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Comment by dangoor

12 days ago

For people wonder how this got there, the blame goes to Rep. Elise Stefanik:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2864

That bill was tacked onto a big "must pass" defense authorization and may not have survived on its own.

Here's an article with some speculation on why Stefanik introduced this bill: https://dronexl.co/2024/06/06/drone-industry-outrage-stefani...

27 comments

dangoor

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TylerE  12 days ago

What a shocker. One of the most worthless partisan blowhards in congressional history.

She's Dick Cheney to MTG/Boeberts Dubya Bush.

  • hn_throwaway_99  12 days ago

    The sicker thing to me is how she (like many) was actually relatively moderate until she completely hitched her wagon onto the Trump train. Another Profile in Cowardice. An overview: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/women-rule/2023/01/06/t...

    All of these politicians who have these completely transactional relationships, I just find utterly gross. I mean, do they have any actual friends? For example, Trump completely disparaged Ted Cruz's wife and father in 2016, Cruz called Trump a "pathological liar" back then, only to do a total 180 and turn into another boot licker.

    • rayiner  12 days ago

      Politicians have put aside their personal beefs with Trump in response to their constituents. The republican base doesn’t want foreign wars and tax cuts, they want to kick the illegal immigrants out of the country and curtail foreign trade. Remember when Joe Biden told black voters Romney “wants to put them back in chains?” The Republican base wants their version of that guy, and that’s Trump. For Stefanik, Cruz, etc., their job is to put aside their personal preferences and get on board with what their constituents want.

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mardifoufs  12 days ago

I'd rather blame everyone who voted on this, actually. Every one in Congress is an adult and were free to decide how to vote on this, afaik.

KerrAvon  12 days ago

And if you need a backgrounder on Stefanik, she got elected before Trump, decided she preferred staying in DC to her hometown, sold out her previously-stated principles almost immediately when she saw a chance to gain power, and is now doing as much damage to civil liberties as Nixon and McCarthy ever managed:

https://theracket.news/p/stop-going-stefanik-committee-fools

She doesn't care about whether the bill does something valid or even whether it survives legal challenges, as long she can use it to score political points. It's a real shame. Congresspeople are supposed to be servants beholden to the public good, not power-hungry sycophants who can't be bothered with the details of governance.

  • kotaKat  12 days ago

    I'll add more as a NY21 local:

    I've never seen her. I've never heard from her locally. You can't fucking find Elise. It's all events in the past. There's never been a townhall up in this portion of her region.

    Bonus: Her husband is a lobbyist for a leading gun industry trade group. https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Stefanik-s-husband-K...

    • acdha  12 days ago

      I’ll contrast that with people like Jamie Raskin. I’ve met him personally (briefly, but multiple times) because he shows up at random music festivals and civic events. It’s really not hard to tell when a politician is interested in public feedback.

questhimay  12 days ago

[flagged]

  • throwaway_j12  12 days ago

    Doesn't this seem at odds with the facts?

    China isn't militarily supporting Russia or Ukraine. Ukraine's drone army is built from cheap Chinese drones. China is neutral. The argument that it hasn't sanctioned Russia means it is a party to the war on Russia's side is an argument of the form "if you aren't with us, you are against us." But then, you'd think the US would levy the same kind of vitriol at e.g. India.

    China is led by a General Secretary of the Communist Party's central committee. Taiwan and China are recognized by the United States by international treaty as one country.

    China is "attacking" the US? The US and China are in economic warfare (an economic war started by the United States under the Trump Administration). The reason for this is the US sees China's economic rise as a threat to its global position.

    • tyree731  12 days ago

      > China is neutral.

      Neutrality in the face of gross violations of international law amounts to tacit support. And yes, I understand that you have addressed this point in your comment, but whataboutism gets us nowhere. If a country is violating human rights, they should be held accountable.

      > Taiwan and China are recognized by the United States by international treaty as one country.

      A treaty not worth the paper it's written on. It's clear that the United States would defend Taiwan militarily were it to come to that, so mentioning as a reason to punish China that China continues to provoke Taiwan militarily is very relevant.

      > The reason for this is the US sees China's economic rise as a threat to its global position.

      Ahh yes, of course, this war being entirely the US' fault.

      1 reply →

    • questhimay  12 days ago

      China is not neutral

      China supporting Russia in massive military expansion, US says. Beijing helping with drone production, space-based capabilities and ballistic missile production https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/12/china-supporti...

      China is lead by a dictator

      Biden calls Xi a dictator https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-calls-xi-dictator-after-...

      Germany's foreign minister called Xi Jinping a “dictator” https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/19/china/china-germany-xi-dictat...

      1 reply →