Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats

GasBandit

Staff member
Just some recent news wrapup here, most of which we've already been discussing:

Biden called for a constitutional amendment to reform the Supreme Court, pressing Congress to establish 18-year term limits and a binding, enforceable code of conduct for the court’s nine justices. Biden, in an op-ed, said “no one” including “a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States” is above the law. He added: “What is happening now is not normal, and it undermines the public’s confidence in the court’s decisions, including those impacting personal freedoms. We now stand in a breach.” Biden also called for a constitutional amendment to limit the Supreme Court’s “dangerous and extreme” decision to grant blanket immunity to presidents for crimes they commit in office. A constitutional amendment requires two-thirds support from both chambers of Congress, or through a constitutional convention by two-thirds of the states. Ratification requires support from three-fourths of state legislatures. Speaker Mike Johnson called Biden’s proposals an effort to “delegitimize the court,” and said plan “is dead on arrival in the House.” (Washington Post / New York Times / Associated Press / Reuters / NPR / NBC News / Axios / ABC News / Politico / Wall Street Journal / CNN / CBS News)

Trump told Christians “you won’t have to vote anymore” if he wins in November. “You gotta get out and vote. Just this time,” Trump said at the at the Turning Point Believers’ Summit, adding: “It’ll be fixed; it’ll be fine; you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians” because “we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.” Asked to clarify Trump’s threat to free and fair elections, a campaign spokesman said “Trump was talking about uniting this country and bringing prosperity to every American, as opposed to the divisive political environment that has sowed so much division and even resulted in an assassination attempt.” Trump, however, previously refused to rule out abusing power if re-elected and said he would not be a dictator upon returning to office “except for Day One.” Republicans, meanwhile, dismissed Trump’s statement as “a joke,” and just “a classic Trumpism.” Harris campaign responded to Trump’s comments, saying when Harris “says this election is about freedom she means it,” adding: “Our democracy is under assault by criminal Donald Trump.” (The Atlantic / New York Times / CNN / The Guardian / Washington Post / ABC News / Axios / Mother Jones / Daily Beast / HuffPost / NPR / CBS News)

Trump promised to “fire” the Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler “on day one” and make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet and the Bitcoin superpower of the world” by picking crypto-friendly regulators if he returns to the White House. Trump also proposed a “strategic national bitcoin stockpile” and a policy to keep 100% of the bitcoin the U.S. government currently holds (about 210,000 bitcoins). “If crypto is going to define the future, I want it to be mined, minted, and made in the USA,” Trump said. “If Bitcoin is going to the moon, as they say, ‘it’s going to the moon,’ I want America to be the nation that leads the way.” Bitcoin, meanwhile, fell more than 1% Monday. (Bloomberg / Washington Post / Axios / USA Today / CNBC)

Trump leads Harris 49% to 47%. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.1, meaning the race is essentially tied nationally. Trump held a six-point lead over Biden before he exited the race. (Wall Street Journal)

Trump leads Harris 48% to 47% among likely voters. Trump leads Harris 48% to 46% among registered voters. (New York Times)

Harris’s favorability rating increased to 43% from 35% last week, while her unfavorability rating decreased to 42% from 46%. Among independents, her favorability jumped to 44% from 28%, and her unfavorability dropped to 40% from 47%. Trump’s favorability rating, meanwhile, declined to 36% from 40% last week. His favorability among independents also fell, dropping to 27% from 35%. (ABC News)

Trump repeated his assertion that if Christians “vote for me, you’re not going to have to do it ever again – it’s true.” When Fox News’s Laura Ingraham offered Trump an out – saying “You mean you don’t have to vote for you, because you’ll have four years in office” – Trump cut her off and said: “Don’t worry about the future. You have to vote on Nov. 5. After that, you don’t have to worry about voting anymore. I don’t care, because we’re going to fix it. The country will be fixed and we won’t even need your vote anymore, because frankly we will have such love, if you don’t want to vote anymore, that’s OK.” Meanwhile, Trump suggested that he would “probably end up debating” Kamala Harris but that he “could also make a case for not doing it.” His comments come after his campaign said it wouldn’t commit to any future debates until the Democratic Party formally chooses a nominee, prompting Harris to accuse Trump of “backpedaling” on a debate. (New York Times / Media Matters / CNN)

Trump attempted clean up JD Vance’s past comments that Democrats, like Kamala Harris, are “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable,” saying Vance “likes family […] a lot of people like family.” Trump added there isn’t “anything wrong in saying that,” but also said that he thinks not having children is “just as good” as having a family. In a 2021 Fox News interview, Vance complained how “the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children.” And those – Harris, Pete Buttigieg, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – without biological children “don’t really have a direct stake” in the country’s future. And in 2020, Vance said those without kids were “more sociopathic” than those with kids and made the country “less mentally stable.” Vance, when given an opportunity to address the comments, said he didn’t mean to criticize “people who, for various reasons, didn’t have kids,” but added: “Obviously, it was a sarcastic comment. I’ve got nothing against cats.” (ABC News / Washington Post / USA Today)

JD Vance confirmed that his feelings are not hurt by Democrats calling him “weird” for his remarks that the country was run by “childless cat ladies,” calling it “the price of admission […] I think it’s an honor.” Over the weekend, Kamala Harris said Trump’s and Vance’s “wild lies about my record […] is just plain weird.” And, in a press release titled “Statement on a 78-Year-Old Criminal’s Fox News Appearance,” the Harris campaign noted that Trump had “Praised dictators because he wants to be one; Trump is clearly worried he made the wrong pick in JD Vance; Trump is old and quite weird?” The line of attack is credited to Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, who first said “these guys are just weird” in response to Trump’s repeated praise of the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter and how – hypothetically – he’d prefer electrocution to a shark encounter if his electric boat sank. Meanwhile, failed Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said “this whole ‘they’re weird’ argument from the Democrats is dumb & juvenile,” to which Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded: “It’s an incel platform, dude. It’s SUPER weird. And people need to know.” Elsewhere, Vance characterized the emergence of Harris’s campaign as a “political sucker punch.” (New York Times / The Hill / Associated Press / CNN / CBS News / USA Today)

Lara Trump, the Republican Party co-chair and Trump’s daughter-in-law, compared Harris to a designer handbag made to look like a “trash bag.” The comment echos Trump’s insult last week that Harris is “real garbage.” Despite Harris raising more than $200 million in her first week, erasing Trump’s lead in the polls and touting a higher favorability rating, Lara Trump nevertheless said, “It’s been incredible to see the way they have tried to prop up Kamala Harris and really sell her as some sort of, this amazing political figure to the American people.” She added: “It reminds me of, there was a bag that a very famous designer designed. This was several years ago, and it literally was a trash bag, but they sold this thing for like $2,000 thinking that people will actually buy it.” (New York Times / The Hill / HuffPost / Daily Beast)
 
Not sure how I feel about this. We need to have better laws about online predators but I fear this law - like many others before it - would have unintended consequences.
The current definition of an "adult" on the Internet is someone 13yrs of age or older for things like creating/using an online email account, joining a forum, creating an account with Microsoft/Apple/Blizzard/Steam/etc. The safest thing, liability-wise, for every commercial entity to do if this becomes law would be to unilaterally raise that age to the age of majority (18yrs in the USA and most places), and as such would effectively end up being Internet Prohibition* for minors. This does not just mean that minors would not be allowed to have email accounts (except through schools and such), it also means minors would be prohibited from playing Minecraft, Roblox, anything that requires a PlayStation or Xbox account, WoW, GoG, Steam, etc. If it DOES pass, I hope they realize this means they'd no longer be able to dump their kids in front of the computer for a few hours' freedom every day.

--Patrick
*As in that period of US history when alcohol was illegal.
 
Trump leads Harris 49% to 47%. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.1, meaning the race is essentially tied nationally. Trump held a six-point lead over Biden before he exited the race. (Wall Street Journal)

Trump leads Harris 48% to 47% among likely voters. Trump leads Harris 48% to 46% among registered voters. (New York Times)
To put this into perspective... Harris is leading by 12 points in Michigan, one of the battleground states this election. (MSN) Though the numbers in that poll are AWFULLY low.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
Trump questioned Kamala Harris’ racial identity at the National Association of Black Journalists conference, falsely suggesting that Harris had misled voters about her race. Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother – both immigrants to the U.S. “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black,” Trump said. “So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Later, Trump said “she was Indian all the way,” but then “became a Black person […] I think somebody should look into that too.” Trump also frequently mispronounced Harris’s first name. In addition, Trump berated the Black reporter who asked him about his past racist rhetoric, including his insults toward Black prosecutors, repeated false claims that Obama was born in Africa, and his racist calls for four congresswomen to “go back” to where they came from. “Well first of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump said, calling the interview “disgraceful” and criticizing what he characterized as a “rude introduction.” The Harris campaign, meanwhile, said: “The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president. […] Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency. […] Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us. […] Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies this entire campaign.” And, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre added that Trump’s comments were “repulsive,” “insulting,” and “no one has any right to tell someone who they are.” (Washington Post / New York Times / Bloomberg / Reuters / Associated Press / Politico / Wall Street Journal / CNBC)

Kamala Harris dared Trump to “say it to my face” and commit to a presidential debate. “Well Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider, to meet me on the debate stage,” Harris said. “Because as the saying goes, ‘If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.’” Trump has wavered on whether he will participate in a Sept. 10 debate hosted by ABC News. While he had agreed to the debate when Biden was the likely nominee, Trump’s since backtracked, saying he “probably” will debate her, but he “can also make a case for not doing it.” (New York Times / CNBC / Associated Press / NBC News)

The Trump campaign forced the architect of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 to resign. The move comes after public criticism from Democrats, as well as Trump, over the conservative manifesto to radically reshape the federal government in a second Trump administration. Trump’s campaign manager reportedly “put the screws” to Paul Dans in an effort to force him out and shut down the Heritage Foundation’s work on the playbook. Dans’ departure, however, doesn’t mean the project is shutting down. Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, said “Our collective efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels – federal, state, and local – will continue.” Trump had repeatedly disavowed the program created by many of his allies and former aides to overhaul of the federal government by replacing many civil service workers with loyalists and implementing socially conservative policies. JD Vance also wrote the foreword in an upcoming book about Project 2025 written by Roberts. Nevertheless, the Trump team said “Reports of Project 2025’s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign — it will not end well for you.” (Daily Beast / Associated Press / CNN / Politico / New York Times / NPR / Bloomberg / Washington Post / Axios / Wall Street Journal)
  • JD Vance is linked to numerous Project 2025 partner organizations. “Vance has appeared at events and on several right-wing podcasts associated with Project 2025 partner organizations, praising their leaders and promoting their work.” (Media Matters)
  • Read JD Vance’s Violent Foreword to Project 2025 Leader’s New Book. Trump’s running mate writes that “it’s time to circle the wagons and load the muskets.” (New Republic)
 

GasBandit

Staff member
Russia freed wrongly convicted journalist Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan as part of the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War. In total, four Americans, seven Russian political prisoners, and five Germans were released from Russia in exchange for eight Russians who had been imprisoned in the U.S., Germany, Norway, Slovenia, and Poland. The most notable prisoner released in the swap is Vadim Krasikov, a convicted Russian assassin who received a life sentence for the 2019 murder of a former Chechen separatist fighter in Germany. Biden called the swap “a feat of diplomacy,” and “a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend on.” After the prisoner exchange took place at the international airport in Ankara, Turkey, Biden said: “And now their brutal ordeal is over and they’re free.” Later, when asked about Trump’s repeated claims he could’ve gotten the hostages out of Russia without concessions, Biden replied: “Why didn’t he do it when he was president?” (Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Axios / CNN / NPR / New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Politico)

Kamala Harris dismissed Trump’s accusation that she “turned Black” for political gain, saying his remarks are the “same old show” of “divisiveness and disrespect.” Harris added: “The American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts. We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us — they are an essential source of our strength.” Mark Kelly, a contender to be Harris’ running mate, called Trump’s remarks “the comments of a desperate, scared old man” who has “been having his butt kicked by an experienced prosecutor. I think he’s worried, and she’s going to continue to do this, and she’s going to win the election in November.” (Politico / NPR / NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times / Axios)

JD Vance insists he has a “good relationship” with Trump, “and that will keep on going through all the way to November, hopefully past that too.” Hours earlier, however, Trump suggested that Vance, who is polling as the worst vice presidential candidate in decades, doesn’t matter because vice presidents have “virtually no impact.” Nevertheless, after spending days defending himself against his own past remarks that Democrats are “childless cat ladies living miserable lives,” Vance said: “Look, it’s the same thing they did to Dick Cheney, the same thing they did to Mike Pence. I think that any Republican who comes out of the gate as the new VP nominee is gonna get attacked. I have no doubt that the president is confident in the way that I’ve been doing things.” (NOTUS / Washington Post / Business Insider / New York Magazine)

A New York appeals court rejected Trump’s attempt to lift the gag order against him in his criminal case. Trump argued that the gag order was unnecessary and should be dismissed after his conviction in May on 34 counts of orchestrating an illegal conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential election by falsifying business records. Trump also argued that the order was “unjust and unconstitutional” because it restricts his ability to respond to Kamala Harris, who has framed her candidacy as a choice between a prosecutor and a “convicted felon.” The five-judge panel, however, agreed with Judge Juan Merchan that the order should remain in place until sentencing, writing that “the fair administration of justice necessarily includes sentencing.” (Associated Press / NBC News / Bloomberg / CNN / ABC News / Reuters)
 

figmentPez

Staff member
I think it's gonna be kinda hilarious if the "debates" are Harris talking with ABC, and Trump acting like a fascist dictator on Fox, with neither of them showing up a the other's event.
 
Speaking of Louisiana...
anyone who “knowingly or intentionally” approaches an officer while they are performing “official duties” and refuses to stop when ordered to do so could be subject to a fine of up to $500, imprisonment for up to 60 days, or both.
As one other site puts it, "It criminalizes anything short of immediate compliance with unreasonable demands. And if 25ft isn't enough to get rid of you, they can just walk toward you."

--Patrick
 
Louisiana just made physical, surgical castration legal in these cases as a punishment, which is fucking insane to me. You can't possibly perform something like that in a system that lies for convictions so frequently.

I wonder how that rule applies to women?
 
Walz is Kamala’s VP pick.

I’m worried that the Dems are making too many good decisions. They need to announce that Hillary will get a cabinet position or something to make things normal.
 
Walz is Kamala’s VP pick.

I’m worried that the Dems are making too many good decisions. They need to announce that Hillary will get a cabinet position or something to make things normal.
In the spirit of bipartisanship, they’ll announce Mitt Romney for Commerce
Secretary and Liz Cheney for State.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
After weeks of being noncommittal over the Sept. 10 ABC News debate he previously agreed to, Trump said he’ll instead debate Harris on Fox News – or not at all. “I’ll see her on September 4th or, I won’t see her at all,” Trump said, claiming the previously scheduled presidential debate was “terminated” once Biden dropped out of the race. Harris responded, saying it’s “interesting how ‘any time, any place’ becomes ‘one specific time, one specific safe space.’” The Harris campaign added that Trump was “running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to,” and was now expecting Fox News to “bail him out.” (NPR / CNN / Associated Press / CNBC / Washington Post / Politico / New York Times / ABC News)

Justice Clarence Thomas failed to publicly disclose additional private travel provided by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow in 2010. According Customs and Border Protection records, Thomas and his wife, Ginni Thomas, flew from Hawaii to New Zealand on Crow’s jet on Nov. 19, 2010, and then returned on the jet a week later. The flight, however, was not listed on Thomas’ financial disclosure reports. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden said that Crow has failed to address the “simple question” of whether he claimed tax deductions on Thomas’ use of his private jet, noting that passing off “trips involving personal hospitality as business expenses is a run of the mill tax scam.” (New York Times / CNN / Axios)

Justice Neil Gorsuch warned Biden about his Supreme Court reform proposals: “Be careful.” When asked about Biden’s bid to impose mandatory ethics rules for the court and term limits on justices, Gorsuch replied that an independent judiciary “means that when you’re unpopular, you can get a fair hearing.” He added, however, “You’re not going to be surprised that I’m not going to get into what is now a political issue during a presidential election year. I don’t think that would be helpful […] And so I just say, be careful.” (Politico / NBC News / The Hill)

Former Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in Arizona as part of the state’s “fake elector” case. Prosecutors will drop the nine felony counts against Ellis, who worked with Rudy Giuliani to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss in the state, in exchange for her cooperation against the remaining 17 defendants in the case. Ellis also agreed to “completely and truthfully” testify in any future trials. (Washington Post / CNBC / ABC News / NBC News)
 
Its a combination of Walz looking old for his age and Harris looking young for hers. As the saying goes, South Indian don't crack.
My mother is Southeast Asian. I'll continue to look as a thirty-something until I turn 70. Then I'll suddenly look like I'm 100.
 
Its a combination of Walz looking old for his age and Harris looking young for hers. As the saying goes, South Indian don't crack.
I believe you are looking for "Asian don't raisin", which seems to be at least partly true. Good thing Mr. Z is rocking the silvers so I can age a little more gracefully next to him.
 
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