Shabibilicious

GOP Governor Says It's Time To 'Blame The Unvaccinated' For Pandemic Surge Ed Mazza Fri, July 23, 2021, 4:22 AM A Republican governor in one of the states hit hardest by the delta variant of the coronavirus called out those who’ve refused the vaccine on Thursday. “It’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks,” said Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, per CBS 42 in Birmingham. “It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down.” Ivey, who was vaccinated in December, also seemed to throw some shade at Fox News and other right-wing media outlets. “Media, I want you to start reporting the facts,” she said. “The new cases of COVID are because of unvaccinated folks. Almost 100 percent of the new hospitalizations are with unvaccinated folks. And the deaths are certainly occurring with the unvaccinated folks.” Although she didn’t name names, Fox News hosts, such as Tucker Carlson, have attempted to cast doubt on the effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccines. Carlson said the notion that the U.S. was now in a pandemic of the unvaccinated was “simply untrue” and “a lie.” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R), who was vaccinated in December, threw some shade at Fox News and other right-wing media outlets for providing misinformation about the coronavirus vaccines. (Photo: Marvin Gentry via Reuters) One Alabama ER doc recently shared the haunting tales of dying coronavirus patients who begged for the vaccine that they had previously refused. “I hold their hand and tell them that I’m sorry, but it’s too late,” Dr. Brytney Cobia wrote on Facebook. Alabama has seen a 311% jump in cases over the past two weeks, according to The New York Times, and a 92% increase in hospitalizations. The state’s rate of 23 new cases per 100,000 people was tied for the ninth highest in the nation. Alabama is also tied for the lowest vaccination rate in the U.S. Ivey has not exactly helped her case. Last week, she rejected a plan by President Joe Biden in which community-based volunteers would go door to door to encourage COVID-19 vaccination and offer help to those who need it. She also signed a bill banning “vaccine passports” in her state. That same law also banned businesses from requiring vaccination or even asking about vaccination status and banned schools, including colleges, from requiring the vaccine despite the fact that Alabama schools currently require multiple shots, with certain exemptions allowed. Earlier this week, Ivey rejected a call for wearing masks in schools that was made by the American Academy of Pediatrics. https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/gop-governor-says-time-blame-082206631.html GO RV, then BV

Liz Cheney Is Saving Pelosi, the GOP, and Maybe America from Themselves Matt Lewis Fri, July 23, 2021, 4:27 AM Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast Queen Liz Cheney continued to cement her image as the Iron Lady of the Republican Party this week, with a bold endorsement of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to veto two Trump allies—Reps. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks—from the Jan. 6 select committee. Pelosi objected to these picks by Minority “Leader” Kevin McCarthy because, as Cheney explained, Jordan “may well be a material witness to events that led to that day–that led to January 6th,” and Banks “disqualified himself by his comments in particular over the last 24 hours demonstrating that he is not taking this seriously.” In so doing, Cheney preserved the seriousness and credibility of the committee. To borrow a phrase from Rush Limbaugh, Cheney is equal time. This is a testament to the power of one individual’s integrity-based decisions. Cheney, by her very existence as a Republican, makes this select committee bipartisan—and not solely in the “fig leaf” manner that McCarthy, who’s determined to cut off any real look at the role Republican elected officials, up to the commander in chief himself, played in the events of that disgraceful day—wants you to believe. The GOP’s Suicide Squad Isn’t Going to Stop With Liz Cheney In the case of an investigation, there are two reasons for bipartisanship. The first is legitimacy. Ideally, you want everyone to feel represented so that there is buy-in. The second reason is that, as the cliché goes, diversity makes us stronger. This is the same reason why any leader should listen to a variety of viewpoints before making a decision. However, it’s important to distinguish between hearing different perspectives and entertaining conspiracy theories. For example, let’s take the current question over the Afghanistan withdrawal. There’s one argument (Cheney’s) that keeping a residual force is a small price to pay for preventing the Taliban from taking over. The opposing argument is that 20 years is too long for any war to drag on. A leader (Biden) might want to table his biases and fully explore both arguments before making a final decision. What is not worthy of contemplating, though, is the notion that we should have never invaded Afghanistan because 9-11 was an inside job. In applying this analogy to Jan. 6, Cheney represents one legitimate political worldview and Democrats represent the other. If Pelosi should name Rep. Adam Kinzinger—a Republican, Air Force veteran and member of the Air Force National Guard—to the select committee, as she is reportedly considering doing, she would be reinforcing this function and adding an additional check on Democrats who might be tempted to exploit the situation for their own political agenda. (And if you think **** Cheney’s daughter is some sort of RINO now, that probably says a lot more about you than it does about her.) Conversely, Jim Jordan, who sought to undermine the legitimacy of the 2020 election) personifies the “truther” category of the analogy, which is to say that he doesn’t so much bring different opinions as he does different facts. The GOP Isn’t Sending Their Best, and Pelosi Isn’t Having It House Republicans are predictably outraged at Cheney, who called B.S. on the game they were playing and single-handedly exposed and undermined their argument. It is increasingly rare to see someone take a stand like this, and I can’t help thinking it is brave and bold and romantic and rebellious—especially for someone who was once considered conservative royalty, but was recently kicked to the curb for failing to walk the party line. Speaking of walking the line, I’m reminded of a famous full-page ad in Billboard magazine with a picture of Johnny Cash flipping the bird and the words, “American Recordings and Johnny Cash would like to acknowledge the Nashville music establishment and country radio for your support.” The photo was taken in 1969 at California’s San Quentin prison, but resurfaced in the late 1990s after country radio had shunned Cash and he’d hooked up with producer Rick Rubin for what turned out to be a late career renaissance. Today’s Republican Party is like what country radio had become: lame, hackneyed, superficial, inauthentic, lacking any historical appreciation for the people who laid the foundation for it yet stubbornly and snobbishly parochial and hostile to independent thought. If Cheney were to take out a full-page ad in Roll Call today, she might acknowledge Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and the Republican establishment and thank them for their support. When it comes to the Republican establishment more concerned with pleasing Trump than with any of its alleged principles, she has gone rogue. The truth is that Cheney is doing exactly what you would want a congressperson whose judgment is that the attack on Jan. 6 “was the worst attack on this Capitol since 1814” and “an attack on our Constitution” to do. She believes there “must be an investigation that is nonpartisan, that is sober, that is serious, that gets to the facts wherever they may lead.” This strikes me as an entirely reasonable stand to take. And though today’s Republicans would deny it, future Republicans may reflect on this moment and find that there was at least one courageous member of their party worth (retroactively) celebrating. According to no less an authority on conservative governance than Edmund Burke, “Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.” Liz Cheney isn’t sacrificing anything to your opinion. https://www.yahoo.com/news/liz-cheney-saving-pelosi-gop-082752858.html GO RV, then BV

Rep. Matt Gaetz cut off a reporter's question about his vaccination status and said, 'We should be talking more about freeing Britney' Oma Seddiq Thu, July 22, 2021, 2:58 PM Rep. Matt Gaetz. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images Rep. Matt Gaetz refused to disclose his vaccination status. He focused instead on Britney Spears. "I think we should be talking more about freeing Britney," he told CNN. Gaetz also called CNN's question about his vaccination status "very nosy." See more stories on Insider's business page. When asked about his COVID-19 vaccination status, Rep. Matt Gaetz declined to answer and instead turned his attention to singer Britney Spears' conservatorship. "I think we should be talking more about freeing Britney," the Florida Republican told CNN this week, a report published on Thursday said. Gaetz didn't let the CNN reporter finish their question about whether he has been vaccinated against the coronavirus. Instead he replied, "That's very nosy of you." The lawmaker is one of 97 Republicans who have refused to disclose their vaccination status, with many arguing that it's a personal matter, CNN reported. "I don't think it's anybody's damn business whether I'm vaccinated or not," Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas told CNN. Democrats have slammed GOP lawmakers who have not revealed if they've gotten the vaccine. Critics view the move as irresponsible, claiming that Congress has a responsibility to boost public confidence in the vaccine as misinformation runs rampant. All Democrats in the House and Senate are fully vaccinated, per CNN. Many congressional Republicans have also added to the hesitancy and skepticism surrounding the vaccine by spreading misinformation themselves. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, for example, was suspended from Twitter for 12 hours on Monday evening after she posted claims about COVID-19 and the vaccine that the platform called "misleading." Recently, however, some Republicans have begun urging Americans to get the shot as the delta variant causes a spike in coronavirus infections among unvaccinated people in the US. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN last week that he is "a big fan of vaccinations" and that "it is pretty clear from all the evidence that if you get the disease, you are much more likely to survive it if you get vaccinated." Gaetz does not appear to be interested in the vaccination push coming from his colleagues. The lawmaker showed up to a "Free Britney" rally last week outside a Los Angeles courthouse ahead of the singer's conservatorship hearing. Spears, 39, has been legally under a conservatorship for 13 years, which has placed her fortune in her father's control. "Britney has been abused by the media, she has been abused by her grifter father and she's been abused by the American justice system," Gaetz told the crowd of Spears' supporters last Wednesday. In March, Gaetz called for Congress to hold a hearing on court-mandated conservatorships, citing the "Free Britney" movement. Earlier this month, he also wrote a letter to Spears, inviting her to testify before Congress about her conservatorship battle and how she's been stripped of her "life, liberty, and happiness." Gaetz is also the subject of an ongoing Department of Justice investigation into whether he paid underage girls for sex. https://www.yahoo.com/news/rep-matt-gaetz-cut-off-185849273.html GO RV, then BV

Do you even listen to yourself when you type things like this? What happened to you? Who are you listening to? GO RV, then BV

Trump's PAC has spent no money on ballot audits as he pushes his election fraud claims, but has funded his flights and other personal expenses, report says Tom Porter Fri, July 23, 2021, 6:30 AM Former U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower in Manhattan on July 19, 2021 in New York City. James Devaney/GC Images Trump's PAC has spent none of the $75 million it raised on election reviews, Washington Post reports. Trump has falsely claimed the election was stolen, but isn't putting money behind proving the claim. Election reviews in Arizona and Georgia are being funded by private donors - but not Trump's PAC. See more stories on Insider's business page. A PAC formed by former President Donald Trump to fund his attempt to challenge last year's presidential election result has not spent any money on audits or other election review measures, The Washington Post reported. The Save America leadership PAC was founded last year as Trump pushed his "big lie" that last year's election was stolen from him as a result of an elaborate plot by Democrats. The PAC, which has few legal limits on how it can spend its money, raised $75 million. Sources familiar with the PAC's finances told the Post that barely any of the money has been spent, apart from a small portion that has been used for some of Trump's travel and legal expenses, and to pay staff. According to the sources, none of the money has been channeled into concrete attempts to challenge last year's election result, such as the ballot audit being conducted in Arizona's Maricopa county. While Trump has issued statements in support of the ballot audit in Arizona, and attempts by other GOP legislatures to cast doubt on the integrity of last year's election, none of the money from his PAC war chest has been used to support the reviews, the Post reports. The deadline for the PAC to make its public financial statements in compliance with federal laws is July 31. Insider has contacted a Trump spokesperson for comment, but is yet to receive a response. Arizona's audit - which has been characterized as a shambolic partisan stunt by county election officials - is being partly funded by Arizona taxpayers and partly by private donations. A lawsuit seeking to launch a similar election review in Fulton County, Georgia, is also being funded by private donations. The PAC has continued to fundraise mainly by appealing to donors to fund the campaign to ensure election integrity. Trump's election fraud claims were defeated, or thrown out, in a series of court cases last year and twice refused a hearing in the US Supreme Court. He has continued to push them, however, despite the conspiracy theory inciting supporters to attack the Capitol on January 6, amid he rumours he is gearing up for another presidential bid in 2024. https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-pac-spent-no-money-103019150.html GO RV, then BV

Trump slams Arizona Senate Republican who said Maricopa audit 'makes us look like idiots' Daniel Chaitin Thu, July 22, 2021, 7:28 PM Former President Donald Trump chastised an Arizona Republican who said the chamber's controversial audit of the 2020 election in Maricopa County "makes us look like idiots." A message issued through Trump's Save America PAC on Thursday singled out state Sen. Paul Boyer, calling him a "RINO," which stands for Republican in Name Only, and offering praise to his primary challenger. "Republican Arizona State Senator Paul Boyer, a RINO if there ever was one, is doing everything in his power to hold up the damning Forensic Audit of Maricopa County which has been taking place over the last 90 days. The people of Arizona are demanding it," Trump said. "Boyer has been nothing but trouble, and nobody knows why. All we demand is Voter Integrity! He is being primaried by a strong and highly respected challenger, former Arizona State Representative Anthony Kern." Kern, a candidate for the 2022 midterm elections, thanked Trump on Twitter for the statement. Boyer also responded with a snarky tweet, alluding to the southern border, reports the auditors were looking for bamboo fibers from China in ballots, and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. "Had Trump built the wall like he promised, perhaps he could’ve prevented the 40k #BambooBallots from being imported into Arizona," he said in a tweet, inserting a laughing emoji. "And if he hadn’t started an insurrection in D.C. and gotten kicked off here, I could’ve responded directly to him. So there’s that." After courts rejected several lawsuits challenging the 2020 results in Arizona and other states Trump lost, the former president and his allies have turned their attention to the GOP-led Arizona Senate audit in Maricopa County, touting it as an inspection that could support their claims of widespread fraud or irregularities. ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL RECEIVES RECORDS ON 'POTENTIAL VIOLATIONS' OF ELECTION LAWS President Joe Biden won Arizona and its 11 electoral votes by more than 10,000 votes out of the 3.3 million across the state. His lead of roughly 2 percentage points was due partly to his advantage in Maricopa County, where the Democrat scored nearly 45,000 more votes than Trump among roughly 2.1 million ballots cast. Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the Southwestern state since President Bill Clinton captured it in 1996. Maricopa County officials, who have said the auditors are incompetent and refuse to cooperate fully with the review, previously authorized two election machine audits that found no irregularities in the county's 2020 election. There was also a hand recount of a statistical sample of ballots that did not turn up any problems. Boyer, a Republican from the Phoenix suburbs, was quoted in a New York Times report in May lamenting the audit had become the focus of a political maelstrom, as critics panned the contracted auditors and processes of the partisan review. “It makes us look like idiots,” Boyer said. “Looking back, I didn’t think it would be this ridiculous. It’s embarrassing to be a state senator at this point." Maricopa County officials announced last month voting machines subpoenaed for the audit would be removed from service after Arizona's Democratic secretary of state, Katie Hobbs, threatened to decertify the equipment, citing concerns with the methods of Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based firm hired to lead the review. The U.S. Justice Department has also signaled it may take action against the audit. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Arizona Senate President Karen Fann says the audit is not about overturning the election but rather finding problems that could be addressed in election-focused legislation. Still, some in her caucus, including state Sen. Wendy Rogers, have called for recalling the state's electors even before the audit is completed and its final findings are released. State Senate Majority Whip Sonny Borrelli floated the possibility of introducing a resolution to “reclaim electors” if the audit's findings put Biden’s 2020 election victory in doubt. Although audit officials predicted the audit would conclude by the end of the summer, testimony last week before the Arizona Senate indicated it could be drawn out if their request for more materials and information leads to subpoenas. https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-slams-arizona-senate-republican-232800677.html GO RV, then BV

You paid it no mind. GO RV, then BV

And? Did it tick you off then...or do you approve of separating and caging families? GO RV, then BV

I do remember....I also remember DJT having no problem packing those cages with separated families. GO RV, then BV

Broke your word. GO RV, then BV

I agree with the concrete jungle part....I'll never live in a city again. To each their own. GO RV, then BV

Unconstitutional.....presidential elections are held every 4 years in November, the next being 2024. GO RV, then BV

Not at all.....I care for the American landowner's right to own land and not have it infringed upon through a goverment land grab....any conservative would obviously agree with that sentiment. GO RV, then BV

I'm not advocating for doing away with the Electoral College....I'm simply using it as an example of how Blue politically this country really is.....a point you obviously agree with after reading your quoted post. GO RV, then BV

Yup, those silly accurate numbers.....imagine how Blue it would be without an Electoral College. GO RV, then BV

I triple dog dare you to tell DJT that he's not perfect, he has flaws. GO RV, then BV

That's all it takes....that's how you base it as truth? GO RV, then BV

Ahh....steal from one landowner to make life better for another, got it....very conservative indeed. GO RV, then BV

And when you mention the "voice of the people", you're talking about his base, which is only about 38%+/- of the voting population. GO RV, then BV

So much for his claim of only hiring the best and the brightest. GO RV, then BV

Exactly right....on this we agree. GO RV, then BV

Again, sources....the beauty of the internet and paying advertisers. Who can you trust...how much do sources stand to profit....internet profiteers like Alex Jones, come to mind. GO RV, then BV

What, no mention of the border land grab by the Trump administration for his glorious wall....kind of flies in the face of freedom for those American landowners, don't you think? GO RV, then BV

Makes it kind of tough for you to accept Operation Warp Speed as an honorable endeavor, eh? GO RV, then BV

If by "ignorant" you mean I don't believe the sky is falling, then yes....ignorant, and thank you for your glowing personal opinion of me. GO RV, then BV