Fresh out of federal prison, coal baron Don Blankenship runs for Senate - Polidicks

[quote]Federal records made public Tuesday show that former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship is officially a candidate and has formed the Don Blankenship for U.S. Senate campaign committee. Over the last three years, Blankenship and his criminal defense lawyers repeatedly told the federal courts that Blankenship’s “home” was in Las Vegas. Under the U.S. Constitution, “No person shall be a Senator ... who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state from which he shall be chosen.” Earlier this year, Blankenship was released from federal custody after spending a year in prison following his conviction for conspiring to violate mine safety and health standards at Massey’s Upper Big Branch, where an April 2010 explosion killed 29 miners. Blankenship’s one year of supervised release ends May 9, which is one day after West Virginia’s primary election. At Blankenship’s request, his supervised release recently was transferred to federal court in Nevada. Prosecutors described Blankenship as “immensely wealthy,” and Blankenship said he’s already spent “several million dollars” on an ad campaign saying he was wrongly convicted.[/quote] [url]https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/special_reports/blankenship_trial/blankenship-s-senate-campaign-papers-made-public/article_9ca82ceb-16c3-5668-947e-2dae5afe9fd7.html[/url]

[QUOTE]Earlier this year, Blankenship was released from federal custody after spending a year in prison following his conviction for conspiring to violate mine safety and health standards at Massey’s Upper Big Branch, where an April 2010 explosion killed 29 miners.[/QUOTE] Total disregard for the safety of workers? Yup, sounds like he belongs in Congress alright. Specifically as a Republican.

Gee I wonder what party he will run for.

[QUOTE=Megadave;52951707]Gee I wonder what party he will run for.[/QUOTE] [URL="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4321980-Blankenship-Statement-of-Candidacy.html"]Republican.[/URL] Oh, and the wikipedia article on the disaster makes for an interesting read: [QUOTE]In 2009, the company, Massey Energy, was fined a total of $382,000 for "serious" unrepentant violations for lacking ventilation and proper equipment plans as well as failing to utilize its safety plan properly.[32] In the previous month, the authorities cited the mine for 57 safety infractions.[33] The mine received two safety citations the day before the explosion, 600 in the preceding 18 months, and 1,342 in the preceding five years.[/QUOTE] [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Big_Branch_Mine_disaster#Prior_history_of_safety_violations_and_fatalities[/url]

It's like the switch from being a criminal to politician just comes naturally to some.

No words really, its fucking disgusting.

In my head, there's no possibility he'll make it to the ticket. But it's been a year of surprises for me.

What a dangerous precedent there is for politics that we let people like these run for office. Not ex-cons, corporate executives.

Responsible for the deaths of 29 people, and he wants to be a senator. Looking at wikipedia, he's a hell of a card. He believes global warming is a hoax, called energy conservation efforts "the first step to Communism", and said the UN should never be trusted because it includes "Venezuela, North Korea, and Iran". He also slandered the Mine Safety and Health Administration and claimed that they're just "washington bureaucrats" making power grabs in the industry and claimed the people that really care are people like him. Ironic because he was ignoring his own company's safety plan and killed 29 of your workers. Sounds like one of those right-wing loonies on radio, exactly the kind of person that reshaped our politics into the mess it is now.. Reading about the disaster and his sentence, he got off extremely light, he was convicted of a misdemeanor charge. Most people can't get 29 others and only serve a few months for a misdemeanor.

Define: White Privilege [highlight](User was banned for this post ("Define: Shitposting" - Bradyns))[/highlight]

Can't wait for all the coal miners to go vote for him.

How much do you wanna bet that he'll win?

Wait, I thought you couldn't be a felon and run for office? Or is that just president?

[QUOTE=TurtleeyFP;52951893]How much do you wanna bet that he'll win?[/QUOTE] Not very much actually. Joe Manchin (D) is the most conservative Dem in the senate and he's quite popular in WV. He won reelection in 2012 60%-36%

[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;52951804]Responsible for the deaths of 29 people, and he wants to be a senator. Looking at wikipedia, he's a hell of a card. He believes global warming is a hoax, called energy conservation efforts "the first step to Communism", and said the UN should never be trusted because it includes "Venezuela, North Korea, and Iran". He also slandered the Mine Safety and Health Administration and claimed that they're just "washington bureaucrats" making power grabs in the industry and claimed the people that really care are people like him. Ironic because he was ignoring his own company's safety plan and killed 29 of your workers. Sounds like one of those right-wing loonies on radio, exactly the kind of person that reshaped our politics into the mess it is now.. Reading about the disaster and his sentence, he got off extremely light, he was convicted of a misdemeanor charge. Most people can't get 29 others and only serve a few months for a misdemeanor.[/QUOTE] How long until Trump starts tweeting his support for this scumbag?

[QUOTE=Zillamaster55;52951898]Wait, I thought you couldn't be a felon and run for office? Or is that just president?[/QUOTE] Not even the President. [quote] Qualifications for the Office of President Age and Citizenship requirements - US Constitution, Article II, Section 1 No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States. Term limit amendment - US Constitution, Amendment XXII, Section 1 - ratified February 27, 1951 No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. [/quote]

[QUOTE=FlakTheMighty;52952076]Not even the President.[/QUOTE] Huh, no way. Granted I'm sure it'd be tough as fuck in this day and age to weasel your way into politics if people find out you're a crimin-- [I]OH WAIT[/I]

[QUOTE=DiscoInferno;52951855]Define: White Privilege[/QUOTE] Yeah most white people are billionaires actually, it's a little known fact.

VICE news actually did an interesting bit about him [video=youtube;AyWHUdk2x_M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyWHUdk2x_M[/video]

Well yeah, republicans will vote for anyone who appeals to their emotions. He could have literally raped children and he'll get support, so...its open season right now.

I always thought the GOP were too racist to support a coalburner. Colour me surprised /s

The GOP is a party of traitors, pedophiles, and convicts so he'll fit right in. Any sane conservatives had better jump ship and form their own party before this gets out of hand.

i live in WV and everyone i've talked to so far knows he's a scumbag. i just hope the rest of the state knows it too

[QUOTE=DiscoInferno;52951855]Define: White Privilege[/QUOTE] Define: What money can buy. Just look at the Trump presidency.

[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;52952243]Yeah most white people are billionaires actually, it's a little known fact.[/QUOTE] This is backwards. Look at demographics for billionaires rather than how many there are. I don't even have to agree with the quoted post to know the proper way to look at it. According to Wikipedia there are 1645 non black billionaires and 12 black. In the USA there are like only 2 black billionaires, (idk if there are more): michael jordan and oprah winfrey. Whiteness is a factor when 15% of white families are millionaires and 1.9% black, 2.3% hispanic are. (Forbes) White privilege in this case should refer to how he & his family got rich while blacks are oppressed. Since the state didn't fuck with his grandpa for being black while he was raking in dough we can attribute his wealth to racial history/ lineage and "white privilege". Then his wealth just makes him able to be elected so there you have it.

[QUOTE=01271;52952427]This is backwards. Look at demographics for billionaires rather than how many there are. I don't even have to agree with the quoted post to know the proper way to look at it. According to Wikipedia there are 1645 non black billionaires and 12 black. In the USA there are like only 2 black billionaires, (idk if there are more): michael jordan and oprah winfrey. Whiteness is a factor when 15% of white families are millionaires and 1.9% black, 2.3% hispanic are. (Forbes) White privilege in this case should refer to how he & his family got rich while blacks are oppressed. Since the state didn't fuck with his grandpa for being black while he was raking in dough we can attribute his wealth to racial history/ lineage and "white privilege". Then his wealth just makes him able to be elected so there you have it.[/QUOTE] 75% of millionaires in the US are white, where as 25% are a minority race. About 75% of the US is white, where as 25% are a minority race. If each race has a 1 in a million chance of producing a millionaire per person in that race, the race with 250 million people in it are going to produce more than group with less than 100 million persons. Theres simply more white millionaires and billionaires because theres more white people, not because of some modern-day systematic suppression or white privilege or any other SJW bullshit. You can't even make that argument anymore, what with affirmative action being a blatant source of reverse-racism.

[QUOTE=Sgt. Khorn;52951755]It's like the switch from being a criminal to politician just comes naturally to some.[/QUOTE] The difference between the two is a matter of semantics. Criminals take without permission or cognizance, politicians force the government to enact legality into the transaction.

[QUOTE=01271;52952427]This is backwards. Look at demographics for billionaires rather than how many there are. I don't even have to agree with the quoted post to know the proper way to look at it. According to Wikipedia there are 1645 non black billionaires and 12 black. In the USA there are like only 2 black billionaires, (idk if there are more): michael jordan and oprah winfrey. Whiteness is a factor when 15% of white families are millionaires and 1.9% black, 2.3% hispanic are. (Forbes) White privilege in this case should refer to how he & his family got rich while blacks are oppressed. Since the state didn't fuck with his grandpa for being black while he was raking in dough we can attribute his wealth to racial history/ lineage and "white privilege". Then his wealth just makes him able to be elected so there you have it.[/QUOTE] Does it make sense to talk about "white" privilege in cases that apply to a few percent of the population? Being born to a rich family is waaaaay more predisposing to wealth than just being white is. White privilege is real, but talking about billionaires as if every white person sees similar benefits is probably not gonna win over your average, burger flipping, white friend. Point to how white people's average income is higher, or hiring biases or whatever, but saying white people are privileged because Bill Gates is rich is just pointless. Rich people of any colour are privileged compared to everyone else.

[QUOTE=Cyke Lon bee;52952531]75% of millionaires in the US are white, where as 25% are a minority race. About 75% of the US is white, where as 25% are a minority race. If each race has a 1 in a million chance of producing a millionaire per person in that race, the race with 250 million people in it are going to produce more than group with less than 100 million persons. Theres simply more white millionaires and billionaires because theres more white people, not because of some modern-day systematic suppression or white privilege or any other SJW bullshit. You can't even make that argument anymore, what with affirmative action being a blatant source of reverse-racism.[/QUOTE] We can't both be right. Here's my source: [url]https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/10/03/white-families-are-twice-as-likely-to-be-millionaires-as-a-generation-ago/[/url] 1 in 7 millionaires for whites, 1 in 50 for blacks. There's little to no generational wealth for african-americans because slaves couldn't pass their money down etc. [QUOTE=GoDong-DK;52952778]Does it make sense to talk about "white" privilege in cases that apply to a few percent of the population? Being born to a rich family is waaaaay more predisposing to wealth than just being white is. White privilege is real, but talking about billionaires as if every white person sees similar benefits is probably not gonna win over your average, burger flipping, white friend. Point to how white people's average income is higher, or hiring biases or whatever, but saying white people are privileged because Bill Gates is rich is just pointless. Rich people of any colour are privileged compared to everyone else.[/QUOTE] It's not that fitting to bring up white privilege for situations where people won't really "get" it, I wouldn't have, I just try to substantiate people who do. These years are one of the better times to bring it up though since it's not your election years and it's been a shitty year too especially with puerto rico.

[QUOTE=pod;52951764]In my head, there's no possibility he'll make it to the ticket. But it's been a year of surprises for me.[/QUOTE] Funny, I saw "coal baron" and immediately though "oh for fuck's sake this dipshit is definitely going to get elected"