US midterms: Why are there so many guns in campaign ads?

 

US political campaigns have spent more than $6bn (£5.2bn) on adverts this year, a new record.

Republicans and Democrats have focused on very different issues and contrasting visions of America - but both have played on voters' fears.

America’s Authoritarians: The US political divide

 

How the spread of wild conspiracy theories has undermined democratic institutions and social stability in the US.

With guns in their hands and faith in God at their side, many Republicans in the United States continue to believe that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump.

As a result, the country remains deeply divided over the last contest for the White House – and the violent attempts at the Capitol that followed to overturn the result.

Republicans' Biggest Fear? Texas Going Blue

 

Obama Slams Republicans For Restricting Voting Rights

 

‘The violence that occurred in the U.S. Capitol on January 6 should remind us that we can’t take our democracy for granted’ — Former Pres. Obama is calling out Republicans for restricting voting rights

Georgia GOP Introduces New Voting Restrictions

 Georgia Republicans have introduced restrictions on voting in their state via ‘a bill that is so egregious that it is nationally known as Jim Crow in a suit and tie.’

The Press Is Normalizing Trump's Multi-Pronged War On America

 A hallmark failure of the press for four years has been that it refuses to use the proper language to describe the truly lawless nature of Trump and today’s GOP.

By Eric Boehlert

Trump’s election sabotage campaign is running out of time, but the damage he’s inflicting will have long lasting consequences. Covering this unprecedented attack on American election integrity, the press is still not being honest about Trump’s ruinous final chapter.

The Daily Beast last week reported on Trump’s “quixotic and potentially destructive effort” to steal a victory. “Quixotic” and “possibly destructive”? He’s the first president in 240 years who has not accepted the election results, after losing by six million votes. Worse, he’s been on a three-month crusade to denigrate free and fair elections in America, and he’s making it impossible for there to be a smooth transition of power.

This is so far beyond “quixotic.” Of course it’s destructive to our democracy — does anyone think the Republican Party will soon return to the days of rationally accepting ballot results? The GOP has blown a permanent hole in our election process.

A hallmark failure of the press for four years has been that it refuses to use the proper language to describe the truly lawless nature of Trump and today’s GOP.

Instead of referring to his treasonous post-election behavior surrounding the would-be coup by a power-hungry authoritarian out to steal an election, we get news updates about Trump’s “tactics,” his vague “moves” and “chicanery”; his legal “strategy” and “power play” while “sulking” and “brooding” inside the White House. None of that captures the historic events that have unfolded since Election Day. Events that if they occurred in a foreign country would be covered much differently by the American press.

The idea that Trump’s harmlessly wandering the West Wing in a funk, despondent over his loss doesn’t match reality. In truth, Trump has spent weeks, with laser-like focus, actively trying to engineer the open theft of a presidential contest. He’s dispatched an army of lawyers who are committed to throwing out as many legitimate U.S. votes as possible. When that has proven to be a failure, he’s shifted to getting state Republicans to block or delay the certification of the popular votes in their states. And much of the Republican Party supports him, either publicly or tacitly by standing by and watching.

Trump’s just “sulking” and Republicans are nervous and upset about his actions — that’s the false narrative too many in the press are pushing.

“Senior GOP lawmakers grow anxious over Trump's effort to overturn election results,” read a recent CNN headline. But CNN could find just three Republicans who were supposedly “anxious” about Trump trying to overturn an election where more than 150 million Americans voted. One CNN report last week suggested Republicans had “no choice” but to back Trump’s election sabotage. Politico dismissed Trump’s ongoing rampage as nothing more than “performance art” and “bad sportsmanship.”

When Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State to making the stunning inquiry about throwing out legal ballots, the New York Times headline made it seem like a quirky strategy: “Lindsey Graham’s Long-Shot Mission to Unravel the Election Results.”

Amidst Trump’s stunning election sabotage campaign, the Times sat down with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for a lengthy Q&A. The paper did not pose a single question to McCarthy about how the Republican president was trying to get legitimate votes thrown out and overturn an election. Instead, McCarthy and the Times reporters discussed what a long-term asset Trump could be to the Republican Party after he leaves office.

Additionally, the Times cast a sympathetic eye on Republicans state officials who supposedly face the tough “choice” of certifying verified voting results, or helping Trump cast doubt on them as he tries to overturn an election. That’s a truly dangerous way to view, and to present, what’s currently unfolding.

Incredibly, Trump-appointed General Services Administrator Emily Murphy who refuses to acknowledge Joe Biden’s victory — her call would officially begin the transition process — has been receiving kid-glove coverage as the press depicts her as simply caught in a tricky position. She’s “struggling” to do the right thing, CNN stressed, while quoting anonymous friends about how honorable she is. What’s the struggle? Biden won, period. Murphy is purposefully making the transition more difficult. Yet, the Washington Post framed the story as a partisan one, suggesting Democrats were “fuming.” Fact is, no GSA in history has refused to acknowledge the clear election winner, the way Murphy now refuses.

Authoritarianism has been on display for weeks now, as Trump throws all his energy into casting doubt over free and fair elections in the world’s oldest democracy. The daily news coverage needs to say so, and drop the idea that Trump’s simply passing his days feeling sorry for himself, in a state of “denial.” He’s been waging a multi-pronged war on America.

Six men charged in alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

 The FBI was apparently well aware of the activities of the men charged Thursday and there does not seem to have been an imminent threat posed to the governor.

First, how long will it take before Donald Trump and the usual crowd of Republican cowards come forward to not only defend these fools, but start promoting them as patriots.  

This is the type of lawless behaviour that Donald Trump has encouraged starting with his announcement to run, throughout the campaign and has continued through his time in office.  Even though his rhetoric had led to violence against those in opposition to his polices. Republicans in general and Donald Trump in particular have failed to condemn those involved. 

An FBI-led investigation identified six men who were trying to plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The investigation involved multiple confidential sources and undercover FBI personnel.

Based on court documents, the FBI was well aware of the activities of the men charged Thursday and there does not seem to have been an imminent threat posed to Gov. Whitmer, a Democrat.

The documents identify the defendants as Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta.

At a meeting in July, allegedly attended and recorded by one of the confidential sources, the men “discussed attacking a Michigan State Police facility, and in a separate conversation after the meeting, Garbin suggested shooting up the Governor’s vacation home," authorities allege.

  

Right-Wing Protesters Now Getting The Tea Party Treatment — Fawning Press Coverage

Anxious for a political angle to the ongoing pandemic story and one that can produce instant conflict (as well as compelling pictures), the news media are showering attention on the small groups of GOP protesters who are angry about life-saving social distancing orders.
By Eric Boehlert

Anxious for a political angle to the ongoing pandemic story and one that can produce instant conflict (as well as compelling pictures), the news media are showering attention on the small groups of GOP protesters who are angry about life-saving social distancing orders issued by governors to battle the Covid-19 pandemic. The right-wing, Fox News-fueled street actions come as polling confirms an overwhelming majority of Americans support the stay at home orders, designed to curb the pandemic's growing death toll. Even when restrictions are lifted, most Americans say they're not sure they'll resume "normal activities" right away.

Proving once again that every Beltway news cycle revolves around the very simple question of, 'What are Republicans angry about today?, the recent emergence of Trump-sanctioned protests has grabbed the media's attention, even though some events are drawing modest crowds.

"More than a dozen protesters gathered near the governor’s mansion in Baton Rouge Friday calling for Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) to suspend measures designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus so people can go back to work," the Washington Post reported over the weekend. [Emphasis added.] Meanwhile, the New York Times made sure to shine a bright spotlight on a Texas protest that attracted "more than 100 people." The newspaper's print headline claimed the event was indication that protests were "sweep[ing] nation."

Most people understand that in a nation of nearly 330 million people, pro-Trump events that boast dozens of activists don’t qualify as major news. Yet news outlets seem to think small bands of angry conservatives must be treated as a big deal. The Times article completely misread the protests, suggesting they were representative of a widespread movement. (They're not.)

But, in a deeply divided nation, the size of the protest in Michigan, and the appetite in other states for more rallies, suggested that anger over the no-end-in-sight nature of the lockdowns was not limited to the far right.

In Michigan, a couple thousand people participated in a drive-by protest, where most people stayed in their cars. In a state of 10 million people, how does that suggest there's a widespread "appetite"? The Times article also provided zero evidence that the rallies featured anything but far right activists. In fact, virtually every person quoted was a hardcore Trump supporter. Why try to paint the rallies as bipartisan?

ABC News marveled that the protests were moving “coast to coast,” while conceding that a grand total of five states saw rallies over the weekend — five out of fifty states. On cable news, the word “protesters” was has been mentioned more than 150 times since Friday, according to TVeyes.

We've seen this double standard before. During the run up to the Iraq War, news outlets routinely ignored and downplayed anti-war rallies that drew tens of thousands of people. The press was very slow to cover the left-leaning Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011. Instead, during Barack Obama's presidency, it was the deep-pocketed, right-wing Tea Party movement that captivated the Beltway media's attention, as the protests were relentlessly hyped as clarion calls of common sense from the heartland.

In 2010, when Republicans used Tea Party rallies as part of the midterm election cycle, the three major television networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, devoted 666 minutes of nightly news coverage to the movement. Compare that to 2018, when Democrats used the Trump resistance movement as part of its winning midterm strategy. For that, the networks set aside less than half as much airtime, just 247 minutes.

The Tea Party was literally created by the media. It was born on CNBC, when reporter Rick Santelli started ranting about Obama on the floor of the Chicago stock exchange, warning viewers the new Democratic president was steering the country toward a Cuban Castro-like economy. CNBC then boosted the clip incessantly ("Shot Heard Around The Word"/"Santelli's Manifesto"), while NBC led its evening newscast that night of the rant with a clip of Santelli, announcing his rant had struck a "populist" chord.

Today, indications are that the stay-at-home-order protesters, like the ones in Michigan last week, are also being promoted by deep pocketed players, anxious to stir up trouble in order to hurt Democrats, even as governors struggle with an historic public health crisis. "The whole charade was facilitated by the Michigan Conservative Coalition, a conservative political group that doubles as a front for the Michigan Trump Republicans, and promoted by the Michigan Freedom Fund, a conservative group with ties with Betsy DeVos," Mother Jones helpfully pointed out.

For now, the protesters' muddled battle cry seems to be, “Curse the tyranny of governors! But only the Democratic ones!" since several Republican governors are also holding firm on stay at home orders. None of it makes sense. Neither does the fact some protesters show up carrying assault rifles and confederate flags to protest social distancing guidelines for a pandemic.

Then again, Tea Party protests didn't make sense either. Obama hadn't even finished appointing his cabinet secretaries when conservatives took to the street to denounce the new president’s supposedly socialist agenda. Keep in mind, Obama had just won the election in a landslide. Yes, protesters showed up carrying Hitler posters. And yes, the movement was born, in part, out of a deep desire to protest on behalf of insurance companies.

It’s distressing to see, but while covering right-wing social distancing protesters, the press is making the same mistakes they made covering the Tea Party.

Using Insider Trading Two Republican Senators Profit Handsomely

I thought that there were actual ethics for members of the House and Senate regarding insider trading given their access to information that the average investor could never obtain. How wrong I was.  Senators Richard Burr (R) of North Carolina and Kelly Loeffler (R) Arizona earned  somewhere between several hundred thousand dollars and several million dollars after selling off stock they owned in several companies that were about to take a financial hit from the coronavirus  outbreak.  Both Senators did this following a briefing they received on the potential threat of the coronavirus to the U.S. economy.  Any ordinary citizen doing the same thing would have been investigated and charged with insider trading by the Securities and Exchange Commission.  And if found guilty at trial would have served a prison sentence. The rules are different for the ruling class and they are confused as to why head lice is found to be more popular in polling than the U.S. Senate.

ProPublica first reported Thursday that Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the chairman of the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee, offloaded between $628,000 and $1.72 million worth of holdings in 33 transactions on Feb. 13, shortly after he publicly assured Americans the government was prepared to deal with the novel coronavirus that has since been declared a pandemic. A week after the sales, the stock market began to precipitously fall, erasing about 30% of its value.

Just hours later, the Daily Beast first reported that Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) began selling stocks jointly owned with her husband on Jan. 24, the day the Senate Health Committee held a private, all-chamber briefing from top American officials about COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. In a series of 29 transactions ending in mid-February, documented in Senate financial disclosures, Loeffler and her husband sold between $1,275,000 and $3,100,000 in stock.

Lawrence: Trump Gave Republicans False Hope On Coronavirus | The Last Word | MSNBC

Polling indicates that Republicans are not as prepared for the worst of the coronavirus as Democrats and Lawrence O’Donnell argues that's because Republicans are believing Trump's false claims about the severity of the virus.

The new US tax law, explained with cereal

There’s a new tax law in town. It passed without a single vote from Democrats in the House or the Senate, and it’s a huge windfall for the richest Americans, including President Donald Trump. But Republicans didn’t just want any new tax law, they wanted to reform the tax code. To give the richest Americans a big tax cut while still funding the government’s essential functions, like building roads and flying fighter jets, the GOP needed to find tax revenue somewhere else. To do that, they had to start taxing income that used to be tax-free, by closing loopholes and eliminating deductions.

Congressmen, Aides Reportedly Shot At Early Morning Baseball Practice

Shots were fired on a group of Republican lawmakers in Alexandria, Virginia on Wednesday morning and witnesses say that several aides and members were hit.

Among those who were shot were Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), according to Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Al.) Brooks told reporters he used his belt as a tourniquet to stop Scalise’s bleeding and that more than 50 bullets were fired.

The lawmakers were at baseball practice, as is customary this time of year in preparation for the annual congressional baseball game.

Trump’s Election And The Power Of Fear

Donald Trump’s campaign for the presidency was defined by fear, paranoia, and a distrust of the government and mainstream media. And it succeeded thanks, at least in part, to right-wing media outlets, which have spent the past few years competing for Republican voters’ attention by terrifying them with increasingly apocalyptic horror stories about the state of the country.

This brand of right-wing paranoia poses a real threat to American democracy -- radicalizing voters and lawmakers alike. And if journalists can’t figure out how to effectively dispel that paranoia, Americans are going to keep seeing their government hijacked by hucksters who are more interested in profiting from a shtick than they are in actually improving lives.

For Those Living In America It's Time For Another Republican Drooling And Howling Fest

It's Saturday night in America and it's time once again for another Republican insult, issue free, how many racists statements can you make and ignorance celebration.

Enjoy: Debate begins at 8 p.m. ET on ABC; David Muir and Martha Raddatz moderating. There's a live stream here.
Hot Air blogger Mary Katharine Ham will be providing additional questions at the event as a "conservative journalist".


South Korea says North Korea has launched a long range rocket

Interactive comic: The GOP primary app! Now YOU can vote in any Republican primary!

The Racist Governor Of Indiana Doesn't Like Syrian Refugees

Mike Pence the Republican governor of the U.S. state of Indiana using all his powers of hate and racism forced a Syrian family of 3 who'd been waiting 3 years to resettle in the U.S. to change their plans after his state's division of Family Resources sent a letter to   Exodus Refugee Immigration which is working to help the family resettle was told the state would offer no assistance to the family in question.   Like 28 other Republican and 1 Democratic governor they've decided that racism, hatred and fear trump humanitarian assistance to those feeling the terror of not only ISIS but of President Bashar Assad's government.

These Republican politicians are fueling the hatred, racism and physical attacks on those they view as terrorist simply for being Muslims.   

 A family of Syrian refugees destined for resettlement in Indiana was denied entry to the state and instead began a new life in Connecticut on Wednesday.
The family of three – a mother, father and their five-year-old son – had been waiting three years to move to Indiana before their placement was changed, a consequence of the growing tensions in the wake of the Paris attacks that Syrian refugees could pose a threat to national security.The governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, is one of at least 30 governors who have said they do not want to resettle Syrian refugees in their state even though they do not have the authority to refuse to do so.
Rather than starting a new life in Indianapolis, the family will settle in New Haven, Connecticut.

This Tweet Is From Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee

Mike Huckabee is the former Republican governor of Arkansas, Baptist Minister and one of 15 people vying for that party's presidential nomination.

Mike Huckabee sees nothing racist or stereotypical in that tweet. He is an American conservative and that's how they roll.