RSN: Amanda Marcotte | NRA Seeks to Mainstream - and Monetize - the Alt-Right's Paranoid, Racist Talking Points

25 August 17 AM

It's Live on the HomePage Now: 

Reader Supported News

WE HAVE A CHANCE TO FINISH - IF YOU WILL HELP - We are getting close to finishing the August funding drive. What we need by traditional RSN standards is a modest day of fundraising. A lot of you have not donated, now would be a wonderful time. Marc Ash - Founder, Reader Supported News

Sure, I'll make a donation!

---

Amanda Marcotte | NRA Seeks to Mainstream - and Monetize - the Alt-Right's Paranoid, Racist Talking Points

Amanda Marcotte, Salon
Marcotte writes: "The 'alt-right' wants America to believe violent radicals are on the attack; the NRA knows paranoia can sell guns."
READ MORE

Shaun King | Soul Snatchers: How New York City's Criminal Justice System Conspires to Destroy Black and Brown Lives
Shaun King, Medium
King writes: "What I'm about to tell you is the most painful, traumatic, outrageous, outlandish, over-the-top story of government sanctioned police brutality, wrongful imprisonment, wrongful convictions, forced testimony, widespread corruption, money, lots of money, and deep, deep, deep soul-snatching psychological abuse in modern American history."
READ MORE

Senator Duckworth on Trump's Trans Ban: When I Was Dying It Didn't Matter Who Saved My Life
Josh Delk, The Hill
Delk writes: "Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) on Thursday implored members of Congress to resist any effort by the White House to move forward with a proposed ban on transgender troops serving in the military, saying it didn't matter whether a soldier was 'gay, straight, transgender, black, white or brown,' and that such a measure would be 'disruptive' and 'counterproductive.'"
READ MORE

Poll Shows Bernie Sanders Is Still the Most Popular Politician in America
Drew Schwartz, VICE
Schwartz writes: "A new poll found that among all other notable American senators, representatives, and even the president, Bernie Sanders reigns supreme as the most popular politician in the nation - the only one a majority of voters on both sides of the aisle view favorably, the Hill reports."
READ MORE

GOP Congressman Refuses to Cut Ties With Extremist Anti-Immigrant Group
Rebekah Entralgo, ThinkProgress
Entralgo writes: "Pressure is mounting for elected officials to cut ties with extremist hate groups in the wake of violent clashes in Charlottesville."
READ MORE

US-Backed Saudi Coalition Strike in Yemen Kills at Least a Dozen, Including Six Children
teleSUR
Excerpt: "An airstrike launched by the United States and United Kingdom-backed Saudi coalition killed at least a dozen people, including six children on Friday, according to those involved in rescue efforts."
READ MORE

Department of Interior Recommends Trump Shrink National Monuments' Protected Area
Miranda Green, CNN
Green writes: "Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is recommending shrinking the boundaries of a handful of national monuments, but stopped short of suggesting the elimination of any federal designations, following a review ordered by President Donald Trump."
READ MORE

---

Contribute to RSN

Become a Fan of RSN on Facebook and Twitter

Update My Monthly Donation

VoteVets.org: Tammy Duckworth in a virtual tie

Tammy Duckworth is a true American Hero running for the Senate. 

Please join and support VoteVets.org  in condemning Republican attacks on Congressman Duckworth's service.

There's new polling in Tammy Duckworth's U.S. Senate race, and given that it's one of the most important races in the country for progressives -- and especially veterans, military family members, and VoteVets supporters -- we wanted to share it with you immediately. 

Illinois Democratic Primary (April 5, 2016) 
Tammy Duckworth (D): 43% 
Mark Kirk (R): 40% 
It would be one of the great losses of the election cycle if Mark Kirk is able to win re-election on the back of despicable attacks on Tammy Duckworth's service. We're not going to stand for it, and hope you won't either. 

Contribute to VoteVets today as a way of saying that you will not stand for the disgusting attacks on Tammy Duckworth's service. 



If there are two political losers for Mark Kirk, they're the issues of trust and keeping America strong and safe. As long as he wants to keep on talking about it, we'll happily keep running ads against him because there's not a shadow of a doubt that Tammy Duckworth wins if this campaign is about those issues. 

Your contribution goes directly towards supporting that work. Thank you for adding one today. 

All my best, 

Jon Soltz 
Iraq War Veteran & Chairman 
VoteVets 


PAID FOR BY VOTEVETS ACTION FUND

VoteVets.org: OUTRAGEOUS: GOP attacks Duckworth, not "standing up" for vets, Iwo Jima Vet prevented from VOTING

SUPPORT OUT VETERANS! 
THERE IS NO EXCUSE! 

Please add your name to VoteVets.org: 

http://www.votevets.org/

Over 20,000 veterans, military family members and VoteVets supporters have added their name to our petition calling on Governor Scott Walker and the Wisconsin State Legislature to overturn the "Wisconsin Voter ID Law" that leaves retired veterans locked out of the polling place. 

Add your name before midnight tonight when we close this petition. You can do that here: 

http://www.votevets.org/

We're going to compile the list of signatures and send it over to Governor Walker's office. Let's show him the eyes of a nation are watching and hoping they change this discriminatory law and start accepting veterans affairs cards as "acceptable proof of identity." 

All my best, 

Jon Soltz 
Iraq War Veteran & Chairman 
VoteVets 

---

Last month, Iwo Jima veteran Leo Bradley went to his local Wisconsin polling place to cast his vote in a statewide election. He took the trip with wife and his veterans affairs card in hand, but was told that the card was not an "acceptable proof of his identity."

Only an active duty military card would be good enough.

Here's the truth: as a number states change their laws to make it harder for everyone to vote, veterans, especially retired veterans who no long carry active drivers licenses, are often left out in the cold.

That has to change:

Sign our petition calling on Governor Scott Walker and the Wisconsin State Legislature to change the "Wisconsin Voter ID Law" to include a veterans affairs card as an accepted form of identification at polling places across the state. 

Leo Bradley's aunt, Justice Anne Walsh Bradley, happens to sit on the state's Supreme Court, which is how this issue got our attention. But how many veterans -- Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike -- without powerful relatives have had their right to vote taken away from them, and how many more will be turned away at the polls this November?

Justice Bradley wrote in her letter to Governor Walker, "My Uncle Leo served during [Iwo Jima], which has been described as one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. ... Now my Uncle Leo fights another battle -- the battle to be able to vote in his hometown of almost 60 years."

We're happy to join Uncle Leo in his fight against discriminatory voter ID laws. And if you add your name today, we'll make sure Scott Walker knows where veterans, military family members, and VoteVets supporters stand on this issue.

Sign our petition calling on Governor Scott Walker and the Wisconsin State Legislature to change the "Wisconsin Voter ID Law" to include a veterans affairs card as an accepted form of identification at polling places across the state. 

We disagree with Scott Walker on a number of important issues, that much is clear. But this should be an issue everyone can come together on and do the right thing by our retired veterans.

All my best,

Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran and Chairman
VoteVets

WHO DOESN'T LOVE TAMMY DUCKWORTH! 

REPUBLICANS!

Earlier today, the NRSC -- the arm of the Republican Party charged with electing Republicans to the U.S. Senate -- sent out a tweet accusing Tammy Duckworth of not "standing up" for veterans.

Tammy Duckworth lost both of her legs when her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down over Iraq. She continued her service in the Illinois Army National Guard and worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs -- fighting for veterans -- for almost five years. 

 

Mark Kirk has been relentlessly attacking Tammy as being soft on terror and not working for veterans. 

All my best, 

Jon Soltz 
Iraq War Veteran & Chairman 
VoteVets 

Ex-Reagan adviser: Fox News is ‘self-brainwashing’ Republicans into a radical fringe party...No kidding?

Economist Bruce Bartlett, a former adviser to both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, warned over the weekend that Fox News had damaged the Republican Party by creating a bubble for conservatives to brainwash themselves.

In his “How Fox News Changed American Media and Political Dynamics” published earlier this month, Bartlett theorized that watching the network was essentially “self-brainwashing” for viewers, making them believe that the United States was a more conservative nation than it actually was. And so the Republican Party had responded by running radical conservatives that representative Fox News viewers, but not the true state of the electorate.

“Many conservatives live in a bubble where they watch only Fox News on television, they listen only to conservative talk radio — Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, many of the same people,” Bartlett told CNN’s Brian Stelter on Sunday. “When they go onto the Internet, they look at conservative websites like National Review, Newsmax, World Net Daily.”

“And so, they are completely in a universe in which they are hearing the same exact ideas, the same arguments, the same limited amount of data repeated over and over and over again. And that’s brainwashing.”

Bartlett asserted that it was a bigger problem for conservatives than liberals because they did not have their own network for a long time, and then they “drank very heavily from the Fox waters.”

"Economist Bruce Bartlett, a former adviser to both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, warned over the weekend that Fox News had damaged the Republican Party by creating a bubble for conservatives to brainwash themselves."

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/ex-reagan-adviser-fox-news-is-self-brainwashing-republicans-into-a-radical-fringe-party/

Ex-Reagan adviser: Fox News is ‘self-brainwashing’ Republicans into a radical fringe party

Economist Bruce Bartlett, a former adviser to both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, warned over the weekend that Fox News had damaged…

WWW.RAWSTORY.COM

Join the Coffee Party Movement

We need to keep this in mind when voting for politicians who speak of "boots 

on the ground" at the same time cutting benefits for veterans.

meme thanks to @Grobanites for President Obama Be The Wave 

and THE BEER PARTY

VoteVets.org: Mark Kirk's despicable ad

Please stand for this American Hero!

As an Army helicopter pilot, Tammy Duckworth lost both of her legs and severely damaged one her arms when her Black Hawk was shot down by a rocket propelled grenade in Iraq. 

She's a hero. 

That's why it's absolutely unfathomable that Mark Kirk, a man with a history of embellishing his military record, would run attack ads accusing her of being soft on terror ... of making it easier for ISIS to attack the United States. It's rhetoric right out of the Donald Trump playbook. 

Make Mark Kirk pay for his despicable campaign ad by making a $3 contribution to Tammy Duckworth's U.S. Senate campaign today. 

Mark Kirk led the fight to stop a diplomatic deal with Iran and has consistently put his campaign ahead of his country in his work as a U.S. Senator. Let's send him packing and elect Tammy Duckworth to the Senate. Make your $3 contribution to her campaign today. 

All my best, 

Jon Soltz 
Iraq War Veteran & Chairman 
VoteVets 

---

PAID FOR BY VOTEVETS ACTION FUND

Can you stand with me in helping Tammy's campaign?

Stand with the Heroes who are supporting an American Hero, Tammy Duckworth.

ILLINOIS: THE RACE THAT EVERYONE'S WATCHING

The Washington Post: "#1 Most Competitive Senate Race in 2016"

Roll Call: "Mark Kirk: The Most Vulnerable Senator in the Country"

POLITICO: Kirk is "the most endangered Republican... who occupies one of five seats Democrats must win to take back the Senate"

The Path to a Democratic Senate Runs Through Illinois

Tammy Duckworth is officially kicking off her campaign for U.S. Senate this week by filing the paperwork to challenge Mark Kirk.

Contribute $5 or $10 to her campaign today.

Paid for by Friends of Sherrod Brown

Contributions or gifts to Friends of Sherrod Brown are not tax deductible.

Tammy Duckworth has always impressed me with her determination to overcome adversity and her commitment to working families, veterans, and growing our economy.

Her amazing journey — from the battlefields of Iraq to the halls of the U.S. Congress — has been inspiring to watch. I’m excited to see Tammy’s story continue to unfold as she officially files to challenge Republican Mark Kirk this week. Can you stand with me in helping Tammy’s campaign?

Illinois is a must-win race for Democrats who care about taking back the U.S. Senate. Contribute $3 or more to Tammy Duckworth’s campaign today to ensure she has the resources to win.

In recent weeks, Roll Call and Politico have called Senator Kirk “the most vulnerable” and “the most endangered Republican in the country.” And the Washington Post says this is “the most competitive Senate race in 2016.”

Despite Mark Kirk’s political situation, this race won’t be easy. He has a history of winning tough elections, and Republican leaders (and numerous Super PACs) have pledged to support his re-election. And if we’re going to win, we have to fight back with grassroots support.

I know Tammy is ready for the challenge — after she was wounded flying combat missions in Iraq, she fought back through a tough recovery to become a strong champion for veterans and working families. She can do this, but only if we stand together now to support Tammy’s campaign.

Contribute $3 or more today to help Tammy Duckworth prepare for a hard-fought race to determine control of the U.S. Senate >>

Thank you for joining me in supporting Tammy,

Dick Durbin
U.S. Senator

Paid for by Friends of Dick Durbin

Earlier today, Tammy Duckworth filed the paperwork needed to make her U.S. Senate campaign official. 

I've contributed to her campaign already - a few times. And I know her campaign is trying to send a message about the depth of their support by racking up an impressive number of contributions before midnight tonight. 

Will you make a $3 contribution to her campaign today? You can do that here: 

http://action.votevets.org/duckworth-filing 

This is the single most competitive race in the country, and Tammy needs our support. She's family, and will make a tremendous U.S. Senator. One we can all be proud of. 

All my best, 

Jon Soltz 
Iraq War Veteran & Chairman 
VoteVets 


PAID FOR BY VOTEVETS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 
NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE

Veterans Day and Phony Patriots!

Republicans say all the right things...yet they abandon Veterans when they VOTE!

Your INFORMED VOTE matters! 



Folks, Tammy Duckworth is a HERO! 

Tammy Duckworth

Sponsored · 

Veterans shouldn't have to start over again at home. Join me & let's give Vets a better path to the jobs they've earned.

Tammy Duckworth for U.S. Senate

Add your name & stand with our Veterans.

TAMMYDUCKWORTH.COM/JOIN

VoteVets.org

Jon Soltz, Iraq war veteran and chairman of VoteVets.org, says this in a piece published in Huffington Post today:

"As always, this Veterans Day, politicians across the spectrum will post pictures of flags and troops on their social media, every one of them trying to show they're pro-veteran. But social media pictures and platitudes don't make one pro-veteran. Listening, and heeding the call of veterans makes someone pro-veteran. When it comes to that, this poll shows that some politicians are a lot more pro-veteran than others."

What Veterans Want, And Why The GOP Avoids It

Social media pictures and platitudes don't make one pro-veteran. Listening, and heeding the call of veterans, makes someone pro-veteran.

HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

Another GOP Debate, and another GOP debate that didn't delve into the issue of veterans care in America.

Should we be shocked about that? A new poll from the Vet Voice Foundation suggests that we shouldn't be.

In short, the poll finds that veterans hate the ideas that Republicans have put forth for veterans care. Not only that, but the poll shows that veterans will vote against politicians who back the extreme GOP-Koch agenda for privatizing veterans care.

What agenda is that? It's the agenda that Jeb Bush is talking about, when he says he would begin privatizing parts of the veterans' health system. It's the agenda that Ben Carson is talking about when he says he would shut down the Department of Veterans Affairs. It's the agenda Marco Rubio backs, when he appears with the Koch-funded group "Concerned Veterans For America," to unveil their proposal to migrate veterans to a system of vouchers and private insurance.

Right on down the line, conservatives in the race for President and in Congress, are on the march to end the pact we've made with veterans, to provide them with care - not vouchers - when they need it.

Polling finds that veterans, overwhelmingly, abhor that agenda. So, it's no wonder that Republicans avoid talking about it.

The poll of 800 veterans was performed jointly by a Democratic polling firm and Republican firm, and the sample leaned Republican. Even still, the results came out unfavorable to Republicans.

• Veterans oppose a proposal in Congress that would have the real effect of leading to privatized VA hospitals. Sixty-four percent oppose, and only 29% support.
• Overall, 57% of veterans would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supported privatizing the VA health care system. Even a majority of Republicans indicate they would be more likely to vote against a candidate who supported privatization. This opposition extends across parties: 67% of Democratic, 57% of Independent/don't know, and 53% of Republican veterans say they would be less likely to vote for a candidate for high-elected office if they supported privatization of the VA health care system.
• Fifty-nine percent of veterans rate their impression of VA hospitals as favorable. When only asked about VA hospitals in their area, 61% of veterans rate their impression as favorable.
• In comparison, only 25% of veterans when asked if they have a favorable impression of for-profit health insurance corporations. And only 12 percent believe that VA hospitals should be run more like private hospitals.
• So what do veterans want? Although veterans think that changes need to be made to the VA hospitals, their biggest want is more doctors. Forty-two percent of veterans think that "needs more doctors" describes VA hospitals in their area very well. That is the most frequently-given prescription for helping the VA perform more efficiently.

Hillary Clinton took a lot of heat for trying to say that despite the issues at the VA, veterans still very much like the system and want it to thrive. But this poll backs her up. Not only do veterans have positive feelings about the veterans' health system, overall, but they have extremely negative feelings about the private system that conservatives want to force them into. She further showed that she understood what veterans want, when she unveiled her plan for veterans care yesterday, which focused on bolstering the system of care, not privatizing it. 

Likewise, Bernie Sanders has long showed that he "gets it." Senator Sanders responded to the VA wait times scandal by proposing a massive influx of funds, so that the VA could hire more staff, including doctors and nurses, to ensure that veterans got the quality and timely care they earned.

As always, this Veterans Day, politicians across the spectrum will post pictures of flags and troops on their social media, every one of them trying to show they're pro-veteran. But social media pictures and platitudes don't make one pro-veteran. Listening, and heeding the call of veterans makes someone pro-veteran. When it comes to that, this poll shows that some politicians are a lot more pro-veteran than others.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-soltz/what-veterans-want-and-wh_b_8534462.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-soltz/what-veterans-want-and-wh_b_8534462.html