House of Representatives: Democrats in da house!

[GreyhoundFan]

I agree with AOC about this. CEOs and corporate boards are killing retail, not the internet.

 

[Alisamer]

Quote

CEOs+boards load these co’s w/ debt to enrich themselves, tank them, & leave workers in the cold w/o promised severance.

That's exactly what Trump tries to do, with the exception that he slaps his name all over them first. Even a few pro-Trump people I know have responded to "He bankrupted a casino!" with "Oh, he just took out too much too fast." 

That's what he's still trying to do, IMO, now that he's unexpectedly been elected president. He didn't know the first thing about what a president does, or how the government worked, he just knew that running for president would increase his media coverage and keep him in the spotlight. Now that he's won, he's as clueless as ever - but he's figured out ways to keep the money flowing into his pockets. Golfing at his own resorts, which costs us millions, while putting a good percentage of that money into his businesses. Foreign countries are sucking up by staying at his Washington hotel. Everything he does, tweets, and says is now front-page news. He's somehow got scores of people who would normally have looked down on him as a "stupid rich guy who thinks he's better than people who actually work for a living" adoring him, buying his merch, visiting his properties, donating to his campaign, etc. He's managing to convince these suckers he's on their side, when in reality he'd never set foot in their houses, be able to understand their situations and needs, and couldn't care less if they lived or died. I'd be willing to bet he's trying to use the position to pay off his foreign debts with favors rather than money.

How did we end up with a childish, demented, psychopathic, stupid mob boss in the white house?

[GreyhoundFan]

Good one from Adam. Unfortunately, Donnie Dumbass can't read and doesn't believe in facts, so it will have no effect.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

I know it's satire, but in this case, I wish it was the truth:

 

[fraurosena]

Sweet Rufus!

Thankfully he's recovering well.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

A good one from Jennifer Rubin: "If Republicans hate governing so much, they should leave"

Spoiler

Republicans, at least since Barack Obama’s presidency when they dragged their feet on raising the debt ceiling and revived government shutdowns as a political extortion, have cared far less about delivering good government (whether big or small) and more about white identity politics, stunts and outright hostility to government. Consider what is going on this week.

President Trump is refusing to do his job. His anger (or is it fear?) over legitimate congressional investigations prompted him to declare he’ll stop work on an infrastructure bill. Finally, Republicans have found a labor strike they support. The notion that Trump would punish Americans unless he was freed from investigation suggests he and we would be better off if he left office and got a pardon.

He’s not the only one avoiding work. The Hill reports:

The lack of floor action has left lawmakers publicly complaining, even though the high-profile feuding between President Trump and congressional Democrats makes it highly unlikely that large-scale bipartisan legislation will succeed heading into the 2020 elections.

Tensions boiled over onto the Senate floor this week when Sen. John [Neely] Kennedy (R-La.) knocked the slow start to the new Congress, characterizing lawmakers as having done “nothing, zilch, zero, nada.”

“I’m not saying we haven’t done anything. We have confirmed some very important nominees to the Trump administration, long overdue,” Kennedy said. “I’m saying we need to do more.”

Asked how he felt about the pace of legislation in the Senate this year, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) shot back: “What legislation?”

“So it’s pretty slow, isn’t it?” he asked

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has the nerve to suggest that if Republicans had the House — as they did for two years — they’d get a whole bunch of things done. Really?

This is preposterous. If Republicans do not like Democratic bills on health care, fighting corruption, prescription drugs, nondiscrimination, guns, the environment and more, they can amend them and send them back. Alternatively, they can start from scratch on their own legislation. Where’s the Senate bill on infrastructure, on prescription drugs or on ethics reform? Remember, they couldn’t even pass their own immigration bill in 2018.

And speaking of House Republicans, on Friday a lone Republican House member, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) (who learned his antics as a staffer for the best obstructionist, Sen. Ted Cruz) blocked a carefully crafted compromise on disaster relief. Disaster relief. The Post reports:

Roy said he was objecting to the bill because it would add to the country’s debt, as well as because it left out $4.4 billion in additional spending for federal operations along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“This is a bill that includes nothing to address the clear national emergency and humanitarian crisis we face at our southern border,” Roy said in a near empty House chamber, adding: “We’ve got emergency requests right now from the administration.”

Let’s put aside the fact that Republicans, in large part due to the tax cuts, have run up the debt. This is a stunt, pure and simple, that punishes victims of natural disasters:

Following Roy’s objection, the House ended its session. The House is set to have another “pro forma” session — one with few lawmakers present — on Tuesday, at which time they plan to again try to pass the legislation by unanimous consent.

“We’ll see,” Roy said when asked whether he would object again. “I have not decided what I’m going to do next week, but I also have a job to do back in Texas.”

That job must be something other than serving his constituents in the House. Regardless, he may need new employment after the next election:

“Texas gets money from this,” said House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) as he made an expression of disbelief. . . . The move puts [Roy] at odds with Trump, who publicly supported the deal Thursday, in a district where the president is popular among Republican primary voters. And Roy barely won his general election, with 50.2 percent of the vote. His district is rapidly becoming more suburban and is in a state that has recently benefited from billions of dollars in federal disaster funds following Hurricane Harvey and other floods.

And you wonder why Republicans are losing the suburbs.

Republicans don’t seems to know what they want to accomplish, and they wouldn’t know how to get it if they did. Republicans send demagogues to the House and Senate; they lack the interest and capacity to pass legislation that voters want (as we saw in the health-care fight). Apparently the fact that the 2018 midterms wiped out dozens of Republican House members, many from districts like Roy’s, made no impression on the survivors, whose arrogance is undiminished.

Republicans in the House and Senate who have become devoted to protecting Trump and gaining fame on Fox News rather than legislating and performing oversight should be fired. Since passing an incredibly unpopular tax bill, they’ve achieved virtually nothing (other than shutting down the government). Trump came to Washington, D.C., to blow things up, but Republicans have blown up the idea of public service and representative democracy. Those who think government should be accomplishing something for voters should drum them all out in 2020. Perhaps if they suffer utter annihilation they will rediscover their purpose, to serve voters and protect the Constitution, not to serve and protect Trump.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

I thought this was a good op-ed: "Pelosi is a dangerous foil for a president who operates on impulse"

Spoiler

There is something about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that allows her to unnerve President Trump as seemingly no one else can.

“I pray for the president of the United States,” she said on Thursday. “I wish that his family or his administration or his staff would have an intervention for the good of the country. Maybe he wants to take a leave of absence.”

The proof that she had hit the giant bull’s eye of Trump’s insecurities was his response: “I am an extremely stable genius.”

Exchanging insults with Trump is not an endeavor that is normally productive, as many others who tried it have found. But Pelosi is a dangerous foil for a president who operates on impulse and outburst. While Trump succeeds in making everyone else around him dizzy, Pelosi’s unique talent is an ability to keep her focus on the endgame.

Her current goal is to assure that the president vacates the Oval Office, as swiftly and as surely as possible.

That means Pelosi must do two things at once: Keep Trump off balance, and restrain those within her Democratic caucus who are urging a precipitous drive toward impeachment.

Pelosi knows that unless and until there is overwhelming, bipartisan support for such an effort, it will end with Trump’s acquittal in the Senate. And that would only help him win another four years in office. “He wants to be impeached so he can be exonerated by the Senate,” she told top Democrats in a private meeting. “His actions are villainous to the Constitution of the United States.”

The speaker argues for another course: Continuing congressional oversight and relying on the courts to provide air cover as six different House committees seek documents and testimony from a stonewalling administration. While not as gratifying to those who are eager to begin impeachment proceedings, and who argue that anything less is a dereliction of Congress’s duty to hold Trump accountable, it is the more likely path to defeating him in 2020.

The Democratic caucus would be wise to trust her instincts and experience.

Pelosi is patient, disciplined and resilient because she has had to be. No woman in U.S. history has ever risen to a more powerful office in government than the one in which Pelosi now sits for a second time.

In her first stint, congressional scholars say, Pelosi was among the most effective speakers in modern history. She masterfully engineered the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act, seizing an opportunity that she knew might never come again, even though she knew it was likely to cost the Democrats their majority.

All of this has not come without a price. Pelosi’s adversaries have caricatured and demonized her, and even some of her allies have dismissed her. In polls last year, negative feelings about her often exceeded positive ones by 25 percentage points or more. The speaker-in-waiting found herself the target of what she estimates were 137,000 Republican campaign ads.

Much of what she faced was blatantly sexist, mocking her looks and demeanor, but Pelosi was not rattled by any of it. Where Trump explodes if a fellow Republican says a word of criticism, Pelosi let it be known during the 2018 midterm elections that if Democratic candidates felt it would be politically advantageous to distance themselves from her, they should go right ahead.

Pelosi reclaimed the speaker’s gavel by doing what it took to win in congressional districts where she — and her liberal party — are not particularly popular. Those are the seats she knows she must protect in 2020.

So far, her strategy of keeping one foot on the congressional oversight accelerator while tapping the brakes on impeachment is winning.

The prospect of unending scrutiny is getting to Trump. On Wednesday, he abruptly blew up a meeting that had been scheduled with Pelosi and other congressional leaders to negotiate an infrastructure package and stalked out to the Rose Garden to whine that he could not work with Democrats unless they drop what he called “these phony investigations.”

Even more bizarre was a scene a day later when, during an appearance with farmers, the president bristled at Pelosi’s characterization of that aborted infrastructure meeting as a “temper tantrum,” and pressed five different White House aides to attest he had been “calm” in his three-minute session with the lawmakers.

By Thursday night, Trump and his allies were reduced to the shameless gambit of circulating doctored and heavily edited videos suggesting it was the speaker’s mental stability that should be questioned. “I’ve been watching her for a long period of time. She’s not the same person,” Trump said.

But that’s the thing. Pelosi is exactly who she has always been. What’s changed is that Trump is beginning to understand what that means.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Ted Lieu tells Sarah Slanders what we're all thinking:

 

[47of74]

The Fresno Grizzlies stepped in it up past their ears.

I pretty much told them and the Nationals their mealy mouthed apologies were insulting and insufficient and they needed to go fornicate themselves.

[fraurosena]

Rep. Justin Amash has another excellent thread, this time disparaging William Barr misleading the public about the Mueller report, going into facts of Barr's statements vs what the Mueller report actually said, and more.

Here's a link to the unrolled version: Justin Amash thread

[47of74]

Fuck the Fresno baseball team

Quote

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) hit back at a minor league baseball team that depicted her as an “enemy of freedom” in a Memorial Day tribute clip by revealing a regular morning ritual she goes through to ensure her safety.

The lawmaker on Tuesday responded to a controversial video that the Fresno Grizzlies aired at Chukchansi Park with a Twitter thread explaining how her life has changed due to “the flood of death threats” that those kind of “hateful messages” inspire.

“I‘ve had mornings where I wake up & the 1st thing I do w/ my coffee is review photos of the men (it’s always men) who want to kill me,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

“I don’t even get to see all of them,” she added in a follow-up tweet. “Just the ones that have been flagged as particularly troubling.”

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Hey @47of74, guess who's at it again? "Steve King: Presuming all cultures contribute equally to our civilization devalues the Founding Fathers"

Spoiler

Rep. Steve King, who earlier this year was condemned by his congressional peers for favorable comments about white supremacy, argued Tuesday that presuming all cultures are equal devalues the Founding Fathers.

The Iowa Republican made his latest comments during a tense exchange with a constituent at a town hall meeting.

Earlier, King bemoaned that people have lost their sense of humor. He mentioned that his Facebook page has a “warning banner,” for those who can’t take a joke. (It indeed says, “Posts may not be suitable for those without a sense of humor.”)

But Christina Russell, who lives in King’s district, challenged the congressman on the premise that his social media posts were funny.

“Making fun of brown people and criminalizing them, it’s not a joke; dehumanizing someone’s culture is not a joke. It’s not a sense of humor. I just want to clarify that for you. Dehumanizing the Mexican culture is not a joke,” said Russell, according to video of the event posted on King’s Facebook page.

King, after threatening to have her removed if she continued to speak over him, said he’s misunderstood because he’s never cared about race. He said he cares about culture and would continue to defend America’s.

“If we presume that every culture is equal and has an equal amount to contribute to our civilization, then we’re devaluing the contributions of the people that laid the foundation for America and that’s our Founding Fathers,” King said. “We need to hang on to those principles and restore them and refurbish the pillars of America exceptionalism.”

King did not immediately respond to a request from The Washington Post for comment.

In January, King was stripped of his committee assignments in Congress after an interview with the New York Times in which he said, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”

Asked about his cashiering, King called it “one of the most significant injustices that has ever taken place in Congress.”

He also doubled down on his claim that “white nationalism” wasn’t a loaded term until it was “weaponized” by the left in 2016.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the first known use of the term “white nationalist” was in 1970, and it means “one of a group of militant whites who espouse white supremacy and advocate enforced racial segregation.”

In March, King posted on Facebook an image of blue states fighting red states with the caption: “Folks keep talking about another Civil War. One side has about 8 trillion bullets, while the other side doesn’t know which bathroom to use.” King added his own commentary: “Wonder who would win...” with a winking emoji. He later deleted it.

But King told constituents that his critics are part of a “political lynch mob. You can’t reason with a lynch mob. You have to let their blood cool.”

Now that it has, he said, he’s going to start pushing to get his committee seats back.

 

[47of74]

2 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Hey @47of74, guess who's at it again? "Steve King: Presuming all cultures contribute equally to our civilization devalues the Founding Fathers"

  Hide contents

Rep. Steve King, who earlier this year was condemned by his congressional peers for favorable comments about white supremacy, argued Tuesday that presuming all cultures are equal devalues the Founding Fathers.

The Iowa Republican made his latest comments during a tense exchange with a constituent at a town hall meeting.

Earlier, King bemoaned that people have lost their sense of humor. He mentioned that his Facebook page has a “warning banner,” for those who can’t take a joke. (It indeed says, “Posts may not be suitable for those without a sense of humor.”)

But Christina Russell, who lives in King’s district, challenged the congressman on the premise that his social media posts were funny.

“Making fun of brown people and criminalizing them, it’s not a joke; dehumanizing someone’s culture is not a joke. It’s not a sense of humor. I just want to clarify that for you. Dehumanizing the Mexican culture is not a joke,” said Russell, according to video of the event posted on King’s Facebook page.

King, after threatening to have her removed if she continued to speak over him, said he’s misunderstood because he’s never cared about race. He said he cares about culture and would continue to defend America’s.

“If we presume that every culture is equal and has an equal amount to contribute to our civilization, then we’re devaluing the contributions of the people that laid the foundation for America and that’s our Founding Fathers,” King said. “We need to hang on to those principles and restore them and refurbish the pillars of America exceptionalism.”

King did not immediately respond to a request from The Washington Post for comment.

In January, King was stripped of his committee assignments in Congress after an interview with the New York Times in which he said, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”

Asked about his cashiering, King called it “one of the most significant injustices that has ever taken place in Congress.”

He also doubled down on his claim that “white nationalism” wasn’t a loaded term until it was “weaponized” by the left in 2016.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the first known use of the term “white nationalist” was in 1970, and it means “one of a group of militant whites who espouse white supremacy and advocate enforced racial segregation.”

In March, King posted on Facebook an image of blue states fighting red states with the caption: “Folks keep talking about another Civil War. One side has about 8 trillion bullets, while the other side doesn’t know which bathroom to use.” King added his own commentary: “Wonder who would win...” with a winking emoji. He later deleted it.

But King told constituents that his critics are part of a “political lynch mob. You can’t reason with a lynch mob. You have to let their blood cool.”

Now that it has, he said, he’s going to start pushing to get his committee seats back.

 

God I wish that fuck stick was on Free Jinger so I could burn out the fuck you reaction.  King makes us look like a bunch  of inbred Targaryen hicks who only have sex with farm animals or siblings.

Every time he speaks up I want to move the fuck out of Iowa.

BTW @GreyhoundFan thanks for the heads up.

Edited May 30, 2019 by 47of74

[GreyhoundFan]

Ted takes down Sarah Slanders:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

It's Thursday, so Repugs are being assholes: "House Republicans block $19.1 billion nationwide disaster aid bill for third time"

Spoiler

House conservatives blocked a bipartisan $19.1 billion disaster aid bill for the third time Thursday, once again thwarting Democrats’ efforts to pass the long-delayed legislation that is supported by President Trump.

The objection was voiced by freshman Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.) after Democrats sought to advance the legislation via unanimous consent. That’s a process that can be used to pass bills when the House is not in session — as it currently is not — as long as no lawmaker objects.

But Rose’s objection meant the bill that would deliver assistance to states and territories hard-hit by hurricanes, flooding and wildfires did not advance, just as happened twice in the past week with other conservative lawmakers stepping in to make the objection.

“Our nation is $22 trillion in debt,” Rose said in brief remarks in a nearly empty House chamber. He said trying to pass nearly $20 billion in new spending was “another act of irresponsible big government.”

The conservatives say that such a significant piece of legislation should be debated and voted in full, not rushed through with the House out of session. Rose called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to bring lawmakers back to Washington during the weeklong Memorial Day recess.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who was the first to hold up the bill last week, also complained because the bill excluded a separate emergency spending request for the border that the administration had asked for. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) blocked the bill on Tuesday.

The conservatives’ stance has angered Democrats and fellow Republicans alike, who have been trying for months to reach agreement on the legislation. But the hang-up is destined to be short-lived since the House will come back into session next week at which point Democratic leaders plan to bring the bill up and pass it under ordinary procedures.

Much of the months-long delay on the bill stemmed from a protracted fight between Trump and Democrats over increasing aid to Puerto Rico, which ultimately gets more than $900 million in the bill.

Trump voiced support for the final bill after it passed the Senate last week. Nonetheless, the White House has not publicly criticized the conservatives who have blocked it from advancing.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway blamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday when asked about the lawmakers who had blocked the bill.

“They object to Speaker Pelosi and the way she runs the House,” Conway said, criticizing Pelosi for not having members in session often enough. She reiterated that Trump intends to sign the bill if it reaches his desk.

Pelosi criticized the Republicans who were obstacles to swift passage of the measure.

“The heartlessness of House Republicans knows no bounds,” Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday. “House Republicans need to immediately end this shameful sabotage, and allow the House to pass the bill that the bipartisan Senate has finally agreed to.”

Of course K-Con blames Nancy Pelosi.

[GreyhoundFan]

On 5/28/2019 at 2:02 PM, 47of74 said:

The Fresno Grizzlies stepped in it up past their ears.
<snip>
I pretty much told them and the Nationals their mealy mouthed apologies were insulting and insufficient and they needed to go fornicate themselves.

The Grizzlies lost a major sponsor.

Spoiler

A major sponsor with deep local roots has ended its partnership with the Fresno Grizzlies after the minor league baseball team aired a Memorial Day video that included Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) among America’s “enemies of freedom” — alongside North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and the late Cuban president Fidel Castro.

The raisin company Sun-Maid confirmed through a spokeswoman that it is terminating its sponsorship of the Grizzlies after the team showed the video at Chukchansi Park on Monday.

“This decision is not meant to provide any political perspective whatsoever,” Sun-Maid said in a statement to The Washington Post. “It doesn’t matter which end of the political spectrum you’re on; we have taken this action as we simply believe this is the right thing to do.”

“We have discussed our position with Grizzlies management and wish them well as they manage through this matter,” Sun-Maid said.

The Grizzlies declined to comment on Sun-Maid’s announcement.

The Fresno Bee reported Wednesday that Sun-Maid said in a separate statement that the company was “deeply disappointed” by the incident and did “not support the views or sentiments expressed in the video.”

The decision hits close to home: Sun-Maid has deep roots in California’s San Joaquin Valley region, having been founded in Fresno in 1912. The company recently announced it would be moving its headquarters back to the city from nearby Kingsburg, Calif., where it has been based since 1964.

The Memorial Day montage featured excerpts from President Ronald Reagan’s first inaugural address and moving images of American veterans who fought in several wars. But in the video’s final moments, as the former commander in chief intoned, “for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people,” images of anti-fascist protesters, dictators and Ocasio-Cortez appeared on screen.

The backlash was swift, and the Grizzlies apologized.

But Ocasio-Cortez responded by saying that videos such as the one played by the team often lead to death threats and hateful messages.

What people don’t (maybe do) realize is when orgs air these hateful messages, my life changes bc of the flood of death threats they inspire.

I‘ve had mornings where I wake up & the 1st thing I do w/ my coffee is review photos of the men (it’s always men) who want to kill me. https://t.co/hiYbPghad7

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 28, 2019

The Grizzlies, the Class AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals, said in a statement early Tuesday that team officials had not seen the full video before showing it at the stadium. The team apologized for not properly vetting the video and for taking attention away from veterans.

“A pre-produced video from outside our front office was selected; unfortunately what was supposed to be a moving tribute ended with some misleading and offensive editing, which made a statement that was not our intent and certainly not our opinion,” the Grizzlies said.

The team said it was “embarrassed” and “will ensure that nothing like it ever happens again.”

In a subsequent email to The Washington Post, team spokesman Paul Braverman said the staff member responsible for the video was “remorseful” and confirmed the club was conducting an internal review of the incident.

The Post reported Thursday that the investigation detailed how a longtime team employee selected a YouTube video the employee had used for years. This version of the video, however, had apparently been edited to include footage of Ocasio-Cortez, and the employee did not watch the entire video, according to the team.

The employee “has been reprimanded,” according to the Grizzlies.

The Washington Nationals are comfortable with the results of an internal investigation, according to a person with direct knowledge of the Nationals’ thinking. The Nationals vetted the Grizzlies’ new internal protocols to ensure something similar never happens again, according to that person.

According to the team website, the Grizzlies still maintain sponsorships from Tecate beer, Coca-Cola and the Fresno Bee. Another tier of “major partners” includes brands such as Toyota and Dos Equis.

The employee should have been terminated, not reprimanded.

[47of74]

15 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

The Grizzlies lost a major sponsor.

  Reveal hidden contents

A major sponsor with deep local roots has ended its partnership with the Fresno Grizzlies after the minor league baseball team aired a Memorial Day video that included Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) among America’s “enemies of freedom” — alongside North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and the late Cuban president Fidel Castro.

The raisin company Sun-Maid confirmed through a spokeswoman that it is terminating its sponsorship of the Grizzlies after the team showed the video at Chukchansi Park on Monday.

“This decision is not meant to provide any political perspective whatsoever,” Sun-Maid said in a statement to The Washington Post. “It doesn’t matter which end of the political spectrum you’re on; we have taken this action as we simply believe this is the right thing to do.”

“We have discussed our position with Grizzlies management and wish them well as they manage through this matter,” Sun-Maid said.

The Grizzlies declined to comment on Sun-Maid’s announcement.

The Fresno Bee reported Wednesday that Sun-Maid said in a separate statement that the company was “deeply disappointed” by the incident and did “not support the views or sentiments expressed in the video.”

The decision hits close to home: Sun-Maid has deep roots in California’s San Joaquin Valley region, having been founded in Fresno in 1912. The company recently announced it would be moving its headquarters back to the city from nearby Kingsburg, Calif., where it has been based since 1964.

The Memorial Day montage featured excerpts from President Ronald Reagan’s first inaugural address and moving images of American veterans who fought in several wars. But in the video’s final moments, as the former commander in chief intoned, “for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people,” images of anti-fascist protesters, dictators and Ocasio-Cortez appeared on screen.

The backlash was swift, and the Grizzlies apologized.

But Ocasio-Cortez responded by saying that videos such as the one played by the team often lead to death threats and hateful messages.

What people don’t (maybe do) realize is when orgs air these hateful messages, my life changes bc of the flood of death threats they inspire.

I‘ve had mornings where I wake up & the 1st thing I do w/ my coffee is review photos of the men (it’s always men) who want to kill me. https://t.co/hiYbPghad7

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 28, 2019

The Grizzlies, the Class AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals, said in a statement early Tuesday that team officials had not seen the full video before showing it at the stadium. The team apologized for not properly vetting the video and for taking attention away from veterans.

“A pre-produced video from outside our front office was selected; unfortunately what was supposed to be a moving tribute ended with some misleading and offensive editing, which made a statement that was not our intent and certainly not our opinion,” the Grizzlies said.

The team said it was “embarrassed” and “will ensure that nothing like it ever happens again.”

In a subsequent email to The Washington Post, team spokesman Paul Braverman said the staff member responsible for the video was “remorseful” and confirmed the club was conducting an internal review of the incident.

The Post reported Thursday that the investigation detailed how a longtime team employee selected a YouTube video the employee had used for years. This version of the video, however, had apparently been edited to include footage of Ocasio-Cortez, and the employee did not watch the entire video, according to the team.

The employee “has been reprimanded,” according to the Grizzlies.

The Washington Nationals are comfortable with the results of an internal investigation, according to a person with direct knowledge of the Nationals’ thinking. The Nationals vetted the Grizzlies’ new internal protocols to ensure something similar never happens again, according to that person.

According to the team website, the Grizzlies still maintain sponsorships from Tecate beer, Coca-Cola and the Fresno Bee. Another tier of “major partners” includes brands such as Toyota and Dos Equis.

The employee should have been terminated, not reprimanded.

They lost another sponsor

Quote

A second company has cut ties with a California minor league baseball team that played a Memorial Day video that included an image of Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with images of Kim Jong Un and Fidel Castro.

The Fresno Bee reports Heineken International confirmed Thursday it ended its relationship with the Fresno Grizzlies. The company’s Dos Equis and Tecate beer brands sponsored the team.

 

[LeftCoastLurker]

So I guess that means raisins and beer are on my shopping list for next week!

[47of74]

So I guess that means raisins and beer are on my shopping list for next week!

Yeah stay thirsty my friend.

[GreyhoundFan]

"It wasn’t a milkshaking, but Rep. Matt Gaetz got hit with a flying drink"

Spoiler

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) was hit with an unidentified beverage as he was exiting a town hall in Pensacola on Saturday.

Amanda Leigh Kondrat’yev, 35, was arrested and charged with battery for allegedly throwing the drink at the congressman. She was released on bond Sunday.

The fracas occurred outside Brew Ha Ha restaurant, where Gaetz was completing a stop on his “Won’t Back Down” town hall series. As he headed back to his vehicle, a police officer saw a clear plastic cup containing red liquid fly through the air from a crowd of protesters and strike the congressman on the torso, according to a police report. A witness helped authorities identify Kondrat’yev as the suspect.

A video of the incident obtained by NBC affiliate WSAV shows a handful of sign-waving protesters surrounding Gaetz as a cup arcs through the air and lands on him.

Some social media users speculated that Gaetz had been the latest victim of “milkshaking,” a rising British protest trend that involves throwing milkshakes at controversial or right-wing politicians, particularly Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage.

“No, it was not a milkshake,” Mike Wood, the Pensacola police department’s public information officer, told The Washington Post. “I can just tell you it was a red liquid, a Hawaiian Punch or something like that.”

Responding to the incident on social media, Gaetz thanked police and vowed to not back down. The congressman had not suffered any injuries, according to his office.

“All people are invited to participate in our #OpenGaetz town hall events regardless of viewpoint,” Gaetz’s office said in a statement. “If anyone assaults anyone else, they can expect to be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law to ensure the security of all law-abiding participants. We continue to express our deep gratitude to the brave law enforcement officials who always keep our events and our community safe.”

According to Ballotpedia, Kondrat’yev ran against Gaetz in a 2016 House primary before withdrawing before the filing deadline, though her name does not appear in official state records. She had held a sign reading “Gaetz — wipe the blood from your hands, A+ rating — NRA, save our kids, vote Gaetz out in 2020” as she as arrested Saturday, according to a police report.

She started a fundraiser for her legal fees on Facebook, writing, “Not sure how much court stuff costs but I was charged with Battery today for allegedly milkshaking Congressman Matt Gaetz. Funds will be used for court and related expenses unless donors specify otherwise.” She has raised about half of her $2,000 goal so far.

Kondrat’yev could not immediately be reached for comment.

Gaetz, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, has raised his visibility by advocating for conservative policies and as a vocal supporter of President Trump in Congress and on Fox News.

The assault on Gaetz drew parallels to other liquid-related protests playing out across the Atlantic. Ahead of the European Parliament elections in late May, British politician Nigel Farage was struck with a banana-and-salted-caramel milkshake from Five Guys. The alleged thrower, Paul Crowther, was charged with simple assault and will appear in court.

Days later, Farage was trapped on a campaign bus after it was surrounded by a milkshake-bearing mob, dressed in black. Other controversial politicians were also struck with the blended beverages in the lead-up to the elections.

The milkshake has emerged as a frothy symbol of resistance in Britain. A Facebook group called “Milkshakes Against Racism” has more than 20,000 followers and declares that “the revolution will be pasteurized.”

A Facebook event called “Milkshakes Against Trump Bloc” calls for protesters against “Fascism and the far right” to gather in London’s Trafalgar Square on Tuesday as President Trump visits the U.K. this week.

The organizers warned protesters that it would be a “lighthearted get together” where violence and illegal activities would not be condoned, before declaring, “Peace and pasteurized freedom!”

I wouldn't have thrown anything at him, but I would have gladly flipped him off with both hands.

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Finally! About time.

 

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Fuck.

This is the first tweet in a short thread explaining the ruling.

Of course it is a Trump appointed judge.

 

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AOC is killing it in the House.

 

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