U.S. Politics

[Richard Smith]

Perhaps you should check your calendar. It's March 2022 not March 1862.

People don't care about the Republicans of 1862, they care about Republicans in 2022 promoting racism.

Abe Lincoln wouldn't be welcome in today's Republican Party. Trump would call him a RINO trying to kick him out.

Republicans are promoting racism today and this is a horrible racist statement by Mike Braun. And he isn't the only Republican who feels this way. Racism like this should not be tolerated. It's disgusting.

Republican Senator Mike Braun Says Supreme Court Should Have Never Legalized Interracial Marriage
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/mike-braun-says-interracial-marriage-should-be-illegal-1325336/

You are the one who referenced turning America back to 1950.  Of course, in 1950, it was the Democrats who promoted segregation, blocked Civil Rights legislation, and joined the KKK.  Biden was part of that crowd in the Senate with his KKK buddy Robert Byrd.  So maybe understand the historical context that you are referencing before making such claims.

[Rick Plant]

Racist Mike Braun should be removed from his seat. People like him have no business serving in Congress when his votes are clearly meant to be biased against African Americans. That goes for the rest of these racist Republicans who are just like him. All Democrats need to be asking their Republican opponents if they agree with Mike Braun's statement about the legalization of interracial marriage and watch how they duck the question.   

A 'disaster for Indiana': Mike Braun’s constituents revolt after GOP senator criticized legalization of interracial marriage



Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) is facing serious blow back for his remarks arguing the legalization of interracial marriage should not have been a U.S. Supreme Court ruling but rather a decision left to individual states. The controversial remarks came during the confirmation hearings held for President Joe Biden's SCOTUS justice nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson.

At one point during his questioning of Brown Jackson, Brau complained about what he described as "judicial activism" as he highlighted a number of historic rulings he appeared to have issues — with interracial marriage being one of them.

"When it comes to issues, you can't have it both ways," Braun said. "When you want that diversity to shine within our federal system, there are going to be rules and proceedings, they're going to be out of sync with maybe what other states would do. It's the beauty of the system, and that's where the differences among points of view in our 50 states ought to express themselves."

Shortly after making the remarks, Braun attempted to backpedal. In a statement offering further explanation for his remarks, the Indiana lawmaker wrote: "Let me be clear on that issue — there is no question the Constitution prohibits discrimination of any kind based on race, that is not something that is even up for debate, and I condemn racism in any form, at all levels, and by any states, entities, or individuals."

However, that still wasn't enough to quell the critical reactions that followed. Shortly after reports began circulating about Braun's remarks, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, political candidates, Indiana residents and other Twitter users began flooding the social network with critical reactions.

Indiana Democrats
@INDems

"There’s no typo in that headline. @SenatorBraun believes #SCOTUS was wrong to legalize interracial marriage nationwide.

This rhetoric is un-American and once again demonstrates how dangerous the @indgop’s culture wars are for Indiana. #INSen

Sen. Mike Braun said interracial marriage ruling should be left to states
https://fox59.com/indiana-news/sen-mike-braun-said-interracial-marriage-ruling-should-be-left-to-states/

Mike Schmuhl, who serves as the Indiana Democratic Party's chairman, quickly fired back with blistering comments in response to Braun's remarks which he described as "un-American."

"The United States Supreme Court has affirmed many times that marriage equality in our country extends to any committed couple regardless of sex, race, orientation, or religious affiliation, and to question that legitimacy questions the very fabric of America and its people," Schmuhl said.

Schmuhl went on to slam the Republican Party's "culture wars" which he believes are impacting America's future.

"Democrats implore all Hoosiers to ask themselves if they want to be associated with someone as embarrassing as Mike Braun and a form of partisanship that endorses white nationalist views — because these are the same views that led to the insurrection against our nation on January 6, 2021," he said. "If Mike Braun wants to question the legitimacy of anything, it should be his own standing as a United States Senator. He cheated his way into office and consistently shows that he does not represent us.”

However, Democrats aren't the only ones slamming Braun for his remarks. Some Republican lawmakers and candidates have also pushed back in disagreement. Speaking to The Indy Star in an emailed statement, Indiana Republican Party chairman Kyle Hupfer said he believes "some rights are so 'intrinsic' that they cannot be left up to states, and one of those is ensuring 'racial equality.'"

Others took to Twitter to express their concerns. "It is appalling that a US Senator from IN claims that the US Supreme Ct shouldn’t decide the right of people to marry inter-racially," tweeted Mayor Thomas McDermott (D), who is running for the Indiana Senate. "I condemn [Senator Braun] ‘s comments and I urge [Sen. Todd Young] to join me in condemning views that should be left behind in our nation's past.

From a second Twitter account, McDermott tweeted, "The modern-day GOP has become a disgrace. Comments like these, from a sitting US Senator, were wrong in the 1950’s, and are appalling in the year 2022. It’s up to us #Hoosiers to take care of business and drive backwards thinking politicians out of Washington DC."

Members of interracial families have also pushed back against Braun for his offensive remarks.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) went a step further in dissecting Braun's statement. The lawmaker shared her interpretation of his statement as she challenged him to speak publicly again and denounce his previous remarks.

"Senator Braun’s statement does not walk back what he said," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

She concluded, "He needs to go on the record to clarify whether he believes states should be allowed to reinstate anti-miscegenation laws, and whether it’s his belief SCOTUS should overturn Loving v. Virginia as he does w/ Roe v. Wade."

Read all tweets in link: https://www.rawstory.com/a-disaster-for-indiana-mike-brauns-constituents-revolt-after-gop-senator-criticized-legalization-of-interracial-marriage/

[Rick Plant]

Marjorie Taylor Greene faces new lawsuit that seeks to disqualify her as an insurrectionist: report



A new lawsuit filed Thursday seeks to bar U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) from holding federal elected office based on the 14th Amendment's ban on engaging in insurrection against the United States.

"The suit argues that Greene’s statements and activities related to the attack on the Capitol on January 6th make the congresswoman an insurrectionist," writes The New Yorker's Charles Bethea, who first reported the news. "A clause of the Fourteenth Amendment specifically prohibits those who have 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion' against the United States from holding public office. The suit, citing this clause, contends that Greene 'is constitutionally disqualified from congressional office and, as such, ineligible to run as a candidate under state and federal law.'”

The lawsuit is being brought by Free Speech For People, a nonprofit that brought a similar lawsuit against Congressman Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), The group's legal director is Ron Fein. A Trump-appointed federal district judge blocked the Cawthorn lawsuit under reasoning disputed by legal experts. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals "sent it back to that judge for expedited reconsideration," Bethea notes.

Today's lawsuit cites "numerous instances in which Greene, on social media or in person, has 'advocated for political violence, up to and including, her encouragement of the insurrectionists on January 6.'"

Among the examples is a tweet that Greene sent out on January 5, 2021, calling the next day “our 1776 moment!” (Fein said that the year 1776, with its invocation of the American colonists’ rebellion against British authority, has become “a code word for violence.”) The lawsuit also points to a video on Facebook in which Greene says, “You can’t allow it to just transfer power peacefully like Joe Biden wants and allow him to become our President because he didn’t win this election.” Taken together, the suit insists, “Greene’s actions and the events of January 6 provide, at a minimum, a prima facie case” for disqualification.

Georgia’s secretary of state, the Republican Brad Raffensperger, is required to put any challenge to a candidate’s eligibility before an administrative-law judge, who will then consider the lawsuit’s claims. (Greene has been a vocal critic of Raffensperger, who refused Trump’s request, days before the insurrection, that Raffensperger “find” votes to tip Georgia in Trump’s favor.) “There are many possibilities along the way for different actors to evaluate it in different ways,” Fein told me, of the suit. He said that he expects Greene to appeal the case all the way to Georgia’s Supreme Court, and he was not inclined to guess how its judges would rule should it reach them. “But just looking at the facts and law,” he said, “it’s a strong case.”

© 2022 AFP

[Rick Plant]

New jobless claims under Biden are lower that in ANY period under Donnie's self-proclaimed "greatest economy in history." And don't forget that President Obama and Biden created the previous economy that Criminal Donald tried to take credit for and then he destroyed it by putting the United States into an economic crisis. President Biden has turned around Criminal Donald's economic disaster and has created the best economy on record.

New jobless claims hit a low not seen since 1969

'Americans are getting back to work,' President Joe Biden said.



The Department of Labor announced on Thursday that initial unemployment claims for the week ending March 19 had decreased by 28,000 from the previous week to 187,000. That figure is the lowest number of applications since 1969, and lower than at any time during the four-year presidency of former President Donald Trump.

"This morning, we learned that new unemployment claims are now at a level not seen since 1969. America's historic economic recovery is strong. Americans are getting back to work," President Joe Biden wrote on Twitter in response to the news.

The number of unemployment claims was below the 210,000 predicted by a Bloomberg survey of economists. Additionally, continuing claims for state unemployment benefits numbered 1.35 million, the lowest that figure has been since the 1970s.

During Trump's time in office, Republicans in Congress praised his leadership for levels of unemployment claims that were above those reported under Biden.

In May 2018, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy touted jobless claims for being at their "lowest level since 1973" and argued that the figure was evidence that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed under Republicans in 2017 was working. That policy significantly added to the national deficit, overwhelmingly benefitted large corporations, and failed to prevent an economic downturn after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) praised the level of jobless claims under Trump in April 2019, while Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) hailed "good economic news" in response to jobless claims reports in November 2017.

The report on jobless claims follows the release of the jobs report in early February that showed 467,000 jobs had been added to the economy in January, despite the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. That report revealed that job gains for November and December 2021 had been upwardly revised to 709,000 and that the unemployment rate is 4%.

The unemployment rate hit a five-year high of 14.7% in April 2020 when Trump was in office.

https://americanindependent.com/new-jobless-claims-president-joe-biden-donald-trump-republicans/

[Rick Plant]

So long Jeff....Happy Trails!

‘Guilty’: Jury convicts Republican Jeff Fortenberry on three felony charges



The Republican Caucus in the House of Representatives now includes a convicted felon.

"After just two hours of deliberation, a California jury found Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) guilty on all three charges: one count of scheming to falsify or conceal material facts and two counts of making a false statement to a government agency," KOLN-TV reported. "Fortenberry is out on bond until sentencing on June 28 in California. Fortenberry faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Har had harsh words for Fortenberry during her closing arguments, Politico reported.

"The evidence has proven the defendant guilty and he can no longer avoid the consequences of his actions," she said.

Fortenberry's defense had said he did not lie, it was just a "failed memory test."

"Fortenberry, 61, a nine-term Republican congressman facing reelection, has pleaded not guilty to charges he deliberately misled FBI agents and prosecutors who were investigating the 2016 donations. It is illegal for U.S. politicians to accept foreign funds," Politico reported. "Prosecutors allege Fortenberry lied about what he knew during an interview at his Lincoln home in March 2019 and a follow-up meeting four months later in Washington. He allegedly didn’t properly disclose the contribution received at a Los Angeles fundraiser."

https://www.knopnews2.com/2022/03/25/jury-reaches-verdict-fortenberry-case/

[Rick Plant]

Biden meets with troops, humanitarian leaders in Poland

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — President Joe Biden’s visit to Poland as his final stop in Europe this week has given him a chance to underscore the U.S. commitment to protect a key NATO member on Ukraine’s doorstep.

Biden met on Friday with American soldiers who are serving alongside Polish troops on NATO’s eastern flank.

"We're in a new phase, your generation. We're in an inflection point," Biden told the troops. "I don't want to sound philosophic here, but you're in the midst of a fight between democracies and oligarchs."

Biden also made time to have pizza with members of the 82nd Airborne Division.

The president then went on to meet with Humanitarian leaders in Poland. Sitting beside Polish President Andrzej Duda, Biden reiterated his feelings about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The single most important thing that we can do from the outset is keep the democracies united in our opposition and our effort to curtail the devastation that is occurring at the hands of a man who, quite frankly, I think is a war criminal, and -- and I think will meet the legal definition of that as well," Biden said.

Biden also thanked everyone for their work in support of the Ukrainian people.

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/national/biden-meets-with-troops-humanitarian-leaders-in-poland

[Rick Plant]

Joe Manchin says he plans to vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.