Paul Ryan to Replace Head of Election Assistance Committee - Polidicks

[url]https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2018/02/22/paul-ryan-election-agency-replacement-matthew-masterson-422725?__twitter_impression=true[/url] [Quote] House Speaker Paul Ryan faced Democratic criticism Thursday after choosing not to renew the term of a federal agency head who has helped lead the charge on securing elections from hackers. Matthew Masterson, chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, will depart once the Senate confirms a successor, three people familiar with the situation told POLITICO. His four-year term as a commissioner expired in December, but he has stayed while Ryan contemplated whom to recommend to President Donald Trump as a nominee for the seat. Ryan has decided that Masterson won't be on the list. Another commissioner was already scheduled to take the chairman's slot on Saturday, but Masterson could have remained as a commissioner if he were renominated. The move comes as the government scrambles to ensure that Russian hackers don't repeat the cyberattacks that roiled the 2016 election. The four-member commission, originally founded to help states apply the lessons of the bungled 2000 presidential election, has taken on an increasingly prominent role in promoting security — to the consternation of some Republicans who say it has outlived its purpose. The news of Ryan's decision caused alarm among digital security advocates and Democratic election officials. “It is clear that Republican congressional leadership and the Trump administration simply aren’t interested in ensuring that our elections are protected from Russian interference,” Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill, a Democrat, told POLITICO in a statement[/quote] [Quote]The agency's two other commissioners are Thomas Hicks, a Democrat, and Christy McCormick, a Republican who also served on Trump’s now-defunct voter fraud commission. It has one vacant seat. According to the commission’s charter, the speaker recommends commissioner nominees to the White House, and the administration traditionally then forwards them to the Senate for approval. No more than two of the four slots can be filled by members of the same party. The chairmanship switches between commissioners of different parties every year. Hicks, the sole remaining Democrat, will become chairman on Saturday, agency spokeswoman Brenda Bowser Soder said. But Masterson’s impending departure is bringing new scrutiny to the remaining Republican commissioner: McCormick has expressed skepticism about the urgency of election security and sharply criticized the Department of Homeland Security for labeling elections as “critical infrastructure” — similar to hospitals or banks — at the end of the Obama administration. Numerous states and Republicans were hesitant about the designation, worried that it was a harbinger of federal regulations, a charge DHS has emphatically denied. McCormick also slammed DHS for releasing a report with digital footprints of Russian hacking, saying it was a political move. “Using intelligence agencies and reports that are full of allegations … to justify the extraordinary and invasive action of declaring the states’ election infrastructure as critical infrastructure subject to federal oversight is outrageous and wrong,” she said in January 2017, after the DHS designation.[/quote] Long story short: Paul Ryan is giving the universally championed non-partisan head of election security the boot and replacing him with a far right Republican who has no intention of taking steps to protect our elections from Russian hacking and interference. The GOP isn't just failing to do anything about Russia's attacks: they are actively and intentionally opening the door for them. Why? Because the collapse of our democracy and our sovereignty will allow them to seize more power. Treason.

Wonder if they'll do this with the senate parliamentarian as well. edit: also what if eventually the response to all this bs on t_d and such is "the party in power can do whatever they want, it can't be unlawful or treasonous :downs:"

[QUOTE=TheBorealis;53158376]also what if eventually the response to all this bs on t_d and such is "the party in power can do whatever they want, it can't be unlawful or treasonous :downs:"[/QUOTE] Trump could take a family member of someone from t_d, execute them, and they would cheer on justifying that his eldery mother was probably a democrat traitor who doubted the supreme emperor trump. This is thedonald, you should expect nothing less of them.

As much as I look forward to the 2020 presidential election and how the frustation of this presidency will play a big part in how people vote... The consistent patterns the Republicans have shown have me a very concerned that they're not going to make a fair election easy. Public opinion against them is extreme, but that can only go so far. With the republicans having such a strong footing in both the White House as well as Congress, they've never had more power nor have their actions been so extreme. To be honest, with the amount of insane stories we've heard in just one year, It really does feel like there isn't a single insane course of action they won't take if it furthers their agenda. The first year was bad enough.. Can you imagine things only getting progressively worse over the next three years? I sure as hell can't. Right now we're hearing ideas thrown out about giving teachers guns, and for all we know the Republicans at the end of 2020 could end up saying: "Oh, nobody seems qualified. So we're just going to keep the guy we like in the seat for a couple more years just to be safe." Insane, but with how many times they've shocked us with their actions I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if they tried something so rediculous.

[QUOTE=Michael haxz;53158422]Trump could take a family member of someone from t_d, execute them, and they would cheer on justifying that his eldery mother was probably a democrat traitor who doubted the supreme emperor trump. This is thedonald, you should expect nothing less of them.[/QUOTE] Worth noting that even [I]if[/I] people did take issue, they would be immediately banned and their comment deleted. The subreddit's rules specifically call out that if your comment is nonsupportive/enthusiastic/doesn't align with Trump's views, not only is that comment a banable offense but your comment will also be removed -- because that's what CTR would do and that makes you a CTR troll. e: Image rather than link to avoid driving traffic to that subreddit. [img]https://imgur.com/FnYAkCC.png[/img]

I wouldn't be surprised if they literally stole the election in 2020. It would be the ultimate GOP projection come to life.

[QUOTE=Speedhax;53158450]I wouldn't be surprised if they literally stole the election in 2020. It would be the ultimate GOP projection come to life.[/QUOTE] Oh no, you see, they're not stealing it - they're protecting it from liberals and democrats until they can figure out how to vet people who're voting to make sure the illegals don't get bused in to skew the vote.

[QUOTE=OneWingedAngel8;53158432]rediculous.[/QUOTE] I propose we call the Russia scandal rediculous now, as what they're doing seems quite USSR. I am really looking forward to the Midterms though, and I'm not even American. Our elections are pretty boring, to be honest. Elections here are 6 weeks long, lol, so not much time for insane things to happen, making US elections quite entertaining. I was miserable the day Trump got elected though. I liked Bernie best, but I guess that's my uber-mega-far-left way of thinking about things.

[QUOTE=Dan The Man;53158453]I propose we call the Russia scandal rediculous now, as what they're doing seems quite USSR. I am really looking forward to the Midterms though, and I'm not even American. Our elections are pretty boring, to be honest. Elections here are 6 weeks long, lol, so not much time for insane things to happen, making US elections quite entertaining. I was miserable the day Trump got elected though. I liked Bernie best, but I guess that's my uber-mega-far-left way of thinking about things.[/QUOTE] If there's one thing I can begrudgingly give Trump credit for? It's his rather concerning ability to rile up a crowd, but that's all I'll really give him. Bernie may not have been perfect, but his values and record were very respectable. I was rooting for him, but sadly things didn't pan out in that direction. I do appreciate that much of the talk we've been getting from the rest of the world has been more out of concern then disdain, and I'm actually rather grateful for it. I just hope this'll end up being a phase we can all laugh about years down the line, but needless to say this is a chapter in history many of us over here are likely going to be embaressed over for a long time.

[QUOTE=Michael haxz;53158422]Trump could take a family member of someone from t_d, execute them, and they would cheer on justifying that his eldery mother was probably a democrat traitor who doubted the supreme emperor trump. This is thedonald, you should expect nothing less of them.[/QUOTE] Spez should but a sticky undeletable post at the top of t_d saying "trump is a corrupt moron and you are all lunatics"

Isn't it a good thing that Hicks is the new chairman, though?

[QUOTE=Firgof Umbra;53158442]Worth noting that even [I]if[/I] people did take issue, they would be immediately banned and their comment deleted. The subreddit's rules specifically call out that if your comment is nonsupportive/enthusiastic/doesn't align with Trump's views, not only is that comment a banable offense but your comment will also be removed -- because that's what CTR would do and that makes you a CTR troll. e: Image rather than link to avoid driving traffic to that subreddit. [IMG]https://imgur.com/FnYAkCC.png[/IMG][/QUOTE] That bit about never giving them an inch and wanting to drive them apart really drives home the fact that TD is made up exclusively of delusional retards.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;53158357]Long story short: Paul Ryan is giving the universally championed non-partisan head of election security the boot and replacing him with a far right Republican who has no intention of taking steps to protect our elections from Russian hacking and interference. The GOP isn't just failing to do anything about Russia's attacks: they are actively and intentionally opening the door for them. Why? Because the collapse of our democracy and our sovereignty will allow them to seize more power. Treason.[/QUOTE] The article says his successor hasn't been chosen yet

[QUOTE=Bob The Knob;53159526]The article says his successor hasn't been chosen yet[/QUOTE] It also notes who the most likely candidate is.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;53159614]It also notes who the most likely candidate is.[/QUOTE] Doesn't it just talk about the other existing Republican commissioner? I can't see where it says who the new appointment might be

[QUOTE=Bob The Knob;53159766]Doesn't it just talk about the other existing Republican commissioner? I can't see where it says who the new appointment might be[/QUOTE] Ah, that was my mistake then. Reading again, I see that I misunderstood it as saying that McCormick was one of two people in line for the new position. Ignorance on my part.