The Syndicate

FEMALE VOICE: You're listening to the fusion of entertainment and enlightenment- the Glenn Beck Program.

GLENN: Okay, so now that we've clawed our way into the third and final hour of today's program, I want to discuss the Republican Party's odds for 2020. The economy is fairly stable despite the doomsday economists and their warnings about the inverted yield cure, the unemployment rate is holding steady around 4.5%, and Tom Vilsack's approval numbers are still running about 50%. What do the Republicans need in order to win?

PAT: Probably a recession at this point.

STU: Or maybe a global pandemic?

GLENN: What about Donald Trump, Jr.?

*laughter*

GLENN: It's clear that we are unanimous in our distaste for Don Jr., but he has been leading the field in recent polls. What do you make of that?

STU: His late entry into the race hasn't held him back. The same people who supported his father in 2016 seem to have come right back out in support of him now. Which, I suppose it makes sense that bitter Trump supporters from 2016 would view Don Jr. as a logical choice because he represents many of the same viewpoints and ideals as his father.

GLENN: But he doesn't represent the traditional conservativism that has always served this country well. He just represents...

PAT: Angry white people?

GLENN: Well, I didn't want to put too fine a point on it, but yes. His campaign seems to be anger-based.

STU: Much like his father's.

GLENN: But he talks like a white nationalist sometimes. He uses some terms that are common among those types of people. And I know that this is a delicate subject. We're not saying that all Trump supporters are white nationalists...

PAT: Just the most vocal ones seem to be.

GLENN: He showed up to how many questionable rallies in the last two years? I can't help but think that he is a galvanizing force for Democrats to rally in opposition to.

PAT: And not that we typically care about moderates, but Vilsack seems to have strong support among moderates and independents. If it becomes Don Jr. versus Vilsack, then the same Never Trumpers who voted Libertarian in 2016 may actually vote for Vilsack in 2020.

GLENN: Which would be catastrophic for the GOP.

STU: So basically we need Bernie Sanders and his protest campaign to galvanize liberals against a Democrat who has made only a few significant missteps.

GLENN: I think a global pandemic may be more likely.

PAT: I dunno. Bernie caused problems for Hillary in '16. Maybe he can shake things up again. If Bernie can push Vilsack further to the left it might turn those moderates and independents back to the Republicans.

GLENN: If Kasich, Rubio, or Romney get the nomination perhaps. Rand Paul, who we like the most out of the front-runners, might split independents and moderates, but conservativism often separates the wheat from the chaff.

STU: But the first three names on the list mark a return to nominating establishment Republicans. After nominating Donald Trump on 2016, there are millions of Americans who don't intend to go that vote establishment again. Trump empowered them in some strange way and that momentum is building back up again behind Don Jr.

GLENN: But mark my words- Donald Trump Jr. is bad for the GOP and bad for America. I will do everything in my power to convince our listeners to realize just what he is and what he represents.

Donald Trump, Jr. emerged from the stadium tunnel to thunderous applause. This day was long-awaited, as the 41-year-old had spent the last two years crisscrossing the country, speaking at rallies, events, and political demonstrations. "Stars and Stripes Forever" roared across the PA system as thousands of red-hat-wearing supporters rose to their feet to greet him.

He waved, smirked, kissed his girlfriend, and approached the microphone. Before he could utter a single word, chants of 'Run, Donny, Run' drowned out the music. He raised his hands to quiet the crowd.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you to all you great Americans who came out today and to all of you watching on TV and online. Today is a bittersweet day for not only me, but for America as well.

"Almost three years ago exactly, my father, Donald J. Trump- one of the greatest businessmen America has ever known- made the historic announcement that he was running for president. He was mocked, doubted and condescended to every step of the way."

Boos filled the air.

"In a way, that was symbolic. My father symbolized the people of this great nation who have had their conservative principles and traditional values mocked, doubted and condescended to for several generations now. My father saw the silent majority in this great nation and gave a voice to it. My father vowed to do something that some thought was impossible. He vowed to bring an end to deep-state corruption, resolve the border security debate, drain the swamp, and make America great again.

"But something happened along the way. Despite becoming the most democratically-elected nominee ever chosen to lead a party, he still faced dissent, even from so-called Republicans who preferred their boring, safe, tame, establishment candidates.

"And it wasn't just the Republicans who felt threatened. My father was such a threat to the status quo in Washington D.C. that has left America broken and thinking its best years are in the past, that even the Democrats conspired against him."

The boos became deafening. Don Jr. just nodded his head in agreement with the crowd for a full minute.

"Yes, some in the Democrat Party were so scared of what my father could bring to the table that they formed Operation Cobalt to sabotage my father's campaign. Their underhanded actions saw one of my sisters abducted in a sick and twisted attempt to infiltrate the campaign, my other sister dead, and my father assassinated- a political martyr for the common folk of this great nation.

"Operation Cobalt caused so much chaos that the results of the 2016 election should never have been considered valid. Look what happened- Hillary Clinton and the Democrat Party stole the election. After her administration fell apart swiftly to incompetence and corruption, we're left with a president that was not elected by the people. And yet, Tom Vilsack has now appointed two Supreme Court justices and will soon appoint two more. He has used school shootings to chip away at our 2nd Amendment rights. He has used executive orders to bypass Congress when it does not agree with the liberal agenda he supports. He has also failed to bring Operation Cobalt to justice."

The anger and fury in the room was palpable. It took minutes for the crowd to calm down.

"How do you not bring the perpetrators of the greatest political scandal since the assassination of Julius Caesar to justice? How can our government learn so little in two years that they shrug their shoulders, close the investigation, and call it- of all things- 'inconclusive?' How? How? I know how. They don't want us to know the truth. They want to keep us in the dark. They want to keep us subservient sheep to the god of Big Government. Well I say no."

Cheers picked up as the crowd sensed what was coming.

"I say no to government incompetence. I say no to the status quo. I say no to creeping socialism. I say no to anyone who thinks my father was a mistake. My father was the solution because he wasn't entrenched in the problem. What do you think Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, John Kasich, or Mitt Romney are going to be able to do to break the dysfunction that plagues our government. They're part of the problem! They feed off the status quo and their ability to shut you up to keep them in power. I say no more.

"I can think of no better tribute to my father on this day, what would have been is 73rd birthday, than to put on that same mantle of responsibility, pick up the quest of restoring American greatness, and finishing the job. That is why right here and right now, I am announcing my candidacy for the President of the United States."

Don Jr. looked up and pointed at the ceiling, a tear in his eye.

"Dad, I know you are in heaven and looking down today. Happy birthday. I love you and I miss you. We need you now more than ever, but if America will have me, then I'll do my best to be enough for them.

"Ladies and gentleman, we can make America great again, but first we must take America back again. Join me and we will accomplish both."

"It's now 5:00 in the afternoon, or evening if you will, on the East Coast. Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer and you're in the Situation Room.

Our lead story tonight concerns the latest details in the shocking death of former Texas Senator and 2016 Republican presidential nominee Ted Cruz and his family. CNN sources have confirmed that the suicide letter that spread across the internet and the media earlier this week is in fact genuine. This chilling letter, found in the Cruz home pulls back the curtain on the otherwise private troubles of a very public figure.

Cruz's fall from grace began after losing to Hillary Clinton in 2016, despite a contentious effort to challenge the election results. He was removed from the Senate after being exposed as part of a conspiracy to sabotage the Clinton administration, which fell of its own accord due to the still-unresolved Operation Cobalt scandal.

The now-confirmed suicide letter speaks of Mr. Cruz's struggle with depression even before losing the 2018 senate race to Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke, an election that saw a Democratic candidate claim a Texas senate seat for the first time in a generation, leading some to wonder if Texas may be in play for 2020. After this stinging loss, Cruz writes that he turned to drinking, which strained his marriage, though no divorce or separation documents are known to exist at this time.

Autopsy results for Cruz's wife and two teenage daughters have not been made public yet. Until they are released, we will not know if they were killed before or the house was set on fire. It was that blaze that drew several fire departments to the scene, taking hours to put out.

As the search for answers continues, we are joined now by CNN political correspondent Dana Bash for insight into the political fallout of Ted Cruz's stunning actions."

[mention]112[/mention]
[mention]DrWilgy[/mention]
[mention]Dyslexicon[/mention]
[mention]Epignosis[/mention]
[mention]Funnygurl555[/mention]
[mention]Jackofhearts2005[/mention]
[mention]juliets[/mention]
[mention]Long Con[/mention]
[mention]M Plus 7[/mention]
[mention]MacDougall[/mention]
[mention]NANOOKTHEGREATANDFEARSOME[/mention]
[mention]novaselinenever[/mention]
[mention]Scirrus[/mention]
[mention]Sloonei[/mention]
[mention]Soneji[/mention]

Roles will go out tomorrow night around 9:30 p.m. and Day 0 will begin Sunday night around 9:30 p.m. EST. Look for more pre-game content in the meantime.

*"My City Was Gone" begins playing*

"Greetings to all you music lovers, thrill seekers, and conversationalists across the fruited plains. Your ears do not deceive you, ladies and gentlemen. It truly is I, El Rushbo, sitting behind the golden EIB microphone. Yes, I was supposed to take this week off, but when news of this magnitude breaks, a media professional of my stature can't leave the lamestream media to spin it into oblivion, as evidenced by this weekend's coverage.

Yes, folks, with just two weeks remaining before her scheduled testimony before the special counsel overseeing the Operation Cobalt investigation, Hillary Clinton has disappeared. And not just Hillary, mind you. Bill and Chelsea have flown the coop right alongside her.

Ah, what's that, Mister Snerdley?

No, that's exactly what I think happened. They fled the country.

Well what do you think happened? Princess Pantsuit is slated to testify in the biggest political scandal in the history of this great nation. I have always believed that she not only knew about it, but that she was pulling the strings the whole time. The Clintons may let other people do their dirty work for them, but you damn well better believe that they call the shots.

To her credit, she waited it out like a champ. Early on, I suspected something like this might happen. She tried to be stoic about it all on the talk shows, and she caught everybody with their guard down. The timing of it is perfect. Justice Anthony Kennedy announces his retirement of from the Supreme Court in the middle of last week and all the media types swoop in and flood the airwaves with speculation about who Tom Vilsack will appoint to what is now the second Supreme Court vacancy of his term. Add to that Ruth Bader Ginsberg hinting that she's only got one more term left in the tank and it's a feeding frenzy at the liberal slop feeding trough.

Everyone is distracted into the weekend with pondering how Vilsack might skew the Court even further left after replacing Antonin Scalia's open seat with Merrick Garland, and poof- she's gone. I mean, did you see how PMSNBC's F. Chuck Todd reacted to the news. He was so surprised that, even after all that has happened, that a Democrat might do something like this.

Now, I ask you folks- do you think the reaction would be the same if a Republican did it? This is how they rig the game folks. This is how they operate! They scheme, cheat, and kill, and then they use the media to convince people that this is somehow unique and an anomaly.

You know, Mister Snerdley, now that you've got my brain going on it- and mind you that I keep half my brain tied behind my back just to keep it fair- what if it was spontaneous after all? What if she became so distraught that President Blando, Tom Vilsack, gets to choose another Supreme Court justice instead of her that she said 'screw it all' and took off in a fit of despondency?

What's that?

Well no, that's a good point. There's not much reason for Chelsea to vaunt off with mommy and daddy over a bruised ego. She must have known that she was going to go to prison right alongside with them.

We've got much more to share with you intrepid listeners as this special edition of the Rush Limbaugh Show continues. Don't go away, folks. We have to take a break for an obscene profit timeout but, unlike Hillary Clinton, we aren't going anywhere."

juliets wrote: ↑Thu May 28, 2020 7:03 pm Ohhhh I'm liking the player list for this game. [mention]G-Man[/mention] I have three questions:

1) How many people are you looking for to play?
2) When are you looking to start this?
3) What time (edt) will you have EOD/SOD?

15
As soon as it fills up
Probably 9:00-9:30 p.m. EST

Now that Corrupt!? is over, I owe you folks another pre-game post. Tomorrow!

I need to post more pre-game content to bridge the gap between the last game and this one yet. To do that, I need more freaking free time in my life. I'm okay with it not filling up just yet.

GLENN: What a show we have for you today. Don Jr. steps in it once more, Hillary Clinton may finally get her day in court, and did Ted Cruz just give Texas an early Christmas present?. All this and more, starting right now.
GLENN: Hello America. On the surface, this feels like one of those days that restore your hope for a better America.

STU: It sounds like there's a 'but' coming.

GLENN: But-

PAT: Bingo.

GLENN: But could it be a false hope?

PAT: In what way?

STU: It all seems a little too perfect to be real.

GLENN: It does, Stu. I have to give President Vilsack a lot of credit. He hasn't tried to rock the boat during his first year in office.

PAT: There's not much rocking to be had though, with Republican majorities in both the House and Senate.

STU: And the fact that he knows that he became president by default, so he's basically Gerald Ford.

GLENN: But he has been competent, cooperative, and has shown a strong desire to be transparent. Yesterday, the Vilsack administration finally announced the start of preliminary investigations into Operation Cobalt. This goes beyond congressional hearings-

PAT: Which are mostly just for show anyway.

GLENN: Right. But the Justice Department is starting to schedule hearings. Hillary Clinton may have been able to dodge public questioning in Congress thanks to backdoor witness deliberation, but she will have to answer for whatever her involvement may be.

STU: And the remarkable thing about a president faithfully executing his duty under the Constitution is... what exactly?

GLENN: Rather than perpetually delay these proceedings until God knows when, the President has pushed for getting to the bottom of this. And it's going to happen next year, right in the middle of midterm election season, which is already looking to be a powder keg.

PAT: Vilsack working with Republicans is winning over a lot of Independents right now. That could work against Republicans looking to hold the House and Senate.

GLENN: This is true, which brings us to my next point. But trust me- we will talk much more about Hillary, her campaign staff, and what these court dates may hold for them later on in the show. But now I want to talk about Ted Cruz.

STU: Should we start playing the Rocky theme?

GLENN: Not yet, but it may be in order next November. Yesterday afternoon, Texas election officials confirmed that former Senator Ted Cruz has filed the necessary paperwork to participate in March's Republican primary election for the Senate seat he was removed from not even eleven months ago.

PAT: Well somebody had to step up to the plate.

GLENN: No disrespect to Rick Perry. No disrespect.

STU: Here comes another 'but.'

GLENN: But the same problems that plagued him during his 2016 campaign have continued to plague him as he has served the remainder of Ted Cruz's term.

STU: It probably seemed like a strategically good idea to name Perry, a popular former governor of the state mind you, to Cruz's seat after he was expelled in January, but he needs to learn when to quit while he's behind.

PAT: So does Don Jr.

GLENN: True, and we'll get to him in just a minute. But first I want to ask you if you thing it's too soon for Ted to do this. We know Ted. He has been a friend of this show for years. I trust him when he says that he has reformed himself and that he regrets his actions. But is it still too soon?

PAT: It might be.

STU: But Perry's numbers are shaky, and nobody else seems to have the punch to match the unlikely rise of Democrat congressman Beto O'Rourke.

GLENN: Ted getting into the race is going to galvanize both sides of the race. His presence will get people off the sidelines.

PAT: But which people? Would Cruz turn off some Republicans enough to get them to vote for O'Rourke- assuming he wins the Democrat primary?

GLENN: At this point it looks like Beto and his bizarre, folksy campaign are headed to victory, but it's a long way to March yet. Beto may gain from Independents turned off by Ted's past.

STU: Speaking of turning off Independents...

GLENN: Yes, Donald Trump Jr. showed up at yet another borderline white nationalist rally. We'll get into how Donny may be sinking the campaign he seems to be posturing to launch before he can even file for his candidacy. But first, a message from our friends at Goldline.

The pilot sat ready behind the stick, listening to radio chatter. News of a massive shooting in Las Vegas was drowning all channels in speculation and mindless chatter. While the event itself was horrible, it provided his team with a little extra cover to execute their mission. Or so he thought.

"Target acquired," barked a voice over the walkie, "but we gotta move!"

"Roger that," the pilot said. "What happened down there?"

"Damn old man still has a lot of fight left in him. He knocked Morgan out cold and triggered an alarm."

"I thought the boss said the security system would be disabled?" the pilot asked.

"The one we knew about was. He must have had a parallel system that we didn't know about."

"Redundancy," the pilot whispered. "Dammit. How much time do we have?"

"The alarm switched on about 30 seconds ago. We'll be with you in two minutes. How's that work for our escape vector?"

"Christ," the pilot hissed. "In two minutes, LAPD's going to make Mandeville Canyon tighter than a witch's asshole. We're going to be a little conspicuous on our way out."

"Call the boss and see what he can do."

"The boss is always listening," came a third voice, "and he is none too pleased with these developments."

"Sorry sir," the pilot said.

"Just do your part and get your asses out of there with the target in tow. Next time, be more careful."

"Yes sir."

Lawrence O'Donnell pulled up to a red light. Just 30 minutes ago, he had been in the MSNBC war room, plotting out the night's coverage of Hillary Clinton's disastrous inauguration. There had been confusion, anger, and a rift between those who sought to cover the day's events like journalists and those who wanted to play damage control for a wounded Democratic president. Lawrence was in the middle of discussing a push on a conspiracy theory narrative when he received a text message that stopped him cold.

CODE RED, it said. Just two words, but it was more than enough for him to excuse himself from the building. He kept a duffel bag in the trunk of his car for just such an occasion. He had made a clean exit from his assignment, but those who followed him must not have been as careful or the current state of affairs wouldn't exist.

Lawrence hadn't seen any communication from the phone number issuing the text in several months. He had removed it from his phone contacts long ago but the number was committed to memory. It was like a specter from the past. Disarming? Yes, but also reassuring in a strange way.

Before the light turned green, his phone rang. He answered it on his Bluetooth ear piece.

"This is O'Donnell," he said.

"Lawrence," replied a panicked voice. "Shit, Lawrence, we're in trouble!"

"Calm down, Wes," Lawrence said.

"Calm down? How can I calm down when the whole goddamn thing is falling apart right before our eyes? The entire world knows about Operation Cobalt now. We're all toast!"

"For Christ's sake Wes, get your wits about you," Lawrence chided. "The only things the world knows are the name Operation Cobalt and the mission. They don't know anything beyond that."

"They know Pamela was in on it."

"But none of the other players," Lawrence said.

"Then why did Sidney issue the Code Red?"

"It's a precaution, Wes," Lawrence said, tiring of the conversation. "Get to your safe house, check in with Sidney, and wait for further instructions. It's as simple as that."

"But Lawrence-"

"This conversation is over, Wes. Sidney is going to take care of this. It's what he does. Everything is going to be fine. This is just a minor disruption. Goodbye."

Lawrence hung up the phone and sighed. This was more than a minor disruption. This was the biggest political scandal in history and he wasn't going to be there to put his highbrow spin on it or a few days. If any of those bootlickers waiting in the wings thought they could swoop in and use his vacancy to angle their way into his time slot, he'd set them straight once he got back.

But what Lawrence O'Donnell didn't know was that he wasn't going to return to his precious time slot. After a few days of being lulled into a false sense of security at their respective safe houses, he and several of his co-conspirators would be collected.

This partially-open setup game is for 15 players. As a Heist, there are only three power roles in the game. I will be using the following standard G-Man Game matrix:
Gameplay
1. Days are 48 hours long. I will do everything in my power to keep poll deadlines consistent.
2. Nights are 24 hours long, but all PMs must be sent to the host within 23 hours so night posts can be written in a timely fashion.
3. Only those players who have BTSC may communicate with each other outside of the game thread but ONLY in designated BTSC threads or chat rooms. For everyone else, no game-related discussion is permitted outside the game thread.
4. Votes in the poll are the only votes that count. It's helpful but not mandatory that you declare your vote in the thread in a way that stands out to the host.
5. All votes are changeable all the way up to the deadline.
6. A tied lynch will result in no lynch. Votes matter. There will be no coin flips to determine lynch results.
6) Standard alignment wincons are in effect unless otherwise stated.
7) Dead is dead; you don't get to come back from that. Dead players will have their BTSC rights removed.
8) Roles will be revealed upon death.
9) Additional gameplay elements will be added/revealed on an as-needed basis.


Rules
1) Respect your fellow players, your host, and your Facilitator.
1a) Don't be an asshat.
1b) Don't get butthurt.
2) If you feel like another player is out of line or making/taking things personal/ly, contact the Facilitator, ???.
3) No BTSC regarding the game outside of the game thread(s). Players are told in their rolecard if they have BTSC. If you don't have it, don't engage in it. Violating this rule will result in a modkill.
4) No editing or deleting posts.
5) Self-voting is prohibited.
6) Double-targeting is prohibited.
7) Info-dumping and/or power-role-claiming is forbidden. Don't break games, build cases.
8) Off-topic posts should be in OT Green.
9) Dead players are to post in Dead Red.
10) Non-Players should post in Non-Player Blue.
11) This is the host's color. Do not post in this color.
12) Participation is polite to everyone involved. If I feel you may not be paying attention to the game, I will reach out to you. Replacements and modkills may be employed if necessary. If you sign up, please play. If you can't play, request replacement.
13) Additional rules will be added/revealed on an as-needed basis.


Backstory
Here is a link to first post of Blue vs. Red. In that post, you will find links to the host posts for the first game in this series, Red vs. Blue, links to all host posts in sign-ups for Blue vs. Red, as well as the links to host posts for the main game of Blue vs. Red.

Reading all this content is not essential, but glossing over some of it will help you understand the alternate history in which these games take place, and the major players within it. Several pre-game posts are under construction to segue from Blue vs. Red to this game. Stay tuned...

Players

Yes
1. Dyslexicon
2. MacDougall
3. Sloonei
4. Nanook
5. DrWilgy
6. Jackofhearts2005
7. Long Con
8. Soneji
9. M Plus 7
10. Epignosis
11. 112
12. Funnygurl555
13. Scirrus
14. juliets
15. novaselinenever

Maybe
TonyStarkPrime
Dragon D. Luffy
sprityo

No
dunya