Day: February 10, 2022

Crist Blasts DeSantis Over His Joe Rogan Comments

Buck Banks

“Joe Rogan was right to apologize. As a successful public figure with a large following, he has a special responsibility for the impact his words have. Everyone makes mistakes, and it takes a responsible person to admit when they messed up. That’s why it’s deeply disappointing and offensive to all Floridians that Gov. DeSantis would reject Joe Rogan’s apology. Gov. DeSantis continues to stoke the most divisive elements in our society, from his failure to condemn the Nazis to his promotion of a disgusting racial slur. Florida deserves better.”

— Rep. Charlie Crist, a Democratic candidate for Florida governor, rebuked incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis Thursday for a “shameful statement” regarding Joe Rogan. DeSantis said Rogan should not have apologized for remarks that included racial slurs over the years, a sentiment Crist vigorously contests.

Report: Christian Nationalism Fueled Jan. 6 Insurrection

Buck Banks

The report, issued by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, details Christian nationalist rhetoric and symbols that were apparent at the Jan. 6 insurrection as well as at events that preceded the insurrection, such as the Million MAGA March and Jericho Marches that took place in Washington in December 2020 and January 2021.

Christian nationalist symbols and references were ubiquitous at those gatherings, as well as at the insurrection itself: flags with superimposed American flags over Christian symbols; “An Appeal to Heaven” banners; prayers recited by members of the extremist group Proud Boys shortly before the attack or by others as they stormed the Capitol.

Andrew Seidel, who wrote most of the 60-page report, said that if the Jan. 6 insurrectionists “decided to get a little more serious, next time we’re in more trouble.” Looking toward the 2022 midterm election and the 2024 presidential race, he said the potential for violence wrought by Christian nationalists haunts him.

“I really hope people wake up and recognize it for the threat that it is,” he said.

Manchin Wants to Raise Social Security Taxes

Buck Banks

“You could raise it to $400,000 overnight… I’ve got the will to do it, that’s all I can tell you because I’ve got grandchildren. Ten grandchildren. We’ve got future generations depending on us to the right thing. I’m willing to do a lot of good things on climate too.”

— “Fired up by sky-high inflation prices, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said he has the political will to do the unpopular thing: lift the cap on income taxed for Social Security to $400,000 in order to sustain that program,” Politico reports.

Tester Rips Fellow Dems on Ignoring Riral America

Buck Banks

“I honestly don’t think the Democratic Party can be a majority party unless we start appealing to Middle America a lot more. I’m talking about the area between the two mountain ranges, the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains. And if we’re able to do that, I think it will provide success.”

— Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) criticized fellow Democrats in a CNN interview for not appealing to Middle America more and said Democrats need to “show up” in those places if they want to win elections.

The Ignorance of Marjorie Taylor Greene Has No Bottom

Buck Banks

“Not only do we have the DC jail which is the DC gulag, but now we have Nancy Pelosi’s gazpacho police spying on members of Congress, spying on the legislative work that we do, spying on our staff and spying on American citizens.”

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was mocked after ranting about the “gazpacho police” patrolling the U.S. Capitol on a podcast, The Guardian reports.Greene apparently confused cold Spanish soup with the Gestapo, the Nazi-era secret police in Germany.