S09.E28: Election Subversion

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Main: Election Subversion

Also: Elon Musk's Twitter takeover; Heidi Klum rules Halloween 

Original air date 2022.11.06

[Annber03]

"Why is he dressed like the world's angriest Target employee?" LMFAO at that XD. 

But seriously, can we please, PLEASE put a moratorium on politicians using guns in their ads? Why the hell is that allowed to be a thing? 

As for Trump, I don't want to hear any more about him possibly running in 2024. Literally the only thing I want to hear about him going forward is when he's going to prison, and for how long. There is no other reason to keep talking about him otherwise. 

We also really need to make the shit these crackpot conspiracy theorists are pulling flat out illegal. You make death threats to poll workers, you actively try and manipulate your way into a position of power where you can pull this kind of nonsense, you should be removed from office and/or facing criminal charges. Nobody should be getting away with this. We laugh at the stupidity of the people in these clips, but this is legitimately terrifying. 

And it's stuff like this that makes Tuesday so nervewracking. Because even if the results do heavily go towards actual responsible candidates, it's not going to matter if a whole other party can come along and screw with the results, or at the very least, drag them out to the point of wearing voters down. 

So many people have so much to answer for in fueling this kind of bullshit, and if, by some miracle, we luck out on Tuesday, we need to start holding them accountable in any and every way we possibly can. There needs to be consequences for spreading these kinds of lies and misinformation. 

I also love all these people being all, "The mainstream media won't talk about or show this!" If there were legitimately actual cheating going on, it would not be quiet no matter what media outlet did or didn't cover it because there's literally no way anyone can commit any crime anymore without people finding out about it in some form or another. To say nothing of how the "mainstream media" is actually more than happy to try and "both sides" everything and make it sound like both parties are equal in their level of criminal activity, so...yeah. 

Anywho, I'm definitely voting on Tuesday. I would no matter what, mind, but still. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, as they say. 

Edited November 7, 2022 by Annber03

[ahisma]

Timely episode this week!

It’s so freaking embarrassing that the candidates in my state are the poster children for idiocy across news media warning against future vote theft. Mark Finchem is a cowboy hat-wearing election denier who furnishes his office from Spencer Gifts (and who was actually AT the Capitol on 1/6). Even better, though? The Maricopa County election he wants to toss out (because it’s the biggest county) has been recounted and investigated numerous times. One of those was the infamous Cyber Ninjas clown show that ended up finding that Biden maybe actually had a few more votes. No dead voters. The result was actually accurate. And the guy who ran Maricopa County’s election in 2020? Is Finchem’s opponent. So if people really cared about election integrity, they’d vote for the guy who ran an election proven many times over to be accurate, instead of the guy still insisting it was rigged. But they won’t; THEY’RE the ones who want to steal elections.

[Annber03]

5 minutes ago, ahisma said:

(and who was actually AT the Capitol on 1/6)

Which once again ties into my question above about why in God's name are people who were there that day even allowed to be running for any kind of office right now? 

Seriously, this is a prime example of what John talks about whenever he highlights the stark difference in how certain people are treated in our supposed justice system in this country. 

[swanpride]

Frankly, all those weapons in US Adds are disturbing. I don't think I know any developed country in which that would fly well...not even Norway, where hunting season is a big thing.  If I see a politician with a gun, the last thing I would do is vote for him. Never mind the questionable visual of blowing up a ballot box...so "vote for me, but I won't care, I will destroy the ballot box anyway"? 

Also...why aren't those people sprouting death threats being arrested? That can't be legal, can it? 

[peeayebee]

All very disturbing. There's just no way, no f'ing way to reason with these people, not the politicians, not the right-wing media, not the supporters who believe that the last election was stolen from King Trump, that there are hoards of Democratic voters voting illegally, that they are the majority so there's no way they can lose unless dirty tricks are at play.

Of course some people really believe this shit. Others are just playing along in order to get in power or stay in power. 

Even if we get thru this election relatively unscathed, these people are not going away. 

Mark Kampf is a very unfortunate name.

Why did they blur the dog in that "documentary"? My guess is that the dog was licking itself, which was why the bystander was watching and why the dog was blurred out, so viewers wouldn't be distracted by from the woman dropping off her ballot. Legally.

At least we ended this depressing episode with a beautiful good dog being cuddled and loved by Nick Offerman.

Oh, and that Heidi Klum costume was incredible. How did she come up with that? I mean, I know she didn't sew it in her spare time, but what a wild concept.

Edited November 8, 2022 by peeayebee

[Lantern7]

The grim irony of people warning about an election getting stolen even as they rig things in their favor . . . yeah, that shit got old years ago, and it’s old now.

I think we’re going to need a lot more than Nick Offerman blowing up a trash bin and then cuddling his dog to make us feel better.

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Lantern7 said:

I think we’re going to need a lot more than Nick Offerman 

as Vice President...

[Lugal]

15 hours ago, ahisma said:

Mark Finchem is a cowboy hat-wearing election denier who furnishes his office from Spencer Gifts (and who was actually AT the Capitol on 1/6).

Cosplaying as a cowboy accountant.  It scares the shit out of me that this guy could end up in a position of power.  Especially since he raised nearly $10,000 from the Oathkeepers.

5 hours ago, swanpride said:

Frankly, all those weapons in US Adds are disturbing. I don't think I know any developed country in which that would fly well...not even Norway, where hunting season is a big thing.  If I see a politician with a gun, the last thing I would do is vote for him. Never mind the questionable visual of blowing up a ballot box...so "vote for me, but I won't care, I will destroy the ballot box anyway"?

They all express their distrust of government but never mention the state monopoly on violence while waving guns (I think because they just want that monopoly for themselves).

I hate that guns seem to have become obligatory in political ads (at least the ones without Nick Offerman) just as much as I hate them calling everything they don't agree with "Marxist."

New Rule: If you call something Marxist, you have to cite the appropriate quote from Marx that backs up the assertion.

[buttersister]

Bless you, Nick Offerman. 

[ShadowKnight2]

16 hours ago, ahisma said:

Mark Finchem is a cowboy hat-wearing election denier who furnishes his office from Spencer Gifts (and who was actually AT the Capitol on 1/6).

That should immediately disqualify him for running for any public office. ANYONE who tries to take part in overthrowing the government should be blackballed from entering any government building, from the federal level, all the way down to town council!

6 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Mark Kampf is a very unfortunate name.

That fits him perfectly, AFAIC!

The best parts of last night's show were at the beginning seeing gorgeous Heidi Klum completely dressed, head to toe, as a huge worm, and at the end watching Nick Offerman (aka libertarian Ron Swanson) blowing up a made-up drop off ballot box to mock and deride election deniers, then hold up and cuddle a friendly dog.

I'm having a huge laugh watching Elon Musk inadvertently destroying Twitter in real time, all by his little self. He wanted to buy it for all the wrong reasons, then tried to back out of it when he discovered it was far too big for him to buy and control, then got sued by Twitter for trying to back away from the deal, then finally having to sell his Tesla stock plus getting Saudi money to help purchase the company. Now he's completely gutted the staff at Twitter, the place is flooded with right wing trolls, advertisers are fleeing Twitter like rats on a ship, and he's trying to impose a monetary fee for anyone with a blue check to their accounts, if they wish to continue. Plus, he's banning accounts that use his name to mock him, and he sent a fake news article to Hillary Clinton, who was condemning the attack on Paul Pelosi in his home, suggesting it was actually a dispute with a gay prostitute he was having an affair with, which got him singed badly in the court of public opinion. It won't be long until Twitter goes under with Musk at the helm, and it'll look good on him. That fool and his money will soon be departed from him.

I consider election deniers as big fat entitled diaper babies who won't grow up. If Democrats win both the Senate and the House (and the latter is more probable than one thinks), they will try to deny it like the sore losers they are. And, after January 6, 2021, they will soon find out the hard way. Fuck Around, Find Out!

[Annber03]

40 minutes ago, ShadowKnight2 said:

I'm having a huge laugh watching Elon Musk inadvertently destroying Twitter in real time, all by his little self. He wanted to buy it for all the wrong reasons, then tried to back out of it when he discovered it was far too big for him to buy and control, then got sued by Twitter for trying to back away from the deal, then finally having to sell his Tesla stock plus getting Saudi money to help purchase the company. Now he's completely gutted the staff at Twitter, the place is flooded with right wing trolls, advertisers are fleeing Twitter like rats on a ship, and he's trying to impose a monetary fee for anyone with a blue check to their accounts, if they wish to continue. Plus, he's banning accounts that use his name to mock him, and he sent a fake news article to Hillary Clinton, who was condemning the attack on Paul Pelosi in his home, suggesting it was actually a dispute with a gay prostitute he was having an affair with, which got him singed badly in the court of public opinion. It won't be long until Twitter goes under with Musk at the helm, and it'll look good on him. That fool and his money will soon be departed from him.

It's truly hilarious, isn't it? Disturbing, yes, because of all the misinformation and racism running rampant that you mention. But yes, watching Elon flailing around like an idiot in and of itself is something else. 

And kicking off anyone who's mocking him....isn't it funny how the people who constantly make such a big to do about "free speech" and who call others "sensitive snowflakes" and so on and so forth always, ALWAYS turn out to be the most fragile, super sensitive snowflakes imaginable, and the first to squash any speech from anyone that dares to call them out or mock them or whatever for their lies and misinformation? 

I saw a tweet from someone today that said something to the effect of, "Being on Twitter right now is like playing the violin on the Titanic, except we're also making fun of the iceberg and the iceberg is getting genuinely mad." Pretty much sums it up, I think. All I know is that this makes me all the more glad I've never had a Twitter account. 

[peeayebee]

43 minutes ago, ShadowKnight2 said:

then finally having to sell his Tesla stock plus getting Saudi money to help purchase the company.

I didn't know about him selling Tesla stock, but I believe the Saudis owned stock in Twitter before Musk bought it.

I'm on Twitter, but just to follow people. I use it to get a heads-up on cultural issues, general news, and just jokes. (I follow Cookie Monster.) Many are signing up at Mastodon, which I haven't done yet. But I'm ready to.

2 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

And kicking off anyone who's mocking him....isn't it funny how the people who constantly make such a big to do about "free speech" and who call others "sensitive snowflakes" and so on and so forth always, ALWAYS turn out to be the most fragile, super sensitive snowflakes imaginable

At first he said that any account that impersonated another person would be suspended unless it was labeled as parody, but then he suspended accounts that impersonated him while also labeling themselves as parodies. So... yes, snowflake.

[wendyg]

I'm glad you're enjoying the Twitter spectacle but a lot of us users really loved what we had there and it's really sad to watch it being destroyed. "On the Internet, your home always leaves you," someone said on Twitter earlier this year.  Former TWoPpers I'm sure uderstand.

[DoctorAtomic]

"What if virgins made The Wire" was absolutely brilliant. 

I did like John also pointing out that the conspiracy to rig the election is predicated on the Democrats being organized and on the same page. 

Edited November 8, 2022 by DoctorAtomic

[peeayebee]

1 hour ago, wendyg said:

I'm glad you're enjoying the Twitter spectacle but a lot of us users really loved what we had there and it's really sad to watch it being destroyed. "On the Internet, your home always leaves you," someone said on Twitter earlier this year.  Former TWoPpers I'm sure uderstand.

I don't want to leave Twitter. I loved what it provided for me. However, if it becomes a haven for unmoderated hate speech and disinformation, than I won't love it anymore.

[ShadowKnight2]

56 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I did like John also pointing out that the conspiracy to rig the election is predicated on the Democrats being organized and on the same page.

I don't really agree with that one. The Democratic Party is more organized and mobilized than anyone realizes this year, because of things like Roe v Wade being overturned, plus Republicans threatening to kneecap democracy and the economy should they get at least one house on the Capitol. And, judging from the record-breaking turnout from early voting and mail in ballots, which ALWAYS favors Democrats, it would seem the organizational skills of the D's are spot on, right now.

I just wish John Oliver, if he cares about the fate of his adopted nation, would get that through his craggy head!

[ShadowKnight2]

6 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I saw a tweet from someone today that said something to the effect of, "Being on Twitter right now is like playing the violin on the Titanic, except we're also making fun of the iceberg and the iceberg is getting genuinely mad." Pretty much sums it up, I think. All I know is that this makes me all the more glad I've never had a Twitter account. 

I once had a Twitter account but got permabanned for insulting the delicate fee-fees of a dumbass right wing troll. A little upset, at first, but I quickly got over it.

Oh well. Didn't really use it, that much, and I'm glad I'm not a part of it. Especially with Musk now running and ruining things over there!

Edited November 8, 2022 by ShadowKnight2

[purist]

3 hours ago, wendyg said:

I'm glad you're enjoying the Twitter spectacle but a lot of us users really loved what we had there and it's really sad to watch it being destroyed. "On the Internet, your home always leaves you," someone said on Twitter earlier this year.  Former TWoPpers I'm sure uderstand.

Word to this. I was an early adopter and have long been a Twitter evangelist, and as I work with words every day (I'm a book editor), I love it for being a words-based platform. My people are on Twitter: book lovers, editors, authors, journalists, publishers, librarians and more. I am single with no kids and I work from home, so Twitter has been my virtual office, where I can bounce ideas off colleagues and chat about current events and pop culture. Twitter is absolutely the best place to be when there is an international breaking-news story (the Fukushima nuclear disaster is one that comes to mind). I have learnt a lot from the many under-represented groups who have found their people on Twitter (e.g. people with disability, people of colour, women in general), I've made friends around the world, and I've had at least one genuine belly laugh every day from funny tweets. I am deeply sad about what is happening to Twitter right now.

Thank you, LWT and Nick Offerman, for making me feel better momentarily!

ETA: My Twitter handle is @katiemelb if you want to say hey 🙂

Edited November 8, 2022 by purist

[swanpride]

Never was on Twitter and I don't feel like I am missing out. The important news ends up with me anyway, the other stuff I thankfully don't have to see most of the time. 

It will interesting to see if Musk's waning popularity will finally cause the Tesla shares be handled at a realistic worth. 

[andromeda331]

On 11/6/2022 at 9:36 PM, Annber03 said:

"Why is he dressed like the world's angriest Target employee?" LMFAO at that XD. 

But seriously, can we please, PLEASE put a moratorium on politicians using guns in their ads? Why the hell is that allowed to be a thing? 

As for Trump, I don't want to hear any more about him possibly running in 2024. Literally the only thing I want to hear about him going forward is when he's going to prison, and for how long. There is no other reason to keep talking about him otherwise. 

We also really need to make the shit these crackpot conspiracy theorists are pulling flat out illegal. You make death threats to poll workers, you actively try and manipulate your way into a position of power where you can pull this kind of nonsense, you should be removed from office and/or facing criminal charges. Nobody should be getting away with this. We laugh at the stupidity of the people in these clips, but this is legitimately terrifying. 

And it's stuff like this that makes Tuesday so nervewracking. Because even if the results do heavily go towards actual responsible candidates, it's not going to matter if a whole other party can come along and screw with the results, or at the very least, drag them out to the point of wearing voters down. 

So many people have so much to answer for in fueling this kind of bullshit, and if, by some miracle, we luck out on Tuesday, we need to start holding them accountable in any and every way we possibly can. There needs to be consequences for spreading these kinds of lies and misinformation. 

I also love all these people being all, "The mainstream media won't talk about or show this!" If there were legitimately actual cheating going on, it would not be quiet no matter what media outlet did or didn't cover it because there's literally no way anyone can commit any crime anymore without people finding out about it in some form or another. To say nothing of how the "mainstream media" is actually more than happy to try and "both sides" everything and make it sound like both parties are equal in their level of criminal activity, so...yeah. 

Anywho, I'm definitely voting on Tuesday. I would no matter what, mind, but still. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, as they say. 

Well said! 

I made sure to watch this one before tomorrow. I'm dreading how bad it's going to be. 

I love John pointing out that we're all looking at the dog. That's pretty much me any time there's a dog or really any animal in videos. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I use Twitter for my job, and our subset of Twitter is fine. No one is really trolling. Just your typical injokes here and there. But in terms of promoting work or outreach events, etc., it's worked really well.

The iceberg being genuinely mad is what makes that joke land. The iceberg isn't faking it!

[Ceindreadh]

6 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I use Twitter for my job, and our subset of Twitter is fine. No one is really trolling. Just your typical injokes here and there. But in terms of promoting work or outreach events, etc., it's worked really well.

The iceberg being genuinely mad is what makes that joke land. The iceberg isn't faking it!

I sooo want SNL to bring back Bowen Yang's iceberg character and run with this!