The Groper Thread

Ex-House Speaker Dennis Hastert can't be alone with children, judge rules

Former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert is banned from having contact with anyone under 18 unless an adult is present who's aware that he pleaded guilty in a hush money case related to the sexual abuse of teen boys, according to new restrictions imposed by a federal judge.

"You shall not have contact with any person under the age of 18, except in the presence of a responsible adult who is aware of the nature of his/her background and current offense, and who has been approved by the probation officer and treatment provider," the restrictions state.
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crescent said:
Kentucky lawmaker who was accused of molesting a teenage girl likely killed himself, coroner says
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I had just been reading up on the local public radio investigative reporting on Johnson when the news of his suicide broke. I remembered him from the news last year, during the 2016 election, when he made local news because of his racist jokes, but was elected anyway. The long public radio investigation of him that was just released, and is what apparently the catalyst for his (alleged) suicide, really made him look to me like a complete nut. It was great local reporting...but it's very sad that it all led to this.
 
logger said:
Mark Halperin- leftist
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I see you claim Halperin is a leftist but provide no evidence of his political leanings. I'm not particularly familiar with Halperin, but as far as I know he is neither a Democrat nor a leftist.

A quick google search does not turn up any reliable source indicating he is either.

Could you provide a primary source supporting your claim that Halperin is a leftist? Either a direct statement from Halperin that he's a leftist, or direct statements from prominent left-wing sites or from prominent left-wingers praising him as a leftist, would be good evidence in support of your claim.

His father, Morton Halperin, was a prominent leftist; but Mark Halperin does not appear to be particularly left-wing. I'm not aware of Halperin ever claiming to be a leftist, or of any prominent leftists praising Halperin as a leftist. Are you?

From what little I've read about Halperin in the past, he appears to be on the right as often or more often than he is on the left. I can recall several occasions where I've seen his work criticized by people on the left; I don't recall seeing his work receiving special praise from people on the left the way the work of Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, David Corn, and other media people who are considered leftists is.

That indicates that your classification of Halperin as a leftist is likely mistaken. I'm curious what protocol you used to determine that Mark Halperin is a leftist since the available evidence would appear to indicate he's not.
 
logger said:
Ryan Lizza. Leftist
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Again, I'd like to see some primary evidence that a person you're calling a leftist is a leftist.

I'm unfamiliar with Lizza myself, so it's possible Lizza is indeed a leftist. But since you didn't provide any evidence of that, and you've made at least oner previous unsupported claim which appears to be mistaken, I'd like to see some actual evidence to support the assertion that Lizza is a leftist.

A quick Google turns up a number of echo-chamber sites claiming that, but I don't see any reputable or reliable source for that claim. In particular, I don't see Lizza himself saying it and I don't see any leftists saying it. But in doing quick Google searches on "Ryan Lizza" Democrat, and "Ryan Lizza" liberal, and "Ryan Lizza" progressive, while I didn't turn up any primary evidence supporting the claim that Lizza is a liberal, I did notice that shortly after the recent news about Lizza broke, someone edited the Wikipedia entry for Lizza to add the term progressive to the opening-paragraph description of Lizza. That was then edited out a day later, on the ground that nothing in the article says that and no citation to support it had been provided. We'll see if any evidence is supplied; but it looks to me like this is an echo-chamber claim rather than something people spreading it actually have direct knowledge of.

Wikipedia indicates that Lizza is a journalist and political analyst who is best known for his work for CNN and the New Yorker, but also known for work with and contributions to The Atlantic, New York magazine, the New York Times -- and for being a senior editor at The New Republic from 1998 to 2007.

Working for CNN, the New Yorker, The Atlantic, New York magazine and the New York Times doesn't really give us much of a clue to Lizza's politics. All of those are mainstream media and hire people from the left and the right. But working for The New Republic during those years, especially in a senior editor position, does give us a strong clue. It indicates Lizza is probably not a leftist.

For those not familiar with The New Republic, here's some history. Founded by members of the Progressive movement back in 1914, The New Republic was for many decades one of the leading liberal magazines, read by and respected by many on the left. But that changed in the late 1970s, when Michael Kinsley took over editorship and changed it into a "neoliberal" (equals rightist rather than leftist) magazine. During the 80s, they supported Reagan's policies; during the '90s, they supported efforts to move the Democratic Party rightward; during the early '00s they supported George W. Bush's policies. Prominent writers for the magazine included Charles Krautheimer and Fred Barnes -- who are definitely not "leftists".

In recent years the magazine tried to move back toward the left. A few years ago they offered me a low-cost subscription ($10 for a year) so I tried it again -- and found it still too center-right for my taste so did not re-subscribe when the year was up. I see they have now ceased publication, which doesn't surprise me.

It's helpful to keep in mind that while in the US the word liberal is often seen as synonymous with left-wing that's not always the case. It depends on whether one is referring to modern liberalism (which is left-wing) or classical liberalism (which is center-right). Neoliberals such as those running The New Republic during its conservative period like to call themselves classical liberals, meaning they adhere to the ideals of Adam Smith and Thomas Hobbes. They strongly favor capitalism and small government -- which are on the right-leaning rather than left-leaning end of the political spectrum.

Lizza's involvement with The New Republic during its neoliberal period strongly suggests he is not a leftist. But I'm not familiar with his writings or his television commentaries, so it's possible he actually is. What does the evidence say?

Could you provide a primary source supporting your claim that Lizza is a leftist? Either a direct statement from Lizza that he's a leftist, or direct statements from prominent left-wing sites or from prominent left-wingers praising him as a leftist, would be good evidence in support of your claim.

If you can't provide either of those types of evidence, then you could instead try to show he's a leftist by providing examples of leftist opinions he's expressed and demonstrating that he is consistently or at least primarily leftist in the opinions he has expressed and positions he has supported. That calls for a lot more work on your part, though.
 
Sexual misconduct strikes again. Steve Wynn owner of casinos, important artwork, and is a billionaire. Down but not out. He has quit the Republican National Committee but of course he still owns all that stuff.
 
Daniel Fierro, a former legislative staff member, accused California assemblywoman Cristina Garcia of drunkenly trying to grope his genitalia, stroking his back and squeezing his butt in 2014.
Another man also accused Garcia of harassing him, but was only willing to tell his story on the condition of anonymity for concern of retribution. The Sacramento, Calif. lobbyist alleged Garcia, who seemed intoxicated at the time, accosted him while at a fundraiser for state Senator Josh Newman in 2017, grabbed his genitalia and swore she was going to **** him.

Garcia cast herself as a prominent member of the #MeToo movement, even appearing on the Time magazine cover on an article dedicated to women fighting against sexual harassment and assault. In a statement, Garcia said she had no recollection of the events.
 
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