The Biden Presidency - 2020

[RainMaker]

They were mostly a Russian puppet state for the other 22 years.

There are like 6 or 7 countries in Europe with nukes on their soil so I feel like they are pretty safe from invasion unless Putin has a suicide wish. Heck, countries are still buying gas from Russia which tells you they don't exactly feel threatened.

[Brian Swartz]

The gas thing doesn't tell me they don't feel threatened. It tells me their energy grid is more important to them.

In terms of nukes, that's a two-way street; Russia has them also so either side using them would be the same death wish. It's definitely far from certain that either would do so.

[JPhillips]

It's quite a strong field, but the TN GOP made be the worst of them all.

The Tennessee Senate has passed a bill targeting "chemtrails."

SB 2691/HB 2063, sponsored by Rep. Monty Fritts, R-Kingston, and Sen. Steve Southerland, R-Morristown, passed in the Senate on Monday. The bill has yet to advance in the House.

The bill claims it is "documented the federal government or other entities acting on the federal government's behalf or at the federal government's request may conduct geoengineering experiments by intentionally dispersing chemicals into the atmosphere, and those activities may occur within the State of Tennessee," according to the bill.

The legislation would ban the practice in Tennessee.

"The intentional injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of chemicals, chemical compounds, substances, or apparatus within the borders of this state into the atmosphere with the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of the sunlight is prohibited," the bill reads.

The bill is scheduled to go to the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday.

[cuervo72]

Yeah, I follow a couple of TN-related feeds on FB, and that legislature and its R supermajority is...something.

[albionmoonlight]

So are misters going to be illegal in Tennessee? Is water a chemical? Is a sun umbrella an apparatus?

[Ghost Econ]

Remind me not to fart in Tennessee.

[GrantDawg]

We are going to have another Speaker vote, but this time it looks like the Dems are going to save Johnson from being removed.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

We are going to have another Speaker vote, but this time it looks like the Dems are going to save Johnson from being removed.

I assume/hope there was some backroom dealings on other next steps (e.g. Ukraine/Israel/Taiwan bills). If so, good news.


EDIT:

Hope its true.

Just a moment...

House Democrats say Mike Johnson has an option to control his future over a motion to vacate from Marjorie Taylor Green: putting a Ukraine aid package on the floor.

Several Democrats from across the ideological spectrum said in interviews with POLITICO they would motion to table Greene’s resolution — if it came to a vote — if Johnson put a Ukraine aid package on the House floor for a vote.

And in recent days, Johnson has indicated privately to some Democratic lawmakers he would put a Ukraine aid bill up for a vote after lawmakers came back from their Easter recess. Johnson has signaled that foreign aid would be the House’s next priority after wrapping up government funding this week.

[Thomkal]

Sorry if I missed someone saying this already: Senator Menendez has decided not to seek re-election as a Democrat, but keeps open running as an independent if he some how gets away with his corruption and bribery trials again.

[MJ4H]

Since the Repub majority is suddenly down to one, I'm not sure the democrats would want to save him. The possibility of getting Jeffries as speaker is a little more realistic, suddenly.

[Edward64]

Interesting theory & scenario. Hard for me to believe it could play out that way though.

[GrantDawg]

It has always surprised me that the Republicans didn't have a single defector from the parry, which seems to happen when you get these slim majorities. Instead, they are having several retirements.

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[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

We are going to have another Speaker vote, but this time it looks like the Dems are going to save Johnson from being removed.

lol Dems

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

It has always surprised me that the Republicans didn't have a single defector from the parry, which seems to happen when you get these slim majorities. Instead, they are having several retirements.

Parrot Republican orthodoxy from just a few years ago, like Cheney & Kinzinger, and you get death threats. Can you imagine what the cult what do to someone who actually switched parties?

Originally Posted by RainMaker

lol Dems

They're playing it correctly. He's going to keep getting motions to vacate. If they can tie each one to another piece of legislation they want to pass, it's a win.

[Edward64]

This is Exhibit A for hubris. Can't wait to see how this all turns out.

George Santos says he’s leaving the Republican Party and will run for Congress as an independent | CNN Politics

Former New York Rep. George Santos announced Friday that he was leaving the Republican Party and would continue his congressional comeback bid as an independent.
:
“I in good conscience cannot affiliate myself with a party that stands for nothing and falls for everything,” he wrote on X. “I am officially suspending my petitioning in #NY01 to access the ballot as a Republican and will be filling to run as an independent.”

[Edward64]

FWIW I've been monitoring Joe's approval levels on 538.

Yesterday, he broke 40% which he hasn't done in ages. He's back down to 39.9% today. Hopefully, it's a good sign now that the stage is set (and reality has sunk in) between the two.

[Edward64]

Congrats Joe, Mike & Hakeem.

A colossal $1.2 trillion spending package is finally off to President Joe Biden’s desk, with Congress concluding a tumultuous government funding cycle and skirting a shutdown after midnight.

The Senate cleared the six-bill funding bundle in a 74-24 vote early Saturday morning, following votes on a dozen Republican amendments and proposals, none of which were successful. The House approved the package earlier on Friday, with more Democrats voting for the massive measure than Republicans as Speaker Mike Johnson faces a new threat to his gavel.

[Ksyrup]

It would help if gas prices didn't jump about 30 cents (at least around here) over the past few weeks.

[RainMaker]

The new bill doesn't help with gas prices but it does cut aid to those who report war crimes.

[flere-imsaho]

Link me details.

[RainMaker]

Blocks funding to the Human Rights Council if they investigate Israel.





Blocks funding to investigate war crimes and human rights abuses. This extends beyond Gaza and also includes the illegal settlements in the East.





Blocks aid if Palestinians report war crimes and human rights abuses.






Equivalent of telling holocaust victims we won't help them if they implicate Nazis in war crimes. Thank you Mr. Biden.

[RainMaker]

Also bans funding to UNRWA despite Israel providing zero evidence for their claims.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-...-2025-sources/

The bill also guts part of the Inflation Reduction Act (like the one thing Biden could claim he accomplished) and is drastically cutting the funding of new IRS agents. Have to make sure rich people never pay taxes.

[JPhillips]

GOP includes bad things in bill so we should help elect Trump.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

GOP includes bad things in bill so we should help elect Trump.

Biden and most Democrats support these things. He is the one who initially cut UNRWA funding and has covered up war crimes. Can't blame the orange man for this one too.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Also bans funding to UNRWA despite Israel providing zero evidence for their claims.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-...-2025-sources/

Maybe, there some nuance in your words that I didn't capture, but zero?

There's evidence that UNRWA members have participated in Hamas, including Oct 7. Per your article ...

In January, the Biden administration said it was temporarily pausing new funding to UNRWA pending a U.N. investigation into Israel's claims that 12 agency employees participated in the deadly Oct. 7 terror attack in Israel that killed at least 1,200 people. The agency says it employs over 30,000 people, including 16,000 in Gaza. Following Israel's public disclosure, the U.N. terminated ten of those employees, announced two others had died, and launched an investigation.

There are accusations that UNRWA is doing the bidding of Hamas, and that is going too far IMO. But plenty of evidence that many UNRWA members are supportive of Hamas in varying degrees including teaching "extremist" curriculum, participating in a chat group supporting Oct 7, participating in Oct 7 etc.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Biden and most Democrats support these things.

"Most democrats"? You have poll results for this?

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

"Most democrats"? You have poll results for this?

They literally just voted on this.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Maybe, there some nuance in your words that I didn't capture, but zero?

There's evidence that UNRWA members have participated in Hamas, including Oct 7. Per your article ...

There are accusations that UNRWA is doing the bidding of Hamas, and that is going too far IMO. But plenty of evidence that many UNRWA members are supportive of Hamas in varying degrees including teaching "extremist" curriculum, participating in a chat group supporting Oct 7, participating in Oct 7 etc.

Yeah, Israel made a bunch of accusations and then refused to provide any evidence of their claims. Bunch of countries reinstated funding after they realized Israel lied to them. Sorry Joe was a dottering old fool again who thought Lucy was going to keep the football down this time.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Yeah, Israel made a bunch of accusations and then refused to provide any evidence of their claims. Bunch of countries reinstated funding after they realized Israel lied to them. Sorry Joe was a dottering old fool again who thought Lucy was going to keep the football down this time.

I think "zero" and "refused to provide any evidence" is overstating your position.

FWIW

Australia reinstates funding to Unrwa to provide aid in Gaza | Australian foreign policy | The Guardian

Australia was among more than a dozen donor countries to suspend funding to UNRWA in late January, after the Israeli government alleged that 12 UNRWA staff members were involved in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on Israel.

Friday’s decision to reinstate funding follows similar moves by Canada, Sweden and the European Union.

Regarding "evidence"

Australia had also repeatedly called on Israel to share the underlying evidence.

During the media conference on Friday, Wong was repeatedly pressed to reveal whether Israel had provided all of the evidence. She said only that Israel had provided “some information”.

[Edward64]

Looking through the news, I realized there's zip about Joe's mental challenges.

I'm glad his SOTU has put that to rest ... at least for now.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Looking through the news, I realized there's zip about Joe's mental challenges.

I'm glad his SOTU has put that to rest ... at least for now.

They had him jacked up on meds.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Atocep

They had him jacked up on meds.

It wasn't Joe. It was a lizard person dressed in a Biden skin costume.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Atocep

They had him jacked up on meds.

Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

[Edward64]

I was thinking the blue pill.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I was thinking the blue pill.

Was he humping the podium?

[Atocep]

The Florida social media ban for children is weird. A child can sue for $10k in damages if they're able to create an account or if their existing account isn't deleted?

What is the damage you can claim to just having a social media account? Also, what happened to parents making decisions for their kids?

[GrantDawg]

Come on, it is easy. They want parents to have the power over their children....unless they disagree with what their patents allow, then it is all state control.

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[Edward64]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Come on, it is easy. They want parents to have the power over their children....unless they disagree with what their patents allow, then it is all state control.

I cannot imagine #1 holding up under lawsuits.

Specifically, this bill:

1. Prevents a minor who is younger than 14 years of age from becoming a social media account holder.
2. Empowers parents to decide whether 14- and 15-year-olds can have a social media account.
3. Protects the ability of Floridians to remain anonymous online.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I cannot imagine #1 holding up under lawsuits.

And that's gonna be the question. He vetoed a previous bill that he didn't think would stand up in court, signed this one because it apparently at least has a shot.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Atocep

What is the damage you can claim to just having a social media account?

"Emotional ... dammmage"

[JPhillips]

lol at Ari Fleischer of all people giving Biden shit for supporting the second Iraq War.

These people will say absolutely anything.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Come on, it is easy. They want parents to have the power over their children....unless they disagree with what their patents allow, then it is all state control.

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Yep. Same thing with the selective use of the states' rights argument.

[Thomkal]

well that didn't last long-after most of msnbc anchors devoted parts of their show to how bad the Ronna McDaniel hiring was, there comes this reporting today:


https://twitter.com/DylanByers/statu...72463790547271

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

well that didn't last long-after most of msnbc anchors devoted parts of their show to how bad the Ronna McDaniel hiring was, there comes this reporting today:


https://twitter.com/DylanByers/statu...72463790547271

She's another person that exposed the GOP grift. She denounced everything she said and claimed to believe the previous 8 years as soon as NBC paychecks were lined up.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Atocep

She's another person that exposed the GOP grift. She denounced everything she said and claimed to believe the previous 8 years as soon as NBC paychecks were lined up.

Yes and no doubt go back to Trump's waiting arms if he gets in power again.

[albionmoonlight]

Got stuck in the Biden motorcade traffic in Raleigh today. Couldn't get home b/c they had blocked off the highway exits. So me and the kid went to McDonalds and got nuggets.

Definitely better off today than 4 years ago.

[Ghost Econ]

But not 20 years ago. Bring back the good old Bush years when we still had dark meat McNuggets.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Atocep

She's another person that exposed the GOP grift. She denounced everything she said and claimed to believe the previous 8 years as soon as NBC paychecks were lined up.

The "took one for the team" line was particularly galling. As I read somewhere, when people ask how these people can sleep at night, a lot of it is not just that they can justify it as political self-preservation, but they actually think of themselves as heros on behalf of their party. Sticking up for every lie Trump told, dropping Romney from her name, every nakedly political "tit-for-tat" move the Congressional GOP made to try to lnk Biden to a scandal to normalize what happened to Trump as politically motivated that she spoke in favor of... she was doing God's work on behalf of the party.

And then when she left that life, it became nothing more than a shrug of the shoulders at what she had done because that's just what you do for the team.

Disgusting.

[RainMaker]

Bit of eye-rolling over the righteousness of Nicole Wallace, a woman who spread Bush's lies about Iraq that led to a million dead people.

[albionmoonlight]

The initial social media postings were about how the bridge collapsed on "Biden's watch."

Now that it has become pretty clear that it was a horrible accident and the President got out in front and acted all presidential and immediately indicated that we will do whatever we can to fix the bridge as soon as possible, I am seeing the social media change to "Why is Biden making the American taxpayer pay to fix the bridge instead of the 'Chinese shipping company?'"