DC Unrest Megathread

[NOVA Green]

https://twitter.com/ryanjreilly/status/1347046544747462656

what are the chances they can track down most of these people?  on the plus side Trump freaks don't wear masks.

Well, feds, we'd sure love to help you there. Maybe you guys could have done a better job identifying the perpetrators if you, oh, I don't know, maybe ARRESTED THEM AT THE SCENE?!?

BTW, FBI, great job at your domestic counterintelligence unit missing literally a couple thousand known violent political radicals organizing storming the US Capitol itself. Great job all around! Now kindly pull your pants up from around your ankles and start doing your damn jobs.

Obviously too busy focusing on BLM and Antifa activists to deal with Extreme Right-Wing Political Formations...

J. Edgar Hoover would have had "all the usual suspects rounded up in a heartbeat" had any similar coup been attempted during his long (and glorious career).

Plus he had the goodies on ever single president since at minimum FDR, not to mention many US-Senators and House Members to call the chips on in the event that any cray cray politicians could pull stunts to endanger National Security.

*** Note I am not a J.E. Hoover Fan, but yeah the FBI has historically been "blind in the right eye" for decades ***

tbf, it is entirely plausible that the FBI has been successively weakened by lack of funding and skilled personnel over recent decades, and I believe recently we had a highly politicized political report that the current greatest threat from Terrorism in the US came from Right-Wing political formations, and not Leftist domestic political formations, and even foreign terrorist actions on US soil was pretty much at the lowest level threat.

Still, looking like the DC Police are doing their job and rounding up the "Insurgents" at their Hotel Rooms in DC and throughout Metro DC as we speak.

Smile... you are on camera in the people's house, no masks on for the most part.  We got CCTV all around the joint, and we gonna pick you up at your Hotel Rooms and Airports before you leave town.

Although some of these individuals might not previously have been on the Federal Domestic Terrorist Watch List, most of those who committed Federal Offenses currently are flagged...

It's a flip side to one of favorite movie Casablanca from the early 1940s, where Anti-Fascist Rick during WW II, ends up flipping the "Round up the usual suspects" line, while the German Officer in the French Territory occupied by the NAZIs tries to call for help...   

[NOVA Green]

With Vermont certified, Biden is officially over 270.

We and my spouse were watching the final countdown live on the West Coast, and unfortunately since we had both consumed a few small shots of Vodka and Whiskey, I couldn't remember which state which would push Biden above (270).

It is completely and entirely fitting that Vermont pushed Biden over (270) EVs.

HRC completely bombed among many traditionally "DEM Voters" who in 2016 voted 3rd Party (GRN, LBT, & Write-In Sanders.... not even going to delve into the McMullin voters).

It is pretty clear that Trump maintained most of his base vote, especially with dramatically increased TO levels in just about every state, every precinct, and every City in the US.

Trump gained votes with huge TO levels (kinda like Bush W. did in '04 with Rove as the strategist) in places where he needed to hit numbers.

Reality is that, as I have posted upon on my Oregon threads (and a few other places) is that 3rd Party 2016 GE Voters broke heavily Biden overall...

Totally fitting that Biden's victory is directly a result of '16 3rd Party Voters and Sander's '20 DEM PRIM voters...

Sure we might want the world and want it now, but we all decided to support the "United Front", "Dump the Trump", recognizing that at least we can and will have some serious seats at the table when it comes to fundamental policy issues, which we have been consistently supporting for over a decade.

We might not have a European style voting system, but after the attempted Trump Putsch early today, it makes my support for the United Front, all more prescient.

[NOVA Green]

Meanwhile...

On MSNBC a former top copper is talking about how most or many of the violent perps involved in this "insurrection" can and will be tracked down because of CCTV footage.

Obviously it's gonna be harder to convict the current Incumbent PRES Trump for charges such as "Inciting a Riot", but top LEA officers even discussing this shows how egregious and extensive our current President has been when it comes to basic Law & Order themes.

Even Richard Nixon didn't go this far way back in the early '70s with his gang of "Plumbers"!

Amazing how we currently got a situation in America, where over 50% of Republicans appear to support the concept of storming the Capitol Building in order to keep their National Figurehead as POTUS.

Am I missing something here?

Hopefully I am.... we and my spouse are both 45+ / years, and this is absolute American insanity going on currently.

[NOVA Green]

At the risk of going to far forward, here is a Heavy Metal Song from Black Sabbath (Ronnie James Dio takes over from Ozzy as lead singer).

Personally I consider the Dio era to be one of the most under-rated Sabbath era, especially with Ozzy effectively collapsing on albums & 6 +7, with Never Say Die (#8) being arguably one of the strongest Sabbath Albums other than Volumes 1-4.

Might be completely OT and irrelevant, and certainly will take my licks if need be, but with what is an unprecedented assault on American Democracy from within, is certainly worthy of at least a bit of cultural and lyrical commentary and historical significance.

[NOVA Green]

I think there are some really bad-faith arguments about conservatives and Republicans in this thread that I want to do my best to address in a level-headed manner and avoid "whataboutism" as much as possible.

Most respectable conservatives- most of whom voted twice for Donald Trump- that I know in real life are equally embarrassed and saddened by this as all Americans are.  What happened is not OK, and we should all be ashamed of that display and how it looks on our country- and especially on our party.  I agree that, after this, Trump should be nowhere near power ever again.  Where I disagree is that I don't think Trump is really a fascist dictator, but rather a petulant crybaby with a massive ego.  His behavior since the election strikes me more like a 5 year old mad that he lost a game to his brother than a wannabe dictator.  Regardless, though, either one is bad enough that he should never be in power again.  And, I will do everything I can to try to encourage my party to move on from this man.  I would even support exercising the 25th Amendment or impeachment.

But, I've seen a lot of posts here suggesting that, by voting for him, we are endorsing the worst traits that he could ever possess.  I think most people would agree that there is no perfect presidential candidate and we always have to prioritize things.  I've always had major misgivings about President Trump.  Just look back to how I talked about him during the 2016 GOP primaries.  Ultimately, I voted for him because I am very issue-focused and care very little about personalities.  I viewed it as just looking at a list of issues and seeing who I agreed with more often.  Maybe I should have been more forceful on a couple of occasions, but, through the years, I feel that I have been willing to criticize the president when he is wrong, and that continues to this day.

Even worse to me is the suggestion that many red avatars have made that we should abandon all of our principles to vote against all Republicans because they are "enablers".  I could not disagree more strongly with that.  First, if all respectable conservatives left the GOP, all you would have left would be the loons who stormed the Capitol, and that's not an outcome anyone wants.  Almost all Republican officeholders, including those who have been staunch allies of Trump to this point, are speaking out vigorously against these riots.  Maybe some Republican officeholders have been too scared to go against Trump, but I understand why.  Like it or not, politicians are almost always trying to make politically calculated moves.  Going against Trump publicly, loudly, and frequently was not going to be in the cards for most officeholders.  With that said, that doesn't mean that their true allegiance is to Trump.  Most officeholders probably really saw him as a "useful idiot" of sorts.  It seems to be becoming more and more clear to me since yesterday's domestic terrorism event that most Republicans in office are going to be steering the party away from Trump.  

And, even if that's not the case, I don't think I could vote for a Democrat because there are issues that I literally view as life and death that I cannot support.  I couldn't ever hold my nose for Trump again, either.  I truly believe that most of us are doing the best we can in a very broken political system, and we should not paint all people in a party with a broad brush of the worst people theoretically on their side.

God Bless!

Thanks Extreme Republican for posting this...

My Dad and current wife are Evangelical Christians and heavily active in their church (Both in their late '70s living in SoCal) voted for Biden in 2020, despite having voted for Trump in 2016 (Despite their misgivings about his moral character it "Trumped" their concerns about HRC).

It was likely the first time either of them had voted Democratic for President since 1976 (Although there is a decent chance that my Father might have voted for Obama in '08, based upon some conversations my older Sister (Who is Orthodox Jewish) had with him, but I had other things going on with my life, and don't believe in badgering my immediate relatives on their voting pattern or history.  ).

My Step-Mother--- Dad's 2nd wife (Also in her late '70s) is an Evangelical Christian as well who has done extensive Missionary Work in the former Soviet Republics in Central Europe, to the point she now needs to be careful entering one country in particular because of the political volatility and being on a watch list from the the Government Authorities.

She is currently living with one of my younger Sisters in Northern California and voted Biden in 2020...

I do not know how she voted in 2016, but I am pretty sure she did not vote for HRC.

The reality is that although you are much younger than my 70+ Year Old relatives, there are many Evangelical Christians who were perfectly capable of reconciling themselves with a vote for Joe Biden, who after all is a Weekly Mass attending Catholic, despite their fervent beliefs that Catholicism is a bit of a "cult" with strays from the true teachings of the Gospel.

Feel free to pick and choose who you vote for---- but it's not like "All Democrats are XYZ" and "All Republicans are ABC".

If "Legal" Abortion vs Reproductive Rights is your only gig?

If you believe the Death Penalty and physician assisted suicide is a sin?

If you believe in fundamental issues involving Social and economic Justice (Which last time I checked was part of the Gospel), where do you go?

If you believe that lack of access to affordable health care is a "life and death" issue, where do you go?

btw: I know you're busy with Grad School and all so don't post that often, but good to see you back!