It’s perfectly possible NC Sen. Thom “Trump Toady” Tillis will win re-election. But I loathe the man and his policies so much I donated to his opponent, and I never donate to politicians. While I realize this won’t be of interest to non-NCers, this is my blog, so I’m going to vent.
He’s backed accused rapist Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court and the possibly more repellent Steven Minashi for a lower federal appointment.
He wants to punish local jurisdictions that don’t cooperate with ICE.
He complains that Obamacare is partisan because Republicans didn’t vote for it, but doesn’t apply that standard to, say, appointing Kavanaugh with no Democratic support. And while he talks about how he wants to offer better alternatives to Obamacare, he supports worse alternatives.
He talks tough sometimes, then folds and kisses Trump’s butt.
Tillis claimed the Republicans massive tax-reform bill was targeted to ordinary Americans when it really benefits rich guys like himself.
And he specifically distinguishes between black residents of this state and the traditional population of North Carolina.
Of course, Raleigh-Durham is a sea of blue in a very red state, so I won’t bet money on the outcome. But I would love to see Tillis go down hard. Or for that matter, soft.
Now, other news:
Monica Hesse at the Washington Post says (correctly) that feminists are not obligated to support anti-gay, anti-abortion Amy Coney Barrett. Republicans meanwhile pretend she can’t possibly believe those things or want to abolish the Affordable Care Act — she’s such a nice person! Jim Obergefell (yes of the Obergefell gay marriage decision) says yes she can.
Republicans are already having fits at the prospect of Democrats increasing the number of Supreme Court justices. But nine justices isn’t an absolute mandate, as witness when they thought Clinton would win, they intended to allow her zero nominations. At this point that would mean a six-member Supreme Court.
And Barrett refuses to commit herself and say whether Trump can postpone the election (answer: no, not legally). She’s also unclear whether voter intimidation is legal. Democrat Mark Udall saw Barrett (or an equivalent right-winger) coming several years ago, but he got mocked for it.
Corporations celebrating gay rights makes right-wing snowflake Rod Dreher cry.
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah thinks we should give up democracy for liberty, peace and prosperity. Vox looks at the history of Republican distaste for democracy and where “a republic, not a democracy” came from.
Trump whines that all his enemies should be locked up. And that Trump and Biden had Seal Team Six executed to hide that Bin laden lives!
Right-wing radicals plotted to kidnap the Democratic Governor of Michigan.
QAnon is destroying families.
Trump’s trashing the economy now, so how bad will it get if he loses? Of course it’ll still be better than what he’d do with a second term. But as Paul Campos says, the fact even Bill Barr is backing away from the crazy man is a hopeful sign. Plenty of Republicans are still hoping to cheat, though (“We need to stop those [mail-in] ballots from going out, and I want the lawyers here to tell us what to do.”). Others insist that liberals are unfairly demonizing a great man! Or imagining an alternate timeline in which Trump is competent. Or that God wants us to shut up and obey his chosen leader (pay no attention to those prophets who confronted Saul, David and other Chosen Ones and told them when they were screwing up).
538 looks at why the political divides have become so vast.
To end on an upbeat note, the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn political party/fascist organization has been outlawed with 18 former lawmakers convicted for the organization’s crimes.
Fraser Sherman's Blog 