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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

Kayeka (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#269451: Jan 30th 2019 at 1:45:05 PM

Pretty sure they have, actually.

Shaoken (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Dating Catwoman
#269452: Jan 30th 2019 at 1:46:46 PM

I imagine the other party has to accept you for it to stick, so anyone who tried that would get a hard nope from the other party and wind up as an independent.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#269453: Jan 30th 2019 at 1:57:30 PM

Mueller knows everything.

A pro-Russian Twitter account used information from a criminal case that Robert Mueller's team brought against a Russian social media company as part of a disinformation campaign, according to a new filing from the Justice Department.

That publication of documents that had been shared with defense attorneys, but not made public in the ongoing case, was yet another disinformation campaign from Russia — this time aimed at discrediting Mueller's investigation, federal prosecutors wrote in the filing Wednesday.

"Certain non-sensitive discovery materials in the defense's possession appear to have been altered and disseminated as part of a disinformation campaign aimed (apparently) at discrediting ongoing investigations into Russian interference in the U.S. political system," prosecutors wrote.

The documents — though they did not contain sensitive information that could harm American national security — should have never reached the public's view, the prosecutors said.

In late October, the account @Hacking Redstone posted on Twitter a webpage with documents from the criminal case against Concord Management and Consulting. The computer that had published the documents was in Russia, the FBI found. Some of the documents contained numbers and labels that the Justice Department had used to organize the evidence electronically.

But the US government and Mueller's office hadn't been hacked. Instead, prosecutors say individuals who had access to the evidence in the case may have spread it.

"Concord's request to send the sensitive discovery to the Russian Federation unreasonably risks the national security interests of the United States," prosecutors wrote. "Moreover, consistent with the apparent pro-Russian aim of the tweet, to the extent that the individuals who created the webpage reside outside the United States, this contravention is likely to go unpunished."

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#269454: Jan 30th 2019 at 2:05:44 PM

[up][up] Political parties in the US have no ability to reject or expel members, political parties in the US are semi-public institutions, unlike in much of the world where they are private institutions.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#269455: Jan 30th 2019 at 2:07:51 PM

[up]

Not so for candidates of said parties, though. I recall reading that a number of GOP legislators in California were denied any funding for their reelection campaigns by the national organization because (iirc) they had voted in favor of increasing taxes there.

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#269456: Jan 30th 2019 at 2:08:32 PM

I switched parties from Republican to Democrat when I realized the former were nothing but a bunch of racist homophobes.

(I was pretty homophobic in high school too)

Changes in opinion can happen.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#269457: Jan 30th 2019 at 2:10:01 PM

Party switches by lawmakers are a big deal and if the voting record doesn't raise any sincerity questions the switcharoos are usually accepted by the other party.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Oruka Since: Dec, 2018
#269458: Jan 30th 2019 at 2:16:50 PM

[down]Thank you.

Edited by Oruka on Jan 30th 2019 at 2:28:03 AM

HailMuffins Since: May, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#269459: Jan 30th 2019 at 2:17:44 PM

[up][up][up]Not often enough, though, and it doesn't always sticks.

[up]We have a separete thread for, take it there.

I'm here to help [tup]

Edited by HailMuffins on Jan 30th 2019 at 7:29:06 AM

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#269460: Jan 30th 2019 at 2:46:09 PM

[up]X5 A denial of funding is not a denial of membership, that’s why Trump couldn’t be stopped from running in the republican primary.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#269461: Jan 30th 2019 at 2:54:48 PM

So why are US political parties so open to anyone?I assume based off gut feeling it's another thing the founding fathers are responsible for

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#269462: Jan 30th 2019 at 3:13:53 PM

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/01/30/day-741/

    Day 741: Back to school. 

1/ Trump attacked the U.S. intelligence community, claiming they're being "extremely passive and naive" and suggesting his intel chiefs need to "go back to school" because "they are wrong!" The outburst comes a day after senior American intelligence officials briefed Congress on their 2019 worldwide threat assessment, directly contradicted Trump on several of his foreign policy priorities, including Iran, North Korea, Syria, and ISIS. Trump, however, made no mention of Russia, which Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said was likely to target the 2020 elections. (Politico / New York Times / Reuters / CNN)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-idUSKCN1PO1FW

2/ Trump met Putin at the G20 summit in November without a U.S. translator, notetaker, or staff member present. Melania Trump, however, was there, as well as Putin's own translator. The White House had previously said meeting was one of several "informal" talks, but didn't disclose that Trump did not have any official members of his team present. The Russian government said Trump and Putin spoke for roughly 15 minutes about various foreign policy issues, including an incident in the Azov Sea and the war in Syria. (Financial Times / Vox)

https://www.vox.com/2019/1/29/18202515/trump-putin-russia-g20-ft-note

📌 Day 725: Trump concealed details about his conversations with Putin from administration officials. On at least one occasion in 2017, Trump confiscated the notes from his interpreter and told the interpreter not to discuss the details of his Putin conversation with other administration officials. As a result, there is no record of Trump's face-to-face interactions with Putin at five locations from the past two years. U.S. officials only learned about Trump's actions when a White House adviser and a senior State Department official requested additional information about the meeting beyond what Rex Tillerson had provided. (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-has-concealed-details-of-his-face-to-face-encounters-with-putin-from-senior-officials-in-administration/2019/01/12/65f6686c-1434-11e9-b6ad-9cfd62dbb0a8_story.html

3/ Trump Jr. met with a firm that gamed out how a foreign government could meddle in the U.S. political process. After Trump became the Republican nominee, Trump Jr. met with Wikistrat founder Joel Zamel to discuss simulations the firm conducted in 2015 about how illicit efforts could shape American politics. In April 2016, Rick Gates reviewed a plan by a company called Psy Group, which Zamel reportedly owns. The plan echoed both the real election interference by Russia as well as the scenario Wikistrat had gamed out. It's unclear if the Psy Group plans ever went forward, with some former employees saying Gates never pursued the campaign, while others said part of the plan was carried out. Wikistrat has been questioned by Robert Mueller's team. (Daily Beast)

https://www.thedailybeast.com/mueller-witness-team-gamed-out-russian-meddling-in-2015

4/ Russians leaked more than 1,000 files Robert Mueller's office shared confidentially with indicted Russian hackers in an attempt to discredit the investigation into interference in the 2016 election. According to Mueller's court filing, the names and structure of folders containing the leaked files matched those used by the special counsel's office when it shared the data with Concord Management. The files appeared to have been uploaded to a filesharing site, which confirmed to the FBI that the account was registered in Russia. A pro-Russian Twitter account used the information as part of a disinformation campaign. (The Guardian / NBC News / CNN)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/30/politics/special-counsel-russia-documents/index.html

5/ The NRA claimed "they played no official role" in a December 2015 trip to Moscow to meet with Russian nationals despite internal NRA emails and photos showing that the organization was significantly involved in the planning. Emails show that alleged Russian agent Maria Butina helped make travel arrangements for the NRA delegation, as well as organizing the meetings with senior Kremlin officials. One email suggested that the NRA would pay for travel expenses and provide "gifts" to their Russian hosts. In another, Butina told the delegation she'd meet them at the airport with "a big red sign saying Welcome NRA." The NRA met with Butina and her Russian handler, Alexander Torshin, who was Deputy Governor of the Russian Central Bank at the time and later sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury, Dmitry Rogozin, then-Russian Deputy Prime Minister who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2014, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a member of Putin's inner circle. (ABC News)

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/nra-2015-moscow-trip-wasnt-official-emails-photos/story?id=60715741

6/ Democrats in Congress raised ethical concerns that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin decision to lift sanctions on a Russian oligarch was a conflict of interest. The Treasury Department repeatedly postponed implementing sanctions against Oleg Deripaska's companies, and later lifted them entirely after striking a deal to restructure the companies. Len Blavatnik is a major investor in Deripaska's aluminum company, Rusal, as well as a major Republican National Committee donor, where Mnuchin served as finance chairman for Trump's 2016 campaign. (New York Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/us/politics/steven-mnuchin-russia-sanctions.html

poll/ 31% of voters support shutting the government down again over funding for Trump's border wall, while 58% oppose another government shutdown generally. If the government shuts down again, a combined 54% would blame Trump and Republicans, while 33% would blame congressional Democrats. (Politico-Morning Consult)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/30/voters-oppose-another-shutdown-emergency-1135962

poll/ 37% of the 2020 electorate will be made up of Millennials and Generation Z. By comparison, Baby Boomers and older generations – those who will be ages 56 and older next year – are also expected to account for 37% of the electorate. Generation X, who will be ages 39 to 55 next year, are expected to make up 25% of the electorate. (Pew Research Center)

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/essay/an-early-look-at-the-2020-electorate/

Notables.
The Pentagon is preparing to send "several thousand" additional troops to the southern border at the request of the Department of Homeland Security. DHS officials asked for more troops to help put up concertina wire and conduct border surveillance operations. Roughly 2,300 active-duty troops are currently deployed to the southern border – down from 5,900 in November. An additional 2,200 National Guard troops are also currently deployed to the border. (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/29/american-troops-us-mexico-border-1134086

Democrats and Republicans will meet on an exclusive committee for the first time today to begin negotiations over border security funding. The committee has less than three weeks to strike a deal before parts of the government are shut down again. The group has jurisdiction over the language of a bill that would fund DHS, but some Republicans have suggested the group should expand the negotiations to include immigration policy more broadly. (ABC News)

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/border-security-battle-begins-congress-grapples-scope-negotiations/story?id=60699468

A group of House lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill to withhold pay from the president, vice president and members of Congress during government shutdowns. The Solidarity in Salary Act of 2019 aims to "prevent and limit the duration of future shutdowns and ensure that lawmakers feel the harm they cause federal employees when they fail to fund the government." (The Hill)

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/427496-dem-lawmaker-introduces-bill-to-withhold-pay-from-president-during-shutdowns

The Trump Organization will start using E-Verify after it was reported that its golf club in New York employed undocumented immigrants for years. During the 2016 campaign, Trump claimed he used E-Verify across his properties. E-Verify is a federal program to check whether new hires are legally eligible to work in the U.S. (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trumps-company-plans-to-check-the-legal-status-of-employees-following-report-that-it-hired-undocumented-workers-for-years/2019/01/29/88974678-23fe-11e9-81fd-b7b05d5bed90_story.html

Sarah Huckabee Sanders: God "wanted Donald Trump to become president, and that's why he's there." (CNN)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/30/politics/sarah-sanders-god-trump/index.html

nightwyrm_zero Since: Apr, 2010
#269463: Jan 30th 2019 at 3:17:03 PM

[up][up]I believe the founding fathers simply made no constitutional provisions for governing political parties. So everything goes coz there Ain't No Rule. They somehow naively (or not) believed that the US would be able to avoid having political parties.

Edited by nightwyrm_zero on Jan 30th 2019 at 6:18:28 AM

Kayeka (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#269464: Jan 30th 2019 at 3:17:21 PM

[up][up][up]Only in the sense that the Framers did not anticipate the rise of political parties and thus did not implement any rules for it.

[nja]d

Edited by Kayeka on Jan 30th 2019 at 12:17:43 PM

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#269465: Jan 30th 2019 at 3:37:44 PM

More in-depth numbers about Trump's re-election prospects have come up. Its not just his low net approval; its the depth of his opposition that historically bad. While Reagan, W Bush and Obama had bad approval ratings at some point, never did they have 56% of respondents committing to voting against them. The number of people who think that the sitting President's term will be a failure has hit a 25 year record.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/30/politics/donald-trump-reelection-numbers-2020/index.html

No need to get overconfident, but no need to panic either.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
HailMuffins Since: May, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#269467: Jan 30th 2019 at 3:44:04 PM

With political parties, my understanding is that the Framers intended political conflict to occur between the three branches of government, not parties.

Leviticus 19:34
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#269468: Jan 30th 2019 at 3:54:19 PM

Eh,the fact you can just switch parties weirds me out,I wouldn't trust a former Republican not to suddenly switch back

clears throat

I can say that I haven't switched back to either the Republicans or Libertarians. Ask me again, maybe, if and when the GOP gets its collective head out of the racists' ass.

@Shaoken: Generally, the response from Democrats to switchers is "welcome to the team." Usually because the kind of people who have been switching over the last decade or so have been old-guard Chamber of Commerce Rockefeller Republicans who're fed up with the increasing fascism, racism and general insanity in the GOP.

Edited by Ramidel on Jan 30th 2019 at 2:59:36 AM

HailMuffins Since: May, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#269469: Jan 30th 2019 at 3:58:35 PM

(S)He's referring specifically to politicians, 'ere, not voters.

Pretty sure plenty of people switch all the time.

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#269470: Jan 30th 2019 at 4:00:48 PM

Yeah, but as I edited in, the cause of the switch is plain: the current GOP is not the party that the switchers originally signed up for. Democrats in general understand that.

danime91 Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#269471: Jan 30th 2019 at 4:04:23 PM

Though that particular politician said something about it not being the party of Reagan anymore, which makes me wonder if she even has a place with the Democrats.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#269472: Jan 30th 2019 at 4:12:19 PM

[up] Right now, the Democrats are quite literally the side of rule of law and overall sanity.

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#269473: Jan 30th 2019 at 4:12:59 PM

[up][up]Yes. If nothing else, Reagan believed in America's democracy (when he was forced to).

[up][nja]

Edited by Ramidel on Jan 30th 2019 at 3:13:13 AM

Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#269474: Jan 30th 2019 at 4:16:15 PM

I've heard someone-I think it was John Green-argue that Reagan was actually pretty moderate by today's standards. And it is worth noting that him and Trump actually didn't have very high opinions of each other.

Though to be fair, Trump identified as a Democrat for much of his life, and has even run for president as a Democrat IIRC.

Edited by Protagonist506 on Jan 30th 2019 at 4:17:34 AM

Leviticus 19:34
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#269475: Jan 30th 2019 at 4:22:47 PM

That says more about today's standards than about Reagan.


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