted. However, whoever started the website has taken to various alt-right websites to circulate the private information of Republican officials in Georgia for attack. It appears explicitly designed to target them for assassination… the targets include Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Head of Voting for Georgia Gabe Sterling, and even employees of Dominion Voter Systems.
The website showed their private email address, home addresses, and pictures of their homes. Each target includes a gun sight marking over their heads.
Rush Limbaugh now says that he really wasn’t advocating for breaking the country apart. “Now, I didn’t advocate for it,” he insisted Thursday. “ I never would advocate for secession. I’m simply repeating what I have heard.” He was just asking questions Lots of people are saying. Not that I’m saying. Just saying. Classic Limbaugh, who has made an art from of the disingenuous statement not-statement.
They've rigged elections by making it hard to vote, promoted racial and religious bigotry and violence, destroyed our public school systems, gutted our unions, and rewritten our tax system to screw the middle class.
Since the election of Ronald Reagan, Republicans have damaged America more in 40 years than our worst enemies could have dreamed of accomplishing by invasion, boycott or blockade.
These Republicans are not patriots: they are traitors to reason, science, education, human rights, democracy and now, unbelievably, public health. They are traitors to humanity itself. The only way to deal with a death-dealing cult is to end it. Defund the Republican Party.
“To see all of these states sign on, and 100 plus members of Congress—Republicans—sign on in support shook me,” says top election lawyer Marc Elias. “It speaks to an erosion of our democracy going forward.”
Trump v Biden WI Ruling...Trump the Loser again!
Here's a short video clip of Reserve Judge Stephen Simanek's ruling, detailing just how wrong Trump's time wasting allegations were:
Thursday, December 10, 2020
Gov. Evers on the QAnon Cultist Republican hearing Friday! "Same old Crap."
Thursday Dec. 10, 2020: Sure I think Republicans will try to reject the Wisconsin election results and replace the state's electors with Trump supporters, but beside that, their other bigger objective is to reign in or stop the expanded opportunities to vote that made our last election so much easier.
Forget talking to election officials, isn't it better to get opinions and anecdotal stories of fraud from the GOP central casting, picking Trump cultist QAnon conspiracy theorists and a radio talk host? Yes.
Get ready for some real voter suppression folks:
A month ago, Republican lawmakers said they were prepared to issue subpoenas for the first time in decades to haul election officials before them to get answers about how the presidential contest was conducted.Crazy huh? Well, here's Gov. Evers take on this political sideshow:
But they have now abandoned that plan and aren’t even bothering to invite them to attend a Friday hearing looking into an election that Democrat Joe Biden won by about 21,000 votes in the state.
Instead, they’re asking to hear from a conservative radio talk show host, a former state Supreme Court justice, a postal subcontractor who has offered a debunked theory about backdated absentee ballots and an election observer whom President Donald Trump wants to testify in court in one of his lawsuits over the election.
Democrats on Tusler's committee said in a statement that Friday's hearing will likely "be a forum for debunked conspiracies and outright lies."Friday Dec. 11, 2020: Well, this started off well. Guess who's sending the message masks-are-ridiculous to their conservative constituents?:
It’s unclear how lawmakers could change the results even if they wanted to do so because state law requires the governor to sign off on the state’s slate of electors.
NBC15: Saying “we have heard enough,” five Democratic members of the Wisconsin Assembly’s Committee on Campaigns and Elections declare they will no longer participate in Friday’s hearing investigating allegations of illegal activity during the November presidential election.Election Clerks the Real Villains? Rabid Republican witnesses pushed their conspiracy, inviting this blowback:
“After a morning of wild conspiracy theories that went unchallenged and uncorrected, it is clear that today’s joint hearing is exactly the kind of disgraceful display that we all feared it would be."
Describing it as a “sham hearing,” they argued the hearing does not focus on what lawmakers should be prioritizing, pointing to COVID-19 relief as an example. “This hearing does nothing but undermine our elections and election officials. Witnesses attacked our clerks and poll workers while Republicans gave them no serious opportunity to respond,” they continued.
In written testimony, more than a dozen municipal clerks and election inspectors criticized lawmakers behind the public hearing for inviting testimony largely from conservative partisans and allies of President Donald Trump.Village of Camp Douglas clerk Sarah Stark said in testimony she was "downright ashamed" of the persistent cries of election fraud, including from elected officials."We take the job of administering elections very seriously," Stark wrote. "What you are doing is telling each and every one of the 1,852 Municipal Clerks is we committed election fraud. I just can’t comprehend how you can begin to think that we all rallied together to commit this fraud on a municipal, county, or statewide level. This has to stop."
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Trump Cultist Culture of Crying Victimhood.
I've been told Trump cultist video clips aren't really representative of the many of the other Republican voters, that we can't draw any conclusions from a few Trump Trash interviews. I say they're wrong.
Trump enablers are a quivering jumble of insecure and immature low information voters still celebrating their lack of adult supervision.
Trump Cult jihadists?: Defying reality, Trump claimed anti-fascists were the actual fascists, that by default, made American nationalist terrorist organizations the go to MAGA defenders:
MSNBC: Colin P. Clarke, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a global security research group, advised, “The reason a kid like Kyle Rittenhouse would go grab a gun and join a local militia is the same reason why somebody would be lured to a jihadi group.”
72 yr old Associate Professor John McAdams’ used his personal blog to mock a student teacher, intentionally exposing her name and contact information to a hostile audience that sent her vile and threatening messages."In a 4-2 ruling, the Court ruled that Marquette University political science professor was improperly suspended … (WILL's) Esenberg said claims that McAdams had endangered the graduate instructor were overblown. "If criticizing somebody amounts to 'painting a target' on their back … then none of us are free to say anything."Justice Rebecca Bradley stressed..."Academic freedom means nothing if faculty is forced to self-censor in fear of offending the unforeseen and ever-evolving sensitivities of adversaries demanding retribution."
Today, doxing "freedom" has gone where we thought it would go politically:
NewYorker: Michigan state Rep. Cynthia Johnson, who is African-American, posted to Facebook a number of hate messages that were left on her phone. “Your name and phone number is out there now,” an unidentified woman says in one of the messages. “You’re getting doxed bitch. You’re done. You’re so f***ing done. You should be swinging from a f***ing rope, you Democrat.”
Tiffany: "It's not our first time dealing with Democrats who want to change the result of an election. Long before the impeachment, we had recall elections held to cancel our votes for Gov. Scott Walker. When Wisconsin voters saw it was nothing more than a sham … they supported us on Election Day."
Monday, December 7, 2020
Justice Hagedorn on Invalidating entire Presidential Election: "The relief being sought by the petitioners is the most dramatic invocation of judicial power I have ever seen."
Conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn is still right of center, voting most of the time with the majority of conservative Justices. But there's comfort in knowing that he isn't a predictable yes man to the GOP agenda pushed by the other Justices.
Yes, an actual swing vote on one of the most conservatively corrupt State Supreme Court's in the country.
In the second Court decision rejecting Trump's request to throw out Dane and Milwaukee County voter ballots, Justice Hagedorn offered up the most memorable commentary to date. Nailed it:
"The relief being sought by the petitioners is the most dramatic invocation of judicial power I have ever seen," Hagedorn wrote. Hagedorn expressed alarm at the group's request to throw out nearly 3.3 million votes, calling it a "real stunner."
"We are invited to invalidate the entire presidential election in Wisconsin by declaring it ‘null’ — yes, the whole thing," wrote Hagedorn, who served as chief counsel to Republican Scott Walker when he was governor.
"This is a dangerous path we are being asked to tread. The loss of public trust in our constitutional order resulting from the exercise of this kind of judicial power would be incalculable."
Why the courts and not the Legislature? In another decision, the current GOP "legal" scam was revealed once again, where elected Republicans are using the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) to get the courts to legislate from the bench many unpopular decisions they know are toxic. Although this case isn't a WILL case, the scheme is the same;
On Friday, in a case brought by Trump in federal court, U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig told an attorney for the president he was asking for "pretty remarkable declaratory relief" by asking to have the fate of Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes decided by the Legislature instead of voters.
He added that Trump's lawsuit was "really bizarre" because it asks to "remand" the case to the Legislature, noting that remanding a case typically means returning it to a lower court for reconsideration. "I think the term 'remand' might be inartful," Bock responded.
He questioned whether the case should even be before him, noting Trump is arguing the Legislature has the power under the U.S. Constitution to decide who to send to the Electoral College.
"If that's the case, why are we doing anything in this court and if that's the appropriate arena for a remedy, why isn't the plaintiff going to the Legislature?" asked Ludwig, a Trump appointee who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in September. "I get the argument but I have a very, very hard time seeing how this is justiciable in the federal court," Ludwig said.
Sunday, December 6, 2020
Host of "Defend the Vote Rally" in Milwaukee dies. And Trump-Trash Vicki McKenna and David Clarke move on...
No condolences, no big thank you's for his help, no apology for their violent physical assault on Serb Hall's manager Nick Alioto who begged anti-face mask rally goers to follow Covid-19 restrictions during their mob-like protest. Coward Vicki McKenna? Coward David Clarke?
Nick Alioto has died from a heart condition while battling COVID-19, the virus he contracted 3 days after the rally. The virus is known for impacting those with heart problems specifically, but the medical report ignored the science, and said it was not a factor. Really?
Oddly Alioto later voiced support for the rally, even downplayed the assault while complimenting the majority of cultists. They didn't deserve it.
This is how the Trump mob of rioters responded to the only adult at the rally:A brief struggle at a rally outside Milwaukee's Serb Hall on Saturday ended with the venue's general manager on the ground, where he says he was kicked by supporters of President Donald Trump.Sit down for this: The anger toward Nick Alioto was swift. Why? Because he interrupted former Sheriff David Clarke who was at the time promoting membership in the Proud Boys...not kidding. It's all in the video below. That didn't sit well with the rabid Trump-Trash crowd. Watch the chaos before and after, shocking and horrifying that this is a growing movement, and an historical marker if there ever was one. This video best encapsulates the Trump years:
A "Defend Your Vote" rally broke up when Nick Alioto asked protesters to comply with the city's public health order aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus, saying, "I'm not going to lose our license" over this.
In video captured by Fox6, people in the crowd yelled obscenities at Alioto and told him to "get out of here," even though they were using his lot. Within seconds, Alioto was surrounded, and one man grabbed him from behind, apparently trying to take the microphone from his hands. Alioto said several people kicked him in the ribs and chest, though that is not visible on the video.
Knocked off balance, Alioto fell to the ground, visibly stunned. A few people attempted to help him up, while others continued to berate him and start a "USA, USA" chant.
Saturday, December 5, 2020
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Dodged a Bullet; Radical WI Supreme Court Justices would have sided with Trump to Throw out Votes!!!
We appear to have a few conservative activist Supreme Court Justices that think they are the elite know-it-all gods of "THE" Constitution. Notice the caps?
Trump's frivolous Election Challenge was "Serious?" While the majority surprisingly denied Trump what was to be a predictable quick decision in one of the most dysfunctional right-wing courts in the nation, it didn't stop the courts Trump enablers to forever soil their reputations.
Declaring from their lofty perch atop the mount...
Chief Justice Patience Roggensack: "The Respondents assert that we should deny thisEven worse, here's what the most unqualified Justice on the court said, Rebecca Bradley, who makes major "legal" points now in ALL CAPS! Seriously? This isn't Facebook or Twitter.
petition because fact-finding is required, and we are not a fact-finding tribunal. I conclude that … Our jurisdiction arises from the Wisconsin Constitution and cannot be impeded by statute … that may preclude our deciding significant legal issues that cry out for resolution by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Rebecca Bradley: "The respondents implore this court to reject the challenge because, theyAren't we full of ourselves.
argue, declaring the law at this point would "retroactively change the rules" after the election. It is THE LAW that constitutes "the rules" … the Wisconsin Constitution...The importance of having the State's highest court resolve the significant legal issues … this court's constitutional authority … Justice Hagedorn goes so far as to suggest that § 9.01 "constitutes the 'exclusive judicial remedy' applicable to this claim." No statute, however, can circumscribe the constitutional jurisdiction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court to hear this (or any) case as an original action. "
Bradley: "Confidence in the integrity of our electoral processes is essential to the functioning of our participatory democracy. The integrity of every election will be tarnished by the public's mistrust. "Only . . . the supreme court can provide the necessary clarity … risks perpetuating violations of the law by those entrusted to follow it. I dissent.Bradley then hung out some old laundry one more time despite the fact the Green Party filed "too late," something Bradley oddly "felt" was allowable to help Trump:
The majority … declined to hear a claim that the WEC unlawfully kept the Green Party's candidates for President and Vice President off of the ballot, ostensibly because the majority felt the candidates' claims were brought "too late."More of the story in pictures...
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
The Republican COVID-19 8 months in-the-works Plan? COVID, what COVID?
So, just like there never was a pandemic, Assembly leader Robin Vos has finally come up with, after 8 months, some random dates and edicts that yank local COVID control away statewide? Keep this in mind:
Public health officials have not offered assurances that the spread of COVID-19 will be at safe levels by Jan. 31.
Here's the clueless "Covid Hoax" scheme hatched by our sociopathic Republicans. First, let's crowd people into rooms. JSOnline:
a. The plan would double the number of local government employees working on COVID-19; require state workers to perform their duties in their offices instead of at home by Jan. 31.
b. Require schools to provide in-person education by late January in most cases;
Yea, some random date to require in-person schooling, no matter what happens.
Business, business, business: Here's the BIG one:
a. Insulate businesses, schools and government agencies from lawsuits; bar local health officials from issuing emergency orders that close businesses or implement capacity restrictions unless the limits apply to all types of businesses
I think this twitter comment said it best:
This passes for compassion, ignoring the jaw-dropping number of deaths in nursing homes:
…allow family members to see those in nursing homes.
Oh, and imagine giving our 8-month-Republican-vacationers the power to hand out vaccines:
…and give lawmakers a say in how a vaccine is distributed. The plan would give the Joint Finance Committee the power to veto a vaccine distribution plan.
The committee is controlled by some Republicans who have downplayed the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic in the past, including incoming co-chairman Sen. Howard Marklein of Spring Green, who this fall told his constituents not to worry about the virus because hospitals were not overwhelmed at a time when patients were flooding some facilities.
Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, said "WI Republicans haven’t responded to COVID; have sued @GovEvers over his response on Covid; and now have provisions that would limit the ability of any local government to respond to Covid."
"After four years of Trump, the habit of ignoring reality is no longer simply a reflex; it is now at the center of the right’s political culture. Indeed, ignoring the reality of the coronavirus was a dress rehearsal for ignoring the reality of an American election."