ljohn44

@ljohn44.bsky.social

720

Posts

Lurker. Retweeter #NatSec, #History, #ForeignPolicy, #HumanRights, #FreePress, #Dogs, #Food, #Beer, #Hockey, all things #Roman. Sarcasm is my superpower.

GOP delenda est

Posts Replies Media

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ljohn44

University of Sydney students and staff blast new ‘draconian’ protest crackdown

University of Sydney students and staff blast new ‘draconian’ protest crackdownwww.theguardian.com Policy demands three days’ notice for demonstrations and approval for use of megaphones or putting up posters

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ljohn44

As American as it gets.

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ljohn44

Jack Posobiec is a very influential MAGA media figure. He posted this today. In the 1930s Fr. Denis Fahey was probably most well know for being one of the most outspoken anti-semites in the world...quite an accomplishment for that era.

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ljohn44

Reply to

Hypervisible

Again, I say,"If you substitute "VC profit mechanism" every time you see the word "AI," you will have a clearer perspective on the shell game going on."

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ljohn44

Reply to

Coach Finstock

WaPo confused Mark Takano with Ted Lieu. Oy. "The House Democrats who said Biden should drop out of the race were Adam Smith of Washington, Jerry Nadler of New York, Mark Takano of California and Joe Morelle of New York." www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...

Four more Democrats in Congress call for Biden to step aside in the 2024 racewww.nbcnews.com The new calls come from lawmakers who hold top Democratic positions on key congressional committees.

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ljohn44

We're very saddened to hear about the passing of Jane McAlevey, a true legend in labor organizing. May her memory be a blessing. Her lessons certainly are.

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ljohn44

Le Pen's party (RN) got 143 seats. While a record, that's far (very far) from the 289 they hoped for to govern. How?! Hundreds of Left & Macronist candidates dropped out to help each other block the RN. And millions of voters then voted strategically to get that job done.

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ljohn44

This is a great source for information on US elections - particularly for important down ballot races. If you just dropped your NYTimes subscription, consider redirecting your attention (and funds).

For folks who've appreciated my coverage of the French elections... @bolts.bsky.social is quite different—but we cover US politics with such attention to detail. So give us a follow if you've enjoyed this, and care about the US. And our newsletter is free! boltsmag.org/newsletter

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ljohn44

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ljohn44

Bolts is akin to Last Week Tonight: a much deeper dive on important issues than you're likely to get most anywhere else. Like, they have a guide to judicial elections. This is important stuff that gets skipped over by way too many outlets.

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ljohn44

Cruel and ghoulish Republican governors of a dozen states – Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming – opted out of a program, leaving about 9.5 million students without food benefits in repressive summer heat.

Republican-led states are blocking summer food benefits for hungry familieswww.usatoday.com Money for food is especially tight for families in a dozen states where Republican lawmakers declined to accept federal food assistance.

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ljohn44

I'm reminded of and again angered by an NPR piece last year that talked about how the RN was popular because it softened its rhetoric. Not the policies mind you, and the correspondent never said what those far-right policies were, they were just saying fascist shit more politely. Bad reporting.

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ljohn44

Please note the wildly incorrect polling in France. No matter what the cacophony of pundits keep saying, polls are not predictive, and are never the end of the story. Organizing, volunteering, engaging in conversation, and direct action are effective tools. Let's use them here too.

BREAKING NEWS: Voters turned out in numbers not seen in decades to stop the far-right National Rally from taking power in the French National Assembly. Polls predicted a first-place finish for National Rally, which instead came in third in initial results as polling stations closed.

Projections in France's election show voters rejecting the far rightwww.npr.org Voters turned out in numbers not seen in decades to stop the far-right National Rally from taking power in the French National Assembly. Polls predicted a first-place finish for National Rally, which ...

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ljohn44

This delicious little bit of schadenfreude can be ours too if we work our asses off between now and November to bury Donald Trump and his fascist political party

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ljohn44

Conservatives Have a Devious Plan to Stop Biden From Being Replaced | The New Republic “Conservatives may pull all of the stops to stop Democrats if the party tries to replace Joe Biden on the November election ticket, according to a memo from [the Heritage Foundation].”

Conservatives Have a Devious Plan to Stop Biden From Being Replacednewrepublic.com The Heritage Foundation, a top conservative think tank, has a game plan to make sure Joe Biden remains on the ballot after that disastrous debate performancee.

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ljohn44

I see people saying "left-center collaboration" works to win. In U.S., my experience is if you don't act like centrists are 100% evil, much of the left will publicly denounce you as a traitor. Would be great if people bought a clue and didn't let a subset of fascists take over the country. My 2¢!

two takeaways, which are supported by political science evidence: 1. attempting to co-opt the far right from the center is bad and not beneficial electorally (this is what Macron did) 2. a left-center collaboration specifically to stop the far right is good and can work electorally quite well

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ljohn44

If Biden does try to drop out, the Heritage Foundation is going to throw the entire election into chaos.

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ljohn44

Seems bad

Former Trump Staffer Reveals New Texts Alleging More Secret Payoffs and Settlementswww.mediaite.com A former staffer on Trump's 2016 campaign revealed texts claiming that the former president's 2020 campaign "settled multiple" sexual harassment lawsuits.

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ljohn44

FASCISM IS NOT INEVITABLE

Breaking news: The first projections after polls closed in France’s legislative election put a leftist alliance in the lead, as the populist, anti-immigration far right falls behind and performs far below expectations.

France election live updates: Left-wing bloc leads in results projectionswww.washingtonpost.com The populist, anti-immigration National Rally party had been hoping to install France’s first far-right government since World War II, with 28-year-old Jordan Bardella as prime minister.

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ljohn44

A detailed news story at CNN about record breaking heat across the US, yet no mention of #ClimateChange? 🤔

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ljohn44

Ouch

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ljohn44

Among other questions, I wonder how we got to the point where “separation of powers” means the judiciary can prohibit the executive from holding itself accountable. radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-suprem...

The Supreme Court foldsradleybalko.substack.com Faced with the most potent threat to democracy in more than a century, our most revered institution didn't just fail to hold, it aligned itself with the threat

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ljohn44

Yes, please.

some ambitious young creative should make a series of Schoolhouse Rock-style animated info clips based on Project 2025

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ljohn44

I really don’t think most people realize just how hard the boot will come down if Trump and the Republicans win the election. Most people have never experienced the totalitarian surveillance state with the power to reach into their homes and minds at will they are telling us is their plan.

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ljohn44

PLEASE READ THIS Please. And pass it along.

I will bang this drum forever: in THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE FREE: THE GERMANS, 1933-45 Milton Mayer interviewed 10 ordinary Germans after WW2 to learn how fascism took hold. There was never a moment when everyone woke up:

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ljohn44

This is super important work. And it looks like it's actually having an effect. Normal people learn about Project 2025 and are scared as shitless as they should be. The Nation, The New Republic, Rolling Stone, Boston Review and others are doing the work that NYT and WaPo are neglecting.

We need more, but credit where due: both The Nation (June 2024 issue) and Boston Review have run a breakdown of the Project 2025 “Mandate for Leadership” document. Media Matters, too. Lots of good work going on digesting this. www.bostonreview.net/articles/ins... www.mediamatters.org/project-2025

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ljohn44

Reply to

L O L G O P

If Project 2025 were just the Trump Bible version of the GOP platform, that would be bad enough. But it also includes the answer for why Trump will be a dictator this time: He's going to replace the government with book-banning MAGA swingers who sleep with their AR-15s and framed Rothbard photos.

Trump’s Second Term: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)www.youtube.com John Oliver discusses Donald Trump’s plans for a second term, why it could be much worse than his first term, and what Trump has in common with a hamster. Co...

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ljohn44

oh man www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

My stepfather sexually abused me when I was a child. My mother, Alice Munro, chose to stay with himwww.thestar.com In the shadow of my mother, a literary icon, my family and I have hidden a secret for decades. It’s time to tell my story.

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ljohn44

The Stormy Daniels payoff wasn’t a one-off.

Former Trump Staffer Shares Texts Revealing Secret Payoffsnewrepublic.com A new court filing alleges that Donald Trump’s campaign has paid to bury a number of lawsuits over sexual harassment and discrimination.

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ljohn44

Reply to

Taniel

The 2nd leading pollster projects a similar result—if anything a higher range for the Left coalition. This wld be a much stronger result than expected for the Macron bloc. If confirmed, key takeaway: Left & Macronist voters transferred onto each other much more than expected. Clear anti-RN front.