Replies to post #420273 on Tornado Alley (PROG)

[brooklyn13]

I think a case can be made that the brain dead have been a majority of the Republican primary electorate since, and including, the candidacy of Ronnie Raygun.

And what a nasty piece of work he was. Went from being a union president to busting unions, went from working with tons of gay people in Hollywood to being a homophobic shit heel - all for personal gain. And no one's explained satisfactorily how he ever managed to afford to buy a big ranch in some of the most expensive real estate in the country.

"it wasn't until September 1985, four years after the crisis began, that President Ronald Reagan first publicly mentioned AIDS."

https://www.history.com/news/aids-epidemic-ronald-reagan

https://lithub.com/ronald-reagan-presided-over-89343-deaths-to-aids-and-did-nothing/

[fuagf]

Clearly, the plan to subvert the democratic process in the USA is being steadily put into place.

---
From yours:
"An election denier prevailed in the attorney general primary, too. And Arizona Republicans, by a large margin, chose as their nominee for secretary of state — the person in charge of elections — one Mark Finchem, a man who:
P - Was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 (he says he didn’t go inside) and is a self-proclaimed member of the Oath Keepers, the extremist militia group whose leaders are facing charges of seditious conspiracy in the coup attempt.
P - Is a QAnon conventiongoer who called the coronavirus vaccine a “crime against humanity” and the pandemic itself a “manufactured illusion.”
P - Touted his endorsement by the antisemitic head of far-right social media site Gab, and claimed that the violent, neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville in 2017 had “Deep State PSYOP written all over it.”
P - Was Arizona coordinator of the Coalition of Western States, which supported the armed (and ultimately violent) occupation of federal land in Oregon in 2016.
P - Played a key role in the Trump campaign’s fake-elector scheme in Arizona, attempted to decertify the election results, wants to outlaw voting machines and empower state legislators to overturn elections, and has called for the arrests of the current secretary of state and of his Democratic opponent.
P -It was bound to happen sooner or later. After several years in which the Republican establishment admitted more and more extremists into the mainstream, the lunatic fringe has now become the establishment. With Arizona’s Republican primary voters nominating a full slate of election saboteurs, it cannot be denied that democracy is on the ballot in November.
P - And this isn’t just happening in Arizona. Even before Tuesday’s primaries, six election deniers had already prevailed in gubernatorial primaries this year, according to a tally by the States United Democracy Center. (This includes Doug Mastriano, GOP gubernatorial nominee in Pennsylvania, who crossed police barricades at the Capitol on Jan. 6.) Another five election deniers won primaries for attorney general, and five have advanced to general elections for secretary of state. Those numbers will grow as the primary season advances.
P - The Republican National Committee is working with prominent election conspiracy theorist Cleta Mitchell to coach thousands of poll workers in battleground states, Heidi Przybyla reports in Politico. As Cook Political Report election analyst Dave Wasserman notes, at least seven of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former president Donald Trump over the Jan. 6 insurrection will have retired or been defeated."
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A few earlier posts on the conservative attempt to subvert and essentially eliminate the democratic
process in the USA. Putin and other autocratic leaders are cheering the American Republicans on.

Att: Stolen electionites - There Is More Than One Big Lie
[...]
A third of Americans — and a majority of Republicans — believe the Big Lie, but the disparate theories include the flawed-but-plausible, the unlikely and the illogical. While no two Big Lie theories are identical in composition, they do share commonality in function. In-depth polling and academic research reveal belief in the Big Lie is incredibly resilient and incredibly influential, swaying the creation of new voting laws .. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-big-lie-voting-laws/ .. and shaping election campaigns .. https://www.salon.com/2022/02/07/more-than-80-pro-deniers-are-running-for-key-state-offices/ .. for 2022 and beyond.
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=168646887

‘It’s going to be an army’: Tapes reveal GOP plan to contest elections
"Exclusive: Michigan widens probe into voting system breaches by Trump allies "
Placing operatives as poll workers and building a "hotline" to friendly attorneys
are among the strategies to be deployed in Michigan and other swing states.
June, 2022 - https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=169082633

Far-Right Infiltrators and Agitators in George Floyd Protests: Indicators of White Supremacists
"rooster, restripe, AP finds most arrested in protests aren’t leftist radicals[/b]"
Related: Leaked Documents Show Police Knew Far-Right Extremists Were the Real Threat at Protests, Not “Antifa”
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=157167231
[...]
Similarly accelerationists hope .. http://10.10.0.46/data-production/%5bhttps:/www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/11/11/20882005/accelerationism-white-supremacy-christchurch .. to “demolish the state apparatus that stands between them and a white-dominated future.” And the White Supremacists here could be of a different orientation too – organized to discredit the protestors with no clear or deliberate vision for greater political change in mind.
P - Bellingcat has documented...
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=168788204

‘I’ll Stand on the Side of Russia’: Pro-Putin Sentiment Spreads Online
After marinating in conspiracy theories and Donald J. Trump’s Russia stance, some online discourse about Vladimir Putin has grown more complimentary.
[...]
Right-wing commentators including Candace Owens, Stew Peters and Joe Oltmann also jumped into the fray online with posts that were favorable to Mr. Putin and that rationalized his actions against Ukraine. “I’ll stand on the side of Russia right now ..

Much of Colorado's far right is defending Russia's attack on Ukraine, which they consider a deep state puppet complicit in election fraud.

Here's FEC United's Joe Oltmann minutes ago: "I'll stand on the side of Russia right now, 100%, two times on Sunday." pic.twitter.com/N1VpeA1QRQ

— Chase Woodruff (@dcwoodruff) February 24, 2022

,” Mr. Oltmann, a conservative podcaster, said on his show this week.
[...]
The positive Russia comments are an extension of the culture wars and grievance politics that have animated the right in the United States in the past few years. In some of these circles, Mr. Putin carries a strongman appeal, viewed as someone who gets his way and does not let political correctness stop him.
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=168637400

The process of establishing a Putin-like situation in the USA rolls on.

Report shows the extent of Republican efforts to sabotage democracy
"Trump’s attempted coup continues – even after January 6 hearings are over for now
"Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun
[...]They are driving out or stripping power from election officials who refused to go along with the plot last November, aiming to replace them with exponents of the Big Lie. They are fine-tuning a legal argument that purports to allow state legislators to override the choice of the voters. "
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=169556889

[fuagf]

Results from primaries in Arizona, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri and Washington.

"In the GOP, the paranoid fringe is becoming the establishment"

Maggie Astor
Aug. 3, 2022

Voters in five states with major primary contests went to the polls on Tuesday. Here’s a rundown of some of the most important wins and losses so far.

Arizona

* Democrats nominated Secretary of State Katie Hobbs for governor .. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/02/us/elections-arizona-primary-michigan#katie-hobbs-arizona-governor . The Republican primary had not been called yet.

* The Trump-endorsed venture capitalist Blake Masters won .. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/02/us/elections-arizona-primary-michigan#blake-masters-arizona-senate-trump .. the Republican primary to challenge Senator Mark Kelly, the Democratic incumbent. Mr. Masters defeated Mark Brnovich, the Arizona attorney general, and Jim Lamon, an Army veteran and former solar energy business owner.

* State Representative Mark Finchem .. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/01/us/politics/mark-finchem-arizona-elections.html , a Trump endorsee and 2020 election denier who is affiliated with the far-right Oath Keepers militia group and marched to the Capitol on Jan. 6, won the G.O.P. nomination for secretary of state against three lesser-known candidates.

* Rusty Bowers, the Arizona House speaker who drew Trump supporters’ fury for resisting efforts to overturn the 2020 election and for testifying before the Jan. 6 congressional committee, lost a State Senate primary to David Farnsworth, who was endorsed by Mr. Trump.

Kansas

* Voters rejected a constitutional amendment .. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/02/us/kansas-abortion-rights-vote.html .. that would have allowed lawmakers to restrict or ban abortion; it was the first referendum on the issue since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The result, in a conservative state, was a major victory for supporters of abortion rights.

* Derek Schmidt, the Kansas attorney general, won the Republican primary .. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/02/us/elections-arizona-primary-michigan#derek-schmidt-laura-kelly-kansas-governor .. for governor and will challenge Gov. Laura Kelly, the Democratic incumbent.

* Secretary of State Scott J. Schwab, a Republican who rejected Mr. Trump’s false claims of voter fraud, beat back a primary challenge from Mike Brown, a former county commissioner in the Kansas City suburbs who has promoted those claims.

* Kris Kobach, the hard-right former Kansas secretary of state, won the Republican nomination for attorney general .. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/02/us/elections-arizona-primary-michigan#kris-kobach-kansas-attorney-general , a political comeback after unsuccessful runs for Senate and governor.

* Amanda Adkins won the Republican primary to challenge Representative Sharice Davids, a vulnerable Democrat, in a rematch of a 2020 race that Ms. Adkins lost.

Michigan

* Tudor Dixon, who was backed by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, won the Republican primary for .. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/02/us/politics/tudor-dixon-michigan.html .. and will face the Democratic incumbent, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in the fall. Ms. Dixon defeated several other Republicans, including Ryan Kelley, who faces misdemeanor charges in connection with the Capitol riot.

* Representative Peter Meijer — one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Mr. Trump, three of whom faced primaries on Tuesday — lost to a Trump-backed challenger .. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/02/us/elections-arizona-primary-michigan/peter-meijer-concedes-michigan? , John Gibbs. The race was called by The Associated Press early Wednesday. Mr. Gibbs, whom Democrats sought to help in hopes that he would be easier to beat in November, will face the Democratic nominee, Hillary Scholten, in a competitive general election.

* Representative Haley Stevens handily beat Representative Andy Levin .. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/02/us/elections-arizona-primary-michigan#andy-levin-haley-stevens-michigan .. in the Democratic primary in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. The incumbent-on-incumbent race in a new (and safely blue) district drew heavy spending from pro-Israel groups.

* Paul Junge, a former TV news anchor and prosecutor who worked in the Trump administration, won the Republican primary in the Eighth District and will face Representative Dan Kildee, a vulnerable Democratic incumbent.

* State Representative Shri Thanedar topped a crowded Democratic primary field in the 13th District, narrowly beating the second-place finisher, State Senator Adam Hollier, .. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/01/us/politics/michigan-primary-democrat-adam-hollier.html .. who would have been the first Black Native American in Congress.

Missouri

* Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the Republican nomination for Senate .. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/02/us/politics/missouri-senate-schmitt.html — beating 20 other Republicans, including the scandal-plagued former Gov. Eric Greitens .. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/29/us/eric-greitens-resigns.html — and is likely to coast to victory in November to replace Senator Roy Blunt, who is retiring. It was a relief for party officials who had feared that a Greitens nomination would give Democrats a shot at a solidly red seat.

* Mark Alford, a former Kansas City news anchorman, won the Republican primary in Missouri’s Fourth Congressional District to replace Representative Vicky Hartzler, who left her safe Republican seat to run unsuccessfully for Senate.

* Eric Burlison, a state senator backed by the conservative Club for Growth, is the Republican nominee to replace Representative Billy Long, another unsuccessful Senate candidate, in the Seventh District.

Washington

* Representative Kim Schrier, a Democrat, easily advanced to the general election in the Eighth Congressional District. Her Republican opponent is to be determined.

Maggie Astor is a reporter covering live news and U.S. politics. She has also reported on climate, the coronavirus and disinformation. @MaggieAstor

Midterms 2022 >

Kansas votes to preserve abortion rights protections in its constitution.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/02/us/kansas-abortion-rights-vote.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&module=&state=default®ion=footer&context=breakout_link_back_to_briefing

Election victories by Trump allies showcased his grip on the G.O.P. base.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/03/us/politics/primaries-trump-republicans.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&module=&state=default®ion=footer&context=breakout_link_back_to_briefing

Peter Meijer’s defeat in Michigan shows Republican intolerance for Trump’s antagonists.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/03/us/politics/peter-meijer-michigan.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&module=&state=default®ion=footer&context=breakout_link_back_to_briefing

A Jan. 6 witness censured by the G.O.P. loses an Arizona primary to Trump’s pick.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/02/us/elections-arizona-primary-michigan/rusty-bowers-arizona-jan-6?action=click&pgtype=Article&module=&state=default®ion=footer&context=breakout_link_back_to_briefing

Blake Masters, backed by Trump, wins the G.O.P. nomination for Senate in Arizona.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/02/us/elections-arizona-primary-michigan/blake-masters-arizona-senate-trump?action=click&pgtype=Article&module=&state=default®ion=footer&context=breakout_link_back_to_briefing

The Implications of Overturning Roe v. Wade .. [links inside]

Medication Abortions: Demand for abortion pills is surging, setting the stage for new legal battles. For now, it is still legal in most states to receive abortion medication by mail and pharmacies risk violating federal civil rights law if they refuse to fill a prescription for abortion pills.

Plan B: In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling, many women are stocking up on so-called morning-after pills. Here’s how these differ from abortion pills.

I.V.F.: Legal experts say the end of Roe could make it easier to place restrictions on genetic testing, storage and disposal of the embryos created outside the womb.

Contraceptive Pills: The Food and Drug Administration’s first application for a birth control pill that would not require a prescription has taken on new meaning after the Supreme Court decision.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/03/us/politics/primary-elections-winners-losers.html