US Politics: Roe, Roe, Roe you’re gone? (Hope not)

[DMC]

5 minutes ago, Babblebauble said:

Are there any good cycles for Democrats?

2006, 2008, 2012, 2018, and, while they lost seats in the House, winning the presidency and the Senate was pretty good in 2020.

[DMC]

Bah!

[Ormond]

11 minutes ago, DMC said:

As we saw in Texas and even Florida, this isn't really what the GOP is doing this time around, instead opting to secure their incumbents' seats.  I suspect this is what would be done if the Dem legislature controlled redistricting in these states as well.  Indeed, progressives were/are upset the Illinois map wasn't aggressive enough - because the legislature opted to secure their incumbent's seats instead.

I got an email from some Progressive organization that claimed the Illinois Democrats drew the new congressional map deliberately to get rid of first term Rep. Marie Newman. Of course that may be paranoid on their part. I don't find the alarmist emails I get from more left-wing Democratic groups to always be well backed up by evidence.

[DMC]

2 minutes ago, Ormond said:

I got an email from some Progressive organization that claimed the Illinois Democrats drew the new congressional map deliberately to get rid of first term Rep. Marie Newman.

Interesting.  You sure it wasn't Mary Miller?  Because the Dems are literally bragging about taking her seat:

Quote

Illinois Democrats have GOP Rep. Mary Miller right where they want her.

The freshman Republican — who caused a frenzy during her first week in Congress earlier this year, when she gave a speech in which she said Adolf Hitler "was right about one thing" — doesn’t have a clear path back in 2023. [...]

“I do not feel sorry for Mary Miller,” said Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), who represents Chicago and also chairs the state Democratic Party.

“I think Mike Bost is a decent human being. I think Rodney Davis is a decent human being. And I don't recall them ever speaking lovingly of Adolf Hitler,” said Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.).

 

[DMC]

This is more personal than political but HHS Secretary Becerra has named Dr. Lawrence Tabak as acting NIH director:

Quote

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra named Dr. Lawrence Tabak as acting director of the National Institutes of Health, effective on December 20.

Tabak, an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, has served as principal deputy director and deputy ethics counselor at NIH since 2010.   

"Dr. Tabak has a deep grasp of the most pressing scientific issues confronting our nation," said Becerra in a statement. "He has earned respect across NIH as a thoughtful and strategic manager and is committed to building a healthier and more equitable America."

Tabak's selection comes on the heels of the announcement that NIH Director Dr. Francis S. Collins would be retiring from the agency by the end of 2021. Collins was the longest-serving presidentially appointed person to hold the position.   

Larry was my Dad's boss (and also one of his only friends) when I was growing up.  He attended many of my basketball games with my dad - his son was about five years older than me and we were both the point guards for our school team.  He was always a great guy and I'm happy for him, thought I'd give a shout out.

[Ormond]

4 hours ago, DMC said:

Interesting.  You sure it wasn't Mary Miller?  Because the Dems are literally bragging about taking her seat:

 

Yep. Here is an article where it explains how the city Newman lives in was put into a majority Hispanic district and how she called this a "perversion of the democratic process." She has decided to move and run against Sean Casten in the primary instead of in the majority Latino district. The article doesn't clearly state she was being given the boot for having defeated  "establishment" Democrat Dan Lipinski in the 2020 primary, but the email I got basically claimed that.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/29/illinois-democrats-congressional-map-517544

 

[DMC]

10 minutes ago, Ormond said:

She has decided to move and run against Sean Casten in the primary instead of in the majority Latino district.

Yeah the idea she's getting squeezed in order to accommodate a Latino district all because she beat Lipinski is not only pretty silly, but pretty..un-progressive.  Moreover, progressive Latino groups are still suing because the map dilutes Latino representation.

[Larry of the Lawn]

UK Court allowing Assange to be extradited to the US for trial.  Assange seems like a garbage person but him being charged with espionage also seems pretty horrible.  

[lady narcissa]

16 hours ago, Ormond said:

I got an email from some Progressive organization that claimed the Illinois Democrats drew the new congressional map deliberately to get rid of first term Rep. Marie Newman.

11 hours ago, DMC said:

Yeah the idea she's getting squeezed in order to accommodate a Latino district all because she beat Lipinski is not only pretty silly, but pretty..un-progressive.

Illinois lost population and lost a seat so someone had to go.  To the extent the Democratic legislature could mess with Republican seats, they did.  (Miller with her Hitler comments had to go.)  In terms of Democrats, Newman was the newest and has basically no history with Illinois Democrats and no loyalty was owed to her and yes, there is some bitterness with old school party members over her beating Lipinski.  The Latino population has been a boom in the Chicago area and there has been tremendous pressure within the Democratic party here to increase their representation.  So in the last round of mapping, Neman's house got mapped into Chuy's district and Chuy's district got shifted a bit in order to allow a potential second Latino representative to get elected.  So did Newman get purposely redistricted out? Not so specifically, but there was no incentive with party members to do her any favors and make things easy for her.

I will just note the Latino caucus in Illinois is playing hardball this year.  In Chicago, for example, they gave in and got screwed with the redistricting of ward maps in Chicago 10 years ago.  They are not giving in this time and Chicago might end up having its ward map redistricting go to the voters for the first time in ages if the aldermen cannot come up with a compromise map in the next few months.  So them suing over the new Illinois congressional map despite having a possible two seats is just part of their broader strategy in trying to get more representation in Illinois. 

[DMC]

39 minutes ago, lady narcissa said:

Illinois lost population and lost a seat so someone had to go.  To the extent the Democratic legislature could mess with Republican seats, they did.  (Miller with her Hitler comments had to go.)  In terms of Democrats, Newman was the newest and has basically no history with Illinois Democrats and no loyalty was owed to her and yes, there is some bitterness with old school party members over her beating Lipinski. 

Well, in terms of the lost seat that can be chalked up to them squeezing GOP members - both Miller and Kinzinger are goners.  Her seat was squeezed out, as mentioned, to accommodate another Latino district.  And you're right, the reason she's getting squeezed is because she ranks lowest on the totem-pole in terms of seniority - as does, btw, Casten who she'll challenge in the primary - not because she's a progressive.

In other Marie Newman news, she's being investigated by the House Ethics Committee:

Quote

The House Ethics Committee announced Thursday it is extending probes into a pair of members: Reps. Marie Newman (D-Ill.) and Doug Lamborn (R-Col.). You may recall the accusations against Lamborn: The Colorado Republican was sued alleging that he allowed his son to live in a storage area in the Capitol basement. Newman, meanwhile, is under investigation amid claims that she bribed a potential primary challenger not to run against her.

 

Anyway, back to the important news - the Fox News Christmas Tree.  The Reverend Jacques DeGraff put the tragedy in proper perspective:

Quote

“Somebody asked me, ‘Why are you here?’ I’m here because these colors don’t run,” DeGraff said in comments televised live on “The Five.”

“Eighty years ago this week, they tried to extinguish the darkness in a place called Pearl Harbor,” DeGraff continued. “We didn’t fold then and we won’t fold now because we’ve come this far by faith. In our tradition, we say ’this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. And the red, the white, the blue and the light of America, we’re going to let it shine.”

My favorite is that, apparently, the Japanese "tried to extinguish the darkness" of Pearl Harbor.  That's poetry right there.  No word on memorial services for the Tree, but word is it will lie in state after they get Bob Dole outta there.

[Liffguard]

3 hours ago, 1066 Larry said:

UK Court allowing Assange to be extradited to the US for trial.  Assange seems like a garbage person but him being charged with espionage also seems pretty horrible.  

Yeah, regardless of your opinion of Assange as a person or whether he should have faced a trial in Sweden, the charges brought against him by the US are nakedly political. He embarrassed them and now they'll make him pay. It's barbaric.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

23 minutes ago, DMC said:

My favorite is that, apparently, the Japanese "tried to extinguish the darkness" of Pearl Harbor.  That's poetry right there.  No word on memorial services for the Tree, but word is it will lie in state after they get Bob Dole outta there.

They extinguished the darkness by setting a couple of ships ablaze. Admittedly, had they waited a few more hours the sun would have extinguished the darkness on its own. Second World War, War on Christmass. About the same in terms of importance. That tree was second tragic victim of this war. The first obviously was, whatever remained from Kirk Cameron's acting career, that had died rather tragically, when he tried to Save Private Christmas. Never forget.

[sologdin]

the Japanese "tried to extinguish the darkness" of Pearl Harbor

reminiscent of flann o'brien's third policeman, some of de selby's theories. i had no idea FNC was a literary sophisticate.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

27 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

They extinguished the darkness by setting a couple of ships ablaze. Admittedly, had they waited a few more hours the sun would have extinguished the darkness on its own. Second World War, War on Christmass. About the same in terms of importance. That tree was second tragic victim of this war. The first obviously was, whatever remained from Kirk Cameron's acting career, that had died rather tragically, when he tried to Save Private Christmas. Never forget.

It’s hilarious that he tied it to WW2 when you consider the reason why we have Christmas trees in the US is because of…..the Germans. The Puritans hated it, called it Paganism and tried to kill the practice. That’s a real lack of self-awareness on their part.  

[A Horse Named Stranger]

2 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

It’s hilarious that he tied it to WW2 when you consider the reason why we have Christmas trees in the US is because of…..the Germans. The Puritans hated it, called it Paganism and tried to kill the practice. That’s a real lack of self-awareness on their part.  

The Puritans kinda had a point tho. There aren't many fir trees in the Middle East.

All those Christian Holidays are neatly allocated around pagan holidys in Northern Europe.

Winter Solstice ~ Christmas. 

Gifting (coloured eggs) on Easter, depending on who you ask. Either an ancient Chinese thing, or some left over from medieval times, when the serfs/peasents had to pay a tribute to their lords (which was due that day). The bunny is again, either some fertility symbol from up north or from the ancient Egypts.Personally, I'd go with the fertility symbol in Spring. Jebus resurection, Bugs Bunny's Erection. Close enough. 

Replace the savages holidays with your own, and sooner or later theey will adopt them.

[Zorral]

1 hour ago, Liffguard said:

He embarrassed them and now they'll make him pay.

Considering what the evil orange shyster did for the image of USA-YAY -- think what HE should get!

[DMC]

It is pretty ironic that Obama's DOJ refused to prosecute Assange, then Assange did everything he could to help Trump get elected, then Trump's DOJ forged ahead with prosecution.  It remains to be seen how Biden's DOJ will proceed with the charges if Assange is actually extradited.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

He won't interfere.

I doubt there'll be much of a backlash from the left in the US after he helped the orange dumpster into office. Any sympathy I might have had for him died, once he decided to become a propaganda tool for Putin.

Going back to the Christmas sideshow for one final comment. I want to compliment Ty on his As Christian as Jesus tattoo. That thing gets an A+ for trolling. Genius.

[DMC]

19 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

He won't interfere.

I never said he would.  It still remains to be seen how Garland and his DOJ proceed with the charges.

[Ran]

On the one hand, some of the charges tie into protected journalistic activity. On the other, some of the charges tie into genuinely non-journalistic activity (like identity theft through password cracking of administrator accounts). His brazen attempt to recruit government employees to deliver information to him -- the charging document even quotes Snowden remarking positively about this as a shared goal -- is also pretty much what you'd expect out of an adversary, not journalism.

I think the DoJ charges could have been done better, but they came out of the Trump DoJ so no surprise. I will say that there' some differences in what Assange had done up to the time of Obama and what happened after, regarding additional activities that moved the needle.