2020 Election

Quite Ridiculous

/ Doug Krile / Leave a comment

Man, Tucker, just dip back into realilty

Fox’s Tucker Carlson said he would not show a single clip from the speech because it was “awful and weird.” Carlson claimed that Jan. 6 “barely rates as a footnote” as a historical event and claimed “really not a lot happened that day.” (Let that sink in.)

Such a nice young man…

‘That’s not stealing you idiot’: Rand Paul slammed for attack on absentee ballots

/ Doug Krile / Leave a comment

When the dumb get dumber…

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) came under withering criticism on Monday afternoon after he attacked the use of absentee ballots in a tweet linking to a piece in the American Conservative.The Kentucky Republican selected a quote from the piece that stated, “Seeding an area heavy with potential Democratic vote…
— Read on www.rawstory.com/rand-paul-2656170282/

NOT an Onion story…”Secret Service paid $3,000 a month for a bathroom near Jared and Ivanka’s D.C. home” – The Washington Post

/ Doug Krile / Leave a comment

Instructed not to use any of the half-dozen bathrooms inside the couple’s D.C. home, the Secret Service detail assigned to protect the lives of President Trump’s daughter and son-in-law spent months searching for a reliable restroom. The solution was costly.
— Read on www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/14/secret-service-bathroom-ivanka-trump-jared-kushner/

Awful, Awful Day

/ Doug Krile / Leave a comment

America is experiencing one of the worst days in history. A forever mark on our heritage and history. I’m sharing just a snapshot from my Twitter feed, a feed that hasn’t stopped moving all day. Consider all this in one afternoon.

Thanks to video, there are actions and inactions that cannot be denied or defended. I hope we CAN return to some sense of normalcy. I’m just not sure what that will be.

‘Dumbest member of Congress’ Louis Gohmert mocked for ‘insane’ lawsuit against Mike Pence

/ Doug Krile / Leave a comment

This beyond insane.

Trump-loving Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) on Monday filed a lawsuit against Vice President Mike Pence in the latest desperate bid to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Gohmert’s lawsuit against Pence asks a Trump-appointed judge to rule that the vice president is authorized to …
— Read on www.rawstory.com/louie-gohmert-pence-lawsuit/

Absentee Voting

/ Doug Krile / Leave a comment

We dropped off our absentee ballots at the drive-through location today. What an absolutely perfect experience! There was nobody ahead of us, we just handed our ballots to the friendly poll worker. She checked our ID’s, we signed the log sheet, she gave us our ”I voted” stickers, and we drove off. Total time, less than 5 minutes! Voting should ALWAYS be this easy! Everywhere!

The Ultimate List…at Least Up to Now

/ Doug Krile / Leave a comment

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (1). Here’s a thread for anyone who’s been conned into believing Donald Trump cares about the US military or our troops.

-Faked a disability 5 times to avoid a war he didn’t oppose
-5 non-rich guys went to Vietnam in his place
-Tried to kick homeless vets off 5th Ave

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (2)
-Stole from vets via his fraud online U
-Lied about donating $1 million to veterans’ nonprofits
-Said he’d make troops commit war crimes
-Pardoned a guy who committed war crimes
-Falsely claimed he signed Vets’ Choice into law
-Insulted POWs
-Insulted Gold Star Families

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (3)
-Fined for misusing funds from 2016 Vets fundraiser
-Called Generals “dopes & babies”
-Falsely accused US service members of stealing funds for Iraqi reconstruction
-Deployed 5,600 soldiers to the border in a midterm election stunt

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (4)
-Personally insulted Generals Allen, Mattis, Kelly, Powell, McChrystal; Purple Heart recipients Mueller & Vindman, & Admiral McRaven
-lied about donating $6 million to veterans groups in 2016
-Sided with Putin against all branches of military intelligence

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (5)
-Blew off Veterans Day cemetery ceremony in France bc it was raining.
-What he said to Myeshia Johnson, widow of ambushed Sgt. La David Johnson. Not gonna repeat it.
-He’s trying to cut SNAP. Do you understand how much that hurts military families & vets?

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (6)
-His budget seeks to cut medicaid. Do you understand how much this hurts military families & vets?
-Froze pay for all Fed agencies via Executive Order – Fed workforce is 31% veteran, approx 623k vets
-Undid regulations on predatory lenders who target military members

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (7)
-He’s trying to destroy the Post Office, which employs thousands of veterans
-Declared a fake national emergency to divert billions from the Pentagon to fund a wall he lied that Mexico would pay for
-Downplayed & trivialized troops w/traumatic brain injuries in Jan 2020

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (8)
-Insulted troops with PTSD
-Used the national guard to tear gas US protestors so he could be photographed w/an upside down bible
-Forced West Point cadets to travel back for graduation during a plague, endangering their health & the health of their families, for a photo-op

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (9)
-Said 26,000 military sexual assaults were to be ‘expected’ bc America lets women serve
-announced that transgender troops could no longer serve, via a tweet, without informing the Pentagon.
-Invited the Taliban to Camp David on the anniversary of 9/11

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (10)
-claimed, stupidly, that his military budget made up for his lack of military experience
-Told wife #2 he’d disown their daughter if she entered the service
-remember his fake ‘veterans hotline?’ https://www.theblaze.com/news/2016/02/16/heres-what-happens-if-you-call-the-veterans-hotline-donald-trump-set-up-in-2015?fbclid=IwAR3g6ORxJmg7sALNtBz2Foq6QOYAgruPfFi8EZK5g3vBNsL0hpdN_D78aGA

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (11)
-Lied to US troops in Iraq that he’d given them their 1st pay raise in over a decade
-Trump Institute fired a vet for ‘absences’ after he was deployed to Afghanistan
-Claimed if an armored Humvee was hit by an IED, soldiers “go for a little ride upward & they come down.”

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (12)
-blamed military leaders for the deadly failed Yemen mission he approved
-He can’t stop defending the Confederacy
-said his expensive prep school gave him “more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military.”

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (13)
-attacked Navy Captain Crozier, who sounded COVID alarm for his sick sailors
-used military against peaceful protests by citizens of color
-Had gov’t give hydroxychloroquine to 1300 vets w/COVID-19 despite evidence it was dangerous
-didn’t know what happened at Pearl Harbor

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (14)
-pulled out of Syria w/no notice, abandoning US allies
-Russia posted footage of Syrian base, built by US, that they now own
-exploited 4 murdered Americans in #Benghazi for crass political purposes, after his own party had cleared the Obama WH in multiple investigations

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (15)
-He keeps trying to destroy NATO
-BC of his govt shutdown, members of US military worked w/out pay for the 1st time
-No Other President Would Have Survived Defrauding Veterans’ Charities

No Other President Would Have Survived Defrauding Veterans’ Charities

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (16)
-Said in 2018 that he was too busy to visit the troops: “I don’t think it’s overly necessary”
-Ordered Navy to Strip Medals From Prosecutors in Eddie Gallagher’s War Crimes Trial, even though Gallagher was extremely guilty.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (17)
Now this. Read it to a #maga or #kag loved one

-Putin is financing the murder of our troops & Trump can’t stop siding with him.
-Russia bought the murder of our soldiers.
-Trump has known for months and has chosen to say and do NOTHING about it.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (18)

The Pentagon & cabinet presented him with many options:
-a diplomatic complaint to Moscow
-a demand that they stop offering bounties for murder of US troops stop
-an escalating series of sanctions

Trump has refused to say or do anything.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (19)

Trump stood in front of the West Point graduates after forcing their families to risk their health.

He knew that Putin, who owns his debt via Deutsche Bank, was paying Islamic militants for murdering US troops.

He gave his speech and did nothing.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (20)
Well, that’s not actually fair.
Trump did a few things after learning Putin was paying for dead US troops in Afghanistan.

He lobbied other countries for Russia to be let back into the G7.

He also talked to Putin June 1.
Days later he signed off on a plan….

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (21)
…to permanently withdraw up to 1/3 of the approx 34k U.S. troops currently based in Germany.

Which is part of Putin’s dream of dismantling NATO.

DT never told Germany he was going to do this.

Oh, and in May he withdrew from the Open Skies treaty, like Putin wanted.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (22)
Trump did Putin’s bidding in Syria this year.

He abandoned our Kurdish allies to slaughter.

They fought by our side and died bc they trusted our leadership.

He then handed over a US military base in Syria to Russian soldiers, to the delight of Russian news media

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (23)
Remember Helsinki?
He groveled before Putin & asserted that Russia didn’t interfere in the US election?

And he trusts Vlad over all US military intelligence?

“He just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be”

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/16/politics/donald-trump-putin-helsinki-summit/index.html

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (24)
Then, days later, said he wasn’t being servile to Putin and we all just didn’t understand what he said?

“I realized that there is a need for some clarification…The sentence should have been…’I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia.'”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/24-hours-later-trump-claims-he-misspoke-helsinki-meant-say-n892166

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (25)
Well in May 2020, on a phone call with V/Putin, Trump told him the investigation into Russian interference in the election was a “hoax.”

Again, he chose Putin over US military intelligence.

He had known about Putin’s boutny on the heads of US troops for almost 2 months.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (26)
But even during the period where DT officially accepted the Russian attack on our election he:

-still wouldn’t hold them accountable
-refused to take any action on Russian interference in our next election.
-turned a blind eye to the growing Russian cyber action in the U.S.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (27)
But this thread isn’t about Putin; or Trump’s corruption, racism, ignorance, his record of sexual assaults, his incompetence, or the vast amount of things he’s been wrong about.

This is just about his despicable treatment of the US Armed Forces.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (28)
-He said “our military is a joke” in a 2016 debate w/HRC
-He fired Lt Col Vindman for doing his duty
-He fired Vindman’s brother for being Vindman’s brother
-Plans to de-fund Stars & Stripes
-He made our military stand down & watch allies be slaughtered & our base overrun

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (29)
-Had military pit stops in Ireland go hours out of their way to stay at his resort so our tax$ would be pumped into his property
-His stupid wall-based 2017 govt shutdown hurt vets & made veteran memorials unavailable to public.
-He bloody saluted a North Korean general

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (29)
But there’s no greater proof of his indifference to the troops he uses as props than what happened in Niger.

On 10/4/17 4 US service members died in Niger.

It took Trump 12 days to comment publicly on the soldiers’ deaths.
And when he was finally asked about the deaths…

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (30)

…at a press conference, he deflected by falsely accusing President Obama of never calling the families of soldiers killed in the line of duty.

This was a really dumb lie, but debunking the lie became a bigger media narrative than why those men died, or why Trump lied.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (31)

Then the commander-in-chief passed the buck & blamed generals for the 4 dead soldiers.

He also referred to the US armed forces as “my military.”

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-blames-generals-niger-ambush-four-us-soldiers-killed-693227

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (32)

@SenJohnMcCain demanded transparency, hearings and answers on Niger.

He’s not around now.

And then there’s Trump’s other Benghazi, in Yemen.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (33)
A brutally tragic raid that killed 3 special forces members & 30 civilians, 10 of whom were women & children.

It was a mission Obama had refused to approve.
Trump approved it over dinner w/Bannon & Jared.

He didn’t show up in the Situation Room.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/02/trump-approved-yemen-raid-five-days-after-inauguration

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (34)
Most of us didn’t realize we were at war in Yemen.
Because we aren’t. Our troops are used as proxies for Saudi Arabia.

William Owens, father of slain Chief Petty Officer William Owens refused to meet w/Trump at Dover after his son’s death.

https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2017-02-09/nine-young-children-killed-the-full-details-of-botched-us-raid-in-yemen

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (35)
“When you lose a $75 million airplane and, more importantly, an American life is lost … I don’t believe you can call it a success,” – Sen. John McCain.

@seanspicer demanded McCain apologize and called the Yemen raid, which killed an 8 year old girl, ‘a huge success.’

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (36)
Now I know that none of this will matter to many Trump supporters; their sole agenda is “owning the libs.”

Trump can hug a flag & hold up a Bible & tear gas nonviolent protestors he calls “thugs” and a certain kind of authoritarian need is met for millions of ppl.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (37)
Trump is a confidence artist. He conned contractors, casino bondholders, Trump U students, Trump Foundation Donors, 3 wives, and, in 2016, 62 million easy marks.

He says what they want to hear and he is given blind obedience & loyalty. Don’t let it make you crazy.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (38)
I love my conservative friends & loved ones. But in lifetime I’ve seen them be really wrong about:

-Nixon
-Vietnam
-Reaganomics
-AIDS
-LGBT rights
-Iran Contra
-Impeaching Clinton
-Bush’s tax plan economics
-Iraq WMDs
-being greeted as liberators
-Sarah Palin
-Drug War

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (39)
-Obama’s birth certificate
-that Obamacare had death panels
-that Obamacare would add to the deficit
-that Trump gave a damn act the military.

That’s not to say Dems haven’t been wrong ab things too.

But being wrong is different from being destructive and evil.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (40)

Never forget how Trump clowned around during the National Anthem before the 2020 superbowl.

He didn’t know he was being filmed and it’s all you need to know about him. Google it if you haven’t seen the video.

Kaepernick never deliberately mocked the anthem.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (41)
Over 125k Americans dead from virus & he’s doing nothing.

Russia paying bounties on US soldiers in Afghanistan & he’s doing nothing.

Police killing unarmed ppl has caused massive protests & he won’t say ‘racism’ & praises monuments to a White Supremacist enemy of the USA.

John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang): (42)

Putin denies it. Whose side do you think Trump will take?

Being Pushed in the Wrong Direction

/ Doug Krile / Leave a comment

Great thread here. I don’t want to be stuck at home any more than the next guy, but America is doing so much wrong, led by Trump.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): April 27 was the last time there was a White House coronavirus task force briefing, leaving us with more than a month without regular updates from the group Vice President Mike Pence was tapped to lead. (1/24)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): Today, Vice President Pence wrote an op-ed in the @WSJ touting America’s success in fighting the coronavirus writing, “…we are winning the fight against the invisible enemy.” Let’s break down some of his claims this week. (2/24)
https://on.wsj.com/3ear4r8

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): PENCE: “While talk of an increase in cases dominates cable news coverage, more than half of states are actually seeing cases decline or remain stable.” (3/24)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): Yes, compared to last week, 22 states are seeing a decline in daily cases, 10 are stable, but 18 states have an increase of cases. (4/24) https://twitter.com/drsanjaygupta/status/1273090580600573953/photo/1

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): That’s significant because we have states reopening while cases are still on the rise. Remember, the original White House guidelines said states should have a “downward trajectory” of cases or a declining share of positive tests for a 14-day span before gradually opening. (5/24)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): PENCE: “Some of the increase in cases you’re seeing in states is a reflection of a dramatic increase in testing.” (6/24)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): That’s not how this works. This may seem counter intuitive, but if you are doing enough testing, cases should start to go down because you are finding people early before they spread it. Let’s look at a few state examples: (7/24)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): New York – testing is clearly up and cases are down (8/24) https://twitter.com/drsanjaygupta/status/1273090587420430336/photo/1

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): Florida – testing is roughly holding steady and yet cases are climbing. (9/24) https://twitter.com/drsanjaygupta/status/1273090589299478528/photo/1

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): Oklahoma – cases are going up while testing has actually been going down (10/24) https://twitter.com/drsanjaygupta/status/1273090590884933632/photo/1

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): Vice President Pence also has touted testing success, saying, “As of this week, we are performing roughly 500,000 tests a day, and more than 23 million tests have been performed in total.” (11/24)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): This is true, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project. But that doesn’t mean it’s enough. Researchers at Harvard said we would need 5 mil tests per DAY by early June and 20 mil tests per day by late July to safely reopen (12/24)
https://bit.ly/2Y7gStP

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): PENCE: “In recent days, the media has taken to sounding the alarm bells over a “second wave” of coronavirus infections. Such panic is overblown.” (13/24)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): The truth is – we are still in the thick of the first wave, technically, so we cannot even begin talking about what a second wave might look like. Take a look. (14/24) https://twitter.com/drsanjaygupta/status/1273090596958240768/photo/1

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): Compare that to what it looked like when Italy saw its new cases dramatically drop off. That’s more of what you want to see to declare the first peak or wave is close to ending. We aren’t there yet. (15/24) https://twitter.com/drsanjaygupta/status/1273090598958960640/photo/1

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): PENCE: “[President Trump] rallied the American people to embrace social-distancing guidelines.” However, we have seen President Trump continue to publicly demonstrate that he does not wear a mask around others. (16/24)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): At today’s signing of an executive order for police reform, White House officials were seen standing closely together and talking without masks – including President Trump (17/24) https://twitter.com/drsanjaygupta/status/1273090602201120769/photo/1

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): A recent study published in The Lancet emphasized the importance of masks – There’s a 17.4% chance of transmission if you don’t wear a mask or N95, but only a 3.1% chance if you wear a mask. (18/24)
https://cnn.it/30OJSsk

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): And we know that President Trump is planning to hold an indoor rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma where the venue can hold around 20,000 people. He also plans to utilize the convention hall next door that can hold an additional 40,000 people. (19/24)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): CDC guidelines for events or gatherings would classify this rally as a high risk event considering it’s indoors, there will be attendees from outside the local area and it’ll be difficult to practice social distancing. (20/24)
https://bit.ly/2UQG1ak

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): PENCE: “In a very real sense they’ve flattened the curve. The number of cases in Oklahoma has declined precipitously.” (21/24)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): Contrary to the Vice President’s claims, the state’s infection curve has been rising in recent days. The director of the Tulsa Health Department said he wished the campaign rally would be postponed. (22/24) https://twitter.com/drsanjaygupta/status/1273090610564681730/photo/1

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): While we have flattened the curve in some places, the fight is far from over. And the way to win is not by declaring a premature victory. Yes, scientists all over the world are working to find a vaccine, but we still have to buy them time to do their job. (23/24)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta (@drsanjaygupta): We know that the basics – wearing a mask, staying at home, social distancing and washing our hands – work. But we also need testing, contact tracing and government leadership to make sure we can all beat this thing together. (24/24)

Republican Non-Responses to Trump

/ Doug Krile / Leave a comment

Kasie Hunt (@kasie): Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., on the president’s photo op at St. John’s last night: “Didn’t really see it.”

Kasie Hunt (@kasie): Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., does not respond when asked if what the president did last night was appropriate. Her spokesman handed me his card.

Kasie Hunt (@kasie): Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan. “I don’t have any comment on that.”

Kasie Hunt (@kasie): Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., does stop to talk and says “we all could” do better when asked if POTUS could do better.

Kasie Hunt (@kasie): Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah. “I didn’t watch it closely enough to know.”

Kasie Hunt (@kasie): Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.: “Sorry, I’m late for lunch.”

Kasie Hunt (@kasie): Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., walks by without saying anything.

Kasie Hunt (@kasie): Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska: What we saw last night “was not the America that I know.”

Kasie Hunt (@kasie): Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska: Walks by with no response.

Kasie Hunt (@kasie): Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio: “I’m late for lunch.”

Kasie Hunt (@kasie): Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., doesn’t stop at cameras here on the Hill. Told reporters he’s already “said too much,” per @LACaldwellDC