New Developments III

[Sabin]

I had a pretty good idea of what the Trump White House looked like on a day to day basis, the level of control, general chaos, and organizational capacity. I feel like I had a pretty good idea of what the Obama and Bush White House looked like as well. I'm coming to grips with the fact that I have no idea what the Biden White House looks like on a day to day basis or how the decision was made to publicly speak out against 9mm's, which account for more than half the handguns sold in this country. What kinds of conversations are happening? I guess I'll just have to wait for the books to come out...

Even floating the idea of getting rid of 9mm's on Biden's part, what's the point? I can't imagine that bill would pass and we're going to hear about how the Democrats want to ban 9mm's for years now from the right. Meanwhile if Chuck Schumer can't put any gun control measure through the Senate, so it's just going to be seen as more Democratic inaction thanks to the filibuster. It's a lose-lose.

BTW: Please don't mistake me for anyone who has any kind of love for guns. I've been robbed at gunpoint as well as watched my first college roommate become radicalized by a skinhead group as well as purchase a magnum at a gun show in my first month of college. I hate guns.

[Heksagon]

At least in Uvalde, the press appear to be willing to criticize the police response and challenge the police narrative. That rarely happened before.

[Okri]

Every detail that comes out is excruciating. I have no idea how to move past raging nihilism when I think about this topic.

[Sabin]

We live in a nightmare country.

EDIT: the more I read about the school shooting in Uvalde, the more horrific it is. I do not want to paint an entire organization with one brush but it's the best argument against cops that I've ever heard. They were just useless.

[Big Magilla]

That Supreme Court decision has already been considered. The decision is due at the end of this term along with the Roe v Wade decision.

It began as an upstate New York case in which the complainants arguing that they should not have to give a reason why they want to carry concealed weapons, that they have a right to do so under the second amendment.

Here's a novel idea. Instead of overturning protections under the 14th amendments (including Roe v Wade), overturn the protections under the second amendment as interpreted by the conservative Supreme Court beginning in 2008.

Michael Moore on MSNBC just now suggested that we make guns the cigarettes of the 21st Century. Just as no one thought they would ever do away with smoking in bars, it can be done, but it has to begin with doing away with the filibuster in the U.S. Senate as do so many other sensible things that aren't going to happen anytime soon.

[Okri]

The Supreme Court is currently considering a case that will likely make it easier to carry firearms in public/prevent communities from prohibiting it.

[mlrg]

United States of America… the country of “thoughts and prayers” instead of actually do something about gun control.

[Sabin]

OscarGuy wrote
Too much trauma listening to the man. Care to transcribe? Is it that he says Iraq, but means Ukraine? I mean, it wasn't unilateral, he had a whole cadre of warmongers urging him to do it, but it would indeed be funny if he accidentally said the quiet part out loud.

More than fair.

George W. Bush was giving a speech against Putin and Russia and at one point said that the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Ukraine -- except instead of saying Ukraine, he said Iraq. Then he corrected himself, "I mean, Ukraine." Then he took a beat, snickered, and said, "Iraq too. Anyway!" Then a moment later he tried to excuse it by saying "75 year old brain."

[OscarGuy]

Too much trauma listening to the man. Care to transcribe? Is it that he says Iraq, but means Ukraine? I mean, it wasn't unilateral, he had a whole cadre of warmongers urging him to do it, but it would indeed be funny if he accidentally said the quiet part out loud.

[Sabin]

For all the OG's on the board.

https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1 ... MPSW3X7epQ

GEORGE W. BUSH: "The decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq. I mean of Ukraine. Iraq too. Anyway."

[Sabin]

OscarGuy wrote
I think our best hope is that Mastriano is so toxic that he turns off down-ballot Republicans and they stay home. I think what would work wonders for Fetterman is if Oprah stumped for him. Oz's biggest asset is that he was once a favorite of Oprah, but that she's since disassociated herself with him. It would also give the Black community a prominent figure to overcome that "gunpoint" story, which would be a bit hypocritical for the Republicans to run on. What may boost them anyway is having a Black candidate running in the Lt. Governor's race. With all the white people at the top of the ticket, that might be a boon.

Whichever's side has a more depressed turnout overall loses. And right now, the glimpse is not good. While the GOP's Senate race is more fractured, their total vote exceeds the Democrat's by a hundred fifty thousand. The best hope is that Mastriano turns off moderates who are also offended by Oz's candidacy and they just stay home. My biggest concern is that it just takes a few more judo moves for Fetterman to win than I would like and I fear he's not a nimble contestant.

And if that wasn't enough, Monkeypox is a thing now.

[Greg]

Barnette is blaming Sean Hannity for her loss and will not support either Oz or McCormick.

[OscarGuy]

I think our best hope is that Mastriano is so toxic that he turns off down-ballot Republicans and they stay home. I think what would work wonders for Fetterman is if Oprah stumped for him. Oz's biggest asset is that he was once a favorite of Oprah, but that she's since disassociated herself with him. It would also give the Black community a prominent figure to overcome that "gunpoint" story, which would be a bit hypocritical for the Republicans to run on. What may boost them anyway is having a Black candidate running in the Lt. Governor's race. With all the white people at the top of the ticket, that might be a boon.

[Big Magilla]

If it's true that a large percentage of the electorate vote for the candidate that would most like to have a beer with, and I think it well may be, then Fetterman should easily win. He looks like half the damn guys in Pa.

[Sabin]

Big Magilla wrote
Fetterman's supporters will not only play Oz as an outside but will play McCormack as one as well. It will either be Pennsylvania (Fetterman) vs. Ohio or Pennsylvania vs. Wall St. (McCormack). McCormack is supported by Pompeo who is just as bad as Trump so it's six of one, half a dozen of another.

Both of those narratives work in Fetterman's favor. He can call Oz an outsider and McCormick as corrupt. Both of those narratives work in Fetterman's favor. Because McCormick is a slightly more generic Republican, I think that works in his favor. But there's a weirdness to Mehmet Oz that I think hurts him. He's not a culture warrior in a way that the Republican base likes. I wish Fetterman was going up against Barnette. Anything to offset the fact that Fetterman is going into the fall recovering from a stroke with $50m worth of ads highlighting the fact that he held a black person at gunpoint.