United States Congress of Fail - Part 4

[Cartmann99]

A few weeks back I posted about Brenden Dilley, a conspiracy theorist who hoped to win Trent Franks old seat in Arizona. He's the guy who told his fans that the NSA had supposedly discovered vast amounts of voter fraud in the 2016 election, and would be announcing by February 13th that Trump had actually won the popular vote.

Anyhoo, he and his fans completely convinced themselves that he was going to win, and refused to accept any polling data that showed otherwise. Well, the primary was tonight, and Dilley only received 1% of the vote. 

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/02/27/arizona-primary-election-results-congressional-district-8/375377002/

[AmazonGrace]

See, that result *proves* that there was massive voter fraud.

[BecauseScience]

Very, very happy right now:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/1/17066848/texas-primary-early-voting-turnout

Pertinent quote: "At a GOP event, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told supporters that Democrats would 'crawl over broken glass in November to vote,' warning that Republicans 'could get obliterated at the polls.'”

I may be bringing on the apocalypse, but yes, I agree with Ted Cruz. I would crawl over broken glass to get his poorly-constructed human suit out of the Senate.

[fraurosena]

Well, of course he had to. He knows the GOP's not going to last past November, so he's desperately doing everything he can to get his donor's agenda's passed before then.

McConnell shelves gun bills for banking reform

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is moving to banking reform legislation — not gun control or other responses to the high school shooting in Florida — next week in the Senate.

McConnell has filed a motion to have a procedural vote Tuesday on legislation sponsored by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho). After that, McConnell hopes to move to legislation addressing sex trafficking, according to GOP sources.

Legislation addressing the Florida high school shooting, the subject of contentious conversations between President Trump and GOP lawmakers at a White House meeting televised live on cable news Wednesday, will wait.

A Senate GOP aide said a limited bill to strengthen background checks for firearms purchases could come to the floor at any moment as soon as Democrats agree to let it move forward.

McConnell on Tuesday blamed Democrats for preventing the proposal, sponsored by Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.), from coming to the floor.

“We tried to get it cleared yesterday, but the Democratic leader objected,” McConnell said.

Democrats vigorously dispute that and say that conservatives led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) objected to moving the Cornyn-Murphy bill.

Either way, that legislation is not seen as a huge step on gun violence by most lawmakers. It would give local and federal authorities more incentive to report relevant information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Trump on Wednesday suggested that additions should be made to the bill as he spoke with Cornyn.

Yet even that legislation has its opponents in the Senate.

Conservative Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Thursday said he had serious due process concerns over the potential that veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress symptoms could be blocked as a group from buying firearms.

“You can’t take gun rights away in bulk. If you say everyone that has PTSD that’s a veteran, all their data will be dumped into a database and it will show up on a background check, that’s a problem,” he said.

“I’m for taking away gun rights from violent people but you have to do it one at a time, you can’t do it in bulk,” he said.

Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) says he supports the Fix NICS legislation but warned earlier this week that it falls far short of what is needed to stop mass shootings such a the one that left 17 people dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

“If that is all Congress does, we won’t have done our job to keep America’s families safe,” he said.

He called the bill “fine” but “certainly not enough.” 

Republicans are divided over what to do on gun legislation.

Some Republicans such as Lee, Paul and Sen. John Kennedy (La.) say the Fix NICS bill is flawed.

Other Republicans, such as Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.), want to go further by also raising the age requirement for buying rifles from age 18 to 21.

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) thinks his bill co-sponsored with Sen. Joe Manchin(D-W.Va.) to extend mandatory background checks to include sales at gun shows and over the internet, should get priority. 

Many Republican senators, however, say they oppose rising the mandatory age for buying rifles or requiring background checks for gun shows and online sales.

 

[fraurosena]

Lindsey Graham has gone completely over to the dark side.

Lindsey Graham: War with North Korea would be 'worth it' in the long run

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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) this week said that a war with North Korea would be “worth it” in the long term.

Graham made the comments in an interview with CNN.

"All the damage that would come from a war would be worth it in terms of long-term stability and national security," the senator told CNN.

Graham’s remark comes amid reports that the U.S. is prepared for the possibility of a military strike against North Korea.  

Korean leaders are pushing diplomacy in the troubled region in the weeks following the Winter Olympics. South Korea’s president told President Trump in a phone call earlier this week that he is planning to send a special envoy to Pyongyang.

Graham has in the past repeated a warning that the U.S. is “headed toward a war” with North Korea and praised Trump’s “fire and fury” rhetoric against the regime. He praised the Trump administration for drawing a hard line on North Korean aggression and also told CNN that he is “completely convinced” that Trump rejects a containment policy.

"They've drawn a red line here and it is to never let North Korea build a nuclear tipped missile to hit America,” he said.

A former national security adviser in the Obama administration on Friday pointed out Graham's comment on Twitter, writing, “Lindsey Graham has lost his god damn mind.”

All for the love of power, the Repugs are willing to enter a world devastating nuclear war. 

If you love your country, if you love your life, if you love this world we all live upon... VOTE THEM OUT.

[GrumpyGran]

2 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Lindsey Graham has gone completely over to the dark side.

Lindsey Graham: War with North Korea would be 'worth it' in the long run

All for the love of power, the Repugs are willing to enter a world devastating nuclear war. 

If you love your country, if you love your life, if you love this world we all live upon... VOTE THEM OUT.

Unfortunately I can't vote this loony monster out this year. 

[candygirl200413]

Im convinced orange fuckface has something on him.

[GrumpyGran]

11 hours ago, candygirl200413 said:

Im convinced orange fuckface has something on him.

I think he's a few cards short of a full deck. Not wandering-in-his-underwear short but wearing-blinders-and choosing-unawareness short. He thinks he's smart enough to manipulate Dump but he's not.

[Howl]

On 3/1/2018 at 8:13 PM, BecauseScience said:

Very, very happy right now:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/1/17066848/texas-primary-early-voting-turnout

Pertinent quote: "At a GOP event, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told supporters that Democrats would 'crawl over broken glass in November to vote,' warning that Republicans 'could get obliterated at the polls.'”

I may be bringing on the apocalypse, but yes, I agree with Ted Cruz. I would crawl over broken glass to get his poorly-constructed human suit out of the Senate.

I voted early on Friday in the Texas primaries, and am still kicking myself for not crossing over to vote on the Republican slate.  Lieutenant Governor in our state (Dan Patrick) has a very powerful position and Dan is hardcore Teavangelical.   The last legislative session saw his sacred cows (school vouchers, bathroom bill, ending any access to abortion) put out to pasture, thank Rufus.  Had I crossed over to vote on the Republican slate, I could have voted for a Ted Cruz primary opponent and a  Dan Patrick primary opponent. 

This is definitely an internal Texas issue, but a previous Texas Land Commissioner, Jerry Patterson (R-Turd), wants to run again to try and defeat the current Texas Land Commissioner, George P. Bush (Jeb's son). 

[GrumpyGran]

15 hours ago, Howl said:

This is definitely an internal Texas issue, but a previous Texas Land Commissioner, Jerry Patterson (R-Turd), wants to run again to try and defeat the current Texas Land Commissioner, George P. Bush (Jeb's son). 

A Texas issue now but should Zinke finally get himself in too much trouble to slide by this turd may be the next Secretary of the Interior. Or maybe he'll get a judgeship even though he probably isn't even a lawyer. That will come soon.

[GreyhoundFan]

Another one: "Sen. Cochran (R-Miss.) to resign after 4 decades in Congress, vacating post as appropriations chair and setting up special election"

Spoiler

Republican Sen. Thad Cochran said he will resign from the Senate when the spending-bill process is completed. He was elected to the Senate in 1978, becoming the first Republican in more than 100 years to win a statewide election in Mississippi. The 80-year-old senator has been ailing, missing several weeks last year. His departure means Mississippi will have two Senate elections on the ballot this November. Republican Sen. Roger Wicker is up for reelection.

In a statement, Cochran said: “I regret my health has become an ongoing challenge. I intend to fulfill my responsibilities and commitments to the people of Mississippi and the Senate through the completion of the 2018 appropriations cycle, after which I will formally retire from the U.S. Senate.”

 

[AmazonGrace]

I forget, is that the apparent dementia senator? The one who got lost on the way to the conference room?

[onekidanddone]

Yea, this won't last. Shit Weasel will roll over soon and say "Yes, my Orange Overlord I am not worthy".

Ryan splits with Trump on trade as GOP lawmakers move to block planned tariffs

Quote

 

Congressional Republicans are maneuvering to stop President Trump from levying harsh tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, arguing that the move runs counter to the core of their economic agenda and could even cause political problems heading into the 2018 midterms.

“We are extremely worried about the consequences of a trade war and are urging the White House to not advance with this plan,” AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), said in a statement Monday. “The new tax reform law has boosted the economy and we certainly don’t want to jeopardize those gains.”

Members of the House Ways and Means Committee were also circulating a letter criticizing the tariffs, while high-ranking Senate Republicans voiced their own opposition. “My constituents are worried about the cost of their beer cans. It’s a concern,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.). “The price of cars. A tariff obviously is going to get passed on to the consumer eventually in the price of goods and that ought to be everybody’s concern.”

Amid mounting Republican dismay over Trump’s protectionist path, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, predicted the president ultimately will back off plans for the new trade levies.

“I think he’s thinking it through. We’ll see,” Hatch said Monday. “I think he’s shooting one across the bow and letting people know that we’re not being treated fairly in these international matters, and frankly I don’t blame him.

Hatch blamed White House trade advisor, Peter Navarro, for encouraging Trump to impose the tariffs. The veteran Republican said he had written the president to urge him to reverse his decision, adding: “I think it would be a tragedy if they continue on the course that was announced.”

It’s unclear whether the GOP pushback will have any effect on Trump, who surprised fellow Republicans Thursday when he announced tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum. He has repeatedly defended the plans, and after the statement from Ryan’s office Monday, the president said in Oval Office remarks that he was “not backing down.”

White House officials still have not decided how precisely the tariffs will be applied or how broadly they will be imposed, according to two people briefed on the discussions who were not authorized to speak publicly. There was still an active debate among top advisers to exempt Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, with supporters of this move alleging these countries don’t pose a national security risk. Trump has tried to use the threat of tariffs threat to force Mexico and Canada to capitulate on the NAFTA negotiations, and it remains unclear where Trump will ultimately land.

For all of the controversies Trump has faced, the tariffs decision marks one of the few times he has taken a step that runs directly counter to congressional Republicans’ legislative and economic goals. Many lawmakers have voiced concerns that the move will undermine the $1.5 trillion tax cut bill they passed in December.

They also said it could cause political problems ahead of this year’s midterm elections. Democrats hope to take back control of the House and Senate in November, while Republicans planned to run on an economic argument to defend their majorities.

But it is difficult to predict how far Republicans would go to stand up to Trump, who remains popular with core GOP voters.

The tariff decision has not been finalized, but that is expected to happen later this week or next. Congressional Republicans want to prevent that from happening — but are considering fallback options, according to a congressional aide who spoke anonymously to discuss the private deliberations.

The Constitution gives Congress authority over taxation and tariffs, but lawmakers have delegated trade negotiations and tariff authority to the president in recent decades. Congressional leaders say that approach has worked well — until now.

A spokeswoman for House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Tex.) said in a statement that “the administration and Congress must work together on trade policies that build off the momentum of the president’s tax cuts, which is why any tariffs should be narrow, targeted, and focused on addressing unfairly traded products, without disrupting the flow of fairly traded products for American businesses and consumers.”

Trump dismissed fears Monday that the trade moves could damage the economy.

“Our country on trade has been ripped off by virtually every country in the world, whether it’s friend or anybody — China, Russia, people we think are wonderful, the European Union,” Trump said while meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office. “We lost $800 billion a year on trade. Not going to happen.”

Republicans and others have warned that major U.S. trading partners could retaliate by imposing tariffs on U.S. products, but Trump — who tweeted Friday that a trade war would be “easy to win” — dismissed those concerns as well.

He added, in an apparent reference to the European Union, that “if they want to do something, we’ll just tax their cars, which they send in here like water.”

Last year, Trump ordered an investigation into whether U.S. reliance on steel and aluminum imports posed a national security threat to the United States, invoking a rarely used legal provision that gives him expanded trade powers. The Commerce Department found that there was a national security risk tied to the large amount of steel and aluminum imports, and Trump has vowed to use that decision as the basis for tariffs.

But he has not mentioned the national security element when discussing trade in recent days. Instead, he has accused Canada, Mexico and Germany of ripping off the United States, based on the way they export goods to this country, which has long been his central concern.

In announcing the tariffs, Trump followed through on campaign promises to crack down on imports that he argues have decimated U.S. manufacturing. But Trump’s optimistic views about the impacts and outcome of a trade war are not shared by most lawmakers of his own party. Some remember the imposition of steel tariffs during the George W. Bush administration, which they argue cost more jobs than they created.

Indeed, GOP senators have spent months trying to argue Trump down from his protectionist views and convince him to back off tariff threats and stay in the North American Free Trade Agreement. For now, Trump has opted to try to renegotiate NAFTA rather than pull out of it, but his tariff announcement and subsequent rhetoric on Twitter suggests that congressional Republican leaders have only limited influence over the president on the issue.

 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Two things: 1. Methinks Tucker and Nunes don't understand what is meant by third world, and 2. I think it could be considered child endangerment to allow a child to watch Tucker (or anything else on Faux).

[Howl]

Moved post to State House thread! 

[GrumpyGran]

18 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

I forget, is that the apparent dementia senator? The one who got lost on the way to the conference room?

Don't know about that but he's had one foot in the grave for quite a while. Do Senators have to be elected? I thought I read that his replacement until November would be an appointment by the Governor.

16 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Two things: 1. Methinks Tucker and Nunes don't understand what is meant by third world, and 2. I think it could be considered child endangerment to allow a child to watch Tucker (or anything else on Faux).

Did his daughter just bitch-slap him?

[fraurosena]

229 Republicans Voted Last Night to Prevent You from Ever Seeing Donald Trump's Tax Returns

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House Republicans have blocked an attempt by Democrats to force President Donald Trump to release his tax returns to Congress.

Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell of New Jersey said Monday that Congress has a responsibility to hold the executive branch "to the highest standard of transparency to ensure the public interest is placed first." Pascrell and other Democrats said the tax returns also would help lawmakers and the public determine whether Trump has any investments in Russia.

Trump has said he has no investments in Russia, and Democrats acknowledged they have no evidence otherwise. They said that is one reason they want to obtain access to Trump's returns.

The Republican-controlled House on Monday approved Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's motion to postpone indefinitely Pascrell's proposal. The vote was 229 to 185.

 

Well. It wasn't like we were ever going to see them anyway, but this is just ridiculous. What do they think they will achieve here? Because it only makes them look dodgy as hell. This means they either know the presidunce has financial ties to Russia, or at least highly suspect that he does, and they condone it and are actively doing their utmost to cover it up. 

If that's not treasonous, I don't know what is.

[fraurosena]

 

[fraurosena]

Oh dear, what now, Lyin' Ryan? Those massive tax-cuts didn't help Toys-R-Us at all. There go 33.000 jobs down the drain. Oops.

Toys R Us to close all 800 of its U.S. stores

Quote

Toy store chain Toys R Us is planning to sell or close all 800 of its U.S. stores, affecting as many as 33,000 jobs as the company winds down its operations after six decades, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The news comes six months after the retailer filed for bankruptcy. The company has struggled to pay down nearly $8 billion in debt — much of it dating back to a 2005 leveraged buyout — and has had trouble finding a buyer. There were reports earlier this week that Toys R Us had stopped paying its suppliers, which include the country’s largest toy makers. On Wednesday, the company announced it would close all 100 of its U.K. stores. In the United States, the company told employees closures would likely occur over time, and not all at once, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.

Toys R Us, once the country’s preeminent toy retailer, has been unable to keep up with big-box and online competitors. The recent holiday season dealt another blow to the embattled company, which struggled to find its footing even as the retail industry racked up its largest gains in years. In January, Toys R Us announced it would close 182 U.S. stores, or about one-fifth of its remaining locations.

A group of toy makers led by MGA Entertainment, the giant behind brands such as L.O.L. Surprise!, Little Tikes and Bratz on Wednesday submitted a bid to buy Toys R Us’s Canadian arm, which includes 82 stores, according to Isaac Larian, MGA’s chief executive. He added that he is also looking into buying as many as 400 U.S. stores, which he would seek to operate under the Toys R Us name.

“There is no toy business without Toys R Us,” Larian said, noting that he sold his first product to the chain in 1979. “It’s a big deal and I’m going to try to salvage as much of it as possible.”

According to its September bankruptcy filing, Toys R Us owes MGA Entertainment $21.3 million.

Despite turnaround efforts at Toys R Us, which included adding more hands-on “play labs,” retail experts say the 60-year-old company has been unable to get customers back into its stores. It doesn’t offer the low prices or convenience of some of its larger competitors, nor the fun-filled experience that many smaller outfits do, some analysts have said.

Toys R Us, based in Wayne, N.J., has been struggling for years to pay down billions of dollars in debt as competitors like Amazon, Walmart and Target win over an increasingly larger piece of the toy market. Its bankruptcy filing last year cited $7.9 billion in debt against $6.6 billion in assets. The company said it has more than 100,000 creditors, the largest of which are Bank of New York (owed $208 million), Mattel ($136 million) and Hasbro ($59 million).(Jeffrey P. Bezos, the founder and chief executive of Amazon, owns The Washington Post.)

“The liquidation of Toys R Us is the unfortunate but inevitable conclusion of a retailer that lost its way,” Neil Saunders, managing director of the research firm GlobalData Retail, wrote in an email. “Even during recent store closeouts, Toys R Us failed to create any sense of excitement. The brand lost relevance, customers and ultimately sales.”

At its heyday, Toys R Us had a towering flagship store in New York’s Times Square (now closed and home to Old Navy) and a ubiquitous icon, Geoffrey the Giraffe.

“We know that customers are willing to pay more for an enjoyable experience — just look at the lines at Starbucks every day — but Toys R Us has failed to give us anything special or unique,” said Kelly O’Keefe, a professor of brand management at Virginia Commonwealth University. “You can find more zest for life in a Walgreens.”

 

[fraurosena]

Democrats accuse Republicans of stalling on Trump administration records

Quote

Democrats on a congressional oversight panel accused Republicans on Thursday of failing to insist that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration comply with requests for records in an investigation of security clearance practices, use of private jets and private email accounts.

Democrats said that at a committee meeting on Thursday, Republicans blocked requests that the panel be allowed to consider, debate and vote on 13 motions to subpoena what the Democrats called “critical documents and testimony.”

Among the materials Democrats want subpoenaed are documents related to interim security clearances and testimony from Trump’s son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner “related to his conflicts of interest and his actions leading to the stripping of his Top Secret security clearance.”

Federal investigators are looking into whether Kushner’s business talks with foreigners during the presidential transition had any influence on later White House policy, NBC News reported on March 2.

Representative Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform blamed Republican committee chairman Representative Trey Gowdy, for not pressing the White House enough.

During his tenure as chairman of the committee, Gowdy “has sought information from the White House in three separate investigations, but the White House has defied the Committee’s requests every time — with absolutely no repercussions,” Cummings wrote in an email to Reuters. 

“It is now clear that the White House will not respond to this Committee unless it is compelled to do so,” Cummings said.

A spokeswoman for Gowdy had no immediate reply to a request for comment on Cummings’ statement.

Cummings sent Gowdy a letter last week noting that Gowdy had sent three letters to the White House seeking detailed information about its handling of security clearances. The only White House response to Gowdy described how it had set up a “working group” on the issue that would brief Gowdy’s committee “at the appropriate time,” Cummings said.

Last week, Amanda Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for Gowdy, said: “The Chairman finds the White House’s response inadequate, and we have communicated to the White House that we expect full compliance.”

At least six White House advisers used private email accounts last year to discuss White House matters, the New York Times reported in September. At least three Trump administration officials are being investigated by congressional panels for using private jets on official business.

Congressional committee's and oversight panels under Repugliklan chairmanship are a joke.

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Howl]

As I understand it, insider trading is not illegal for our elected officials.  Martha Stewart?  Yes. Our congress critters? No. 

Can anyone clarify?

[AmazonGrace]

 

[47of74]

Own this, Republicans.

Quote

A Holocaust denier is now officially the Republican nominee in a Chicago-area House race after running unopposed in Tuesday's primary.

Arthur Jones' campaign website includes a section titled "Holocaust?" and he has been involved with anti-Semitic and racist groups since the 1970s, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The Illinois Republican Party denounced Jones' campaign earlier this year, saying there is "no place for Nazis like Arthur Jones" in the GOP or the country.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which is leading the party's effort to keep the House in November, will not endorse Jones, NRCC spokesman Matt Gorman said.

I fucking hate Illinois Nazis.  And the Republicans that vote for them too. 

[AmazonGrace]