The BS going on in Wisconsin, Michigan and North Carolina, is the kind of stuff that will lead

[maxrandb]

to violence.

You simply can't have gerrymandered super majorities, won by an overwhelming MINORITY of voters, overturning the will of the VAST MAJORITY of voters in a state.

People will put up with quite a lot of stupid shit before "going to the mattresses", but this is a bridge too far.

If this kind of stuff is allowed to stand, there is going to be blood in the streets and all over the hands of the Retrumplican party.

[Bettie]

1. Here's the problem with that theory

our side is not the violent side. Theirs is and they are getting what they want.

[maxrandb]

2. You're right, we are not the violent side

but even the most docile dog in the world will bite you if you smack him with a rolled up newspaper everyday.

It's extremely dangerous when people begin to realize that every non-violent path has been denied them.

[Bettie]

7. Yeah, you're right

and we're quickly reaching the point where every non-violent path will be closed. The SCOTUS is likely to push that over the edge.

[SunSeeker]

11. Exactly. nt

[The Liberal Lion]

14. Some of us are ready.

The rest will join when it becomes clear that they must. Until then we give peace a chance.

[Bettie]

18. My husband reminds me regularly

that at some point, a bunch of people are going to need to drive to DC on short notice with guns...I'm not sure where to file that, since my husband has always pretty much been a pacifist, albeit a cranky one.

[DontBooVote]

28. I am also ready. The republicon party, as far as I am concerned, is an enemy.

The party and those who continue to support it are our enemies. They are enemies to democracy. I am ready to engage them. They must be destroyed. There is no point in attempting to engage them in debate and with reason because they only cheat and stab us in the back, demean us, demonized us, project their evils onto us. They have already committed their existential crimes and treachery. They are the essence of evil. Good and evil will always, eventually, go tribal. They are the evil ones and it is our duty to vanquish evil. They cannot be allowed to continue to exist.

[NewJeffCT]

17. but

a bunch of liberals asked Sarah Sanders to leave their restaurant. Definitely the same as shooting up a black church or assassinating abortion clinic doctors.

[DRoseDARs]

26. The weight of Human history somewhat disagrees.

Oppressed and abused peoples don't tolerate those conditions forever. You and I and everyone here have the bias of living in remarkably peaceful times with a few tragic exceptions. It's a wonder the Black community has been as calm as it has been living through what they do on a daily basis. We're such a mixed culture that I think that is what has protected us from a Balkans-like fracturing of American society, or any other of the multitude of examples were disparate cultures clash.

These peaceful periods last anywhere from a few decades to up to a century before conditions go through a paradigm shift, usually violent, often disruptive, sometimes catastrophically so. It's a phenomenon tied directly to the length of Human lives and the transmittance of memory from one generation to the next. The more distant we grow from awful periods, the fewer people who remember are around to tell their tale, and younger generations grow up having not the slightest clue what the lived experience was truly like outside of cold text on paper. There's no getting around that; education is the only thing that forestalls the historical amnesia. This is why the march towards liberty is such a painfully slow process. The slate isn't cleared of the regressive elements, they remain to hinder progress each cycle. However, each cycle they seem to hinder less.

[Baltimike]

3. They got away with it in 2016 and prior, now they're mad we took their toy from them. nt

[2naSalit]

4. +1

[leftieNanner]

5. Is there any kind of legal remedy to this?

Protesting will get a Democratic legislator's attention, but these vile Republicans will shove through what they want. I don't think there is any way to stop them except after-the-fact with some kind of suit.

Lame Duck sessions need to go. We should seat newly elected people immediately.

[moondust]

8. If nothing else,

maybe pass some new legal framework to guard against "crimes against democracy." Might include laws against gerrymandering and big money in politics, ending lame duck sessions, etc. Probably too late to fix the current mess but could help in the future.

[leftieNanner]

9. The problem is that Wisconsin

is so extremely gerrymandered for the state legislature (46% of the votes got them 64% of the seats - according to Rachel) that there is no way to undo whatever they pass in the near future.

[Greybnk48]

23. Did we lose the challenge to the gerrymander in court?

We need to go after all of this bullshit in court. Right now!

For those of us in Wisconsin it's true; this is really inflammatory after what we've already been through under the thumb of these skeevy scumbags--walker, vos, fitzgerald, schimmel, on and on and on.

[leftieNanner]

24. ON WISCONSIN!

[Liberalhammer]

13. I plan on making as many Republicans

Income take a hit by boycotting their businesses

[erronis]

15. Good approach. And not just for big corporations. Find out if your local merchants

are supportive of the ACA or other markers. I don't think directly asking them if they voted for the dump is a good idea.

[leftieNanner]

20. Excellent!

I do that too. Went in to an appliance parts store recently to buy a new filter for my refrigerator. He had all kinds of right wing whackadoodle stuff on his wall. I told him I would not be buying from him and walked out.

Other than voting, it's the only small way we can have a real impact.

[mwooldri]

19. If I recall correctly, Roy Cooper took the Reptiles to court and won.

So the Reptiles tried to make it a referendum for a constitution change. In relation to the Governor's power, they failed.

[monmouth4]

6. Steny Hoyer mentioned not seating at least the one from NC. We'll see..n/t

[leftieNanner]

10. I saw that too

Well, the NC Board of Elections has not certified the win yet, so he can't be seated in Congress.

[Liberalhammer]

12. Repuicans lives need to be made miserable

From boycotting their businesses to destroying any peace in public must be done.

This is war!

[erronis]

16. Agree. There are lists of republicon-supporting companies.

I'll research more if wanted.

Personally I think the publicity of boycotting is more motivating than the loss of $20 from Walmart - especially when most of us wouldn't even buy TrumpShit from Walmart.

[oldlibdem]

21. right fucken on!!!

Boycott all right wing businesses

[Garrett78]

22. I don't see that happening, but clearly major systemic changes are needed.

That's been true for a long time. This tyranny of the minority system is atrocious. It's only going to get worse.

[peggysue2]

25. Rick Wilson tweeted out that when some people lose power, they . . .

lose their minds. He should know--he's been a lifelong Republican.

The Republicans tried the same old, same old in NC. The legislators mounted a full assault on Cooper and Cooper has taken them to court again and again. It's the same sort of power grab now in Wisconsin and Michigan, a legislative coup during the lame duck session.

It's undemocratic. But then, I don't think the Republicans believe in democratic institutions anymore. They just give lip service while destroying the fundamentals. Everything and anything to win.

Disgusting!

[elleng]

27. Sadly, the Wisconsin electorate HAS been putting up with a lot of crap,

for a lot of years, and I haven't seen signs of violence. (I don't live there.)