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

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#102301: Sep 30th 2015 at 8:35:07 AM

I just watched Rachel Maddow's interview last night with Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood's president. What makes the Republican push to defund it even crazier is that the federal government doesn't pay any money to Planned Parenthood directly. Its funding comes largely from Medicaid reimbursements for services that it provides.

What Republicans want to do is to disbar Planned Parenthood from eligibility for Medicaid reimbursement, taking it "out of network" as far as Medicaid recipients are concerned. This would immediately cut off healthcare services to almost 400,000 women for whom Planned Parenthood is their sole provider, and remove choices for a lot more.

edited 30th Sep '15 9:01:23 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#102302: Sep 30th 2015 at 8:58:07 AM

Double Post: Rand Paul's presidential campaign seems to be running into a bit of trouble, with one of his three SuperPACs apparently ceasing its operations.

Quoth its owner:

In a Tuesday telephone interview, Ed Crane, who oversees the group, PurplePAC, accused Paul of abandoning his libertarian views — and suggested it was a primary reason the Kentucky senator had plummeted in the polls.

“I have stopped raising money for him until I see the campaign correct its problems,” said Crane, who co-founded the Cato Institute think tank and serves as its president emeritus. “I wasn’t going to raise money to spend on a futile crusade.”

“I don’t see the point in it right now,” he added.

The individual overseeing one of the other two SuperPACs, Jesse Benton, was indicted last month on charges "that he concealed payments to an Iowa state senator while working for Paul’s father, Ron, on the 2012 presidential race."

Maddow ran a segment on her show last night on this and also noted that Rand Paul recently sent out invitations to a fundraising event for... his 2016 Senate bid. I think it's a bad sign when you're collecting donations to run for an entirely different office.

edited 30th Sep '15 8:59:47 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#102303: Sep 30th 2015 at 9:05:08 AM

Just wanted to say thanks for the answers on the Planned Parenthood thing. It sounds kind of silly that the GOP seems to want to defend something they don't actually directly fund in the first place. I can't help but wonder if this has the potential to backfire on them.

Given the Muslim controversies with Trump and Carson, and that bit about Bush not giving black people "free stuff" (though I confess I haven't read that one yet) it feels like the Republicans are bound and determined to shoot themselves in the feet.

Incidentally, have Trump's numbers recovered at all since then? While still on top I know his numbers declined after that.

edited 30th Sep '15 9:05:49 AM by sgamer82

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#102304: Sep 30th 2015 at 9:06:54 AM

Republicans are bound and determined to shoot themselves in the feet.

Or someplace slightly higher up. The thing is that they've been doing that for decades; it hasn't mattered because they have a rabid base of support that absolutely believes all the stupid shit that Republican politicians say, eats it up, demands more of it, and excommunicates anyone who doesn't supply it.

Right now, public polling (conducted by the New York Times and Wall Street Journal) places Planned Parenthood at the absolute top of the national approval rating charts (maintaining a spot that it has held for ages), while Trump and the Republicans sit down at or near the bottom. This stunt is costing them any hope of mainstream political support, while making sure they get lots of primary votes in their next election cycles.

As for why Planned Parenthood polls so well, it's very simple: nearly everyone knows someone who's gotten services from it, or has gotten services themselves. It's the first place many women think of when they need reproductive healthcare.

Trump's still on top of the Republican polls, by the way. Carson is placing second. So far there is no sign that either is going to be dethroned by any of the existing candidates, and that should tell you all you need to know about the current GOP. A guy who is racist against Hispanics and a guy who's racist against Muslims are the top candidates. Fiorina is trying to get up there by raving about Planned Parenthood, but she's competing in a strongly misogynistic field; she has no real chance to break into the top.

edited 30th Sep '15 9:23:00 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#102305: Sep 30th 2015 at 9:13:06 AM

So I have a question. has someone placed a contentious process or anything to Kim davis' newest dumbassery or the falsifying documents and stuff?

If so,how long until legally, the government has to issue a response to it?

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#102306: Sep 30th 2015 at 9:13:59 AM

There are lawsuits pending. Hard to say what will happen with them, or when.

edited 30th Sep '15 9:14:08 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#102307: Sep 30th 2015 at 9:14:45 AM

Do the courts not have a stipulated time to give an answer to complaints....?

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#102308: Sep 30th 2015 at 9:18:59 AM

The Constitution enshrines the "right to a speedy trial", but there is wide latitude in this regard. It's really hard to say when it might come to a head again. It feels like the Obama administration is sort of hoping that it will quietly die down on its own — not that it has any direct influence save for sending in military forces to compel obedience with the law.

edited 30th Sep '15 9:30:46 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#102310: Sep 30th 2015 at 10:37:37 AM

Did Rand end up getting that exception to Kentucky law that would allow him to run in the primary for President and still allow him to file for re-election to the Senate?

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#102311: Sep 30th 2015 at 11:06:25 AM

I don't know, but if I were him, I wouldn't burn my bridges with the Senator gig.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#102312: Sep 30th 2015 at 11:10:29 AM

From what I know, he has burned enough bridges that he can hardly afford to burn more.

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#102314: Sep 30th 2015 at 11:14:07 AM

That's it? Seems pretty slim. How much compensation is that per victim after attorney's fees come out?

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
FFShinra Since: Jan, 2001
#102315: Sep 30th 2015 at 1:45:18 PM

@Ogodei - Yes he did. For all the good that will do him.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#102316: Sep 30th 2015 at 1:52:18 PM

Long ago, when I was more idealistic and more ignorant, I imagined that the Paul family might bring some much needed Libertarian horse sense to politics. Unfortunately, that phrase is by all appearances an oxymoron. I cannot think of a single Libertarian in politics who isn't of the toxic anti-progressive variety.

edited 30th Sep '15 1:53:10 PM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
FFShinra Since: Jan, 2001
#102317: Sep 30th 2015 at 1:55:45 PM

I look forward to his fall. I find libertarianism anathema to me anyway.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#102318: Sep 30th 2015 at 1:59:27 PM

I think that most young adults at least flirt with it, when they go through their "me, me, me" phase and wonder why there should have to be so many rules governing everything when smart people would get along anyway. I got a heavy dose from my fascination with Robert A. Heinlein, but it became increasingly clear to me as I got older how unlike those science fiction utopias the real world is.

There's also a natural phase of resentment that your stuff is being taken by the government and given to people who score lower on the meritocracy scale.

On paper, Libertarianism is a great ideology. Much like Communism (in its pure Marxist form), it imagines a world in which people would act rationally and decently toward one another out of simple self-interest, without anyone forcing them to. The problem is that the real world simply fails to conform to those ideals no matter how stubbornly we insist on attempting to make it.

Also, a lot of people who espouse Libertarian ideology are actually closet Objectivists, who in their sociopathic mindsets believe that being dicks to everyone lower on the totem pole is the natural order of things and should not be interfered with.

edited 30th Sep '15 2:06:22 PM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
PotatoesRock Since: Oct, 2012
#102319: Sep 30th 2015 at 2:49:30 PM

Big Donors seek larger roles in presidential campaigns

… In an election cycle that is already on track to break spending records, and with few limits on contributions to “super PA Cs” and other outside groups, big donors have never been more important. No longer satisfied with sitting on the sidelines and writing big checks, many of them are eager to play larger roles in the campaigns.

They expect their views to be heard quickly and their concerns taken seriously, sometimes creating headaches and potential awkwardness for the campaigns and super PA Cs, which must tend to the contributors and their seemingly endless suggestions and questions.

On one hand, the campaigns and their affiliated groups rely on the financial support and appreciate the occasional insights that come from people who have been successful in other fields.

On the other hand, they find themselves devoting more and more time to stroking donors’ egos, weighing their ideas, and soothing supporters whose panicked phone calls can be prompted by anything from an alarming Twitter post to a small stumble on a morning show.

“Donors are demanding a lot these days, man, and they want answers and they want results, and a lot of them hit the panic button a lot,” said Theresa Kostrzewa, a Republican lobbyist and donor based in North Carolina, who is supporting former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida. “This is a new day. Donors consider a contribution like, ‘Well, wait, I just invested in you. Now I need to have my say; you need to answer to me.’ ”

Referring to the maximum direct donation to a candidate that the Federal Election Commission allows, she described the sentiment as: “I gave $2,700. I’m entitled to 2,700 opinions.”… As handling concerns from contributors has become a crucial job for campaigns and super PA Cs, many have devoted at least one person, in part, to donor maintenance. Austin Barbour, a senior adviser to the super PAC that supported former Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, said he would regularly receive a flurry of calls from worried donors — “What’s the plan? What are you putting on TV? Why are you doing that? Why are you not saying this?”

But Mr. Barbour, who is now joining Mr. Bush’s campaign, said he was happy to field the complaints: “If they wanted to talk to me for an hour, I’d talk to them for an hour,” he said. “They were the ones who were funding what we were doing, so goodness gracious, the least thing I could do is answer whatever questions they had.”…

TL;DR: Campaigns are increasingly about massaging donor egos, not the actual trail

Inside the mind of Charles Koch

… Q. What are your goals in this election?

A: My view of the political realm, not just now but for many decades, is that the Democrats are taking us down the road to serfdom over the cliff at 100 miles an hour and the Republicans are going around 70 miles an hour. What I want is to reverse the trajectory of this country…

Q. So will this presidential election decide anything? It doesn’t sound like you’re enthusiastic about anybody.

A. My ideal candidates would be Calvin Coolidge or a William Gladstone. I mean, you look at what they did… Look what Calvin Coolidge did. He cut government expenditures in half. Cut tax rates by two- thirds, reduced the national debt by a third and cut unemployment from 12% to 2.4%. Now the only thing I hold against him is he didn’t run again so we got Herbert Hoover, who turned a recession into a great depression with his policies.

Q. You mentioned a white knight. What about Trump?

A. Yeah, I mean, he’s… I’m not the only one person who’s frustrated with what’s going on in both parties. But I would hope there would be somebody who would capture that frustration, and what’s behind that frustration, and do what Calvin Coolidge or William Gladstone did and change the trajectory of the country. Now it’s not likely, because I’ve got to go back to Calvin Coolidge to find somebody who did that. I’ve got to go back to Gladstone in 1846…

edited 30th Sep '15 2:49:43 PM by PotatoesRock

AngelicBraeburn from Eccentric California Since: Jan, 2015
#102320: Sep 30th 2015 at 2:55:25 PM

Investigation: Secret Service tried to discredit US lawmaker

Scores of U.S. Secret Service employees improperly accessed the decade-old, unsuccessful job application of a congressman who was investigating scandals inside the agency, a new government report said Wednesday. An assistant director suggested leaking embarrassing information to retaliate against Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the House oversight committee.

Assistant Director Ed Lowery suggested leaking embarrassing information about Chaffetz in retaliation for aggressive investigations by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee into a series of agency missteps and scandals, the report said. Days later, on April 2, the information about Chaffetz unsuccessfully applying for a job at the Secret Service was published by The Daily Beast, an Internet publication.

"Some information that he might find embarrassing needs to get out. Just to be fair," Lowery wrote March 31 in an email to fellow Assistant Director Faron Paramore.

The artist formally known as Deviant Braeburn
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#102321: Sep 30th 2015 at 2:55:51 PM

^^So they want to buy the election, I guess.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#102322: Sep 30th 2015 at 3:04:10 PM

Ah, i wondered where those "the last good president was Calvin Coolidge" opinions came from. I've encountered them elsewhere (some take it a step further and go back to Grover Cleveland).

This is the world these people live in, where Herbert Hoover was a failure because he was *too interventionist*

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#102323: Sep 30th 2015 at 4:10:18 PM

@Fighteer: The problem with libertarianism is that libertarians generally aren't. I'm not talking about the Objectivists, I'm talking about the ones for whom libertarianism is associated with racism.

My entry into the movement, oddly enough, came from someone who identified the Second Amendment with the Civil Rights movement and said that we could stop violence against African-Americans by arming the black man. While that has a few problems of its own (the "good guy with a gun" is unfortunately not panning out in the places that have given him a chance), you're never going to see the Republican Party's "libertarians" advocate something like that - they'd piss off the Dixiecrats if they did. Same with killing the War on Drugs - until very, very recently, that's consistently been so far out of the political discourse (due to prison lobbies) that only groups like the Libertarian Party could object to it. Republican "libertarians" don't talk about that because they will get shredded.

edited 30th Sep '15 4:10:59 PM by Ramidel

JackOLantern1337 Shameful Display from The Most Miserable Province in the Russian Empir Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Shameful Display
#102324: Sep 30th 2015 at 4:15:12 PM

[up][up][up][up] Ah I remember the days when I admired and respected the Secret Service. Seems like it was in another lifetime. At least they're not actively killing Presidents and selling the office to the highest bidder, oh god I gave them ideas didn't Itongue

Budget Shutdown Averted!! It's kind of sad how amazed I am they actually passed a budget this year. Or is it even a budget, the article mentioned a "bill to fund the federal government."

And the FLDS continues to be horrifying.

edited 30th Sep '15 4:29:22 PM by JackOLantern1337

I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#102325: Sep 30th 2015 at 4:26:25 PM

Charles sounds like he's drinking his own Kool Aid.


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