"Sphincter Politicians on Parade”

[LFC]

Madison Cawthorn is the new Dana Rohrabacher. Putin owns him. And Russian propaganda is making the most of him.

Calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug” has reportedly made right-wing firebrand Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) a star of Russian TV propaganda.

NBC News correspondent Raf Sanchez, who is back in the U.S. after three weeks working in Moscow, tweeted a clip from Russian state TV on Thursday showing Cawthorn attacking Zelenskyy as his country was being invaded and bombed by Russia.

“Remember that Zelenskyy is a thug,” Cawthorn, who is running for reelection in November, told supporters earlier this month in an appearance in Asheville, North Carolina. “Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies.”

Since then, Sanchez tweeted, Russian state TV has “jumped” on Cawthorn’s comments and played them “over and over.” The journalist said he was exposed to a heavy dose of televised propaganda in Moscow, where TVs in the NBC bureau are tuned to Russian state-controlled broadcasts.

[LFC]

Welcome to karma, bitch.

A former Ku Klux Klan member who sought a seat on the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners in Georgia had his campaign come to a standstill after he was declared ineligible for office due to a previous felony conviction.

Chester Doles, who once was designated as the Grand Klaliff of the Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Maryland, was in the midst of campaigning for the office when an investigation by CBS Atlanta turned up his criminal record which disqualifies him from holding office.

According to a report from Complex, "In 1993, Doles spent time in federal prison after he was convicted of beating a Black man in Maryland; in 2003, he was convicted of weapons violations in Georgia and spent four more years behind bars."

The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles has ruled that citizens can't serve until "at least 10 years have passed since they completed their prison term."

"Although Doles is past the 10-year requirement, the Georgia Republican Party told CBS46 that the former KKK leader’s rights 'were not restored in time for the qualifying deadline,' which was March 8," the report states while adding that the former Klan member intends to sue after complaining that he has already invested time and money into his campaign.

In a statement, he claimed, "They have violated my civil rights. We’re gonna ask for damages. My attorney is reviewing the case right now. They’ve caused me major damages. I have thousands of dollars in campaign signs, billboards, radio commercials."

[LFC]

Cawthorn continues to be Putin's little bitch.

Regurgitating Russia’s Imperialist Narratives To Own The Libs

Far-right Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) refused over the weekend to walk back his attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “thug,” the Asheville Citizen-Times reported.

• Instead, Cawthorn once again accused Ukrainian government of being “corrupt” and spreading misinformation on the conflict. (He provided zero evidence of this. Meanwhile, Russia’s disinformation campaign on its attack on Ukraine has been well established).

• The Republican congressman also said he wasn’t ready to call Russian leader Vladimir Putin a war criminal as Russian forces bomb hospitals, schools and residential neighborhoods in Ukrainian cities.

[LFC]

After Ted Cruz's unserious, childish display at KBJ's confirmation hearing, what was the first thing he did?

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had yet another awkward moment with technology on Wednesday when reporters spotted what he was checking on his phone during confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson.

It was his own social media mentions.

Cruz went beyond his allotted time with his attacks on Jackson, drawing a gavel from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), which led to a testy exchange between the two.

Once Cruz was done grandstanding for the cameras, he whipped out his cellphone. Los Angeles Times reporter Nolan D. McCaskill caught what he was doing:

McCaskill’s LA Times colleague, photojournalist Kent Nishimura, was in perfect position to confirm:

[LFC]

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) convicted. I love the excuse of having a bad cell phone signal. I wonder if the dog ate his homework too.

You Mean They Didn’t Buy That??

A federal jury in California convicted Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) on Thursday on all three charges of concealing information (one count) and lying to the FBI about a foreign donation scheme with his 2016 campaign (two counts).

• Fortenberry faces a maximum of five years in prison for each count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 28.

• He vowed to appeal the verdict immediately. The nine-term Nebraska lawmaker didn’t say whether he plans on ending his reelection campaign.

• One of Fortenberry’s iron-clad defenses in the trial was that the conversation he lied to the FBI about was actually just one big misunderstanding caused by “a bad cell phone connection.”

• Fortenberry’s trial was the first trial of a sitting member of Congress since 2002, when Rep. Jim Traficant (D-OH) was convicted of corruption.

[LFC]

I think we might need to coin the phrase "Ted Cruz Effect" for when the popularity of something skyrockets because he declares he hates it.

In an attempt to characterize Ketanji Brown Jackson as soft on crime and a supporter of critical race theory during her confirmation hearing, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz held up several books as if they were proof of the Supreme Court nominee's beliefs. In doing so, the Republican vaulted at least two of the books to bestseller status, The Washington Post reports.

One of Cruz's props during his attempt to torpedo Jackson's nomination was “The End of Policing,” Alex S. Vitale’s 2017 book that analyzes modern policing and makes the case for defunding the police. As he held up a pristine copy of the book, Cruz said, “If you look at the Georgetown Day School’s curriculum, it is filled and overflowing with critical race theory,” referring to the intellectual movement that examines the way policies and laws perpetuate systemic racism. Jackson serves on the Washington, D.C. prep school's board of trustees.

Much to the delight of Vitale, Cruz's performance art shot the book to number one best-seller status on Amazon. “Thanks to Ted Cruz, The End of Policing is now the #1 Best Seller in Gov. Social Policy,” Vitale tweeted, including a screenshot of the Amazon ranking.

Thanks to Ted Cruz, The End of Policing is now the #1 Best Seller in Gov. Social Policy. @versobookspic.twitter.com/EoAX4FJmZs
— Alex Vitale (@alex Vitale) 1648005287

Other books highlighted by Cruz also have experienced dramatic sales increases since Cruz highlighted them. Ibram X. Kendi’s “How to be an Antiracist” is No. 2 in race relations, and his children’s book “Antiracist Baby,” to which Cruz gave considerable screen time, is the No. 1 children’s book and the No. 2 bestseller for all books sold on Amazon.

[LFC]

What in the actual hell?

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) pledged to speak to Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) about his allegation that people in Washington, D.C., have invited him to orgies and done cocaine in front of him after Republican members expressed frustration with the comments.

[indy]

Mar 29, 2022 17:44:32 GMT LFC said:

What in the actual hell?

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) pledged to speak to Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) about his allegation that people in Washington, D.C., have invited him to orgies and done cocaine in front of him after Republican members expressed frustration with the comments.

At first I was wondering if maybe he was trying to implicate Democrats but that doesn't make sense either. What Democrat would invite Cawthorn to...anything?

[goldenvalley]

Mar 29, 2022 17:44:32 GMT LFC said:

What in the actual hell?

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) pledged to speak to Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) about his allegation that people in Washington, D.C., have invited him to orgies and done cocaine in front of him after Republican members expressed frustration with the comments.

Yeah that just shows what crowd Cawthorn hangs out with.  

[andydp]

Aree they angry because its not true, or that they weren't invited ?  I'm sure McCarty's "talk" will have a lot of influence on his deportment

Angry GOP Responds to Cawthorn’s ‘Bizarre’ D.C. Orgy Claims: ‘Name Names’

After Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) went on a podcast and alleged that some of his Republican colleagues in Congress are orgy-frequenting degenerates with a fondness for hard drugs, members of the House GOP had a simple response on Tuesday.

Name names.

That’s what Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) said when asked about Cawthorn’s bomb-throwing remarks, which, in implicating no one specifically, ended up casting a bizarre cloud of suspicion over all of his fellow colleagues.

“It does paint the picture here that isn't accurate,” Crenshaw said. “Name names. Let’s see who he hangs out with.”


www.thedailybeast.com/angry-gop-responds-to-cawthorns-bizarre-dc-orgy-claims-name-names?fbclid=IwAR2bSDBfknMcd1LWZutkkKWv_n2SU-iwgJGp5Vwn6hgT98ynGguGAoEI3f4

[LFC]

McCarthy has his "talk" with Cawthorn about his coke and orgy accusations. It's the usual stupidity but a few things jumped out at me, making McCarthy the Sphincter Politician of this story. I nearly spit up in my own mouth at his rank hypocrisy.

During this private chat, McCarthy reportedly scolded Cawthorn for having “lost my trust” over his salacious remarks, which McCarthy characterized as “not becoming” of a member of Congress, according to Politico.

Apparently lying about presidential elections and defending criminal activity by a sitting president ARE becoming of a member of Congress, though.

“It is just frustrating. There is no evidence behind his statements,” McCarthy said, according to Politico.

A Republican making statements with no evidence behind them? OH NOES! When has THAT ever happened?

“You can’t make statements like that as a member of Congress, it affects everybody else and the country as a whole,” McCarthy said, according to Politico.

Gee, Kevin. You don't say.

I find it hard to believe that his hypocrisy even registers even his pathetic, sycophant brain. I simply don't believe that McCarthy is bright enough to understand what he's doing.

[goldenvalley]

Mar 31, 2022 14:13:07 GMT LFC said:

McCarthy has his "talk" with Cawthorn about his coke and orgy accusations. It's the usual stupidity but a few things jumped out at me, making McCarthy the Sphincter Politician of this story. I nearly spit up in my own mouth at his rank hypocrisy.

During this private chat, McCarthy reportedly scolded Cawthorn for having “lost my trust” over his salacious remarks, which McCarthy characterized as “not becoming” of a member of Congress, according to Politico.

Apparently lying about presidential elections and defending criminal activity by a sitting president ARE becoming of a member of Congress, though.

“It is just frustrating. There is no evidence behind his statements,” McCarthy said, according to Politico.

A Republican making statements with no evidence behind them? OH NOES! When has THAT ever happened?

“You can’t make statements like that as a member of Congress, it affects everybody else and the country as a whole,” McCarthy said, according to Politico.

Gee, Kevin. You don't say.

I find it hard to believe that his hypocrisy even registers even his pathetic, sycophant brain. I simply don't believe that McCarthy is bright enough to understand what he's doing.

Message to Madison..."you screwed up dude.  You only blame Democrats for bad things, not Republicans. Not. Ever."

[pnwguy]

Mar 31, 2022 16:51:56 GMT goldenvalley said:

Message to Madison..."you screwed up dude.  You only blame Democrats for bad things, not Republicans. Not. Ever."

Exactly. "Those were Hunter Biden's orgies, where Hillary Clinton was doing a gangbang with 14 year olds!!!"

Pointing out anything imperfect in the GOP is the one way ticket to RINO-dom.  All evil in the world is the fault of Satan Democrats.

[LFC]

Mar 31, 2022 17:33:32 GMT pnwguy said:

All evil in the world is the fault of Satan Democrats.

I believe the proper way to express that is Satan (D-Hell).

[pnwguy]

Mar 31, 2022 17:35:30 GMT LFC said:

Mar 31, 2022 17:33:32 GMT pnwguy said:

All evil in the world is the fault of Satan Democrats.

I believe the proper way to express that is Satan (D-Hell).

No, a true MAGAt would denote it as Satan (D-WhiteHouse).  The Situation Room is where he performs his child sacrifice rituals, wearing a goat head.

[LFC]

Josh Marshall is a bit confused by the speed and ferocity of the Republican reaction against Madison Cawthorn.

The simplest explanation that I’ve seen is that from my friend Amanda Marcotte: Cawthorn broke the golden rule of GOP conspiracy theories. You’re only supposed to aim them at Democrats. Cawthorne’s reverie is right out of the Qanon cinematic universe, which amidst all its complexities is driven by the idea that the elites (read: the ones who are Democrats or support Democrats) who control the world live a hidden life of sexual deviance and predation on the innocent. So this is entirely par for the course. Only it’s directed at Republicans or at Republicans and Democrats in equal measure. Cawthorn didn’t actually say explicitly that he was talking about Republicans, though he did refer to people he’d admired for a long time from a distance. So it’s a reasonable inference.

I think Marcotte is right. But somehow it’s still not a totally satisfying explanation. It explains why the reaction is different. But I still find myself marveling at its sheer intensity. In the Qanon cinematic universe the GOP has created an entirely self-sustaining moral order of light and darkness, in which the darkness is inhabited by crooked Democratic pedophiles and sex traffickers conspiring to steal rural Republican voters lawn furniture. Cawthorn for whatever reason let out the apparently deep dark secret that his GOP colleagues are among the darkness too.

Still, though, the intensity of the reaction … there’s got to be another piece of the puzzle.

My view is not just that he aimed his nonsense at Republicans but that he did it with a wild sex and drug filled accusation. Why is this a big deal? Because a significant, motivated part of the base has been primed (or shall I say "groomed?") to believe this kind of story instantly and viscerally. Now all it takes are some full fledged Q/MAGAt candidates to take advantage of the story when they primary some incumbents. It doesn't matter that those incumbents weren't named by Cawthorn. We know how well the right is at manufacturing outrage out of pure lies and if you give them something innocent but with the slightest thread of similarity they'll really go to town. The incumbents are scared shitless about being placed in those particularly crosshairs.

[goldenvalley]

Mar 31, 2022 18:20:58 GMT LFC said:

My view is not just that he aimed his nonsense at Republicans but that he did it with a wild sex and drug filled accusation. Why is this a big deal? Because a significant, motivated part of the base has been primed (or shall I say "groomed?") to believe this kind of story instantly and viscerally. Now all it takes are some full fledged Q/MAGAt candidates to take advantage of the story when they primary some incumbents. It doesn't matter that those incumbents weren't named by Cawthorn. We know how well the right is at manufacturing outrage out of pure lies and if you give them something innocent but with the slightest thread of similarity they'll really go to town. The incumbents are scared shitless about being placed in those particularly crosshairs.

My bold.  You are correct. There are some batshit crazies running for Congress and they will crowd out the others that are Trumpists but not Q.  Those folks do not want to be primary-ed.

[pnwguy]

"When did you stop beating your wife?" It works with low IQ voters, so it's great tactic for any GOP primary.

[andydp]

Speaking as a member of the "party of personal responsibility."...

Cawthorn blames ‘leftwing establishment’ for targeting him amid criticism from GOP colleagues

Mr. Cawthorn wrote in the tweet: “The radical left, the establishment, and the media want to take me down. Their attacks have been relentless. I won’t stop fighting. I won’t bow to the mob. They want to silence the America First movement. I’m not going anywhere.”

His wild allegations about orgies and cocaine were roundly criticized by congressional Republicans this week and some began pledging to support a primary challenge to Mr. Cawthorn.



www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/mar/31/cawthorn-blames-leftwing-establishment-targeting-h/

[andydp]

I'm thinking if she gets more "stupid grades" she could wind up in a Stupid Hall of Fame.  For now, let us make her the "crown jewel in the tiara of stupidity that is today's GOP."  (Not my line stolen from "Only a Game")

Anonymous Threatens to 'Not Be Kind' to 'Russian Asset' U.S. Rep. Greene

International hacker group Anonymous has leveled a threat at Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene: "History will not be kind to you, nor will we."

The threat comes a day after Greene released a nearly 10-minute video in which she stated that Ukrainians are fighting "a war [against Russia] they cannot win." Her video—posted on Facebook Live hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the U.S. Congress—also criticized President Joe Biden for "saber-rattling" and "dragging America into World War III" by offering financial and military support to Ukraine.

www.newsweek.com/anonymous-threatens-not-kind-russian-asset-us-rep-greene-1689273

[LFC]

Apr 3, 2022 19:42:56 GMT andydp said:

The threat comes a day after Greene released a nearly 10-minute video in which she stated that Ukrainians are fighting "a war [against Russia] they cannot win." Her video—posted on Facebook Live hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the U.S. Congress—also criticized President Joe Biden for "saber-rattling" and "dragging America into World War III" by offering financial and military support to Ukraine.

Move over, Hanoi Jane. Here comes Moscow Marjorie! And unlike Jane who was merely an actress and activist, Moscow Marjorie, like Moscow Mitch, are elected members of the U.S. Congress.

[LFC]

Ron DeSatanist should be awarded the Gym Jordan Sexual Predator Protection Award.

In a move criticized by advocates of Florida’s open government laws, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ staff intervened in a public records request related to a former appointee who is reportedly connected to a federal sex trafficking investigation, documents obtained by News 6 show.

The governor’s secondary “review” of state spending records delayed the release of those documents for more than two months, records confirm.

That delay may have violated Florida’s public records laws, according to some legal experts familiar with the matter.

News 6 submitted a public records request last year seeking spending reports from Halsey Beshears, the former head of Florida’s business licensing agency.

According to Politico, Beshears and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz were named in a grand jury subpoena related to an ongoing federal sex trafficking investigation.

Beshears and Gaetz, who once served together in the Florida legislature, have not been charged with any crimes.

Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation, or DBPR, compiled Beshears’ financial records within days of News 6 requesting them, newly uncovered emails confirm. Some records were even retrieved within hours.

Instead of immediately releasing the records, DBPR shared Beshears’ financial reports with DeSantis’s office for a secondary “review,” documents obtained by News 6 show, delaying their release by more than two months.

[LFC]

Mar 9, 2022 23:54:49 GMT LFC said:

LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP!

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) on Wednesday was charged with driving with a revoked license after being pulled over last week by highway patrol.

According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Cleveland County highway patrol spokesperson Sgt. Marcus Bathea said Cawthorn was pulled over March 3. In addition to facing a misdemeanor that carries up to 20 days in jail, the GOP congressman also faces two pending citations for speeding in other counties in North Carolina.

Bathea told the Citizen-Times that Cawthorn was pulled over last Thursday near Shelby, North Carolina when a trooper saw a 2019 Toyota Truck cross the center line of the road.

“The driver was identified as David Madison Cawthorn, 26 years old of Hendersonville, N.C.,” Bathea told the Citizen-Times. “During the course of the investigation it was determined that the driver’s license was in a state of revocation and he was subsequently charged with driving while license revoked.”

According to the citation obtained by the Citizen-Times, the weather was clear and traffic was light. Cawthorn was reportedly “very polite and cooperative.”

Cawthorn’s latest speeding incident marks his third in the past several months.

Shit, he was driving daddy's car and pretended he didn't realize it! FFS would somebody please just put this bewildered idiot manchild into a rubber room? If I voted for this f***wit I'd be completely ashamed.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) is facing intense scrutiny following the release of footage from his recent traffic stops. Over the last several days, the North Carolina Highway Patrol has released dashcam clips for two of three traffic stops involving Cawthorn following his most recent stop.

According to Queen City News of Charlotte, N.C., the first clip is from a traffic stop in Buncombe County back in October. The officer who facilitated the stop confirmed Cawthorn was pulled over for speeding. During that stop, the lawmaker was cited for driving 89 mph in a 65 mph zone. Cawthorn also did not have a valid driver's license at the time.

While speaking to the officer, Cawthorn claimed the vehicle was his, but the officer said otherwise after checking the vehicle registration. “It looks like it’s registered to, I guess, your dad,” the officer said.

“Is it really?” Cawthorn could be heard asking.

If he's repeatedly speeding like that and driving without a license then he's a menace on the roadway, all ready to put somebody else in a wheelchair ... or the ground. LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP!

[LFC]

IOKIYAR in all its glory. The cultists still love Cawthorn.

When Rep. Madison Cawthorn got up on stage to warm up a Donald Trump rally on Saturday, he wasn’t greeted as a pariah, lightweight, or punchline.

These days, that’s the response the 26-year old congressman is getting from Republicans and Democrats in Washington.

But in this North Carolina field by the side of Interstate 95, Cawthorn got a hero’s welcome. To the MAGA diehards gathered there, he is a knight in shining armor—a survivor with an inspiring story of triumph over adversity, a clean-cut, well-spoken young man who mothers just love that their daughters love.

To the extent that they were thinking about the lengthy string of controversies that have driven Cawthorn’s reputation into the gutter in Washington, rally attendees who spoke to The Daily Beast were more likely to shrug than wince, to cheer him on than turn their backs.

When asked about Cawthorn’s most incendiary recent scandal—his allegation that he saw fellow lawmakers doing “key bumps” of cocaine and that one invited him to an orgy—this crowd showed little of the righteous indignation that the congressman’s GOP colleagues have.

But several rally attendees actually believed Cawthorn’s claims. What’s more, they welcomed the backlash he faced as proof that he’s doing something right.

Karen Mitchell, who traveled to the rally from central North Carolina with her husband Dart, said Cawthorn faced reprimands because members of Congress “don’t want anyone to know what they’re up to.”

“I don’t think he’s lying,” Mitchell said. “Why make that up?”

Asked what he made of the hot water that Cawthorn repeatedly finds himself in, her husband Dart quickly interjected: “We like hot water.”

Another attendee, Dylan Franklin of nearby Clayton, replied with a verbal shrug—“eghh”—when asked about Cawthorn’s cocaine-and-orgy comments. “It’s murky water, especially in D.C.,” Franklin said. “I don’t know what to believe these days.”

Still, Franklin was willing to put at least a fair bit of faith in Cawthorn. “I definitely like him,” he said. “He is the new wave that we need in America.”

[goldenvalley]

Who is attending these rallies?  I'm wondering if there isn't a group of people analogous to the Dead Heads that followed the Grateful Dead around the country.  The book by the Wall Street Journal guy said there was a group like that during the 2016 campaign.