THREAD:
A passage from the President's speech really struck me yesterday.

He addressed the question of why the evacuation of Afghans who worked with the coalition were not evacuated sooner with two claims: 1. Many Afghans didn't want to leave because they held out hope that Afghan forces would hold the line.
2. The Afghan government asked them not to begin evacuations because it could cause panic - a crisis of confidence among the population - including the military.

Whatever story you’re telling yourself to absolve yourself, @HawleyMO, is bullshit and you know it, Senator. .@HawleyMO, You chose something as trivial as your political ambition over our country.

Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting, Senator.

I can’t even imagine entertaining such a choice, let alone making it.

What kind of an American does something like this?

For something a bit lighter, here’s some @TedLasso content. After I posted this on IG yesterday, a lot of people recognized it from the show and asked where they could get it. Here ya go: threekcclothingco.com Cool story behind the tee btw:
@JasonSudeikis is a proud son of #KC and I’m lucky to count him as a friend. A while back, we were at a local bar playing darts and hanging with a couple of his high school pals. One of them, Brendan, a teacher, had just started a t-shirt biz.

If you’re experiencing campaign fatigue, you’re not alone, but we can’t afford to let our motivation falter, so I offer you this little pep talk about the recent past, the present, and the potential future we can set in motion in just 67 days. (1/x) The past 4 years have been a grind. It’s easy to forget just how close we came to enormous, tangible leaps forward. By Nov 2016, we had voter suppression on the ropes. Courts all over were striking down Photo ID laws. GOP legislatures were beginning to give up. (2/x)

If you don’t plan to watch the video of #GeorgeFloyd’s murder, a few things you should know:

1. He said, “Please, Officer” numerous times.

2. He struggled to breathe, pleading for his life, for several minutes.

3. The officer remained on his neck after he lost consciousness. 4. At no point does #GeorgeFloyd appear uncooperative.

5. Citizens begged unsuccessfully for the officer to get off of him or to at least check his pulse.

6. The other officers present appear to have done nothing - physically or verbally - to protect George from his attacker.

GOP still - amazingly - sticking to supply (management/business) side economics when regular people are producing very little demand (income).

Companies don’t get subsidies and say, “We got all this $...let’s pay some people!” #StimulusPackage2020 When regular people get subsidies, they say, “We need some stuff. Let’s buy stuff we need.”

Then companies say, “People are buying stuff and paying for services! Let’s pay some people to make stuff and provide some services!”

#StimulusPackage2020

This somewhat prevalent “social distancing = weakness” take on #COVID19 reminds me of a story.

For three weeks in October 2002, a sniper terrorized the greater D.C. metro, murdering civilians who were guilty of nothing other than going about their lives: Carrying groceries to their car, sitting on a park bench, or mowing their yard. These victims were chosen at random.
 
At the time, I was a Georgetown student and an Army ROTC Cadet.

So many people are choosing a candidate based on who they think can beat Trump. This is the wrong question for the following 10 reasons:

1. Nobody knows who “matches up” best.
2. Voters are not good pundits.
3. Pundits aren’t even good pundits. 4. Campaigns are emotional. How you “feel” matters. General election voters will vote emotionally, not intellectually.
5. If we pick a candidate analytically, we are doing the opposite of what it takes to win the general.

I've had something on my mind lately, and I want to share it. If you've ever been part of a group of people that went through something difficult together, don't lose touch with each other. You may not realize how crucial those relationships are until it's too late.

A story: In Afghanistan, I was an Army Lieutenant in military intelligence. My main responsibility was to provide intelligence reports on Afghan officials suspected of corruption, narco-trafficking, and espionage.

President Bush invaded Iraq, a majority Shiite country ruled by a Sunni dictator, and thought they’d be so appreciative, they’d adopt western style democracy and serve as a counterweight against Iran, their majority Shiite neighbor.

From the start, this was a flawed idea. (1/7) Nonetheless, our brave troops, our brave diplomats, and a whole lot of brave Iraqis created something extraordinary: a parliamentary system through which Iraqis might determine their own destiny.

Predictably, they elected a Shiite majority and chose to ally with Iran. (2/7)

In Syria (and in Ukraine), Trump basically switched which side we were on in a war. He switched us to the Russian side. Counter to America’s interest, over and over, he does what’s best for Russia. (1/x) He has no strong convictions on foreign policy other than when he’s advancing Russia’s agenda or defending Putin.

He is obviously compromised. Why are we acting as though there’s any chance in the world he’s not? (2/x)

Given that there's been some discussion today about how the news cycle is digested by voters here in what's sometimes referred to as "#flyover country" . . . I have a few thoughts to share. (1/x) I'm not here to weigh in on any of what @nytdavidbrooks said in his column, but rather to give my own unique perspective. (2/x)

THREAD: I'm tired of hearing this fraudulent argument against an assault weapons ban. If someone makes this argument to you, consider the following response:

https://twitter.com/crobedeaux/status/1173727740509523968

1. The AR-15 was originally designed for the military as a smaller replacement for FOUR different rifles.
2. It was a tactical answer to the AK-47, which was (and still is) the preferred rifle of our enemies. No one argues an AK is anything other than an assault weapon.

To those feeling a sense of despair today: The thing about a life of public engagement is that you have to be impatient and patient at the same time: (1/x) Impatient enough to stay aggressive in advancing the greatest changes you seek, yet patient enough never to quit on them, no matter how slow progress may come. (2/x)

Let me tell you a story about the great lengths Republicans will go to in order to block access to the ballot box. All of this is unfolding right now in New Hampshire. #NHpolitics Where it started: NH Republicans passed SB 3 last year, an overly bureaucratic and unnecessary law aimed solely at making it harder for eligible voters to cast a ballot.

Josh, I’m glad you’re related to people who served our country. Let me tell you a story about the woman whose patriotism and support of the military you just questioned.

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On Election Day 2006, my wife @DianaKander was volunteering for then-State Auditor @clairecmc’s campaign for US Senate. She was working in a field office, helping to coordinate teams of get-out-the-vote canvassers. 2/x