For quite some time Mitch McConnell has run a hyper-partisan playbook for everything – Fiscal Cliffs, Supreme Court seats, etc… He made it very clear that if Democrats moved forward with the Climate and Tax bill, then he would not support the U.S. high-tech manufacturing bill.
The broader bill stalled and faltered, and appeared to be dead.
This past week, McConnell and various other Republicans voted for the U.S. high-tech manufacturing bill. Once that had been passed, and that Republican leverage was gone, Manchin announces that they have agreement for the Climate and Tax bill and it is game on. It will be a comprehensive package of climate investments, tax hikes for the rich, and prescription drug reforms.
Yea.
As Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) put it, “Looks to me like we got rinky-doo’d,” (FYI, “rinky-doo’d,” is a press friendly rhyming slang way of saying “screwed”).
The climate and tax bill is the bill that just might save our species from going extinct. The biggest threat our species faces right now is climate change, so getting that done means we really do have a decent shot at tackling climate change. Democrats get to play this scorched-earth ultra-partisan card once and could have picked anything from their wish list. The fact that it was Climate and the tax hikes to pay for it that they went for, truly was the right choice.
It has been rather clear for quite some time that the Republicans have no interest in doing what is right or best, hence it was delightful to finally see Democrats with the gloves off.
Manchin has often privately fumed at the way McConnell has run a scorched-earth ultra-partisan playbook, so this past week must indeed have been a truly sweet moment for him.
Meanwhile what happens now?
Perhaps Republicans will respond to this unprecedented escalation of political warfare by refusing to allow a hearing for a Democratic president’s Supreme Court nominee.
Oh wait.
Indeed yes, actions of consequences. To put that another way, you reap what you sow. It’s nice to see that the Democrats finally worked out that you can’t work with these extremists.
Moving on, below you will find my usual selection of some truly bizarre claims that have popped up during the last 7 days. Each is laced with my snarky commentary. With my usual hat tip to my main source, Right Wing Watch, let’s dive in.
Enjoy.
Christian Nationalism
Christian nationalist pseudo-historian David Barton keeps claiming that the Constitution is full of “verbatim quotes” from the Bible.
- I really don’t need to tell you this but his claim is not true. Sadly there are people who believe his lies.
- You have probably come across the term pseudoscience … well Mr Barton’s speciality is kind of like that, the term is “pseudo-history“.
- This guy has no actual credentials, he simply makes stuff up.
- His book, “The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson” is so bad that his Christian publisher withdrew the book, announcing that they had “lost confidence in the book’s details”. He did however win an award for it. The book was voted “the least credible history book in print”
Christian nationalist Andrew Torba, founder of Gab, declares that “Ben Shapiro and other nonbelievers, they’re not allowed to have a prominent voice in our movement because they don’t share our values. … You gotta repent accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior.“
- Today’s GOP … spends Mon-Sat vigorously hating liberals, then spends all of Sunday worshiping one.
Science is a Deep Mystery
Tim Barton, son of Pseudo-historian and Christian nationalist liar David Barton, remembers hearing warnings about acid rain and a hole in the ozone layer when he was young and wonders why he doesn’t hear about them anymore: “Did those things disappear, or were they never the problem they were pretended to be?”
- Well gosh, what could possibly explain this mystery … oh wait, it’s not a secret, it was a real problem, it did not “just disappear”, this explains the story of how we came together and solved the challenge.
- The fact that he does not understand something does not make it a mystery, it means he is stupid.
Nick Fuentes says we’ll never run out of oil because “oil is infinite” and was put here by God for us to burn: “We need to burn oil so that we can create a stronger atmosphere to keep carbon inside the atmosphere. This is all scientific.”
- WHAT, and I really can’t stress this enough, THE FUCK!
- It really is challenging to work out what is trolling and what is an actual belief. So is he actually this stupid? … yes, yes I think he really is.
- For the truly curious: Wikipedia – Abiogenic petroleum origin. The TL;DR; version – Bullshit.
Homophobia on Steroids
Tony Perkins says the Supreme Court should just go ahead and overturn marriage equality now because “there is going to come a point where we know this experiment is not going to work. … If we have the opportunity to correct it now, we correct it now.”
- I really don’t need to tell you this, but a) it’s not an “experiment”, b) it is working just fine, and c) there is nothing to correct.
- Meanwhile, given the pitiful state of heterosexual marriage, isn’t it better to end it now, Tony?
Racism
White nationalist Tyler Russell heaps praise upon Tucker Carlson for using his Fox New program to spread their message: “He’s the last remaining media personality on TV who is our guy, and it is imperative that we make sure he stays there.”
- Tucker Carson might deny he is racist, but actual racists disagree and consider him to be “our guy”
Christian hate-preacher Joe Jones says people who take their kids to a Drag Queen Story Hour “ought to have their head chopped off.”
- Guys like this really don’t know their bible at all … James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy
- Guys like this usually have a Grindr account.
- Republican Jesus: If you love me then slaughter and eat my sheep.
Education
MTG: “They don’t want you to home school. They want your children in their govt run schools so they can brainwash them. ‘Guess what kids. After we finish up with Mother Goose rhymes, we’re gonna tell you how you can change your gender.’ That’s what these teachers are all about.”
- Number of teachers who said “we’re gonna tell you how you can change your gender” is exactly zero.
- There are many gay people who were homeschooled.
Truly Bizarre
The Alex Jones rant from this past week is bizarre on steroids – future war with robots and AI, we will people the stars, and more. He has literally gone full Sci-Fi …
- 134 Republicans voted against Banning Private Ownership of Lions & Tigers. They are literally now the Tiger King Caucus.
- So how many single issue voters will this now trigger because they can’t own tigger?
Within the HuffPo, Susan Collins tells @JNicholsonInDC that same-sex marriage bill may be doomed now bc of what Dems did on the inflation reduction bill
- Susan Collins Translation: “If you make it harder for the 1% to avoid taxes, lower the cost of prescription drugs and cut greenhouse gas emissions, then I will have no choice but to be medievally-intolerant of the LGBT community.”
The False Profit$
Hank Kunneman, a self-proclaimed “prophet” who repeatedly guaranteed that Trump would win reelection, rants yet again that “the election was stolen”: “You took almost 100 million of us—probably more—you took our vote, and you’re stealing our voice.”
- “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” George Orwell, 1984
- “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” – Matthew 7:15
- 19 second mark in that clip, “I was talking to Mike Lindell” … ah, I see the problem here.
QAnon conspiracy theorist and self-proclaimed “prophet” Johnny Enlow declares that “the Supreme Court of Heaven already decertified the 2020 election” and that Trump “has never been out of his position as supreme governmental leader on the planet.”
- “supreme …leader on the planet“… LOL
- “the Supreme Court of Heaven” … LOL again.
- Trump lost, Biden is not just your president, he is Trump’s president. If you think Trump won, then you are in a cult.
Interesting Articles
- Nina Golgowski @ HuffPost: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Says GOP ‘Should Be Christian Nationalists’ Party.
- Tim Philpott @ Mother Jones: Here are the Dumbest Moments of Turning Point USA’s Confab in Florida.
- Casey Tolan, Matthew Reynard, Will Simon and Ed Lavandera @ CNN: How two Texas megadonors have turbocharged the state’s far-right shift.
- Marc Fisher and Isaac Stanley-Becker @ The Washington Post: The Claremont Institute triumphed in the Trump years. Then came Jan. 6.
- Summer Concepcion @ Turning Point Network: Jan 6 Panel Releases New Videos Showing Trump’s Reluctance To Condemn Insurrectionists.
- Sarah Posner @ The New Republic: How Did Maryland Republicans Nominate Two Extremist Screwballs for Statewide Office?
- Hannah Natanson @ Washington Post: After court ruling, activists push prayer into schools
- Blake Hounshell @ New York Times: A Trump-Backed Veteran Ran Hard to the Right, Only to Be Outflanked
- Camille Gijs & Ana Fota @ Politico: Hungary’s Viktor Orbán faces growing backlash over ‘race mixing’ comments
- Eric Neugeboren @ Salon: “We failed”: Gay Republicans who fought for acceptance in Texas GOP see little progress
- Mary Papenfuss @ HuffPost: Rachel Maddow Rips Republicans’ Promotion Of Christian Nationalism
- Mike Lofgren @ Common Dreams: The GOP’s Army of Christian Nationalists and White Supremacists Poses a Danger Greater Than You Know
- Mack DeGeurin @ Gizmodo: Republicans Warn Google Not to Limit Search for Misleading Anti-Abortion Clinics…Or Else
- Jonathan Karl and Soo Rin Kim @ ABC: RNC warning to Trump: If you run for president, we stop paying your legal bills, says official
- Mychael Schnell @ The Hill: Gaetz among 20 House Republicans who voted against anti-human trafficking bill
- Aaron Blake @ Washington Post: The views of extreme Republicans whom Dems are helping in primaries
- Carter Sherman @Vice News: The Right Is Freaking Out About Jane’s Revenge. But What Is It?
Statistic of the week
We really are not as religious as you might think …
Meanwhile …
It really is now time for Jason to collect on his bet.
.. and yes, if you were wondering who it was, it was indeed Jason … :-) …