[Youngian]

‘Democrats plotted to destroy my career!,’ claims MAGA cry baby actor and Peruvian export enthusiast James Woods. Giving Mad Nad a run for her money for conspiracy theories.
Woods has several fine performances on his CV but a long time ago. Reduced to making a cringing fan film hagiography of Rudy Giuliani only a a few years ago, that’s dated very badly.

[The Weeping Angel]

Some good news

[Andy McDandy]

More good news:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67352011

Ohio, the quintessentially "average" US state, enshrines bodily autonomy and access to reproductive medical treatment in its constitution. Abortion, contraception, period products, the lot.

OK, Kentucky is in many ways the acceptable face of the South, and Ohio is a mix of cosmopolitan and rural, but to see progressive wins in 2 states firmly on the thick side of the Appalachians is encouraging stuff.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Quite a good effort in Mississippi too, considering there’s a not very popular Democrat president.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ha ha ha

[Spoonman]

Nearly half of Republicans in the House of Representatives have had enough of George Santos' shit and have voted alongside almost all Democrats to expel him from his seat.

US House votes to expel George Santos from Congress

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67593885

In general, it looks like the slightly more saner end of the Republican party in the house was fearful that if Santos wasn't dealt with sooner rather than later, it was going to hurt their own chances of getting reelected next year, certainly the four other NY state Republican reps appear to be glad to see the back of Santos. A special election (i.e. by-election) for the NY 3rd District that Santos won last year now has to be held within the next 90 days.

Hopefully the feds are keeping a watchful eye on what leaves Santos' old Congressional office, a repeat of boxes of classified information going astray is the last thing needed.

[Spoonman]

If it wasn't for pesky issues like nationality, Santos would be a great fit into the current Tory front bench.

[Tubby Isaacs]

To be fair to Sunak, he did kick Andrew Bridgen out. Bridgen would be Speaker material for the Republicans.

[kreuzberger]

Nothing about "Volvos, and the Communist Wheels of Death"? The guy's a fucking amateur.

[Andy McDandy]

Good name for a band, that.

[The Weeping Angel]

[Spoonman]

#shockednotshocked

[The Weeping Angel]

In a rare bit of good news

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... tion-trial

A Washington DC jury has ordered Rudy Giuliani to pay $148.1m to two Atlanta election workers after he spread lies about them, one of the most significant verdicts to date seeking accountability for those who attempted to overturn the 2020 election.

The verdict follows a four-day trial in which Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, her daughter, gave haunting details about the harassment and threats they faced after Giuliani falsely accused them of trying to steal the election in Georgia. The women, who are Black, described how they fled, are afraid to give their names in public, and still suffer severe emotional distress today. Their lawyers asked the jury to award them each at least $24m in damages. Giuliani’s attorney said earlier this week that awarding the plaintiffs their sought damages would be a “death penalty” and would be “the end of Mr Giuliani”.

The damages included nearly $16.2m and $17m in compensatory damages for Freeman and Moss respectively. It also included $20m to each woman for intentional infliction of emotional distress. The jury also awarded an additional $75m in punitive damages. Giuliani also owes approximately an additional $275,000 in legal fees.

“Today’s a good day. A jury stood witness to what Rudy Giuliani did to me and my daughter and held him accountable, and for that I’m thankful,” said Freeman, speaking at the court after the verdict. “Today is not the end of the road, we still have work to do. Rudy Giuliani was not the only one who spread lies about us, and others must be held accountable too. But that is tomorrow’s work.

[Crabcakes]

Read an interesting piece this morning that Trump’s goal may not actually be to win an election because that’s high risk for him - he could (and hopefully would) lose, which would destroy his reputation in the only way relevant to Republicans - his ability to get into power - and be unacceptable to his ego.

Instead, his goal is the nomination and *then* he will start his attempted coup by saying there’s no point having the election because it will be rigged against him. Which is of course abhorrent and dangerous, but I think could and probably will backfire. Trump is obviously insane at this point - he’s facing jail time, bankruptcy and humiliation. Simultaneously, he’s attending rallies of the faithful so is doubling down on his Nazi rhetoric - but it’s the *same* faithful. They follow him from state to state, bumping up numbers.

When he was in power and held if not all the cards then at least as many cards as he would ever hold, his coup attempt failed. This time he is out of office, his party are barely clinging on to one house, and his attention is divided by the numerous lawsuits he needs the presidency to pardon himself from. Loads of his former co-conspirators are in jail, fucked, or have turned on him.

The numbers of GOP voters who support him is frightening in terms of the sheer ignorance and bigotry across huge swathes of the US. But the number of people who will actually step up with a gun to help him try and overthrow the government - which is what he will have to do and what he will try and egg people on to do, all the while not actually demanding they do it directly - is likely very small.

I think in 2024 we might be about to see the US equivalent of Boris’s attempted return to power when Truss was booted out - the ‘big dog’ making a lot of fuss, and then it completely fizzling out and the instigator shitting themselves and running away, having blindly played their only hand and discovered it is ruinously weak.

[Watchman]

I would go with most of that; however, re the last paragraph, Trump's ego is considerably larger than de Piffle's, and his supporters are equally as unstable. So whilst I don't see him getting the presidency again, I do think we will hear and see a lot of very nasty unpleasantness

[Bones McCoy]

I would go with most of that; however, re the last paragraph, Trump's ego is considerably larger than de Piffle's, and his supporters are equally as unstable. So whilst I don't see him getting the presidency again, I do think we will hear and see a lot of very nasty unpleasantness

Unstable, and potentially heavily armed.
There are, however, two sources of solace.

First up, the police and military are far more heavily armed.

Second: Big mouth who talks the coup talk, but lacks the balls to go there, attracted a crowd much like himself.
So while a minority of fools fucked about and found out on Jan 6th, far more sat outside and cheered from the sidelines.
If they try that shit again, I suspect the police or national guard will fire a warning shot, and then broadcast the whole "Fuck off or get wrecked" message.

[Crabcakes]

I would go with most of that; however, re the last paragraph, Trump's ego is considerably larger than de Piffle's, and his supporters are equally as unstable. So whilst I don't see him getting the presidency again, I do think we will hear and see a lot of very nasty unpleasantness

Oh absolutely. But he’s also a bigger coward and a bigger baby, and much, much stupider. I expect a truly Earth-shattering tantrum when he doesn’t get his own way to be the end of it. Probably when - either out of desperation, stupidity, ego or all three - he finally snaps and does something in public the weirdly puritan US populace and right-wing media cannot accept or hide.

I suspect it may involve using the N-word in a speech, literally attacking a woman from a media org he doesn’t like, or openly and directly ordering people to attack someone or a particular group. Or, he does something super-reckless in anger like a violent sexual assault, and gets caught red handed.

[Andy McDandy]

I wonder if Rudy, facing destitution, will go to The Donald for help, and discover in an instant just how much his support was valued at. Then, like Henry Hill being offered a pittance by Paulie, blab all he knows?

[Crabcakes]

I wonder if Rudy, facing destitution, will go to The Donald for help, and discover in an instant just how much his support was valued at. Then, like Henry Hill being offered a pittance by Paulie, blab all he knows?

I have a strong suspicion Rudy has had and/or is still experiencing some form of cognitive decline. He seems completely unmoored from reality, and many people who worked with him when he was mayor say he’s not the same man now.

Which means I suspect he won’t talk, because unless he has a very good and persuasive lawyer, I don’t think he can make an objective judgement on the best option for himself.

[Bones McCoy]

Remarkable to think that Giuliani and Blair were de-facto leaders of the free world for three days.
Rudy came across as relatively sane at that time.

Dubya's handlers had him locked down for the 3 days after 9/11.