Much of our political dysfunction arises from the fact that different parts of the electorate turn out to vote during midterm and presidential elections. Democrats rack up big wins in presidential years, when younger voters and people of color turn…
Tired of ads? Want to support our progressive journalism? Click to learn more.
GO AD-FREE FOR $1
Report typos and corrections to: corrections@rawstory.com.
Louie Gohmert gave $5,500 to Holocaust-denying preacher — then claimed it was an accident
June 14, 2021
On Monday, The Daily Beast reported that Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) donated $5,500 to virulently anti-gay and anti-Semitic pastor Steve Anderson — and when caught, claimed the whole thing was an unfortunate mixup.
According to William Bredderman, "Team Gohmert claims it hired a Christian singer named Steve Amerson from Granada HIlls, California, but accidentally reported to the Federal Election Commission that the cash went to the Tempe, Arizona address of the Faithful Word Baptist Church, led by the infamous Pastor Steve Anderson."
Anderson, whose church is part of the New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist movement, is known for several abhorrent views, the report noted.
"Faithful Word Church calls for punishing homosexuality with the death penalty in the doctrinal statement published on its webpage," said the report. "But that demand seems mild compared to the seething rhetoric Anderson has unleashed against the LGBTQ community: in a 2014 video posted to his now-deplatformed YouTube account, he declared "'if you executed the homos, like God recommends, you wouldn't have all this AIDS running around.' In 2016, he applauded the the mass shooting at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, asserting 'there's 50 less pedophiles in this world.'"
But Anderson's views go much further — he is also virulently anti-Semitic and denies the Holocaust happened.
"Anderson ... has demonstrated a particular animosity toward Jewish people, as evidenced in titles of the sermons listed on his IMDB page, which include 'The Jews Are Our Enemies,' 'The Jews Killed Jesus,' 'Unbelieving Jews Are Under God's Wrath,' 'Jews Worship a Female God Named 'Shekinah,'' and 'Jewish Synagogue = Synagogue of Satan,'" said the report. "He has also, as the Anti-Defamation League noted in a 2015 report, propagated false claims that millions of Jews were not gassed and cremated in Nazi concentration camps during World War II." He also published a video calling Dr. Martin Luther King, "Marxist Lucifer King," a "false prophet," a "sexual pervert," and a "Communist tool."
This comes shortly after Gohmert landed in the news for demanding to know if the U.S. Forest Service can change the Earth's orbit to fight climate change.
CONTINUE READING
Show less
Boeing blasted for 'stupid and short sighted' funding of Republicans opposed to free and fair elections
June 14, 2021
Boeing was blasted on Monday for making political contributions who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election only hours after the January 6th insurrection by supporters of Donald Trump.
"We have been reporting, for months now, on this slow-motion insurrection being carried out by Republicans in Congress and state houses and state parties all across the country, putting the pieces in place to do in the next election what the mob failed to do on January 6th," MSNBC's Chris Hayes said. "But the mob, itself, at least, is facing some consequences -- consequences for their actions."
"By the Justice Department's count, we now have more than 450 people who have been charged with federal crimes in connection with the attack," he noted. "On Friiday for example, a Chicago Police officer was arrested and accused of breaking into Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley's office with a mob while wearing a hoodie with the Chicago Police Department logo on it."
"But the other half the equation, right, that hangs over the country is accountability for the political leaders that incited or abetted it after the fact," he explained. "The slow-motion insurrection being carried out by Republicans in suits and ties, who basically winked and nudged their way before January 6th and attempted to overturn a democratic election afterwards. The majority of the House Republican caucus — the majority — and these eight Republican senators, including the likes of Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley and Rick Scott — who now runs the Republican Senate campaign arm — voted to overturn the election."
Hayes noted Boeing has "restarted its donations to three republicans who did, indeed, vote to overturn the election. That is, they voted to install the loser over the winner. to keep him in place running the country, against the will of the majority of the American people."
The list inclues Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) and Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI).
"We can infer Boeing thinks it's in the interest of the company to support politicians, who, themselves, do not support democratic elections — free and fair elections. That's the message Boeing and others are sending," Hayes explained. "It's a pretty dangerous one, not to mention, I think, pretty stupid and short sighted. It gives aid and comfort to the people who are working, right now, in every state in this union, to plan for the next insurrection."
Watch:
CONTINUE READING
Show less
Joe Biden's focus on bipartisanship over public policy outcomes could be leading him into a trap.
"Senate Republicans are mulling support for a massive amount of new spending on infrastructure — in part because they think it'll help kill President Joe Biden's liberal agenda," Politico reported Monday. "Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has yet to tip his hand on whether he supports the bipartisan negotiations on Biden's plan for roads and bridges that are being led by Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Rob Portman (R-OH). But a growing number of Senate Republicans are betting that if a deal is reached on that sort of physical infrastructure, Democrats won't have the votes needed to pass the rest of Biden's 'soft infrastructure' priorities, such as child care and clean energy."
"Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) surmised Monday that if a bipartisan package comes to fruition, the only remaining ways for Democrats to pay for a second bill on social spending programs are tax increases — too toxic to pursue. Democrats can pass a spending bill with only Democratic votes, but they need all 50 of their members to be on board," Politico has explained.
Democrats failing to deliver could damper enthusiasm for the party during the 2022 midterm elections.
"What's at stake is perhaps trillions of dollars in spending sought by Democrats to provide paid family leave, raise taxes on corporations and act on climate change. Those policies are more likely to fall by the wayside because, though there's bipartisan hope for physical infrastructure, Democrats' more progressive priorities have no chance of attracting GOP support," Politico reported. "Progressives for weeks have urged Democrats to move swiftly and ditch Republicans in the hopes of getting the most ambitious package possible. A spokesperson for Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) confirmed he'd oppose a bipartisan package, increasing the number of Republicans needed to sign on. But as of now, it's not clear that Biden's party has the votes to proceed along party lines while sidestepping a filibuster through the so-called budget reconciliation process, regardless of what it includes."
Read the full report.
CONTINUE READING
Show less
Trending
Latest
Videos
Trending Topics
Copyright © 2021 Raw Story Media, Inc. PO Box 21050, Washington, D.C. 20009 | Masthead | Privacy Policy | For corrections or concerns, please email corrections@rawstory.com.
Don't Sit on the Sidelines of History. Join Raw Story Investigates and Go Ad-Free. Support Honest Journalism.
Subscribe Annually
$95 / year — Just $7.91/month
Subscribe Monthly
$1 trial
I want to Support More
$14.99 per month
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}