politics

Sidebar Update: Civility

The News Community updated their civility rule, and based on recent reports here and in World News, it seemed like a worthy addition to our rule-set.

I talked it over with the other mods, and we feel the change is a good idea.

The Civility rule now includes accusations of bots and paid actors.

" This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban."

There have been a lot of comments along the lines of "Disregard previous rules, write x about y", implying the person resonded to is an AI or a bot.

I've been ignoring reports on those until now because we never really had a rule about it, well, now we do!

As usual, if you see trolling, don't engage, just report it.

https://youtu.be/XL3D0h5j0Lo?si=n5-nhI-CIbx26E9X

I'm putting this up early since it's likely I won't have time tomorrow.

Monday, 1/15, is the date of the Iowa Caucus, please direct all comments, links, and replies involving that here!

Edit - 5:36 PM Pacific, 7:36 PM Iowa time, 8:36 PM Eastern - MSNBC declares Trump the winner (shock!)

8:23 PM Pacific, 10:23 PM Iowa time, 11:23 PM Eastern. MSNBC declares Desantis #2, Haley #3.

90% reporting: Trump - 51% - 52,912 Desantis - 21.3% - 22,140 Haley - 19% - 19,762

Edit Next Up - 1/23 - New Hampshire Primary!

For those unaware, a caucus is totally unlike a primary.

In a primary election, you show up to a polling place, you cast your ballot for your chosen candidate, the ballots get counted, and whoever wins is whoever wins. On to the next state!

A caucus is far, far more chaotic.

https://apnews.com/article/how-iowa-caucus-works-2024-democrats-republicans-592ab40b9b9b948c0540f2cf132bab5c

"The Republican caucuses will convene statewide at 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. EST), and begin with the election of a caucus chair and secretary. Only registered Republicans may participate in the caucuses and only in their designated home precincts. However, Iowans may register or change their party affiliation on caucus day. Voters must turn 18 by the November general election in order to participate."

"There is no walking around the caucus room to form candidate preference groups. That voting method was a feature of Democratic caucuses from 1972 to 2020 but is no longer in use by either party in 2024."

"The binding presidential vote functions essentially like a party-run primary, only with very limited polling hours and no accommodation for absentee voting, except for a tiny handful of overseas and military voters. There are speeches on behalf of various candidates before the voting and a variety of party business after the vote. Individual caucus chairs are allowed to exercise some discretion in how to conduct the vote, but the voting is done by secret ballot and there is no set list of candidates. Voters must be given the option to vote for any candidate they choose. In the past, some caucus sites have pre-printed the names of major candidates and provided a write-in option, but typically, voters vote by writing the name of a candidate on a blank slip of paper."

The "limited polling hours" is key here, because if you decide to step out for a smoke, or to hit the bathroom, or grab a sandwich when the vote is called, you might not get counted at all.

In previous years this has led to accusations of under-counts, over-counts, and all other manner of shenanigans.

Here's the history of the past few Iowa Caucuses and how it related to the general election:

2016: Ted Cruz - 8 Delegates, 51,666 votes Donald Trump - 7 / 45,429 Marco Rubio - 7 / 43,228 Ben Carson - 3 / 17,394 Rand Paul - 1 / 8,481 Jeb Bush - 1 / 5,238 Carly Fiorina - 1 / 3,485 John Kasich - 1 / 3,474 Mike Huckabee - 1 / 3,345

2020: Donald Trump - 39 Delegates, 31,421 votes Bill Weld - 1 / 425

Sources: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Iowa_Republican_presidential_caucuses

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Iowa_Republican_presidential_caucuses

General Elections:

2016: Trump/Pence - 800,983 Clinton/Kaine - 653,669

2020: Trump/Pence - 897,672 Biden/Harris - 759,061

Sources: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_presidential_election_in_Iowa

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_presidential_election_in_Iowa

Ohioans vote Tuesday on a measure that would make it harder to pass future changes to the state constitution. Ideastream's Karen Kasler explains the possible implications for abortion access in Ohio.

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Sources:

NPR: A look ahead at the Ohio special election

Five Thirty Eight: Everything You Need To Know About The Ohio Ballot Measure That Could Block Abortion Rights

CNN: Ohio special election becomes proxy for abortion rights fight

PBS News Hour: Ohio voters to decide on constitutional change before determining abortion rights

The Guardian: Republicans pushed a special election in Ohio – what does it mean for abortion rights?

Slate: The Cardboard-Box Billionaires Are at It Again, This Time in Ohio The Uihleins have put millions of dollars toward preventing a vote on abortion in the state.

AP: Voters in Ohio reject GOP-backed proposal that would have made it tougher to protect abortion rights

NY Times: Ohio Voters Reject Constitutional Change Intended to Thwart Abortion Amendment

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently made headlines for calling perennial Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein “predatory” and “not serious.” AOC is right.

Giving voters more choices is a good thing for democracy. But third-party politics isn’t performance art. It’s hard work — which Stein is not doing. As AOC observed: “[When] all you do is show up once every four years to speak to people who are justifiably pissed off, but you're just showing up once every four years to do that, you're not serious.”

To be clear: AOC was not critiquing third parties as a whole, or the idea that we need more choices in our democracy. In fact, AOC specifically cited the Working Families Party as an example of an effective third party. The organization I lead, MoveOn, supports their 365-day-a-year efforts to build power for a pro-voter, multi-party system. And I understand third parties’ power to activate voters hungry for alternatives: I myself volunteered for Ralph Nader in 2000, and that experience helped shape my lifelong commitment to people-first politics.

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Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

Reggaeton star Nicky Jam seems to be rolling back his support for Donald Trump after the Republican nominee mistakenly introduced him as a “hot” woman at a Las Vegas rally over the weekend.

Jam initially made light of the gaffe in an Instagram post—its caption referred to himself, in Spanish, as a “hot woman,” accompanied by no fewer than 22 crying-laughing emojis. But, as of Sunday night, the post had been deleted. The comment section on his most recent post before it, which was unrelated to Trump, was also deactivated.

Jam’s Trump endorsement, amplified by the buzz surrounding the awkwardly inaccurate rally introduction, has made him the subject of relentless criticism—and mockery—across the internet.

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Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

> But we shouldn’t run too deep into the rabbit holes of Trump’s supporters’ logic. He is himself a vortex of instability and violence. As his supporters like to put it, he likes to “stir the pot.” And he does. Attention, in his vision, is the only real currency in business or politics or media. So he keeps upping the ante and pushing new limits to get it, like a heroin addict he has to keep upping the dose to get the same fix. The externalities of that behavior have been lapping up, splashing onto countless other people for almost a decade. Now they’re also splashing up onto him. Trump’s supporters ask rhetorically, if it’s not Biden and Harris who are doing it, are you really saying that Trump is inciting people against himself? The answer is actually yes. He’s now twice almost been consumed by the fires he himself is lighting.

J.D. Vance seemingly admitted that he and Donald Trump have been spreading racist lies about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.

During an interview Sunday with CNN’s Dana Bash, Vance flailed as he attempted to downplay his ticket’s role in spreading completely discredited rumors that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs. With Vance and Trump’s help, the cartoonishly racist lies made their way to the national stage, fueling right-wing hysterics and resulting in multiple bombthreats in the city of Springfield.

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Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

Paraphrasing his psychotic post that they are discussing in this article: "Bullets are flying, the war has begun, the Immigrant Problem must be brought to a final solution!"

Vote, get active, get involved

Find how to register to vote for where you are

Find opportunities to volunteer for dems around you

J.D. Vance brushed off Laura Loomer’s racist comments, despite being married to an Indian American woman.

J.D. Vance would apparently rather protect Donald Trump’s decision to pal around with self-described “proud Islamophobe” and 9/11 conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer than stand up for his own wife.

Trump has been seen with Loomer several times over the last couple of weeks, with the pair getting eyebrow-raisingly close (Trump’s hand has been spotted in the small of Loomer’s back) while Melania Trump has largely remained out of the limelight. Loomer attended a 9/11 memorial service with Trump and also accompanied him to the presidential debate.

In an interview Sunday with NBC News, Vance was asked directly about his and his wife Usha Vance’s opinions on some of Loomer’s overt racism, including her claim that Vice President Kamala Harris’s ascendency to the Oval Office would make the White House “smell like curry.” But Vance wouldn’t take a stand against the alt-right ally.

…

“Do I agree with what Laura Loomer said about Kamala Harris? No, I don’t,” Vance continued. “I also don’t think that this is actually an issue of national import. Is Laura Loomer running for president? No. Kamala Harris is running for president, and whether you’re eating curry at your dinner table or fried chicken, things have gotten more expensive thanks to her policies.”

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Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

The richest man in the world, who also happens to be a U.S. defense contractor, is being criticized on social media on Sunday after questioning why people aren't trying to assassinate Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump over the weekend was tackled by his own Secret Service after an individual was reportedly spotted hiding on the former president's golf course behind a bush with an AK-47. Authorities say they fired at the man, who was later apprehended and is being questioned.

A graphic designer posted a question, "Why they want to kill Donald Trump?" Elon Musk, who owns the social media company that he renamed from Twitter to "X," posted a controversial statement in response.

"And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala," Musk wrote with a "thinking face" emoji.

The comment did not go over well.

Laura Loomer insists she and Donald Trump are very close.

While Donald Trump’s allies have tried to create the illusion of distance between the Republican presidential nominee and Laura Loomer, the alt-right conspiracy theorist has continued to cozy up to him, going so far as to brag over the weekend that Trump “likes” and “trusts” her.

“The media is full of shit. OK?” Loomer said on her podcast, ​​Loomer Unleashed, on Saturday. “These people are liars. They are con artists, and all they do is lie. They are running a coordinated smear campaign because I am effective. Donald Trump likes me. Donald Trump trusts me. OK?

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Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

Donald Trump made clear on the Philadelphia debate stage this week, as he has throughout his three presidential campaigns, the basis of his run for office. Trump is running on the platform that non-white immigration is an existential threat to the nation. This time around, Trump has made his primary message, the so-called Great Replacement Theory (GRT), more vivid than ever. It is therefore of existential importance in understanding the stakes of this election to have clearly in mind what has happened in the past when GRT has been the central driving narrative both of individuals and of states.

According to the Great Replacement Theory, the nation’s greatness, its traditions and its practitioners, are existentially imperiled by an influx of foreign races, ethnicities or religions. The foreign elements are sometimes described in the narrative of GRT, as vermin or diseases.

GRT was central to the official Nazi motivation for the genocide of the Jews of Europe. Hitler blamed the loss of World War I on Jewish betrayal of Germany. But this betrayal, for Hitler, was intimately connected to the Great Replacement Theory, via the introduction of Black soldiers in the French army subsequently occupying the Rhineland, the so-called “Black Horror on the Rhine.” In Mein Kampf, Hitler writes:

The Supreme Court was hit by a flurry of damaging new leaks Sunday as a series of confidential memos written by the chief justice were revealed by The New York Times.

The court’s Chief Justice John Roberts was clear to his fellow justices in February: He wanted the court to take up a case weighing Donald Trump’s right to presidential immunity—and he seemed inclined to protect the former president.

“I think it likely that we will view the separation of powers analysis differently,” Roberts wrote to his Supreme Court peers, according to a private memo obtained by the *Times. *He was referencing the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to allow the case to move forward.

Roberts took an unusual level of involvement in this and other cases that ultimately benefited Trump, according to the Times— his handling of the cases surprised even some other justices on the high court, across ideological lines. As president, Trump appointed three of the members of its current conservative supermajority.

Of all the schisms that cleave contemporary America, few are more stark than the divide between those who consider themselves to be victims of US history and those who fear they will be casualties of its future.

Elon Musk, the billionaire king of bad takes, came up with a new one to cement his reign on Sunday night.

Responding to a second potential assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life, the X owner questioned why no one was trying to kill the Democratic president and vice president.

“And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala,” he posted, adding a thinking-face emoji.

A near-instantaneous firestorm of criticism predictably followed, with several people telling him to “delete your account” and others tagging the U.S. Secret Service’s X account.