The Biden Presidency - 2020

[Edward64]

I like the idea of investing in Africa but have doubts about the seemingly broad based approach. Many African countries are a mess. I'd think it's better to select key countries that we believe are somewhat friendly, and really develop & invest in those.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63982818

US would commit $55bn (£44bn) to Africa over the next three years.

Discussions at the summit have focussed on building on already existing programmes, including:

• Prosper Africa - a US government initiative "to increase two-way trade" between African nations and the US launched in 2018
• the Clinton-era Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, Agoa, which provides African apparel manufacturers preferential access to the US market;
• the Power Africa initiative launched by President Obama to connect millions of African to the grid among others.

But the success of such programmes has been slow to realise. Africa only accounts for just over 1% of US foreign trade, which is dominated by petroleum imports from Nigeria and Angola.

In his address on Wednesday, the US president spoke about a $500m-investment to reduce transport costs at a key West African port in Benin.

He also mentioned $350m that would be spent on boosting the digital economy and said that $15bn-worth of deals had been struck at the US-Africa Business Forum.

[Edward64]

Love it Joe. I assume Blinken came up with the plan.

Biden launches ‘China House’ to counter Beijing’s growing clout - POLITICO

The Biden administration on Friday will launch “China House,” the centerpiece of its effort to strengthen its diplomatic heft in its global rivalry with Beijing, according to plans shared with POLITICO.
:
The establishment of China House reflects the sense inside President Joe Biden’s team that the existing U.S. bureaucracy isn’t nimble enough to combat the multitude of challenges from communist-led China — ranging from trade to military power.
:
The State Department plan is somewhat analogous to the CIA’s creation of a China Mission Center as the spy agency expands its focus on the Asian giant. Both entities are designed to be centralized hubs to steer funding, resources and personnel to track China’s expanding global footprint.

It will have three main teams: one focused on traditional bilateral affairs; one that deals with strategic communications; and one dubbed a “global” team, which focuses on Chinese activity beyond China.

You've come a long way since 2019 in acknowledging the problem. First step in fixing it.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...-pols-n1001236

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Wednesday night that China was “not competition” for the U.S., prompting blowback from prominent members of both political parties.

At an event in Iowa City, Biden was explaining why he believes concerns that China could eventually surpass the U.S. as a world superpower and economic force are overstated.

“China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man,” the former vice president said.

“I mean, you know, they’re not bad folks, folks. But guess what? They’re not competition for us,” he added.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

We just watched an election turn on whether or not the GOP candidate was nuts and being anti-vax, not just for Covid but in general, is a clear indication of crazy for I bet 70% of the population. It's absolutely baffling why he's making such a big deal out of this. Either he's a true believer or someone giving him lots of money is.

Fun fact related to this; for whatever reasons that could be debated endlessly, support in general for vaccine requirements is down significantly from 2019. 23% of parents opposed requiring vaccines for measles and other similar, that's now 35%, a 50% increase. Anti-vax sentiment is bordering on becoming a mainstream opinion.

[Ksyrup]

Yes, I think he and others are pushing some sort of revisionist history regarding Covid vaccines and a general sentiment that we should revisit vaccines altogether. We all had them and gave them to our kids without much thought for the past 50-60 years and there's more chatter about whether we need to "do our own research."

The one way this fits in with the general GOP approach is questioning people's faith in government. Whether it's public education, intelligence, or the federal "regime," that's been a constant and this goes right along the same lines. "You can't trust what you've been told."

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I wouldn't underestimate the number of suburban people who are either anti-vax or vax hesitant.

Also the amount of things white people are willing to overlook to vote for fascism.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Radii

Also the amount of things white people are willing to overlook to vote for fascism.

"He made the trains run on time."

[Ksyrup]

The NYT story on George Santos, a NY Republican who won a Dem Congressional seat, is wild. Where the hell was the Dem Party - you don't do opposition research to confirm someone's resume? I don't know how many of these potential falsehoods end up being legit, but it kinda would have mattered during the campaign.

[Edward64]

Nice work Congress. Hope it passes

Lawmakers unveil sweeping government funding bill to avert shutdown | CNN Politics

Lawmakers early Tuesday unveiled legislative text of a massive full-year government funding bill that Congress hopes to pass to avert a shutdown at the end of the week.

The expectation on Capitol Hill is that a shutdown will be avoided, but congressional leaders have little room for error given the tight timeline they are facing. Government funding is set to expire on Friday at midnight.

The massive $1.7 trillion spending bill, known on Capitol Hill as an omnibus, would fund critical government operations across federal agencies for fiscal year 2023. The measure is the product of lengthy negotiations between top congressional Democrats and Republicans.

Working during the holidays.

Senate leaders are aiming to take procedural steps to pass the bill by Thursday and then send it to the House, where it is expected to be adopted, and then to President Joe Biden for his signature before the Friday deadline.

Misc notes:

The bill also includes $44.9 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine and NATO allies, the Senate committee detailed in its news release.

... include an overhaul of the 1887 Electoral Count Act and the Secure Act 2.0

But several key measures were not included in the plan. Legislation to allow cannabis companies to bank their cash reserves – known as the Safe Banking Act – was not included in the final bill, nor were scores of corporate and individual tax breaks, such as an extension of the expanded child tax credit, the sources said.

And maybe only of interest to me. Saw Patrick Leahy's name in the article and wondered how long he's been in Congress ... like 48 years.

A member of the Democratic Party, Leahy was first elected in 1974 and is in his eighth term. He is the chair of the Appropriations Committee,

[albionmoonlight]

This seems like . . . legislation how it has historically been done. It's been a while.

I am glad that the Dems saw the leverage that the GOP had and were willing to bend to reality.

When you've got a weak hand, you take what you can get b/c it's better than the alternative. And that's what they did.

[flere-imsaho]

Happy retirement, Senator Leahy.

[flere-imsaho]

More detail here, without being the full 4000 page text of the bill: https://www.appropriations.senate.go...%20FY%2023.pdf

[flere-imsaho]

A little more on the updates to the Electoral Count Act:

Legislation to overhaul the Electoral Count Act to clarify that the vice president’s role in counting electoral votes is clerical, and to raise the threshold for the number of senators and representatives needed to object to state-certified electoral ballots.

There's also raises for the Capitol Police and funds for refurbishment of Capitol buildings because I wonder why....

There's also a graduated ban on driftnet usage, which I quite like.

[albionmoonlight]

I’m sure McConnell/Schumer have Cruz-proofed the procedures for getting it done in time. But it will be fun to watch him grandstand and try

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

The NYT story on George Santos, a NY Republican who won a Dem Congressional seat, is wild. Where the hell was the Dem Party - you don't do opposition research to confirm someone's resume? I don't know how many of these potential falsehoods end up being legit, but it kinda would have mattered during the campaign.

Literally every part of his life seems to have been a lie.

[flere-imsaho]

The extent to which the NY Democratic Party appears to have been asleep at the wheel in this election cycle (and perhaps earlier ones, note AOC's primary victory over a long-time incumbe?) is astonishing.

[Ksyrup]

This endorsement of Santos' opponent by a local paper raises so many questions you would either have to be stupid or oblivious to vote for Santos. Even as a GOPer, he apparently has supported reparations and the Dem's strategy of boosting questionable GOP candidates. And that's not even considering all of the possible questions about where he got his money.

Endorsement: Robert Zimmerman for US Congress (NY3)

[Edward64]

If true, I'd like to se an expulsion. Most recent ones ...

https://history.house.gov/Institutio...ure-Reprimand/

• 1980 Michael Myers (probably made a lot more money in the Halloween franchise )
• 2002 James Traficant

[Edward64]

Nice surprise meeting. There was a reddit report that Zelensky visited the front lines at Bakhut yesterday, met with the troops, gave out medals, and accepted a Ukrainian battle flag. I'm going to guess the US will get it in the meeting.

Biden and Zelensky planning to meet in Washington for Ukrainian president's first foreign trip since war began | CNN Politics

President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are planning to meet at the White House on Wednesday, according to two sources familiar with the planning underway, in what would be a surprise visit that could change based on security concerns.

The visit, which hasn’t been finalized and has remained tightly held due to security concerns, will coincide with the administration’s intent to send the country a new defense assistance package that will include Patriot missile systems. It would mark Zelensky’s first trip outside Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February of this year. His potential visit to Washington could also include an address to Congress.

Although not finalized, looks like its for real. Looking forward to what he has to say. Suspect both Dems & GOP will be clapping a lot.

Pelosi has been making calls to members urging them to show up to the Capitol on Wednesday over fears the chamber would be empty ahead of the holiday recess, one member said. Pelosi asked for members to be in attendance Wednesday night “for a very special focus on Democracy.”

The expectation from members, per several sources, is Zelensky will address Congress on Wednesday. But the sources caution that this may not be final yet over security concerns.

[Edward64]

Oh great. I'm going to guess that Israeli saboteurs & hackers will be working overtime, and plans are being refreshed for strikes.

Iran nuclear deal is "dead," Biden says in newly surfaced video

President Biden said on the sidelines of a Nov. 4 election rally that the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran is “dead,” but stressed the U.S. won’t formally announce it, according to a new video that surfaced on social media late Monday.

Why it matters: It's the strongest confirmation so far that the Biden administration believes there's no path forward for the Iran deal, which leaves key questions about the future of Tehran's nuclear program.

Sure hope the US is supporting the Iranian protestors behind the scenes. But not sure if it'll be welcome or what we can do that would have significant impact.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Nice surprise meeting. There was a reddit report that Zelensky visited the front lines at Bakhut yesterday, met with the troops, gave out medals, and accepted a Ukrainian battle flag. I'm going to guess the US will get it in the meeting.

Although not finalized, looks like its for real. Looking forward to what he has to say. Suspect both Dems & GOP will be clapping a lot.

Welcome! Nice to finally get to meetcha.

[Edward64]

Patriots to Ukraine!

(Sure hopes it performs well and can avoid the counter battery etc)

Good press conference. Some nice banter between the 2.

Bidens answer on why the US hasn’t given more/quickly was a little weak, attributing the alliance as part of the reason. He should’ve had a better answer

Congress is next at 7:30pm.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

The extent to which the NY Democratic Party appears to have been asleep at the wheel in this election cycle (and perhaps earlier ones, note AOC's primary victory over a long-time incumbe?) is astonishing.

Their job has always been to fight progressives, not Republicans.

[Edward64]

Good speech so far. Looks like vast majority is clapping and standing up. Good they have subtitles though, he was a little difficult for me to understand some words.

Zelenskyy had a tough message calling out Iran & Russia collaborating.

10 points for talks. Fat chance that Russia will accept.

[Edward64]

Nice Ukrainian flag. Looks signed by the soldiers.

Pelosi giving him the US flag seem somewhat diminishing (?) though.

[Flasch186]

I hope MTG stayed seated the whole fuckin time and never cheered anything because nothing screams hypocrisy than her tweets yesterday and today and then standing to clap. She sucks.

Remember when we were on the verge of abandoning NATO and Russia was our friend

I can’t recall why that would be and so would support such shocking behavior convenient to an autocrat? Hmmmmmm could it be……

If trump were in office Russia might have our HIMARS… I kid but it’s not impossible based on Trumps lips on Putin’s ass


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

I hope MTG stayed seated the whole fuckin time and never cheered anything because nothing screams hypocrisy than her tweets yesterday and today and then standing to clap. She sucks.

Remember when we were on the verge of abandoning NATO and Russia was our friend

I can’t recall why that would be and so would support such shocking behavior convenient to an autocrat? Hmmmmmm could it be……

If trump were in office Russia might have our HIMARS… I kid but it’s not impossible based on Trumps lips on Putin’s ass


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is assuming she or any of the far right cultist even showed up. The6 said all R Senators were there be us they have to vote later but only approximately 80 of the House Republicans were there.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Patriots to Ukraine!

(Sure hopes it performs well and can avoid the counter battery etc)

A little more on Patriots.

“These systems don’t pick up and move around the battlefield,” Hertling said. “You put them in place somewhere that defends your most strategic target, like a city, like Kyiv. If anyone thinks this is going to be a system that is spread across a 500-mile border between Ukraine and Russia, they just don’t know how the system operates.”

Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at CSIS, told CNN that the Patriot is “not a game-changer” because it is “still only able to defend a relatively small piece of dirt.”

“This is not a system that will go after drones or smaller ballistic missiles,” he said. “Can it do that? Absolutely. But when you’re talking about knocking down a $20,000 drone, or a $100,000 ballistic missile that Russia buys, with a $3-5 million rocket, that doesn’t give you much of a return on the investment. What it can do it free up the low and medium systems to go after those kind of targets.”

Also kinda expensive per missile

CSIS recently said in a report that the missile rounds for the Patriot come in at roughly $4 million each. Rounds that expensive likely won’t be used to shoot down every missile Russia launches toward Ukraine, Hertling said.

We're going to provide 1 Patriot system and that'll likely be in the Kyiv area. Wonder how well it will perform if Russia decides to send a flood of missiles, drones etc. to Kyiv. Why limit to one, why not provide a bunch that can provide overlapping zones of coverage?

Also, you gotta think its going to be a primary target, so wonder how well it'll do "moving around" and protecting itself. Another piece of military weapon that will be tested in real combat conditions.

My cynical belief is US or NATO troops will be overseeing the Patriot system use inside Ukraine. Hard for me to believe we'll leave the Patriot execution & maintenance to just newly trained Ukrainian forces.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Oh great. I'm going to guess that Israeli saboteurs & hackers will be working overtime, and plans are being refreshed for strikes.
.

Fair chance they'll act on Iran somehow.

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu informs Israeli president he has formed government | CNN

Benjamin Netanyahu has officially informed Israeli President Isaac Herzog that he has successfully formed a government, his Likud party said Wednesday.

In what was a last minute announcement, Netanyahu tweeted 10 minutes before the deadline expired, “I have managed.”

Netanyahu, who had already served as prime minister for 15 years until being ousted last year, had until midnight local time (5 p.m. ET) Wednesday to form the government following elections on November 1.

The new Israeli government will likely be the most right-wing in Israeli history, including people appointed to ministerial positions who were once considered to be on the extreme nationalist fringes of Israeli politics.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

This seems like . . . legislation how it has historically been done. It's been a while.

I am glad that the Dems saw the leverage that the GOP had and were willing to bend to reality.

When you've got a weak hand, you take what you can get b/c it's better than the alternative. And that's what they did.

I think this was also McConnell deciding to take what they can get before the crazies take control of the house next month. Trying to get any spending bill through this upcoming GOP controlled house would be impossible.

[Edward64]

It's been reported that 86 of 213 GOP attended so about 40%. Toss in another 7 or 8 that attended but seemingly pouted throughout so about 38% seemed publicly friendly to Ukraine. Not great but, if representative, workable/enough for next 2 years.

I can believe weather, last minute unplanned event etc. played a role for some of them (who knows how many).

It would be helpful to also know how many Democrats couldn't make the session. I'm pretty sure it'll be a greater % but I was not able to find any stats.

Zelensky address meets divided House GOP preparing to grab purse strings | The Hill

According to the Hill pool, only 86 of 213 House Republicans attended the speech Wednesday evening. More than a third of House members had active letters to vote by proxy on Wednesday, with many worrying about weather disrupting travel just before Christmas.

[Edward64]

Good move Taiwan. I have been reading that Taiwan isn't ready for China (even with her Porcupine strategy) and not taking it seriously enough as evident by her 4 month mandatory service.

Military service for women is voluntary and about 15% (same as US).

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64100577

Taiwan will extend mandatory military service from four months to one year, President Tsai Ing-wen has said.

The decision comes amid growing tensions with China, which claims the self-ruled island as its territory.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, President Tsai announced new plans to bolster Taiwan's defence in the event of an attack from Beijing.

"Peace will not drop from the sky... Taiwan is on the frontline of authoritarian expansion," she said.

Looks like it'll be a big election platform for them to vote on.

The Taiwanese army has shrunk since the early 1990s when all men over the age of 18 were required to serve in the military for up to three years. Over the next few decades, service was shortened to one year and 10 months before being further reduced to four months. The new rule takes effect in January 2024 - the same month Taiwan will elect its next president.

[Brian Swartz]

I'm thinking just now how many people would be infuriated if we adopted such a requirement in the US.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

I'm thinking just now how many people would be infuriated if we adopted such a requirement in the US.

Majorly pissed. In some ways it would be good. Instill civic duty and what not. Also, greatly reduce the desire to use the military if your son or daughter is forced to take part. But it would degrade the military, as a volunteer army is much better trained and has better morale than a conscript army. Plus, massive resources are burned in training short-term troops better spent on long-term volunteers.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

I'm thinking just now how many people would be infuriated if we adopted such a requirement in the US.

A lot. But price they have to pay.

Taiwan is in a "clear & present danger" situation. They either need to beef up military capabilities or get nukes. I personally don't believe they should depend on the US, I have doubts if we would stand by them in a shooting war.

[Edward64]

I may have to catch a re-run of last night's Tucker.

Gabbard — a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and the guest host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight”

Gabbard repeatedly called out Santos’ “blatant lies” throughout the interview, frequently cutting him off and redirecting her questions as he tried to deflect by bringing up alleged lies Democratic politicians have told and highlighting issues he had campaigned on. She specifically came down hard on the congressman-elect at one point when he contended that “everybody wants to nit-pick at me” but said he still remained “committed in delivering results for the American people.”

“The results that people are looking for are called into question when you tell blatant lies. Not embellishments. And this is, I think, one of the biggest concerns, congressman-elect, is that you don’t really seem to be taking this seriously,” Gabbard said. “You’ve apologized, you said you’ve made mistakes, but you’ve outright lied. A lie is not an embellishment on a résumé.”

She should take him up on his offer.

Santos floundered in defending himself, first saying he agreed with what Gabbard was saying and then adding that “we can debate my résumé” and he could “sit down and explain to you” how he worked with private equity firms — even though he lied in his résumé about working “directly” with several firms.

“We can have this discussion that’s going to go way above the American people’s head,” Santos said. “… I can sit down and if you want to have that discussion, I’d be glad to, Tulsi, to explain that to you and make sure that we settle the score.”

[Ksyrup]

The stuff I'm seeing on Twitter about Santos being partially funded by the cousin of Russian oligarch and then his campaign expenditures that have a ton of expenses priced out at $199.99 is fishy as hell. It sure looks like someone created one or more fake companies to funnel money to him to give to his campaign.

This thread is pretty interesting. Did he make his money as president of Vandelay Industries?

did santos explain who was suddenly pouring money into his fake family company?

— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) December 27, 2022

[RainMaker]

Sure seems like the Russians bought themselves another Congressman.

[PilotMan]

Seems like a bit of a money laundering venture.

[Ksyrup]

Assuming these tweets are real, this dude has a full-blown sickness. These tweets aren't a few years apart, they are a few months. He may actually be a more prolific liar than Trump if you consider how little time he's spent in the public eye.

Ooof!😬 pic.twitter.com/FbRtlLUYuk

— Kaylan_TX💙 (@Kaylan_TX) December 29, 2022

[Ksyrup]

This shit can't be real. Elon is playing a joke getting people outraged and then gonna make some anti-Lib statement about the reactions, right?

Two years ago George Santos claimed to be half Black (h/t @C00KE_) pic.twitter.com/fgGNstGeAw

— Roger Sollenberger (@SollenbergerRC) December 29, 2022

[Edward64]

He is a liar but not sure he has really done anything illegal yet. But this investigation is good and hope we get some (preliminary) results quickly.

Federal prosecutors are investigating Rep.-elect George Santos' finances | CNN Politics

Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating the finances of Rep.-elect George Santos, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

The news of the probe, being undertaken by the US attorney’s office in the Eastern District of New York, comes as the Republican has admitted to lying about key parts of his biography. Santos has faced questions over his wealth and loans totaling more than $700,000 he made to his successful 2022 campaign.

Santos told Semafor on Wednesday that he made his money through “capital introduction” and “deal making” for “high net worth individuals.”

[Flasch186]

Deleted to reclaim my energy tonight

[Edward64]

Joe is up to 43.3% approval on 538.

His low was 37.9% back in June. In early November it was 41-42% so he's picked up some. I wonder why there was an uptick - the economy & markets seem to be worsening, likely increased political gridlock etc.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I wonder why there was an uptick - the economy & markets seem to be worsening, likely increased political gridlock etc.

There isn't a mid-term coming up, so the pressure to dislike him from the other side is lessened.

Also, to the extend Presidential approval is a proxy for "how do you feel about the political situation," I think that a lot of Dems and moderate Republicans are happy that election deniers lost in the midterms and ECA reform passed. And GOPers are happy that they got a house of Congress and an activist Supreme Court.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Assuming these tweets are real, this dude has a full-blown sickness. These tweets aren't a few years apart, they are a few months. He may actually be a more prolific liar than Trump if you consider how little time he's spent in the public eye.

This is one of the weirdest stories I can remember. With people looking into his finances, I have a feeling this will only get weirder.

Still shocked that no one noticed this till now. How did the NY Dems not have someone go through his old tweets?

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

This is one of the weirdest stories I can remember. With people looking into his finances, I have a feeling this will only get weirder.

Still shocked that no one noticed this till now. How did the NY Dems not have someone go through his old tweets?

It almost seems like performance art to show how silly the process is for our elections because it is just so blatantly absurd. But, it is also scary to consider that a foreign government may have bankrolled this guy into the US House of Representatives. It's been awhile since I have seen the Manchurian Candidate, but I recall it being far more sophisticated than this clown show.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

This is one of the weirdest stories I can remember. With people looking into his finances, I have a feeling this will only get weirder.

Still shocked that no one noticed this till now. How did the NY Dems not have someone go through his old tweets?

They did. They just did not think those tweets needed to be highlighted.

https://dccc.org/wp-content/uploads/...earch-Book.pdf

[Atocep]

Full List of George Santos Claims That Have Now Been Debunked

It's comical at this point.

His 501c3 animal rights group listed here turned out to be a gofundme btw

[JPhillips]

McCarthy has given in on the motion to vacate, which means he'll allow a vote on a motion to fire him, possibly with as few as five members allowed to bring it. This is going to be a disaster when it comes time to pass budget items.

[GrantDawg]

And even with that, he doesn't have enough votes to be speaker. This isn't the only hold outs.

Tonight NINE GOP signal skepticism over a future McCarthy speakership.

Tuesday the fight goes to the floor… pic.twitter.com/sxA9QEoZkt

— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) January 2, 2023