WASHINGTON — A Michigan Republican candidate for governor recently said that rape victims who become pregnant shouldn’t get abortions, according to a video of the comment that went viral Monday.
Garrett Soldano made the remark on the right-wing podcast “Face the Facts with April Moss,” and a liberal news site, Heartland Signal, tweeted a video of the conversation Monday.
Soldano, a chiropractor running in a crowded Michigan race, said that he wants to promote a culture that inspires pregnant women to have their babies and lets them know “how heroic they are and how unbelievable that they are, that God put them in this moment. And they don’t know that little baby inside them may be the next president, may be the next person that changes humanity.”
Soldano shared a story about how one of his mentors was adopted and learned that his birth mother had been raped by several men in a subway station.
“It kind of like tore out his heart when he found that out, but then he started to really appreciate and understand what his birth mother went through, that she had the courage to deliver him,” Soldano said, adding that his mentor went on to help thousands of people improve their lives.
Several Michigan Democratic lawmakers blasted Soldano for his comments.
State Rep. Mari Manoogian tweeted, “This is truly sickening. I have no other words.” State Sen. Erika Geiss called Saldano’s remarks “disgusting.”
“We should be inspiring women who’ve been raped to press charges & we should have a system that takes them seriously,” Geiss tweeted. “We should have a world where men don’t think they’re entitled to women’s bodies. We should have a world where ppl respect #ReproRights.”
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is running for re-election to a second term in November. Her political director, Ron Owens, tweeted that Soldano’s comments were “absolutely disgusting and dangerous,” adding that “every candidate in the GOP primary has said they will undermine a woman’s right to choose.”
Soldano’s remarks on abortion were reminiscent of the late Republican Rep. Todd Akin’s comments during his 2012 Senate campaign that “legitimate rape” rarely results in pregnancy. Akin said “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”
Although Akin said amid backlash over his remarks that he was wrong, he later retracted his apology in a political memoir that criticized his treatment by his party.
Sounds like a guy only a rapist could love. Michigan GOP governor candidate says rape victims shouldn't have abortions, baby might be 'next president' – NBC News https://t.co/VpYSDi91Wx
Teachers who break the law could face a $10,000 fine and lose their jobs
Anewlyproposed bill in Oklahoma from State Senator Rob Standridge would punish any public school teacher who promotes any position “in opposition to closely held religious beliefs of students.” Which — let’s face it — means the bill would punish any public school teacher.
Senate Bill 1470 was prefiled this week by Standridge, a MAGA cultist who made news last month when he filed a different bill to ban all books with sexual content (especially ones that affirm trans identities) from public school libraries. On Monday, he posted on Facebook about his desire to ban Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye from schools because it contains a rape scene.
But it’s the more recent bill that’s gotten plenty of attention online because it allows students and parents with irrational religious views to override the curriculum decisions of trained professionals.
A biology teacher who explains evolution could be ratted out by a Creationist who’s failing science class. A health teacher who educates students about different forms of birth control won’t be in that classroom for very long if an abstinence-promoting teenager is on the roster. A history teacher who correctly describes the Founding Fathers as a mix of religious and non-religious individuals could be a target of conservative evangelicals who believe Christian pseudo-historian David Barton’s lies. An English teacher who wants to challenge kids with controversial thought-provoking literature would be forced to stick to only the blandest books.
Give it time and the students would find reason to oppose math, too. The bill is vague enough to give them that leeway.
The bill would punish teachers by fining them $10,000 “per incident, per individual.” Want to raise the money via GoFundMe? Not an option. The bill says the fines must be paid “from personal resources” and offenders can’t get assistance from individuals or groups. If they catch you fundraising, the bill says you’ll be fired with no ability to go back into a public school classroom for five years.
All of this comes from Standridge, a member of Crosspointe Church in Norman, who has ironically railed against “cancel culture” and “censorship.” Like so many white evangelical Christians, he’s an expert in hypocrisy and an advocate for ignorance. He wants to make students in Oklahoma as dumb as the people he routinely surrounds himself with, while creating an obstacle for them to get accepted into better universities after they graduate. Why would any school want to admit a student who failed to get a proper high school education?
I have no clue if this bill will pass, but the story is that a legislator decided to file this bill at all. It seems safe to assume the overarching goal here is to simply scare good teachers out of the profession. Why subject yourself to the anti-educational whims of white evangelicals when you can find a better paying job outside the schools?
This is what conservatives want, though. They’ll do everything in their power to hurt public schools, make teachers’ lives miserable, and prevent kids from getting a comprehensive education. It’s not enough that private Christian schools exist; lawmakers like Standridge want to make public schools all but useless. Why educate students if that education makes them aware of how incompetent their elected officials are? Better to keep them in the dark by allowing the worst kinds of religious fundamentalists to control the classroom.
While it’s theoretically possible for Muslims, Satanists, and atheists to use this bill to challenge right-wing agendas in the classroom, there’s no secret about who this bill is written for: It’s a gift to conservative Christians who can’t accept that their faith doesn’t mesh with reality. They’d rather be blissfully ignorant than grapple with any kind of nuance.
Republican senators are unmoved by Tucker Carlson’s relentless warpath against support for Ukraine — even as it widens an existing rift in their party. In recent days, Carlson has attacked Republicans who are pushing for a stronger response to Moscow’s aggression — slamming Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) as “ignorant” and Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) as “a moron masquerading as a senator” and “pompous neocon buffoon” simply for advocating long-standing GOP orthodoxy when it comes to Russia.
“On individuals up here who are decision-makers, I don’t hear any disagreement about the position Russia is in,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), said in a brief interview. “I don’t agree with those views,” Florida Sen. Marco Rubio,said when asked about Carlson’s monologues. Some GOP senators rolled their eyes when asked about Carlson’s attacks and indicated that the far-right Fox host isn’t impacting their calculus on an emerging legislative path, even as his views are picking up steam among the base.
Don’t be surprised if Putin grooms Tucker Carlson to succeed Trump as leader of his fascist cult if Trump is sidelined by indictment, declining health, or the fatigue of his base. @Kasparov63 is exactly right about how Putin is already using Carlson: https://t.co/yRpJAc8Zqt
Walking by, I thought at first that my Russian-speaking wife was watching Fox News (which would have been unusual). Then I realized that Tucker Carlson's show was getting long chunks of airtime on Russian state TV
My first brand new home cost less than my 2018 car. Then I could afford a new home, two vehicles, two motorcycles, and other luxuries on one working persons wages. Not now.
A living wage. Housing as a human right. Medicare for All. Building union power. Legalizing marijuana & expunging records. Tackling the climate crisis.
Republican fascism is here. FOX broadcasts the propaganda. Both thought they would restore past glory by scapegoating and violence.
Half the GOP in Congress will be in prison and they will still chant ‘lock her up’ because the brainless have no objective intelligence, just slogans and grievances.
We had all of our major cities BURNED TO THE GROUND!!!
We need to look at this for what it is — they’re trying to keep us from voting with the threat of violence, because they know they can’t win on the issues.
Because of the red states forcing in person schooling with no attempt at all to use precautions or mitigate the spread of Covid, so many teachers are out sick with the virus that there is no one left to watch the kids as the parents work. Think about the sign, it is not about educating the kids, it is about having a place to park them so the parents can make profit for their employers. If it was about teaching kids than the money would have been put into making the kids and adults safe.
Just what we need, a country that can not afford to take care of nuclear weapons and did not have the expertise needed to control them having them. But they are right they should have gotten much better security promises and treaties for giving them up.
Not quite that bad. There has been some hesitation as to how far to go with sanctions on the part of Germany because they get a large part of their natural gas for heating their homes from Russia. In the middle of winter I can see their issue, but I also want to note they have agreed to go along with the sanctions.
Yes they do hate to be called out for what they are. Most racist say they are not racists. The fringe people want or need to think they are the majority and the ones with the truth.
Notice the cartoonist name. This same deep right wing person who fawns over tRump and rants against anything the Democrats want to do while promoting Covid misinformation is supporting the Canadian anti-maskers / anti-vaccine truckers. Do you wonder if there is dark money fueling all these people ranting against governments attempt to slow down and eradicate the virus?
This normally far right cartoonist is sort of correct above. But what it points out is not that Biden has fallen but that there is not one Republican willing to do the right thing for their country. It shows that the right is party first rather than the good of the country. They would see the country destroyed to make Biden fail, regardless of the cost to the nation.
How immature. The US government requires money to operate and provide services. The IRS exists to ensure that those who owe taxes pay the correct amount owed. The problem is that the Republicans have managed to shift the tax burden on to the lower incomes and poor and away from the wealthy. The Republicans have starved the agency so they can no longer go after wealthy people actively avoiding paying the taxes they owe. The wealthy want as much bad press and to demonize the IRS as much as possible so the people will try to do away with the agency in charge of making the wealthy pay their taxes. This is the right wing media doing the bidding of the wealthy to sway public opinion. Don’t fall for it. Don’t give the wealthy a pass from paying their taxes.
I noticed Goodwin never pointed out the injustice of appointing white people over qualified black women. Remember that Reagan promised to put a woman on the Supreme Court if he were elected—and he did. Was that pandering? Trump promised to put anti-abortionists on the Court, and he did. Was that pandering? Conserves are scared of a more balanced court. That’s why they stacked the Supreme Court with single minded simpletons who pander to the ultra right wing evangelicals.
Michigan state senate candidate Mike Detmer (@DetmerMike) tells a crowd that he wants citizens to bring guns to polling places: “…if we can’t change the tide, we need to be prepared to lock and load. So you ask, ‘What can we do?’ Show up armed.” #milegpic.twitter.com/emIKnfyqsi
Please watch the video above. It is CC. I have watched it three times and it chills me more each time. Think about this. This Republican candidate is openly appealing to his right wing followers to show up at voting places armed, to unplug and stop voting if they don’t like what they see. Don’t like that black guy voting, just threaten violence, or unplug the machine he is using. Heck shut down entire voting places in black areas. They do not see this as a problem, to them this is the goal so that they take complete power. This is not democracy. They are not trying to win votes, they are demanding that others not be allowed to vote. I spent yesterday arguing with right wing cult members who had no idea of reality or facts who about civilian vigilantism thought it was great and simply standing your ground. Defending your way of life one wrote to me. Cops and people should be able to mete out punishment as they wish. This is a clear and immediate danger to all of us who want democracy in the US. And these people that are saying take guns to the polling places and use your second amendment rights are supported by Fox hosts Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity. By all the right wing opinion shows. Really scary. OK back to the roundup I go.
After a group wearing Nazi symbols was seen demonstrating — and yelling antisemitic slurs — in the Orlando area over the weekend, local and statewide officials issued statements condemning their actions as hateful and disturbing. However, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did not immediately add to the bipartisan denunciations — and his top spokesperson sparked controversy by questioning whether the swastika-clad demonstrators were actually Nazis.
“Do we even know they’re Nazis?” Christina Pushaw posted in a since-deleted tweet, according to FloridaPolitics.com. “I trust Florida law enforcement to investigate and am awaiting their conclusions.” Despite having deleted her tweet, Pushaw has since retweeted several posts defending her skepticism of the Orlando demonstrations and criticizing those asking for the governor to weigh in on them, while also adding “we have always condemned antisemitism and hate.”
Read the full article. The Nazi group is based in Kissimmee, which about 30 miles south of Orlando near Disney World. They are well known to the SPLC and Jewish organizations.
I am aware of the anti-Semitic demonstration in Orange County. I along with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office deplore any type of hate speech. This hatred has no place in our society. Any reports of criminal activity will be thoroughly investigated.
Yesterday neo-nazis rallied in Orlando. But America beat their disturbing ideology before and we'll do it again. As a police commander I saw similar rallies, and I also saw that for every nazi there were a hundred Floridians there to stand up for what's right.
The hateful & anti-Semitic demonstrations reported in Florida today have no place in our state. Across America, we’ve seen a heartbreaking & disgusting rise in hate like this. We must always condemn it & continue to stand strongly with our Jewish communities.
Ron DeSantis press secretary @ChristinaPushaw liked this tweet from someone saying “why does anyone need to condemn nazis for you” and saying that nazi rallies in orlando is “faux outrage”. I ask again, why is it so hard for Ron DeSantis and his staff to simply condemn nazis??? pic.twitter.com/kezYZqqLoS
So – If the governor himself does not issue a public statement of specific condemnation of whoever this group is, within a time period that the Left deems acceptable, he is smeared as a Nazi sympathizer by default?
Democrat politicians have falsely insinuated all weekend that the Governor’s policies are somehow responsible for the protest with Nazi symbols. The same Dem politicians insist falsely that hate groups are the Governor’s base. It’s just so wrong, sick, and exhausting sometimes. https://t.co/iVRPYqP5H3
Her response after she failed to do research on the group that was protesting to see that they are, in fact, Nazis. She also failed to realize her words have deep consequences and that her initial reaction couldn’t have been worse. https://t.co/r5FhbCJ7dR
This weekend in Orlando, Nazis chanted "The Jew is the devil" and "Jews rape children and drink their blood." Their signs read "VAX THE JEWS" and "Let’s go Brandon.” They gave Nazi salutes.
More closeups of the Florida Nazis seen in Orlando. Really disgusting to see this but this is what the constant misinformation, conspiracy theories, and hateful rhetoric that is prevalent in right wing Florida politics leads to.pic.twitter.com/fxA2yJ0UgE
My son just witnessed nazis in Orlando. He said there were dozens hanging on the corner. The guy getting assaulted got out of his car and pushed one of them. @fox35orlandopic.twitter.com/HUvNgI3zwl
![trumpgret:
“Tribe always hits the nail on the head with the first swing. Merrick Garland, are you listening? - [ https://i.redd.it/69mpempp22f81.png]
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Scottie's Playtime 