Former president Trump has endorsed Michael Whatley, a corporate lobbyist and chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, as the next chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC).
This is all right-wing bullshit and it’s connected to the Christian (only) religion. Our constitution specifically demands the Separation of Church & State.
The people who hold this kind of opinion about why [their] god’s law should be made into man’s law are unfit to serve in our government. They should all be voted out of our government.
The Constitution’s Establishment Clause prohibits this mixing of religion & government. It says that there shall be no religious test to serve in government, but, maybe it’s it’s time that we DO have a religious test for Office and if a candidate can’t put the Constitution above their belief in some fake-ass/nonexistent concept of god, then they should be disqualified from serving in any capacity.
I’m not saying that religious people should not be allowed in our government -- only that our constitution demands that they put the Constitution above any of their silly religious beliefs. This is what leads to a theocracy and a theocracy leads to a dictatorship and a dictatorship leads to people being persecuted.
When JFK ran for the presidency many people - especially Evangelicals - expressed deep concern over his Catholicism, and he found it necessary to assure the electorate that there would be no undue outside influence on his administration from the Church. So there is a precedent.
I was nine years old when Kennedy first got elected and I thought our country was really heading in a positive direction. November 22, 1963, put an end to that dream.
And it is that which makes me wonder, seriously, whether if somehow the religious right ends up making us a "Christian" nation, we will revisit the wars of the early modern period (including the bloody, bloody Thirty Years War) about WHICH kind of Christian it is.
Unfortunately 2025 that plan for a new America, will change the constitution as we know it. 43 states have Republican controlled legislatures. Have you read that document?? I awake every morning to some new battle front the GOP has opened. Today we have SCOTUS preparing to rule on Trump's immunity and this IVF story and tomorrow the government is likely to shut down. I have anxiety over all this.
I am hoping that the Republican party continues to implode as it makes crystal clear that it is not the party of women, not the party of anyone who is not Christian, not the party of anyone who does not consider themselves "white." Not the party of anyone who is LBGTQ+. Not the party of anyone who is a parent. Not the party of anyone who wants to be a parent. Not the party of people who need health care. Not the party of people who need child care. Not the party of education. Not the party who supports our allies. Not the party who supports our military. Not the party who supports our foreign service. Not the party who supports our constitution. Not the party who supports immigration reforms. Not the party who supports democracy. Instead they support Treacherous-treasonous-traitor-Trump!
Republicans must think that the fix is in for November because they seem determined to step on every rake they can find to make themselves unpopular with the majority of Americans.
Good point. I have to believe they are running scared and will lose and lose big, if not now, then in the long run. But that's optimistic logic based on past experience. We have never seen a threat like this - never. The R party is far bigger and stronger than the SS was; just compare the size of Weimar Germany to the US today. I do expect the worst.
I may be a starry-eyed optimist but I think the Pubbies are in deep shit and they know it. That's why the few semi-normies in the House are bailing and, I think, a major reason why Moscow Mitch is stepping down. None of them want to be part of, or leaders of, a smaller minority, especially when the Dems could surprise us all and execute a real progressive agenda.
As McConnell said in his speech he knows the current politics. He’s had more and more problems trying to keep his caucus in line. Yes, the signs of RNC dysfunction and outlook for the next election have caused a lot of handwringing among serious political players. McConnell is rumored to be under pressure to give an endorsement of trump. He also is closely aligned with the Koch Network which makes the timing interesting. Their Americans for Prosperity Action just withdrew funding for Haley to use it in the House & Senate races. Their memo to the group , on the 2nd page, has what they see as some danger signs:
So, they know that Trump and the MAGA House are toxic and they are going to do everything in their financial power to save as many of them as they can. Good luck with that.
With the caveat that they’ll owe the Koch Network not the RNC. And without considering that a dictator for one day makes them irrelevant. The Nick Fuentes plan (he put out before he infamously had dinner at Mar a Lago) is to dissolve Congress.
On the other hand, if they target and win enough seats they could envision passing legislation to put much of the Project 2025 into law.
The Pubbies will be lucky to hold what they have even with millions in dirty Koch money. I'm betting that between Dobbs, IVF, attacks on contraception, the inevitable government shutdown, the sham impeachments, etc. they are going to lose double digit seats in the House and up to a net 2 senate seats.
I do hope you are right. But I think the ones who are bailing out know more than meets the eye. They are privy to the depth of seditious power and the capacity for violence within the radical right. I see them as canaries in the coal mine who smell the toxic fumes and still have the sense to walk away. (Mitch is dying and knows it).
Mitch is not concerned about dying in office. He had the state legislature change the process to replace him a few years ago. He foresaw a strong possibility that the Dem governor would be re-elected. Now if a Senate seat is vacant during a term, the executive committee of the political party the former senator belongs to gives the governor 3 candidates to choose from.
His more immediate problem is a growing contingent in his caucus who are trying to turn the Senate into the House. Rick Scott who put out his own agenda; Tommy Pooperville and always, Rand Paul among others. They’ve been pushing harder for him to step back & making him more of a follower than leader. Add to that the potential destruction of the RNC. Being majority leader or minority leader is not going to be what it used to be.
Thank you for adding this understanding. (forget where I heard about Mitch's action to prevent a Democrat governor from having full say about M's replacement...) I don't think that Mitch as aged as well as good 'ol Joe!
McConnell had polio as a child. He has always had some difficulty walking and was at risk of post-polio syndrome later in life. It makes sense he could experience a concussion in serious fall in a hotel (probably on a hard surface like marble) that would add to other issues.
I feel like I am living in a nightmare dystopian trilogy series.
As expressed earlier this week the frozen embryo will become a commodity. If they can't be destroyed they will be implanted in surrogates for the wealthy infertile.
Sad that Rep. Duckworth's attempt was rebuffed.
Thank you for pointing out the "say one thing do another," response of the GOP.
Dude, you took what was a mild admonishment of a fairly obvious cultural blind spot, reinterpreted it in a frankly bizarre fashion (where on earth did I suggest you were sullying the Taliban???) then got real angry about it. Then you decided to gesture rudely because you were annoyed at your odd version of my comments. Seems like you maybe took a throwaway comment on the internet too personally.
I wanted to respond much more rudely (not that I'm being polite) but honestly I'm just flummoxed by how much my comment annoyed you.
Oh Judd, thank you for examining this issue of IVF and the Republican insistence of knowing the Spiritual truth of how physical life must be governed and controlled by law. WOMEN'S BODIES! (Another headline: "Females to be subject to fearful and domineering Old White Men") I do not want to live in a world in which all aspects of my existence depend on theses laws, where everthing turns into a law created by a small-minded and boring human beings. It is no sign of wisdom to adhere to opinions and interpretations of what is true. There seems to be no comprehension of the teachings of Jesus that higher wisdom comes from within.
I thought I had my eyes wide open for all these years but I missed that all roads lead back to abortion and women's bodily autonomy. Dobbs was the first, albeit humongous, step, wasn't it? Once that stone was rolled out of the way, women are being used as political wedges. How bizarre. I hope those that have been knocked on the head with the MAGA stick will wake up and see what their daughter's lives will be like. (Call the handmaiden!!)
Leading candidates for Prochrist are Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon. Jared has the money and Steve has the para-military. Ha! Jared has the money - sounds anti-Semitic. What irony. Even more ironic: the white Christian nationalists are imposing their version of Sharia. Just how stupid do you have to be to be a Republican?
So the RNC is to become Trump’s personal bank. It will be quite hilarious when the GOP candidates will either get $0 or will have to kiss the ring in order to get anything from the Trump family. Republicans always seem to hurt themselves while trying to hurt others. They’ll reap what they sow.
Which is exactly why the Koch Network stopped funding and working on behalf of Nikki Haley and pivoted to double down on the House and Senate. They fear a Dem trifecta with a trump-led RNC and state GOP parties (especially key states) in chaos and bad fundraising. Looks like the Koch Network through their Americans for Prosperity Action group are hoping to do the RNC’s work for House and Senate seats.
On the 2nd page they get to the point:
“ If Donald Trump is at the top of the Republican ticket, the risk of one-party rule by a Democratic Party captured by the Progressive Left is severe and would do irreparable damage to the country. The last 3 election cycles have painted a very clear picture of what we can expect from voters who consistently rejected Donald Trump and his impact on the Republican party brand. …..
The Senate & The House
This election will be decided by swing voters. And Joe Biden leads Donald Trump 2 to 1 amongst independents. The most important – and hardest – thing we may need to do is convince millions of voters who will never cast a ballot for Donald Trump to vote for Republican candidates for Senate and House who will advance our shared principles.
AFP Action has done this before and we are confident we can do it again.”
I have been fighting for the rights of my uterus since 1968. In all honestly -- I am just exhausted. Could we please just stop putting men in charge of reproductive rights. Good lord, what the hell are we doing? -------- "It's important to understand that what the Christian right really wants is not motherhood, per se, but a social order where women are second class citizens. They take a dim view of not just abortion and contraception, but all reproductive technologies that make it easier for women to exercise autonomy over their lives. There's a widespread perception that IVF is primarily used by lesbians, single women, and women who waited until their 30s to get married. (In reality, there are many reasons, including male infertility.) Conservatives view IVF as a cheat code for feminists who want to have children on their own terms. They would prefer a system where the only path to motherhood is being trapped with a Trump-voting husband who controls your checking account so you can't leave.
It's hard to convey to non-nutty people how obsessively angry conservatives are with women who wait until they're independent adults before they marry. On a recent episode on Charlie Kirk's popular anti-feminist podcast, for instance, he and his all-male panel were raging about (what else?)Taylor Swift dating NFL player Travis Kelce. "Does Taylor Swift have any eggs left?" Kirk sneeringly asked, as if interrogating the fallopian tube status of pop stars was a normal thing that red-blooded American men talk about. "
First & foremost, any " friend " of trump is no friend of mine or any one else's. Second, in my opinion, this is simply more republican posturing. The party that pretty much stands for nothing, will stand for just about anything; especially given the fact that they're pretty much all over the map between maga's, religious "conservatives" & those that are relatively reasonable in their approach to legislation..which are relatively few.
Judge Parker said "human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself." OK THEN. LET'S HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT DECLARING THE MALENESS OF GOD, THE SUBORDINATE POSITION OF WOMEN, AND THE END OF ALL WOMEN'S RIGHTS NOT SANCTIONED IN WRITING BY A WOMAN'S FATHER, HUSBAND, BROTHER, OR OTHER MALE GUARDIAN. AMEN.
Seems like this flies in the face of NC Research Triangle. The right-wing BS literally “trumps” all that produces good and decency in progressive, educated circles. NC has put out shitmonsters like Jesse Helms for decades . . . And continues to this day, apparently.
Billy Graham, Dawna, Billy Graham. North Carolina's favorite son. He had God on his side. Jesse Helms only had his white skin, but that was all he needed.
This is all right-wing bullshit and it’s connected to the Christian (only) religion. Our constitution specifically demands the Separation of Church & State.
The people who hold this kind of opinion about why [their] god’s law should be made into man’s law are unfit to serve in our government. They should all be voted out of our government.
The Constitution’s Establishment Clause prohibits this mixing of religion & government. It says that there shall be no religious test to serve in government, but, maybe it’s it’s time that we DO have a religious test for Office and if a candidate can’t put the Constitution above their belief in some fake-ass/nonexistent concept of god, then they should be disqualified from serving in any capacity.
I’m not saying that religious people should not be allowed in our government -- only that our constitution demands that they put the Constitution above any of their silly religious beliefs. This is what leads to a theocracy and a theocracy leads to a dictatorship and a dictatorship leads to people being persecuted.
Mike drop!
When JFK ran for the presidency many people - especially Evangelicals - expressed deep concern over his Catholicism, and he found it necessary to assure the electorate that there would be no undue outside influence on his administration from the Church. So there is a precedent.
That’s a good point.
I was nine years old when Kennedy first got elected and I thought our country was really heading in a positive direction. November 22, 1963, put an end to that dream.
Biden is Catholic but he hasn't brought religion into the White House unless you count Gaza /Israel.
And it is that which makes me wonder, seriously, whether if somehow the religious right ends up making us a "Christian" nation, we will revisit the wars of the early modern period (including the bloody, bloody Thirty Years War) about WHICH kind of Christian it is.
"Only that our constitution demands that they put the Constitution above any of their silly religious beliefs."
This is the part they avoid. They say they're a Biblical-Constitutionalist or some such nonsense. We all know what they really mean!
Unfortunately 2025 that plan for a new America, will change the constitution as we know it. 43 states have Republican controlled legislatures. Have you read that document?? I awake every morning to some new battle front the GOP has opened. Today we have SCOTUS preparing to rule on Trump's immunity and this IVF story and tomorrow the government is likely to shut down. I have anxiety over all this.
Oh that report is horrifying. I think we'll weather this stuff but there will be damage. How bd it is depends on how crazy these RW psychopaths get.
As you should.
Spot on! Shame on them. Keep religion out of politics/laws.
I am hoping that the Republican party continues to implode as it makes crystal clear that it is not the party of women, not the party of anyone who is not Christian, not the party of anyone who does not consider themselves "white." Not the party of anyone who is LBGTQ+. Not the party of anyone who is a parent. Not the party of anyone who wants to be a parent. Not the party of people who need health care. Not the party of people who need child care. Not the party of education. Not the party who supports our allies. Not the party who supports our military. Not the party who supports our foreign service. Not the party who supports our constitution. Not the party who supports immigration reforms. Not the party who supports democracy. Instead they support Treacherous-treasonous-traitor-Trump!
Republicans must think that the fix is in for November because they seem determined to step on every rake they can find to make themselves unpopular with the majority of Americans.
Good point. I have to believe they are running scared and will lose and lose big, if not now, then in the long run. But that's optimistic logic based on past experience. We have never seen a threat like this - never. The R party is far bigger and stronger than the SS was; just compare the size of Weimar Germany to the US today. I do expect the worst.
I may be a starry-eyed optimist but I think the Pubbies are in deep shit and they know it. That's why the few semi-normies in the House are bailing and, I think, a major reason why Moscow Mitch is stepping down. None of them want to be part of, or leaders of, a smaller minority, especially when the Dems could surprise us all and execute a real progressive agenda.
As McConnell said in his speech he knows the current politics. He’s had more and more problems trying to keep his caucus in line. Yes, the signs of RNC dysfunction and outlook for the next election have caused a lot of handwringing among serious political players. McConnell is rumored to be under pressure to give an endorsement of trump. He also is closely aligned with the Koch Network which makes the timing interesting. Their Americans for Prosperity Action just withdrew funding for Haley to use it in the House & Senate races. Their memo to the group , on the 2nd page, has what they see as some danger signs:
https://afpaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/AFPA-3-Ways-to-Win-2.25.24.pdf
So, they know that Trump and the MAGA House are toxic and they are going to do everything in their financial power to save as many of them as they can. Good luck with that.
With the caveat that they’ll owe the Koch Network not the RNC. And without considering that a dictator for one day makes them irrelevant. The Nick Fuentes plan (he put out before he infamously had dinner at Mar a Lago) is to dissolve Congress.
On the other hand, if they target and win enough seats they could envision passing legislation to put much of the Project 2025 into law.
The Pubbies will be lucky to hold what they have even with millions in dirty Koch money. I'm betting that between Dobbs, IVF, attacks on contraception, the inevitable government shutdown, the sham impeachments, etc. they are going to lose double digit seats in the House and up to a net 2 senate seats.
I do hope you are right. But I think the ones who are bailing out know more than meets the eye. They are privy to the depth of seditious power and the capacity for violence within the radical right. I see them as canaries in the coal mine who smell the toxic fumes and still have the sense to walk away. (Mitch is dying and knows it).
Mitch is not concerned about dying in office. He had the state legislature change the process to replace him a few years ago. He foresaw a strong possibility that the Dem governor would be re-elected. Now if a Senate seat is vacant during a term, the executive committee of the political party the former senator belongs to gives the governor 3 candidates to choose from.
His more immediate problem is a growing contingent in his caucus who are trying to turn the Senate into the House. Rick Scott who put out his own agenda; Tommy Pooperville and always, Rand Paul among others. They’ve been pushing harder for him to step back & making him more of a follower than leader. Add to that the potential destruction of the RNC. Being majority leader or minority leader is not going to be what it used to be.
Thank you for adding this understanding. (forget where I heard about Mitch's action to prevent a Democrat governor from having full say about M's replacement...) I don't think that Mitch as aged as well as good 'ol Joe!
McConnell had polio as a child. He has always had some difficulty walking and was at risk of post-polio syndrome later in life. It makes sense he could experience a concussion in serious fall in a hotel (probably on a hard surface like marble) that would add to other issues.
Well said!
I feel like I am living in a nightmare dystopian trilogy series.
As expressed earlier this week the frozen embryo will become a commodity. If they can't be destroyed they will be implanted in surrogates for the wealthy infertile.
Sad that Rep. Duckworth's attempt was rebuffed.
Thank you for pointing out the "say one thing do another," response of the GOP.
Whatley is scary.
They are all scary. The Ameri-ban? Taliban-America?
No. They are their own breed. No need to sully Afghanis and Muslims with the shenanigans of the theocratic right in America.
While I agree that "they are their own breed," I have no issue with "sullying" the name of the TALIBAN, alright?
Let's be clear. I in no manner "sullied" the name of Muslims or Afghani's by making a play on words about the Taliban. Let's be reasonable alright?
Good day.
After a second look at your comment, I feel a sense of annoyance at your weak attempt to redefine my comment so you then could take issue with it.
I have a whole bag of middler fingers if you want a few! Tell ya what, just take the whole bag. I get a discounted rate.
Dude, you took what was a mild admonishment of a fairly obvious cultural blind spot, reinterpreted it in a frankly bizarre fashion (where on earth did I suggest you were sullying the Taliban???) then got real angry about it. Then you decided to gesture rudely because you were annoyed at your odd version of my comments. Seems like you maybe took a throwaway comment on the internet too personally.
I wanted to respond much more rudely (not that I'm being polite) but honestly I'm just flummoxed by how much my comment annoyed you.
"No need to sully Afghanis and Muslims with the shenanigans of the theocratic right in America."
Your words. That is an accusation that you made. Period. My play on words mocked the Taliban. Period.
Everything else you said was based on my "supposed" misunderstanding of what you wrote, however, I clearly did not.
Oh Judd, thank you for examining this issue of IVF and the Republican insistence of knowing the Spiritual truth of how physical life must be governed and controlled by law. WOMEN'S BODIES! (Another headline: "Females to be subject to fearful and domineering Old White Men") I do not want to live in a world in which all aspects of my existence depend on theses laws, where everthing turns into a law created by a small-minded and boring human beings. It is no sign of wisdom to adhere to opinions and interpretations of what is true. There seems to be no comprehension of the teachings of Jesus that higher wisdom comes from within.
Religion can be a cudgel with which to beat your opponent senseless.
The two sides of the fascist coin have always been autocracy and theocracy.
I thought I had my eyes wide open for all these years but I missed that all roads lead back to abortion and women's bodily autonomy. Dobbs was the first, albeit humongous, step, wasn't it? Once that stone was rolled out of the way, women are being used as political wedges. How bizarre. I hope those that have been knocked on the head with the MAGA stick will wake up and see what their daughter's lives will be like. (Call the handmaiden!!)
The handmaiden is busy. She's on the Supreme Court.
I have never liked organized religion. I have now come to despise it.
Deeply despise!
Eternal gratitude to you, Judd for documenting the total hypocrisy of the GOP. No amount of posturing will disguise their reactionary misogyny.
It sure seems like the G.O.P. is headed toward embracing a Christian theocracy. And who is its de facto leader? The Antichrist. This explains why:
https://open.substack.com/pub/jerrymctigue/p/christ-vs-the-antichrist?r=1nwpbm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
But is he the Antichrist or is it Putin who is the obvious puppet master in the GOP
I will click on the link and see
Leading candidates for Prochrist are Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon. Jared has the money and Steve has the para-military. Ha! Jared has the money - sounds anti-Semitic. What irony. Even more ironic: the white Christian nationalists are imposing their version of Sharia. Just how stupid do you have to be to be a Republican?
Why stop there? Hell, let's make America GREAT again, get rid of that science s+++ once and for all and GET WITH GODDDDDDDDDDD!
Ignorance is strength. As my late father would say: "Republicans really aren't good at anything except getting elected."
Hahaha! That's a good one. They sure as hell aren't good at governance much less good governance!
May the Lord open.
So the RNC is to become Trump’s personal bank. It will be quite hilarious when the GOP candidates will either get $0 or will have to kiss the ring in order to get anything from the Trump family. Republicans always seem to hurt themselves while trying to hurt others. They’ll reap what they sow.
Which is exactly why the Koch Network stopped funding and working on behalf of Nikki Haley and pivoted to double down on the House and Senate. They fear a Dem trifecta with a trump-led RNC and state GOP parties (especially key states) in chaos and bad fundraising. Looks like the Koch Network through their Americans for Prosperity Action group are hoping to do the RNC’s work for House and Senate seats.
On the 2nd page they get to the point:
“ If Donald Trump is at the top of the Republican ticket, the risk of one-party rule by a Democratic Party captured by the Progressive Left is severe and would do irreparable damage to the country. The last 3 election cycles have painted a very clear picture of what we can expect from voters who consistently rejected Donald Trump and his impact on the Republican party brand. …..
The Senate & The House
This election will be decided by swing voters. And Joe Biden leads Donald Trump 2 to 1 amongst independents. The most important – and hardest – thing we may need to do is convince millions of voters who will never cast a ballot for Donald Trump to vote for Republican candidates for Senate and House who will advance our shared principles.
AFP Action has done this before and we are confident we can do it again.”
Once upon a time the Christian church encouraged doing things FOR people. Now it plots doing things TO people. Times have changed.
Nice work PI!
I have been fighting for the rights of my uterus since 1968. In all honestly -- I am just exhausted. Could we please just stop putting men in charge of reproductive rights. Good lord, what the hell are we doing? -------- "It's important to understand that what the Christian right really wants is not motherhood, per se, but a social order where women are second class citizens. They take a dim view of not just abortion and contraception, but all reproductive technologies that make it easier for women to exercise autonomy over their lives. There's a widespread perception that IVF is primarily used by lesbians, single women, and women who waited until their 30s to get married. (In reality, there are many reasons, including male infertility.) Conservatives view IVF as a cheat code for feminists who want to have children on their own terms. They would prefer a system where the only path to motherhood is being trapped with a Trump-voting husband who controls your checking account so you can't leave.
It's hard to convey to non-nutty people how obsessively angry conservatives are with women who wait until they're independent adults before they marry. On a recent episode on Charlie Kirk's popular anti-feminist podcast, for instance, he and his all-male panel were raging about (what else?)Taylor Swift dating NFL player Travis Kelce. "Does Taylor Swift have any eggs left?" Kirk sneeringly asked, as if interrogating the fallopian tube status of pop stars was a normal thing that red-blooded American men talk about. "
https://www.salon.com/2024/02/23/alabamas-targeting-of-ivf-is-the-christian-rights-attempt-to-control-motherhood-and-theocracy/
First & foremost, any " friend " of trump is no friend of mine or any one else's. Second, in my opinion, this is simply more republican posturing. The party that pretty much stands for nothing, will stand for just about anything; especially given the fact that they're pretty much all over the map between maga's, religious "conservatives" & those that are relatively reasonable in their approach to legislation..which are relatively few.
There is no such thing as unborn children. Children are what pregnant women give birth to! Once you are born there IS no going back
Judge Parker said "human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself." OK THEN. LET'S HAVE A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT DECLARING THE MALENESS OF GOD, THE SUBORDINATE POSITION OF WOMEN, AND THE END OF ALL WOMEN'S RIGHTS NOT SANCTIONED IN WRITING BY A WOMAN'S FATHER, HUSBAND, BROTHER, OR OTHER MALE GUARDIAN. AMEN.
Seems like this flies in the face of NC Research Triangle. The right-wing BS literally “trumps” all that produces good and decency in progressive, educated circles. NC has put out shitmonsters like Jesse Helms for decades . . . And continues to this day, apparently.
Billy Graham, Dawna, Billy Graham. North Carolina's favorite son. He had God on his side. Jesse Helms only had his white skin, but that was all he needed.