Conservatism News and Discussions

[caltrek]

USA today is left wing and fox is right of center.

I looked at a recent edition of USA Today and was kind of surprised at how liberal the theme of the paper seemed to be. So you might be right there. As for Fox, I think the only way they can be categorized as anything but extremist is to ignore their more extreme guests and hosts and focus just on those who are merely conservative or often say merely conservative things. Case in point:

Don’t be Fooled by That Viral Hannity Clip. Fox News’s Covid-19 Coverage is a Mess.
by Aaron Rupar
July 20, 2021

https://www.vox.com/22585354/hannity-fo ... 9-coverage

Introduction:

(Vox) Fox News host Sean Hannity received a round of applause on Tuesday for comments he made Monday night urging his viewers to “please take Covid seriously” and telling them, “I believe in the science of vaccination” — remarks seemingly standing in contrast to the kind of vaccine skepticism Fox has been trafficking in for months now.

A clip of Hannity’s comments has been viewed more than 5.4 million times on Twitter as this is written, and was described as the “monologue of the night” by Politico.

Some observers interpreted that clip and others from Monday of Fox News personalities endorsing Covid-19 vaccines as evidence a change of tone is afoot at America’s most-watched cable news network. But don’t be fooled — Fox’s Covid-19 coverage is still a mess.

Consider, for instance, that the viral clip of Hannity talking about vaccines came immediately before he pivoted to a story about a college athlete who was temporarily paralyzed after she took a different sort of vaccine in 2019 — the subtext being that inoculations are more dangerous than the experts would have you believe and that mandates are ill-advised. (Hannity has previously tried to discredit Covid-19 vaccines by saying stuff like, “the great Dr. Fauci has been wrong so often” and proclaiming he was “beginning to have doubts” about getting the shot.)

Or consider, as Matt Gertz detailed for Media Matters, that Hannity’s comments were sandwiched between shows anchored by Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham that both pushed vaccine misinformation:

• On Monday, Carlson revived his lie about a government database purportedly showing thousands of deaths from the vaccines and urged viewers to ignore journalists who are encouraging vaccination because they want to “make you comply,” over on-screen graphics reading “MANY VACCINATED PEOPLE ARE HOSPITALIZED” and “OUR LEADERS WANT US TO SHUT UP & NOT ASK QUESTIONS.” Ingraham’s broadcast likewise stressed reasons to question “the efficacy of the vaccine itself among adults.”

[caltrek]

Liz Cheney Slams Kevin McCarthy for his 'Disgraceful' Efforts to Sabotage the Jan. 6 Probe
by Alex Henderson
July 21, 2021

https://www.alternet.org/2021/07/cheney-january-6/

Introduction:

(Alternet) Earlier this week, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy picked five Republicans for Speaker Nancy Pelosi's select committee on the January 6 insurrection — and Pelosi has rejected two of them: Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, both of whom voted against certifying President Biden's Electoral College victory on January 6. McCarthy, furious with Pelosi, is threatening to pull all of his candidates for the committee in response.

When Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming spoke to reporters on Wednesday, she didn't hesitate to call McCarthy out for his antics.

Outside the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the arch-conservative Wyoming congresswoman told reporters, "I want to talk about the appointments to the January 6 select committee. The rhetoric that we have heard from the minority leader is disingenuous. The attack on this building on January 6 was the worst attack on this Capitol since 1814. It was an attack on our constitution."

Although Cheney is a right-wing Republican, she voted in favor of former President Donald Trump's second impeachment. She is among Pelosi's picks for her select committee, which is an alternative to the January 6 commission that was originally proposed in the House but was rejected by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his allies.

Cheney told reporters, "We supported what would have been the very best option, which was a bipartisan independent commission. The minority leader opposed that. He lobbied against it in the Senate, and the Senate blocked it. The American people deserve to know what happened; people who did this must be held accountable. There must be an investigation that is nonpartisan, that is sober, that is serious, that gets to the facts wherever they may lead. And at every opportunity, the (House) minority leader has attempted to prevent the American people from understanding what happened."

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

The article below shows how some leftists view conservatives in this country. Hopefully, it will help conservatives outside of the United States understand what true looney bins some so-called conservatives in this country can be.

Ben Shapiro’s Authoritarian Moment
by John K. Wilson
July 27, 2021

https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/07/27 ... an-moment/

Introduction:

(Counterpunch) Ben Shapiro is having a moment. Unfortunately, it’s the authoritarian moment. That’s the title of Shapiro’s soon-to-be bestseller being published on July 27, with the subtitle, “How the Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dissent.” Shapiro’s belief that the Left controls everything in America justifies, in his mind, the use of authoritarian power against them.

Shapiro chose an inconvenient year to publish this book, and his introduction tries to claim that the president who tried to stage a coup and led an insurrection on January 6 was, in fact, completely powerless compared to the leftist “authoritarians” who control America by expressing their ideas on campuses and in the media.

Shapiro admits that “Trump had certainly engaged in authoritarian rhetoric” but claims, “nothing happened.”(p. 11) Well, except for the insurrection. And the entire Trump Administration. But other than that, nothing.

Shapiro asserts, “Trump might have authoritarian tendencies, but he did not wield authoritarian power.”(p. 10) While it’s possible to argue that Donald Trump did not have authoritarian power despite his authoritarian desires, it’s not reasonable to simultaneously claim, as Shapiro does, that Nikole Hannah-Jones (whom he smears as a “professional racist”) and others on the left have authoritarian power over America. It’s a deranged vision of the world, and all the more frightening when you consider that Shapiro is often regarded as a kinder, gentler, smarter conservative compared to the extremes of Trumpist devotees. But while Shapiro walks an ideological tightrope by sometimes criticizing Trump, he is always devoted to the larger project of denouncing the left and asserting the victimhood of conservatives.

Shapiro identifies a long list of allegedly “authoritarian leftist” institutions, from academia to the media to science to Hollywood to business, but he barely even pretends to offer evidence for his broad and almost comical assertions. Who needs to provide proof when your audience already is convinced of your prejudices? Who needs facts when you have a (highly profitable) feeling to express?

[caltrek]

Bar Rescue Host and Laura Ingraham Discuss Cutting Unemployment Aid to Make Workers “Hungry” Like an “Obedient Dog”
by Ari Breland
August 14, 2021

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/20 ... dient-dog/

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) Jon Taffer, the host of the reality show Bar Rescue, has got a plan to stop the ongoing crisis of people not wanting to work crap jobs for low pay in the restaurant and service industry—turn workers into “hungry dog[s].

Speaking to Laura Ingraham on Fox News, Taffer—a Nightclub Hall of Fame inductee!—jumped off the idea of slashing unemployment benefits (part of a package of aid in response to COVID-19 that brought about a record drop in poverty) as an incentive to, as Ingraham noted, make people “hungry.”

Ingraham backtracked and said not “physical hunger,” without clarifying what else she could mean.

But then Taffer forged ahead with this:

• I have a friend in the military who trains military dogs, Laura. And they only feed a military dog at night. Because a hungry dog is an obedient dog. Well, if we’re not causing people to be hungry to work then we’re providing them with all the meals they need sitting at home. I’m completely with you Laura. These benefits make absolutely no sense to us.

[caltrek]

Trump Loses Case Against Omarosa

by David Badash
September 28, 2021

https://www.alternet.org/2021/09/trump-omarosa/

Introduction:

(Alternet) Donald Trump has lost his case against Omarosa Manigault Newman, his former White House aide and a former reality TV star on several "Apprentice" seasons

The case was decided in arbitration, with the arbitrator declaring that it was "certainly unreasonable" for Omarosa "to never say anything remotely critical of Mr. Trump, his family or his or his family members' businesses for the rest of her life," The New York Times reports.

"Donald has used this type of vexatious litigation to intimidate, harass and bully for years," Manigault Newman said in a statement. "Finally the bully has met his match!"

In 2018 Trump had sued Manigault Newman, who frequently uses the mononymous "Omarosa," for what he claimed were violations of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) she had signed after the publication of her book, "Unhinged" about President Trump. That NDA was signed in 2016 while she was with his presidential campaign.

The Times adds that Omarosa's book "paints a picture of an out-of-control president who is in a state of mental decline and is prone to racist and misogynistic behavior. Ms. Manigault Newman's book also casts the former president's daughter Ivanka Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in a negative light. When Trump advisers tried to cast doubt on Ms. Manigault Newman's accounts, she released audio recordings that backed up several of her claims."

[caltrek]

Casper Star-Tribune: Wyoming GOP Votes to No Longer Recognize Liz Cheney as a Party Member
by Paul LeBlanc
November 16, 2021

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/15/politics ... index.html

Introduction:

Washington (CNN)The Wyoming Republican Party voted over the weekend to no longer recognize Rep. Liz Cheney as a member of the party, the Casper Star-Tribune reported, a new instance of GOP blowback as Cheney continues to speak out against former President Donald Trump.

The resolution, which does not strip Cheney of any power, cleared the Wyoming GOP Central Committee on Saturday by a vote of 31-29, the report said.

Cheney serves as vice chair of the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol -- on which she is one of just two Republicans -- and was one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump for "incitement of insurrection" following the attack. While Cheney voted with Trump more than 90% of the time, her vocal opposition following the insurrection has prompted sharp backlash within the GOP.

In February, the Wyoming Republican Party voted to formally censure Cheney, and in May she was removed from her post as GOP conference chair in a move that was supported by Trump.

[caltrek]

House Republican Comes Out and Says It: Forcing Tax Cheats to Pay Up Would 'Cost' Them Billions
November 30, 2021

https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/nancy-mace-irs/

Introduction:

(Alternet) Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace, inflicted on us by the state of South Carolina, has been running a bold new online ad condemning Democratic plans to boost funding for the Internal Revenue Service. Why, you might ask?

"Biden's policy will double the size of the IRS at the cost of billions of dollars in unpaid taxes. We should stabilize our nation's economy first."

• When you accidentally say the quiet part out loud\n\nFunding the IRS will cost tax cheatspic.twitter.com/HVL51xABJx
  — z3dster (@z3dster) 1638124786

While @z3dster has done us the solid of parsing out what the hell Mace's word shrapnel was meant to actually mean, it's still worth stewing on that odd language. "At the cost of billions of dollars in unpaid taxes?" At the ... cost? But going after tax cheats is widely recognized as being a net federal win, because just a little money allocated to investigating the most prolific tax-dodgers results in much larger revenues when the dodged taxes actually get paid, so—ooh. Ooooooh.

Right.

...but don't worry Nancy, that lunatic Marjorie Taylor Greene is doing her best to actually make you look like the sane adult in the room by way of contrast to her own irrationality:

Republican Infighting Spills Into Public and Devolves Into High School Bickering
by Rebekah Sager
December 1, 2021

https://www.alternet.org/2021/12/republ ... nfighting/

Introduction:

(Alternet) When you find yourself siding with one GOP deplorable over another, catch yourself. Because, as captivating as it is to watch a rodent eat its own, reading how Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene attacks South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace over racist and Islamophobic comments from the truly detestable Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, you have to wonder how low these disgusting folks can go.

In a now-deleted tweet, Greene launched the first shot to Mace for condemning Boebert, following a now-viral video of Boebert “joking” that Omar was a terrorist and member of the “jihad squad.”

“I looked to my left, and there she is, Ilhan Omar. And I said, ‘Well, she does not have a backpack—we should be OK.’” The audience laughed raucously. Omar has denied the incident Boebert described ever took place.

“I have time after time condemned my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for racist tropes and remarks that I find disgusting, and this is no different than any others,” Mace said during an interview on CNN.

“As a member of Congress, and seeing such division in our country, we all have a responsibility, both elected members of Congress on both sides of the aisle and the American people in our communities and at work in our communities [...] have a responsibility to lower the temperature, and this does not do that,” Mace added.

[caltrek]

Populist Leaders Meet in Warsaw to Discuss European Union
December 4, 2021

https://www.voanews.com/a/populist-lead ... 39402.html

Introduction:

(AP via VOA) WARSAW, POLAND — The leaders of right-wing populist parties gathered Saturday in Warsaw to discuss how they can work together to bring change to the European Union, which they accuse of acting like a super-state that is eroding the traditions and powers of the EU's 27 member nations.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland's nationalist ruling party, opened the meeting, which also was attended by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and the leader of Spain's Vox party, Santiago Abascal.

The event, described as a summit, follows a visit by Le Pen to Budapest in October that was part of an effort by her and Orban to consolidate the European right. Kaczynski said Saturday's meeting was intended to find common ground and to increase cooperation at the EU level, though he acknowledged it would not be easy.

As the meeting opened in a hotel, a small group of protesters outside blew whistles and yelled accusations that the leaders were extremists serving the interests of the Kremlin. The demonstrators held signs saying "Russian pact," and chanted, "Warsaw free from fascism!"

Both the Polish and Hungarian governments remain locked in a bitter standoff with the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, which is withholding funds to both countries over democratic backsliding. Warsaw and Budapest argue that the Commission is taking a step that has never been laid out in the EU treaties, and which, therefore, defies EU law.

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

Right Wing Builds Its Own Echo Chamber
by Sara Fischer and Dan Primack
December 6, 2021

https://www.axios.com/conservative-soci ... ea481.html

Introduction:

(Axios) Conservatives are aggressively building their own apps, phones, cryptocurrencies and publishing houses in an attempt to circumvent what they see as an increasingly liberal internet and media ecosystem.

Why it matters: Many of these efforts couldn't exist without the backing of major corporate figures and billionaires who are eager to push back against things like "censorship" and "cancel culture."

• It's still not clear whether demand will match supply.

Driving the news: Rumble, a conservative alternative to YouTube, agreed to go public at an implied $2.1 billion valuation via a SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) merger.

• The SPAC is sponsored by Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial services firm led by billionaire and Trump fundraiser Howard Lutnick.

[caltrek]

Vladimir Putin Shouldn’t Be a Right-Wing Hero
by Rich Lowry
December 9, 2021

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/ ... ero-524041

Introduction:

(Politico) No CPAC invitation will be in the offing anytime soon, but Vladimir Putin has picked up admirers on the populist right in the United States and abroad that he doesn’t deserve.

With Putin threatening to invade Ukraine, the Russian dictator will again become a top-of-mind concern for the United States. In recent years, there’s been a reversal in which Democrats who were consistently soft on Russia from the Cold War to Hillary Clinton’s attempted reset have become, at least rhetorically and in theory, much tougher-minded about Moscow, while elements of the American right that once were the fiercest Cold Warriors have warmed up to Russia as Putin has grounded his autocracy in religion and social conservatism.

Pat Buchanan led the way in rehabilitating Putin nearly a decade ago, wondering if the Russian ruler wasn’t really “one of us” when it comes to “the culture war for mankind’s future.”

Tucker Carlson has routinely flayed the elite foreign-policy consensus against Putin, including in a lacerating monologue this week arguing that the Russian leader has his eyes on Ukraine only because he wants to protect his country’s western flank.

The cover of the latest Newsmax print magazine has a flattering picture of the Russian leader with the line, “Vlad the Great.” The piece apparently isn’t so positive, but the cover wouldn’t feel out of place if Putin framed it and put it up on his office wall.

[caltrek]

This is a little dated, but it is a good example of a conservative being willing to criticize borderline religious bigotry.

Republican Governor Says GOP Leader Should Condemn Boebert’s Bigoted Remarks
by Nathalie Baptiste
November 28, 2021

https://www.motherjones.com/mojo-wire/2 ... lhan-omar/

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) After a video of Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) making anti-Muslims comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) went viral over the (Thanksgiving) holiday weekend, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, is calling on House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to condemn Boebert’s actions.

“I think whenever, even in our own caucus, our own members, if they go the wrong direction, I mean, it has to be called out, it has to be dealt with,” Hutchinson said on CNN’s State of the Union after viewing a clip of the comments, “particularly whenever it is breaching the civility, whenever it is crossing the line, in terms of violence or increasing the divide in our country.”

Conclusion:

It doesn’t appear that McCarthy will heed Hutchinson’s advice, though. In a statement, the GOP leader said only that he had spoken with Boebert and acknowledged her so-called apology. McCarthy said he had tried to help set up a meeting between Boebert and Omar, but he did not publicly condemn her statement.

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

Conservative Finds Trump's Vote Fraud Claims are 'Bogus' After a 'Deep Dive' — and Throws Down the Gauntlet
by Brad Reed
January 12, 2022

https://www.alternet.org/2022/01/henry-olsen-trump/

Introduction:

(Alternet) Henry Olsen, a conservative scholar who is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, decided to actually take what he describes as a "deep dive" into former President Donald Trump's voter fraud conspiracy theories.

Writing in the Washington Post, Olsen explains that he decided to actually give Trump the benefit of the doubt and take his claims about potential fraud in the state of Pennsylvania seriously.

But alas for the former president, Olsen nonetheless concluded that Trump's claims were "bogus" after he looked at voting data in major urban areas including Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

"If Democrats stuffed the ballot boxes in large urban areas in 2020, there would be an unexplained increase in turnout in those areas," he writes. "The same would be true for areas with higher rates of mail voting if the new practice gave rise to voter fraud. But that didn’t happen in either case."

In fact, Olsen found that turnout increases in reliably blue Pennsylvania counties was small in comparison to turnout increases elsewhere in the state

[caltrek]

Dam Begins to Break on Ridiculous Big Lie — Even in GOP Circles
January 12, 2022

https://www.alternet.org/2022/01/mitt-romney/

Introduction:

(Alternet) Biden came out swinging against Trump on January 6th, which enraged the former president, but something notable happened. Few Republicans stood up for Trump. Many Republicans tried the delicate balance of condemning the insurrection attempt on January 6th but not the guy responsible for it by propagating the Big Lie. It seems some have finally had enough.

GOP Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) was fed up with Trump’s ego when he appeared on This Week. He said what every non-cultish person already knew: "the [2020] election was fair, as fair as we have seen."

This was followed by Mitt Romney, who will always stand up for what’s right--after someone else does it first:

• Mike Rounds speaks truth knowing that our Republic depends upon it. Republicans like Govs Hutchinson, Baker & Hogan; Sens McConnell, Thune & Johnson; Bush & Cheney; plus 60+ courts and even the right-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial page agree: Joe Biden won the election.
  — Mitt Romney (@Mitt Romney) 1641841593

Then Senator Kevin Cramer, Senator John Thune, and Senator Shelley Capito backed him. Even Trumpy Senator Ron Johnson said Trump lost---although he said it in private and was caught on tape.

[wjfox]

[Ozzie guy]

These people claim to be right wing on all issues but unironically get upset by all businesses that they deem "woke". They are against privately owned businesses if it meets some "woke" conspiracy theory in their minds when the owner of said business is just making changes to increase profits or because they own a private company and are doing what they want which rightwingers should like.

[wjfox]

Oklahoma bill would fine teachers $10k for teaching anything that contradicts religion

1 hour ago

Oklahoma Republican Senator Rob Standridge has introduced a bill that would allow people to sue teachers if they offer an opposing view to the religious beliefs held by students.

The proposed act, named the “Students’ Religious Belief Protection Act” mean parents can demand the removal of any book with perceived anti-religious content from school. Subjects like LGBTQ issues, evolution, the big bang theory and even birth control could be off the table.

Teachers could be sued a minimum of $10,000 “per incident, per individual” and the fines would be paid “from personal resources” not from school funds or from individuals or groups. If the teacher is unable to pay, they will be fired, under the legislation.

The act will be introduced into the Education Committee next week, but it doesn’t specify which religious beliefs will be used to prosecute offending teachers.

Referring to the act as “necessary for the preservation of the public peace,” if passed the law will take effect immediately, states the bill.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 07505.html

[caltrek]

GOP Senator Introduces Dark Right-wing Blueprint for the Future
by Brandon Gage
February 22, 2022

https://www.alternet.org/2022/02/rick-s ... ng-agenda/

Introdution:

(Alternet) Beginning in 2016 and continuing into 2020, the Republican Party’s platform has essentially parroted whatever former President Donald Trump has wanted. United States Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida), the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is trying to change that.

Scott, who was among the cohort of lawmakers who objected to President Joe Biden's 2020 Electoral College victory in Pennsylvania, has introduced an “11 Point Plan to Rescue America,” a draconian 31-page manifesto spelling out how he envisions the GOP governing if it retakes control of Congress in November.

“Hopefully, by doing this, we’ll have more of a conversation about what Republicans are going to get done. Because when we get the majority, I want to get something done,” Scott said in an interview with Politico. “There’s things that people would rather not talk about. I’m willing to say exactly what I’m going to do. I think it’s fair to the voter.”

He also acknowledged that Democrats would probably never agree to any of his terms and that his plan may even “strike fear in the heart of some Republicans.”

Indeed, Scott’s proposal is replete with extreme right-wing priorities

To give a taste of what this 11 Point Plan entails, here are the first five points:

1. Our kids will say the pledge of allegiance, salute the Flag, learn that America is a great country, and choose the school that best fits them. We will inspire patriotism and stop teaching the revisionist history of the radical left; our kids will learn about the wisdom of the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the founding fathers. Public schools will focus on the 3 R’s, not indoctrinate children with critical race theory or any other political ideology.
2. Government will never again ask American citizens to disclose their race, ethnicity, or skin color on any government forms. We are going to eliminate racial politics in America. No government policy will be based on race. People “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” We are all made in the image of God; to judge a person on the color of their epidermis is immoral.
3. The soft-on-crime days of coddling criminal behavior will end. We will re-fund and respect the police because they, not the criminals, are the good guys. We will enforce our laws, all of them, and increase penalties for theft and violent crime. We will clean up our cities and stop pretending that crime is OK. We have zero-tolerance for “mostly peaceful protests” that attack police officers, loot businesses, and burn down our cities.
4. We will secure our border, finish building the wall, and name it after President Donald Trump. Nations have borders. We should give that a try. President Trump’s plan to build a wall was right. We welcome those who want to join us in building the American dream, immigrants who want to be Americans, not change America. We are a stronger nation because we are a nation of immigrants; but immigration without assimilation makes us weaker. Politicians from both parties talk big about border security and do nothing. We are done with that.
5. We will grow America’s economy, starve Washington’s economy, and stop Socialism. Socialism is un-American and always leads to poverty and oppression. We will stop it. We will shrink the federal government,,,

You can read all eleven points here (starting at page five of the power point presentation): https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000017f ... fd5f4a0000

caltrek's comment: With the possible exception of point seven, which builds upon the Big Lie of stolen election claims, I would not call this a fascist plan. Still, it is highly reactionary in its content. It would not be pleasant to live in a society in which such a dark vision is realized. Moreover, it distracts from the urgent need to address the growing crisis of global warming. All in all, a highly dangerous document.