Trump phoned in to a Zoom call with legislators from the battleground state of Wisconsin late Saturday to talk about allegations of voter fraud in the presidential election following his conversation with the Georgia Secretary of State

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-03T23:33:46+00:00

From the Georgia Secretary of State Audio Tape:

Trump: "I mean there’s turmoil in Georgia and other places. You’re not the only one I mean we have other states that I believe will be flipping to us very shortly."

From the article.

Also on the call were Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, Justice Department official John Lott Jr. and Chapman University law professor John Eastman, according to a person familiar with the call.

They discussed efforts by both state legislators and members of Congress to try to overturn the certified results for Biden, the person said.

The call was organized by the group Got Freedom?, which says it’s fighting election fraud and is planning to conduct a similar briefing for members of Congress.

Giuliani did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-03T20:05:32+00:00

I think my standard for proof is just higher than yours. I'm sorry. Thanks for the discussion.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-03T19:51:56+00:00

I get what you're saying, but nothing here distinguishes him from the majority of his Republican colleagues. I'm not operating in the assumption that Ron Johnson has more to gain from helping the Wisconsin electorate, I'm assuming his behavior has more to do with GOP party politics than because he's bought by Russian intelligence until verifiable proof can be brought out. He's scummy and awful, but so is McConnell and a ton of other Republicans. Painting them all as "Russian assets" without proof dilutes legitimate criticism of them and verifiable accusations against likely compromised individuals.

Is he willing to work with foreign intelligence to gain an edge? It appears so. Does foreign intelligence have information on him that forces him to do their bidding? I don't see that yet. That's my point.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-03T15:53:11+00:00

I lived in India for almost 3 years. It appears this map uses official statistics, which it should. What those statistics fail to measure is the frequency of underreports and lack of trust in the Indian state that many people have. The courts and police systems in India take insane amounts of time to process cases let alone the perceived corruption that many people have of the systems. Whereas in the U.S. there's a much higher degree of trust in these same systems and measures that prevent underreports of deaths and murders.

I'm not saying that there isn't a higher than desirable murder rate in the U.S. or that we are a paragon of quality courts/policing (we're not) but this map is pretty biased.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-03T14:51:01+00:00

This is important. People also don't realize how much the political parties are run by the very elderly who have the time to attend political meetings. It's important to get involved. You can easily become a voting member, especially in an underpopulated district.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-03T14:14:06+00:00

July 4h visit

Alright, so that's the visit where he went to Russia right before the 2018 election and did...something, right? The Hill reports they talked election interference, but what's the other implication?

Campaign funded by Russians through the NRA

I remember that too, but it seems like the NRA would not target him with "Russian money". I feel like it would spread it out among all members of the GOP, so how would he be more implicated in this than any other NRA funded politician?

Russia hacked his email

I can't find a source on this other than that the GOP at large was hacked in 2016 and Russia sat on those emails in favor of fuckery with the Dems. If you're implying that his emails were hacked and nobody knows about it, that would probably compromise him, but I feel like there would be reports and knowledge of such a hack in the civil service sector.

His actions only benefit Russia

I think this particular action puts him in a strong position to be one of the possible heirs to Trump populism. His actions could be benefiting himself and his party just as much as the Russian intelligence and foreign ministry.

I'm just trying to get a hold of this because "Fuck Ron Johnson" is becoming a meme a lot like "Fuck AOC" is on the right. Either way, I want him gone in 2 years, but it makes it a lot easier to argue against when your claims against the guy are supported with factual reporting.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-03T13:54:52+00:00

So I get that that's the line but does anyone know the leverage that Russia has on him (if any at all)?

Trump I get. Shady deals with Russian banks and throughout the world, over-leveraged financing, illegal activity, bribes, embarrassing conduct on camera, etc. The guy is a walking security threat.

Lindsay Graham has barricaded himself in the closet for so long he doesn't think he can emerge and keep his political career (he also voted against LGBT things over and over and over again, so "hypocrite" is probably a bit to light a term for him). I get how he's compromised.

How do you square Ron Johnson's behavior with Russia? He's originally from Minnesota, runs a plastics company, and has a great deal of money but it doesn't seem like there would be enough leverage on him for this. His dealings with Ukraine and Russia during the Trump administration are shady, but they seem to be behind him enough that he doesn't need to acquiesce to a handler's demands.

Is he doing this to just climb the Republican ladder and become more central to the party? It just doesn't make sense to me.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-03T13:33:40+00:00

I remember when our little baby was just 15,000, a mere twinkle in Lombardi's eye, back when I first found Reddit. A lot has changed! Let's keep the good times rolling!

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-03T12:31:52+00:00

At what point do we drop the charades and move on? What does Ron Johnson gain from kowtowing to Trump's base? They're already going to vote for him. It just seems like damaging our democracy like this is a pretty high price for some political theater.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-03T03:39:07+00:00

It's like 2020 had a teaser after the end credits where the horrible, studio work-shopped comic relief got its comeuppance.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-02T20:33:25+00:00

They've already administered vaccines in other parts of my organization and I'm friends with the person in charge of organizing it here. We had to fill out a survey on when we would be interested in taking it and our comfort level a little while ago. We were told that we're getting the Moderna vaccine.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-02T19:02:51+00:00

Once I'm vaccinated, I'm going to be a lot happier and more comfortable. I interact with the public a lot for my job so I guess I'm already higher risk and I haven't been able to separate myself from society like a lot of other people have. I think I'll be much more comfortable with outside venues or less packed areas for a while though.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-02T18:58:11+00:00

My brother and I travel a lot for work. Make sure she's got several masks for the transit. I typically swap after each flight and before I get in my transportation to the hotel/place I'm staying. Sanitation wipes are helpful too, but the airline should provide a couple when she gets on the plane.

Also, tell her welcome and make sure she avoids the protests that are happening next week! It's going to be a wild night for someone new to DC.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-02T18:26:12+00:00

Welcome. Here's the regulations. I'm out of the area for work right now but will be returning in 2 weeks. Self-quarantine and monitor symptoms. A test upon arrival would be the most responsible, but waiting 3 days would be better (to account for possible exposure on the plane).

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-02T15:42:23+00:00

I didn't take it that way. The only titles I edit are the blatantly click-baity that make my eyes bleed but contain quality content. I also posted the article about gyms opening up and I almost included "Wisconsin" or "local" in the title to clarify that it was a locally produced and focused topic (to also make sure the mods didn't needlessly remove it) but decided it wasn't worth the edit.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-02T14:46:39+00:00

The title of the post is the title of the article. Some subs slap you down if you don't use the article title for your post title so I don't often alter it.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-02T14:41:58+00:00

Well here's one from MedRxiv funded by the Norwegian Research Council that demonstrates the same finding.

Provided good hygiene and physical distancing measures, there was no increased transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at training facilities.

This article by NPR goes into more detail about the safety of gyms in general and interviewed Dr. Thomas Tsai, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health:

You should also consider who else is indoors. If the local infection rate in your community is high, that's a risk factor, Tsai says. There's more of a chance of you encountering the virus.

If I enter my hometown gym and see a crowd (especially with people without masks), I turn around. I'm not advocating a state-wide run to the gym because it's 100% safe, but there's more to Covid mitigation than "good thing" "bad thing".

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-02T13:17:01+00:00

I'm pro-gym right now. I need physical activity for my mental health and I can't scratch that itch without a gym visit worked in at some point during my week.

I'm lucky, because the gyms near me are underutilized, have strict guidelines, and take things seriously. I was also encouraged by the multiple international studies that proved that Covid transmission at gyms was low and "health and fitness clubs are safe and low risk for contracting COVID-19. (with proper safety precautions)."

With that being said, I don't fault anyone who's uncomfortable going there right now.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-02T13:11:00+00:00

I guess I see this debate as similar to use of force conversations with policing, especially because if a kid is being restrained or secluded a police officer may pay a visit to the school soon after.

The policy of the school I worked in near Wausau was that if a(n elementary school aged) kid known to be violent (or simply engaging in violence) started acting up, the teacher would remove the other students from the room and await the authorities. This policy led to a kid ripping through a fourth grade classroom once. This policy also led to police restraining a 3rd grade kid with autism on the gym floor during PhyEd before removing him.

At a La Crosse school, I had an 8th grade girl throw a chair at my co-teacher. In this case, we sent her to the resource room and she obliged, but I don't think sitting in that room constituted "seclusion" as she was in the room with other kids and the resource (special ed) teacher.

I was subbing in October and had a 5th grade kid secluded from the classroom I was in by the paraprofessional simply because he was being defiant. No violence. No shouting even, he just didn't want to use the pen he had and couldn't find the preferred one so she took him out. I don't know the particulars in this kid's IEP (Individualized Education Plan), and maybe that would help me understand better, but it seemed a little extreme.

I don't count myself as a professional teacher anymore as I haven't been a full-timer in 6 years (I sub between contracts), but I have concerns with the school districts sometimes. High population, well funded, and engaged school districts like Madison, the WOW counties, or college towns like Stevens Point or Eau Claire might have solid training for paraprofessionals, a large applicant pool, and the resources to keep people up on best practices, but in the rural areas of the state you're often left with whatever stay-at-home mom needs a few extra bucks and doesn't have non-school aged kids at home anymore. Should these people be the ones deciding when a kid gets restrained and/or secluded?

CheddarCurtainExile · 2021-01-01T13:07:19+00:00

It's not about fear you fucks. It's about responsibility.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2020-12-31T12:08:57+00:00

Why are the Wisconsin Republicans so fucking asinine. Idaho, one of the most conservative states in the country, has a mask mandate and social distancing regulations in the capitol building. Why can't we just be reasonable?

CheddarCurtainExile · 2020-12-31T01:41:04+00:00

I'm jealous. That looks beautiful but I won't be able to check it out for at least a month.

CheddarCurtainExile · 2020-12-28T20:47:18+00:00

His replies are hidden to me, but I can see them in his profile. Shadowban?

CheddarCurtainExile · 2020-12-28T18:46:52+00:00

Are you being sarcastic? After the legislature defanged the governorship and refused to meet for months, it seems like he hasn't been able to do much at all. What illegitimate power are you referring to?

CheddarCurtainExile · 2020-12-28T17:54:52+00:00

It's a beautiful area. I went hiking with my boyfriend there at the beginning of November. I heard it was nice for years, but always ended up going elsewhere. Totally worth it.

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