3. If election turns on a *specific* #SupremeCourt nominee (rather than a soon-to-be-named one): Huge risk for GOP, since no nominee will be fully vetted. They don't need replay of #Kavanaugh hearing.
5. It would be such an undisguised power-grab that, if @joebiden won the presidency & @TheDemocrats won the #Senate, it would increase the odds of a true reform agenda- possibly including #ElectoralCollege.
Even if GOP doesn't nominate replacement for #RBGRIP before November, progressives should be aware:
1. Delay would *increase* likelihood of GOP victory in #Election2020, both at presidential level & in #Senate races.
2. Nothing to prevent nomination & confirmation in December.
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For those still deciding whether to give @JoeBiden your vote, here's a little story that shows what he's like-- and why he deserves your trust.
Over nearly a decade of staffing #JoeBiden, we took a number of helicopter flights in #Afghanistan...
<1/ >
<2/ >
...One of those helo flights was a little more memorable than the others.
It was in February 2008. We were returning from a FOB (Forward Operating Base) in territory controlled by the Taliban. And a storm was moving in...
<3/ >
...the storm was faster than we were. Visibility suddenly was reduced to zero, with mountain cliffs on either side. We had to put down on an icy ridge (Side-note: @USArmy helicopter pilots are incredible!).
<4/ >
So @joebiden is stranded on an icy ridge-line, in Taliban-controlled territory, and the only protection we've got are two .50cal mounted guns, and the rifles & side-arms of the few troops/PSD in the 2 Blackhawks.
No way to safely take off, no way for help to reach us...
<6/6>
...For the next 4 hours, until a convoy from Bagram rescued us, @joebiden:
-Let the soldiers do their job, and trusted their judgement.
-Was grateful, rather than short-tempered, to the helo pilots.
-Showed the calm leadership that kept the rest of us grounded.
2/n The part of AIT (Aryan Invasion Theory) that has been debunked is the Invasion part: #Anthropology, #archeology & related disciplines view an "invasion" of modern-day #Punjab as unsupported by evidence.
The influx of a different ethnic group was real, but probably peaceful..
3/n ...as demonstrated by #linguistics & #genetics, the communities of Northern India & Pakistan are quite distinct from the #Dravidian ones of Southern India. That part is uncontroversial. The (dangerous) controversy is over what this all means. That's where #AIT comes in...
This is a replay of #ButHerEmails. Only worse:
-@HillaryClinton's emails was a small (but legit) story that the press (and the GOP) blew far, far out of proportion.
-@JoeBiden's "Senate records" is a NON-story. It is a pure fabrication. Here's why:
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2/5 Why @JoeBiden's "Senate records" is a NON-story:
-Any record of sexual harassment against him wouldn't be kept there: He's already authorized & called for release of any documents where they WOULD be: #Senate, or National Archives.
3/5 Why @JoeBiden's "Senate Records" is a NON-story:
-Every possible harassment claim, credible or not, was thoroughly investigated by @BarackObama's 2008 VP vetting team.
Does anyone truly believe that Obama deliberately endangered his shot at the presidency by ignoring it?
For most of us, it is utterly useless. And so is the information coming from the @WHO, and every other organization that should be helping provide guidance to the public.
Brief thread on why.
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2/8 The public is being told utterly contradictory things about #CoronaVirus: 1. Relax, it's kind of like a bad flu. After all, flu kills 60,000 annually in America alone. Don't panic. 2. But this virus is probably a pandemic. Treat it as a global crisis.
Please, pick just one.
3/8 The advice given to the general public on #CoronaVirus is insultingly useless:
-Try not to get coughed on, or touch the mucus/spit/etc of other people. And try not to expose others to your own.
So, is this like a cold? Flu? Or like Bubonic Plague?
Why should we care whether #JeanineCummins' publisher is being honest about its reason for cancelling her book-tour?
Because many authors face the real risk of injury or death-- not merely embarrassment. And their risk rises whenever a publisher cries "wolf." For example...
The list is long-- and very few of these authors have ever appeared on @Oprah.
So...
...So, when the publisher of "American Dirt" claims that it cancelled a book-tour due to safety (rather than, say, embarrassment), it has an obligation to back that claim up.
Were there truly safety concerns-- ones more serious than those faced by touring authors like Rushdie?