US Politics: Shutdown Showdown

[kissdbyfire]

16 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

So rather than an adult, orderly organization, the MCRC has instead replicated Trump's deranged manchild-throwing-ketchup-at-the-wall behavior.

FTFY.

[Ormond]

On 11/11/2023 at 7:45 PM, kissdbyfire said:

Hasn’t that been done in one state? I wanna say Michigan, but not sure. I seem to recall reading about it, and that it was excellent for dems. But I may be confusing this w/ something else.

That was most recently done in Michigan but has also been done in California, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Virginia, if Wikipedia is correct at least for the US House districts. I would assume the commissions also do the same for state legislature districts in those states.  Iowa also has a process, though it's done by their Legislative Services Agency, which leads to results mostly similar to the states which have actual nonpartisan commissions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redistricting_commission#:~:text=Non-partisan means that either,of so-called third parties.

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by Ormond
correct grammar

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Looks like the pressure finally got to the SCOTUS.  They’re adopting a “code of ethics”.  About damn time:

Supreme Court adopts a code of ethics for the first time  - https://www.npr.org/2023/11/13/1212708142/supreme-court-ethics-code?origin=NOTIFY

[Phylum of Alexandria]

20 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Looks like the pressure finally got to the SCOTUS.  They’re adopting a “code of ethics”.  About damn time:

Supreme Court adopts a code of ethics for the first time  - https://www.npr.org/2023/11/13/1212708142/supreme-court-ethics-code?origin=NOTIFY

"John Roberts has made his ethics code, now let him enforce it." --Andrew Jackson (proof that time travel is real)

[LongRider]

From the NPR link above:   

Quote

 

"The absence of a Code, however, has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules," they wrote. "To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this Code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct."

Public trust in the court has fallen amid revelations that Justice Clarence Thomas received gifts and travel from Harlan Crow, a Republican donor. Others, including Justice Samuel Alito, have also been criticized.

 

Heard this on the car radio and I thought 'What creative writing!  They're not just corrupt as fuck, they are just misunderstanding.'

jfc, what bullocks!

 

 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

6 minutes ago, LongRider said:

From the NPR link above:   

Heard this on the car radio and I thought 'What creative writing!  They're not just corrupt as fuck, they are just misunderstanding.'

jfc, what bullocks!

 

 

We have Alito… on the record saying, incorrectly, that the SCOTUS cannot be regulated by Congress.  It’s a day late but I’m glad the SCOTUS is adopting an Ethics Codes.

[Ser Reptitious]

Thomas and Alito must be furious...

[A Horse Named Stranger]

If you worry about the future of the US and its Democracy. I think I can calm down any concerns whatsoever you might have.

May I introduce you to a future speaker of the House coming from Arizona?

(I'd love to see Scot's face when he reads that article).

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

6 minutes ago, Ser Reptitious said:

Thomas and Alito must be furious...

I sincerely hope so.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

4 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

If you worry about the future of the US and its Democracy. I think I can calm down any concerns whatsoever you might have.

May I introduce you to a future speaker of the House coming from Arizona?

(I'd love to see Scot's face when he reads that article).

I heard about that.  He’s running as a Libertarian.  Nut jobs are a dime a dozen there.

[Larry of the Lawn]

Who needs checks and balances when the judiciary so fearlessly polices itself?

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

53 minutes ago, Larry of the Lawn said:

Who needs checks and balances when the judiciary so fearlessly polices itself?

The Legislative branch submits to regulation by… which Branch… ?

 

[The Anti-Targ]

4 hours ago, Ormond said:

That was most recently done in Michigan but has also been done in California, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Virginia, if Wikipedia is correct at least for the US House districts. I would assume the commissions also do the same for state legislature districts in those states.  Iowa also has a process, though it's done by their Legislative Services Agency, which leads to results mostly similar to the states which have actual nonpartisan commissions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redistricting_commission#:~:text=Non-partisan means that either,of so-called third parties.

 

At this point it's hard to imagine the possibility of having a true non-partisan commission. In theory the only non-partisan way to draw boundaries is using VI (virtual intelligence (which is really what exists now despite people liking to call it AI), as opposed to artificial intelligence), but even then the VI has to be given parameters than can introduce bias. Hence in partisan systems some form of PR is necessary.

[Kalbear]

Which is why...you should have MMPR!

[LongRider]

Behind the Curtain: Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab

Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab (axios.com)

Former President Trump's allies are pre-screening the ideologies of thousands of potential foot soldiers, as part of an unprecedented operation to centralize and expand his power at every level of the U.S. government if he wins in 2024, officials involved in the effort tell Axios.

Why it matters: Hundreds of people are spending tens of millions of dollars to install a pre-vetted, pro-Trump army of up to 54,000 loyalists across government to rip off the restraints imposed on the previous 46 presidents.

The screening for ready-to-serve loyalists has already begun, driven in part by artificial intelligence from tech giant Oracle, contracted for the project.

Social media histories are already being plumbed.

What's happening: When Trump took office in 2017, he included many conventional Republicans in his Cabinet and key positions. Those officials often curtailed his behavior and power.

Trump himself spends little time plotting governing plans. But he is well aware of a highly coordinated campaign to be ready to jam government offices with loyalists willing to stretch traditional boundaries.

If Trump were to win, thousands of Trump-first loyalists would be ready for legal, judicial, defense, regulatory and domestic policy jobs. His inner circle plans to purge anyone viewed as hostile to the hard-edged, authoritarian-sounding plans he calls "Agenda 47."

The people leading these efforts aren't figures like Rudy Giuliani. They're smart, experienced people, many with very unconventional and elastic views of presidential power and traditional rule of law.

[Phylum of Alexandria]

12 minutes ago, LongRider said:

If Trump were to win, thousands of Trump-first loyalists would be ready for legal, judicial, defense, regulatory and domestic policy jobs. His inner circle plans to purge anyone viewed as hostile to the hard-edged, authoritarian-sounding plans he calls "Agenda 47."

Even if Trump loses in 2024, the infrastructure and demand for this purge will be there for any Republican candidate in the foreseeable future, until and unless MAGA candidates lose so much that any whiff of this authoritarian bullshit becomes politically toxic for them. It's a long road ahead...

[LongRider]

35 minutes ago, Phylum of Alexandria said:

Even if Trump loses in 2024, the infrastructure and demand for this purge will be there for any Republican candidate in the foreseeable future,

From the article:  Reality check: Technically, this apparatus will be inherited by any Republican nominee — Heritage officials tell us they've briefed the campaigns of Trump, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.

So yes, I agree with you, this project isn't just for Trump, although he's definitely in mind.  If someone else gets the R nomination, this project would be there for them too, as noted above. 

[ThinkerX]

3 hours ago, LongRider said:

Behind the Curtain: Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab

Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab (axios.com)

Former President Trump's allies are pre-screening the ideologies of thousands of potential foot soldiers, as part of an unprecedented operation to centralize and expand his power at every level of the U.S. government if he wins in 2024, officials involved in the effort tell Axios.

Why it matters: Hundreds of people are spending tens of millions of dollars to install a pre-vetted, pro-Trump army of up to 54,000 loyalists across government to rip off the restraints imposed on the previous 46 presidents.

The screening for ready-to-serve loyalists has already begun, driven in part by artificial intelligence from tech giant Oracle, contracted for the project.

Social media histories are already being plumbed.

What's happening: When Trump took office in 2017, he included many conventional Republicans in his Cabinet and key positions. Those officials often curtailed his behavior and power.

Trump himself spends little time plotting governing plans. But he is well aware of a highly coordinated campaign to be ready to jam government offices with loyalists willing to stretch traditional boundaries.

If Trump were to win, thousands of Trump-first loyalists would be ready for legal, judicial, defense, regulatory and domestic policy jobs. His inner circle plans to purge anyone viewed as hostile to the hard-edged, authoritarian-sounding plans he calls "Agenda 47."

The people leading these efforts aren't figures like Rudy Giuliani. They're smart, experienced people, many with very unconventional and elastic views of presidential power and traditional rule of law.

Loyalty over competence leads to major scandals and mass firings. Setup like this, nobody is safe. 

[Phylum of Alexandria]

9 hours ago, LongRider said:

So yes, I agree with you, this project isn't just for Trump, although he's definitely in mind.  If someone else gets the R nomination, this project would be there for them too, as noted above.

That's true, but I'm thinking more about every election to come, until Republicans finally learn that fascism won't work for them.

[Darzin]

11 hours ago, LongRider said:

Behind the Curtain: Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab

Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab (axios.com)

Former President Trump's allies are pre-screening the ideologies of thousands of potential foot soldiers, as part of an unprecedented operation to centralize and expand his power at every level of the U.S. government if he wins in 2024, officials involved in the effort tell Axios.

Why it matters: Hundreds of people are spending tens of millions of dollars to install a pre-vetted, pro-Trump army of up to 54,000 loyalists across government to rip off the restraints imposed on the previous 46 presidents.

The screening for ready-to-serve loyalists has already begun, driven in part by artificial intelligence from tech giant Oracle, contracted for the project.

Social media histories are already being plumbed.

What's happening: When Trump took office in 2017, he included many conventional Republicans in his Cabinet and key positions. Those officials often curtailed his behavior and power.

Trump himself spends little time plotting governing plans. But he is well aware of a highly coordinated campaign to be ready to jam government offices with loyalists willing to stretch traditional boundaries.

If Trump were to win, thousands of Trump-first loyalists would be ready for legal, judicial, defense, regulatory and domestic policy jobs. His inner circle plans to purge anyone viewed as hostile to the hard-edged, authoritarian-sounding plans he calls "Agenda 47."

The people leading these efforts aren't figures like Rudy Giuliani. They're smart, experienced people, many with very unconventional and elastic views of presidential power and traditional rule of law.

I feel like this is the least concerning thing about Trump. A presidential candidate vets candidates who will carry out his agenda! Shocking!