Voting laws are changed to make it more difficult for some people to vote. A prominent member of a political party is demoted because she refused to follow the lies of a former president. Innocent Asian-Americans are attacked all over the country. A number of members of the aforementioned political party vote in opposition to an Asian anti-hate bill. One Republican Congressional member equated the slaughter of Jewish people in WWII to the requirement of masks in the House chamber. A detailed investigation of the causes of the insurrection on Capital Hill on Jan. 6th is torpedoed by a Republican House leader and a Republican Senate minority leader. Why?
Maybe there is an explanation.
95 comments:
"And if they don't lose?"
If they don't lose then it'll be Trump's second term and he'll be disqualified from running for a third term. (The 22ⁿᵈ Amendment prohibits a third term--doesn't matter the first two terms would not be sequential.) So, if he doesn't lose, he'll plot on how to seize power permanently during his second term, how to use that time to make his Presidency permanent and be able to skip all that reëlection shit, same thing as would have happened if he'd won in 2020, just delayed by four years.
And if he does lose again in 2024 he'll try to seize power again in spite of the loss. They learned some things from last time that they'll try to utilize next time. One of the things they learned is that there's no penalty for tryin' to seize power (I'm not sure that'll continue to apply, but Trump likely will convince himself it does.) They're already maneuvering towards that end. (That's why the Trumpkan/Republicans are now so dead set against any independent or bi-partisan investigation of Jan 6ᵗʰ. Any such investigation would tend to obstruct their efforts to do a better job of it next time.)
Either way, they're gonna be back to schemin' on how to seize power. They're gonna try it again. It's just a matter of when--soon after the 2024 (if they lose in 2024), but before the 2028 elections (if they win in 2024). They're gonna be schemin' on how to seize power either way it comes out; might as well just get used to that idea.
And my definition of gettin' 'used to that idea' means gettin' ready for it--not panicking in the face of the prospect. Be calm; carry on; get ready; be ready; don't be freakin' out 'bout it when the time comes.
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(This question and answer from the last thread seems also relevant to this thread, so I brought it all forward.)
(This question and answer from the last thread seems also relevant to this thread, so I brought it all forward.)
Yes, it is.
And my definition of gettin' 'used to that idea' means gettin' ready for it--not panicking in the face of the prospect. Be calm; carry on; get ready; be ready; don't be freakin' out 'bout it when the time comes.
Yes, well, I will continue to speak out when the opportunity arises. I cannot in good conscious say nothing. But that doesn't mean I won't pick my battles. Those who have swallowed the lies hook, line and sinker may not be moved by any argument I may make.
"Yes, well, I will continue to speak out when the opportunity
arises."
Well, of course. If people don't keep their machinations fully lit they'll just prepare in the dark, and we, as a country, won't be ready when they try it again. That is why the Trumpkan/Republican Party is now consolidating in opposition to the proposed Jan 6ᵗʰ Commission--even those who initially proposed such a commission are now falling back into the Trumpkin line.
And they do plan to try again. We don't want the average American to forget what happened and get taken by surprise next time. (Just don't wanna cross the "Cassandra" line with our friends and neighbors. But I do plan to make it my customary final argument against the return of Trump--that I don't want to see a repeat of Jan 6ᵗʰ--except better prepared next time, and he will do it again.)
Speaking of which: Here's something to keep our eyes on.
"Republicans who sought to undercut or overturn
President Joe Biden’s election win are launching campaigns
to become their states’ top election officials next year,
alarming local officeholders and opponents who are warning
about pro-Trump, “ends justify the means” candidates taking
big roles in running the vote."
Politico
We don't want the average American to forget what happened and get taken by surprise next time.
Part of the problem is that Trump and his followers have been very intent on discrediting the news media, who is the primary spotlight on what has been going on. I fear too many people will not pay attention.
Duncan, who was in Washington D.C. last week to take meetings about GOP 2.0 (he declined to say with whom) said he believed the party would come around: “They’re just going to get tired of losing. They’re going to get tired of running people out there that just are unelectable.”
I hope he is right.
"Trump and his followers have been very intent on
discrediting the news media…"
Standard play from the fascist playbook. But it's not begun with Trump. Rupert Murdock and his boys have been singing that song loud as they could since FoxNews first came on-air at the end of the 1980's. It was a major part of the Republicans' "Tea Party" movement as well. (And we can actually trace it back to the rise of Reagan where it was first incorporated into a prominent place in the songbook of the "Movement Conservatives" who trailed along in Reagan's wake.)
"I fear too many people will not pay attention."
Yeah, that would be bad. And, of course, they've made their move now because they think they have a real shot now at pulling it off.
And, we're in new territory here so far as American public polling goes. Lotta folks, especially right-wingers, have begun to view the pollsters as their enemy and are not being coöperative. So, it's getting harder and harder for even the best of them to approach their levels of accuracy from previous decades. So, assurances are hard to give.
Nevertheless:
My gut tells me that there's gonna be a fairly large segment of the Republican Party who just won't vote the next couple of times the elections come 'round. I'm expecting a drop off in their vote in 2022, and again in 2024. They won't be able to bring themselves to vote for a Democrat, but their level of disgust with where their party is going will cause a significant percentage to just not vote at all. That's what my gut instincts tell me (at this point in time).
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"I hope he is right."
Yeah, well, that brings us back to the need to keep a light on the fascists' interim machinations against American democracy, and to do that without causing the semi-serious voter to decide we're every bit as hysterical as are the Trumpkins. Gotta walk a line there. Long time 'til the 2024 elections. Be too easy to turn off the people we need to convince by overdoing our sales pitch between here and there.
We do want to keep an eye on how many of the Trumpkins can get themselves elected to public offices with power to handle the 2024 Presidential voting--the mid-terms will tell us quit a bit about how things are shakin' out. That's especially true for the contests for the state and county vote counters' offices. We'll wanna remember to watch for that when the returns come in for the 2022 elections.
On the other hand, Digby thinks the hyped-up dedicated Trumpkin "base" will overcome any fall off among the "establishment" Republicans (whom she doesn't mention at all).
(Pick your prediction; I don't think anybody's working with any degree of certainty this far out..)
Yeah, well, that brings us back to the need to keep a light on the fascists' interim machinations against American democracy, and to do that without causing the semi-serious voter to decide we're every bit as hysterical as are the Trumpkins. Gotta walk a line there.
Yes, we need to nibble around the edges. Telling people they are flat out wrong won't work. But maybe getting them correct information in a way that is non threatening and that they will believe may help for them to understand that they have been lied to about various things. Things that will matter for their future.
(Pick your prediction; I don't think anybody's working with any degree of certainty this far out..)
Like before I don't want to predict. It's too important. I will just pick my battles and hope for the best. I still love my country and feel that its ideals are something to work toward and fight for. That they are being twisted and highjacked by Trump and his followers to use for their own ends alarms and horrifies me.
Btw, I did see that apparently Republicans finally stood up and spoke out against Marjorie Taylor Green's latest repellent comments comparing mask requirements to the holocaust. They caught enough flak.
Just turned on the news and heard they have convened a Grand jury to decide if they should indict Trump.
"…Marjorie Taylor Green's latest repellent comments …"
I'm in the minority here, fairly clearly I think, but I find her comments more along lines of truly, colossally stupid, ridiculous rather than repellent. But, both political parties are interested in pursuing the 'Jewish Vote' and so they both go along with the tendency of that bloc to see any grasp at grievance which compares itself to the Holocaust to be anti-semitic and an insult to the memory of their ancestors' sufferings. (Somehow that voting bloc seems to think that ridiculously aggrandizing ones own persecutions (real or imagined) somehow diminishes the very real monstrosity that was the Holocaust. I do not agree, but I think I'm in the minority here.)
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"…they have convened a Grand jury to decide if they should
indict Trump."
I've been expecting that'd happen. The The New York County District Attorney, a/k/a the Manhattan D.A., is not running for reëlection this round, already said so. (Given Gov. Cuomo's public relations problems, the D.A. might be considering a shot at a higher office.) But, this'll get his fingerprints on an indictment of Trump, should that actually happen. So, not sure this means very much except that D.A. Vance still thinks (or hopes) they'll eventually find enough evidence to support an indictment of Trump if they just keep lookin'. (And there are adequate facts and sufficient reason to support such a hope, or think, whichever one it is for him.)
Famous (or infamous, as the case may be) Minnesotan, Mike Lindell, has been turned away at the door after he tried to gain entrance to the Republican Governors' Association meeting in Nashville, Tennessee yesterday. (He claimed he'd been invited--seems that's maybe not so.) Politico
He has been allowed to attend before. So, maybe some of them are trying to gain some distance from Trump.
...the tendency of that bloc to see any grasp at grievance which compares itself to the Holocaust to be anti-semitic and an insult to the memory of their ancestors' sufferings.
I think it was her idea that having a mask mandate during a health crisis was akin to the systematic extreme marginalization of one group of people due to their religion. Extreme in the sense that these people were eventually systematically killed. I kind of found that repellent, but it was also stupid and ignorant. It was beneath someone who holds elected office.
He has been allowed to attend before. So, maybe some of them are trying to gain some distance from Trump.
Maybe, or maybe they are just starting to realize that crazy doesn't fly with a lot of American voters.
New studies are suggesting that persons who contracted covid-19 and then went ahead and got vaccinated may be permanently immune to further infections by the SARS-CoV2 virus. NewYorkTimes
I think the feds are still offering to pick up the costs for folks to get an antibodies test (which will distinguish between the antibodies sparked by the real disease and those induced by the vaccines). I think they're still interested in gathering more data, and if they pay they get to know the results (divorced from the patients' name, of course--we're talkin' "metadata" here).
Now that I might find interesting. I might have to see if I can get an antibody test to see if I ever had Covid like I suspect.
I will have to call my clinic and see where I can get a test.
"Now that I might find interesting."
I figured there was a chance you might.
So the Republicans are using the excuse that the Democrats would use the Jan. 6th commission as some political tool against them. They will oppose it in the Senate and kill it.
However, I am of the opinion that it will look even worse for them, politically speaking, to oppose it. Now the Democrats can argue that the Republicans are engaging in a massive cover up of their own culpability in the insurrection, instead of owning up to it. And they will be right.
"And they will be right."
Being right ain't enough. We'll have to be convincing as well. The dedicated Trumpkin 'base' voters have already demonstrated they'll believe or pretend to believe whatever Trump (And FoxNews) tells them to believe (often in spite of their knowing that it's not actually true). Luckily, that contingent doesn't seem to amount to more than 35-40% of the eligible voting population.
Then there's a smaller contingent of potential swing voters--I'd reckon it around 10% of the eligible voting population, probably no more than that, maybe significantly less. Them's the ones we gotta convince.
Then there's a higher percentage of folks who think Biden's doing an acceptable job right now--probably most of those are never gonna vote for Trump. (RCP has Biden's favorability rating averaged across multiple polls at 52% Trump's at 40%) Biden's gotta hold that 52%. And with the Trumpkan/Republican structural advantages Biden probably needs to win, overall, by 5-7% (nationally) to be comfortable going into the next election. If the election were held again, today, I think Biden would walk away with it this time, wouldn't even be close at 12% popular vote win.
But, he's gotta deliver something the voters like during these next few years.
It all boils down to the fact that most voters still believe "it can't happen here". They live in cities or suburbs some distance away from the hinterlands where the minority vote resides. I live amongst the dedicated Trumpkins. I'm convinced it can happen here; so are they. And they're already of the opinion that this is their best, and maybe their last credible chance to make it happen. And so am I.
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(I'll be delighted to see Trump run for President again. Provided he gets his ass kicked next time by "Sleepy Joe" or whomever else Biden designates as his heir apparent. That would help convince them that their moment has passed. And they're gonna havta be convinced.)
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"The vote to advance the bill failed by 54 to 35, well short
of the 60 votes needed. Republican Senators Bill Cassidy,
Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Mitt Romney,
and Ben Sasse supported advancing the bill. All but Portman
voted to convict former President Trump on the impeachment
charge of incitement of insurrection in February."
CBSNews
Nine Republicans declined to vote, as did two Democrats (or Independents who get counted as Democrats by the press, whichever; already on their way to the airports probably--they're not used to working Fridays).
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Not content with ragging on John McCain and Mitt Romney, Trump has now taken to abusing one-time Republican Vice Presidential Candidate, Paul Ryan, denouncing Ryan as a "Rino" and a loser and "a curse to the Republican Party". Politico
(Might note that Ryan had already given a speech that knocked Trump fealty among the remnant Republicans, although Ryan didn't mention Trump by name.)
It all boils down to the fact that most voters still believe "it can't happen here". They live in cities or suburbs some distance away from the hinterlands where the minority vote resides. I live amongst the dedicated Trumpkins. I'm convinced it can happen here; so are they. And they're already of the opinion that this is their best, and maybe their last credible chance to make it happen. And so am I.
"..to make it happen."
That raises the question of what exactly they hope to have happen? A revolution which changes our form of government? The permanent rule by a minority, themselves, over the majority? Another civil war? A splintering of the country into two halves, one liberal and one authoritarian?
"The permanent rule by a minority, themselves…?"
That would be the one they have in mind.
They will claim that to be the restoration of the proper political order and return to the correct "form of government". It will require, of course, some 'adjustments' to the current voting structure to ensure that only the right people vote. (Which may look suspiciously like a change to "our form of government" to those citizens who get disenfranchised. But, the franchise was originally restricted to white persons--male white persons at that--who owned a designated minimum amount of real estate. And, I'm sure there will be additional, updated restrictions to keep the wrong white persons from voting this next time.)
And, indeed, they may be willing to suspend the voting part entirely for the duration of Trump's rule (plus the duration of the successor Baby Trump), just to keep things simple and manageable.
They certainly don't intend to let the "liberal" portions of the country get out from under their imposed authority--that's where the money and the power resides. They ain't gonna let go of that. Not willingly anyway.
Perhaps here is the proper place to remind ourselves that Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini both first gained the Chief Executive office of their respective nations via entirely proper and legal process (overlooking their subversions--perhaps 'nominally' proper would be a better descriptive taking their subversions of the electoral processes into account). Hitler was named Chancellor by the German President, Paul von Hindenburg and Mussolini was named Prime Minister by the Italian King, Victor Emmanuel III. And that was the last time they bothered with actually having the citizens vote in either Germany or Italy.
Former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh was on CNN tonight. His radio show was just canceled. Basically he said he wasn't supportive of Trump so he got the ax. The host asked if he thought the Republican Party had become fascist in their behavior and he said yes. This from someone who was a self described member of the Tea Party.
Perhaps here is the proper place to remind ourselves that Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini both first gained the Chief Executive office of their respective nations via entirely proper and legal process (overlooking their subversions--perhaps 'nominally' proper would be a better descriptive taking their subversions of the electoral processes into account).
Yes, and that is the bit that people don't think can happen here, but actually it can and if we aren't careful, may.
"… that is the bit that people don't think can happen here,
but actually it can…"
That's what I was gettin' at:
"…they may be willing to suspend the voting part entirely…"
Lee C. @ Sun May 30, 06:44 am ↑↑
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The Republican dominated state legislature in Arizona has added (in committee--passage into law is still awaiting) a provision to take the power to defend the state's certification of elections (in court) away from the Democrat elected to office of Secretary of State and give it to the Republican Attorney General. (On the theory that the Democrat might decide to defend the state's election tallies when they show a Trump loss next time 'round and their current Attorney General won't make that 'mistake'.)
Just in case the Republicans win the Secretary of State's office in the next election and maybe lose the Attorney General's office, the provision conveniently "sunsets" in 2022 (unless reapproved by the Republican legislature, which cuts the Governor out of the process as well--just in case the Democrats happen to win the Governor's office as well). WashingtonPost
Fairly blatant I'd say. I'll be curious to see if the Arizona Supreme Court allows that to stand.
Ain't just in Georgia where they're playing election games.
Meantime…
Texas' much ballyhooed voter restrictions bill failed at the last minute when the Republicans failed to anticipate a walkout, en masse by all the Democrats, and thus didn't have enough of their own partisans there to fill out the quorum requirements.
Time ran out (by statute) on the Republicans at midnight. And the Texas legislature only convenes every other year. So, they're screwed. They figured to pass it at the last minute and then get the Hell out of Austin before they had to answer questions from the press--but some of their members had gotten the Hell out a little early, and, well, the Democrats noticed the body count. And that was the end of that, for now.
The Governor has threatened to call a special session. The Democrats are considering their options.
The more I see of the details on the proposed new Texas voter suppression law, the more convinced I become that it would likely not have survived an "equal protection" Constitutional challenge in federal court (at least, not before the recent packing of the federal bench by the Republicans). Of course, the federal courts are increasingly partisan, and often openly so (especially the newly packed Supreme Court). So, I can't predict whether it'll now pass muster or not.
The section of that Texas law which allows for an election to be voided or overturned by a judge with only an allegation of fraud and no actual proof would seem to me to be something that would be overturned. But the Republicans, Trump and McConnell, have done a good job of packing all of the court system with Republican appointees. Normally one would not think it to be an issue, as one would hope that a judge would fairly interpret the law. However, the actions of Republicans have been blatantly partisan, despite the fact that they are always accusing Democrats of that. I too cannot be sure what the end result will be.
Trump's blog is history. He is saying it was always meant to be temporary and not some kind of new platform for him.
Apparently if you go to the website now it harvests contact information, for those who choose to participate.
I have to wonder what that whole thing was for.
They are saying now that in about 2 weeks we will see how well the vaccination campaign has really affected the transmission of Covid. After Memorial Day weekend with all of the travel and the elimination of masks we would normally see a surge in cases.
I have, for the most part, left my masks off. It was kind of weird at first and I still carry one with me just in case I run into some place that still requires them.
"I have to wonder what that whole thing was for."
It was supposed to get him back in the headlines. Didn't work. I was watching; not even FoxNews picked up on anything except occasional isolated excerpts from his most outrageous rants. He could go on for several paragraphs and get nothin' in the way of headlines. So, he got frustrated and gave it up--now he'll be lookin' to his new traveling road show (supposed to get under way this month) to get him back in the news as a "current" event. If that don't work he'll eventually have to announce his 2024 rerun for the Presidency. (Which also may not work as well as he hopes.)
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"I still carry one with me just in case…"
Our county health department dropped their mask mandate just over a week ago. Daily new infection rate is already up by near 35%, almost exclusively among those who've not been vaccinated.
I'm keeping a new mask (N95) boxed and stashed in each of my vehicles in case I decide to go back to being masked up when I go out. First figured I might use one if I pulled into an especially crowded parking lot. Now I'm keepin' an eye on those 'new case' developments--I may go back to being customarily masked in public if the local daily infection rate maintains that upwards trajectory.
Yeah, first day was feelin' kinda odd, but I adjusted quick. Hate to have to go back to the mask, but I do still keep a kit in every vehicle.
It was supposed to get him back in the headlines. Didn't work.
I suspect that the news media is as tired of Trump as I am. They only gave him space before because he was President.
I really like Joe Biden's low key approach. It's a relief.
Daily new infection rate is already up by near 35%, almost exclusively among those who've not been vaccinated.
That will continue to be a problem in areas where there is a lot of refusal to get vaccinated. It's probably a good idea that you don't throw out your masks quite yet.
We seem to be doing okay here so far. But they are starting to give incentives to the unvaccinated to gently encourage them to get their shots.
I will be going to a movie at the theater on Sunday. It is the first time in over a year.
Hopefully their air conditioning works. It is supposed to be 97 on Sunday here. That's hot for Minnesota.
"I suspect that the news media is as tired of Trump as I am."
Certainly seems like they're taking the 'not President, so why bother' tack, fer shure. I noticed that he's recently begun to try to float the rumor that he expects to be "reinstated" as President by this coming August. But, so far, nobody with their own audience has wanted to ask him about it. Fox & Friends did ask daughter-in-law, Laura Bush, about it, but it was clearly a throw-away line, designed to get them to their upcoming commercial; they let her know they were at the end-of-segment and going to commercial. She dutifully denied knowing anything about it, and they asked no follow-up questions; fade to commercial.
Gotta be frustrating for Trump, nobody's taken the bait yet; even FoxNews don't wanna deal with it.
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"…areas where there is a lot of refusal to get vaccinated."
I'm trying to get comfortable with the idea that I don't have to feel sorry for them when they get sick. But I also have to remember that the vaccine is only 95% effective. (Maybe 97% according to some recent data; whatever.) They still constitute a small, but measurable, risk to me, so I'm trying to not worry 'bout them at all but rather concentrate on not bearing a grudge over the unnecessary risk. (Don't wanna let 'em get in my head.)
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97°F is hot anywhere in North America for the first week of June.
(Well, maybe excepting Death Valley or the Sonoma Desert.)
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Op-Ed by George Conway, solid #NeverTrumper, one-time member of the Lincoln Project, husband to Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway:
"Four years of Trump have led to the Republican Party becoming a
threat to democracy, a declining sect dominated by crackpots,
charlatans[,] cowards [and federal judges]. Of these, it’s the
cowards, including the senators who killed last week’s legislation,
[re: the proposed Jan 6ᵗʰ Commission] who bear the most blame."
WashingtonPost
(Conway failed to mention the federal judges; I corrected
the error.)
...daughter-in-law, Laura Bush,...
I think you mean Lara? I don't think her maiden name was Bush.
I suspect the real Laura Bush would be horrified to be placed in Trump's family.
Trump seems to have stolen a leaf from the pillow guy, Mike Lindell, when he claims hw could be reinstated in August. Mr. soft and fluffy has been floating that idea around. Reasonable, and knowledgeable, people aren't buying it.
But I also have to remember that the vaccine is only 95% effective.
Yes, it is true that the vaccine isn't 100% fool proof. My county is not high on the vaccination rate really either. But our cases have fallen to a very low level recently, so I think those of us who have been vaccinated have played a role in making that happen. It gives me some positive reinforcement anyway.
As for those people who get sick after choosing not to get the vaccine, I will not feel sorry for them. It was a risk they chose to take. They chose not to help be part of the solution.
97°F is hot anywhere in North America for the first week of June.
Actually today both of my thermometers read 102 degrees. In Minnesota. In June. I cannot emphasis enough how very unusual that is. And, yes, I agree it would be just about anywhere in North America.
(Conway failed to mention the federal judges; I corrected
the error.)
He also failed to mention his wife. I wonder, would he consider her a crackpot or a coward?
"I think you mean Lara?"
Yeah, Lara Trump, not Laura Bush. I plead inadequate morning caffeination.
"… a crackpot or a coward?"
He probably figures her for either a charlatan or a mercenary. Although, for the sake of peace in the marriage, he'll never tell us.
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Speakin' of Mike Lindell… I read that he got his local Minnesota lawyer fired from the law firm that used to represent Lindell and "My Pillow" products, for doubling down on the fantasy lawsuits against Dominion and Smartmatic (hardware and software, respectively), the companies that produced much of the election machinery that tabulated Trump's 7 million vote loss in the 2020 general election.
The law firm seized the available opportunity to dump Lindell as a client, get the hell away from the crazy guy, and fired the lawyer that signed the new paperwork as well, just for good measure it would seem. So, Lindell still has his lawyer, and the lawyer still has his client, and the law firm is now shed of them both.
It looks like Manchin is digging in his heels on the filibuster and the voting rights bill. He is looking more like a Republican than a Democrat with regard to those issues.
It's not looking good for the future of American democracy.
Meanwhile the cyber attacks just keep coming. One would think that we would have people that could take it back to the people behind the hacking. No, not all the way back to Putin, but to those actually carrying out the attacks. They might think twice if their systems, and money sources, were frozen.
In a rational political environment, Joe Manchin would properly be a "moderate" Republican by now.
He runs as a nominal Democrat only because he can't win a Republican primary in the highly Trumpkan/Republican state of West Virginia. (West Virginia went for Trump in the November elections with 68% of the vote to Biden's 30%--a full 38% margin of victory.)
Manchin can win the general elections with the addition of Democratic and independent support against the right-wingers who'd whip him in the Republican primary, so that's what he does. He runs as a nominal Democrat. But there's no good reason to pretend he actually is one.
This is similar to the situation Lisa Murkowski of Alaska finds herself in. In her last election she lost the Republican primary to a right-wing challenger, then ran a write-in campaign as an indepedent candidate in the general election. She won the general election, beating the right-winger with combined moderate Republican, independent, and Democratic support. Then she announced she was "rejoining" the Republican Party. Mitch McConnell, long a fan of winning at any cost, welcomed her back.
In any sane classification she'd be counted as an independent, but McConnell liked being Majority Leader, so he welcomed her back to pad his slim majority.
So, the Democrats now have a nominal majority, counting the mislabeled Republican, Joe Manchin, as a Democrat, and also counting the two actual Independent Senators, Angus King and Bernie Sanders as Democrats. Take away those three and the Democrats are actually down by three. The Republicans have a majority of 50 Republicans to 47 Democrats (and one of those nominal Democrats is Krysten Sinema who started out as a member of the Arizona Green Party) . It looks otherwise by declaration on paper, and because of that the Democrats hold the chairmanships of the Senate committees, and it puts Chuck Shumer into the position of Senate Leader rather than Mitch McConnell being there, which is "a very good thing" as they sometimes say on television. But it don't get them a working majority of the votes.
"One would think that we would have people that could take
it back to the people behind the hacking."
Biden appears to be trying to form a democratic coalition to agree to putting the screws to Putin himself for allowing the hackers to work out of Russia. He appears to think that overt action, which might ratchet up tensions would spook potential coalition members away from the coalition he's trying to build. Seems to think he should first get promises to support 'taking it to' the perps (and to the Russians who shield them) and then taking action.
Post Script:
Joe Manchin's announcement, and Op-Ed in explanation, was published in the paper in Charleston, South Carolina (remembering "some very fine people" marching with flaming tiki torches, neo-Nazis marching with Klansmen, chants of "Jews will not replace us" and all the rest of it). I think that was intended to make a statement. I don't think that was accidental on Manchin's part. Biden should take that as notice that his tenuous Senate majority just flamed out.
Oh, wait, I just remembered; there's a Charleston in West Virgina as well (in fact, it's the state capital).
Never mind.
(And the racist march I was thinking of was in Charlottesville, Virginia.)
Biden appears to be trying to form a democratic coalition to agree to putting the screws to Putin himself for allowing the hackers to work out of Russia.
Meanwhile it appears that the Feds managed to claw back some of those millions that Colonial paid out. Apparently those hackers were novices and left some holes in their system. Score one for the goods guys for once.
Back to Manchin: Word's going 'round that he blindsided the Biden administration with that Op-Ed he wrote. They got no 'heads up' warning that it was coming out. So, we're back to him intentionally making that a "statement" for Joe Biden's special benefit. (Ain't quite the open insult and eye-gouging that it would have been had Manchin published it in the Charlottesville papers (I got the city right that time) but it was still a slap in the face.)
The effects of Trump still linger.
The Justice Department argued in a brief filed Monday that it should be permitted to substitute itself for former President Donald Trump as defendant in a defamation lawsuit brought by a longtime magazine columnist, E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of rape, continuing the argument it had initiated under the previous administration even as the White House has changed hands.
So, we're back to him intentionally making that a "statement" for Joe Biden's special benefit.
Yes, there is more than one "Mitch McConnell" out there, I'm afraid.
"…continuing the argument it had initiated under the
previous administration even as the White House has
changed hands."
Seems a fairly clear indication that the White House is no longer dictating the legal decisions being made in the Justice Department. This is actually a good thing (although I do hope the federal courts don't allow that particular legal position to prevail in court).
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"… more than one 'Mitch McConnell' out there…"
I've been seein' that comparison coming from frustrated "progressives" here of late. They're tryin' to liken this to how McConnell played Obama. And now Manchin has strung them along; same thing, so they say.
First thing is, they're wrong. Manchin don't care enough about them to bother to string them along. They vastly overestimate their importance to him. Second thing is, Manchin don't hold a candle to McConnell, even if he took a notion to play them that way. Manchin just ain't in the same league. McConnell is a big league player.
Rather, Manchin just got tired of puttin' up with them tryin' to "talk some sense into him". So he published that thousand word screed full of inconsistencies strung back to back, blatant non sequiturs, and utter nonsense. He ain't dumb enough to have not noticed the many and repeated flaws in the arguments he presented. Intentionally talkin' nonsense seems to have been the main point of the piece. (Beyond the shot on Biden, which was an important part as well.)
Seems to have worked too. They're too busy pointing out that it's utter nonsense to take the time to trouble him in person anymore. Gave 'em something else to rant about, and now they're all after it and leavin' him alone.
The message to Biden was rather more serious. Direct shot at Biden, just to remind him that he needs Manchin, and Manchin don't need him. Gettin' Biden straight on who's in charge in that relationship.
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We got a new federal case filed in Georgia with three Trumpkin poll watchers working Fulton County (which went for Biden, of course) filing supporting affidavits that claim they saw "five pallets" of stashed absentee ballots that "looked fake". Link
(This is starting to remind me of the eight (or was it nine?) successive investigations into the siege of the embassy in Benghazi, Libya. And so, just out of curiosity, I checked to see if these new allegations had made it to the FoxNews' website yet; couldn't find any reference, so they're apparently a little edgy still 'bout embracing the Trumpkin radicals in all their continuing glory.)
Are we going to repeat the roaring 20's...and it's aftermath?
This is actually a good thing (although I do hope the federal courts don't allow that particular legal position to prevail in court).
I agree.
Direct shot at Biden, just to remind him that he needs Manchin, and Manchin don't need him. Gettin' Biden straight on who's in charge in that relationship.
Yes, well, that's the part that reminded me of McConnell. Doesn't matter what is best for the country, it is what is best for their power grab.
They say it was because their contract was up. I wonder?
The Pennsylvania-based IT company that was in charge of running the hand recount of Maricopa County ballots is no longer involved in the audit.
The contract with Wake Technology Services, Inc. ended May 14, the original completion date for the hand count, and the company chose not to renew its contract, according to Randy Pullen, an audit spokesperson and former state GOP chair.
"They were done," he said. "They didn't want to come back."
This is starting to remind me of the eight (or was it nine?) successive investigations into the siege of the embassy in Benghazi, Libya.
And yet Republicans were totally against the Jan. 6th commission. Saying it was a waste of time. *sigh*
"Yes, well, that's the part that reminded me of McConnell."
Ah…, well…, okay; I can see that. Although―Trump won West Virginia by a margin of 38%; he took 68% to Biden's 30%.
I think Manchin's lookin' to his next reëlection (in 2024).
I can't think of a single Senator who doesn't at least occasionally adopt a position because it's sure to please those who voted for him (and who will likely do so again if he takes positions that meet with their approval). And, defining "bipartisan" to mean the Democrats have to do what the Trumpkan Party wants is almost certainly a position that'll be greeted with approval by a large chunk, perhaps an overwhelming chunk of Manchin's voters. (Once again―38% margin for Trump over Biden in West Virginia―68% to 30%. Manchin's gotta keep that in mind for his next election.)
I suppose one could make the argument that he is doing what his supporters elected him to do. But one could also argue that elected officials have access to more information on which to make decisions than do voters. There comes a time when you have to make your own decisions. And one would hope that those decisions were for the good of the country rather than the good of oneself.
That is what Trump & people like Mitch McConnell don't get. Ultimately what may be good for the few may not be good for the many. And the problem with that is that the many out number the few. So you end up with a dangerous situation.
"I suppose one could make the argument that he is doing
what his supporters elected him to do."
My point was instead that his supporters will likely reward him for what he is doing. And that's probably why he's doing it. But, I guess your argument is equally plausible.
"There comes a time when you have to make your own decisions."
That argument is most often attributed (among conservatives anyway) to the 18ᵗʰ Century Irish politician and political writer, Edmund Burke.
In point of fact, politicians usually seem quite willing to switch back and forth between the "delegate" model (your first argument) and the "trustee" model (the 'Edmund Burke version), as convenience dictates.
On the other hand, one could argue that Manchin keepin' his voters happy is the reason that Mitch McConnell isn't still Majority Leader in the Senate and isn't in a position to be killing all of Biden's initiatives, which is what McConnell would most like to do.
"That is what Trump & people like Mitch McConnell don't
get."
I think they understand the argument well enough, if that's what you mean by "getting it". They just don't believe in that idealistic, patriotic stuff. They believe that's for suckers.
They did not become politicians because they wanted to serve the greater good or serve the nation, or in any manner participate in any of those kinda notions.
Trump will make occasional feints towards some sort of twisted idealism, but McConnell, at least, will own up to his utter contempt for the notion, at least, when he's back home in Kentucky and talking to the local party people. He's not interested in being thought of as a 'statesman'; he's got no use for any thoughts of his 'legacy'. He's there to accumulate power and use it to further his own ends (and presumably those ends are satisfactory to his Trumpkin voters, and, if not, he'll try to con them too).
I was just shopping and walked past two little kids wearing masks. Not unusual in my opinion. They were too young for the vaccine yet. What was a little sad was the comment made by a young mother who was passing by with her young daughter. After the two children passed she said to her daughter "masks, interesting". I got the impression she thought it odd. A little presumptuous in my opinion when she new nothing about the children's circumstances or how that mother is trying to keep her children safe. I admit to being rather annoyed at her attitude and what she is teaching her child.
"Not unusual in my opinion."
It'd be unusual for me. I don't recall the last time I saw little kids in a local store. Of course, I'd developed the habit of walking up to the front door just at their opening hour (much more likely to have the store mostly to myself that way). And, if it so happened that there was a line waiting there, I could just wait in my ride until the line dispersed inside the store. Call it "anti-social" distancing--me tryin' to keep a gap between me and the general public.
Anyway, seems most folks didn't take their kids out in the wee hours of the morning, so I ain't seen much of kids in stores this last year.
"What was a little sad was the comment made by a young
mother who was passing by with her young daughter."
I can't imagine my own mother adopting such a supercilious tone to communicate with me when I was a kid, especially in public. Perhaps the young mother expected you to take in her comments as well? Maybe she thought the snark was being shared with you as well as her daughter. Perhaps soliciting some encouragement for her coppin' an attitude on the issue of masks? Maybe she thought to get a little snark bonding goin' on there?
If not, I certainly do feel a little sad for that young daughter; she's gonna be in for some hard times tryin' to grow up normal.
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I've noticed that maybe a third of our local population is still wearing masks in the grocery stores, a specific few grocery stores get maybe nearer half; I've not identified their distinctive customer base except to say younger folks seem to be more willing to mask up than older folks. (Considerably less than a third wearing masks at the local hardware stores, plumbing wholesalers, and lumber yards and garden centers, and etc.--almost none, in fact.)
Our local vaccination rate is running almost 32% fully vaccinated. (Only 36% (almost 36%) with the first dose, so we've got only another 4% in their "waiting" month.) Lookin' to me like we're gonna be a highly vaccine resistant county--not surprising I guess; this is solid Trumpkin territory. New cases and new hospitalizations are still rising, almost exclusively among the non-vaccinated. I find myself surprisingly short on sympathy for those who choose to avoid the vaccine but fail to avoid the virus.
Two stories that may bear watching.
The Trump administration's dirty laundry
Democrats are demanding sworn testimony from Donald Trump's former attorneys general in an exploding scandal over secret seizures of communications records from top lawmakers and news organizations on the ex-President's enemies list.
I suspect there are all sorts of things hiding under those rocks. Hopefully America is paying attention.
Chinese nuclear reactor leak..
The US government has spent the past week assessing a report of a leak at a Chinese nuclear power plant, after a French company that part owns and helps operate it warned of an "imminent radiological threat," according to US officials and documents reviewed by CNN.
The warning included an accusation that the Chinese safety authority was raising the acceptable limits for radiation detection outside the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong province in order to avoid having to shut it down, according to a letter from the French company to the US Department of Energy obtained by CNN.
Maybe nothing, but sometimes these things start small. I still have to read the book about the Chernobyl nuclear incident. I have both the book and the documentary.
I can't imagine my own mother adopting such a supercilious tone to communicate with me when I was a kid, especially in public. Perhaps the young mother expected you to take in her comments as well?
It is possible. Her daughter wasn't very old, but old enough to understand the rather disparaging tone, I think. As for me I just gave her a rather disgusted look. I didn't make a comment as I didn't want to end up in some kind of altercation with someone about masks. Those people aren't worth it.
I find myself surprisingly short on sympathy for those who choose to avoid the vaccine but fail to avoid the virus.
I as well.
My county isn't as high in vaccination rate as some in Minnesota but our cases are falling. I think it does help to have bordering counties controlling their cases too. So many people commute to work or go to events down in the Cities.
"…in an exploding scandal…"
One which is not being covered on FoxNews main page, nor its political page. Rupert and the boys don't seem to think they need to deal with that one…yet; not as of this morning. (Kinda calls into question its status as "an exploding scandal".)
Over at FoxNews they want to rant periodically about the Obama administration "spying" on the Trump campaign (which they have mostly concocted out of whole cloth). Doesn't help their rant to discuss the very real weaponizing of the Department of Justice against Trump's congressional enemies.
"Chinese nuclear reactor leak.."
I hadn't spotted that one. I'll need to look into that, but not today I don't think.
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"…old enough to understand the rather disparaging tone…"
Ah, yes, they do pick up quick on the emotional content, well before they're old enough to understand the details of the snark. I'd overlooked that aspect. (Brings us back to sympathizing for what that little girl's gonna go through growin'up.)
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Six Hundred Thousand now dead from the covid virus here in these United States.
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I noticed that McConnell announced today that he would certainly freeze Biden out on any Supreme Court appointments if he regains the Senate Leader's position. (There's been pressure being put on Justice Stephen Breyer to retire while the Democrats still hold a Senate majority; McConnell was responding to that.)
McConnell hopes to prod the Democrats into "retiring" Justice Breyer and trying to confirm a replacement before the 2022 elections. This would mean that Biden would replace a "liberal" Justice with another "liberal" Justice, and the Republicans would still have their 6 to 3 majority on the Supreme Court. Nothing changes. Except…, the Republicans would then argue that their own court-packing exercises over the past several years are nothing special.
"See what they did! The Democrats do it too!"
He's hoping Biden gives him that argument and for free too. Replacing Breyer won't have any effect on the Republicans' 6 to 3 majority, but it will give them an excuse. It's a gambit, a ploy.
I'm hoping Breyer and Biden don't fall for it.
And WHO are attackin virtually every one of those Asians? Blacks.
There was ONE so called mass shooting of Asians by a white but that was an Incel targeting whore houses, so he prolly didn’t really target Asians per Se but it was just a fact that all hookers in those places happened to be Asian.
The violence on the streets with Asians attacked for no seemingly real reason? All by blacks.
My bet, the blacks, once they’re comforfed by this no police and let erryone out wo bail, are coming for the whites next. Bet that.
"And WHO are attackin virtually every one of those Asians?
Blacks"
Marcus @ Tue Jun 15, 12:01 pm ↑↑
Or, maybe not.
"In OpEds and articles critical of the media's coverage of
the crimes, some have taken to insisting that the lion's
share of the anti-Asian attacks have been perpetrated by
African-American youths, based on a few widely-
circulated videos on social media. These articles argue that
the media has engaged in subterfuge to protect the racial
identity of the assailants. 'It is simply a fact that the
demographic disproportionately most likely to commit hate
crimes is African-American,' as Andrew Sullivan put it.
"The problem is, this just isn't true.
"One recent study has provided the justification for the claim
that non-whites where the majority of perpetrators of Asian-
American hate crimes. The study was published in the
American Journal of Criminal Justice in January, and it was
based on data from 1992-2014. But the study clearly
indicates that the identities of the perpetrators of hate
crimes against Asian-Americans are overwhelmingly
white: 74.6 percent of these crimes are committed by white
assailants."
Newsweek (emphasis added)
74.6% of the perps were white. But (non-Hispanic) whites only make up 60% of the population. Seems like whites are the racial classification that is "overrepresented" (significantly but not massively) among those who attack Asians.
I'm reasonably confident that the youtube channels you seem to favor these days disproportionately (maybe exclusively) show you attacks by blacks against Asians, but that's not an accurate representation of the real world.
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Politico does a day in The Life of Mike Lindell. Actually, it's six hours over two days, and includes a lot of background stuff Lynnette probably already knows. The judgement? "Batshit crazy". What else could it be?
I call BS.
Link me video of an Asian attacked on the street by a white guy and I’ll link 3 videos of an Asian attacked by a black man in response for every video you might be able to find (and I doubt you’ll find any).
Your article probably is just outright lies but also probably equating some white guy saying to some chink that this is a “China virus” and some black dude just beating down an old Asian lady and stomping on her head. Those, in my book, aren’t the same sort of “hate crime”.
"…in an exploding scandal…"
One which is not being covered on FoxNews main page, nor its political page.
There none so blind as those who will not see.
On a similar note, I see that there were 21 Republican House members who voted against giving the Capitol police the Congressional Gold Medal for their actions in stopping the insurrection. Apparently there are those who do not think "insurrection" was the correct term so that makes the police officers ineligible for a medal.
(Brings us back to sympathizing for what that little girl's gonna go through growin'up.)
Yes. Either she will drink the Kool Aid or she will rebel when she gets old enough.
Six Hundred Thousand now dead from the covid virus here in these United States.
A sad milestone. I really never believed we would reach it. Shows you what I know. The most lethal flu season killed 62,000. There is a difference.
I noticed that McConnell announced today that he would certainly freeze Biden out on any Supreme Court appointments if he regains the Senate Leader's position.
Of course. There is a reason I dislike the man. That just means we really need to firm up a democratic majority in 2022. No, that small letter "d" is not a typo.
Link me video of an Asian attacked on the street by a white guy and I’ll link 3 videos of an Asian attacked by a black man in response for every video you might be able to find (and I doubt you’ll find any).
The reason Asian-Americans are being attacked so much now is because they are being blamed for something they had nothing to do with. The attackers do not bear the fault alone. They were egged on and enabled by those who do nothing to intervene. Skin color has little to do with the plight of Asian-Americans today. They are being used as scapegoats by a large majority of ignorant people.
I note that the Trumpkins are still trying to sell an image of Biden as "Sleepy Joe", the doddering old fool. He seemed to be fully up to speed yesterday in Geneva, but they're not getting sufficient traction with their other lines of attack, so they'll keep working that one.
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"I call BS."
You produce BS, offering anecdote as evidence and speculation as argument.
You know better than that. Certainly I do.
You're wasting my time here. 'Nuff of that. So…finis….
So you couldn’t find even one video of a white man attacking an Asian person. Noted.
You wanted to get in the last word that badly?
Okay, one more time then. I'll grant you the last word this time. But you gotta go for it this second time. (Always a price for you to pay.)
Lee
“I note that the Trumpkins are still trying to sell an image of Biden as "Sleepy Joe", the doddering old fool. He seemed to be fully up to speed yesterday in Geneva, but they're not getting sufficient traction with their other lines of attack, so they'll keep working that one.”
Oh please! He mistook Syria for Libya and even Putin for Trump. And he himself admitted he had a pre approved list of “journalists” he could take questions from. Well, he took those softballs and still studdered. Meanwhile Putin did a 90 minute interview w a clearly hostile NBC and came out on top.
Get Kamala in there already, we all know it’s coming anyway. She’s insane but at least she’s somewhat coherent. Biden is a farce as it stands and the whole world sees it. It’s not even fair to the old man bc he prolly doesn’t even know where he’s at at times. Obama tried to warn him off saying “Joe you don’t have to do this” but his handlers went cruelly ahead, putting a senile old man with, I guess a good heart, in a position he never should’ve been put into.
Oh gosh, oh how jolly good, I say when it comes to Putin an Russia an all, I mean.... let’s be frank here folks, it’s our values. And our values and when hat we see now with Assad in Libya... I mean we’ve got values folks. And now I’ll take questions but only from these folks my people put on this list I have right about here somewhere. Right, gosh darned, go ahead.
Ah… New subject. I guess you didn't want the last word after all. (Not enough to go for it anyway.) So, on to your topic for today…
"He seemed to be fully up to speed yesterday in Geneva…"
Lee C. @ Thu Jun 17, 06:05 am
"Yesterday" from that comment would have been Wednesday, 16 June '21. I don't believe Biden is known to have publicly mentioned either Syria or Libya on Wednesday, 16 June '21.
Perhaps it is your own special self who's the "senile old man" here. You don't seem to know what the Hell you're talkin' 'bout.
Lee: “ You wanted to get in the last word that badly?”
Yes I wanted to stick it in your face so badly. And it’s not even showing off in front of an audience because it’s just you and Lynnette here with me as a sometime visitor. So yes, this was just me sticking it to you.
Find a recent video of a bite person attacking an Asian on the street and I’ll link 3 videos of blacks attacking Asians on the street in return. But the thing is I still doubt you could come up with even ONE. And you damned well know I could easily link nine so you’d have to come up w three to even begin a challenge here.
Bite should’ve read white. I guess you got that but knowing you I don’t want to leave that as a rabbit hole for you to dodge in at some later stage.
Ah, back to the other subject now. I've been debating in my own head whether to allow you to move on then change your mind and move back and still claim reliance on my word to give you "the last word" on that subject.
I have decided that you're cheating there, but that I don't really give a shit except for the principle of the thing, and you may not understand the relevance of having principles--and so I'll stick to my offer and let you have that last word.
Wanna go on ahead now and argue about how you can't tell Monday from Wednesday and therefore it's Biden who's "senile"?
Lee
“"Yesterday" from that comment would have been Wednesday, 16 June '21. I don't believe Biden is known to have publicly mentioned either Syria or Libya on Wednesday, 16 June '21.”
I will actually grant you that I have no clear picture of the timeline of Biden’s trip and what was said which day. Maybe he had a few good and coherent days mixed in with the confused ones. I don’t know.
What I do know is w regards to Russia is Putin is a far more adept statesman in a far weaker country whereas Biden is a ludicrously inept leader in the worlds still (for the time being) most powerful nation.
That last comment causes me to wonder whether or not you understand the meaning of the English word "statesman". Maybe that comment would make more sense in your native Swedish language.
But it doesn't make me interested enough in your opinion to bother finding out.
True to his word, Trump has endorsed a Trumpkan Party challenger to sitting Republican Senator, Lisa Murkowski whose seat comes up for election in 2022. Reuters
This may turn into an uphill climb for Trump. Alaska has changed to a cross-party, combined party, "jungle" primary system, in which the top two vote getters, regardless of claimed party affiliation, proceed to the general election. That system may not be favorable for extremist, Trump-loyal candidates. (Or extremists candidates of any persuasion.)
We can only hope that Trump is delivered an embarrassment here. Not that I have any great attachment to Murkowski (although she did vote to impeach that second time), but I do hope to see Trump's political standing diminished.
Trump should just go away at this point, just fade into oblivience and spend his remaining years at the golf course. Hi did an awesome and wonderful thing in 2016 and I guess delivered on some parts of his program, but far from all or even the most important. Now he’s a sink for the conservative movement bc he is still relevant, not as a politician nationally, but as a kind of kingmaker within the GOP. And that serves no one but maybe the individual sychophants sucking up to him to get into office. I wish he’d just disappear. We need a fresh start.
"I wish he’d just disappear."
Not gonna disappear. He's gonna be the Trumpkan/Republican Party candidate for President of the United States come 2024. (And maybe again is 2028, if he lives that long.)
What I fear most is a hot war between the US and China. Bc I don’t see the US being very willing to give up the position of the preeminent global superpower and the US is losing ground every day. If the current trajectory stands China will surpass the US in quite a short period of time, with regards to economic and soon thereafter diplomatic might. With that on the table I fear the US might use it’s still quite overwhelming military might to settle it via war.
And I know there are opinionists claiming that the US military is not all it’s claimed to be and that China has invested in its own military in this or that way and is more or less an equal opponent. But IMO no way that is even close to true. The US military would obliterate the Chinese in any hot war for at least a few decades ahead. So it’s a real risk that that could happen.
Wtf lee you answered before I could finish my second post. Are you here all the time updating to see if someone (me or Lynnette) just maybe happened to post in the last 3 minutes?
Actually, I was doing some yard work and just came in to change blades when the e-mail notice chimed at me.
Lee
“ Not gonna disappear. He's gonna be the Trumpkan/Republican Party candidate for President of the United States come 2024. “
I do not often agree w/y but sadly I think you might be right on that one.
Lee
“Actually, I was doing some yard work and just came in to change blades when the e-mail notice chimed at me.”
You have a notice? You high tech sonofagun! I used to work in IT and I’m probably like half your age and I don’t get notices. Well set up grandpa.
Marcus I wish he’d just disappear. We need a fresh start.
Lee Not gonna disappear. He's gonna be the Trumpkan/Republican Party candidate for President of the United States come 2024. (And maybe again is 2028, if he lives that long.)
I wish like you Marcus, but fear that Lee may be right too. But a lot can happen in three years.
What I fear most is a hot war between the US and China.
A not unreasonable fear, Marcus. But I doubt it would be the US that starts it. China appears to be the one that is intent on domination. I think I would fear that more than anything the US would do. At least for now. Who knows come 2024?
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