October 20, 2021

Afternoon Update:

Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Wednesday struggled to answer questions about his communications with ... Donald Trump during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, telling a House panel that he doesn't recall the number of times he spoke with Trump that day. The statement from Jordan, a staunch Trump ally and a potential witness in the House's investigation of the attack, came during a Rules Committee meeting on whether to hold former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon in contempt for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena. 'Of course I talked to the president,' Jordan told members of the Rules Committee on Wednesday, in response to questioning from the panel's chairman, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.). 'I talked to him that day. I've been clear about that. I don't recall the number of times, but it's not about me. I know you want to make it about that.'... In the months since the attack, Jordan has given conflicting answers as to his communications with Trump that day." MB: A subpoena of Jordan's phone records might help his memory.

Ari Berman of Mother Jones: "In March 2021, before the Senate held its first hearing on the For the People Act, the Democrats' sweeping democracy reform bill, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told me that her party had a 'once-in-a-century moment to protect people's right to vote.' But that historic opportunity to pass voting rights legislation is rapidly disappearing. And many Democrats and voting rights advocates are growing increasingly frustrated with the Biden Administration's lack of urgency and prioritization concerning threats to democracy, as Republicans across the country aim to consolidate their power for at least a decade to come through brazen gerrymandering and voter suppression laws. On Wednesday, the Senate will vote on the Democrats' new voting rights bill, the Freedom to Vote Act (a retooled version of the For the People Act), but when Republicans unanimously oppose it that will mark the third time this year that the GOP has blocked a voting rights bill from reaching the Senate floor." MB: That Senate bill is going down in flames now (3:15 pm ET Wednesday.)

David Corn of Mother Jones: "In recent days, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has told associates that he is considering leaving the Democratic Party if President Joe Biden and Democrats on Capitol Hill do not agree to his demand to cut the size of the social infrastructure bill from $3.5 trillion to $1.75 trillion, according to people who have heard Manchin discuss this. Manchin has said that if this were to happen, he would declare himself an 'American Independent.' And he has devised a detailed exit strategy for his departure." MB: As much as we may think so, this is not good news. OR, it may just be Manchin seeking Even more attention.

Alex Horton of the Washington Post: "An Army reservist charged in the Justice Department's sweeping investigation of the U.S. Capitol riot was demoted and discharged earlier this year, becoming the first known service member to be forced out of the military after officials learned of an alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to personnel records.... Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, 31, was working part-time as an Army Reserve sergeant in human resources. In May, he was demoted to private -- the enlisted force's lowest rank -- and given an other-than-honorable discharge the next month, terminating a 12-year military career, said his attorney Jonathan Crisp. Federal authorities have accused Hale-Cusanelli of illegally entering the Capitol, using hand and arm signals to advance rioters forward and harassing police officers.... Several colleagues told investigators about his wearing of a 'Hitler mustache' while at work, court papers show." MB: Hale-Cusanelli also reportedly made a particularly disgusting anti-Semitic remark, which I won't republish here but which Horton reports.

William Rashbaum & Ben Protess of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump's family business, which is already under indictment in Manhattan, is facing a criminal investigation by another prosecutor's office that has begun to examine financial dealings at a golf course the company owns, according to people with knowledge of the matter. In recent months, the district attorney's office in suburban Westchester County, N.Y., has subpoenaed records from the course, Trump National Golf Club Westchester, and the town of Ossining, which sets property taxes on the course, a sprawling private club that is perched on a hill north of New York City.... The district attorney, Mimi E. Rocah, appears to be focused at least in part on whether Mr. Trump's company, the Trump Organization, misled local officials about the property's value to reduce its taxes, one of the people said. Ms. Rocah, a Democrat, has not accused anyone at the company of wrongdoing, and it is unclear whether the investigation is examining Mr. Trump's conduct or if it would ultimately lead to any charges." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Here's the fun part of the NYT report: "In seeking to cut the tax bill -- sometimes by as much as 90 percent -- the club has argued that the property was worth much less than Ossining officials had determined.... In one year, the Trump club put the property's value at about $1.4 million, while the town assessed it at roughly $15 million.... Mr. Trump ... declared in federal disclosure forms when he was president that the club was worth more than $50 million." Rachel Maddow reported that in the very same year -- 2016 -- Trump declared the property worth the $1.4 million for tax purposes and $50 million on the financial disclosure forms. According to Zillow, the average price of a single-family home is about $725,000 (which admittedly would have been somewhat less in 2016). Still, it is risible that a property that covers 140 acres, has a humungous clubhouse with upscale amenities and 16 townhouses, each larger than 3,000 sq. ft., is worth only about twice the price of one average house.

Lena Sun, et al., of the Washington Post: "The White House on Wednesday announced plans to distribute vaccines to a huge group that has been ineligible so far to receive the coronavirus shots -- 28 million children aged 5 to 11. The operation is slated to begin as soon as federal health officials sign off on a reduced dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which the Biden administration anticipates as soon as the first week of November[.] White House officials said they have already acquired enough doses to vaccinate the entire group and are planning to make the specially packaged children's vaccine available at more than 25,000 pediatricians' and doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies, community health centers, and school- and community-based clinics. They also plan a campaign to educate parents about the vaccines and answer their questions."

Laurie McGinley of the Washington Post: "Federal regulators are seriously considering authorizing coronavirus vaccine boosters for everyone 40 years old and older, a move that could sharply increase the number of people eligible for the shots, according to two federal officials familiar with the plans. Action would not occur until next month, after the Food and Drug Administration deals with two big items on its agenda, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I got a booster this morning, and it was even more painless than the shots I got late last winter. If I think about it, I can feel a teensy bit of soreness when I move my arm in a certain way, but as I sit here typing, I can't feel it at all. Otherwise, I feel no symptoms at all.

Jessica Garrison, et al., of BuzzFeed News: "Over the past dozen years, at least 28 people who currently hold elected office joined or financially supported the Oath Keepers, the extremist group that figured prominently in the violent Jan. 6 storming of the US Capitol, a BuzzFeed News analysis of data from the organization shows. In the months since the Capitol insurrection, as two dozen people linked to the Oath Keepers have been charged with crimes, including conspiracy, for their roles, several of those elected officials have continued to voice support for the organization. And at least two officials -- David Eastman and Mark Finchem of the Alaska and Arizona Houses of Representatives, respectively -- were in Washington, DC, on Jan. 6 to protest the certification of Biden's Electoral College victory. Neither of the men has been charged."

Oklahoma. Bryan Pietsch of the Washington Post: "An Oklahoma law that educators say restricts discussions of race and sex in classrooms is unconstitutional, the American Civil Liberties Union alleged in a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The civil rights organization and groups of students and educators say in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma against the state's governor, attorney general and top education officials that the law violates students' and educators' First and 14th Amendment rights. They are seeking a preliminary injunction that would block the law from being enforced."

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Tony Romm, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden told Democrats during a private meeting Tuesday that he believed they could secure a deal on a new tax-and-spending proposal between $1.75 trillion and $1.9 trillion, far less than some in the party initially sought, even as some lawmakers later maintained it still would allow them to accomplish broad swaths of their vast economic agenda. The early outline -- shared at least with liberal lawmakers in the House -- appeared to offer one potential avenue for the White House to broker a truce among Democrats' warring left-leaning and moderate factions." ~~~

~~~ Manu Raju & Phil Mattingly of CNN: "President Joe Biden informed House progressives Tuesday afternoon that the final bill to expand the social safety net is expected to drop tuition-free community college, a major White House priority, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Moreover, he indicated that the child tax credit -- a key Democratic priority -- would likely be extended for one additional year, much shorter than what many in their party wanted, one of the sources said. The child tax credit will also likely be means tested, keeping with what West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin had wanted. Biden also indicated to the group that they would reduce the proposed funding for so-called homecare for the elderly and disabled -- down to less than $250 billion, sources said. Democrats had wanted to keep the funding at $400 billion." MB: Thanks, Joe Manchin. Who cares about kids & old folks, anyway?

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "White House officials have explored in recent weeks whether the National Guard could be deployed to help address the nation's mounting supply chain backlog, three people with knowledge of the matter said."

Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "A senior Biden health appointee who made history when she became the nation's highest-ranking openly transgender official has also become its first openly transgender four-star officer. Rachel Levine, the U.S. assistant secretary for health, was sworn in Tuesday as an admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a 6,000-person force that responds to health crises on behalf of the federal government, including administering coronavirus vaccines and delivering care after hurricanes. Levine is also the organization's first-ever female four-star admiral."

Mr. Bannon's, and Mr. Trump's privileged arguments do ... appear to reveal one thing. They suggest that President Trump was personally involved in the planning and execution of Jan. 6 and this committee will get to the bottom of that. -- Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.), Vice-Chair, House January 6 Committee, Tuesday evening session ~~~

~~~ Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: The House January 6 Select Committee "on Tuesday voted unanimously to recommend charging [Stephen] Bannon with criminal contempt of Congress for defying its subpoena, sending the matter to the House, which is expected to approve the move and hand the matter over to the Justice Department for prosecution.... One day before a mob of ... Donald J. Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol..., Bannon ... made a prediction to listeners of his radio show. 'Now we're on, as they say, the point of attack -- the point of attack tomorrow,' Mr. Bannon said on Jan. 5 as he promoted a plan hatched by Mr. Trump and far-right Republican lawmakers to try to overturn President Biden's victory the next day, when Congress would meet to formalize the election results. 'It's going to kick off. It's going to be very dramatic.' It is because of comments like that, which foreshadowed the violence that played out during the Capitol riot, that the House committee investigating the assault is interested in questioning Mr. Bannon. But the former counselor to Mr. Trump has refused to cooperate with the inquiry, citing the former president's claim of executive privilege." The AP's report is here.

Katie Benner of the New York Times: "The Justice Department on Tuesday charged a Republican member of Congress from Nebraska with lying to the F.B.I. during a campaign finance investigation, an allegation that the lawmaker vowed to fight. The Justice Department accused the lawmaker, Representative Jeff Fortenberry, of lying to the F.B.I. twice about whether he knew that he had received illegal campaign donations, including during an interview with the government that his lawyer attended, according to the federal indictment. Anticipating that the department intended to charge him, Mr. Fortenberry said in a video posted online on Tuesday morning that F.B.I. agents unexpectedly came to his home two years ago to question him about the possibility that he had received illegal campaign donations. 'I told them what I knew and what I understood,' Mr. Fortenberry said. 'They've accused me of lying to them and are charging me with this.' He called the possibility of criminal charges shocking and stunning.... The government said in court filings that in spring 2018, one of Mr. Fortenberry's fund-raisers told the congressman that he had funneled $30,000 from [a Washington lobbyist] to the 2016 re-election event, but that the money 'probably did come from Gilbert Chagoury[.' a Lebanese Nigerian businessman].... Mr. Fortenberry did not take appropriate action..., the indictment said.&" ~~~

     ~~~ The AP's story is here. The Omaha World-Herald's report is here.

Washington Post Editors: "Dilawar Syed, President Biden's nominee to be deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration, embodies the American Dream. He came to this country 30 years ago from Pakistan in pursuit of education and opportunity and built a successful career as an entrepreneur, starting and running companies specializing in software, health care and artificial intelligence. If confirmed, he would be the highest-ranking Muslim in government. But Republicans have frozen his nomination in a Senate committee, and some of his backers -- including prominent human rights and faith-based groups -- say it is precisely because of his background and religion.... The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship ... voted his nomination out of committee by a voice vote. But the parliamentarian ruled a roll call was required, and Republicans have repeatedly refused to show up for votes, denying the evenly split committee the needed quorum.... They [are taking] the coward's way out." In the meantime, they have come up with a series of fake objections to Syed's confirmation, which the editors outline.

Michael Isikoff of Yahoo! News: "In unusually pointed comments about a member of President Biden's Cabinet, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says he'vehemently' disagrees with Attorney General Merrick Garland's failure so far to aggressively investigate ... Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and other matters.... '... I disagree with it most vehemently when it comes to what I consider even more serious offenses. For example, a taped conversation of Donald J. Trump on the phone with Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state from Georgia, trying to coerce him into fraudulently finding 11,780 votes. Because I think if you or I did that, we'd be under indictment by now,' Schiff [said]."

David Sanger, et al., of the New York Times: "In the spring of 2020, Mark T. Esper, the defense secretary, was alarmed to learn of an idea under discussion at a top military command and at the Department of Homeland Security to send as many as 250,000 troops -- more than half the active U.S. Army ... -- to the southern border in what would have been the largest use of the military inside the United States since the Civil War.... Stephen Miller, the architect of Mr. Trump's immigration agenda, had urged the Homeland Security Department to develop a plan for the number of troops that would be needed to seal the entire 2,000-mile border with Mexico.... The concept was relayed to officials at the Defense Department's Northern Command, which is responsible for all military operations in the United States and on its borders [but not to Mr. Esper].... Officials said the idea was never presented formally to Mr. Trump for approval, but it was discussed in meetings at the White House.... After a brief but contentious confrontation with Mr. Miller in the Oval Office, Mr. Esper ended consideration of the idea at the Pentagon.... Around the same time..., Mr. Trump also pressed his top aides to send forces into Mexico itself to hunt drug cartels, much like American commandos have tracked and killed terrorists in Afghanistan or Pakistan...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Say, why not invade Canada, too?

William Rashbaum & Ken Vogel of the New York Times: "F.B.I. agents on Tuesday morning searched homes linked to the Russian oligarch Oleg V. Deripaska in New York's Greenwich Village and on Washington's Embassy Row as part of an investigation into whether he violated sanctions imposed on him by the United States, according to people with knowledge of the matter and a spokeswoman for Mr. Deripaska.... Mr. Deripaska, an aluminum magnate with ties to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, was a client of Paul Manafort, who served for several months as Donald J. Trump's campaign chairman in 2016 and was convicted in 2018 of financial fraud and other crimes.... After Mr. Manafort joined Mr. Trump's campaign in 2016, he instructed his deputy to periodically provide confidential Trump campaign polling data to an associate that the deputy understood would be shared with Mr. Deripaska.... Property records show that the homes searched by the F.B.I. on Tuesday -- a sprawling mansion in an affluent neighborhood in Northwest Washington and a three-story historic Greenwich Village townhouse that was once a speakeasy called the Pirate's Den and later home to Mayor Jimmy Walker's paramour -- are owned by opaque limited liability corporations." The AP's report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ As Rachel Maddow noted at some length Tuesday night, the Village townhouse the FBI raided was also home to Walter Gibson (d. 1985), a pulp fiction writer who wrote 300 novels featuring the Shadow, a popular radio drama character. It is pure -- if eerie -- coincidence that we discussed the Shadow in yesterday's Comments thread.

Apoorva Mandavilli of the New York Times: "Upending centuries of medical dogma, a team of South African researchers has found that breathing may be a bigger contributor to the spread of tuberculosis than coughing, the signature symptom. As much as 90 percent of TB bacteria released from an infected person may be carried in tiny droplets, called aerosols, that are expelled when a person exhales deeply, the researchers estimated. The findings were presented on Tuesday at a scientific conference held online. The report echoes an important finding of the Covid pandemic: The coronavirus, too, spreads in aerosols carried aloft, particularly in indoor spaces -- a route of transmission that was widely underappreciated as the pandemic began to unfold."

The Pandemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Wednesday are here.

Geneva Sands of CNN: "Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who is vaccinated against Covid-19, tested positive for the virus on Tuesday morning, according to department spokesperson Marsha Espinosa. 'Secretary Mayorkas tested positive this morning for the COVID-19 virus after taking a test as part of routine pre-travel protocols,' Espinosa said in a statement. 'Secretary Mayorkas is experiencing only mild congestion; he is fully vaccinated and will isolate and work at home per CDC protocols and medical advice. Contact tracing is underway.'"

Ovetta Wiggins & Meagan Flynn of the Washington Post: "Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), a practicing anesthesiologist, said he has prescribed ivermectin, a medication typically used to treat parasites in livestock and humans, as a covid-19 treatment, and he lashed out at pharmacies for not making the drug readily available, according to a recent radio interview.... Last month, the American Medical Association, the American Pharmacists Association, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists released a statement strongly opposing the ordering, prescribing or dispensing of ivermectin to prevent or treat covid-19 outside of a clinical trial.... Harris practiced at Johns Hopkins Hospital for nearly three decades.... Earlier this year, Harris was outspoken in support of coronavirus vaccines, even appearing at community centers to administer shots himself. But he subsequently encouraged parents not to allow their children to be vaccinated, at least not until the vaccines received full FDA approval for children. He has been vocal in opposing vaccine and mask mandates...."

David Sharp of the AP: "The U.S. Supreme Court declined Tuesday to block a vaccine requirement imposed on Maine health care workers, the latest defeat for opponents of vaccine mandates. It was the first time the Supreme Court weighed in on a statewide vaccine mandate. It previously rejected challenges of vaccine requirements for New York City teachers and Indiana University staff and students. Justice Stephen Breyer rejected the emergency appeal but left the door open to try again as the clock ticks on Maine's mandate. The state will begin enforcing it Oct. 29. The Maine vaccine requirement that was put in place by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills requires hospital and nursing home workers to get vaccinated or risk losing their jobs."

Brian Stelter of CNN: "Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto has tested positive for Covid-19. Cavuto, who has been public about his health challenges over the years, including a nearly 25-year journey with multiple sclerosis, was off his afternoon Fox program on Tuesday as a result of the diagnosis. 'While I'm somewhat stunned by this news, doctors tell me I'm lucky as well,' Cavuto said in a statement released through Fox News Media. 'Had I not been vaccinated, and with all my medical issues, this would be a far more dire situation. It's not, because I did and I'm surviving this because I did.'"

Brazil. Gabriela Sa Pessoa & Erin Cunningham of the Washington Post: "A special Senate committee investigating Brazil's response to the pandemic will accuse President Jair Bolsonaro of committing crimes against humanity for his role in the public health disaster that killed hundreds of thousands of people, a senior lawmaker said Tuesday. A draft version of a report detailing the committee's findings had included calls for authorities to indict the president, other senior officials and three of his sons on charges of mass murder and genocide against the Indigenous population, whose communities were particularly vulnerable to the virus. But the president of the special committee, Sen. Omar Aziz, said Tuesday that senators involved in the probe will remove the genocide and homicide allegations from the report. Aziz said senators would keep in the report accusations of crimes against humanity and the crime of causing an epidemic that led to deaths." An AP story is here.

Beyond the Beltway

Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: "Iowa's Democratic Party chair said on Tuesday that he received a lynching threat and several other racist phone and email messages after he wrote a column in the state's largest newspaper denouncing ... Donald J. Trump and Republicans. The party chairman, Ross Wilburn, the first Black person to lead the Democratic Party in Iowa, the presidential proving grounds, said that he turned the messages over to the police in Ames, Iowa, and planned to press charges if the people who sent the messages were identified." MB: On the upside, anyone who criticized Donald Trump would have received threats to his life & obnoxious messages.

Way Beyond

Haiti. Andre Paultre, et al., of the New York Times: "A million dollars a head. That is the demand from kidnappers in Haiti who seized 17 people tied to Christian Aid Ministries, a U.S.-based missionary group, over the weekend, a Haitian official said Tuesday.... American laws generally do not prohibit the payment of ransom, said Rob Saale, the former head of the F.B.I.-led Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell. But it is different when the kidnappers are terrorists. In that case, paying ransom is a considered to be providing material support to a terrorism organization, and is illegal.... Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the State Department was working with the F.B.I., the Haitian national police, churches and other groups to get the hostages released."

North Korea. Michelle Lee of the Washington Post: "North Korea appeared to have fired a short-range ballistic missile from a submarine on Tuesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, the latest development in Pyongyang's barrage of weapons tests in recent weeks. The launch came as envoys from the United States, South Korea and Japan gathered Tuesday in Seoul to discuss how to jump-start dialogue with Pyongyang after nuclear talks collapsed in 2019. Officials in Japan also confirmed the ballistic missile test...."

Comments

[Ken Winkes]

Post college degrees and post first child, and in somewhat desperate circumstances, I landed a job (that is, I had a connection) with the WA State Employment Security Department, a job which I have unfairly described as so bad that it drove my back into the classroom.

Have been thinking about that year and a half often lately as my long ago employer enters the wholly new territory of deciding the fate of thousands who have lost their jobs because they were too stupid/stubborn to get the mandated Covid vaccine.

While the vast majority complied with the sensible requirement (does that mean they will vote Blue?), thousands across the nation did not or are not and it looks like the SUPREMES are not tossing them a lifeline, so the question that immediately occurred to me as an old Employment Security Dept. hand was the obvious one: Will these yokels be eligible for unemployment insurance?

Fortunately, the answer in most cases would appear to be "No."

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/07/fired-for-refusing-a-covid-vaccine-you-likely-cant-get-unemployment-benefits.html

But that's not the end of it. I was also thinking of the cost to the state of staffing all the panels that will have to make a multitude of individual decisions about eligibility.

Did hear of one smart and obvious move. The arguments for religious exemption will founder on any history of previous vaccinations administered, but I don't know what HIPA exception allows panels determining unemployment insurance eligibility access to those records.

In ways big and small, Covid is still upsetting the old apple carts, what we had come to think of as SOPs. changing many of the ways in which we live and think.

Maybe most interesting of all is the way the last two years have focused attention on the tug of war between individual freedom and community responsibility in a way that even dozens of mass shootings never managed to do.

[RAS]

So the Democrats are going to half ass their safety net bill, thanks Joe. Most of the stuff originally in the bill will still need to get paid for, but now the poor and middle class will be picking up the remainder of the bill. The rich and powerful are once again off the hook for contributing to society. Manchin doesn't want handouts for all those lazy people trying to make ends meet. Everyone needs to work for what they get. Speaking of doing the work, can anyone tell me how much coal Manchin shoveled to get that $500k he reported last year? I guess he talks about people getting spoiled on handouts from experience.

[P.D. Pepe]

RAS: did you click on the video I posted yesterday on Manchin–-it explains a lot. This Man-child is for saving his family business that has made them all millionaires ( the daughter is the one who raised the price of the epi=pen (sp?). Truly, the "let them eat cake" mantra is what so many in W.V. are dealing with and yet–––they vote for him? The fact that it is he that is holding up Biden's BBBB along with the sing -a-long Sin-a ma is pathetic!!!! Two people can hold up a bill that will help this country in countless ways? There's something inherently unfair and sick about that.

Ken: "Maybe most interesting of all is the way the last two years have focused attention on the tug of war between individual freedom and community responsibility in a way that even dozens of mass shootings never managed to do." I was thinking the same thing and perhaps the answer lies in the very beginning of this pandemic in which a demented president distorted, lied and essentially fucked up the whole matter –– all for his own purpose.

by the way––viewed a video in which the Daily show's "man on the street" goes out and interviews Trumpies. He's talking to two women who are carrying banners extolling "The Lie" at a Trump rally. These two middle aged women act like silly teenage girls who express their absolute love for Trump and when asked was there anything they disagreed with him about, they giggled and said EVERYTHING he says is right as rain. I was trying to read the message on one of the women's Tee but her bosom was so huge I couldn't read it––-spread out love, I suppose.

[Akhilleus]

Interesting, isn’t it? Joe Manchin demands that Biden’s safety net bill gets slashed so he can impress his constituents who are among the biggest mooching takers in the nation. Good job. But oh, let’s not forget to take care of Joe’s fossil fuel pals who have been greasing the skids of horrific climate change for generations.

[Marie Burns]

And another thing. According to CNN (linked above), "President Joe Biden informed House progressives Tuesday afternoon that the final bill to expand the social safety net is expected to drop tuition-free community college, a major White House priority, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter." Ha ha, said some wag on MSNBC: "Who's gonna tell Jill?"

Joe Manchin is about my age. When he and I were growing up, community colleges -- at least out in the boondocks where I lived (Miami) -- were a new thing. And they were tuition-free. In my high school, where most parents were working-class, Dade Community Junior College was a great boon. Percentage-wise, far more kids in my class went to college than did the kids from the classes that came before. And that was largely because of the newish, free community college.

Joe, why shouldn't kids today get the same break my class did?

[Joe Manchin]

Marie,

Why? Because what do I get out of it? Plenty of WV residents are highly suspicious of colleges anyway. Socialist professors brainwash students, amiright? Least wise that’s what Fox tells my constituents. It might help those mooching kids, but it does zippo for yours truly, so fuck ‘em.

And Biden too.

I have my reputation as a bipartisan big cheese to look after. Is that total bullshit? Course it is! Republicans wouldn’t help a single drowning Democrat (or poor or black or brown person) if they were standing on a mountain of life preservers.

But right now, I’m in the best position of my career. I can make or break trillion dollar legislation and I ain’t lettin’ poor people or snotty nosed kids, or cat food eatin’ geezers stifle my fun. I’m the king of the world!!

[Forrest Morris]

Akhilleus has a pen name now!

[Marie Burns]

Thanks for writing, Joe. Now I totally see it your way.

@Forrest Morris: Don't try to burst my bubble. That comment is absolutely from the Senator from the Great State of West Virginia.

[Akhilleus]

Just had a thought about these evil Trumpen liars attacking vaccinations.

This is no different than assholes encouraging people to get snockered, climb behind the wheel and do a buck through crowded neighborhoods.

Seriously.

[Akhilleus]

And Forrest, no way, no how wuz that me! Well, gotta go, my cat food supper awaits. Yum.