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“Hartmann, the other GOP board member, was not only a staunch election denier but also an active vaccine denier, and he died in 2021 after contracting Covid.”

He never believed in Covid, but Covid never stopped believing in him.

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Yes, as I read that sentence about Hartmann, I was wondering how his belief (or non-belief) must have changed during his final moments. And does it indeed take death for these staunch MAGA supporters, election deniers to finally realize that they are being conned, used and abused by their Orange Liar-in-Chief?

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The deniers still refuse to believe in covid.....I heard the excuse too many times that such and such person didn't die from covid, they died from heart failure or kidney failure, etc. It would be interesting to see the numbers ......Republican vs Democrat death rate due to covid.

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Red state vs blue state numbers did show more died from covid in RED states!!

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I guess they didn't mind losing voters. smh

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They don't like ANYONE who votes.

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Germ warfare; sloppy population control

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Yes, germ warfare is correct. We are not stupid.

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No, I heard that more people in Blue states died.

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“ During this third wave – which continued into early 2021 – the coronavirus death rate among the 20% of Americans living in counties that supported Trump by the highest margins in 2020 was about 170% of the death rate among the one-in-five Americans living in counties that supported Biden by the largest margins.

As vaccines became more widely available, this discrepancy between “blue” and “red” counties became even larger as the virulent delta strain of the pandemic spread across the country during the summer and fall of 2021, even as the total number of deaths fell somewhat from its third wave peak.

Photo shows a testing site at Dayton General Hospital in Dayton, Washington, in October 2021.

A testing site at Dayton General Hospital in Dayton, Washington, in October 2021. (Nick Otto for The Washington Post)

During the fourth wave of the pandemic, death rates in the most pro-Trump counties were about four times what they were in the most pro-Biden counties. When the highly transmissible omicron variant began to spread in the U.S. in late 2021, these differences narrowed substantially. However, death rates in the most pro-Trump counties were still about 180% of what they were in the most pro-Biden counties throughout late 2021 and early 2022.

The cumulative impact of these divergent death rates is a wide difference in total deaths from COVID-19 between the most pro-Trump and most pro-Biden parts of the country. Since the pandemic began, counties representing the 20% of the population where Trump ran up his highest margins in 2020 have experienced nearly 70,000 more deaths from COVID-19 than have the counties representing the 20% of population where Biden performed best. Overall, the COVID-19 death rate in all counties Trump won in 2020 is substantially higher than it is in counties Biden won (as of the end of February 2022, 326 per 100,000 in Trump counties and 258 per 100,000 in Biden counties).”

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Do show us some sites posting that info, please

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The numbers have been out due a while. Covid deaths in red states were very much higher that in blue states.

To me, the seems a very good thing. I’m all for the fascists killing themselves off.

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The stupidity is beyond belief among tfg supporters. I will never understand the belief they put in him.

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He's given them permission to be the terrible people they've always wanted to be.

This is who they all really always were. People without morals who were held in check only because they knew they'd face consequences and public scorn. But Trump told them they wouldn't, and they've shown who they have been all this time.

Some say he's changed them, but he hasn't. Take a kid to a candy store and tell them they can take as much as they want and eat as much a they want, and the kid runs rampant. Did you make them do that, or is it what they always wanted to do but didn't because they didn't have your permission?

This is who they've always been and Trump tells them it's OK. That they're the real victims here, not those they're lynching.

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It's called instant gratification and is normal among three-year-olds and adults who don't mature intellectually, as every teacher knows. That is why Republicans, the religious bodies, and to some degree the military, won't fund education. It's easier to manipulate ignorant people who are too surpressed into a state of stupidity to learn.

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As long as they end up dead, I guess it doesn't really matter what from.

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Between that and the aging population of Trump supporters.......😂

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Mr. Hartmann's death from Covid helps to validate Rick Wilson's statement that "Everything Trump touches, dies." Politicizing something is like a virus was Trump's kind of stupid. For people to think a virus was attacking their "freedom" was a similar kind of stupid. Viruses don't think about politics or anything else; they just replicate.

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Brainwashing of cult members has often led to their death. Look at James Jones and the purple Koolaid.

https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/jonestown-13-things-you-should-know-about-cult-massacre-121974/

I am currently watching a series of PBS films set during WWII (World on Fire), just after WWI with the rise of the Nazi's to power (Hotel of Europa), and Berlin Wall set from 1987-1989 with the ending of the DDR in Germany. All of these serve to remind me of fascism and what it looks like. They have characters who are idealists and characters who are under pressure on both sides to conform and to oppose, and those who oppose are wiped out until they prevail, or someone does. As Fascist Trump tries to steal power along with his corporate sponsors, I cannot help wonder what things will be like in the USA with Trump as the dictator head. I also wonder what it will take to overthrow such a regime. Let us hope it remains hypothetical.

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Gotta love it when Karma comes through . . .

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Yet another example of karmic justice that would be suspiciously coincidental if it were encountered in fiction.

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I was wondering if trump would offer to hire an angel to intercede for him on account of his tremendous service.

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Nope. Trump never does anything for anyone who can't be useful to him anymore.

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Right. Here comes the bus. Nostradamus predicts well get a new Pope next year

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You would be correct.

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Thoughts and prayers!

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That's a great line. Morbid, but great!

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Even though I expect SCOTUS to overturn the Colorado decision, the last few days have been really great for last minute Christmas gifts from the Oracle of Hate. I'm really glad to see McDaniel specifically involved here, because she's had a lot to do with the formal Trumpification of the Republican Party.

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McDaniel is the prototype of Comrade Lenin's *useful idiot*....shamefully placed herself and the GOP at the service of tRump.

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Ronna, you in trouble, girl!

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Lol, yup, finally!!

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Her dad would be appalled. He would not recognize his party, either.

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After this news broke, I went to check several "comment sections." Just to see what was being said by the cult members. Most comments fell along the line of "Can't you liberals just let this nonsense go already," or "just another nothingburger." But quite a few were darker, saying that they looked forward to the day we (liberals) were all rounded up and put in camps or worse. Those darker ones seem to be happening more and more often.

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That’s all there is to them now. Just hate. There are no defenses, just “You’ll be sorry when we win.” Yet another page lifted straight from the domestic abuser’s playbook.

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Well said, nothing left other than hate - bang on.

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Perhaps when faced with the writing on the wall, so to speak, one either gives up or goes all in. I’d guess there are some in each category. Amazing tho how, when you’re pretty sure all the dirty laundry has been hung out for all to see and you believe that’s about as bad as it gets, something else surfaces. I’d say it’s very worrisome how deep and wide this band of crooks is and that now one might believe it really could be worse.

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It’s just like how the death threats on the Colorado SC judges and the Colorado Sect. of State started almost immediately after the Colorado SC ruling came out.

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Which was entirely predictable - and guaranteed the reason the lower court judge ruled the way she did. And I don't blame her.

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Here’s hoping! And here’s hoping that the Supremes, get their butts in gear and take up Smiths Briefs.

Which leads to…….here’s hoping that 2024 sees that the Fat Angry Yam found guilty in ALL of the indictments and ends up spending the last days of his miserable life in an 8x8 foot cell with a large, angry, violent, staunch Democrat as his cell mate!

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Or Democratic prison guard.

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Sorry to burst your bubble, but we all know he'll commit suicide first just like Hitler since he's playing from the same playbook.

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Dec 22, 2023·edited Dec 22, 2023

Naw, the Fat angry Yam is too big a coward to kill himself. Narcissists don’t commit suicide.

They love themselves far too much.

Besides Hitler was a fanatic, not a narcissist.

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Just hope no one stands in his way.

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One lives in hope.

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Time for SC Smith to amend his indictment by adding BRIBERY as part of the Michigan recitation. I mean, "don't do this, and we'll pay your legal fees"?? Quid pro quo for "services rendered"? Guilty as charged!

So, three years past the last election, and baaaad shit just keeps surfacing...how many other county and city election officials got "the call", and have fed the tapes or proferred sworn depositions regarding those calls to the SC's office? We'll find out just as soon as either the DC CA or SCOTUS dismisses tRump's appeals, and a jury is empaneled.

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I guarantee “baaaad shit” (criminal/immoral/treasonous actions) by tffg and his minions will keep surfacing for years to come.

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Yup, the well seems bottomless.

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Not quite sure how voters could NOT know that giving this obvious liar/criminal/grifter the power of the Oval Office would create mountains of bad 💩💩💩💩. There was ample evidence before 11/16.

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tRump is the gift that keeps on giving...or rather, criming.

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Or alternatively, he is the grift that keeps on grifting.

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Wouldn’t that be bribery charges against tRump and McDaniel at the state level and electoral interference at both the state and federal levels? We can’t trust the supreme court’s six right wing judges or the Rethuglican/Heritage Foundation 2024 election fraud machine, but the Georgia and Michigan cases could bight some asses big time.

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Hartmann, the other GOP board member, was not only a staunch election denier but also an active vaccine denier, and he died in 2021 after contracting Covid.

Yet another proof for the existence of Gawd.

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Yet the Orange one is still walking & babbling. Gawd needs to step up their game.

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No, Trump dying before conviction would be the worst possible outcome. The moment he dies it all stops and we need it to get to completion. To show the rest of the country that he has been held accountable.

Trials against his underlings would continue, but Trump himself would have “gotten away with it“.

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Just now realized that they/them is the appropriate pronoun pair for god (or Gawd). Thanks for that!

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Depending on your research, there are 3000-5000 gods being worshipped, so I think they/ them is appropriate. Then there are folks like me who don't worship anything. Well, maybe my labrador. And someone's right to choose whichever imaginary friend they want to. I've taught community college World Religions.

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We'll have to agree to disagree. I worship my Cats.

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There used to be a lot more smiting...

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Not being a lawyer leads me to just rely on common sense. All of this sounds like mob boss action to me. Thank you for getting into the weeds, Jay.

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I'm not a lawyer, either; but I have a friend who had to deal with his shit for 20 years and he definitely is a mob boss.

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So thoroughly disgusted by the orange man’s tactics and how far he went in conspiring to steal the election. So, 3 people in a car and one was recording it? One person died from covid. That leaves 2. Who was recording? And why did it take so long to get the recording? So many questions about the layers and layers of conspiracies. Somedays it drives me (almost) to despair!!

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We will see justice. Despair not!

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From your lips to the Gods' ears.

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Is the recording admissible if those speaking didn’t consent to the recording?

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Palmer stated she doesn’t remember the substance of the call. Baloney! And Ronna? She has absolutely opened herself up, IMO. This is a wonderfully detailed explanation. Jack Smith has yet MORE damning evidence. 🎄 Christmas is early!

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When I read that Palmer ‘didn’t recall my first thought was baloney too. That’s a bit like not remembering what you were doing on 9/11/2001.

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Exactly-and how often does a POTUS call you… just to catch up on things? 🤦‍♀️🤣

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Seriously, the POTUS calls you, personally, and you forget what he said????

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“In sum, the existence of the Wayne County recordings is a really terrible development for Trump. And they likely will help further seal his fate before the jury when his case goes to trial.”

May it be so.

But I do have some questions.

The biggest is where have these tapes been all these years? Are they authentic?

The surviving member, Palmer must know who was in the car with her at the time of the call. Palmer must know the identity of the person doing the recording. Is that person safe?

And now some advice:

If Trump calls you, hang up.

If Trump offers to pay for a lawyer for you, hang up.

If you are tempted not to follow the advice above, repeat: “Every thing Trump touches dies. And that includes me.” Over and over and over until you finally understand.

Geez.

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I’d be worried if I were that person.

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Yes. I am concerned for his/her safety.

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I find it hard to believe that people can't see that everyone who gets sucked into his black orbit, dies either literally or in some other obscure manner. How dumb are people?

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It boggles the mind. So many think they will be the ones that are the exception.

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Deborah, apparently they think they are going to get something better in return for their soul.

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is it legal in MI to record a conversation without the other party's knowledge?

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I have the same question. Long ago it was illegal. But that was in the days of landlines. If they were all in the car, and it was on speaker……For all we know Palmer and the deceased guy asked Mystery Person to record it. Since Palmer isn’t giving up the name publically we don’t know. If she hasn’t already, she will have to do so under oath.

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Or maybe Palmer or Dead Colleague anti-vaxer who died of Covid made the recording. Maybe one of dead colleague’s relatives cleaning out his stuff found it and said, oh someone might find this helpful. Who knows?

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I’m reminded of that scene from the Wire where Stringer Bell tells him ‘are you taking notes on a fucking criminal conspiracy.’

They needed a Stringer Bell.

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Dec 22, 2023·edited Dec 22, 2023Liked by Jay Kuo

As always, Thank you for sharing insight to go along with the revelations that further prove the only Party that tried to steal the 2020 election was the Republican(GOP) with a multiple legged Kraken (their own description) approach. Which brings US to this juncture, will they honor it, their own precedent?

https://www.jurist.org/news/2017/03/supreme-court-clarifies-correct-standard-for-recusal-of-a-judge/

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What I fail to see reported in any of these calls is comments from the low level people that set them up. Surely neither trump nor mcdaniels knew the mobile phone number of the election officials. Someone had to make a series of inquiries to get it, call them first and say that the POTUS wants to have a word. Aren't there call logs? Are these assistants being subpoenad?

And why hasn't the translator from Helsinki written a book?

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My same thought. Who arranged the call?

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(1) And the MAGAmites are still at it, but have gone international. Their favorite statesman is Viktor Orban, Hungarian PM, who replaced their post Communiust democracy with Christian Nationalism.

(2) Last week he signed legislation creating a new office called: Soveriegnty Protection. It has the authority to interrogate and punish anyone who disagrees with him, without judicial oversight.

(3) MAGAmites admire Orban because he believes immigration and LGBTQ+ citizens are "poison" to society and should not be given equal rights to other more tradition-practicing people..

(4) MAGA Mike, House speaker, wrote a letter to President Biden urging him to use his executive powers to introduce an American Office of Sovereignty Protection.

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Orban's legislation has a name: Stasi

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MAGA probably would move to Hungary but for the fact they want to rule people, not BE ruled. MAGA wants their own country to autocratize. Orbán already has dibs on Hungary.

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And Orban's emissaries were in closed door sessions with

Republicans last week. They were also wined and dined

by the Heritage Foundation

while here.

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It’s good that it’s out in the open. But it makes me wonder how much is hidden.

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Am sure there's much more.

We will be living with this for

a long time. It may go "below the fold", but it's going to

continue to come out; a festering boil.

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“We can’t let these people take our country away from us.” That’s Trumpism, and Republicanism, in total, right there. Nothing else. Nothing about making lives better. Pure identity-driven hatred.

As for the news that Trump’s efforts went down to the county commissioner level, I mean I guess it’s news to see it confirmed, but he was endorsing election commissioners in Wisconsin. Did people not see that? Or know what it was about?

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Not only a bribe, but the "We'll get you lawyers" line indicates that Trump knew he was asking the two canvassers to crime. Why else would they need lawyers/why would offering lawyers be part of a negotiation?

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