NC Sen. Thom Tillis lies a lot (and more political links)

I’ve mentioned Tillis’s bullshit statements about the Affordable Care Act and how he’s trying to make insurance more affordable by killing ACA. Now he’s explaining his support for the GOP tax bill is because it “will lead to bigger paychecks for hardworking Americans.” Unless he defines hardworking Americans as “rich people, including myself,” he’s lying again. Sen. Richard Burr voted for the tax monstrosity too, so I’m sure he’d lie about it if he ever responded to my letters.

Not that the rest of the Repubs are much better. Rep. Paul Ryan wants us to know it’s a heartbreaking burden to labor on as Speaker of the House, cutting taxes on himself and fighting so he doesn’t have to pay estate tax. He’s a noble soul who just wants to stay in office long enough to gut Social Security and Medicare (sure, he went to college on Social Security Disability, but he doesn’t need it now, does he?), then retire to be with his family. So tragic.

Equally tragic: The media pretending the Republicans really wanted a better bill.

And then there’s the last minute decision that allows people who set up their businesses as limited liability companies take extra deductions if, like President Shit-Gibbon and Bob Corker, they’re in real estate.

A police officer refuses to believe trans people really suffer higher rates of police violence. A female captain tells the man he’s showing his privilege. The captain gets suspended.

Slacktivist looks at the symbolism and problems of Trump declaring Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. The belief of some religious conservatives that this is good because it helps advance us toward the Apocalypse strikes me as the worst kind of arrogance, a conviction that if they play their cards right they can make the Second Coming happen on their schedule.

An Oklahoma preacher allegedly used his church’s phone number for a prostitution ring he ran.

How Steve Bannon tried to take down Twitter. And in supporting Roy Moore, Bannon seems to have taken down himself. Although right-wing pundits are desperately trying to blame Moore’s defeat on Mitch McConnell instead (or Christians who got unreasonably freaked out by Roy Moore molesting children) Trump, of course, having endorsed Moore now claims he never had much hope for him. And John Rogers of Leverage explains that no, George Soros couldn’t have bused an extra 20,000 fake voters into Alabama.

Reagan declared we should make it harder to vote, something people have to struggle to achieve. Lance Manion points out that the people who advocate this aren’t exactly crossing trackless jungles to deliver their ballots.

Assessing sexual harassment cases when we don’t know the charges.

Rebecca Traister points out the issue in harassment cases isn’t the assault on women’s virtue but the damage to their ability to earn a living.