The GOP / RNC

[Nodack]

Have you guys seen this Oliver Anthony guy? He’s some nobody guy who wrote a song that went viral on YouTube. His latest song is being used by the GOP. They thought he wrote the song about the evil Dems. Turns out he wrote the song about evil politicians on both sides and is pissed off that the GOP is using it as a weapon against the left.


Oliver Anthony says he ‘hates’ seeing his song ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ be ‘weaponized’
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/25/entertai ... index.html
In a YouTube video shared on Friday, the singer addressed his song having been played at this week’s 2024 Republican presidential primary debate, saying that he found it “funny” because the song “is written about the people on that stage.”

“The one thing that has bothered me is seeing people wrap politics up into this,” Anthony said. “It’s aggravating seeing people on conservative news try to identify with me, like I’m one of them. It’s aggravating seeing certain musicians and politicians act like we’re buddies and act like we’re fighting the same struggle here, like that we’re trying to present the same message.”

The song, in which Anthony sings about working hard and paying taxes just to “waste (his) life away,” has been embraced by conservatives.

Anthony, though, was critical in the video toward both sides of the political spectrum and said his ballad “has nothing to do” with Democratic President Joe Biden.

“It’s hard to get a message out about your political ideology or your belief about the world in three minutes and some change,” he said,”but I do hate to see that song being weaponized.”

“I see the right trying to characterize me as one of their own, and I see the left trying to discredit me, I guess in retaliation. That sh*t’s gotta stop,” he continued.

As for his personal politics, Anthony previously said a separate video that he sits “pretty dead center down the aisle” and finds fault with leaders on both the left and the right.

[Mori Chu]

The huge fandom of Republicans for that song, followed by the singer making clear that he doesn't support them and that the song is meant to criticize them, is a big self-own. I saw even RFK Jr is trying to associate himself with the song. As if he isn't from one of the most famous families of "Rich Men" in the country.

[Nodack]

Now everyone is going to hate this guy. Can’t have any moderates. Only fringe L or R is acceptable.

[Superbone]

I’m glad he stood up for himself. I heard about the song being taken by the right as an anthem.Glad to hear he’s pretty much right down the middle and didn’t it mean it to be pro conservative or pro liberal. People just hear what they want to hear, I guess.

[Nodack]

Sometimes actions have consequences.

Giuliani loses defamation lawsuit from two Georgia election workers
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/30/politics ... index.html

A federal judge has determined Rudy Giuliani forfeits the defamation lawsuit from two Georgia election workers against him, a decision that could lead to significant penalties for the former Donald Trump attorney.

“There is nowhere I feel safe. Nowhere. Do you know how it feels to have the president of the United States target you?”

[Mori Chu]

Mitch McConnell froze up again. It seems like he may be getting to a phase where he is unable to fulfill his job duties.

[Nodack]

McConnel, Feinstein, Biden and Trump need to go to the old folks home. Trump to an old folks home where they wear orange jump suits.

[Nodack]

Conservative groups draw up plan to dismantle the U.S. government and replace it with Trump's vision
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... r-AA1g0dNf

[Mori Chu]

Over and over we see these examples where if you push back or ask questions of Trump, DeSantis, other top Republicans, you start getting harassed, attacked, bullied, threatened. Violence is always in the air if you act out of turn.

[Nodack]

Why a single senator is blocking US military promotions and what it means for the Pentagon
https://apnews.com/article/tuberville-m ... 3823e29acc#
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is waging an unprecedented campaign to try to change Pentagon abortion policy by holding up hundreds of military nominations and promotions, forcing less experienced leaders into top jobs and raising concerns at the Pentagon about military readiness.

Republican block leaves major branch of US military without a confirmed leader for first time in over a century
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/10/politics ... index.html

Military spouses demanding Sen. Tuberville stop blocking military nominations


Military leadership unfilled as GOP Senator blocks no monies over abortion.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/milit ... ion-policy

[Mori Chu]

Here's Vivek Ramaswamy being asked about 1/6 and whether what Trump did was wrong.

[Mori Chu]

Why a single senator is blocking US military promotions and what it means for the Pentagon
https://apnews.com/article/tuberville-m ... 3823e29acc#
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is waging an unprecedented campaign to try to change Pentagon abortion policy by holding up hundreds of military nominations and promotions, forcing less experienced leaders into top jobs and raising concerns at the Pentagon about military readiness.

It really is ridiculous that he's holding up so many military appointments over a single issue. It's not good for the military readiness of our country to have so many unfilled and "acting" positions. We don't have the expectation that senators will tie policy gripes to whether or not they approve completely unrelated Presidential appointments. It's basically an all-out-war mentality where you won't compromise with the other party on even the very slightest of things. We are in a really bad place.

[Nodack]

Convicted ex-Ohio House speaker moved to Oklahoma prison to begin his 20-year sentence
Convicted former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has been transferred to Oklahoma to begin his time in federal prison
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/repu ... 00728.html
Convicted former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has been transferred to Oklahoma to begin his time in federal prison.

The 64-year-old Republican had been held in the Butler County Jail in southwestern Ohio since he was sentenced June 29 to 20 years for his role in the largest corruption scheme in Ohio history.

Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges, a former chair of the Ohio Republican Party, were convicted in March of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving bribery and money laundering.

A jury found Householder masterminded and Borges participated in a $60 million bribery scheme that was secretly funded by Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. to secure Householder's power, elect his allies — and then to pass and defend legislation that delivered a $1 billion nuclear power plant bailout of two nuclear plants that were owned by a FirstEnergy affiliate. FirstEnergy also has admitted to its role.

Two others and the dark money group pleaded guilty, and a third man charged died by suicide.

[Mori Chu]

The GOP moves to abandon democracy, exhibit #36184936:

[Superbone]

[Nodack]

I think even most Republicans are embarrassing by her. Then again they love Trump so…

[Mori Chu]

I can't believe this shit has just become normalized. This is really bad.

[Nodack]

She likes attention. Saying stupid things gets her her attention she needs.

[Nodack]

I am good with this. If Biden is guilty of all those major crimes they are accusing him of then I want him impeached and replaced by e non criminal. My gut feeling says they have some dirt on Hunter Biden but their dirt on Joe is sketchy at best. The Dems did two impeachments and had mountains of evidence and dozens of witnesses. I will look forward to pouring over the GOP evidence. I think there was maybe two Republicans in the entire country that bothered to even glance at the evidence against Trump. They all just buried their collective heads in the sand and said I see nothing.

Top US House Republican McCarthy launches Biden impeachment inquiry
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/top-us ... 023-09-12/
Some hardline Republicans had said they would try to remove McCarthy as the leader of the House if he did not move ahead with an impeachment effort against Biden.

Republicans have been investigating Hunter Biden's business activities for years, and a federal prosecutor is also pursuing criminal tax and firearms charges against the president's son.

McCarthy said Republicans have turned up evidence of phone calls, money transfers and other activity that "paints a picture of a culture of corruption" in Biden's family. He did not cite any evidence of misconduct by Biden himself.

"This impeachment is Kevin McCarthy’s shiny new object to distract the public from the fact that the GOP can’t even pass bills to fund the government," Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal said.

Several hardline Republicans have said they will not vote for spending bills to keep the government funded without an impeachment inquiry. If Congress does not pass those spending bills by the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1, large swaths of the U.S. government would have to shut down.

[Nodack]

Goldman says there’s ‘no evidence to link to Joe Biden’ on impeachment inquiry
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4201 ... t-inquiry/
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) maintained Tuesday that there is no connection between President Biden and his family’s business after Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) directed committees to open an impeachment inquiry into the president.

Goldman said that there is “no reference” to Biden in any suspicious activity reports tied to the House GOP’s investigation into the president’s family.
“They have over 12,000 pages of bank records, and none of them trace back to Joe Biden,” he said. “They have looked at suspicious activity reports. None of them link to Joe Biden, which is why you always hear them talk about the Biden family or Hunter Biden, but they are not impeaching the Biden family and they are not impeaching Hunter Biden. This is an inquiry into President Biden, and there is no link, zero evidence to justify this.”
Goldman said that Republicans are aiming to launch the inquiry into Biden to distract from former President Trump, who is currently facing a slew of legal battles in courtrooms across the country.
“This is a purely political partisan game that they’re playing at the behest of Donald Trump to protect him to distract from him and to try to help him in the election in 2024,” he said. “And they are about to lead us into a government shutdown because they’re distracted with these shenanigans that have no merit.”