I know there's a lot going on, but the Senate just passed a reckless amendment that would prohibit the enforcement of mask mandates on public transportation at the federal level for the next fiscal year.

Shamefully, 10 Democrats voted in favor of a ban:
Baldwin (D-WI)
Bennet (D-CO
Brown (D-OH)
Kaine (D-VA)
Kelly (D-AZ)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Manchin (D-WV)
Rosen (D-NV)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Tester (D-MT)

U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 118th Congress - 1st Session

Note that the amendment would mean that the federal government would not be able to enforce a mask requirement on public transport. In theory states, cities, and local governments could still enforce mask requirements themselves. Though in practice, most usually defer to federal rules.
@luckytran
I think at least 5 of those are up for reelection in 2024 in reddish states. They need to be careful.

@jhall251 @luckytran

Right, we need to keep the people who think germs are a conspiracy theory happy at all costs. Even, if that means letting a pandemic continue to fester. If Grandma dies after catching covid at Thanksgiving then so be it.

@thwaites_awaits @luckytran
You're welcome to all the purity you want. Meanwhile in the real world a lot of ppl will suffer and likely die - maybe many ppl - if the Republicans take the Senate. I am glad that at risk candidates are careful.
@jhall251 @thwaites_awaits @luckytran One might argue they are already suffering & dying. From #Covid.

@jhall251 @thwaites_awaits @luckytran "die quietly so it doesn't impact the election"

That isn't a message calculated to make people vote

@CatHat @thwaites_awaits @luckytran
You refuse to see or address my actual point.
@jhall251 @thwaites_awaits @luckytran my point is that democrats are screwing over a MAJOR PERCENTAGE OF THEIR VOTER BASE
INACCESSIBLE VOTING IS SUPPRESSING THEIR OWN BASE.
And it almost certainly is why democrats lost a seat in the house.
500 people who don't have access to voting without covid precautions
@jhall251 @thwaites_awaits @luckytran They're not being careful at all. They're sadistic.
@lightning @luckytran @thwaites_awaits
You're wrong. But whatever floats your boat.
@jhall251 @luckytran @thwaites_awaits Am I, though? People are more likely to vote for the demagogue than the coward who sees an opportunity to protect them and refuses.

@lightning @jhall251 @luckytran @thwaites_awaits What a thread.

On twitter, I had (maybe all, haha) BNMW cultists blocked. So it's been a while since I've seen similar fervid certainty of righteousness in the face of a mountain of ignored facts like this display.

In a way, it's enviable - the comforting psychological crutch of having a good team and a boogieman, instead of clear realization that the US govt is corrupt and authoritarian from top to bottom.

Viewing US pols as Good VS Evil seems considerably more emotionally snug & cozy than acknowledging it's just a narrow gradient strip of shades of self serving, massive-scale harm doers. Or if you have a terse internal editor, "evil."

Supporting perpetrators of massive-scale harm is participating and assuming culpability, albeit infinitesimally, in massive-scale harm. I can see why BNMW cultists resist exiting Denialville.

I don't respect it, but I can understand it.

@jhall251 @thwaites_awaits @luckytran

Just stop.

Republicans are supposed to be the party that wants to legislatively kill us all/let us die while they enjoy top tier health care and 100 year old wine.

Your reasoning is why people know traditional Democrats suck, too.

@SARS2PA @thwaites_awaits @luckytran

Grow up. I'm done here. Have fun indulging yourself.

@jhall251 @thwaites_awaits @luckytran

Wow. Expecting the absolutely last legislative firewall between this country and utter cancerous insane political terrorism to hold and choose the rational good of public health is "indulging myself".

Wow.

(EDIT: hmmmmmmmmm. this account seems set up for the purpose of trolling with the worst possible opinion in any conversation.)