Political Thread

[The Monk]

First up:-

US Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell calls Marjorie Taylor Greene's 'loony lies' a 'cancer'



US Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell has denounced newly elected House of Representatives Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling the far-right Georgian politician's staunch belief in conspiracy theories and "loony lies" a "cancer" for the party.

"Loony lies and conspiracy theories are cancer for the Republican Party and our country," Senator McConnell said.

"Somebody who's suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon on 9/11, that horrifying school shootings were pre-staged, and that the Clintons crashed JFK Jr's airplane is not living in reality.

"This has nothing to do with the challenges facing American families or the robust debates on substance that can strengthen our party."

Ms Greene hit back via social media, saying the "real cancer for the Republican Party is weak Republicans who only know how to lose gracefully".

"This is why we are losing our country," she posted to Twitter.

The statement comes as Democrats in the House were mounting an effort to formally rebuke Ms Greene, who has a history of making racist remarks, embracing conspiracy theories and endorsing violence directed at Democrats.




It also puts pressure on House Republican leaders to discipline her.

Democrats plan to send a resolution to the House floor on Wednesday local time that would strip Ms Greene of assignments on the House education and budget committees, if House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy does not do so first.

"It is my hope and expectation that Republicans will do the right thing and hold Ms Greene accountable, and we will not need to consider this resolution," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

"But we are prepared to do so if necessary."

Some Democrats have called for going further and expelling Ms Greene from the House — an unlikely outcome that would require backing from Republicans, since expulsion requires a two-thirds vote.

Another option is censure.

Greene remains defiant as Democrats attempt to confront the far right

[The Monk]

Scott Morrison risks facing political danger in post-coronavirus vaccine Australia



Imagine it's September 2021 and Scott Morrison's done what some suspected he always intended doing: using the six-week spring parliamentary break to call a federal election for October.

Yes, he'd claimed to be a "full-termer" and was instead going to the polls early, but the Prime Minister would parry impertinent questions from journalists about this sudden change of heart by positing what's really at stake.

"This election — the 2021 election — is about who has the best plan for the post-COVID recovery," he'd say.

Article:

:: Looks to me like taking political advantage of Covid.... :

[lost in melb.]

Scott Morrison risks facing political danger in post-coronavirus vaccine Australia



Imagine it's September 2021 and Scott Morrison's done what some suspected he always intended doing: using the six-week spring parliamentary break to call a federal election for October.

Yes, he'd claimed to be a "full-termer" and was instead going to the polls early, but the Prime Minister would parry impertinent questions from journalists about this sudden change of heart by positing what's really at stake.

"This election — the 2021 election — is about who has the best plan for the post-COVID recovery," he'd say.

Article:

:: Looks to me like taking political advantage of Covid.... :

2 1/2 term. That's ridiculous... They are so exhausting

[The Monk]

Fox News barely covers McConnell’s scathing statement about Marjorie Taylor Greene


Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement Monday evening describing the conspiracy theories embraced by first-term, QAnon-supporting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) as “cancer for the Republican Party and our country.” But Fox News viewers might’ve had a hard time learning about this remarkable bit of Republican infighting because it got very little play on the conservative network.

“Loony lies and conspiracy theories are cancer for the Republican Party and our country,” McConnell said in the statement, which doesn’t mention Greene by name but leaves no doubt about to whom he’s referring. “Somebody who’s suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon on 9/11, that horrifying school shootings were pre-staged, and that the Clintons crashed JFK Jr.’s airplane is not living in reality.”

Fox News loves covering Democratic disarray but didn’t so much as mention McConnell’s statement until the 10 o’clock hour Tuesday morning. It was brought up on Maria Bartiromo’s show on Fox Business, Fox News’s sister network, but even then Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who was on for an interview, used it as a cudgel to attack Democrats for alleged hypocrisy.

On the occasions Fox News has brought up Greene, hosts go to pains to avoid detailing the unhinged conspiracy theories she’s embraced, which range from Democrats’ involvement in a Satanic pedophelia cult to the notion that space lasers controlled by Jews are responsible for forest fires in California.


Read More:-

[The Monk]

Dolly Parton says she turned down Trump's offer of the Presidential Medal of Freedom — twice






The country music legend told The Today Show that Trump offered her the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice.

Both times she turned it down, citing family illness and COVID.

The Biden administration has also approached her about the award, but she said she didn't want to be perceived as "doing politics."

Dolly Parton revealed to The Today Show that she was offered the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Donald Trump on two separate occasions but had to beg off both times. "I couldn't accept it because my husband was ill and then they asked me again about it and I wouldn't travel because of the COVID," she told host Hoda Kotb. Parton is much beloved for both her musical career and the many charity projects she's undertaken in recent years. In November, she donated $US1 million to Vanderbilt University to support coronavirus vaccine research. She previously gave $US1 million to Vanderbilt to help fund its Monroe Carell Jr. Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

Perhaps her best-known charity project is her Imagination Library, a charity she founded in 1990 that provides one free book a month to children from birth until adulthood. In the early months of the pandemic, she used the Imagination Library platform to read bedtime stories to kids who were out of school. Trump isn't the only president hoping to offer Parton a Medal of Freedom. The eight-time Grammy winner told Today that the new administration has reached out to her, but that she was worried about how receiving the award from Biden might be perceived. "Now I feel like if I take it, I'll be doing politics, so I'm not sure," she said. In a 2020 Stephen Colbert interview with former President Barack Obama, Obama said it was a "mistake" that his office hadn't offered Parton the honour.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established in 1945 and is the country's highest civilian honour. It is awarded for "especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or cultural or other significant public or private endeavours," according to the National Archives. Trump handed out 24 Presidential Medals of Freedom during his term, though the late Elvis Presley was the only other musician to receive one. Rush Limbaugh, Tiger Woods, and Rep. Jim Jordan were among those honoured by the former president.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was also offered the award but turned it down following the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

[DemonGeminiX]

Fox News barely covers McConnell’s scathing statement about Marjorie Taylor Greene


Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement Monday evening describing the conspiracy theories embraced by first-term, QAnon-supporting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) as “cancer for the Republican Party and our country.” But Fox News viewers might’ve had a hard time learning about this remarkable bit of Republican infighting because it got very little play on the conservative network.

“Loony lies and conspiracy theories are cancer for the Republican Party and our country,” McConnell said in the statement, which doesn’t mention Greene by name but leaves no doubt about to whom he’s referring. “Somebody who’s suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon on 9/11, that horrifying school shootings were pre-staged, and that the Clintons crashed JFK Jr.’s airplane is not living in reality.”

Fox News loves covering Democratic disarray but didn’t so much as mention McConnell’s statement until the 10 o’clock hour Tuesday morning. It was brought up on Maria Bartiromo’s show on Fox Business, Fox News’s sister network, but even then Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who was on for an interview, used it as a cudgel to attack Democrats for alleged hypocrisy.

On the occasions Fox News has brought up Greene, hosts go to pains to avoid detailing the unhinged conspiracy theories she’s embraced, which range from Democrats’ involvement in a Satanic pedophelia cult to the notion that space lasers controlled by Jews are responsible for forest fires in California.


Read More:-

There's not much infighting. She's nuttier than a fruitcake. Everybody knows it. It's a nonissue. She'll probably lose in a reelection primary.

[lost in melb.]

There's not much infighting. She's nuttier than a fruitcake. Everybody knows it. It's a nonissue. She'll probably lose in a reelection primary.

Dems want to paint her as the 'new direction' for GOP

[DemonGeminiX]

Dems want to paint her as the 'new direction' for GOP

Never let a controversy go to waste. No matter how insignificant it may be.

[The Monk]

There's not much infighting. She's nuttier than a fruitcake. Everybody knows it. It's a nonissue. She'll probably lose in a reelection primary.

Dems want to paint her as the 'new direction' for GOP

Never let a controversy go to waste. No matter how insignificant it may be.

They Republicans aren't totally stupid (I hope) they'll hopefully get rid of her.

Question: Over here a member of Parliament can be expelled by their party and they then sit as an independent. Can that happen in US political system?

[DemonGeminiX]

They Republicans aren't totally stupid (I hope) they'll hopefully get rid of her.

Question: Over here a member of Parliament can be expelled by their party and they then sit as an independent. Can that happen in US political system?

Yeah, it could happen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expuls...tates_Congress

Truth be told, they should use it on Ilhan Omar. She a little terrorist.

[The Monk]

Marjorie Taylor Greene stripped of US House of Representative committee roles after apology

A fiercely divided US House of Representatives has removed Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of both her committee assignments, an unprecedented punishment that Democrats said she had earned by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories.

Article:

[The Monk]

Are political views shaped by personality traits? - Article:


Where do our political beliefs come from? There is increasing evidence that an important part of the answer is deep-rooted within our nature.

It seems that we are predisposed to have certain personality traits and, ultimately, certain political tastes.

Psychologists normally measure your personality by asking questions about your approach to life.

The measures are known as the 'Big Five': openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.

These are neither good nor bad, but simply aspects of who you are.

Do voters need therapy?

Sir John Curtice: Why age not class matters most in voting

For example, someone scoring high in conscientiousness will tend to be more organised than the average person, but also more inflexible. Scores on these different traits predict lots of things about us: from healthy eating to marital stability.

It is perhaps not surprising that the Big Five also correlate with people's political views. Jeff Mondak, political science professor at the University of Illinois, says that people who score high in openness and low in conscientiousness are more likely to be left wing.

He argues that "openness equates with the willingness to try new things. And that includes new policies. Conscientiousness often signals a very strong sense of personal responsibility: it would be viewed as our own job, not the government's job, to take care of us."

'Darker' personality traits


These may not be the only personality traits which shape our politics, however. There is also the 'Dark Triad': Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy.

The most important one of these for political behaviour is narcissism. This is not just about admiring your reflection and attention seeking, but also a sense of importance and entitlement.

Two key components of narcissism - exhibitionism and a sense of entitlement - correlate with our political views. Entitlement is associated with more right-wing positions and exhibitionism with more left-wing positions.

And narcissists are also generally more likely to get involved in politics.

Julie Blais, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University, says: "People with narcissistic traits are much more likely to engage. It's a way of getting attention and make themselves appear better than other people."

What shapes our personality?

Personality differences appear to be related to our political views and our political participation. But where do these differences come from?

If you take the British population today, about half the variation in personality traits appears to be genetically inherited.

That doesn't mean that there is a single gene which decides our personality.

Nor is it a specific part of the brain.

Kevin Mitchell, an associate professor of genetics and neuroscience at Trinity College, Dublin, says that personality traits are "manifestations of how the brain is put together - there aren't little bits of the brain doing one job or another."

Are we predisposed to our political views?
Does this all mean that our political views are also partly biological?

Like personality, political ideology is genetically heritable to some extent and one explanation for this is that innate personality traits, like the Big Five or narcissism, cause political attitudes.

However, some argue that there is actually something deeper in our biology that directly links to our politics.

Maybe it is very basic preferences, perhaps related to risk or threat avoidance, from humanity's evolutionary past which inform our modern day political preferences.

Rose McDermott, professor of political science and international relations at Brown University, says: "The specific issue, whether it's taxes or welfare, can change over time and from country to country. But the underlying issues remain: How do we decide who gets what within our community; how do we decide who's allowed into our community; how do we decide who we're going to fight against?"

These core differences continue to exist because there was never an evolutionary 'right answer' to those questions in the past, she says.

"When something is so much better than every all every other alternative it converges to universality. So why have we not converged universally on ideology? Because we need both. You need liberals for cooperation, but you also need conservatives because you have to defend those co-operators."

A bit more understanding?

Of course, there are some important caveats to the idea that biology equals ideology.

First off, these are simply tendencies. My genetic make-up does not determine my personality or my political views; it just influences them. Second, this is about people's attitudes, not their votes. There is no biological imperative to support party X over party Y.

Nonetheless, we should probably take seriously the idea that our political attitudes are partially due to our personality or other innate tendencies that we cannot do much about.

And, perhaps ironically, this might be helpful in reducing one of the bugbears of the modern age: political polarisation.

Polarisation is all about 'us' versus 'them'.

Maybe one way of countering that is to accept that 'they' just have different preferences to 'us'. This is not because 'they' are stupid, brainwashed or ignorant, just that 'we' are different to 'them'.

As Kevin Mitchell says: "Conflict usually arises because people's goals differ with each other and the things that they value in a given situation differ. And at some level, part of those differences come from our biology."

[lost in melb.]

Marjorie Taylor Greene stripped of US House of Representative committee roles after apology

A fiercely divided US House of Representatives has removed Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of both her committee assignments, an unprecedented punishment that Democrats said she had earned by spreading hateful and violent conspiracy theories.

Article:

About time this vulture's wings were clipped

[DemonGeminiX]

Are political views shaped by personality traits? - Article:

I dunno. My entire family (including myself) used to be Democrat. We all vote Republican now. The Democrats just went way too far.

[lost in melb.]

The conspiracy theorists, all of whom manufactured the big lie that 'Democrats stole the election" are being sued. Exaggerating is one thing, but when your lies defame a company which affects it's value and bottom line, you are going to be sued, count on it.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/04/media...uit/index.html

A voting technology company swept up in baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election filed a monster $2.7 billion lawsuit on Thursday against Fox News, some of the network's star hosts, and pro-Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, alleging the parties worked in concert to wage a "disinformation campaign" that has jeopardized its very survival.

"We have no choice," Antonio Mugica, the chief executive and founder of Smartmatic, told CNN Business in an interview about the company's decision to file the lawsuit. "The disinformation campaign that was launched against us is an obliterating one. For us, this is existential, and we have to take action."