Senate The US Politics 2.0 Discussion Thread

Just for clarification, is this the bill you mean by HR1?

 

Si

 

It reminds me of this @DarkGingerJedi for some odd reason:

 

Thanks. I'm going to try and keep an eye on that one as it goes through (or stalls through) Congress.

 

I know there has been some talk among the State GOP of trying to push through a voter ID law here in MN. Since we have a split legislature and a Democratic governor, I don’t see it happing soon, but it’s going to be on the agenda if they ever take back control.

As a little history lesion they already tried it via constitutional amendment back in 2012 (along with an attempted gay marriage ban) and got defeated soundly by voters. So it look like they want to just legislate it this time.

 

If it doesn't happen, the country is doomed to fascism, and it won't go away after these voter suppression bills get through state legislatures.

 

I suppose, although it might deserve its own name. Still going to be an authoritarian, xenophobic regime, not unlike the type we currently see in some other parts of the world, except much more powerful.

 

Yep. Actions speak much louder than words. Don’t say "Trump sucks". Rather, show me what you got that doesn’t suck. Something like that. Good policies that appeal to a wide range of people are always hard to argue with. And not only should they pull newer Trump voters away but they also need to get those undecideds as you mentioned. Those folks IMO are what gave Trump the edge in 2016 and also likely helped Biden in 2020. Swing voters....ya gotta get them.

 

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/supreme-court-voting-rights-act-arizona-case

We need HR 1, period. It’s worth gutting the filibuster for. Without it, Democrats will lose the Senate—at a bare minimum—for a generation or more.

I have zero faith in the Supreme Court to do the right thing. They’ll back the GOP, 6-3. HR 1 as soon as COVID relief is passed.

 

That briefing is an ugly read, looking in from the outside...

 

Democrats need to wake up to the fact that they will never pass any impressive piece of legislation, anything that actually builds them political capital, unless they scrap the filibuster. They can either be held captive by Republicans, or they can end the filibuster, those are the only two options available to them.

 

If they can end it. It only takes one defection.

 

Munchin and Sinoma are too invested in their coalition with Collins and others to support getting rid of the filibuster.

 

I tried watching Donald Trump, Jr.'s speech at CPAC but couldn't. His speech patterns resemble those of a standup comedian (except he takes himself seriously). All I can remember is him shouting "Fact Checker! Fact Checker!" He moves around on the stage and shifts his body like it's all a joke. He intersperses anecdotes about people killing animals on hunting expeditions. How obnoxious can one family be? Shouldn't the Republican party just end finally?

 

I agree with you. Sit back, let the democrats run things and then use that against them in the next election. Something will happen with the Pandemic that can be used against democrats.

I’m not sure Trump can let himself disappear for a few years. Trump wants to rule the Republican Party. He needs to pop out fairly regularly to keep his base engaged and throw his weight around by interfering with some Republican who steps out of line. He he doesn’t the rest of the party will stop listening to him and won’t be afraid of him.

The problem is Trump is lightening rod for democrats to rally against. He unifies democrats.

 

You think that was hard to watch @Tython Awakening then try watching his interview on FNC later that night. Holy hell he was vibrating like a tuning fork! There is something really wrong with him Either he is on drugs or the emotional strain of everything has taken his toll. I mean I think the guy has aged twenty years over the past five:



There is something really going on there. Plus too I am a firm believer that being angry and full of hatred just ages a person so dramatically like they are living on Tatooine.

And @Jedi_Sith_Smuggler_Droid I honestly think DJT could care less about "running the GOP" or anything like that. Politics bores him and he is the laziest person I ever seen (and I spend all day with teenagers so trust me I know laziness LOL!) therefore the idea of him running the GOP has no interest to him. But he has no choice in the manner. Thanks to his incompetence and insanity, DJT ruined whatever financial windfalls that could have happened post presidency and again his company was not in good shape BEFORE he took office. Now when you factor that his investments have all taken a bath over the past several years especially now therefore "running the Republican Party" is what he has to do in order to stay afloat.

 

By run the GOP I mean lord over the politicians and donors. Have the congressmen and senators pay homage to him for being so great. Have people visit him at his resort in Florida like a king in his castle. Trump wants a big crowd of followers he can speak in front of. He wants to be on tv anytime he wants to be on tv. And Trump wants the power to get anyone who goes against him primaried by his endorcing another candidate.

 

A good photo vs. a bad photo. A man in his forties grew a beard and got a few more gray hairs.

 

Even that I might think he will get bored with pretty quickly. Remember we are dealing with someone who has the mental capacity of a toddler. Last night was his first speech in over a month. It was assume he have energy to burn and be on a tear throughout. While it might have lasted ninety minutes, DJT check out of mentality of the thirty minute mark or so. You could tell he was just faking it pretty much throughout and really did not want to be there despite the fact there was a ______ golden statue in his honor there. As time wears on, I think that will become even more and more apparent with DJT as he realizes that being "former president" is just that...you are a former president. As Obama said you are slammed back into reality once you hit your first red light and realize you are stuck there as there is no longer a motorcade to run through it.

 

I'm not so certain Trump will run again ever - too much work, and if he won, too much actual responsibility. Far better to have a catspaw minion run as his anointed successor, gets around term limits, legalities - it's perfect. He gets to cherry pick the credit and dump the crap on the cat.

 

Trump wants to be President without actually having to be the President, and the Republican Party is striving to fulfill his wish. He doesn't want the responsibility - never did - just the power, influence and money.

Note that at his interview with Fox last night he also referred to the January 6th insurrection as a 'lovefest', dismissed the minor kerfluffle as being the fault of Pelosi, and complained that the media refused to talk about how big his adoring crowd was at the rally.

About the only thing that actually wounded him is his Twitter ban.

 

The economic fallout from 1/6 which is really starting to happen is much wounded him much worse then even losing Twitter. If anything Twitter has helped saved him since now whatever insanity that was running thru his head stays in his head instead of typing into his phone. But having the company you been in real estate the longest with tell you "it's over"? Now that hurts.

 

Trump and his party also want the Presidency without having to do the hard democratic part, and have people vote for him. Their entire efforts are now to suppress the vote even further. Which now include 16 Republicans in the Arizona Senate co-sponsoring a resolution calling for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to be held in contempt and arrested for refusing to comply with wide-ranging subpoenas for election equipment and materials. Because they all think there was fraud, while having no evidence of it.

 

What's hilarious is that if Trump had divested from his business interests -- as he should have in accordance with the emoluments clause -- and invested his wealth in an S&P 500 fund, he would've nearly doubled his wealth. Now much of his real estate and hotel empire is going belly up in large part because of the pandemic he totally failed to control. I guess he's the one multi-millionaire who didn't get to share in the "economic miracle" of the Trump presidency.