On Deck: 2022

[lpetrich]

After co-founding PayPal and becoming Facebook’s first major outside investor, in 2004 Thiel started the surveillance company Palantir with Joe Lonsdale, whose future wife was also in the co-op with Masters. Thiel and Lonsdale set out to win federal contracts to help defense and immigration agencies mine massive government databases in the name of protecting national security. Thiel later wrote an essay suggesting that he saw a strongman leader as the way to survive a post-9/11 world.

That ought to be dangerous for a libertarian, because military and police forces are coercive.

It was in another essay, in 2009, “The Education of a Libertarian,” that Thiel declared he no longer believed that democracy and freedom were compatible. “Since 1920,” he argued, “the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women—two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians—have rendered the notion of ‘capitalist democracy’ into an oxymoron.” (Thiel, known for playing things close to the vest, would later say about that essay, “Writing is always such a dangerous thing.”) Thiel stressed that he still considered himself a libertarian because he opposed “confiscatory taxes, totalitarian collectives, and the ideology of the inevitability of the death of every individual.”

PT likes the book "The Sovereign Individual" - "Its main argument is that a new cosmopolitan elite will destroy countries’ ability to redistribute money by fleeing to whichever tiny jurisdictions offer them the best investment terms." - only if those countries don't send military forces after them, as Tonga did with the Republic of Minerva.

These Sovereign Individuals will get to “interact on terms that echo the relation among the gods in Greek myth.” The “losers,” meanwhile, will be stuck in crumbling nations until they realize they “suffer for being saddled with mass democracy” and embrace privatized government.

Like the capitalist heroes who fled to Galt's Gulch in Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged".

 

[lpetrich]

Peter Thiel’s Handpicked Candidates Are Train Wrecks | The New Republic

Blake Masters and J.D. Vance, Republican nominees for Senate in Arizona and Ohio, respectively, have two things in common. One is that they’re both terrible candidates—charisma-free voids, running on a slate of radical, unpopular policies. Another is that they’ve become Trumpworld favorites despite each having a history of MAGA heresies. Masters was in favor of unrestricted immigration before he was against it; Vance called Donald Trump “cultural heroin” and spent most of the 2016 election trying to position himself as a kinder, gentler Republican that the GOP could turn to after Trump got slaughtered in the general election. Whoops!

Then on how the 2022 campaign is going - Republicans are recently not doing as well as expected.

Earlier this year, Thiel was touted not just as the next Republican megadonor but as the party’s prime theorist—the higher mind shaping the future of the right. Donald Trump’s hold on the Republican Party is powerful, if not absolute; but it’s short on ideas, original or otherwise. Much of Trump’s political project revolves around personal loyalty and policies that seem to have been hastily plucked from a grab bag of old-school Republican positions (build a border wall, deregulate everything, cut taxes for the wealthy). His monomaniacal focus in recent years has been his denial of the legitimacy of the 2020 election. Thiel has attempted to backfill this vacuum by burnishing some of Trump’s less passionate positions—on foreign alliances, for instance—while pushing a vision of this own that revolves around an unrelenting assault on both democracy and the idea of any level of wealth distribution from rich people like himself to, well, anyone else.

He doesn't like democracy, but anarchy is not very stable, and that leaves dictatorship. A big problem with dictators is that they don't have much taste for civil liberties. So to hold on to his wealth, he'd have to suck up to the leadership. That is not just theoretical. Consider what has happened to oligarchs in places like Russia, China, and Saudi Arabia when they have displeased the leaders. Unless, perhaps, the leadership can be bought, as too many US politicians seem happy to be.

Thiel is not just anti-democratic, he’s a techno-elitist—Vance and Masters used to work with him; both are extremely wealthy venture capitalists. Although they have run campaigns based around nativism and xenophobia—what some call “right-wing populism”—they remain deeply opposed to policies that might either benefit the poor or inconvenience the wealthy. Vance and Masters are also notably lacking the “common touch” that most practiced politicians develop—which is hardly a shock given they have spent several years working in finance.

Like JDV scheduling a rally with Donald Trump at the same time as an Ohio State football game.

Thiel will no doubt continue to build his ideological project and pursue his political interests: protecting the plutocratic class from all incursions, promoting hostility toward China, degrading international institutions, and weakening the social welfare state. He has hit on a formula familiar to many Republicans: aggressively push red-meat culture-war issues like immigration while quietly undermining democracy and transferring wealth to the richest Americans. Thiel hasn’t yet gotten the formula right: His candidates are pushing ideas so extreme on every front that voters are recoiling.

 

[lpetrich]

GOP seeks midterm reset as inflation, abortion temper ambitions - The Washington Post - "The Republican Party’s hopes for a red wave this November dimmed on flagging fundraising and an emphasis on inflation that’s lost some of its potency"

Republican leaders are scrambling to shore up their chances to win back both the House and Senate as inflation concerns fade, Democratic enthusiasm for protecting abortion rights surges and new fundraising challenges emerge in the crucial final months of the campaign.

GOP officials have been mixing up their advertising spending, with a new focus on issues like crime, plans for a major policy rollout meant to reclaim voter attention and moves to send reinforcements for struggling Senate candidates.

What policy rollout might that be? I haven't seen anything yet.

Peter Thiel Shares What He Thinks About Ron DeSantis

Billionaire investor and Trump megadonor Peter Thiel praises Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as 'the best of the governors' for offering 'a real alternative to California'

• Thiel said Republicans need to do more than point to problems in liberal states like California.
• Of all GOP governors, DeSantis was the one doing it right, Thiel said.
• But he added that he worried about soaring housing prices in the Sunshine State.

So that oligarch has found another candidate that he likes.

 

[Jarhyn]

GOP seeks midterm reset as inflation, abortion temper ambitions - The Washington Post - "The Republican Party’s hopes for a red wave this November dimmed on flagging fundraising and an emphasis on inflation that’s lost some of its potency"

Republican leaders are scrambling to shore up their chances to win back both the House and Senate as inflation concerns fade, Democratic enthusiasm for protecting abortion rights surges and new fundraising challenges emerge in the crucial final months of the campaign.

GOP officials have been mixing up their advertising spending, with a new focus on issues like crime, plans for a major policy rollout meant to reclaim voter attention and moves to send reinforcements for struggling Senate candidates.

What policy rollout might that be? I haven't seen anything yet.

Peter Thiel Shares What He Thinks About Ron DeSantis

Billionaire investor and Trump megadonor Peter Thiel praises Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as 'the best of the governors' for offering 'a real alternative to California'

• Thiel said Republicans need to do more than point to problems in liberal states like California.
• Of all GOP governors, DeSantis was the one doing it right, Thiel said.
• But he added that he worried about soaring housing prices in the Sunshine State.

So that oligarch has found another candidate that he likes.

Apparently he likes criminals.

What a surprise.

 

[Swammerdami]

Rick Scott's Fraud Settlement Resurfaces as Senate GOP Runs Low on Cash

Aren't graft and grift key virtues in Republican philosophy? Why else would they put a known embezzler in charge of their money? They run con-men for POTUS, then vote Yea when he nominates fraudsters like Ross and DeVos. Surely Scott's status as a top QOP Senator should only improve if he's guilty of yet more embezzlement.

Tudor Dixon is among the leading candidates for the GOP nomination for Michigan governor. Also. Vampire porn actress. Can’t make this shit up.

. . .
Lauren Boebert opens up her debate tonight by attacking the moderator.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday said that GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.) will have their committee seats restored next year if Republicans win back the House despite their participation in a white nationalist conference last month.

McCarthy said that he has spoken with Greene in recent days but has yet to talk with Gosar after the two spoke at the America First Political Action Conference organized by white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

Yeah, right, Kev.

It's so preciously Republican when a Level-8 asshole forgives a Level-10 asshole.

The race was called midday Wednesday, as Mr. Bolduc held a lead of more than 1,500 votes over Chuck Morse, the president of the State Senate.

Mr. Morse was endorsed by Gov. Chris Sununu and helped by $4.5 million from national Republicans, who were worried that a victory by Mr. Bolduc would forfeit what they saw as a winnable seat in the quest for Senate control this fall.

Mr. Bolduc’s victory will come as a relief to Democrats, who also assume he will be the weaker opponent against Senator Maggie Hassan, a first-term Democrat. She won in 2016 by about 1,000 votes in purple New Hampshire but has been saddled with low job approval numbers. Four states — New Hampshire, Arizona, Georgia and Nevada — have vulnerable Democratic senators the party is aggressively defending to keep its hold on the Senate.

One bullet from Bolduc's resume should give you the idea:
* Bolduc claimed that COVID-19 vaccines are really "Bill Gates saying we should put (micro)chips inside people."

Home sapiens are quitting the QOP in droves, and the Party is being taken over by some mutant strain — Homo brutus ? It would be amusing except that many of these hate-filled morons will get elected.

 

[ZiprHead]

Ohio GOP House candidate has misrepresented military service

WASHINGTON (AP) — Campaigning for a northwestern Ohio congressional seat, Republican J.R. Majewski presents himself as an Air Force combat veteran who deployed to Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, once describing “tough” conditions including a lack of running water that forced him to...

apnews.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Campaigning for a northwestern Ohio congressional seat, Republican J.R. Majewski presents himself as an Air Force combat veteran who deployed to Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, once describing “tough” conditions including a lack of running water that forced him to go more than 40 days without a shower.

Military documents obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request tell a different story.

They indicate Majewski never deployed to Afghanistan but instead completed a six-month stint helping to load planes at an air base in Qatar, a longtime U.S. ally that is a safe distance from the fighting.

Majewski’s account of his time in the military is just one aspect of his biography that is suspect. His post-military career has been defined by exaggerations, conspiracy theories, talk of violent action against the U.S. government and occasional financial duress.

 

[Swammerdami]

Ohio GOP House candidate has misrepresented military service

WASHINGTON (AP) — Campaigning for a northwestern Ohio congressional seat, Republican J.R. Majewski presents himself as an Air Force combat veteran who deployed to Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, once describing “tough” conditions including a lack of running water that forced him to...

apnews.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Campaigning for a northwestern Ohio congressional seat, Republican J.R. Majewski presents himself as an Air Force combat veteran who deployed to Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, once describing “tough” conditions including a lack of running water that forced him to go more than 40 days without a shower.

Military documents obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request tell a different story.

They indicate Majewski never deployed to Afghanistan but instead completed a six-month stint helping to load planes at an air base in Qatar, a longtime U.S. ally that is a safe distance from the fighting.

Majewski’s account of his time in the military is just one aspect of his biography that is suspect. His post-military career has been defined by exaggerations, conspiracy theories, talk of violent action against the U.S. government and occasional financial duress.

Wow. Unqualified for dogcatcher, he runs for Congress and gets the nod from the QOP. You can't make this stuff up.

Majewski is running in Ohio's 9th Congressional District which voted Biden over Trump 59-40 in 2020. However district lines have been redrawn and Biden lost 47-51 in the precincts making up the new 9th. (It looks like urban parts of western Greater Cleveland were removed from the 9th and replaced with suburbs of Toledo.) So the redistricting gave the GOP a chance to unseat Marcy Kaptur, the popular D incumbent. Let's hope nominating this jerk ruined that chance.

There's a website which shows candidates' answers to simple questions:

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official? Honesty, Integrity, Bravity, and the ability to communicate.

"Ability to communicate"? Is that like creating a portmonteau of brevity and bravery to circumvent a word limit?

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office? To Represent the will of the people whom elected them.

Pro-tip: If uncertain between "who" and "whom," go with "who."

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of? Energy and Commerce due to my longstanding experience in the nuclear industry. Veterans Affairs due to being a veteran is the US Air Force.

Is there any reason to think Majewski's security job at a reactor was anything other than ordinary guard?

...

. . . he first gained attention in Ohio by turning his lawn into a 19,000-square-foot “Trump 2020” sign.

During his campaign, he ran one ad showing him carrying an assault-style rifle in which he says, “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to return this country back to its former glory,” adding, “If I’ve got to kick down doors, well, that’s just what patriots do.”

He also posted a “Let’s Go Brandon” music video on his website in which he raps a verse, warning, “Just try to put a mask on me, you’ll see red, white and blue.”

If the QOP still takes the House in November despite running idiots and liars like this, I'll be able only to shake my head in amazement.

 

[bilby]

If the QOP still takes the House in November despite running idiots and liars like this, I'll be able only to shake my head in amazement.

Is this your first day?

 

[ZiprHead]

If it's really classified then you shouldn't be talking about it.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

So he served for America, but not quite as an exciting job. I'd imagine actual soldiers in Afghanistan might have reservations against him. It appears the GOP might be letting him go, cancelling an ad buy in his race against Kaptur who has a lot of incumbency here. But of course, conservatives are proving they'll vote for anyone. So he still has a decent shot, with Trump's blessing and all.

He is running for the Ninth District which went from gerrymandered non-contiguous strip of land from Toledo to Cleveland to stuff as many Dems into a single area possible, into a more republican friendly district which dilutes Toledo with a lot more land where no one lives.

 

[lpetrich]

GOP governor candidate: Colorado should have electoral system | 9news.com - "Under Greg Lopez’s proposal, the 2018 gubernatorial race would have been a runaway win for Republicans, who lost the actual race by double-digits."

The plan, which would be the first of its kind on the state level, would give far more voting power to Coloradans in rural, conservative counties and dilute the voting power of Coloradans in more populous urban and suburban areas. Even as turnout numbers vary over time, the sheer number of rural conservative counties would create a built-in advantage for Republicans.

Lopez outlined his proposal at a May 15 campaign stop in Silverton. An audio recording of the event made by a political tracker was provided to 9NEWS.

...
Lopez said his electoral college plan would weight counties’ votes based on their voter turnout percentage to encourage turnout.

“I’ve already got the plan in place,” Lopez said. “The most that any county can get is 11 electoral college votes. The least that a county can get is three.”

Back in 2018, Democrat Jared Polis beat Republican Walker Stapleton by a margin of 10.6%. But with this system, WS would have beaten JP by 18%.

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[blastula]

More Majewski misstatements.

Records contradict Majewski's account of military punishment

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican J.R. Majewski has centered his campaign for a competitive Ohio congressional seat around his biography as an Air Force veteran .

apnews.com

Majewski’s campaign said last week that he was punished and demoted after getting in a “brawl” in an Air Force dormitory in 2001. Military records obtained since then by The Associated Press, however, offer a different account of the circumstances, which military legal experts say would have played a significant role in the decision to bar him from reenlisting. They indicate Majewski’s punishment and demotion were the result of him being stopped for driving drunk on a U.S. air base in Japan in September 2001.

The documents, which were provided to the AP and independently authenticated, present yet another instance where the recorded history of Majewski’s service diverges from what he has told voters as he campaigns while using his veteran status as a leading credential.

In a statement, Majewski acknowledged that he was punished for drunken driving, though he didn’t address why his campaign previously said his demotion was the result of a fight.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

The elections for 2022 are just weeks away. Today, I checked online with the state of Texas to make sure I was registered to vote. I am listed as an active voter. With GOP dirty tricks, voter purges and the like, I suggest all here may want to do the same. While there is time to re-register if necessary. Don't wait until the last minute. Don't let the GOP cheat you out of voting.

 

[ZiprHead]

Today's Edition Of "What The Hell, Herschel"

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[bilby]

I didn't realise any elementary schools currently had pole-dancing or porn as part of their curriculum. And from discussions here, it seems unlikely that they have CRT either.

 

[Patooka]

I didn't realise any elementary schools currently had pole-dancing or porn as part of their curriculum. And from discussions here, it seems unlikely that they have CRT either.

THAT'S NOT THE FUCKING POINT! They could have pole dancing and CRT. Doug is the only candidate brave enough to put a stop to that. Why do you hate children?

Although as an outsider I'm worried about how no candidate in the upcoming midterms are promising to do anything about unicorns hijacking cars. Their silence on this issue is deeply disturbing.

 

[Derec]

The elections for 2022 are just weeks away. Today, I checked online with the state of Texas to make sure I was registered to vote. I am listed as an active voter. With GOP dirty tricks, voter purges and the like, I suggest all here may want to do the same. While there is time to re-register if necessary. Don't wait until the last minute. Don't let the GOP cheat you out of voting.

I check by way of accessing my sample ballot. Georgia also starts early voting on October 17th, which is just two and a half weeks away.

 

[blastula]

This ad is from April.



But wtf, violent threats are a fucking game to them.