Senate The US Politics 2.0 Discussion Thread

Glitter, I watched and read the transcript. The problem is you’ve inserted whole paragraphs about what he “must” have meant and then critiques that. The answer he gave, while conditional, is neither unclear, nor really dependent on the performance of Democrats in particular. “The risk increases in direct proportion to not getting this passed” is not an ambiguous formulation in the slightest.

If you want to try and draw an equivalency in the future, you’ll have less work to do if you are start with an actual similarity.

 

It is dumb to compare Biden with Trump. Trump made it clear from day one that he would only accept the election results if he won; the reporter is clearly trying to get Biden to say what the reporter wants him to say.

Heck, Trump made it clear that he was a sore winner when he tried to establish that commission on voter fraud AFTER he won in 2016.

Even if Biden isn't as forthcoming as he probably should be about accepting the results, does anyone seriously think he will pull the same stunts that Trump pulled? Will he file 60+ futile lawsuits? Will he instruct members of his administration to hamper the transition? Will he incite a mob to attack the capitol to stop the certification?

The answer, we all know, is a resounding no.

 

they were talking about her on the local news yesterday and speculating whether Ruben Gallego could challenge her

 

It stinks that the courts and the Senate are rightwing (we're facing that Sinema and Manchin are defacto Republicans who pretend otherwise), there's still been a lot of good done in year one and a lot of good to come. A Democratic presidency is the only viable shield to RepubliQan rule since they want to rule like monarchs not govern within the system. The courts will become even more rightwing for another generation of Americans lost without voting for Democrats.

Spoiler: images

THIS is part of what a future Republican presidency and Congress would look like - along with anti-science, tax cuts for the wealthy, and deregulation of business:

The Hill - House committee in Florida passes 'Don't Say Gay' [in schools] bill
NBC News - Florida could shield whites from ‘discomfort’ of racist past
News4JAX - Florida bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks clears 1st committee
Raw Story - Former DeSantis official declares Florida is ‘now essentially an autocracy’ [under DeSantis]

 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/23/politics/florida-solar-industry/index.html

Looks like Florida's on a fast-track to end up underwater.

This is insanely stupid, not just from a climate-change perspective, but an economic one as well. No surprise given who's in charge there, though.

 

You know, I'm beginning to think that the Florida government isn't always looking at the long-term benefits for the state's populace.

 

They're not looking at anything except monetary gains.

 

NY Magazine - McConnell Signals GOP Will Run on Pure Obstruction in the Midterms
Mitch McConnell is telling Republicans they don't need a legislative agenda to promote in the midterm elections.

The federal Dems need to run against all these crazy RepubliQan policies (see Florida in my former post above) in the states to mitigate their losses because this is exactly what they'd propose after winning Congress but downplay/conceal beforehand like Youngkin did in Virginia.

CBS58 - [Wisconsin] Republicans vote to allow 18-year-olds to carry concealed weapons on school property



NY Times - Republicans Want New Tool in Elusive Search for Voter Fraud: Election Police
Republicans in three states have proposed strike forces against election crimes even though fraud cases remain minuscule.

Wisconsin State Journal - GOP lawmaker caught on video urging party to 'cheat like the Democrats or bend the rules'

 

^ Elections have consequences.

 

Trump is slamming the Jan 6 panel for "going after children" (his)

meanwhile literally on Fox this morning "Hunter Biden's laptop...Ukraine"

 

Remember when they said to vote Biden and pull him left?



At this point, liberals don't have a right to say anything. Ever.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/v...ator-for-jan-6-panel/ar-AAT45dP?ocid=msedgntp

When Republicans take power...

A preview of the takeover of the US House next year.

 

Interestingly, my friend just won her lawsuit in Alaska for being fired for personal speech having nothing to do with her capacity as lawyer for the state (including work through multiple governors of both parties), as well as the loyalty pledges that are now trying to become common...

So this will get interesting...

 

This is a dumb hot take. Some of the things that were in Build Back Better were certainly not customary Joe Biden flagship issues or approaches. They were the result of him being pulled leftwards, and now he was bragging about them in a press conference. Just take the win. People in politics almost never admit to having changed the degree of their ideological bent. That doesn't mean we're incapable of looking logically at what they're doing and telling whether it has changed or not.

 

Really happy Joe was able to consistently get 48 votes, such a great accomplishment. How many are needed to pass a bill again?

 

I mean, the President can't really control the makeup of Congress, nor can he prevent obstructionists like Manchin and Sinema from blocking everything when they really, really want to. Presidential candidates can't fulfill most of their campaign promises unless elected with a willing Congress. Biden was not. I'm surprised he's been able to accomplish as much as he has already, but barring an unlikely breakthrough with Manchin and Sinema, he'll have to pray for a miracle in the midterm elections.

 

rediculous Newt Gingrich tells Maria Bartiromo that if republicans take back congress the january 6 committee could be jailed.

 

Well…yeah. Because Manchin and Sinema made sure that Democrats failed to stop them, they are running on full on seizure of power and fraud elections.

At this point, our best hope is that COVID kills enough of their diehard supporters and the rest get a wake up call and either don’t vote for them or stay home. Otherwise, we are super screwed.

 

Well, you gotta plant the seeds for those evil things you want to happen.

 

David Dayen offers the best tracker of what Biden has enacted via executive order, and more tellingly, what he has failed to do. (Whatever limited good he's done, his unwillingness to pursue student loan forgiveness and patent seizure is unforgivable, and will cost him at the polls.)

How is the Biden administration doing?
Out of 77 actions, there are 15 yes, 12 partial, 6 no, and 1 no longer applicable

https://prospect.org/day-one-agenda/executive-action-tracker

 

The guy campaigned on not only convincing the likes of Manchin to back his agenda but also getting Republicans on board (despite all the evidence that it would never happen). He wasted time after the American Rescue Plan trying for "bipartisanship," endorsed the fatal mistake of splitting the infrastructure package that led to only a glorified highway bill/corporate handout getting passed. The President recently expressed surprise that Republicans were being completely uncooperative, showing that we either have a moron in the White House or a bald-faced, cynical liar. Probably both.