USCE Autumn: Well Actually, This IS somethingpedantic.com

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PhazonLink: Jul 17, 2010

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

Since Apple is being forced into USB-C, isn't it effectively a global standard on phones now? Are there new phones being released that have proprietary ports?

i think some cheap phones might still do micro. not to mention some cheap rechargeable stuff does micro.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 15:03

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# ? Jun 13, 2024 07:31

Bellmaker: Oct 18, 2008; Chapter DOOF

aBagorn posted:

The NYT just put out a piece that said that he had been ill for part of his time covering the World Cup:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/09/sports/soccer/grant-wahl-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

It was not foul play, wife said it was an aortic aneurysm.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/14/us/grant-wahl-cause-death/index.html

Still tragic though, dude seemed to be genuinely good person :rip:

# ? Dec 14, 2022 15:07

Main Paineframe: Oct 27, 2010

GhostofJohnMuir posted:

i'm listening to today's house hearing on ftx, and i'm surprised by the number of republican reps who are insinuating that the department of justice and sec deliberately timed the indictment and arrest of sbf to prevent him from testifying before the house. i can't tell if they're just grumpy because they feel someone is stepping on their prerogative, or if they actually believe that if sbf had been allowed to testify he would have revealed something that justice wanted to cover up

i know everyone i talked to about was complaining that he wasn't in jail already, so suggesting that the arrest should have waited seems kind of wild

After the fraud broke, it didn't take long for someone to look up political donation records and find out he made big direct donations to various Democratic candidates. So the far right have spent weeks developing increasingly bizarre and QAnonish theories about elaborate corrupt deals with Democrats, and there's probably more than a few GOP House members who wanted to use his testimony as an excuse to air those theories and engage in political posturing.

A common claim among right-wing talkers was that the lack of any immediate arrest showed that SBF had bought Dems so thoroughly that he would never be arrested or even investigated by Biden's Justice Department. So him getting arrested is bad because it makes it look like the right-wingers are wrong, and they respond by crafting more elaborate conspiracy theories to explain why things didn't go the way their original conspiracy theory predicted. It goes from "the Biden DOJ will never arrest SBF" to "the Biden DOJ arrested SBF to prevent him from testifying to the GOP".

# ? Dec 14, 2022 15:42

Leon Trotsky 2012: Aug 27, 2009; YOU CAN TRUST ME!*

_{*Israeli Government-affiliated poster}

Georgia's Republican Secretary of State calls on the legislature to end run-off elections.

Seems very unlikely that they will follow through, but this is the first time that the SoS's office has publicly called for them to be eliminated.

https://twitter.com/mrbrownsir/status/1603020442427703297

# ? Dec 14, 2022 16:13

Lib and let die: Aug 26, 2004

Discendo Vox posted:

If the probation is about the strike, I think that was a 24-hour thing and ended several days ago.

Forgive my brazen couthlessness for pushing back on you for this post, but the conditions that lead to the walkout still exist. Just because the walkout is over, does not mean that the striking workers got what they want.

You can choose to continue mediating content from a source that is now well-known for its abusive labor practices and signal to them that "no, it's alright, keep doing what you're doing, it's fine" and treat the labor walkout as just a one-off anomaly that was a minor inconvenience for you and posters like you for 24 hours, or you can show you have some actual loving working class solidarity and refuse to mediate or consume their coverage until the labor dispute is resolved.

But I wouldn't expect you to know much about prole solidarity

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

# ? Dec 14, 2022 16:15

No Safe Word: Feb 26, 2005

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

Georgia's Republican Secretary of State calls on the legislature to end run-off elections.

Seems very unlikely that they will follow through, but this is the first time that the SoS's office has publicly called for them to be eliminated.

https://twitter.com/mrbrownsir/status/1603020442427703297

Just do Ranked Choice Voting, easy peasy

# ? Dec 14, 2022 16:18

Randalor: Sep 4, 2011

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

Georgia's Republican Secretary of State calls on the legislature to end run-off elections.

Seems very unlikely that they will follow through, but this is the first time that the SoS's office has publicly called for them to be eliminated.

https://twitter.com/mrbrownsir/status/1603020442427703297

So is this because they want to be able to drag out things for as long as possible with endless calls for recounts when they lose an election by a slim amount or is there some other nefarious reason that I can't think of off hand?

# ? Dec 14, 2022 16:19

Mooseontheloose: May 13, 2003

Randalor posted:

So is this because they want to be able to drag out things for as long as possible with endless calls for recounts when they lose an election by a slim amount or is there some other nefarious reason that I can't think of off hand?

So they can pay Democrats to run in the general, siphon off votes from popular Democars and declare the election over when their guy wins with 45% of the vote.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 16:27

Leon Trotsky 2012: Aug 27, 2009; YOU CAN TRUST ME!*

_{*Israeli Government-affiliated poster}

Randalor posted:

So is this because they want to be able to drag out things for as long as possible with endless calls for recounts when they lose an election by a slim amount or is there some other nefarious reason that I can't think of off hand?

He says it's expensive, the Secretary of State's office thinks it doesn't make a difference in the final outcome, and is unfair to the county election staff to work overtime during Thanksgiving.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 16:28

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Randalor posted:

So is this because they want to be able to drag out things for as long as possible with endless calls for recounts when they lose an election by a slim amount or is there some other nefarious reason that I can't think of off hand?

The runoff is very unpopular in GA, and being the guy that eliminates the unpopular thing is something voters reward, especially in state-wide elections.

Nefarious reasons would be best found in what the GA state leg replaces the runoff with. Elongated ballots to make voting take longer? Eliminating party primaries? Lots of options there.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 16:35

Rigel: Nov 11, 2016

Randalor posted:

So is this because they want to be able to drag out things for as long as possible with endless calls for recounts when they lose an election by a slim amount or is there some other nefarious reason that I can't think of off hand?

Raffensburger is a Republican who believes in evil policies, but wrt runoff elections, I think he just honestly believes it is a stupid waste of money. This is one of those election officials who became a sworn Trump enemy and who Trump tried (and failed) to primary earlier this year by defiantly refusing to budge when Trump called him wanting him to find some more votes. He publicly insisted that Biden won in big press conferences while the MAGA crowd were still screaming about stolen elections.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 16:36

Leon Trotsky 2012: Aug 27, 2009; YOU CAN TRUST ME!*

_{*Israeli Government-affiliated poster}

Gerund posted:

The runoff is very unpopular in GA, and being the guy that eliminates the unpopular thing is something voters reward, especially in state-wide elections.

Nefarious reasons would be best found in what the GA state leg replaces the runoff with. Elongated ballots to make voting take longer? Eliminating party primaries? Lots of options there.

The legislature is pretty unlikely to eliminate the runoff because it has historically provided a small boost to Republican candidates.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 16:36

Mr. Fall Down Terror: Jan 24, 2018; by Fluffdaddy

Rigel posted:

Raffensburger is a Republican who believes in evil policies, but wrt runoff elections, I think he just honestly believes it is a stupid waste of money. This is one of those election officials who became a sworn Trump enemy and who Trump tried (and failed) to primary earlier this year by defiantly refusing to budge when Trump called him wanting him to find some more votes. He publicly insisted that Biden won in big press conferences while the MAGA crowd were still screaming about stolen elections.

the runoff election for the general was instituted in the 1960s to dilute the black vote, in the hopes that having a "are you really sure? really?" secondary election would give segregationist white voters a second chance to eliminate whatever pluralist candidate was stumping for reconciliation or civil rights

# ? Dec 14, 2022 16:53

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

The legislature is pretty unlikely to eliminate the runoff because it has historically provided a small boost to Republican candidates.

Unlikely but possible, and if they ever do its because they've found a different (nefarious) angle to shoot for in the change. Especially if historical results are not predictive of modern material conditions.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 16:53

Rigel: Nov 11, 2016

Mr. Fall Down Terror posted:

the runoff election for the general was instituted in the 1960s to dilute the black vote, in the hopes that having a "are you really sure? really?" secondary election would give segregationist white voters a second chance to eliminate whatever pluralist candidate was stumping for reconciliation or civil rights

I'm aware of that. That kind of reinforces my point, too.

Gerund posted:

Unlikely but possible, and if they ever do its because they've found a different (nefarious) angle to shoot for in the change. Especially if historical results are not predictive of modern material conditions.

They can probably get the same effect while eliminating the runoff by moving to a California-style jungle primary.

Rigel fucked around with this message at 17:09 on Dec 14, 2022

# ? Dec 14, 2022 17:07

evilweasel: Aug 24, 2002

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

The legislature is pretty unlikely to eliminate the runoff because it has historically provided a small boost to Republican candidates.

it directly cost purdue his senate seat in 2020, which is probably the only thing the legislature will recall

# ? Dec 14, 2022 17:23

BDawg: May 19, 2004; In Full Stereo Symphony

Not having a runoff would mean Senator Perdue instead of Senator Ossoff.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 17:48

evilweasel: Aug 24, 2002

Also, as republicans trade suburban voters for rural voters, they are lowering how much they are the high-turnout coalition. In the past they overperformed in specials/midterms because they were. It is unclear that's still the case and some good arguments it's not. Runoff elections favor the high-turnout coalition.

And again so people understand: the point of the runoffs was there was never a case where two white guys split the white vote and they accidentally elected a - gasp - black person. By having mandatory runoffs they would ensure the white vote would always consolidate behind the remaining white candidate, but that is less necessary in this day and age where the two-party system is firmly entrenched.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 17:52

Main Paineframe: Oct 27, 2010

BDawg posted:

Not having a runoff would mean Senator Perdue instead of Senator Ossoff.

On the other hand, Ossoff might have won GA-06 back in 2017 if it weren't for the runoff. Though his opponents might have acted differently if they didn't have a runoff to fall back on.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 18:45

Paracaidas: Sep 24, 2016; Consistently Tedious!

Feels too soon for a remake of Please Clap:
https://twitter.com/MZanona/status/1603082637324738560

Again, they had to put Paul Ryan on the pyre last time because sacrificing the Golden Boy they spent a decade building was better than Kevin running things.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 20:02

lobster shirt: Jun 14, 2021

GhostofJohnMuir posted:

i'm listening to today's house hearing on ftx, and i'm surprised by the number of republican reps who are insinuating that the department of justice and sec deliberately timed the indictment and arrest of sbf to prevent him from testifying before the house. i can't tell if they're just grumpy because they feel someone is stepping on their prerogative, or if they actually believe that if sbf had been allowed to testify he would have revealed something that justice wanted to cover up

i know everyone i talked to about was complaining that he wasn't in jail already, so suggesting that the arrest should have waited seems kind of wild

the big conspiracy theory that i've seen is that sbf/ftx were cutouts to give money to ukraine

# ? Dec 14, 2022 20:08

Failed Imagineer: Sep 22, 2018

Paracaidas posted:

Feels too soon for a remake of Please Clap:
https://twitter.com/MZanona/status/1603082637324738560

Again, they had to put Paul Ryan on the pyre last time because sacrificing the Golden Boy they spent a decade building was better than Kevin running things.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 20:29

nine-gear crow: Aug 10, 2013

Paracaidas posted:

Feels too soon for a remake of Please Clap:
https://twitter.com/MZanona/status/1603082637324738560

Again, they had to put Paul Ryan on the pyre last time because sacrificing the Golden Boy they spent a decade building was better than Kevin running things.

And in that context, those buttons read more like "*sigh* ...Okay." more than they do a stirring, ringing endorsement of Kevin McCarthy. Some real powerful SETTLE FOR KEVIN energy.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 20:31

Agents are GO!: Dec 29, 2004

nine-gear crow posted:

And in that context, those buttons read more like "*sigh* ...Okay." more than they do a stirring, ringing endorsement of Kevin McCarthy. Some real powerful SETTLE FOR KEVIN energy.

IT'S HIS TURN

# ? Dec 14, 2022 20:41

lobster shirt: Jun 14, 2021

nine-gear crow posted:

And in that context, those buttons read more like "*sigh* ...Okay." more than they do a stirring, ringing endorsement of Kevin McCarthy. Some real powerful SETTLE FOR KEVIN energy.

settlers of keviin

# ? Dec 14, 2022 20:42

Eric Cantonese: Dec 21, 2004; You should hear my accent.

Paracaidas posted:

Feels too soon for a remake of Please Clap:
https://twitter.com/MZanona/status/1603082637324738560

Again, they had to put Paul Ryan on the pyre last time because sacrificing the Golden Boy they spent a decade building was better than Kevin running things.

Oral Kevin
Opus Kevin
Onward Kevin

# ? Dec 14, 2022 20:48

nine-gear crow: Aug 10, 2013

Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the US House of Representatives: he meets the lowest agreed upon standard of acceptability! :toot:

(the joke being being somehow literal no other Republican does, they're that screwed for leaders)

# ? Dec 14, 2022 20:56

Eric Cantonese: Dec 21, 2004; You should hear my accent.

Seeing him referred to as Kevin makes me think about Home Alone.

"I made the Freedom Caucus disappear?!? I made the Freedom Caucus disappear!"

# ? Dec 14, 2022 21:28

Leon Trotsky 2012: Aug 27, 2009; YOU CAN TRUST ME!*

_{*Israeli Government-affiliated poster}

Trump launched his campaign over 3 weeks ago and has been completely radio silent with no major events since then.

He finally made a public statement and is holding a press conference tomorrow. Time to start the wild speculation.

I think the most likely scenario is that he is just looking for attention for something minor. Still unclear why he decided to announce his campaign so earlier and then refuse to go out in public for nearly a month right after you do.

https://twitter.com/ShelbyTalcott/status/1603057785901617154

# ? Dec 14, 2022 21:41

Class3KillStorm: Feb 17, 2011

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

https://twitter.com/ShelbyTalcott/status/1603057785901617154

The way those laser beams are shooting makes it look like Trump is looking in two different directions at once. Like an orange chameleon.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 21:46

Randalor: Sep 4, 2011

Trump will use his newfound laser vision to cut down the mean old mainstream media that dared to not call him a divine being and rightful winner of the 2020 election? Because I'm getting serious "Homelander kills all the protestor" vibes from that... "art".

# ? Dec 14, 2022 21:46

PhazonLink: Jul 17, 2010

why are the laser eyes cross eyed?

# ? Dec 14, 2022 21:47

Leon Trotsky 2012: Aug 27, 2009; YOU CAN TRUST ME!*

_{*Israeli Government-affiliated poster}

State anti-abortion groups are upset that the FDA decided to allow abortion pills to be sent via mail following the Dobbs decision and worried that it is undermining the ability the prevent abortions.

Now, a group in Texas is trying to get as many states as possible to ban mailing abortion pills and jail people who "traffic" them to set up a confrontation with the federal government. The federal government has warned states that they have no authority to try and stop the postal service from delivering FDA approved drugs.

https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1603128215584665600

quote:

The largest antiabortion organization in Texas has created a team of advocates assigned to investigate citizens who might be distributing abortion pills illegally.

Students for Life of America, a leading national antiabortion group, is making plans to systematically test the water Erin Brockovich-style in several large U.S. cities, searching for contaminants they say result from medication abortion.

And Republican lawmakers in Texas are preparing to introduce legislation that would require internet providers to block abortion pill websites in the same way they can censor child pornography.

Nearly six months since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, triggering abortion bans in more than a dozen states, many antiabortion advocates fear that the growing availability of illegal abortion pills has undercut their landmark victory. Now they are grasping for new ways to crack down on those breaking the law.

Antiabortion advocates had hoped the June decision would significantly decrease the number of abortions in the United States. But abortion rights activists have ramped up efforts to funnel abortion pills � a two-step regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol that is widely regarded as safe � into states with strict new bans, working with rapidly expanding international suppliers as well as U.S.-based distributors to meet demand.

Now many conservatives are complaining that the abortion bans are not being sufficiently enforced, even though much of the illegal activity is happening in plain sight, as abortion rights advocates seek to reach women in need. Leaders interviewed on both sides of the debate had not heard of any examples of people charged for violating abortion bans since Roe fell, a crime punishable by at least several years in prison across much of the South and Midwest.

�Everyone who is trafficking these pills should be in jail for trafficking,� said Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, who has started to speak with Republican governors about the prevalence of illegal abortion pill networks. �It hasn�t happened, but that doesn�t mean it won�t.�

Abortion bans include penalties only for people involved in facilitating illegal abortions, not for the pregnant women themselves.

The push on the right for enforcement reflects the extent to which both sides of the abortion battle are recalibrating after a tumultuous year that has challenged many long-held assumptions about the politics of the issue � and left the state of abortion access in the United States hard to assess. Interviews with more than 30 of the most influential advocacy group leaders, policymakers and litigators on the abortion issue found that far from settling the decades-old abortion question, the fall of Roe has triggered a major new phase of combat set to play out over the next few years in courtrooms, state capitals and the next presidential election.

While a study from the Society of Family Planning found that at least 10,000 fewer clinical abortions took place in the first two months after Roe was overturned, researchers can�t say how many women were able to obtain pills through the mail. One major pill supplier in Mexico estimated that her organization is on track to help terminate 20,000 pregnancies by year�s end, while another Europe-based group says that, after the Supreme Court decision, it received roughly 3,600 queries per month, with about two-thirds of those coming from women in states with abortion bans.

Many Republican lawmakers have been reluctant to further restrict abortion since the June ruling, especially after this year�s midterm elections confirmed that abortion rights are popular with voters across party lines. Backlash from the court decision was widely credited with helping Democrats score some critical wins, including a state legislative majority in Michigan and control of the Pennsylvania House, while voters even in heavily Republican states turned out in droves to oppose antiabortion ballot measures.

How abortion access fared in the midterm elections in nine states

Abortion rights advocates say they are exploring 2024 ballot measures in at least a dozen states to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitutions. Momentum is building in many states with strict abortion bans, including Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Ohio and South Dakota, according to several national abortion rights advocates with knowledge of early conversations across the country.

�Democrats should not be shy about being bold and using every tool to fight for individual rights,� said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), who won easy reelection in a state that also voted to protect abortion rights through a ballot measure. States that have the ability to do a Michigan-style ballot initiative �should certainly be exploring it,� Whitmer said.

While abortion rights advocates appear largely united in their approach, the rise of abortion pills and the election results have combined to highlight tensions among conservatives over what to do next.

The next few months could pit the �true believers� � those who genuinely care about limiting the number of abortions � against those who back antiabortion policies to score political points, said Jonathan Mitchell, the antiabortion lawyer behind the novel Texas abortion ban that took effect in 2021.

Mitchell said he has been involved in discussions about aggressive and unconventional measures that he thinks are necessary if Republicans are determined to actually limit the number of abortions. But he is unsure whether Republicans will have the political will to pursue those ideas.

�Especially after this election, a lot of Republicans will want to change the subject, and going after abortion pills is not the way to change the subject,� he said.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe, Texas antiabortion advocates stepped up efforts to find local prosecutors most inclined to enforce antiabortion laws.

They quickly zeroed in on Jacob Putman, the prosecutor in Tyler, Tex., a small city that bisects 200 miles of mostly open road between Dallas and Shreveport, La. Larger than a lot of other heavily conservative counties in Texas, several Texas antiabortion advocates said, Putman�s district has the resources to investigate and prosecute those who violate the state�s near-total abortion ban.

Putman is also staunchly opposed to abortion.

Since the June ruling, the prosecutor has made several public statements expressing his commitment to enforcing the state�s abortion ban. Growing up in Smith County, he told The Washington Post, he volunteered at his local crisis pregnancy center, a religiously affiliated organization that aims to dissuade women from having abortions. He and his wife have donated money to the group. As the county prosecutor, he said, he would be �proud� to bring a case against someone caught violating the abortion ban, a felony punishable in Texas by up to life in prison.

But Putman hasn�t had any of those cases. And he doesn�t expect to have one anytime soon, in part, he said, because it�s difficult to determine who is breaking the law and where the crimes are being committed.

�If it�s happening in my county, I�m not aware of it,� said Putman, sitting beneath a mounted pair of horns from a Texas Longhorn. �In order for one of these cases to get to a prosecutor�s office, someone is going to have to tell, and I don�t know who that would be.�

Texas Right to Life, the state�s largest antiabortion group, is positioning itself to help. A designated team within the organization has been searching for an �airtight� case to bring to a district attorney like Putman who is willing to prosecute, said John Seago, the group�s president.

�We�re not going to get involved until we have evidence, something credible we can take,� Seago said. �We�re trying to actually confirm who�s involved in these networks, how it�s being done.�

While there hasn�t been much evidence of enforcement since Roe fell, there is a long history in the United States of prosecuting people for pregnancy-related crimes. Between 2000 and 2020, 61 people were criminally investigated or arrested for either ending their own pregnancy or helping someone else end theirs, according to a preliminary report from If/When/How, a legal advocacy group that supports abortion rights.

Abortion rights advocates say new efforts to prosecute will exacerbate the fear and isolation of those facing unwanted pregnancies in states where abortion is banned.

�It will paralyze people from getting help and health care when they need it and are entitled to it,� said Aimee Arrambide, executive director at Avow Texas, an abortion rights advocacy group.

Seago said he hopes the upcoming legislative session in Texas � which has established itself as a testing ground for new and aggressive antiabortion legislation � will yield tools that will help antiabortion advocates in their fight against illegal abortion pills.

Texas lawmakers are drafting legislation that would compel internet providers to block people from accessing abortion pill websites like Europe-based Aid Access and other online pharmacies within state borders, said Seago, though even antiabortion lawyers say that effort would raise free speech concerns. Another proposal would refashion the enforcement mechanism behind the six-week abortion ban that took effect in Texas in 2021, empowering private citizens to enforce the law through civil litigation at any stage of pregnancy, not just after six weeks.

National advocacy groups are also pivoting to focus on enforcement. Early in the new year, Dannenfelser of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said she plans to strategize with antiabortion governors about how best to deal with the illegal pill networks.

She said she has already discussed the matter with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, one of several GOP governors to sign a strict abortion ban and win reelection this year. According to Dannenfelser, Kemp is widely supportive and �already engaged� on the abortion pill issue.

�Every governor, especially governors who have passed ambitious laws, have it in their interest to make sure that laws in their states aren�t de facto overturned by pills going into every part of their state, through organizations that are directly violating the law,� Dannenfelser said.

Andrew Isenhour, Kemp�s deputy director of communications, declined to comment on any potential legislation, adding that the governor remains �committed to supporting life at all stages and protecting the lives of the unborn.�

Some are exploring other unorthodox approaches.

Antiabortion advocates filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November challenging its decades-old approval of one of the pills used in medication abortions. Their arguments have been widely discredited by legal experts.

Students for Life of America is focused on the environmental harm it says is caused by medication abortions, specifically from fetal remains flushed down the toilet, as often happens when women take abortion pills at home. (There is no direct evidence that abortion pills contaminate the water supply, and environmental experts have dismissed the arguments made by Students for Life.)

At an internal meeting in Indianapolis on Nov. 30 attended virtually by The Post, employees expressed frustration that state officials are not already testing the water for contaminants related to abortion pills.

�You mentioned Erin Brockovich,� said Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins, speaking to another member of her advocacy team and referencing the famous legal clerk who exposed groundwater contamination around a major gas and electric facility. �Let�s just get the drat water samples ourselves since we already know they�re not doing it.�

By the end of the meeting, the group had developed several action items, including finding a lab willing to help with testing, and recruiting a team of �student investigators.� Hawkins said she will be meeting with Republican attorneys general in the new year to discuss issuing statewide injunctions against abortion pills, based on the group�s claims about toxic wastewater.

Abortion rights advocates are newly energized coming out of the midterms, eager to capitalize on public opinion and build on the gains they made in Michigan, Kentucky and beyond after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women�s Health Organization decision invalidated Roe.

�From the day that the Dobbs opinion was leaked, until right now, a new fury has burned through the women of this country,� said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), an outspoken proponent of abortion rights, who says she is committed to helping more states pass abortion protections.

As abortion proponents turn their attention to 2024, ballot initiatives that aim to protect abortion in state constitutions are now the �strategy du jour,� said Jessica Arons, senior policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.

But ballot measures should not be seen as a cure-all, several abortion rights advocates warned. Because of their high price tag � abortion rights advocates spent tens of millions of dollars on the one in Michigan � these campaigns can�t happen everywhere simultaneously, said the ACLU�s Rachel Sweet, who ran the abortion rights campaigns this year in Kansas and Kentucky.

In several states that allow citizens to add issues to the ballot by collecting signatures, conservative lawmakers are already discussing various proposals to make it harder to put issues directly to voters. Soon after the midterms, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose introduced an effort to require 60 percent of voters to pass certain constitutional amendments, instead of the current system, which requires a simple majority. LaRose dismissed claims that his proposal was related to the abortion issue, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

As they push for more restrictive bans in states such as Florida and North Carolina, antiabortion advocates across the country will have to contend with moderate Republicans who have been increasingly vocal on the issue. In Indiana, West Virginia and South Carolina � three states that have convened for legislative sessions since Roe fell � Republicans struggled to agree on a path forward on abortion, as moderate factions within the caucus pressed for less severe restrictions.

West Virginia Senate Majority Leader Tom Takubo (R), a practicing physician, brought debate on the issue to a standstill in July, refusing to back a bill that included criminal penalties for doctors. In private conversations with other Republican leaders, he said, he warned of a massive public backlash.

�If Republicans aren�t willing to come and meet a little bit more towards the middle, then what they�re actually doing is going to hurt their cause and cause a major swing in the opposite direction,� said Takubo, who ultimately voted for a near-total abortion ban.

Both sides of the debate are now gearing up for the 2024 presidential election, which will be critical for the future of abortion access. While President Biden has been limited in his ability to protect abortion access, an antiabortion president could significantly alter the current landscape, cracking down on abortion pills in both Democratic- and Republican-led states.

Under a Republican president, the FDA could alter the restrictions around abortion pills. For example, the agency could try to limit the period of time when patients can legally take abortion pills, from 10 weeks of pregnancy to six or seven, said Greer Donley, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law who specializes in abortion � a move that would force tens of thousands of people every year to have surgical, rather than medication, abortions.

National antiabortion advocates are also carefully considering the ways in which a president could restrict illegal pill networks. An antiabortion president could direct several agencies to bear down on the issue, including the U.S. Postal Service, as many pills are sent through the mail, and the Department of Justice, said Stephen Billy, vice president of state affairs at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

When Dannenfelser meets with Republicans who may run for president in 2024, she said she asks them first about a national abortion ban, preferring candidates who advocate for a ban after six, 13 or 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Her next question is about the �cataclysmic problem of the abortion pill.�

�We don�t have to dictate their solution,� Dannenfelser said. �But they have to have one.�

# ? Dec 14, 2022 21:48

projecthalaxy: Dec 27, 2008; Yes hello it is I Kurt's Secret Son

He's going to name DeSantis his VP without asking or even informing DeSantis previously.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 21:48

Young Freud: Nov 26, 2006

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

State anti-abortion groups are upset that the FDA decided to allow abortion pills to be sent via mail following the Dobbs decision and worried that it is undermining the ability the prevent abortions.

Now, a group in Texas is trying to get as many states as possible to ban mailing abortion pills and jail people who "traffic" them to set up a confrontation with the federal government. The federal government has warned states that they have no authority to try and stop the postal service from delivering FDA approved drugs.

https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1603128215584665600

Yeah, a whole lot of bad news coming out of Texas...https://twitter.com/GBBranstetter/status/1603060359027658753?t=xlhUJjb2Bnhn0L9qpOhakA&s=19
https://twitter.com/GBBranstetter/status/1603065467857502209?t=shca3zmJnvbWNgJ2YSb4gw&s=19
Legit terrified for myself and friends now. I'd setup a GoFundMe to get the gently caress out of this state but I know it wouldn't get much.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 21:53

Lumpy: Apr 26, 2002; La! La! La! Laaaa!; College Slice

He announced because he thought all his legal troubles would vanish. Now that they haven't, he'll ask for money to ~~pay his bills~~campaign

# ? Dec 14, 2022 21:55

BIG-DICK-BUTT-FUCK: Jan 26, 2016; by Fluffdaddy

He had Covid and had to take a couple weeks to recover

# ? Dec 14, 2022 22:05

Angry_Ed: Mar 30, 2010; Grimey Drawer

nine-gear crow posted:

Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the US House of Representatives: he meets the lowest agreed upon standard of acceptability!

(the joke being being somehow literal no other Republican does, they're that screwed for leaders)

As evidenced by Lauren Boebert wanting to impeach someone for seizing fentanyl at the border.

Young Freud posted:

Yeah, a whole lot of bad news coming out of Texas...
Legit terrified for myself and friends now. I'd setup a GoFundMe to get the gently caress out of this state but I know it wouldn't get much.

And this is why I tell people that Republicans want LGBTQ+ people dead. Because there is no reason for the AG to have this information except for nefarious purposes. I hope you are able to get out of there or at least stay safe because this is ghoulish

Angry_Ed fucked around with this message at 22:18 on Dec 14, 2022

# ? Dec 14, 2022 22:07

Judgy Fucker: Mar 24, 2006

The GOP should just make Mitch Speaker. He's been an effective caucus leader in the Senate, no rule against a non-Representative being Speaker.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 22:12

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# ? Jun 13, 2024 07:31

Madkal: Feb 11, 2008; Fallen Rib

Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:

Trump launched his campaign over 3 weeks ago and has been completely radio silent with no major events since then.

He finally made a public statement and is holding a press conference tomorrow. Time to start the wild speculation.

I think the most likely scenario is that he is just looking for attention for something minor. Still unclear why he decided to announce his campaign so earlier and then refuse to go out in public for nearly a month right after you do.

https://twitter.com/ShelbyTalcott/status/1603057785901617154

Writers for The Boys probably want to see how this goes before plotting and writing the next season. They can just lift dialog word for word from Trump to give to Homelander.

# ? Dec 14, 2022 22:18

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > USCE Autumn: Well Actually, This IS somethingpedantic.com

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