Politics week of 2/10

[mbcdefg]

RNC funded roughly 11,000 automated calls to jam up House Democrats' phone lines amid impeachment battle: Report

www.newsweek.com/rnc-funded-roughly-11000-automated-calls-jam-house-democrats-phone-lines-amid-impeachment-1469719

[cattledogkisses]

Local politics related, but there's an anti-vax question on the ballot in my state and I'm so annoyed. Anti-vaxers are trying to overturn our state law that did away with religious and philosophical exemptions for vaccines. I keep seeing the "REJECT BIG PHARMA" signs everywhere and it makes me roll my eyes so hard.

[anodyne]

Justice Dept. to reduce sentencing recommendation for Trump associate Roger Stone, official says, after president calls it ‘unfair’

www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/justice-dept-to-reduce-sentencing-recommendation-for-trump-associate-roger-stone-official-says-after-president-calls-it-unfair/2020/02/11/ad81fd36-4cf0-11ea-bf44-f5043eb3918a_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere&utm_medium=email&utm_source=alert&wpisrc=al_news__alert-politics--alert-national&wpmk=1

The Justice Department plans to reduce its sentencing recommendation for longtime President Trump confidant Roger Stone, after top officials were apparently blindsided by the seven-to-nine year penalty prosecutors urged a judge to impose, a senior Justice Department official said Tuesday.

The statement came hours after President Trump tweeted of the sentence prosecutors recommended, “This is a horrible and very unfair situation.

[mbcdefg]

White House is expected to pull Elaine McCusker's nomination to be Pentagon comptroller. She questioned the legality of the WH's hold on military aid to Ukraine in leaked emails.

nypost.com/2020/02/11/white-house-expected-to-drop-pentagon-nominee-elaine-mccusker-amid-ukraine-fallout/

[isabel]

Feb 11, 2020 12:41:50 GMT -5 anodyne said:

Justice Dept. to reduce sentencing recommendation for Trump associate Roger Stone, official says, after president calls it ‘unfair’

www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/justice-dept-to-reduce-sentencing-recommendation-for-trump-associate-roger-stone-official-says-after-president-calls-it-unfair/2020/02/11/ad81fd36-4cf0-11ea-bf44-f5043eb3918a_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere&utm_medium=email&utm_source=alert&wpisrc=al_news__alert-politics--alert-national&wpmk=1

The Justice Department plans to reduce its sentencing recommendation for longtime President Trump confidant Roger Stone, after top officials were apparently blindsided by the seven-to-nine year penalty prosecutors urged a judge to impose, a senior Justice Department official said Tuesday.

The statement came hours after President Trump tweeted of the sentence prosecutors recommended, “This is a horrible and very unfair situation.

This whole separation of powers things really isn't working for us anymore.

[mbcdefg]

Three prosecutors have withdrawn from the Stone case:

www.axios.com/justice-department-roger-stone-sentencing-change-71e4253f-624a-465e-95b9-ea270faadfc6.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic&utm_content=1100

News about the third seems to have dropped within the past few minutes so I don’t see an updated news article yet. The tweet above is a thread.


ETA: a fourth has dropped out:

[sakoro]

Feb 11, 2020 14:07:29 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

White House is expected to pull Elaine McCusker's nomination to be Pentagon comptroller. She questioned the legality of the WH's hold on military aid to Ukraine in leaked emails.

nypost.com/2020/02/11/white-house-expected-to-drop-pentagon-nominee-elaine-mccusker-amid-ukraine-fallout/

Between this and Roger Stone, it’s clear that the acquittal of the articles of impeachment have emboldened him even more. I’m not one of those “move to Canada/ move to New Zealand” people but man, this is giving me hives.

[miniroller]

Feb 11, 2020 17:05:50 GMT -5 sakoro said:

Feb 11, 2020 14:07:29 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

White House is expected to pull Elaine McCusker's nomination to be Pentagon comptroller. She questioned the legality of the WH's hold on military aid to Ukraine in leaked emails.

nypost.com/2020/02/11/white-house-expected-to-drop-pentagon-nominee-elaine-mccusker-amid-ukraine-fallout/

Between this and Roger Stone, it’s clear that the acquittal of the articles of impeachment have emboldened him even more. I’m not one of those “move to Canada/ move to New Zealand” people but man, this is giving me hives.

I’m also FREAKING THE EFF OUT over the steps toward banana republic in the last three hours! I really am shaken. And so afraid that more people aren’t.

[mbcdefg]

Senate GOP blocks three election security bills

thehill.com/homenews/house/482569-senate-gop-blocks-three-election-security-bills


Senate Republicans blocked an effort by Democrats to unanimously pass three election security-related bills Tuesday, marking the latest attempt to clear legislation ahead of the November elections

Democrats tried to get consent to pass two bills that require campaigns to alert the FBI and Federal Election Commission (FEC) about foreign offers of assistance, as well as legislation to provide more election funding and ban voting machines from being connected to the internet.

But Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) opposed each of the requests. Under the Senate's rules, any one senator can ask for unanimous consent to pass a bill, but any one senator can object and block their requests.

Blackburn accused Democrats of trying to move the bills knowing that GOP lawmakers would block them and giving them fodder for fundraising efforts.

"They are attempting to bypass this body's Rules Committee on behalf of various bills that will seize control over elections from the states and take it from the states and where do they want to put it? They want it to rest in the hands of Washington, D.C., bureaucrats," she said.

Election security has become a point of contention during the Trump era. House Democrats have passed several election-related bills, including a sweeping ethics and election reform measure, but they've hit a wall in the GOP-controlled Senate.

[sakoro]

Feb 11, 2020 17:07:58 GMT -5 miniroller said:

Feb 11, 2020 17:05:50 GMT -5 sakoro said:

Between this and Roger Stone, it’s clear that the acquittal of the articles of impeachment have emboldened him even more. I’m not one of those “move to Canada/ move to New Zealand” people but man, this is giving me hives.

I’m also FREAKING THE EFF OUT over the steps toward banana republic in the last three hours! I really am shaken. And so afraid that more people aren’t.

My family is from South Africa. This is how Apartheid came about in the 1950s/ 1960s. A gradual erosion of civil liberties and then all kinds of blatant human rights violations when it was too late to (safely) dissent.

[mbcdefg]

President Trump is withdrawing his nomination for former U.S. attorney for D.C. Jessie Liu to serve as the Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes, a top position overseeing economic sanctions, according to two sources with direct knowledge.




www.axios.com/trump-jessie-liu-treasury-us-attorney-838d1a3b-1d4d-414c-ac7d-77a7ba6d4edb.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic&utm_content=1100


Liu would've had to testify this week, and likely would've had to answer questions about handling of Roger Stone case.

[NewOrleans]

Feb 11, 2020 17:14:18 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Senate GOP blocks three election security bills

thehill.com/homenews/house/482569-senate-gop-blocks-three-election-security-bills


Senate Republicans blocked an effort by Democrats to unanimously pass three election security-related bills Tuesday, marking the latest attempt to clear legislation ahead of the November elections

Democrats tried to get consent to pass two bills that require campaigns to alert the FBI and Federal Election Commission (FEC) about foreign offers of assistance, as well as legislation to provide more election funding and ban voting machines from being connected to the internet.

But Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) opposed each of the requests. Under the Senate's rules, any one senator can ask for unanimous consent to pass a bill, but any one senator can object and block their requests.

Blackburn accused Democrats of trying to move the bills knowing that GOP lawmakers would block them and giving them fodder for fundraising efforts.

"They are attempting to bypass this body's Rules Committee on behalf of various bills that will seize control over elections from the states and take it from the states and where do they want to put it? They want it to rest in the hands of Washington, D.C., bureaucrats," she said.

Election security has become a point of contention during the Trump era. House Democrats have passed several election-related bills, including a sweeping ethics and election reform measure, but they've hit a wall in the GOP-controlled Senate.

I’m sure these deranged taints believe in voter ID laws and the like tho, as elections need to be secure and all. 

[aurora]

Feb 11, 2020 17:05:50 GMT -5 sakoro said:

Feb 11, 2020 14:07:29 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

White House is expected to pull Elaine McCusker's nomination to be Pentagon comptroller. She questioned the legality of the WH's hold on military aid to Ukraine in leaked emails.

nypost.com/2020/02/11/white-house-expected-to-drop-pentagon-nominee-elaine-mccusker-amid-ukraine-fallout/

Between this and Roger Stone, it’s clear that the acquittal of the articles of impeachment have emboldened him even more. I’m not one of those “move to Canada/ move to New Zealand” people but man, this is giving me hives.

Who could ever have seen that coming?

I'm talking to you, Susan Collins.

[mbcdefg]

Breaking via NBC: A.G. Barr is taking control of legal matters of interest to Trump, including the Stone sentencing. Barr's intervention in Roger Stone's case wasn't the first time senior political appointees reached into a case involving an ex-Trump aide.

www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/barr-takes-control-legal-matters-interest-trump-including-stone-sentencing-n1135231

[Velar Fricative]

I mean...what the fuck do we do? Voting doesn’t even seem like enough anymore. Who the hell knows what will happen between now and November and the election will be interfered with anyway, and Trump won’t voluntarily leave even if he loses. Time to revolt?

[ajj]

Feb 11, 2020 21:08:46 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

I mean...what the fuck do we do? Voting doesn’t even seem like enough anymore. Who the hell knows what will happen between now and November and the election will be interfered with anyway, and Trump won’t voluntarily leave even if he loses. Time to revolt?

It’s terrifying. I don’t understand why more people aren’t freaking out. I don’t know what we do.

[isabel]

Feb 11, 2020 21:12:16 GMT -5 ajj said:

Feb 11, 2020 21:08:46 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

I mean...what the fuck do we do? Voting doesn’t even seem like enough anymore. Who the hell knows what will happen between now and November and the election will be interfered with anyway, and Trump won’t voluntarily leave even if he loses. Time to revolt?

It’s terrifying. I don’t understand why more people aren’t freaking out. I don’t know what we do.

I think people are freaking out. Internally. You just said it yourself, you don't know what to do. So, you carry on, go to work, take care of things at home, and talk about it with people around you. I'm doing the same thing.

I honestly don't know how to fix this. Is there enough unrest to have a real march, like the ones in South Korea and Puerto Rico that actually forced the resignation of officials? I don't know. I think the bigger concern at this point is people are pissed, but we won't feel the need to take action until it's too late. I think Trump will win the election, people will revolt, but they'll be pegged as sore losers because he "won" even though we'll all know it's completely illegitimate, what with all the foreign interference and trolls.

[cville]

Feb 11, 2020 21:51:42 GMT -5 isabel said:

Feb 11, 2020 21:12:16 GMT -5 ajj said:

It’s terrifying. I don’t understand why more people aren’t freaking out. I don’t know what we do.

I think people are freaking out. Internally. You just said it yourself, you don't know what to do. So, you carry on, go to work, take care of things at home, and talk about it with people around you. I'm doing the same thing.

I honestly don't know how to fix this. Is there enough unrest to have a real march, like the ones in South Korea and Puerto Rico that actually forced the resignation of officials? I don't know. I think the bigger concern at this point is people are pissed, but we won't feel the need to take action until it's too late. I think Trump will win the election, people will revolt, but they'll be pegged as sore losers because he "won" even though we'll all know it's completely illegitimate, what with all the foreign interference and trolls.

I'm with you until the last sentence. I refuse to accept that we can't win this. Refuse.

[isabel]

Feb 11, 2020 21:59:14 GMT -5 cville said:

Feb 11, 2020 21:51:42 GMT -5 isabel said:

I think people are freaking out. Internally. You just said it yourself, you don't know what to do. So, you carry on, go to work, take care of things at home, and talk about it with people around you. I'm doing the same thing.

I honestly don't know how to fix this. Is there enough unrest to have a real march, like the ones in South Korea and Puerto Rico that actually forced the resignation of officials? I don't know. I think the bigger concern at this point is people are pissed, but we won't feel the need to take action until it's too late. I think Trump will win the election, people will revolt, but they'll be pegged as sore losers because he "won" even though we'll all know it's completely illegitimate, what with all the foreign interference and trolls.

I'm with you until the last sentence. I refuse to accept that we can't win this. Refuse.

I hope to God you're right.

Feeling pretty glum today between the Stone news, announcement that Trump is going after student loan forgiveness (not really news, per se, but still), and the fact that I received my ballot today and literally have no fucking clue who I'm going to vote for.

[ajj]

Feb 11, 2020 21:51:42 GMT -5 isabel said:

Feb 11, 2020 21:12:16 GMT -5 ajj said:

It’s terrifying. I don’t understand why more people aren’t freaking out. I don’t know what we do.

I think people are freaking out. Internally. You just said it yourself, you don't know what to do. So, you carry on, go to work, take care of things at home, and talk about it with people around you. I'm doing the same thing.

I honestly don't know how to fix this. Is there enough unrest to have a real march, like the ones in South Korea and Puerto Rico that actually forced the resignation of officials? I don't know. I think the bigger concern at this point is people are pissed, but we won't feel the need to take action until it's too late. I think Trump will win the election, people will revolt, but they'll be pegged as sore losers because he "won" even though we'll all know it's completely illegitimate, what with all the foreign interference and trolls.

I agree. It seems like people are waiting for the election and by then it will be too late. I mean look at what he has done just since being acquitted in the senate. Everyone just seems so quiet about it, or maybe Trump and his supporters are just so loud that it’s drowning everyone out. Whatever it is, it’s frightening to me.

[curbsideprophet]

Can the FBI arrest the AG? I mean what happens when the AG and the president are corrupt?

[anodyne]

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is demanding that Attorney General William Barr testify publicly over the Justice Department's decision to reduce the recommended sentence for Trump associate Roger Stone. 

thehill.com/homenews/senate/482687-harris-demands-barr-testify-over-roger-stone-sentence-recommendation

[atexan]

So, the D's are quibbling about Medicare for Whomever and Bernie's "ReVoLuTiOn" and the R's are just rushing headlong and unobstructed towards an actual literal honest-to-gawd dictatorship.

Cool, cool.

[WOT?*]

Feb 11, 2020 22:16:38 GMT -5 anodyne said:

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is demanding that Attorney General William Barr testify publicly over the Justice Department's decision to reduce the recommended sentence for Trump associate Roger Stone. 

thehill.com/homenews/senate/482687-harris-demands-barr-testify-over-roger-stone-sentence-recommendation

God I miss her on the campaign trail but she's doing such an amazing job in the Senate since she doesn't have to take the time to campaign. I wonder if that in part had bearing on her quitting when she did.

[Velar Fricative]

What are the odds that Trump might actually get impeached again before November? It’s almost like they are trying to bait the House Ds to keep drawing up articles only for the Senate to keep covering up for Trump so they can keep yelling on Fox News about this unfair witch hunt.

[carmenere]

Feb 11, 2020 22:16:38 GMT -5 anodyne said:

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is demanding that Attorney General William Barr testify publicly over the Justice Department's decision to reduce the recommended sentence for Trump associate Roger Stone. 

thehill.com/homenews/senate/482687-harris-demands-barr-testify-over-roger-stone-sentence-recommendation

I want to see House Oversight/Judiciary pursue this, too. And if he refuses to testify, I think they need to pursue it in court. I understand why impeachment felt too urgent to engage in a protracted legal battle, but the House Dems really need to stand up on this one. And I want to believe that we have enough principled justices (although I disagree with some of them on numerous issues) who will uphold Congress's constitutional oversight power. But maybe that's wishful thinking.

[ajj]

Feb 11, 2020 22:10:27 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Can the FBI arrest the AG? I mean what happens when the AG and the president are corrupt?

I think the problem with this is that he has been setting the stage for “it’s not me that is corrupt, it’s the FBI” and his cult is falling for it.

[bowies]

I legit never thought I’d see a day when a Republican president would be at war with the FBI and Intel community.

[anodyne]

Congressional Democrats on Wednesday called for an emergency hearing and investigation into the Department of Justice's decision to reduce the recommended sentence for longtime Donald Trump confidant Roger Stone.

Top Democrats are pushing for the GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing to review the decision that led to the sudden resignation of all of the four prosecutors Tuesday from the Stone criminal case.

www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/roger-stone-backlash-democrats-demand-barr-resign-call-investigation-hearings-n1135806?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

[pitta12]

I listened to a couple of people from Swing Left on a podcast (Gaslit Nation) today and they were talking about their "super state strategy" and how people from blue states can get involved to help swing these critical races. Some details about this are on their website below. I really like this plan and am going to see where I can plug in to help.

swingleft.org/p/super-state-strategy?utm_source=swingleft-take-action&utm_medium=take_action&utm_campaign=take_action_normal