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

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#242726: May 18th 2018 at 1:09:45 AM

What are the other Democratic candidates for the position like?

thok That's Dr. Title, thank you! (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Non-Canon
That's Dr. Title, thank you!
#242727: May 18th 2018 at 1:35:11 AM

[up] There are over 100 Minnesota state legislature seats currently controlled by Republicans; it shouldn't be hard to find one that doesn't have a credible Democratic opponent. Granted, some of those seats would require Painter to move to be eligible, but many of those seats represent part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro area and aren't located that far from each other.

(I'm aware that this criticism could apply to lots of candidates; the D's need people to run for state legislatures everywhere even if they aren't as important as Congressional seats.)

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#242728: May 18th 2018 at 5:08:48 AM

[up][up] The current Senator for that seat, Tina Smith, is basically a mainstream democrat, and would be a decent, if rather unremarkable choice for Senate.

trump tweets this morning.

“Apparently the DOJ put a Spy in the Trump Campaign. This has never been done before and by any means necessary, they are out to frame Donald Trump for crimes he didn’t commit.” David Asman @Lou Dobbs @Gregg Jarrett Really bad stuff!

Fake News Media had me calling Immigrants, or Illegal Immigrants, “Animals.” Wrong! They were begrudgingly forced to withdraw their stories. I referred to MS 13 Gang Members as “Animals,” a big difference - and so true. Fake News got it purposely wrong, as usual!

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
#242729: May 18th 2018 at 6:19:00 AM

If he was running for an open or Republican seat I’d be all for the guy, but the fact that he’d trying to oust an incumbent democrat makes me question him. Also wasn’t there some stuff tied to Al Franken that he was connected to?

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#242730: May 18th 2018 at 6:36:47 AM

I'd give the benefit of the doubt on "ousting an incumbent", seeing as the incumbent is more of a temporary placeholder.

CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#242731: May 18th 2018 at 7:17:09 AM

Painter's main — and significant — weakness is a lack of party favor. Basically every MN Democrat worth mentioning, and quite a few national figures, are behind Smith, if only because she's a lifelong Democrat and their peer. I don't necessarily doubt that he's being genuine, but I do think there's a certain presumptuousness in claiming the nomination for a prestigious position as a Democrat when he's only been a Democrat for like six months.

He was also the ethics lawyer for a highly unethical, corrupt administration whose rapaciousness shouldn't be downplayed simply because Trump is violating the mos maiorum of American political discourse in its entirety. There are going to be a lot of questions about the Bush administration and how loyal, exactly, he was to the old boss.

edited 18th May '18 7:21:09 AM by CrimsonZephyr

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#242732: May 18th 2018 at 7:31:40 AM

Another school shooting this time at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas, south of Houston.

Getting conflicting reports of multiple student fatalities.

This one is both local and personal for me as I live about 20 miles away from the scene and I have a cousin who goes there. I'm hoping he's was still out of school cause of an accident with a nail gun earlier in the week.

"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.
#242733: May 18th 2018 at 7:33:59 AM

Once again it's sobering to realize how much we've normalized this.

I still remember when Columbine was shocking.

I feel old.

edited 18th May '18 7:34:30 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#242734: May 18th 2018 at 7:34:04 AM

In the latest edition of Shit Republicans Say:

GOP Congressmen Asks if Rocks are Causing Sea Levels to Rise.

Washington (CNN)A member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology evinced skepticism about climate change during an exchange with a witness about rising sea levels.

Instead, Alabama Republican Rep. Mo Brooks offered an additional culprit: soil or rock deposits into the world's waters.

A study released in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in March documented accelerating sea-level rise driven by climate change.

E&E News reported on the comments of Brooks and others at the hearing, including California GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher who said he was "disturbed" that he heard people warning against questioning the link between human activity and climate change.

On Wednesday, at a hearing titled "using technology to address climate change," Brooks began by raising a broad question about rising ocean levels to the witness panel.

Philip Duffy, president of Woods Hole Research Center, said in response to the question that "the last 100-year increase in sea-level rise, as I mentioned earlier, has clearly been attributed to human activities, greenhouse gas emissions."

Brooks interjected and rephrased his question again, asking if there "are other factors."

"What about erosion?" Brooks offered during the exchange. He added: "Every time you have that soil or rock, whatever it is, that is deposited into the seas, that forces the sea levels to rise because now you've got less space in those oceans because the bottom is moving up."

Duffy responded that he did not believe that explained sea-level rise.

"I'm pretty sure that on human time scales those are minuscule effects," Duffy said.

Brooks then moved to ice levels and asserted that Antarctic ice is growing, to which Duffy responded that satellite records have documented "shrinkage of the Antarctic ice sheet and an acceleration of that shrinkage."

Brooks wrapped up his questioning by saying he had heard differently from NASA, and said there were "plenty of studies" showing an ice sheet increase in Antarctica.

"I've got a NASA base in my district," Brooks said. "And apparently, they're telling you one thing and me a different thing."

A day after the hearing, the committee tweeted a link to an op-ed from The Wall Street Journal denying climate change caused sea-level rise.

According to NASA, Antarctica's ice sheets have lost mass since 2002.

The agency's site also said, "Sea level rise is caused primarily by two factors related to global warming: the added water from melting ice sheets and glaciers and the expansion of seawater as it warms."

Duffy, who worked on climate change policy in the Obama administration, told CNN on Thursday that while he had "never heard that particular line" on sea level rise before, he essentially had expected the tone of the hearing to feature climate change skepticism.

"None of that is new," Duffy said. "They've been doing that forever."

Duffy said he would have hoped a "productive" science committee would seek to formulate aggressive policy on climate change as well as expand the nation's scientific capabilities.

And as for the question of sea level rise, Duffy said, "It's really caused by climate change."

So, you heard it here, folks. Alabama Representative Mo Brooks thinks sea levels are rising because rocks are falling into the ocean and displacing all of the water.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#242735: May 18th 2018 at 7:35:55 AM

Maybe Mo Brooks should stop sniffing glue?

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#242736: May 18th 2018 at 7:36:30 AM

Maybe Mo Brooks should shut the fuck up.

Disgusted, but not surprised
tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#242737: May 18th 2018 at 7:37:49 AM

Officials have confirmed multiple fatalities and the suspect is in custody in the Santa Fe, Texas high school shooting.

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#242739: May 18th 2018 at 7:46:12 AM

I'm glad the suspect's in custody. I may be the minority but, given how often these things are effectively Suicide by Cop, learning they've been killed always feels like The Bad Guy Wins.

PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#242740: May 18th 2018 at 8:42:03 AM

On Cheeto Benito's recent tweet: I think he's wrong for referring to any other human being as an "animal", regardless of their actions and behavior. Dehumanization only serves to create a gap between people where there isn't one, and deludes people into thinking they're incapable of similar horrific acts.

CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#242741: May 18th 2018 at 8:49:22 AM

He's also not just talking about gang violence when he's insulting the Latinx community, it's just coded language and a convenient boogeyman.

"Dreamers are gainfully employed people without criminal records."
"But MS-13!"

That sort of thing.

edited 18th May '18 8:49:42 AM by CrimsonZephyr

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#242742: May 18th 2018 at 8:52:00 AM

Local law enforcement are confirming at least 8 fatalities in the Texas school shooting.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#242743: May 18th 2018 at 8:58:38 AM

[up]x 9 Adam Schiff put it best (the comments are hysterical as well.)

Clearly, we have been taking the Science Committee’s understanding of climate change for granite. And while I appreciate the sediment, maybe we should leave climate science to the professionals.

AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#242744: May 18th 2018 at 9:28:31 AM

"What about erosion?" Brooks offered during the exchange. He added: "Every time you have that soil or rock, whatever it is, that is deposited into the seas, that forces the sea levels to rise because now you've got less space in those oceans because the bottom is moving up."

This. Was. Painful. To. Read.

Inter arma enim silent leges
Steven (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
#242745: May 18th 2018 at 9:37:16 AM

All these school shootings got me to make this signature now.

Remember, these idiots drive, fuck, and vote. Not always in that order.
Snipertoaster from Mind Your Business (Ten years in the joint) Relationship Status: If it's you, it's okay
#242747: May 18th 2018 at 10:28:42 AM

Call me insensitive, but I feel the need to say it:

Something something armed teachers something clear backpacks something something.

We can choose to be better.
kkhohoho (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#242748: May 18th 2018 at 10:32:08 AM

Something something baseball bats.tongue

edited 18th May '18 10:32:53 AM by kkhohoho

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#242749: May 18th 2018 at 10:34:43 AM

I feel like the "thought and prayers" thing has dehumanized the very idea of sympathy. I offered my sympathies to a friend who lost a loved one to a drug OD and got the above. I then pointed out my brother had died due to drugs and the whole thing got really awkward.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#242750: May 18th 2018 at 10:37:28 AM

This is kind of hilarious.

Despite saying he doesn't have time to meet with his consistituents, Devin Nunes does have time to go to Dana Rohrabacher's "birthday Bash". (Who incidentally, the NYT once described as "the Kremlin's Favorite congressman")

edited 18th May '18 10:41:39 AM by megaeliz


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