-Did a Ballot Mixup Change the Outcome of the GOP Whip Race?

Spencer Brown

As Townhall reported yesterday, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota was elected by his GOP colleagues as Majority Whip in the next Congress set to kick off in January after he defeated Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks of Indiana and Rep. Drew Ferguson of Georgia.

The election took two rounds, with Ferguson being eliminated as a result of the first ballot that saw Banks land 82 votes, Emmer with 72, and Ferguson with 71.

On the second ballot, Emmer ultimately defeated Banks 115 to 106.

But, it might not have ended that way if not for an apparent mixup by a Republican member of Congress reported by Politico on Wednesday:

Separately adding to the disarray, at least one GOP lawmaker mixed up planned votes for the first and second ballots in the highly competitive whip race, according to a senior Republican who was in the room. The lawmaker in question intended to choose Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) for the first ballot, but instead put Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).

That one vote, had it been cast as intended, could have led to a different outcome in the whip battle — since Ferguson ended the first ballot one vote behind Emmer, eliminating him from the contest before the current National Republican Congressional Committee chair prevailed on the second ballot against Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.).

So,because "at least one" GOP member of the House mixed up the ranking of their choices, Ferguson was eliminated — after coming up one vote short of Emmer — leaving Emmer in contention against Banks.

That is, it sounds like Emmer won the whip race as the result of a misplaced vote favoring him on the first ballot and, if that vote had been cast properly, Emmer may not have made it past the first round.

If the situation described by Politico's "senior Republican" source is indeed true, then Emmer would have received 71 votes while Ferguson would have gotten 72 in the first round — kicking Emmer out of contention and leading to Ferguson or Banks winning the Whip gig.

Not exactly the leadership mandate with which Emmer may have wanted to start the new Congress.

(So Emmer and others were fine when cheating. I bet this was another impetus to block McCarthy in Jan 2023)

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2022/11/16/did-tom-emmer-win-gop-whip-race-because-of-a-ballot-mixup-n2616043

Trump Showers Praise On Rival Who Dropped Out and Endorsed Him: ‘A Brilliant Businessman’

Charlie NashOct 23rd, 2023, 10:55 pm

Former President Donald Trump showered Republican primary rival Perry Johnson with praise on Monday after Johnson dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump for president.

Johnson — who failed to meet the criteria to take part in the first and second Republican primary debates — suspended his campaign on Friday, before endorsing Trump in a statement on Monday.

“There is now only one candidate in this race who can provide a solution to our nation’s economic, foreign policy and social crises, and most importantly, beat Joe Biden at the ballot box,” wrote Johnson. “That person is Donald Trump.”

Following the endorsement, Trump showered Johnson with praise on Truth Social and said he would work to make his former rival “very proud of his decision.”

“Perry Johnson is a brilliant Businessman who has enjoyed great success. Above all, he loves our Country!” wrote Trump. “After a valiant effort, he is now leaving the Race for President to do other things, which I have no doubt will be very successful. It is a great honor for me to have received his Full Endorsement. I will make Perry very proud of this decision, because we will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Johnson, in turn, thanked Trump for his kind words, tweeting, “Thank you, Mr. President. It is time to fire @JoeBiden, elect Republicans up and down the ballot, and yes – Make America Great Again!”

(Who is Perry Johnson?)

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-showers-praise-on-rival-who-dropped-out-and-endorsed-him-a-brilliant-businessman/

Elon Musk offers $1B to Wikipedia if it changes its name

Billionaire Elon Musk offered Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia,$1 billion under the condition that it changes its name to “Dickipedia.”=

The owner of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, wrote his offer in a post on his site. He had previously posted a screenshot of a personal appeal from Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales stating that the website is “not for sale.”

“I will give them a billion dollars if they change their name to Dickipedia,” Musk wrote.

“Please add that to the [cow and poop emojis] on my wiki page,” he continued in another post. “In the interests of accuracy.”

When one user, journalist Ed Krassenstein, suggested the online encyclopedia take the deal, saying that it can “can always change it back after you collect,” Musk added a condition to his offer.

“One year minimum. I mean, I’m a not fool lol,” he wrote.

Musk had made multiple posts earlier Sunday criticizing the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia, for asking for money.

“Have you ever wondered why the Wikimedia Foundation wants so much money? It certainly isn’t needed to operate Wikipedia,” he wrote on X. “You can literally fit a copy of the entire text on your phone! So, what’s the money for? Inquiring minds want to know …”

The app’s “Community Notes,” which allows users to sign up to become contributors and create notes on posts for context, left an explanation under his post initially stating that Wikipedia handles “over 25B page views per month and over 44M page edits a month, requiring substantial operating costs.”

It also noted that the organization employs third-party financial auditors whose reports are made available to the public.

The note since updated and noted the organization’s expenses, $146 million, and left a bullet list specifying where the money goes by percent.

Wales has been an outspoken critic of Musk. In May, Wales condemned Musk’s decision to censor critics ahead of the Turkish presidential election.

“What Wikipedia did: we stood strong for our principles and fought to the Supreme Court of Turkey and won,” Wales wrote in response to a post from Musk defending his decision. “This is what it means to treat freedom of expression as a principle rather than a slogan.”

Musk has come under withering criticism in some quarters for misinformation on X since he purchased the platform and instituted a number of changes.

(Although they want a $billion they won’t do it, good challenge this time)

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4270360-elon-musk-offers-1m-to-wikipedia-if-theyll-change-their-name/

>>19796390

This from the owner if Wiki reveals that they think “Freedom of expression” is lying and posting it daily on what readers consider an encyclopedia of sorts, where its expected to be truth. They reality is they don’t like MAGAs freedom of speech or expression though. And they use smear tactics.

“ “This is what it means to treat freedom of expression as a principle rather than a slogan.”

The fucking Shadow President speaks out. Finally the treason is complete

25 Oct, 2023 00:38

Obama issues warning to Israel

Harsh treatment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza could “backfire,” the ex-US president has said

Former US President Barack Obama has endorsed Israel’s right to defend against “wanton violence” by Hamas, but warned West Jerusalem that a strategy that “ignores the human cost” would be counterproductive.

In an essay released on Medium on Monday, Obama endorsed President Joe Biden’s call for the US to “support our long-time ally in going after Hamas, dismantling its military capabilities,” and freeing the hostages taken in the October 7 attack.

However, Obama argued, it is important that Israel’s strategy “abides by international law”and minimize the death and suffering of civilians. Not just because it is “morally just and reflects our belief in the inherent value of every human life” but because it is “vital for building alliances and shaping international opinion — all of which are critical for Israel’s long-term security.”

Pointing out that thousands of Palestinians have already been killed, including children, and hundreds of thousands displaced, Obama argued that the crackdown on Gaza could “further harden Palestinian attitudes for generations, erode global support for Israel, play into the hands of Israel’s enemies, and undermine long term efforts” to achieve peace.

Obama advised both Washington and West Jerusalem to reach out to “those Palestinian leaders and organizations that recognize Israel’s right to exist” and start “articulating a viable pathway” for Palestinian statehood, as “the best and perhaps only way to achieve the lasting peace and security most Israeli and Palestinian families yearn for.”

He also urged both countries to “to do our best to put our best values, rather than our worst fears, on display,” and oppose both “anti-semitism in all its forms” and “anti-Muslim, anti-Arab or anti-Palestinian sentiment.”

This means “guarding against dehumanizing language towards the people of Gaza, or downplaying Palestinian suffering — whether in Gaza or the West Bank — as irrelevant or illegitimate,” concluded Obama, who was the US president from 2009 to 2017.

The October 7 incursion by Hamas militants resulted in the deaths of more than 1,300 Israelis. Israel has responded by declaring war and vowing to “dismantle” the Palestinian group, while imposing a “total blockade” on Gaza. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen declared on Tuesday that there was “no room for a balanced approach” after the terrorist attacks and that “Hamas must be wiped out from the world!”

Meanwhile, West Jerusalem’s envoy to the UN called on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to resign on Tuesday, for daring to suggest that the Hamas attack “did not happen in a vacuum” and may have been related to “56 years of suffocating occupation” by Israel.

https://www.rt.com/news/585728-obama-israel-gaza-backfire/

>>19796876

I don’t care how many times I see the “thing”, the “it” makes me sick