2020 Election: Predictions, Results and Reactions

[RoseMorninStar]

Yes.
I think it often comes down to a 'any ends justifies the means' vs. a 'do we do the same to evenly compete and become that which we deplore'.

[elengil]

Forgive my moment of extreme cynicism, but not only is democracy already dead (if it ever was really alive), the human race itself is already in its death throes as we have passed the point of actually being able to take the actions necessary to effectively address the climate crisis.

Me and Sweetie have been having this very conversation in a variety of ways for quite a while now, and it gets more depressing every time

[Voronwë the Faithful]

One hopes that it was a move long planned and that it will bear fruit.

This is an interesting piece along those lines.

‘Pretty savvy’ DOJ just sidestepped legal battles that have slowed Jan. 6 committee’s probe: legal expert

[N.E. Brigand]

Here's a letter that the January 6th Committee today sent to Representative Barry Loudermilk, Republican of Georgia, asking him to meet with them to discuss a tour that he led on January 5, 2021.

As the letter notes, Republicans on the Committee on House Administration -- which includes Laudermilk -- had previously put out a statement saying they had reviewed security footage from January 5 and determined that no members had led a tour that day.

The concern, of course, is that the January 6th insurrectionists may have been able to conduct reconnaissance before the attack, and may have had help from members of Congress. And whether or not that happened, it appears that some members have tried to cover up evidence, so if the tour was innocuous, to me the Republican statement appears to flirt with obstruction.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Just coming here to post about that, but ya beat me to it. Loudermilk, of course, will refuse to meet with the committee and then they'll have to decide whether to issue a subpoena for him to ignore.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Shouldn't have poked the bear, Donald.

Former Attorney General William Barr tentatively agrees to give sworn

In the old days I would have considered this extremely significant. Now, who nows?

[N.E. Brigand]

Just coming here to post about that, but ya beat me to it. Loudermilk, of course, will refuse to meet with the committee and then they'll have to decide whether to issue a subpoena for him to ignore.

You got the Barr scoop, though!

As for Loudermilk, he now admits to having led a tour that day. He says it was just a family from his district. Maybe it was! But why didn't he just admit that before?

And in other 2020 election news, NBC has an interview with Michigan's secretary of state, Jocelyn Benson, in which she says she has been told that in a post-election meeting in the White House, President Donald Trump said that she should be arrested for treason and executed. In response, Donald Trump's spokesperson said, "I have it on good authority that Secretary Benson knowingly lied throughout her interview with NBC News," which might or might not be a denial of Benson's claim.

[RoseMorninStar]

As for Loudermilk, he now admits to having led a tour that day. He says it was just a family from his district. Maybe it was! But why didn't he just admit that before?

All of the people at the Jan. 6 insurrection came from somewhere, even those who were violent. 'Just' a family from his district could be meaningless, or not. Cleveland Meredith, Jr, one of the most violent insurrectionists, was from Georgia, just one district over from Loudermilk's district.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Right-wing attorney who challenged election results says Trump wrote him handwritten notes

This is a somewhat misleading headline, comma since it is clear that trump did give gives Eastman handwritten notes as the judge is already reviewing them. I think it is likely that judge Carter will rule that these documents also need to be turned over to the committee. We'llsee.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

First on CNN: Giuliani meets with January 6 committee for more than 9 hours

That's a lonnnnngggg deposition.

[N.E. Brigand]

Here's a letter that the January 6th Committee today sent to Representative Barry Loudermilk, Republican of Georgia, asking him to meet with them to discuss a tour that he led on January 5, 2021.

As the letter notes, Republicans on the Committee on House Administration -- which includes Laudermilk -- had previously put out a statement saying they had reviewed security footage from January 5 and determined that no members had led a tour that day.

The concern, of course, is that the January 6th insurrectionists may have been able to conduct reconnaissance before the attack, and may have had help from members of Congress. And whether or not that happened, it appears that some members have tried to cover up evidence, so if the tour was innocuous, to me the Republican statement appears to flirt with obstruction.

As for Loudermilk, he now admits to having led a tour that day. He says it was just a family from his district. Maybe it was! But why didn't he just admit that before?

All of the people at the Jan. 6 insurrection came from somewhere, even those who were violent. 'Just' a family from his district could be meaningless, or not. Cleveland Meredith, Jr, one of the most violent insurrectionists, was from Georgia, just one district over from Loudermilk's district.

Loudermilk has since updated his explanation. After this news broke on Thursday, he referred to the visitors as "a constituent family with young children meeting with their Member of Congress".

Yesterday he put out a video describing them he "took a family with young children and their guests to lunch in a cafeteria in one of the house office buildings" (emphasis added).

Still could be true. Still odd that he never thought to clear this up before.

[RoseMorninStar]

Still could be true. Still odd that he never thought to clear this up before.

Yes. And you would think there would be security video? I'm trying to recall how that worked when we toured the capitol (we were on a general admission tour, not a special tour by a congressperson). I think we had to show ID/register and I'm sure there were security cameras on during at least part of our visit.

[N.E. Brigand]

Is it a crime to pay someone to run as a third-party candidate in order to split the vote of the opposition? Asking for a friend.

Under the circumstances described in that article? It certainly seems fraudulent, but I simply am not knowledgeable enough to say for sure.

An update on this story from the Orlando Sentinel, headlined: Florida Power & Light Execs Worked Closely With Consultants Behind 'Ghost' Candidate Scheme, Records Reveal.

"These records reveal that start-up expenses for Grow United, the dark-money nonprofit central to the spoiler candidate scandal, were billed to Florida Power & Light by operatives then working for Matrix LLC, an Alabama consulting firm."

Per stories in the Orlando Sentinel and Tampa Bay Times, three more people have been charged in this scheme, in which individuals were paid to be phony candidates in an effort to dilute the vote and help Republicans win.

This is a flyer for one of those ghost candidates:



This is an actual picture of the candidate:



I guess the woman in the first photo is supposed to be a constituent calling the candidate, not the candidate herself.

[RoseMorninStar]

Like Kanye West trying to get on the Wisconsin ballot?

[N.E. Brigand]

Gun rights proponents are fond of saying that the only thing that will stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.

I'm seeing reports that the gunman in Texas today who killed 21 people, including 19 young children, shot his way past police to get into the school.

[RoseMorninStar]

When just about anyone can arm themselves with not just a gun, but a weapon of war along with all of the protective gear afforded a soldier of war, gear that our average police officer doesn't have, we the people.. and our children.. have little defense.

I've heard the army has commissioned a new rifle, one that can shoot through body armor. The gun makers have decided to make this weapon of war available to Joe Q Public. It will make the AR15 look like a toy.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I'm seeing reports that the gunman in Texas today who killed 21 people, including 19 young children, shot his way past police to get into the school.

As hard as it is to believe, that is apparently exactly what happened. And yet it won't remotely stop the "the answer is a good guys with a gun" narrative.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Under the circumstances described in that article? It certainly seems fraudulent, but I simply am not knowledgeable enough to say for sure.

An update on this story from the Orlando Sentinel, headlined: Florida Power & Light Execs Worked Closely With Consultants Behind 'Ghost' Candidate Scheme, Records Reveal.

"These records reveal that start-up expenses for Grow United, the dark-money nonprofit central to the spoiler candidate scandal, were billed to Florida Power & Light by operatives then working for Matrix LLC, an Alabama consulting firm."

Per stories in the Orlando Sentinel and Tampa Bay Times, three more people have been charged in this scheme, in which individuals were paid to be phony candidates in an effort to dilute the vote and help Republicans win.

It is worth noting that while he is not under investigation in this case (though he is still under investigation for sexual misconduct), the candidate that the ghost candidate was designed to benefit is a close associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz as well as Joel Greenberg, the former tax collector who has been charged in the sexual misconduct case and is cooperating in the investigation of Gaetz.

Charges Filed In Gaetz-Linked Florida Ghost Candidate Scheme

Meanwhile in Michigan, the staff of the Bureau of Elections has recommended that five of the GOP candidates for governor be removed from the ballot because of fraudulent petition signature gathering practices (though it is not alleged that the campaigns themselves conducted the fraudulent practices.

Fraudulent petition signatures turn Michigan's GOP race for governor on its head

LANSING – For a group of candidates who campaigned on election integrity and in some cases promoted unfounded claims of fraud related to the 2020 election, Monday's reports from the Bureau of Elections impacting the GOP race for governor might be comical, were they not so damning.

Citing a level of signature fraud unprecedented in its volume and scope, bureau staff have recommended that five of the 10 Republican candidates who filed petitions to get their names on the Aug. 2 primary election ballot for governor be disqualified.

Out of the race would be former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, Oakland County businessman and "quality guru" Perry Johnson, Byron Center businesswoman Donna Brandenburg, Grand Haven financial adviser Michael Markey and Michigan State Police Capt. Mike Brown of Stevensville, who already announced Tuesday he is ending his campaign.

The Bureau of Elections is supposedly going to make a decision tomorrow about whether to follow the recommendation. There is also a significant likelihood that criminal charges will be filed against those responsible for the fraud.

One begins to understand why Republicans are so worried about election fraud; they do seem to conduct quite a bit of it!

[N.E. Brigand]

Maggie Haberman of the New York Times writes: "The Jan 6 committee has testimony that [former White House Chief of Staff Mark] Meadows told colleagues [that President Donald] Trump said something to the effect of maybe [Vice President Mike] Pence should be hung".

Edited to add text from the Times article:

Shortly after hundreds of rioters at the Capitol started chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” on Jan. 6, 2021, the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, left the dining room off the Oval Office, walked into his own office and told colleagues that President Donald J. Trump was complaining that the vice president was being whisked to safety.

Mr. Meadows, according to an account provided to the House committee investigating Jan. 6, then told the colleagues that Mr. Trump had said something to the effect of, maybe Mr. Pence should be hung.

It is not clear what tone Mr. Trump was said to have used. But the reported remark was further evidence of how extreme the rupture between the president and his vice president had become, and of how Mr. Trump not only failed to take action to call off the rioters but appeared to identify with their sentiments about Mr. Pence — whom he had unsuccessfully pressured to block certification of the Electoral College results that day — as a reflection of his own frustration at being unable to reverse his loss.

[RoseMorninStar]

Just. ... Ugh.

May as well have been a Roman Coliseum. Trump wanted blood sport.