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Scott Harold Kidwell's avatar

I think Bernie needs a vacation in the mountains fishing where there is no TV, radio, and internet. And the local paper is mainly concerned about the weekend banjo and harmonica festival.

Barnes Moore's avatar

A couple of comments. Re: Gerrymandering, it's also important to note that the Census Bureau admitted to making mistakes in the last census that resulted in some blue states holding onto seats that they should have lost while some red states did not gain some seats they should have. In my admittedly biased view, it seems whenever these type of mistakes are made, they favor democrats far more often than they do republicans. Also, if republicans decided not to "cheat", they will simply continue to lose ground because the democrats will never stop. In this instance, there is no taking the high ground, especially with the giant megaphone advantage democrats have over republicans given the aid of legacy media, Hollywood, late night TV, academia and until recently, social media. Does anyone believe that democrats would have gained the advantages they have as evidenced below if they did not cheat?

MA: 36% Republican, 0 seats

CT: 42% Republican, 0 seats

ME: 46% Republican, 0 seats

NM: 46% Republican, 0 seats

NH: 48% Republican, 0 seats

RI: 42% Republican, 0 seats

VT: 32% Republican, 0 seats

HI: 38% Republican, 0 seats

DE: 42% Republican, 0 seats

Also, as to some of the blue states that were benevolent enough to give us a smidgen:

CA: 38% Republican, only 9 of 52 seats (20.9%)

IL: 44% Republican, only 3 of 17 seats (17.6%)

NY: 43% Republican, only 7 of 26 seats (26.9%)

MD: 34% Republican, only 1 of 8 seats (12.5%)

NJ: 46% Republican, only 3 of 12 seats (25%)

OR: 41% Republican, only 1 of 6 seats (16.7%)

Given the level of corruption around gerrymandering and other issues, it is one reason I continue to question election results in democrat controlled cities and states. They have shown a brazen disregard for the law on many fronts and are not only rarely held accountable, but cheered on by legacy media, et. al.

Re: James and Schiff, plus some others that are likely to be considered. To me, it's as much about holding people accountable as it is revenge, although I do think revenge plays a roll. In particular for Schiff given the recent revelations - that many already suspected were true - that he deliberately leaked classified information in a deliberate attempt to damage Trump. He not only lied about having incontrovertible evidence of Russian collusion, he illegally leaked information to a breathless media.

I agree 100% re: Israel. Hama was and continues to be the aggressor and they show no sign of wanting any kind of peace settlement.

Bob Hadley's avatar

"...there is no taking the high ground, especially with the giant megaphone advantage democrats have over republicans given the aid of legacy media, Hollywood, late night TV, academia and until recently, social media. Does anyone believe that democrats would have gained the advantages they have as evidenced below if they did not cheat."

As I indicated in another review-space, arguing over who has the louder megaphone is pointless. Both sides can make a reasonable case. Since the Right and Republicans largely scream in unison - whereas Democrats and the Left are far more independent or nuanced - the former makes louder distinguishable noise. If you believe Bill O'Reilly, which I sometimes do, far fewer than before pay attention to Hollywood, late night TV and academics. According to him, social media is where's it at. And yes, you can make a case that the Left's megaphone is louder than the Right's.

As for that chart you cite above, there's some misleading stats. The state of DE and VT are NOT gerrymandered. They only have one rep. in Congress. The districts are nationwide. They just happen to elect Democratic reps. DUH!

My home state of HI is NOT gerrymandered. We have two reps. But for one relatively sparsely populated rural part of Oahu, the entire island of Oahu is one district. All the relatively sparsely populated outer islands and that forementioned small sliver of Oahu is the second district. We just happen to elect Democratic representatives.

The electoral districts of MA that you cite were signed into law by a Republican Governor.

I haven't researched the other states you cite, have you?

Barnes Moore's avatar

As I responded to you before, I disagree with you re: the megaphone advantage. The advantage for democrats has been in place far longer than conservative outlets have existed and when you have a heavily slanted academia brainwashing students, there is a real long term impact. As to Hollywood and late night TV, the impact today may be less, but again, they have actively supported democrats for a long time and it matters. The republican megaphone is growing, but still lacks the coverage of the left. You can add to the list the number of Soros paid protestors and the number of protests he along with the Arabella Advisors and the Tides Foundation have sponsored.

The chart I posted simply shows the percentages of republican voters and the number of house seats per state. While you have identified a few cases where no gerrymandering was involved, do you really think the states like Illinois, Maryland, CA, NY and NJ have not done a bit of gerrymandering of their own? As to Charlie Baker signing the latest map into law, given the legislative makeup of the state, there is little he could do to change the districts.

The net is, gerrymandering has been going on since 1812 and both parties attempt to use it to their advantage, but the democrats have been far more successful than republicans.

Bob Hadley's avatar

"As to Charlie Baker signing the latest map into law, given the legislative makeup of the state, there is little he could do to change the districts."

But he signed it into law, which he was not obligated to do, even if he did not have a veto proof legislature. In other words, he approved it.

Sounds like you're trying absolve him from personal responsibility.

"As I responded to you before, I disagree with you re: the megaphone advantage. "

And as I indicated to you before, you can disagree all you want. But it's reality that both the Left and the Right can make a case for the other side having a louder megaphone. Witness our two arguments. And I can make an even more compelling case than you made for the Left having a louder megaphone. But what does that prove?

Ideologues or those toward the extremes love to hold themselves as the underdog. Thinking you're an underdog confers a certain feeling of self-righteousness and a pass to disregard our democratic process in reaching certain ends. The ideologic Left and the ideologic Right need each other. They use each other to justify themselves.

Isn't that what President Trump has been doing from the jump, in 2015? That's a major appeal.

Barnes Moore's avatar

Please. You continue to make weak arguments. The redistricting law in MA would have gone into effect whether or not Baker signed it, and Baker was not exactly a strong conservative to begin with. Reality is that he stood more to lose politically by not signing than by signing.

As to the megaphone argument, you no case. When you have left-wing politicians spreading lies like wild fire accompanied by legacy media, Hollywood, late night TV, social media, etc. it can turn into a powerful negative force. Let's take a look at some past lies that proved to be damaging to our country. You can cite attacks from the right on Obama, Clinton or Biden, but again, they pale in comparison to what the left has done - and this is only a short list:

These aren’t little white lies. These are the kind of lies that destroy trust, wreck lives, bankrupt families, and put our nation at risk. And they keep doing it because they think you’re too distracted, too busy, or too afraid to call them out.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane…

“Crime in DC is at a 30-year low.”

Really? Washington, DC is now the murder capital of America if you adjust for population. Carjackings, home invasions, armed robberies — all skyrocketing. Residents are afraid to walk to their cars at night. Businesses are shutting down because their employees don’t feel safe. And the same politicians spouting this “30-year low” garbage are the ones cutting police budgets and putting violent offenders back on the street with no bail. They live behind security gates with taxpayer-funded protection while YOU deal with the chaos they created. And while these stats as is are alarming, Metro Police Department leadership are allegedly cooking the books to make crime statistics appear more favorable.

“The vaccine is safe and effective.”

They screamed it from every news outlet, shoved it into every commercial break, censored dissent, and mocked anyone who dared to ask questions. Meanwhile, they moved the goalposts every few months — first one shot, then two, then boosters, then double boosters. And when people started talking about side effects, they were silenced. The Biden administration pressured social media companies to censor any dissent. How many careers were destroyed, how many people lost their jobs, how many soldiers were kicked out of the military because they wouldn’t obey a mandate now proven to be far from absolute?

“This will be a winter of death for the unvaccinated.”

Remember that? They wanted to scare you into submission. It wasn’t about public health — it was about public control. They pitted Americans against each other, labeling half the country as dangerous, selfish, and unworthy of basic respect. Divide and conquer — it’s an old trick, and they used it flawlessly.

“The border is secure.”

A flat-out lie. We saw over 10 million illegal crossings during Biden’s term. Entire cities were buckling under the weight of the migrant crisis. Drugs like fentanyl killed over 100,000 Americans a year. Human trafficking networks operated with ease. Cartels made billions. And while the border patrol was overwhelmed, the White House kept telling us the “border is secure” — as if our lying eyes are the problem. And the MSM repeated that claim or ignored the problem altogether.

“This inflation is transitory.”

They told you it was temporary. They told you not to worry. They told you it would pass quickly. Instead, inflation has eaten away at the middle class like acid. Groceries up 20–30%, housing out of reach for first-time buyers, credit card debt hitting record highs. This wasn’t “transitory” — this was predictable. They printed trillions, handed it out like candy, and now YOU are paying the bill every time you go to the store. And again, the legacy media was either silent or supportive of the narrative.

“Hunter Biden’s laptop is Russian propaganda.”

This was yet another example of their coordinated disinformation campaigns. Fifty “intel experts” signed a letter calling it fake. Big Tech banned posts about it. The media mocked anyone who brought it up. And yet — it was real. Every email, every shady business deal, every piece of damning evidence tying the Biden family to foreign cash… all true. They knew it in 2020, but they lied because they needed to protect Joe Biden’s campaign. That’s election interference, plain and simple.

“Joe Biden is fit to serve.”

We saw the stumbles. The slurred words. The confusion on stage. The vacant stare when asked basic questions. And yet for four years, the media told us Biden was “sharp” and “in control.” Now that he’s out of office, those same reporters are suddenly admitting they were “concerned all along” and “surprised at how bad it really was.” Spare us. They knew. They lied. And they let America be led by a man who was clearly not up to the job.

Russia, Russia, Russia.

While the Mueller report showed there was no collusion, the Durham report showed that the Steele dossier was a complete fabrication and the latest revelation thanks to Kash Patel is that Obama, Brennan, Clapper and Comey used what they knew to be a fabricated document to get FISA warrants to investigate Carter Page. They then leaked classified info to the media and used media reports to get more FISA warrants. And, we now know Schiff leaked classified information as well in a deliberate attempt to damage Trump.

January 6

Then there are the claims Trump instigated J6 and sat back while the protest raged on. J6 could have been prevented had Trump’s request for the national guard not been ignored days before or the request from Capital Police Chief Steven Sund who made the same request on January 3rd but was denied by Pelosi’s Sergeant at Arms. While the Capitol was under attack and despite Sund’s repeated calls, Pelosi’s Sergeant at Arms again denied his urgent requests for over 70 minutes, ‘running it up the chain’ for her approval.

The former police chief went on to contrast Pelosi’s refusal to authorize Guard deployment when it was most needed with her later, swift decision to erect fencing topped with concertina wire and flood the Capitol grounds with thousands of armed National Guard troops—once the political optics shifted in her favor. And the media ate it up.

These lies were not accidental. They were deliberate. They were designed to shape the narrative, silence opposition, and control what you believe. And guess what – it worked. Half of our population is willing to believe all of this because they hate Trump and refuse to see the truth – and you appear to be one of those people.

And here’s the thing — they’re not done. Even today, they’re cooking up the next round of talking points, ready to shove them down America’s throat with the help of a media that acts more like a PR firm than a watchdog.

The only way this stops is if Americans stop letting them get away with it. That means refusing to swallow their narratives without question. That means demanding accountability from the politicians AND the so-called journalists who act like their bodyguards.

We don’t need spin. We don’t need talking points. We need the truth.

While I don’t claim that Trump is anything like honest Abe, his lies are mostly exaggerations of his accomplishments. The lies told by democrats and repeated by the media are true threats not only to our republic, but national security as well. Time for you to wake up.

Tim Holmquist's avatar

A couple more comments on todays No BS Zone.

If Adam Schiff and Letitia James are losing sleep these days with Trump, that puts a smile on my face. It's a shame in today's politics that Lavrentiy Beria's quote is now alive and well in American politics.

I follow European, Israel, and Iran newspapers. Bernie is correct that the world has gone against Israel in this war. The path for peace is Hamas laying down their weapons and welcoming aid from the only two nations providing aid which is Israel and the US. As Bibi said, “If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more ‎violence. If the Jews put ‎down their weapons ‎today, there would be no ‎more Israel'‎” As Pierce Morgan correctly stated. Hamas went "Medieval" on innocent Israeli concert goers.

Further note; always enjoy Bernie's perspective he's "Right On".

Tim Holmquist's avatar

Good note Bernie on the Gerrymandering. Thinking the same thing that the Democrats cheat every ten years.

The Emperor's avatar

The reason the George Soros types in the liberal media refuse to label HAMAS as the villains that they truly are, is because these Communists feel that ANY non-Whites automatically deserve free passes for their wickedness because by being darker skinned (and also weaker than Israel) that automatically makes them the “oppressed class.” Furthermore the Communist Left wingers have allied themselves with HAMAS even though HAMAS HATES EVERYTHING that the left stands for. WHY? Because the one thing the leftists DO share with HAMAS is their mutual intense HATRED of traditional western values! It’s the foolish belief that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” The big difference here is that the leftists genuinely AND FOOLISHLY BELIEVE that HAMAS IS their friend, whereas HAMAS sees the Soros leftists as the USEFUL iDIOTS THEY ALL TRULY ARE!

His Utmost Excellency, The Emperor, has spoken !

Tim Holmquist's avatar

Question for John for Friday. I don't like the voting district methodology. How about by county? What do you think?

Sharon L. Hunt's avatar

I see your point, nevertheless, Bibi being in power may amplify the reactions , as he has his own modus operandi in how he talks and reacts publicly.

Sharon L. Hunt's avatar

If Bibi were NOT Israel's leader, and someone else was, the hatred towards this country, I believe, would be less. Netanyahu carries much baggage not only internally in his own country, but also globally. A different leader would bring a different viewpoint as to how Israel is operating.

Tim Holmquist's avatar

I disagree Sharon. Bibi is unpopular in Israel. But if there was another leader doing the same thing, world opinion would not change.

Sharon L. Hunt's avatar

I was aware a bit ago Bibi was unpopular, given he and his wife were living high on the hog, and charges brought against him were troublematic, I'm surprised he's still holding office.

Tim Holmquist's avatar

His party one an election.