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Top 10 Idiots

(598 posts)
Wed Nov 18, 2020, 06:00 PM Nov 2020

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-17: The Man With The Golden Goose Edition


Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-17: The Man With The Golden Goose Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! Still coming to you from this blank void. How’s everybody doing? I know, this has been quite a week, hasn’t it? For the first time in five years I feel like I can finally sleep easier at night. But we’ve still got a long way to go before the end of 2020. And man it’s going to feel like an eternity until January 1st gets here, after which we only have 20 more days left of this god forsaken administration! So do we have time for the thing? And yeah this is the first “thing” we’ve had in like two months so let’s do this thing! Well we got to talk about the Space X launch for a minute. Wasn’t that great on Sunday? Yes like the Lakers winning the NBA Finals or the Dodgers winning the World Series, just some mild escapism from the absolute shit show that is 2020. But that said it was pretty cool to watch wasn’t it? I mean it wasn’t quite the spectacular they had last year when they launched a Tesla Roadster in orbit around the earth but it was still pretty cool, am I right? I mean I always said that space travel will start expanding when it becomes profitable to do so. And now that Space X has taken the helm it looks like it might start becoming profitable to do so! Although really, Elon Musk believes in alien DNA and promoted Kanye West for president, and named his baby after a series of unpronounceable syllables, so is this really the guy who we want in charge? It remains to be seen. OK enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first John Oliver is back and he talks about Trump’s insane denial of the 2020 election results:



Wow, the dust has finally been settled from the 2020 election but Trump isn’t going quietly! In the #1 slot this week is of course the guy who won’t be president for much longer and that’s’ Twitter’s own @realDonaldTrump (1). He’s attempting to stage what one might call a coup and it’s backfiring on him spectacularly! In the second slot this week is Trump Supporters (2) – they’re planning a Million MAGA March on Washington DC and we will have all the low lights from the shit show! Yes, you saw that correctly! In the third slot this week is SCOTUS (3). So Boofing Brett Kavanaugh had an independent thought on health care, but then Samuel Alito decided to channel his inner Frank Costanza and air his grievances to the Federalist Society! In the number four slot this week is also @realDonaldTrump (4) and he has a plan to start his own news network! Yes, he’s declaring war on the channel that made him, Fox, because, reasons. In the number 5 slot this week is our weekly investigative piece, Top 10 Investigates (5) and this week my home state of California always makes the news for the big money and big prizes poured in to their proposition system, so what made the cut this year? Well it was quite the mixed bag for starters! In the number 6 slot this week is our weekly visit to the Holy Church of the Top 10 in “Holy Shit” (6) and this week – our resident pastor takes a look at what Northern California megachurch hipster cult pastor Sean Feucht is up to and well, let’s just say that coronavirus likes this. In the #7 slot this week is a new edition of “Beating A Dead Horse”. So Ben Shapiro – you know him as the guy who constantly attacks liberals for needing “safe spaces” – hates the concept of gender bending in rock music. Well guess what? That concept is older than time itself! Taking the #8 slot this week, is a new segment! We have our first ever edition of “People Who Somehow Got Re-Elected” (8) and who better to induct into the new class than our old buddy Mitch McConnell? Because he has an inexplicably low approval rating, yet keeps getting reelected every time! WTF! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week is a new I Need A Drink – why are celebrities buying controlling stakes in European EFL teams? We will have some drinks and find out! Finally in “Road To The White House” (10) – why does Trump refuse to concede? And why won’t they tell the incoming president anything? So many questions! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

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[font size="8"]Donald Trump
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Can we talk about the New Zealand Bird Of The Year vote for a minute? Because it’s quite literally insane that they actually have a Bird Of The Year vote. And in this election there were 1500 votes that were found to be fraudulent. That’s because New Zealand really cares about its’ bird of the year. Which this year happened to be Spotted Kiwi. Although I personally happen to be a fan of the Yellow Eyed Penguin in this case. So cute! But the reason I bring this up is because this is just an election to decide New Zealand’s national bird. Now imagine this having real consequences like here in America, where President Boy Who Cried Wolf is screaming about voter fraud. Allow me to cue my inner Twilight Zone narrator and just imagine if you will, a scenario in which 5,000,000 votes suddenly got overturned. It’s frightening, isn’t it?

President Donald Trump on Friday sought to reframe his unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud, proclaiming in a statement that his push to ensure the integrity of this year’s vote “is no longer about any single election.”

He also vowed to pursue a fair and transparent vote counting process “through every aspect of the law,” despite there being no evidence of broad wrongdoing.

The president struck a slightly less combative tone than he has previously this week, ditching his pleas to “stop the count” of ballots as his opponent Joe Biden pulled ahead in two states that would hand him the presidency.

“We believe the American people deserve to have full transparency into all vote counting and election certification, and that this is no longer about any single election,” Trump argued. “This is about the integrity of our entire election process.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/06/trump-campaign-election-is-not-over-434684




That’s right – Trump is hopping mad! But just think about that bird election there for a minute. Now just imagine what could go wrong if Trump ordered a recount in every state and somehow got the majority of the popular vote overturned? It’s pure fantasy at this point – he lost and the election results are unlikely to be overturned. But take a look at the clusterfuck currently happening in Georgia to get a preview of where we could be headed.

A recount in Georgia’s presidential race found more than 2,600 ballots in Floyd County that hadn’t originally been tallied, likely helping President Donald Trump reduce his 14,000-vote deficit to Joe Biden.

Trump could gain nearly 800 net votes from the discovered ballots. There were 1,643 new votes for Trump and 865 for Biden.

The problem occurred because county election officials didn’t upload votes from a memory card in an ballot scanning machine, said Gabriel Sterling, the state’s voting system manager.

He called it “an amazing blunder” and said the county’s elections director should resign.

“It’s not an equipment issue. It’s a person not executing their job properly,” Sterling said. This is the kind of situation that requires a change at the top of their management side."
https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-recount-uncovers-2600-new-votes-in-presidential-race/I75NSPYYGNF43HQZBPYKJWJ5MA/




That is true! And there’s no one who’s a bigger sore loser than Trump is. Hell he’s even a sore winner – think about the fact that he’s spent the last four years just berating Hillary over the results of the 2016 election. Nothing pleases this guy! But in fact he’s dead wrong on his election claims and he’s fighting quite the losing battle. He’ll go down in flames and it might take Bradley Tanks and a SWAT team to remove him from the White House on 1/21/21.

A group of 59 computer scientists, researchers and cybersecurity experts on Monday released a letter rejecting President Donald Trump’s claims of widespread electoral fraud as “technically incoherent” and “unsubstantiated” in the latest rebuke of Trump’s campaign to undermine public confidence in the election results.

“We are aware of alarming assertions being made that the 2020 election was ‘rigged’ by exploiting technical vulnerabilities,” wrote the group of experts, which included Matt Blaze, a cryptologist and professor at Georgetown University, and Alex Stamos, the former security chief at Facebook. “However, in every case of which we are aware, these claims either have been unsubstantiated or are technically incoherent.”

Since multiple media outlets, including Fox News and the Associated Press, on Nov. 7 projected Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election, Trump and his allies have continuously made false claims of election fraud. The director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has debunked the president’s conspiracy theories while mostly avoiding mentioning Trump by name.

“Anyone asserting that a US election was ‘rigged’ is making an extraordinary claim, one that must be supported by persuasive and verifiable evidence,” the security experts wrote in their letter. Trump and his allies have provided no such evidence, and lawyers representing the Trump campaign in court have consistently failed to convince judges of their arguments.
https://www.cyberscoop.com/election-security-experts-trump-voter-fraud-baseless/




Holy shit! I’m no expert on cyber security by any means but I think even a room full of chain smoking monkeys on typewriters could tell Trump that he’s completely full of shit on election fraud! I could go on all day about how members of his own party are saying that he’s completely full of shit but I don’t have that kind of time! Even the US election security officials claim he’s full of shit!

US election officials have said the 2020 White House vote was the "most secure in American history", rejecting President Donald Trump's fraud claims.

"There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised," a committee announced.

They spoke out after Mr Trump claimed without proof that 2.7 million votes for him had been "deleted".

He has yet to concede to the president-elect, Democrat Joe Biden.

The result of the 3 November election was projected by all the major US TV networks last weekend.

On Friday, the BBC projected Mr Biden to have won Georgia and Mr Trump to have won North Carolina.
https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54926084





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[font size="8"]Million MAGA March Highlights
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We seriously had a pool in the Top 10 Home Offices going as to how long before Saturday’s Million MAGA March in Washington DC would turn violent. I figured it was going to be at some point after the march when the protestors got bored and went home. I was not disappointed. Of course you should know by now that when the MAGAs gather – whether it’s the Proud Boys or the Oath Keepers, that some serious shit will fly and it will most likely end with injuries and arrests. Or as the Los Angeles Lakers call it, a victory parade. I kid, I kid. But let’s take a look at the million MAGA March for a minute and how the Trump presidency began and how it will end.

The Trump administration is ending the same way it started: spreading false claims about crowd sizes in Washington, D.C.

On Nov. 14, thousands of President Donald Trump’s supporters rallied in Washington to support false claims that he had won re-election. But White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted an alternative estimate of the demonstration’s attendance.

"AMAZING! More than one MILLION marchers for President @realDonaldTrump descend on the swamp in support," McEnany said in the tweet, which has been shared more than 56,000 times.

The post took us back to January 2017, when Trump’s first press secretary, Sean Spicer, claimed the crowd at Trump’s inauguration "was the largest audience to witness an inauguration, period." We rated that claim Pants on Fire!

Since Trump retweeted a claim that more than a million people gathered in Washington to support him, we wanted to take a closer look at McEnany’s tweet.
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/nov/16/kayleigh-mcenany/million-maga-march-did-not-have-more-1-million-att/




Yes these are some extremely terrible people. And if you saw the posts on Twitter you’d think that conservatives were badly mistreated during the protests. No they weren’t. In fact like most protests, they’re the antagonists looking to start some shit, but they’re able to spin it in such a way that they’re the victims. And yes like every pro-Trump march since the administration began, this one ended about how you’d expect.

Supporters of President Donald Trump — including members of the militant hate group the Proud Boys — fought with counterprotesters in Washington, DC, on Saturday night following the “Million MAGA March” rally that attracted crowds of thousands in the nation’s capital throughout the day.

During the day, the rally was largely peaceful, with only minor altercations between demonstrators and counterprotesters. But by evening, the violence reportedly intensified, leading to at least one hospitalization.

The Proud Boys, as Vox’s Fabiola Cineas has explained, are known for inciting violence, and reports from the scene note provocations coming from demonstrators, as well as from counterprotesters at various points. Video footage shows a number of street brawls breaking out in various parts of the city, including some fights that left onlookers asking for a greater police response.

During one such melee near the White House, baton-wielding Trump supporters fought with a group of counterprotesters in a brawl that left one man hospitalized after being stabbed in the back. Separately, an independent journalist said she believed she was stabbed in the ear by a member of the Proud Boys. Four police officers were injured.
https://www.vox.com/2020/11/15/21565938/million-maga-march-violence-protests-dc




So yeah just keep in mind that if you hang out with the Proud Boys, someone is gonna get stabbed and that’s something that you should try to avoid at all costs! But the thing is the Trump administration ended the same way it began – by lying about crowd sizes! And let’s comment on their uniforms for a minute. I mean seriously they complain about Harry Styles wearing a dress, but they have no problem with color coordinating and matching scarves? Please!!!

The Proud Boys, a violent far-right group which Donald Trump told to “stand by” during a September presidential debate, are expected to rally in Washington DC, on Saturday. They’re part of a constellation of groups and demonstrations heading to the capitol to protest the election result in a “Million MAGA March.”

“People want to show up and have their voice heard,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox on Thursday, when asked about the event. “I mean this president — look, he got more votes than any Republican nominee, or for president I should say, in the history of our country and indeed he got more Republican votes as any nominee in the history of our party back in 2016.”

The president did not win the presidential election, and in all likelihood lost the popular vote by millions, but he and his allies have continued to claim without evidence Democrats cheated the results in statements and a series of flagging lawsuits around the country.

The concurrent demonstrations in the capitol, including the Million MAGA March as well as various “Stop the Steal” events, are a physical manifestation of the outrage that’s spread in conservative circles online, and are expected to attract a broad cross-section of Trump-supporting factions, including radical anti-government vigilante groups like the Oath Keepers and Three Percenters, followers of conspiracy-peddling outlet Infowars, alt-right activists, neo-Nazis, as well other supporters of the president.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/proud-boys-dc-maga-trump-election-b1722071.html




Yeah seriously! The Proud Boys even got a visit from Dear Leader as he drove through the rally on his way to go golfing. But the one nice thing is that the MAGA movement appears to be dying down even though 70 million voted for the Orange Asshole. And like I said the Trump administration will end as it began – with them lying about crowd sizes. In fact this was one of the most poorly attended rallies in recent memory.
Saturday’s “Million MAGA March” in Washington D.C. failed to live up to its name, in that only thousands of people—nowhere near a million—gathered in the nation’s capital over the weekend to protest the right of their fellow Americans to vote for someone other than Donald Trump to be President.

According to a report from the Washington Post, those gathered at the march heard from a cast of speakers who were conspiracy theorists, among them Alex Jones (who has been sued for accusing the families of the children killed at Sandy Hook of being actors), after getting a glimpse of their head conspiracy theorist Trump, who drove by the people gathered in his name on the way to golf.

During the day the Trumpers marched through the streets against voting, COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and even Fox News (which has begun acknowledging the fact that Biden is the projected winner of the presidential election).

True to form, current White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany hopped on Twitter to continue the tradition of press secretaries in the Trump White House, by outright lying about the numbers of people present for the march, claiming that it was “more than one million”:
https://www.theroot.com/the-million-maga-march-didnt-meet-its-target-number-bu-1845679318





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Yes it’s a fact that conservatives now have a 6 – 3 supermajority on the Supreme Court. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that even they have to follow the law and the constitution of the United States. Even a man such as Boofing Brett Kavanaugh has to comply by the standards of the bench that he presides over and it cannot be ignored! But even such hard lined conservatives like Boofing Brett have an independent thought every once in a while. But it won’t be long before the conservatives break his spirits and remind him who he is working for. After all they will strip our rights and take away our nice things whether we like it or not!

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts made comments Tuesday implying they’re likely to uphold the Affordable Care Act as the fate of the landmark health care act was argued before the court, suggesting it is unlikely that a majority of justices will ultimately vote to strike down the ACA even if its individual mandate provision is declared unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court heard Texas v. California Tuesday, which concerns whether the individual mandate in the ACA, which imposed a penalty on Americans who didn’t purchase health insurance, should be declared unconstitutional after Congress invalidated the mandate by getting rid of the tax penalty in their 2017 tax legislation.

Conservative state attorneys general and the Trump administration argue that the individual mandate is unconstitutional, and because of that the entire ACA should be struck down, because they believe the individual mandate cannot be severed from the rest of the law without the entire law being invalidated.

Kavanaugh said during the hearing that the case appeared to be a “straightforward case for severability” based on the Supreme Court precedent, and “it does seem fairly clear that the proper remedy would be to sever the mandate provision and leave the rest of the act in place,” including protections for preexisting conditions.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2020/11/10/kavanaugh-roberts-suggest-they-wont-strike-down-affordable-care-act-obamacare-in-supreme-court-hearing/?sh=5dabed5a6954




That’s right! Brett Kavanaugh had an independent thought alarm that even conservatives can’t ignore, and it certainly wasn’t what Trump signed him up for and paraded him around for! Both he and Roberts are suggesting that it’s not the court’s duty to strike down ACA. Though no matter what happens we’ll keep an eye on it because that’s what we do. But even the insurance industry themselves is surprised by this ruling! And they would know.

It’s been 10 years, and Republicans still can’t quit Obamacare.

As coronavirus cases mount and as state and local governments brace for more COVID fallout, the battle over President Obama’s signature achievement continues to rage -- and the health benefits of more than 20 million Americans hang in the balance.

The war over the Affordable Care Act has been full on since its enactment in March 2010.

Republicans who voted against it then called parts of the ACA unconstitutional, taking particular aim at the individual mandate provision, which requires people to enroll in insurance coverage or face fines. It faced challenges in the Supreme Court in 2012 and 2015, and was upheld both times. President Trump has vowed to overturn Obamacare as well, but after nearly four years in office still has relatively little to show for his efforts.

Now, as coronavirus continues to take lives, and with two months left in the White House for Trump, the fight over Obamacare is before the Supreme Court once again.
https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/the-war-against-obamacare-is-still-raging-after-10-years-and-a-pandemic




Oh seriously people! Stop your rabbling! Kavanaugh will be told to get in line soon enough. As if that wasn’t enough, let’s switch gears and talk about Samuel Alito’s showing at the Federalist Society’s annual gathering of deplorables. It seems he has a few thoughts on COVID destroying our basic civil liberties. And before we do I want to show just what we’re up against. And why Alito is not fucking helping at all!

Washington (CNN)White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Scott Atlas criticized Michigan's new Covid-19 restrictions in a tweet shortly after they were announced Sunday evening, urging people to "rise up" against the new public health measures.

"The only way this stops is if people rise up," Atlas said. "You get what you accept. #FreedomMatters #StepUp"

His message -- which runs counter to the consensus of public health officials -- is likely to fuel new tension between the White House and Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whom federal and state officials announced last month was the target of an alleged domestic terrorism kidnapping plot.

Responding to Atlas' tweet Sunday evening, Whitmer told CNN's Wolf Blitzer, "We know that the White House likes to single us out here in Michigan, me out in particular. I'm not going to be bullied into not following reputable scientists and medical professionals."

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/15/politics/scott-atlas-coronavirus-michigan/index.html




Gee seriously what could go wrong there? We already have one petulant man child attempting to stage a coup the last thing we need are clones! So Dr. Atlas said that shit. We’re in the worst pandemic not seen in an entire century, so why do Alito's comments matter when Atlas says shit like this? Well take this combined with Kavanuagh’s comments on the ACA and we have a colossal shit show in the making and it’s all thanks to you know who.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito delivered an unusually inflammatory public speech Thursday night, starkly warning about the threats he contends religious believers face from advocates for gay and abortion rights, as well as public officials responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to a virtual conference of conservative lawyers, the George W. Bush appointee made no direct comment on the recent election, the political crisis relating to President Donald Trump’s refusal to acknowledge his defeat or litigation on the issue pending at the Supreme Court.

However, Alito didn’t hold back on other controversial subjects, even suggesting that the pressure Christians face surrounding their religious beliefs is akin to the strictures the U.S. placed on Germany and Japan after World War II.

“Is our country going to follow that course?” Alito asked. “For many today, religious liberty is not a cherished freedom. It’s often just an excuse for bigotry and can’t be tolerated, even when there is no evidence that anybody has been harmed. ... The question we face is whether our society will be inclusive enough to tolerate people with unpopular religious beliefs.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/13/alito-speech-religious-freedom-436412





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Well if you can’t beat them, steal them. That seems to be the motto of the Donald J. Trump reelection campaign. And we’ve said before that if Trump loses the election that he’s going to burn the house down before he goes. In fact it’s already started and he’s going nuclear on Fox News. That’s right – the network that made him into the heartless monster that he is is turning on him, like some kind of fucked up Frankenstein monster. And I mean come on, I read the Frankenstein novel in middle school I have seen how this sort of thing turns out! And it will not turn out well for Trump or for Fox News.

"Fox News Sucks! Fox News Sucks!"

For those of us who are no fans of Donald Trump, we have all likely thought words to that effect over the years as Fox News defended Trump and the Republican Party. But the chant "Fox News Sucks!" didn't come out of the mouths of Trump's opponents, but rather from a swath of Trump's own supporters during Saturday's march in Washington, D.C.

For me, it was a beautiful sight: watching Trump supporters adorned with their Trump paraphernalia, waving Trump flags, in the streets chanting the mantra over and over. Finally, I agree with Trump supporters on something!
This is not the first time Trump lovers have mocked Fox News. Days after the November 3 election, some Trump supporters were heard chanting "Fox sucks" in Arizona outside a vote counting location -- reportedly because they were upset the network had called Arizona for Joe Biden before most other media outlets.

But the large numbers of Trump supporters Saturday vocally eclipsed what happened in Arizona. This was clearly a reaction to Trump's increased attack on Fox News via his tweet Thursday, where he claimed Fox News forgot he was the "Golden Goose" for their ratings. Trump, in essence, appeared to blame Fox News for his election loss, writing: "The biggest difference between the 2016 Election, and 2020, was @FoxNews!"
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/15/opinions/trump-election-war-fox-news-obeidallah/index.html




I could honestly see that’s where news is headed. Seriously a man as petty and vindictive as Trump obviously has something up his sleeve. The guy is fuming mad over losing the election and he’s taking it more like the child screaming at Target when his parents don’t buy him a toy than he is taking the loss like a real man should. So how did the relationship between Trump and Fox News turn into a modern day version of the Frankenstein story?

The last day of Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign began just after 7 a.m., as polls opened on the East Coast, with a call to “Fox & Friends,” the television morning show that had turned the reality star into a U.S. president. He got his usual hero’s welcome. But it was no longer enough.

“This has been a very special show for me,” he told the hosts of this broadcasting safe haven where he had workshopped his birther message, shared gossip and conspiracy theories, and repeatedly set the tone for his entire administration’s day. “We’ve had a great relationship, and you have a great show. So, it’s my honor.”

But his remarks quickly turned pointed that Tuesday morning as he boasted about how well he had done in the job of president, despite unexpected challenges — not from China or Russia or North Korea, he said, but from the United States. And he mused rhetorically about what had changed the most for him since 2016.

“Fox,” he said, answering his own question. “It’s much different now.” As the hosts sputtered, he elaborated: “In the old days, they wouldn’t put sleepy Joe Biden on every time he opened his mouth. .?.?. It’s a much different operation — I’m just telling you.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/the-long-love-affair-between-fox-news-and-trump-may-be-over-heres-how-it-ended-last-week/2020/11/09/f4dddb5e-2095-11eb-90dd-abd0f7086a91_story.html




That did go south so fast! And remember that episode of Futurama where Bender gets kicked out of a theme park and vows to start his own, but better? Well Trump is aiming to do just that. He’s made the world look at the US as a laughing stock, and he’s taken his brand of poison to Fox News as well. So if he gets kicked out of Fox News where’s he going to go? It seems Trump’s brand of love – hate with Fox News has been taken to new extremes.

President Trump has told friends he wants to start a digital media company to clobber Fox News and undermine the conservative-friendly network, sources tell Axios.

The state of play: Some Trump advisers think Fox News made a mistake with an early call (seconded by AP) of President-elect Biden's win in Arizona. That enraged Trump, and gave him something tangible to use in his attacks on the network.

"He plans to wreck Fox. No doubt about it," said a source with detailed knowledge of Trump's intentions.

With loyal viewers and longtime dominance, Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch said on a Nov. 3 earnings call:

"We love competition. We have always thrived with competition. ... Fox News has been the number one network, including broadcast networks, ... from Labor Day through to Election Day."

Here's Trump's plan, according to the source:

There's been lots of speculation about Trump starting a cable channel. But getting carried on cable systems would be expensive and time-consuming.
https://www.axios.com/trump-fox-news-digital-media-competitor-25afddee-144d-4820-8ed4-9eb0ffa42420.html




Oh come on, Axios! You know Trump isn’t the type to throw tons of money away on a business that will go nowhere! Oh wait, he’s already lost money in casinos, airlines, vodka, steaks, hotels, golf courses, and a fake university. What’s there to stop him from investing money in his own media company? Well like most breakups, this one is going to be extremely long and extremely painful, and the last thing we need is another conservative media outlet. Trump might think he's the golden goose, but really he's more The Man With The Golden Goose. And a solid gold toilet. So I give this one six months before they pack it in.

Allies of President Trump have reportedly looked into investing in the conservative news outlet Newsmax to compete with Fox News, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal published on Sunday.

Hicks Equity Partners, a private-equity firm with connections to a co-chair of the Republican National Committee, have been in discussions in recent months with the media company about investing in Newsmax. The Journal reports the talks may also be part of larger efforts that could include a streaming video service.

Trump's allies have been exploring ways to compete with Fox News for the past two years, according to the Journal. Trump’s relationship with the network has been complicated. He has often shown appreciation for the support he receives from Fox News hosts and the network's coverage of his presidency has often influenced decisions he's made inside the White House. He has also lashed out at the network when it criticized him.

Trump recently posted a flurry of anti-Fox News tweets that attacked the network and lamented that it had forgotten the "golden goose" that made it successful. He appeared furious at the network's projection that Democrat Joe Biden would be victorious in Arizona's presidential tally.
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/526069-trump-allies-raising-millions-for-new-conservative-tv-network-report





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[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: California Propositions
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It’s time to investigate beyond the headlines! This is Top 10 Investigates!



Every election cycle, the state of California always makes national news for it’s increasingly controversial series of laws that are decided by the people known as “propositions”. They’re always a mixed bag of stuff and you never know what you are going to get with each one. But unlike other states, California’s propositions are sponsored by some big money investors on both sides – for and against. And this year there was a lot at stake – including allowing rideshare drivers to unionize (Prop 22), requiring dialysis clinics to employ on site medical staff (Prop 23) to a tale as old as time, requiring employers and colleges to embrace diversity (Prop 16). So what were the big winners and losers this year? Let’s start with one of the big losers, Proposition 22.

What happened in California? Despite the state’s liberal reputation, voters there last week approved Proposition 22, a ballot initiative exempting many gig companies from state workplace laws and stripping their workers of basic, essential protections.

Uber, Instacart, Lyft, DoorDash and other on-demand providers of ride-shares and food and grocery deliveries spent $200 million pushing the proposal, an astounding sum that workers and their allies couldn’t remotely hope to match. Not surprisingly, Californians were misled by an avalanche of claims about the proposal’s impact on workers. The measure, which takes effect next month, was approved with 58 percent of the vote.

Emboldened by the results in California, Uber and friends are apparently planning to take the show on the road. Potential targets could include Massachusetts or New Jersey, where state regulators have pursued them, or New York or Pennsylvania, where courts have rejected the argument by gig companies that workers run their own independent businesses. The rest of us need to understand what happened in California.

What was at stake with Proposition 22 was whether workers for app-based driver and delivery companies would be considered employees under California statutes, which like workplace laws nationwide, cover only employees, or whether they should be classified as independent contractors. Proponents argued that requiring gig companies to follow current laws would badly damage their on-demand business model and result in longer wait times, higher prices and the loss of countless jobs. These were the same bleak prognostications gig companies made about the minimum wage for drivers that New York City enacted two years ago — predictions that did not come to pass.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/opinion/prop-22-california-gig-workers.html




Yes so think of Uber and Lyft sponsoring legislation against their employees like KFC sponsoring legislation against chicken. It’s in their name! Another big loser in all of the Propositions was Prop 20, a measure that would have reduced prison populations and toughened stances on criminals. So how did that one favor with voters? Well it was, as they say, rejected.

Proposition 20, a California initiative that would have toughened sentencing in criminal cases and reduced the number of prison inmates eligible for early parole, was rejected by state voters on Tuesday.

The measure by law enforcement and prosecutors hit the ballot just as the Black Lives Matter movement was drawing new attention to demands for change in the criminal justice system to reduce incarceration and its disproportionate effect on people of color.

“The defeat of Proposition 20 is a significant milestone in California’s ongoing effort to make its criminal justice system more effective, and the rejection of mass incarceration by voters is a major advance for the national criminal justice reform movement,” said Jay Jordan, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice, the organization behind many of the reforms that Proposition 20 targeted to eliminate.

Proposition 20 was opposed by 62% of the voters, according to the state’s unofficial election tally.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-03/2020-california-election-prop-20-falling-short-in-early-returns




Well that’s prison-ist. But this year this shows that California isn’t the progressive paradise that conservatives think it is. In fact if any of these propositions had won, you could think that it indeed was a progressive paradise. But if you look at the actual exit polling data, you will see that in fact the opposite is true about California.

No surprise — unofficial election results show California voters going for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden over President Donald Trump by a 2-to-1 margin. Democrats dominate state government, too.

But while California is often painted as a solidly blue state, the 2020 election has shown that when issues are on the ballot, it’s always not so progressive.

“Everybody focuses on candidates, while initiatives are where all the policy gets done,” said Democratic strategist Jim DeBoo.

DeBoo worked on the successful “No on Prop 21” campaign this cycle, advocating against expanded rent control laws. He was speaking on a panel hosted by Capitol Weekly Thursday.

“When you’re having a discussion with voters about initiatives, the partisanship pieces separate,” he said. DeBoo noted that there’s often a false assumption that Californians are going to turn to their political party leaders for guidance on ballot measures.
https://www.capradio.org/articles/2020/11/06/why-this-years-ballot-propositions-show-california-isnt-as-progressive-as-some-might-think/




That said how can some of these measures pass in the future? Well it’s just like any other campaign where you have to get out the vote. Unfortunately for some, Prop 22 and 23 had some huge money backing them. Although if you do live in California, you’re probably relieved that you don’t have to see commercial after commercial and receive robocall after robocall. What won and lost? Here’s a definitive guide.

California voters weighed 12 statewide ballot measures in areas including criminal justice, rent control and privacy laws.

Here’s a look at what failed and what was approved:

PROPOSITION 14: APPROVED. Authorizes $5.5 billion in state bonds to fund stem cell research, with $1.5 billion dedicated to research on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, epilepsy and other medical conditions. The money would include funding for construction of research facilities. The bonds would be paid off over about 30 years at a total cost of about $7.8 billion.

PROPOSITION 15: REJECTED. Would have loosened some of 1978?s Proposition 13 limits on property tax increases by permitting most commercial and industrial properties to be taxed on current market value rather than the original purchase price. Those properties would be reassessed every three years. Residential property wouldn’t have been affected. Supporters said the measure could raise an additional $12.5 billion a year to fund schools and local government services.

PROPOSITION 16: REJECTED. Would have allowed race, sex, color, ethnicity, and national origin to be considered in the awarding of government contracts, public employment and in admissions to state colleges and universities. Supporters sought to repeal a 1996 voter-passed amendment to the state Constitution that effectively banned affirmative action.
https://ktla.com/news/california-voters-have-decided-on-all-12-state-propositions-heres-what-passed-and-failed/




That’s it this week for Top 10 Investigates. Good day.




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Gather around my fair brothers and sisters! It’s time to take a seat in the virtual pew make an online donation in the LAWRD’s virtual collection plate, for the Holy Church Of The Top 10 has convened and it’s time to remind you that the holiest among us are the most full of:



My fair virtual congregation!! Well we can’t have any real congregations congregating until we deal with this virus. And in case you’re wondering why cases aren’t going down where you live, you have two people to thank – Sean Feucht and Lauren Daigle. Who are these people you might ask? Well us Californians are well aware of Mr. Feucht’s shenanigans as he runs the notorious Bethel Church in Redding – a church that got busted for ponzi schemes and runs lunatic fringe representative candidates among other things. And Lauren Daigle is an inexplicably popular Christian music star. Which is what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want! So if you see a “Let Us Worship” event coming to your city, since we are still at the height of COVID-19, you should absolutely run the other way!

What in God’s name were they thinking?

On Saturday afternoon, Lauren Daigle, the hugely popular contemporary Christian pop singer from Lafayette, joined California-based worship leader, activist, musician and shrewd self-promoter Sean Feucht near Jackson Square for one of his “Let Us Worship” rallies/concerts.

Feucht, who operates out of the 11,000-member nondenominational charismatic Bethel Church in Redding, Calif., apparently believes coronavirus restrictions represent an existential threat to organized religion. He also seems to think Christians who gather, unmasked, in large crowds are somehow immune from the virus.

The many thousands of dead Christian COVID-19 victims might beg to differ.

Undeterred, Feucht has presided over meticulously filmed and social media-shared “Let Us Worship” events around the country. Thousands of folks showed up Oct. 25 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/keith_spera/article_44b2ea74-2380-11eb-b0e3-87e81927bff8.html




That is a good point, guy with unusually large angel wings! But here’s the thing about this guy – this isn’t the first time he’s been caught doing this sort of thing during this pandemic. Look, you idiots just don’t get it – nobody is trying to cancel church. We’re just canceling mass gatherings until this virus is dealt with and goes away. So until you realize that, stay away from stuff like this. Because that’s what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want!

Organizers of an unauthorized Christian music festival that drew thousands of mostly unmasked attendees to Tempe Town Lake earlier this month could face thousands in fines.

Tempe seeks to charge organizers with violating several city codes, the city’s mask mandate and state guidelines on large gatherings.

The city also seeks to recover costs related to police, fire and parks staff that responded to the event. A cost estimate is not yet available.

People from across the Valley and out-of-state gathered at Tempe Town Lake on Nov. 1 for the event, Let Us Worship, hosted by California-based Christian worship leader Sean Feucht.

Organizers didn’t obtain an event permit from Tempe and held the event even after city staffers told them they could not. They flouted the city’s mask mandate that requires people to wear masks in public when social distancing isn’t possible during the new coronavirus pandemic.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/tempe/2020/11/11/tempe-may-charge-christian-concert-organizers-let-us-worship-covid-19-violations/6228698002/




Yes, Mr. Feucht is the devil!!! He is a DAYMON!!! His church fully embraces and supports the unholy, ungodly Dark One, a man who is so disgusting that his name shall not be mentioned in my church, even if it is online for the time being! What’s even crazier is that somehow this album got to the top of the iTunes charts. In case you’re wondering why this evil virus is spreading out of control, thank this guy!

Thousands of people are expected to gather on the National Mall on Sunday for a prayer rally, and participants are not required to wear masks, triggering concerns this could become a super spreader event.

Up to 15,000 people are expected to attend Let Us Worship from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Dr. Glenn Wortmann, chief of infectious diseases at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, says it’s very difficult to protect yourself from COVID-19 at these types of large gatherings.

“It’s concerning,” he said. “I mean, anytime there's a group of a large number of people in one area, there is a potential for spread. The fact that the event is happening outside makes the risk lower.”

The D.C. event is the last stop on a national tour that has drawn controversy. Event leader and evangelist Sean Feucht has said he’s holding worship protests in defiance of coronavirus restrictions. At those events, many attendees could be seen not wearing masks.

Feucht’s group did submit a COVID-19 mitigation plan outlining precautions for those working the event, not for those attending.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/worship-protest-planned-on-national-mall-without-mask-requirement-prompts-super-spread-concerns/2452538/




Well now of course they didn’t! They don’t care! They support the Dark One and have been busted for fraud multiple times! So of course leave it up to this mad man to skirt the laws and make a dangerous situation that much worse. And that’s divided even his own congregation who has mixed feelings on this subject. Just ahh!!! The stupid boggles my mind!

At least two Shasta County supervisors are losing their patience with the leadership at Bethel Church over its messaging amid the recent COVID-19 outbreak at its School of Supernatural Ministry.

At Thursday’s special board meeting, Supervisors Les Baugh and Leonard Moty said the tipping point for them came this week, when they learned Kris Vallotton, a church leader who co-founded the evangelical school, hosted a large family outdoor wedding last weekend in Shingletown.

The wedding also came up at Tuesday’s regular board meeting.

“I’m not convinced they’re really hearing (us),” said Baugh, a pastor at Anderson Community Church in Anderson.

“Supervisor Moty, you mentioned the wedding (Tuesday) and I didn’t know at the time the wedding actually had been a personal wedding of one of the leaders of the Bethel community, and I do say, as a community, that’s wrong. That should not have happened,” Baugh said on Thursday.
https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2020/10/24/shasta-county-covid-outbreak-bethel-church-coronavirus-cases/3744308001/




I’m done ranting about this moron. Seriously how does that guy have 11,000 followers and we barely fill a small theater? It boggles the mind! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:




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Well here’s a dead horse that’s been beaten since the days of ancient Greece! If you don’t know conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, he’s the darling of the campus wing of the alt right with his constant attacks on “safe spaces” and “triggered liberals”. But he might be the triggered one here since he’s got a major problem with Harry Styles (of One Direction fame) wearing a dress in his latest music video. Yes you heard that right – Harry Styles channels his inner David Bowie on this one! You might remember that famous cover from “The Man Who Sold The World”, right? Or literally anything that Elton John has ever done? Or ever seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show? I could go on and on about this, but really, Ben Shapiro needs to get out of his bubble and experience the world. But we all know that he won’t do that.

We live in an age of professional internet trolls. It’s a bustling industry. One is currently POTUS. The current Senate Majority Leader’s soul has been replaced with enough nuclear-strength trollishness that his flesh is starting to rot off his body like he tried to wear a cursed horcrux or something. There’s an entire network devoted to trolling, and it’s one that a significant portion of the population of the United States considers a reliable source for news.

Yes, this is a troll’s world, and we’re just living in it. But every so often a troll’s powers can be turned into a force for good. Bossip headlines are a fine example. Last Week Tonight’s “Eat Shit, Bob” is another. A drag queen roasts some homophobe and the world grows a little brighter. And today, November 16, we got another such instance, when professional trolls Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens decided to get performatively distressed by Harry Styles wearing selling the shit out of a dress on the cover of Vogue.

First, here’s the shocking development that’s so riled up Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens, and other hate-fueled buttholes of the internet: A Vogue cover, a.k.a. an assault on contemporary masculinity.

Set aside the stupidity of these tepid takes—and boy howdy, are they ever stupid. The important thing here is not that two adult humans had nice little snit fits about a pop star wearing a dress on the cover of a magazine. The important thing is that the pop star in question is Harry Styles, and anyone with even a modicum of knowledge of how the internet and fandom intersect knows better than to willfully pick a fight with the Stylers.
https://news.avclub.com/grab-your-popcorn-ben-shapiro-and-candace-owens-just-p-1845691538




Let’s make one thing perfectly clear – Ben Shapiro is a professional troll. He gets paid to say stupid shit like this. But then again so do we. The only difference is our ridiculous claims are based in reality. Ben Shapiro on the other hand lives in conservative fantasy world. But then another professional troll – Candace Owens – also had to chime in on the subject. You might be asking yourself “don’t these people have anything better to do?” and I answer you “no they do not.”.

Owens only doubled down after she was criticized for the comment, backed by the likes of Ben Shapiro and a handful of others on social media. But in his interview, Styles told Vogue that a good outfit was armor enough against the barbs.

“I think if you get something that you feel amazing in, it’s like a superhero outfit,” he told Vogue. “Clothes are there to have fun with and experiment with and play with. What’s really exciting is that all of these lines are just kind of crumbling away. When you take away ‘There’s clothes for men and there’s clothes for women,’ once you remove any barriers, obviously you open up the arena in which you can play. I’ll go in shops sometimes, and I just find myself looking at the women’s clothes thinking they’re amazing. It’s like anything—anytime you’re putting barriers up in your own life, you’re just limiting yourself. There’s so much joy to be had in playing with clothes. I’ve never really thought too much about what it means—it just becomes this extended part of creating something.”

Even if he doesn’t think much about what he wears, the star’s choices are significant. LGBTQ+ advocates applauded the fashion choice featured on one of the world’s largest platforms for fashion as a win for greater acceptance of gender fluidity. Still others pointed out that it took a cisgender, heterosexual white man to make this statement.

"Am I happy to see Harry be celebrated for openly flouting gendered fashion norms? Yes. Do trans femmes of color receive praise for doing the same thing every day? No," wrote author and activist Alok Menon on Instagram.
https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/diversity-inclusion/526180-candace-owens-might-not-like-seeing-harry-styles




Excuse me a minute… Now I’m not saying go as far as Bender here, but you know we are living in strange times indeed. So to put this in perspective, a normal person would look at this and think that Mr. Styles’ reasons for wearing a dress would seem perfectly normal and innocent. But not in conservative batshit land, where they think he’s a demon and sets men back 100 years! No the only people who set men back 100 years are well, men like Ben Shapiro!

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro mostly discusses politics, but sometimes he ventures out into entertainment. Most famously in recent days, he was taken aback by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP,” and a video of him reciting the song’s lyrics went viral. Now he has focused his attention on Harry Styles and his affinity for women’s clothing.

Styles and Candace Owens went viral today after Owens criticized Styles recent dress-filled Vogue photo shoot. Owens tweeted, “There is no society that can survive without strong men. The East knows this. In the west, the steady feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. It is an outright attack. Bring back manly men.” Shapiro showed support for Owens’ perspective, tweeting this morning, “This is perfectly obvious. Anyone who pretends that it is not a referendum on masculinity for men to don floofy dresses is treating you as a full-on idiot.”

Meanwhile, Owens has since expanded upon her original comments. Fellow conservative commentator Matt Walsh tweeted, “Candace Owens is trending because a bunch of whiney idiots are mad that she said men who wear dresses aren’t manly. Her statement, of course, is true and utterly self-evident, and would have provoked no reaction as recently as a decade ago.” Owens shared the tweet and responded, “Wait until they find out that I also think women should be feminine — and I enjoy cooking for and taking care of my husband. DEFCON 1.”
https://uproxx.com/pop/harry-styles-womens-clothes-ben-shapiro-candace-owens/




Well Harry is maybe not full drag queen yet like Billy Porter is. I mean come on I’m not knocking Billy Porter, that dude has style! I mean it takes a real man to wear a dress in public! But really Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens went too far. It’s not all doom and gloom though. At least people are stepping up to defend Harry Styles’ choice of clothing. So let’s leave it at least on a positive note, shall we? Because last I checked it’s still the shittiest year ever, 2020 and we do need good news once in a while!

Nobody's going to drag Harry Styles down.

Last week, the former One Direction singer made history by becoming the first man to appear solo on the cover of Vogue. In fact, the 26-year-old chose to wear a Gucci jacket layered over a dress for part of his photo shoot.

While many fans were quick to applaud the singer, others like New York Times best-selling author Candace Owens chose to put down the look.

"There is no society that can survive without strong men," Candace wrote on Twitter. "The East knows this. In the west, the steady feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. It is an outright attack. Bring back manly men."

While some Twitter users agreed with the sentiment, others quickly called Candace out. Olivia Wilde, who is directing Harry in the upcoming film Don't Worry Darling, replied writing, "You're pathetic" while Kathy Griffin warned her there's nobody stronger than Harry's fans. As the comedian explained, "Candy Owens doesn't know what she in for going up against the Harry Styles stans."
https://www.eonline.com/news/1209182/olivia-wilde-and-more-stars-defend-harry-styles-after-candace-owens-slams-vogue-dress





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[font size="8"]People Who Somehow Got Re-Elected
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Politicians at the state and local levels who are so toxic, you wonder how they’re able to get away with the things they get away with. This is:



This week’s person who somehow got re-elected is none other than our current Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell. Mitch Mitch Mitch. What are we going to do with you? In a world where the guy who lost the presidential elections won’t contest the results, he has enablers. One of those enablers is the current Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell. He has been a hard supporter of the Trump train and won’t accept the results. Trump is an abuser, and every abuser has their enabler. Trump has his enabler and that’s Mitch McConnell. How do we deal with an abuser and enabler even after the abuser has been kicked to the curb? It’s going to be difficult.

On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused in a speech to acknowledge that President-elect Joe Biden had won the election, echoing President Trump’s suggestion that voter fraud—which is so rare as to barely exist—delegitimized the former vice president’s victory.

“President Trump is 100 percent within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options,” McConnell said in a statement on the Senate floor. But so far, the “allegations of irregularities” lack any evidence. They are so off-base that even one Fox News host refused to air them.

Trump’s attempts at suing his way to victory are unlikely to work. Biden won both the popular vote and the Electoral College by large enough margins that even the alleged fraud is unlikely to make up the deficit. Still, McConnell is sticking by Trump’s side. His unblinking deference to Trump not only strokes the president’s ego—it allows for a scenario in which Trump could refuse to leave the White House even if he lost, potentially endangering the sanctity of the United States’ democratic process.

During the Watergate scandal, when a trio of Republicans—House Minority Leader John Rhodes, Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott, and Senator Barry Goldwater—told Richard Nixon that he was certain to be impeached, he resigned the next day. Today, conversely, a sizable portion of Republican leadership refuses to accept reality. And rather than packing his bags, Trump is out planning rallies.
https://www.motherjones.com/2020-elections/2020/11/mitch-mcconnell-wont-accept-that-biden-won-the-election/




So Trump has lost and Mitch McConnell won’t accept the election results. He’s one of the most powerful men in the country, we might add. Now you can boo. So if you can’t accept the election results, even though you lost by a huge margin, what do you do? Well you sue until you get your way. Think of it like the toddler who screams out of control at the department store until he gets his toy. And yes, Mitch is helping the toddler get his way!

In a short but extraordinary speech Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stood behind President Donald Trump, who is baselessly alleging widespread voter fraud after losing the presidential election to Joe Biden.

Trump continues to vow he will fight the election results in the courts, despite judges repeatedly tossing out his legal team’s claims on the evidence. On the Senate floor Monday afternoon, McConnell defended Trump’s right to question the election results and repeated talking points used by Trump’s team.

“In the United States of America, all legal ballots must be counted. Any illegal ballots must not be counted,” he said. “The process should be transparent or observable by all sides and the courts are here to work through concerns.”

There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, or that “illegal” votes swung the election for Biden. Trump’s team conceded in court that their observers are overseeing the ballot counts.

McConnell, the most powerful Republican in Congress, is well versed in crafting statements that do not anger President Trump. But in the midst of a contested election, his speech is a sign the Republican establishment may refuse to acknowledge the reality that Trump lost the election. McConnell even mocked news outlets for projecting that Biden was the winner after the numbers showed he had won the Electoral College, saying the Constitution gives the media no role in selecting the president.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/paulmcleod/mitch-mcconnell-backs-trump-contest-election-results




Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump are just like Bruce Banner – don’t make them angry, and when they do, they turn into giant monsters capable of doing enormous and untold damage. So how does Mitch McConnell keep winning time and time again despite that he polls negatively every single time? It is totally baffling to the mind. And Trump’s chief enabler is going to do some serious damage if we’re not careful.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is walking a fine line with his handling of President Trump’s refusal to concede the election.

The GOP leader is defending Trump’s right to challenge the vote counts in several key battleground states, arguing the courts are meant to handle disputed election results and that “wealthy media corporations” should not project the winner.

But McConnell is also keeping his distance from the president’s claims of voter fraud that his campaign has yet to back up with any hard evidence.

“What I’m going to do here in the Senate is concentrate on the business that we have left to do,” he told reporters Tuesday, adding he would “let the presidential election go through the various stages that it goes through under the Constitution.”

Asked if there were any signs of fraud in his own reelection race in Kentucky or any Senate races, McConnell responded: “I don’t know — at the risk of bragging, it wasn’t very close.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/525612-mcconnell-treads-cautiously-in-trumps-post-election-fight




Yes, they do suck all right! We’re venturing into uncharted territory if Trump will not concede the election and he has Mitch McConnell to back him. And let’s not forget that we have two senate runoff elections that could favor democrats and flip the senate toward President Biden’s favor. The election may be over, but we’re not done yet, and come January 20th, here’s what is on McConnell’s agenda if he remains the Senate Majority Leader.

Mitch McConnell doesn't think Donald Trump needs to concede the 2020 election -- even days after the race has been called for former Vice President Joe Biden.

"In the United States of America, all legal ballots must be counted. Any illegal ballots must not be counted. The process must be transparent or observable by all sides, and the courts are here to work through concerns," McConnell said on the Senate floor on Monday. "Our institutions are actually built for this. We have the system in place to consider concerns, and President Trump is 100% within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options."

Which is an interesting take -- especially given that McConnell is perhaps the biggest institutionalist in the Senate, a believer in the "way things are supposed to work" and mindful of the ways in which precedents are set, met and heeded.

So why is McConnell defending Trump's right to hold out on admitting defeat despite the total and complete lack of evidence of any sort of widespread voter fraud? Well, politics.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/10/politics/mitch-mcconnell-donald-trump-conceding/index.html




So Mitch McConnell would waste time going after mail in voting despite that this was one of the most secure elections ever. That’s Mitch McConnell, yet another inexplicable candidate who is one of the:




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[font size="8"]I Need A Drink
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Hey everyone, I don’t know about you but I could really use a drink!



Of course you know by now that the idea is that there’s so much dark shit out there that we have a few drinks and discuss literally anything in the news as long as it doesn’t relate to politics. And hell I’m going to add a provision to this topic in that we also don’t talk about COVID-19. Because seriously it’s on the news 24 hours a day. This week we’re going to talk about celebrities and football teams. And I don’t mean American football. I’m talking European football. And how this got started is that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhanny of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia fame have teamed up to buy EFL teams on the cheap. So tell me virtual bartender, what goes well with a story about soccer? A cranberry grapefruit vodka? Well that is Deadpool’s favorite drink, but don’t call it a seabreeze! I’ll just stick to my usual Jack Daniels mixed with Jack Daniels. It’s all I’ve got in the studio right now. Anyway here’s more.

A new era of Hollywood glitz and glamour is coming to the fifth tier of the English football pyramid where Wrexham AFC -- the third-oldest professional soccer club in the world -- are now under the ownership of "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" creator Rob McElhenney.

As you're no doubt aware, the two actors this week completed their unlikely takeover at the Racecourse Ground after initially submitting their plans in September. The bid garnered backing from the 156-year-old Welsh club's supporters, which includes plans for an immediate cash injection of £2 million ($2.65m) on completion of the deal.

Wrexham sit 14th in the 23-team National League, the division in which they've played since their relegation from the Football League in 2008. However, Reynolds and McElhenney have vowed to reawaken what Reynolds has branded a "sleeping giant" with the goal of transforming the Red Dragons into a "global force" like never before.

As things stand, the venerable club's highest ever league finish was 15th in the old Second Division (now the Championship), which they achieved in 1978-79.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/blog-the-toe-poke/story/4112007/ryan-reynolds-and-rob-mcelhenney-join-lebrondurantelton-john-and-will-ferrell-as-celebrity-football-owners




Ah, I needed that! And that is an unusually large glass of wine by the way! So A list celebrities are buying D list teams. It’s pretty much the reverse of that Will Ferrell basketball movie where a D list celebrity owned a D list team. And Ryan Reynolds isn’t the only one who’s buying football clubs. No sports can have audiences right now, so they are being bought on the cheap.

The gang has bought a soccer club.

You may have never heard of Wrexham AFC, but you might do soon.

Actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney moved a step closer to becoming investors in the Welsh soccer team -- one of the world's oldest professional soccer clubs and currently playing in English soccer's fifth tier -- after their takeover bid was overwhelmingly approved by the club's board.

The Wrexham Supporters Trust Board, which currently owns the club, voted in favor of the deal that would see the celebrity duo take complete ownership of the club.

The bid is still subject to final agreement and official confirmation from governing bodies, but the stars have said they already have lofty ambitions to turn Wrexham into a "global force."

Reynolds, known for appearing in blockbusters such as "Deadpool," and McElhenney, co-creator and star in US sitcom "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," first expressed their interest in a takeover back in September.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/16/football/ryan-reynolds-rob-mcelhenney-wrexham-takeover-approved-spt-intl/index.html




I can’t wait to see that episode – The Gang Buys A Soccer team! I can just imagine them purchasing a like Z grade club in the garbage part of Philadeliphia, and then Frank tries to become a coach and uses his own dirty tricks to win games. That would be hilarious! And of course Ryan Reynolds is a guy who knows advertising. So leave it to him to do something funny and self-deprecating!
As if 2020 wasn't weird enough, Ryan Reynolds and his actor pal, Rob McElhenney, have had their takeover bid for a football team in Wales approved and to mark the occasion they have produced an advert for a trailer company. Yes, really.

Reynolds and McElhenney, best known for his work in the sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, registered their interest in the team, which plays in the National League, the fifth tier of English football, in September. The news came literally out of nowhere and caught many people completely unaware.

Was this another one of Reynolds' elaborate pranks or the plot of a new movie? The answer to both of those is no, as their interest was 100 per cent genuine and on Monday they confirmed that fans of the club had voted overwhelmingly in support of the proposed takeover bid. The club has been fan-owned since 2011 and 98 per cent of the Wrexham Supporter's Trust voted in favour of Reynolds and McElhenney's $2.5 million takeover, which is expected to bring in £2m worth of investment into the team.

Their big unveiling came on Monday afternoon when the pair put together an advert for Ifor Williams, a trailer company (the kind that you tow behind your car, not the movie kind) which is the current sponsor of the club.
https://www.indy100.com/article/ryan-reynolds-rob-mcelhenney-wrexham-football-9725380




Ah that’s good stuff! So if you don’t know the Wrexham AF football club, you soon will! And when we can get back to having audiences again, Mr. Reynolds and Mr. McElhanny will be there watching the games with you. Also just like being a Patreon subscriber you can get more perks the more you pay for tickets, and you’ll even be able to watch games with the guys themselves!

Vancouver native and Whitecaps FC supporter, Ryan Reynolds made global soccer news on Monday, becoming part-owner in Welsh side Wrexham Football Club, which plays in the fifth tier of English soccer.

Reynolds joined forces with fellow actor Rob McElhenney, who take over the club with the blessing of the Wrexham Supporters Trust. An overwhelming 98 percent of the supporters voted in favor of the takeover by the Hollywood duo.

Vancouver native and Whitecaps FC supporter, Ryan Reynolds made global soccer news on Monday, becoming part-owner in Welsh side Wrexham Football Club, which plays in the fifth tier of English soccer.

Reynolds joined forces with fellow actor Rob McElhenney, who take over the club with the blessing of the Wrexham Supporters Trust. An overwhelming 98 percent of the supporters voted in favor of the takeover by the Hollywood duo.

“We want to be great ambassadors for the club, to introduce the club to the world and be a global force,” Reynolds reportedly told Wrexham supporters at a November 8 meeting.

Reynolds and McElhenney have already announced plans for a behind-the-scenes documentary. Formed in 1864, Wrexham are the oldest club in Wales and the third oldest club in the world.

Reynolds has never been shy about sharing his love for soccer, including for his hometown Whitecaps. He said that his "heart belongs to the Vancouver Whitecaps" in a 2018 Facebook post on the heels of a promotional visit to the Santiago Bernabeu:
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020/11/16/vancouver-whitecaps-supporter-ryan-reynolds-becomes-owner-wrexham-football-club





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[font size="8"]Road To The White House
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Welcome back to our ongoing coverage of the 2020 election to end all elections in… *cue reverb* ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE!!! Ooh that was some good reverb there! So this week there’s some shenanigans happening. Yes, Biden finally settled the election with a whopping 306 electoral votes and kicked Trump’s fat ass to the curb. But Trump isn’t willing to go quietly! It’s going completely insane and about as well as you’d expect. But you know what? We’ve already covered that for the beginning of this edition and now we’re going to talk about what we should be talking about – President Biden’s transition team. So who is going to be on the team?

President-elect Joe Biden is building out the staff that will surround him in the White House, announcing Tuesday that he is tapping two long-time advisers for top roles and naming several other veterans of his presidential campaign to senior positions.

Among Tuesday's announced hires: Mike Donilon, the chief strategist for Biden's campaign who played a leading role in crafting his speeches and advertising as he framed the 2020 race as a "battle for the soul of the nation," will be a senior adviser to the president. And Steve Ricchetti, the Biden campaign chairman and a veteran of the Barack Obama and Bill Clinton White Houses, will be a counselor to the president.
The announcements come days after Biden tapped veteran Democratic operative Ron Klain as his chief of staff, and show that Biden is first filling out the staff that will surround him in the White House before moving on to Cabinet announcements.

News of at least two of the appointments had already broken Monday: Jen O'Malley Dillon, the campaign manager who took over after Biden limped through the Democratic primary and turned his campaign into the biggest fundraising juggernaut in history, is Biden's deputy chief of staff.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/17/politics/biden-white-house-senior-staff/index.html




So unlike Trump, Biden isn’t packing his administration with partisan and divisive hacks. He’s actually packing the posts with qualified people! Which is what should be done! Though just like the election, there are shenanigans. Which is why Trump needs to be kicked to the curb. Because we need to get through COVID and through this administration. But we can’t do either as long as shit like this is being pulled!

The top General Services Administration official who's blocking President-elect Joe Biden's transition team from accessing government resources ahead of his inauguration appears to be looking for a new job, according to a message obtained by ABC News.

Emily Murphy, head of the GSA, recently sent that message to an associate inquiring about employment opportunities in 2021, a move that some in Washington interpreted as at least tacitly acknowledging that the current administration soon will be gone.

Murphy has the power to decide -- or "ascertain" -- when election results are evident enough to trigger a transition of power, allowing the winning team access to career staff at federal agencies and internal government information including national security matters and plans for administering a COVID-19 vaccine.

Donald Trump appointed Murphy in 2017, and she's so far refused to certify Biden as the election's winner as Trump attempts to overturn the election result in court.

A White House spokesperson referred ABC News to the GSA when reached for comment.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gsa-official-blocking-bidens-transition-privately-plans-post/story?id=74234794




Ha we’ve already had one Apprentice host, last thing we need is another one. So looking for a new job is probably the right move. And while the Trump administration has declared war on “Big Tech”, Biden’s team is actually embracing it. Because unlike Trump trolls, we can say stuff online that doesn’t get immediately flagged! And yes the next time we’ll go into them grilling Mark Zuckerberg (again) about censorship. So here’s what to expect from that!

When it comes to Silicon Valley, Joe Biden is something of a blank slate. And for Silicon Valley, that means Joe Biden is something of an opportunity.

So Big Tech reformers and Big Tech allies are gearing up for a spirited fight in the coming months over the types of people who will staff the Biden administration. Those personnel decisions will offer some of the first revelations into how exactly the president-elect will regulate the tech industry and its titans, a high-stakes question about the American economy that he mostly avoided answering during his campaign.

That ambiguity is making the transition period all the more important, a dozen people with ties to the Biden team tell Recode. Reformers want to make sure they at least have a seat at the table and that they aren’t boxed out by well-paid industry interests. Forces aligned with the industry, meanwhile, want to make sure that a Biden administration isn’t too captive to the online left, even though they know it won’t resemble the halcyon days of Barack Obama.

Back then, Silicon Valley was a celebrated part of America’s innovation economy. Since Obama left office, though, the tech industry has become radioactive to parts of both the left and the right, part of a “techlash” that has culminated in calls to break up Big Tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. Tech critics worry that these companies and their leaders have amassed too much control over Americans’ lives when it comes to privacy, the economy, and politics. Now Obama’s former No. 2 will have to answer these important questions on dicier terrain: Will he pursue this breakup? Will he inflame the tensions or cool them? Will he side more with the reformers or the industry?
https://www.vox.com/21561878/joe-biden-transition-silicon-valley-personnel-eric-schmidt




The other thing that makes Biden’s transition team worth noting is that unlike Trump – whose transition team and cabinet was mostly white, Biden’s is far more diverse. In fact he’s embracing diversity while Trump thinks of diversity as being a very old wooden ship from the Civil War era. And that’s precisely why Biden won and Trump lost – people are rejecting his ideas of hate and racial supremacy.

As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office in January, nearly half of the transition team laying the groundwork for his administration is made up of people of color, and women are in the majority.

Forty-six percent of the transition staff are people of color, according to new diversity data of the transition team provided to CNN, and 41% of the senior staff are people of color. The majority of transition staff -- 52% -- are women, and 53% of the senior staff are women.

The new diversity figures come as Biden is set to announce his Cabinet picks and senior staff for the White House in the coming weeks -- one of the first tests of his campaign pledge to build an administration that will "look like America."

Biden's first major step toward diversity in his administration came when he selected Kamala Harris, a Black and South Asian woman, as his vice president. In his first staffing announcement, Biden chose a White man and longtime adviser -- Ron Klain -- as his chief of staff for the White House.
https://www.kmov.com/news/people-of-color-make-up-nearly-half-of-biden-transition-team/article_84bb56e1-19ed-531c-9014-40e5c62a57d6.html






Programming note: We are off next week for Thanksgiving. We will be running a viewer mail bag Best Of. We will be back in two weeks and beginning our sendoff to this nightmare year that was 2020! And when we come back on 12/2, we will announce the winner of the Trumper Games!

See you in two weeks!

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Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-17: The Man With The Golden Goose Edition (Original Post) Top 10 Idiots Nov 2020 OP
I watched the John Oliver video before I read the article LSFL Nov 2020 #1
I might have to get the Idiots on Move On or something! Top 10 Idiots Nov 2020 #2
But you will stay here too, right? LSFL Nov 2020 #4
Oh yes! Just trying to expand the audience! Top 10 Idiots Nov 2020 #5
Started reading last night and the phone rang malaise Nov 2020 #3

LSFL

(1,109 posts)
1. I watched the John Oliver video before I read the article
Wed Nov 18, 2020, 07:12 PM
Nov 2020

As a result I heard John Oliver in my head as I read the article. Anyone else have this?

I discovered DU while searching for Top Ten Idoits. They were no longer on....was it Move On? Never looked back even when you guys piss me off.

Top 10 Idiots

(598 posts)
2. I might have to get the Idiots on Move On or something!
Thu Nov 19, 2020, 05:57 PM
Nov 2020

Trying to search for bigger audiences, especially since there's so much idiocy right now!

LSFL

(1,109 posts)
4. But you will stay here too, right?
Thu Nov 19, 2020, 06:28 PM
Nov 2020

As infuriating as DU can be when you're riding a misguided yet vainglorious hobby horse and they call you out on your bullshit , never mind how many brain and liver cells you sacrificed while constructing your world changing epiphany, they are still the best most diverse group going.
Please continue posting here too.

They also hate run on sentences. Lol

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