DL Open Thread: Thursday, April 20, 2023
Senate Democrats Give Away Power To Rethugs. Dick Durbin could simply announce the end of the blue slip in response to the Rethug refusal to seat a replacement for Dianne Feinstein, but no-o-o-o-o:
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday that he’s still holding out hope that Republicans can find “common ground” for advancing President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees ― without axing the committee’s so-called blue slip rule, which allows a single senator to sink a judicial nominee from their home state.
It’s not an official Senate rule. It’s a committee tradition, a senatorial courtesy. Durbin could do away with it today if he wanted to. How does it work? Senators literally turn in a blue piece of paper to the committee to signal their support for advancing a nominee from their state. If both of a nominee’s senators turn in their blue slips, the nominee gets a hearing. If only one turns in a blue slip, or neither, the nominee doesn’t get a hearing.
These Senate dinosaurs, including, (especially) including Tom Carper, are incapable of fighting back against the anti-democratic forces seeking to permanently enshrine minority rule. Enabling them to hold onto power is enabling the demise of democracy.
Democrats’ Gerontocracy Problem. They won’t get off the stage. Including Biden and, there’s that robot again, Tom Carper. BTW, have you noticed that Carper is no longer capable of even wielding the giant scissors during our Congressional delegation’s annual round of ribbon-cuttings? He’s now generally on the side with that cap pulled down low.
Jer-RY. Jer-RY. Jer-RY. Michigan Rethugs go full-Springer:
Something about who supports the QAnon State Chair, and who doesn’t. Not that it matters. Man, I wish Gretchen Whitmer would run for President.
Corporations Rush Back To Embrace Election-Denying Rethug AG’s. They had left when it wasn’t tenable to support their conspiracy theories. They’re still spouting conspiracy theories, but the corporate bucks are flowing again:
RAGA, a tax-exempt political group representing more than half of the states’ chief legal officers, had come in for particularly harsh criticism for its support of Trump’s election fraud claims in the wake of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A RAGA sister organization had sent a robocall urging “patriots” to join Trump’s Jan. 6 rally on the Ellipse in Washington. Then the fuzzy recorded voice went one step further, saying, “We will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal.”
The response from corporate America was swift. A Comcast spokesperson told The New York Times, “We are appalled and condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms and have communicated that to R.A.G.A.” The University of Phoenix demanded RAGA return recent contributions. Regular five-figure supporters like Microsoft and Coca-Cola abruptly cut RAGA off, cold turkey. Contributions to the group dropped 36% in 2021 compared with 2020.
RAGA’s embrace of Stop the Steal also caused an organizational exodus. RAGA’s executive director resigned days after news of the robocall became public. Georgia’s Republican attorney general, Chris Carr, who was chairman of RAGA at the time, decided by April 2021 that he could no longer lead the group, citing a “fundamental difference of opinion” about “the significance of the events of January 6.” At least seven staffers left in the wake of the riot, with one writing a resignation note that said: “The direction is not one I can honestly stand behind.”
At the conference in New Orleans, there was little sign of such chaos. And those corporations that expressed such outrage? While some companies, like Microsoft and Coke, are still staying away, Comcast is more typical. The company resumed giving barely a month after condemning RAGA, and has since contributed close to half a million dollars. Many others are back in the fold as well, including Amazon, Walmart, Visa, Capital One, MasterCard, Intuit, Walgreens, General Motors, Altria, Home Depot and JPMorgan Chase’s PAC. Even the University of Phoenix, having pulled its donation, is filling RAGA’s coffers once again.
Here’s the kicker:
One might imagine that the corporate largesse reflects RAGA having distanced itself from the extremes of its party. Hardly. Since the Jan. 6 controversy, Republican attorneys generals have even more tightly embraced Trumpism and the movement that sows doubt about the legitimacy of elections.
New Jersey Environmental Justice Law Takes Effect. Took ’em 2 1/2 years to implement, but it’s landmark legislation. I understand that Delaware’s version is even more comprehensive and will be introduced soon. That will be a bill well worth fighting for:
Officials said the law is the first in the nation to require permit denials if an environmental justice analysis determines a new facility will have a disproportionately negative impact on overburdened communities.
“It’s no secret that poor, urban and minority communities have been oversaturated with toxic facilities, and they have never had a real voice in determining whether these businesses and institutions were acceptable,” added state Sen. Troy Singleton.
Marcus Sibley, chairman of the New Jersey State Conference NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Committee, said the law should empower overburdened communities with a tool to fight additional sources of pollution.
“Expecting entities to do the right thing hasn’t ever been a winning strategy for our constituents most vulnerable to exploitation, adverse environmental impacts, gross inaction and divestment,” he said.
To say that The Delaware Way has led a bipartisan effort to further disadvantage minority communities would be an understatement.
No. Carney’s not signing the pot bills today. One thing he doesn’t have: A sense of humor. Prove me wrong, John.
What do you want to talk about?
Ouch, babe. Musk’s SpaceX rocket blows up soon after launch:
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/04/20/science/spacex-launch-starship-rocket
One CNN asswipe analyst said “you can look at it as the glass half full” Than another imbecile scheduled to take the first civilian ride said he’s looking forward to it and these kinks will be worked out. The comet Kohoutek ride planned by Heaven’s Gate seems safer and more reliable. What kind of tax break did that human “mollusk” Musk get pouring money into these vanity projects?
John Kowalko
MyPillow Guy ordered to pay out $5 mill. He offered the prize as a challenge to “Prove Mike Wrong” when it came to some of his nuttiest election fraud fantasies.
A Trump voter from Nevada proved him wrong, and Lindell refused to pay up. An arbiter has made him do it:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/04/20/mike-lindell-prove-wrong-contest/
Turning into a pretty appropriate 420 celebration so far, isn’t it?
I just want to know how selling pillows can be so lucrative?
Easy. Sell them to dummies that think they are buying from God’s anointed pillow purveyor.
“Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday that he’s still holding out hope that Republicans can find “common ground” for advancing President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees ― without axing the committee’s so-called blue slip rule, which allows a single senator to sink a judicial nominee from their home state.
It’s not an official Senate rule. It’s a committee tradition, a senatorial courtesy. ”
So fucking stupid. The Republicans don’t give a fuck about senatorial courtesy when they are in the majority.
I don’t know what Durbin is up to, and blue slips have to go, but if he is going to revoke blue slips, the time to do it is thirty minutes before an actual confirmation vote – not in a fit of reactive pique over DiFi with no votes pending.
t
SpaceX
@SpaceX
As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation
“…a rapid unscheduled disassembly …”
The car experienced a rapid unscheduled compacting when it met the tree.
SpaceX is hailing this as a success because the launching pad did not melt down. So, at least there’s that.
Yep, we all knew Carney would crap out, he always does. Believe he should replace Ruth Ann Minner in the Hall Of Horrible Governors at the capitol (construction starts soon). On to further fantasy, does Carney think he’ll replace Carper, or is straight on to cash in on lobbying? Is Carney the new Bobby Byrd? Aieee! It Burns!
Ruthann at least gave us the clean indoor air act which was the first comprehensive ban of smoking indoors. carney wont even let people smoke in their own house
Like him or not, Bobby Byrd at least has some personality. And he knows a bit about negotiating.
Carney is no match for him in either category.
My personal opinion (sans any proof) is that Carney will end up with a significantly healthy salary with either Highmark or Christiana Care after he’s tiptoed through these tulips and trampled on the retirees graves. By, By Johnny. Buy a shovel and maybe spend some quiet time digging around Potter’s field for your legacy.
John Kowalko (former State Representative who is proud of his work and can always look people in the eye)
Given the three recent stories of Americans extending the right “to shoot the weapons you own” and the aggregate of gun violence horror stories, how long will it be until regular citizens come to regard simple “going out” to be taking your life in your hands because average Americans, law-abiding all, take the next step and pull a trigger. Will we be investing in tack gear for every leave the house decision? When will Home Depot start selling home armored siding to resist the high velocity bullets capable of coming through the walls of homes as if they were made of butter. As during covid, any event or business that relies on concentrating people is doomed, because the gun people, all “law abiding” until they pull the trigger will make any reasonable person hesitant to go out their front door.. (and how does anyone prevent those events living on the terms of the NRA?) No one will consider the risks of leaving home worth taking.
Welcome to the dystopian world of Mel Gibson in a space of time so short as make your head spin.
ALEC, the lobbying arm of America’s plutocrats started this nonsense by writing laws like Stand Your Ground. The murder of Travon Martin should have alerted everyone that bad times were coming. Mainstream media convinced us that nothing could be done because of that pesky 2nd amendment. When the outrage over his murder died, the issue went away. Plutocrat paid influence is real. We can do something now or wake up in a dystopian nightmare of our own making.
You know what ‘Stand Your Ground’ is exactly like? LEOBOR. Both give people the right to shoot and kill someone with impunity if you ‘feared’ for your safety.
Both are licenses to kill. Without consequences. Except to the victims.