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

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#341101: Nov 24th 2020 at 8:37:19 PM

Like I said, I was genuinely surprised anyone took Palin seriously but apparently she was an important part of the Tea Party's formation.

I guess I'm surprised that she had that much of an effect given how much of a joke she was.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Nov 24th 2020 at 8:38:10 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#341102: Nov 24th 2020 at 8:39:12 PM

[up]She and Trump and others like them are why you should never underestimate "silly" politicians.

This is in part why I'm still concerned about the Qanon believers who won House seats.

Edited by M84 on Nov 25th 2020 at 12:39:55 AM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#341103: Nov 24th 2020 at 8:40:29 PM

I'd argue that in turn the Dubya administration was basically the prelude to Palin. Beyond the man himself basically thinking he was right by default due to being on a god-appointed mission and thusly refusing to listen to the more qualified and experienced advisors he had on board, his cabinet was full of vacuous and incompetent people, including someone who on one occasion spoke derisively of the "reality-based community" and said the US was now an empire that created its own reality. When you have people running on that kind of arrogance and entitlement that somehow working with facts and empirical evidence is dismissed, it only makes sense that conspiracy theories and "alternative facts" can later be accepted.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#341104: Nov 24th 2020 at 8:41:32 PM

[up]Yeah, I think someone linked an article about how Dubya had this weird messiah complex.

And a lot of people didn't take him very seriously either. TBF, it's hard to take a guy who nearly choked on a pretzel and had a shoe thrown at him seriously.

Edited by M84 on Nov 25th 2020 at 12:44:00 AM

Disgusted, but not surprised
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#341105: Nov 24th 2020 at 9:06:09 PM

AP News: OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty in criminal case

Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty Tuesday to three criminal charges, formally taking responsibility for its part in an opioid epidemic that has contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths but also angering critics who want to see individuals held accountable, in addition to the company.

Here's what they plead guilty to:

In a virtual hearing with a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey, the OxyContin maker admitted impeding the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's efforts to combat the addiction crisis.

Purdue acknowledged that it had not maintained an effective program to prevent prescription drugs from being diverted to the black market, even though it had told the DEA it did have such a program, and that it provided misleading information to the agency as a way to boost company manufacturing quotas.

It also admitted paying doctors through a speakers program to induce them to write more prescriptions for its painkillers.

And it admitted paying an electronic medical records company to send doctors information on patients that encouraged them to prescribe opioids.

The deal seems way too lenient in my eyes.

The deal includes $8.3 billion in penalties and forfeitures, but the company is on the hook for a direct payment to the federal government of only a fraction of that, $225 million. It would pay the smaller amount as long as it executes a settlement moving through federal bankruptcy court with state and local governments and other entities suing it over the toll of the opioid epidemic.

Members of the wealthy Sackler family who own the company have also agreed to pay $225 million to the federal government to settle civil claims. No criminal charges have been filed against family members, although their deal leaves open the possibility of that in the future.

The attorneys general and some activists are upset that despite the Sacklers giving up control of the company, the family remains wealthy and its members will not face prison or other individual penalties.

Edited by nova92 on Nov 24th 2020 at 9:06:43 AM

Resileafs I actually wanted to be Resileaf Since: Jan, 2019
I actually wanted to be Resileaf
#341106: Nov 24th 2020 at 9:11:31 PM

[up][up][up]I guess American Idiot was even more on the nose than I thought.

tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#341107: Nov 24th 2020 at 10:14:27 PM

Axios: Trump is privately telling confidants he is planning to pardon Micheal Flynn.

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#341108: Nov 24th 2020 at 10:21:29 PM

I'm not sure which is more disgusting:

  • Limbaugh with a Medal of Freedom
  • Stone having his sentence commuted
  • Pardoning Michael Flynn
  • Pardoning that psycho SEAL

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#341109: Nov 24th 2020 at 10:31:39 PM

I’d throw in Joe Arpaio’s pardon too, although he might be rather small fish in the grand scheme of things. He’s got his notoriety to go by, if nothing else.

Oh God! Natural light!
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#341110: Nov 24th 2020 at 11:03:08 PM

Arpaio is one of the vilest humans alive. I might classify him as the worst on that list (thank god he lost in the primary this year).

Here's article from Vox on his immigration policy and another from The Guardian on his horrific prisons.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#341111: Nov 24th 2020 at 11:16:30 PM

Seeing as we are talking about the Worst Republican title McConnell pushed Trump to nominate Barrett on the night of Ginsburg's death: report

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
DS9guy Since: Jan, 2001
#341112: Nov 24th 2020 at 11:27:03 PM

[up] I see he didn't want to waste any time being a hypocrite.

Edited by DS9guy on Nov 24th 2020 at 1:27:21 PM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#341113: Nov 24th 2020 at 11:27:57 PM

Of course Mitch didn't even wait until Ginsburg was cold before pushing for it. Of fucking course.

Edited by M84 on Nov 25th 2020 at 3:28:13 AM

Disgusted, but not surprised
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#341115: Nov 25th 2020 at 12:18:13 AM

[up][up] I'm guessing you missed Mc Connell's PR about an hour after RGB's death was announced? Yeah, it was only a hour or two after the announcement. It pissed me off.

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#341116: Nov 25th 2020 at 12:28:08 AM

Yeah, but this documentary seems to imply that he made the call to Trump practically the very instant Ginsburg died.

Disgusted, but not surprised
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#341117: Nov 25th 2020 at 12:29:01 AM

Mitch Mc Connell has no shame or common decency? News at a 11.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#341118: Nov 25th 2020 at 12:31:50 AM

It brings to mind an image of a circling vulture or a salivating ghoul waiting for a grave to be filled.

Edited by M84 on Nov 26th 2020 at 4:32:28 AM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Eschaton Since: Jul, 2010
#341119: Nov 25th 2020 at 12:55:09 AM

Trump and Mc Connell are very much on the same wavelength in that regard, where decorum is something for other, weaker people to stumble around, and they outmaneuver them by just walking all over it to get ahead.

nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#341120: Nov 25th 2020 at 12:57:05 AM

[up][up] Neither of which is an inaccurate description of Mitch McConnell in general.


Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Arkansas Supreme Court invalidates Democratic candidate, GOP declares victory

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Democrat Jimmie Wilson is ineligible to serve in the state Legislature due to decades-old misdemeanor convictions in federal court, wiping out Wilson's victory at the polls earlier this month in House District 12.

This is despite Wilson being pardoned by President Bill Clinton nearly 20 years ago. So while Wilson received 52% of the vote, it was voided and the GOP has declared victory in the majority-African American district that hasn't elected a Republican since Reconstruction. It seems the second place Republican will take the seat, which seems weird to me. Shouldn't the race go to a runoff or something? At the very least this ruling should have come before the election.


More incompetence in NY-22, where the results of the race between Democrat Anthony Brindisi and Republican Claudia Tenney may not be known until well after Thanksgiving. Links to Syracuse articles [1] [2]

Best I can tell, there's a court case in the NY Supreme Court over ballots challenged by either the Tenney or Brindisi campaigns. Many of the counties failed to follow proper procedure for challenged ballots as required by state law, meaning it's difficult to tell whether certain contested ballots were counted, who challenged them or why (Oneida County even lost some of the sticky notes meant to indicate challenges) and the Tenney campaign is saying the court now doesn't have jurisdiction over the case.

The Justice for the case has declared a temporary injunction on certifying election results for NY-22 until the entire mess gets sorted out.

Since Democrats appear to have won a supermajority in the New York State Legislature, fixing the state's terrible election system should be one of their top priorities going forward.

Edited by nova92 on Nov 25th 2020 at 2:08:35 AM

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#341121: Nov 25th 2020 at 2:16:54 AM

The Arkansas thing sounds like bog standard Jim Crow era election rigging. If anything it looks even more blatant than bog standard Jim Crow.

To be fair to circling vultures and salivating ghouls, they usually target only one person at a time. Evil Turtle is a bit ... higher magnitude.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#341122: Nov 25th 2020 at 2:36:40 AM

[up] It seems that you're right. The 1874 post-Reconstruction/Jim Crow Arkansas Constitution states

No person convicted of embezzlement of public money, bribery, forgery, or other infamous crime is eligible to the General Assembly or capable of holding any office of trust or profit in this state. (Article 5 Section 9)

with the "infamous crime" portion being clarified by a voter-approved Constitutional Amendment 95 in 2016 to mean

As used in this section, "infamous crime" means:
  • A felony offense;
  • Abuse of office as defined under Arkansas law;
  • Tampering as defined under Arkansas law; or
  • A misdemeanor offense in which the finder of fact was required to find, or the defendant to admit, an act of deceit, fraud, or false statement, including without limitation a misdemeanor offense related to the election process.

I'm not seeing where this means the second place person is declared the winner, though. It's possible that the GOP is just lying here, but if they were, I'd have expected the newspaper to correct them.

Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#341123: Nov 25th 2020 at 4:36:04 AM

Susan Rice is part of Biden's transition team. Although some people are skeptical about her.

A Singaporean journalist shared a tweet. It mentioned Bilahari Kausikan, ex-Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister, on why Rice isn't a good choice.

https://twitter.com/MsMelChen/status/1329800133257490432

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#341124: Nov 25th 2020 at 4:41:59 AM

Okay. One one hand, far be it from me to try and tell Asians how they should feel about a cabinet member.

On the other hand...

>"The American Conservative"

>"We will look back on Trump with nostalgia."

Yeah, I'm bringing out my side-eye for this one.

i'm tired, my friend
Khudzlin Since: Nov, 2013
#341125: Nov 25th 2020 at 5:08:42 AM

@Septimus Heap Also, vultures, like all scavengers, perform a valuable role in the natural cycle.


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