DL Open Thread Tuesday September 14th 2021
Distinction Without a Difference
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, long-groomed for the role by conservative groups, picked by Donald Trump, then rammed into the chair by the GOP House Leader in the final days of Trump’s administration, said in a lecture Sunday that she is concerned that the public may increasingly see the court as a partisan institution.
Barrett spoke at length about her desire for others to see the Supreme Court as nonpartisan. Barrett said the media’s reporting of opinions doesn’t capture the deliberative process in reaching those decisions. And she insisted that “judicial philosophies are not the same as political parties.”
Yesterday, Apple issued an emergency software update to prevent a spyware program from infecting any user’s iPhone, Apple Watch or Mac computer “without so much as a click,” as reported by The New York Times.
Using the zero-click infection method, Pegasus can turn on a user’s camera and microphone, record messages, texts, emails, calls — even those sent via encrypted messaging and phone apps like Signal — and send them back to NSO’s clients at governments around the world.
“Recalls are weird,” Ari Melber said on MSNBC Monday night. This recall is definitely weird. This moment in politics is weird and tumultuous and poisonous. It’s hard for anyone but news junkies to make sense of the nonsense.This recall is specifically about California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the Republicans who are trying to unseat him, but it’s also about Covid-19. It’s also about Donald Trump and his takeover of the Republican party. It’s also about the GOP’s adherence to voter fraud fabrications that deny the Democratic party’s legitimacy and undercut democracy. It’s “a preview of coming attractions,” Newsom’s top strategist Sean Clegg told reporters in Long Beach on Monday.
Even By Anti-Vax Standards, This Guy’s Death Is Well-Deserved:
https://www.rawstory.com/christian-bob-enyart/
“Christian radio host Bob Enyart became infamous during his career for reading obituaries from people who died of AIDS while playing the Queen song “Another One Bites the Dust.”
Now he’s the one who is gone.
After contracting COVID, Enyart ended up in the hospital after caring for his wife with the virus, and he lasted less than two weeks with the disease.
Enyart not only refused to get a COVID vaccine, he believed a false conspiracy theory that researchers “tested these three products [vaccines] on the cells of aborted babies.” Testing vaccines on anything dead wouldn’t work because there would be no blood to deliver the vaccine to the system.”
I’m always debating which of the Republicans on the Supreme Court should be assassinated first. Amy the Rabbit is moving up the list.
https://www.salon.com/2021/09/14/barretts-remarks-about-not-being-partisan-hacks-were-straight-up-trolling-legal-analyst_partner/
From Greg S: “ This is ominous. I’ve compiled numerous examples of high-profile GOP candidates who are vowing to contest future losses as illegitimate. In GOP politics, this is becoming a badge of honor, and that’s a serious threat to democratic stability.”
Prominent Israeli Anti-Vaxxer Dies Of Covid. Claimed Police Poisoned Him:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/defiant-to-the-end-prominent-israeli-anti-vaxx-activist-dies-of-covid/
Yep, they’re gargling with iodine now. You know who ‘they’ are:
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/betadine-anti-vaxxer-covid-treatment-iodine-1225438/
So if they die of Covid, it was medical murder. If they lose an election, it was rigged.
These motherfuckers are 4-year-olds.
Elder’s campaign has already purchased a website alleging that Newsom won–by fraud:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/newsom-leads-california-recall-polls-larry-elder-pushes-baseless-fraud-n1279080
I look forward to Coons finding some middle ground with Mr. Elder.
AOC attends the MetGala in a gown with “Tax the Rich” boldly written on it:
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/aoc-met-gala-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-dress/index.html
The Rethug meme of any election that goes against them being stolen almost CERTAINLY has a negative impact on R turnout. Indeed, it might have been the decisive factor in the Georgia Senate runoff win in 2020. Self-fulfilling prophecy.
As a D, I see no reason to challenge that meme. They’re already a minority. Let the MAGAt’s discourage ’em from voting.
the dam holding back the anti-constitutional flood waters is getting pretty dodgy looking. I hate for them to keep chipping at it.
Dan Quayle Unlikely Jan. 6 Hero?
Quite possibly yes. He told Pence that he had no authority to go rogue during certification of electoral college results:
“Even though Pence stood up to Trump in the end, “Peril” reveals that after four years of abject loyalty, he struggled with the decision. Woodward and Costa write that Pence reached out to Dan Quayle, who had been the vice president to George H.W. Bush, seeking his advice.
Over and over, Pence asked if there was anything he could do.
“Mike, you have no flexibility on this. None. Zero. Forget it. Put it away,” Quayle told him.
Pence pressed again.
“You don’t know the position I’m in,” he said, according to the authors.
“I do know the position you’re in,” Quayle responded. “I also know what the law is. You listen to the parliamentarian. That’s all you do. You have no power.”
All this from the preview of Woodward’s book about Jan. 6:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/woodward-book-trump-nuclear/index.html
Trump also told Pence, I’m not making this up, “You’re no longer my friend.”