The Biden Presidency - 2020

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Er, think you forgot Kamala.

The right calls her "Cameltoe"

[SirFozzie]

I'm surprised with how racist some of them are, they don't refer to her as "Kamala, the Ugandan Giant" you know with the painted body and the spear.

[Edward64]

Joe, you've undone the goodwill/groveling that you sent Blinken to China to do just a couple days ago. I really want to believe you have a real China strategy with your statement, like some sort of carrot & stick, good cop/bad cop. But I'm thinking you just had a momentary lapse in judgement, your team will try to walk it back some, but China won't forget this.

But I love it. Continue de-coupling (de-risk) and spread the wealth of US manufacturing needs to other countries (and definitely greatly reduce our reliance on Taiwan).

China hits back at Biden: ‘Extremely absurd’ to call Xi a dictator – POLITICO

China on Wednesday hit back at U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent comment that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping was a dictator.

“It is a blatant political provocation. China expresses strong dissatisfaction and opposition,” said Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, at a regular press briefing, AP reported.

“The U.S. remarks are extremely absurd and irresponsible,” Mao added.

China’s response comes a day after Biden, speaking at a campaign event in California, likened Xi to a dictator when referring to the U.S. downing a Chinese spy balloon in February.

[b]“The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment is he didn’t know it was there,” Biden said. “That was the great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened.”

[stevew]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

The right calls her "Cameltoe"

I thought it was “The Hoe”

[RainMaker]

Why would they walk it back? Xi is a dictator by almost every definition of the word. Or at the best, it's an authoritarian one-party state.

We don't need to play their silly games and pretend they are something they are not.

[Ghost Econ]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Why would they walk it back? Xi is a dictator by almost every definition of the word. Or at the best, it's an authoritarian one-party state.

We don't need to play their silly games and pretend they are something they are not.

I thought he was a tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff.

[Thomkal]

So George Santos who said he'd go to jail rather than reveal who paid his bond, of course lied and did not. Apparantly the ones who paid are his dad and his aunt, a house painter and a mail carrier put up the $500,000

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

So George Santos who said he'd go to jail rather than reveal who paid his bond, of course lied and did not. Apparantly the ones who paid are his dad and his aunt, a house painter and a mail carrier put up the $500,000

I don't think they had to put any money up. They were just responsible for that amount if he no-showed.

[Edward64]

I'd think they had to get a bail bond for 10% of the bail or something.

[GrantDawg]

There was a third person who withdrew before they exposed the names.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I'd think they had to get a bail bond for 10% of the bail or something.

It was unsecured or a "signature" bond. They didn't have to put up any money or collateral. They would be responsible for the money if he ran.

[JPhillips]

Grab the popcorn. There's a reported movement in the House Freedom Caucus to expel MTG.

[BYU 14]

Pretty decisive, even Thomas agreed, but of course they are just setting the table for the next GOP President to crack down without interference from blue states

Supreme Court allows Biden administration to limit immigration arrests

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Grab the popcorn. There's a reported movement in the House Freedom Caucus to expel MTG.

It is so much fun watching them implode.

[HerRealName]

Originally Posted by Lathum

It is so much fun watching them implode.

Too soon.

[RainMaker]

$9 billion loan to Ford with no strings attached with taxpayer money.

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by Lathum

It is so much fun watching them implode.

from the HFC or from the House?

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

from the HFC or from the House?

HFC

[Lathum]

Mostly the HFC. The more their crazy is on display the better it is for America

[Atocep]

Big week for SCOTUS rulings. I'm guessing all, or most, of these will break towards conservatives since these were held until the last week of the current session.

Independent State Legislature is a potentially massive ruling. Siding with NC wouldn't make any sense at all after the ruling on Alabama's map, but you never know with this court. If they side with NC then state courts will no longer be able to shoot down election maps as NC is arguing that it's a legislative issue not a judiciary.

Affirmative Action could be gutted.

The Student Debt relief decision.

Religious accommodations could be expanded with Groff v DeJoy.

Plus several others.

[Edward64]

It occurred to me that Biden didn't give any speech or make a statement this weekend about what was happening in Russia.

He wouldn't/shouldn't give all the details he knows but a short speech or neutral statement to the effect of "we are aware, monitoring, consulting with allies, not interfering etc." would have been (I thought) standard procedure.

But then, it didn't seem anyone was too concerned about a real coup in progress of a member of the nuclear club (too distracted in cheering on the "thunder run to Moscow"). And seemingly, not in the stock markets either which is currently up a little.

Just seem a little weird to me.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Edward64

It occurred to me that Biden didn't give any speech or make a statement this weekend about what was happening in Russia.

He wouldn't/shouldn't give all the details he knows but a short speech or neutral statement to the effect of "we are aware, monitoring, consulting with allies, not interfering etc." would have been (I thought) standard procedure.

But then, it didn't seem anyone was too concerned about a real coup in progress of a member of the nuclear club (too distracted in cheering on the "thunder run to Moscow"). And seemingly, not in the stock markets either which is currently up a little.

Just seem a little weird to me.

One of Putin's go-to propaganda moves is to say that any attack on him--even internally--is really the West trying to weaken Russia.

We know that anything we say, however innocuous, will be twisted into "See, this is all The West. You need to support me to support Russia" for the Russian people. I think that's why we are very reluctant to comment on anything inside of Russia's borders.

[GrantDawg]

Biden made a statement today denying any involvement. Not that if we were involved he would have said "Yeah, we did it. And we would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids."

[Edward64]

A little late IMO.

But then, I could see them putting the finishing touches on his speech Sat and about to call the WH reporters. Then saw the breaking news and said "WTF, cancel it, we were too slow, its over already"

[Edward64]

I like it. This was part of the Infrastructure Bill back in Nov 2021, should have been implemented earlier but I'm guessing they wanted to spread out the goodies for maximum political impact.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bide...y?id=100380154

President Joe Biden on Monday announced how $42.5 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law he championed will be distributed to expand high-speed internet access across the country.

The funding will go to all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories, and is aimed at bolstering internet access particularly for the 7% of people who live in underserved areas, according to the White House, which said all residents and small business could be connected to "reliable, affordable high-speed internet by 2030."

I was wondering if it would be affordable after the access has been taken care of. More details below.

$14.2 billion for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides eligible households up to $30/month (up to $75/month on qualifying Tribal Lands) off their internet bill, as well as a one-time $100 toward a desktop, laptop or tablet computer offered by participating internet service providers. Thanks to commitments by over 20 internet service providers, millions of Americans are using the Affordable Connectivity Program to access internet for free. Today, 19 million Americans are enrolled in this program. Households can check their eligibility and sign up at GetInternet.gov.

[albionmoonlight]

The contrast between Dems constantly enacting policies to help rural America and the GOP war on cities is striking.

[Edward64]

I also like how it has specific provisions for Native Americans. I haven't studied the situation but it seems we haven't done enough for that particular group of Americans. Short of giving back all the land, or giving each $1-$10M there should be many ways to assist them more.

You'll be hearing more about Bidenomics in the next year.

"Bidenomics is rooted in the simple idea that we need to grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up—not the top down," two of his senior advisers, Anita Dunn and Mike Donilon, wrote in a memorandum released Monday.

... a new campaign message centered on “Bidenomics” — shorthand for the administration’s economic strategy of boosting the middle class through government investments rather than stimulative tax cuts focused on the wealthy.

[Thomkal]

Supreme Court (just barely 6-3) rejects the independent state legislature theory, which would have allowed state legislatures to toss out election results it didn't like. Yeah for Democracy!

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Supreme Court (just barely 6-3) rejects the independent state legislature theory, which would have allowed state legislatures to toss out election results it didn't like. Yeah for Democracy!

Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch were easy desents on this. I'm curious to read the reasoning.

Pretty scary what would have happened if this hadn't been shot down. It would have given state legislatures the green light to overturn election results for any reason, allowed them to create election maps without oversight, and generally given them full control without the ability of a governor, court, or anyone else to question any decision regarding elections.

[GrantDawg]

I felt pretty good that this was going to be the outcome, but I was worried. I think the map decision last week made me feel much better about a good outcome on this, but the fact they took the arguments instead of punting when they had a chance made me nervous.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch were easy desents on this. I'm curious to read the reasoning.

Pretty scary what would have happened if this hadn't been shot down. It would have given state legislatures the green light to overturn election results for any reason, allowed them to create election maps without oversight, and generally given them full control without the ability of a governor, court, or anyone else to question any decision regarding elections.

I'm reading (not sure how accurate) that Thomas thought it should have been moot and dismissed

[albionmoonlight]

Thomas, Gorsuch, and Alito all thought it was moot.

Thomas and Gorsuch also wrote to say that they disagreed with the merits. Alito did not join that part (but it is not hard to see where he would come out on that).

I think that the majority wanted to nip ISL in the bud and were not going to let possible mootness stop them.

[Brian Swartz]

Correct.

Originally Posted by Justice Thomas

the Court “is without power to decide moot questions or to give advisory opinions which cannot affect the rights of the litigants in the case before it.”

Originally Posted by Justice Thomas

The opinion that the Court releases today breaks that thread. It “affirms” an interlocutory state-court judgment that has since been overruled and supplanted by a final
judgment resolving all claims in petitioners’ favor. The issue on which it opines—a federal defense to claims already dismissed on other grounds—can no longer affect the judgment in this litigation in any way. As such, the question is indisputably moot, and today’s majority opinion is plainly advisory. Because the writ of certiorari should be dismissed, I respectfully dissent.

From the first page of his dissent.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Correct.





From the first page of his dissent.

The funny thing is he is not wrong. It is very unlike the Court to continue an appeal on a judgement that had already been reversed. Like I said earlier, that was the part that made me nervous. I thought the conservatives might have wanted to ignore normal process to make clear before the next election that the legislatures could go nuts. It seems it was actually likely Roberts wanted to make clear they couldn't. It was foresight the court has often not done in the past even when they had a chance.

[Ghost Econ]

Bidenomics is rooted in the simple idea that we need to grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up—not the top down," two of his senior advisers, Anita Dunn and Mike Donilon, wrote in a memorandum released Monday.

Always go middle out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex1JuIN0eaA

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

The funny thing is he is not wrong. It is very unlike the Court to continue an appeal on a judgement that had already been reversed. Like I said earlier, that was the part that made me nervous. I thought the conservatives might have wanted to ignore normal process to make clear before the next election that the legislatures could go nuts. It seems it was actually likely Roberts wanted to make clear they couldn't. It was foresight the court has often not done in the past even when they had a chance.

I agree. The Court wanted to try and preempt an ISL-based crisis in the middle of the 2024 election.

[albionmoonlight]

Two graphs I bet the White House is going to be showing off together a bunch:

The U.S. has the highest post-pandemic growth among the G7, and it currently has the lowest inflation (both headline and core). pic.twitter.com/ZZTRjSQHgC

— Jordan Weissmann (@JHWeissmann) June 27, 2023

It's all culture war now. But to the extent any voters actually still care about the economy (as opposed to voting based on culture war and just saying "economy" to sound smart), this is good for Biden.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

The contrast between Dems constantly enacting policies to help rural America and the GOP war on cities is striking.

They even go home and brag about something they voted against.

Broadband is vital for the success of our rural communities and for our entire economy.

Great to see Alabama receive crucial funds to boost ongoing broadband efforts. https://t.co/bLvQlSS3LH

— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) June 27, 2023

[GrantDawg]

Every indicator is how good our economy is doing, but it is hard to convince people of that when everything is still way more expensive than it was a couple of years ago. Inflation may have "slowed" but it doesn't feel like it.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[albionmoonlight]

I get it. America is doing better than peer countries. But that's not how people feel.

It is like how if the S&P goes up 10%, and your portfolio goes up 5%, you should be mad at your broker, but you are probably happy b/c it went up. And if S&P goes down 10% and you go down 5%, you should be happy, but you are probably upset.

[Ksyrup]

Peer countries is an irrelevant comparison when the vast majority of Americans don't visit or are not impacted by, much less care about, said peer countries. We compare ourselves to ourselves.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Peer countries is an irrelevant comparison when the vast majority of Americans don't visit or are not impacted by, much less care about, said peer countries. We compare ourselves to ourselves.

Yeah, I've always said that if people were forced to travel around the world for a bit, they'd come back and be furious with the United States. People here only know what they know.

[Ksyrup]

Or if geography made us interact with other countries, like in Europe. But we're so big and only bordered by 2 countries, we don't really think about anyone else.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Peer countries is an irrelevant comparison when the vast majority of Americans don't visit or are not impacted by, much less care about, said peer countries. We compare ourselves to ourselves.

Yeah, I've always said that if people were forced to travel around the world for a bit, they'd come back and be overall grateful for what we have in the United States. People here only know what they know.

[JPhillips]

Roseanne is who we thought she was.

Roseanne Barr says the Holocaust never happened, "but should have" because "Jews cause all the problems in the world."
I have no words. pic.twitter.com/aO70R0A8BQ

— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) June 27, 2023

[Edward64]

I'm guessing its a dry joke that people was too quick to be offended by (e.g. she's Jewish).

But we'll see how this plays out.

[GrantDawg]

It was from my understanding, but people hate her so they will pile on. I mean, SHE is Jewish.

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[Edward64]

It'll hurt my Big Tech portfolio but of course, we frakking limit exporting key AI technologies to China.

Shares of Nvidia Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. slumped in the extended session Tuesday following a report that the Biden administration is considering a new ban on sales of AI chips to China.

Nvidia shares NVDA,A fell 3% after hours, following a 3.1% gain to close at $418.76, while AMD shares AMD, also fell 3%, after a 2.7% gain in the regular session to close at $110.39.

Late Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported the Commerce Department could further block sales of AI chips to China unless U.S. companies first obtain a special license.

The ban would follow upon similar actions last year that threatened $400 million in Nvidia sales, but the company found a workaround in supplying a version of products that avoided the ban.

[Edward64]

Something not yet (enough) in the Dem public consciousness. If Dems want to bring back some balance, Biden better win.

Supreme Court: Retirement talk surrounding Thomas, Alito raises stakes for 2024 electionÂ*

Lawmakers are looking ahead to the 2024 election as a pivotal opportunity to shape the future of the Supreme Court because of the possibility that conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, 75, and Samuel Alito, 73, could retire.

Democrats are worried that if Biden loses and the GOP wins the Senate majority, it could allow a GOP president to replace both men with younger conservatives who could rule far into the future.

“It’s critical. President Biden, who I feel confident will be reelected, needs to be able to put more judges on the bench, federal judges, including Supreme Court. It is absolutely critical that the Senate remain in Democratic hands,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who will retire at the end of next year.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

One of Putin's go-to propaganda moves is to say that any attack on him--even internally--is really the West trying to weaken Russia.

We know that anything we say, however innocuous, will be twisted into "See, this is all The West. You need to support me to support Russia" for the Russian people. I think that's why we are very reluctant to comment on anything inside of Russia's borders.

Apparently Biden & rest of allies agreed with you re: no press conferences over the weekend

Inside Biden's dramatic backchannel to Russia as a near-coup unfolded - POLITICO

And Biden, in his conversations with other NATO leaders this weekend, sought agreement that the West would be best served by remaining mostly silent, our colleagues Alex Ward, Lili Bayer, Suzanne Lynch and Christina Gallardo reported this week.