;)
The Commentariat -- February 3, 2021
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Paul Sonne of the Washington Post: "The United States formally extended a critical nuclear accord with Russia on Wednesday for five years, opting to prolong limits on the arsenals of both nations two days before the treaty's expiration date and bringing a measure of stability to U.S.-Russia relations on nuclear matters. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the extension of the New START accord ensures verifiable limits will remain on Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine launch ballistic missiles and heavy bombers until 2026, and keeps in place a mutual verification regime that gives the United States greater insight into Russia's nuclear posture."
Judge-a-palooza. Ann Marimow & Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "President Biden's top advisers have spent months building an extensive pipeline of judicial nominees to fill court vacancies throughout the country, attempting to swiftly remake portions of the judiciary and undo dramatically reshaped the courts over his four-year term with a record pace of nominations, and now Biden -- who took part in hundreds of confirmations as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee -- is eager to leave his mark with nominees of his own. More than a third of judges nationwide serving on federal appeals courts one level below the Supreme Court are eligible to step back from active service. With Democrats narrowly controlling the Senate -- and with the prospect that they could lose control during the 2022 midterms -- Biden intends to move quickly to fill openings that arise on courts affecting significant policies, including environmental regulations, gun laws and immigration."
Lauren Lumpkin of the Washington Post: "The Justice Department has dropped a lawsuit that accused Yale University of discriminating against Asian and White applicants, according to a federal court filing. The decision, announced Wednesday, is a reversal from the stance the Justice Department took under the Trump administration, which repeatedly challenged the issue of race in admissions. The lawsuit filed against Yale in October accused the Ivy League university of favoring certain applicants based on race, rather than using other means to achieve diversity in its student population."
Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)have reached a deal on the organizing resolution for running a 50-50 Senate.... 'We will pass the resolution through the Senate today, which means that committees can promptly set up and get to work with Democrats holding the gavels,' Schumer [said.]... The new agreement comes after the Senate has been stuck in limbo since Jan. 20, the day Democrats took over the chamber's majority. Though Democrats have controlled the floor, Republicans still wielded power in Senate committees because the chamber hadn't passed a new organizing resolution for the 117th Congress."
~~~~~~~~~~
Erica Werner, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden urged Senate Democrats on Tuesday to go big on coronavirus relief, making an aggressive case in favor of his $1.9 trillion rescue package as Democrats took the first steps to advance the legislation.... Biden addressed Senate Democrats ... on a private lunchtime call ... a day after meeting with a group of Republican senators who are pushing a much narrower, $618 billion bill. The president made clear to Senate Democrats that he viewed a proposal of that size as inadequate and that the risks of going small outweighed the risks of going big, the people said. Press secretary Jen Psaki emphasized in a press briefing shortly thereafter that the White House stood by the $1.9 trillion top-line figure of its plan." ~~~
~~~ Luke Broadwater & Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "Democrats are taking steps to push through President Biden's $1.9 trillion economic rescue plan, using a budgetary maneuver that could eventually allow the measure to become law without Republican support. The move advanced the two-track strategy that Mr. Biden and Democratic leaders are employing to speed the aid package through Congress: show Republicans that they have the votes to pass an ambitious spending bill with only Democratic backing, but offer to negotiate some details in hopes of gaining Republican support.... The party-line vote of 50 to 49 set the stage for Democrats to advance Mr. Biden's plan through budget reconciliation.... On Tuesday, a key Democratic senator announced he would support it: Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, who is a crucial swing vote, said he would agree to move forward with the budget process 'because we must address the urgency of the Covid-19 crisis.'... [But he said that in the final vote on the bill,] 'I will only support proposals that will get us through and end the pain of this pandemic.'" A Reuters story is here. ~~~
~~~ Oh, for Pete's Sake. Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Tuesday that he does not support increasing the minimum age to $15 an hour -- a critical roadblock to including the proposal in the final coronavirus relief bill. '... I'm supportive of basically having something that's responsible and reasonable,' Manchin told The Hill, asked if he is supportive of a $15 per hour minimum wage. Manchin added that for West Virginia, his home state, that would be $11 per hour, and adjusted to inflation." MB: Let's see Joe try to get by for a few months on $11/hour.
Kevin Sieff of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Tuesday announced the start of efforts to identify and reunite hundreds of families who were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border by the Trump administration and remain apart years later. President Biden signed an executive order creating a task force to reunite the families, a step toward fulfilling a campaign promise.... Administration officials ... said the task force, chaired by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, would meet regularly with the president and make recommendations.... Because of poor government record keeping [by the Trump administration], it remains unclear how many parents were deported without their children and where they are currently living -- a major challenge facing any reunion effort. Attorneys and advocates have been unable to find hundreds of separated families...." ~~~
~~~ Update (a/k/a Never Mind): "A federal magistrate has not granted permission for Jenny Cudd to leave the country, as indicated in a previous version of this story."
Lara Seligman & Connor O'Brien of Politico: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has removed members of the Pentagon's advisory boards in a sweeping effort to oust a series of last-minute appointees by the Trump administration according to defense officials and a memo obtained by Politico. In the memo dated Saturday, Austin fired all members serving on 31 defense advisory boards effective Feb. 16, including the Defense Policy Board, the Defense Business Board, and the Defense Innovation Board. Austin directed the immediate suspension of operations for 42 panels in total, while the Pentagon completes a 'zero-based review' of the department's boards and commissions. The news, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, affects only members who were appointed by the defense secretary, or one of the civilian or military leaders of the armed services, not to those appointed by the president or Congress." MB: Luckily for them, Kellyanne Conway & Sean Spicer, among other infamous Trumpies, will keep their advisory posts. Is Sean planning to advise the generals on the best dance moves?
Clare Foran & Ted Barrett of CNN: "The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Alejandro Mayorkas as Homeland Security secretary, the first Latino and immigrant to serve at the helm of the department. His confirmation will fill a critical role in the new administration and he'll be expected to swiftly begin rolling back Trump administration immigration policies while juggling the response to a global pandemic and national security threats, along with restoring a department that's been rattled by leadership turnover and vacancies in recent years. The Senate also voted Tuesday to confirm Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary, making him the first Senate-confirmed LGBTQ Cabinet secretary.... The role of transportation secretary is expected to play a central role in Biden's push for a bipartisan infrastructure package." Republicans attempted to filibuster Mayorkas, but "several Republican senators did ... cross party lines to vote with Democrats in support of breaking the filibuster of the nomination, including Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia."
Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "The House voted Tuesday night to penalize lawmakers who seek to bypass the security screening measures that have been enacted in the wake of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, with members facing a $5,000 fine for the first offense and $10,000 each time thereafter. The measure passed on a 216-to-210 vote, with all but three Democrats present voting in favor and all Republicans present voting 'no.'... The measure that was approved Tuesday directs the House sergeant-at-arms to fine members for failure to complete security screening for entrance to the House chamber. If lawmakers do not pay the fine within 90 days, the amount will be deducted directly from their congressional salary."
Phil McCausland, et al., of NBC News: "A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced legislation that would provide the Postal Service much-needed financial relief by doing away with a mandate that required it to prepay retirement benefits decades in advance. The issue stems from a 2006 law that required the Postal Service to create a $72 billion fund that would pay for its employees' retirement health benefits for more than 50 years into the future. This is not required by any other federal agency. The 'USPS Fairness Act,' introduced by Democrats and Republicans in both chambers, would do away with the requirement and comes as some lawmakers and the biggest Postal Service union have called for President Joe Biden to quickly install new leadership in the federal agency.... A similar measure was passed by the House on a bipartisan basis almost exactly a year ago, with 309 members of Congress in support and 106 opposed. The bill was received by the Senate five days later, but it never moved forward and died in that chamber. [MB: Thanks, Mitch!]... In a letter to Biden last week, [Rep. Bill] Pascrell [D-NJ] said the president should fire the Postal Service's Board of Governors for the mail delays and the Postal Service changes instituted by DeJoy. The new members could then vote to fire [Postmaster General Louis] DeJoy."
Republicans gear up their patented outrage machine. I doubt they have any idea how comical they are. Link is to a Politico story. Something about Space Farce. Oh, sorry.
Patricia Mazzei, et al., of the New York Times: In an early morning shoot-out in Sunrise, Florida, west of Fort Lauderdale, two "F.B.I. agents died and three more were injured in one of the deadliest shootings in the bureau's history. No agent had been shot and killed on duty since 2008.... Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, identified the two agents who were killed as Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger.... The man being investigated in the case, which the authorities said involved violent crimes against children, had barricaded himself inside [an apartment] complex and was found dead. A law enforcement official said it appeared that the man had killed himself before agents were able to arrest him. His identity was not released."
Brakkton Booker of NPR: "Brian Sicknick, the U.S. Capitol Police officer who was fatally injured during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol complex, has been given the rare distinction of lying in honor in the building's Rotunda. Sicknick's remains arrived Tuesday evening in a motorcade including his family. The urn containing his cremated remains was slowly walked up the steps and directly into the Rotunda. Colleagues in the Capitol Police force were given a period of visitation. Then President Biden and Jill Biden briefly joined the mourners. Wednesday, members of Congress will pay their respects beginning at 7 a.m., followed by a tribute at 10:30 a.m. with remarks from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. After a brief private viewing for Sicknick's family, his remains will be escorted to Arlington National Cemetery for burial. Sicknick served in the Air National Guard before serving for a dozen years on the Capitol Police force." ~~~
~~~ Evan Perez, et al., of CNN: "Investigators are struggling to build a federal murder case regarding fallen US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, vexed by a lack of evidence that could prove someone caused his death as he defended the Capitol during last month's insurrection. Authorities have reviewed video and photographs that show Sicknick engaging with rioters amid the siege but have yet to identify a moment in which he suffered his fatal injuries, law enforcement officials familiar with the matter said.... To date, little information has been shared publicly about the circumstances of the death of the 13-year veteran of the police force, including any findings from an autopsy that was conducted by DC's medical examiner."
Capitalism Is Really, Really Awesome. Early Retirement. Karen Weise of the New York Times: "Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder and chief executive, said on Tuesday that he will hand over the reins of the e-commerce giant this summer and transition into the role of executive chairman, in a changing of the guard for one of the internet'0s foundational companies. Andy Jassy, the chief executive of Amazon's cloud computing division, will be promoted to run the entire company, Amazon said. The transition will be effective in the third quarter, which starts in July.... Under [Bezos'] leadership, Amazon expanded into sales of millions of different items, became a logistics giant, upended the retail industry -- and then spread further into cloud computing, streaming entertainment and artificial-intelligence-powered devices.... [Amazon] also pushed Mr. Bezos' personal wealth to new heights. Now worth $188 billion, he is the world's second richest person." ~~~
~~~ Cristiano Lima of Politico: "Jeff Bezos' decision to step down as Amazon's CEO comes as the online retailing giant is facing unprecedented scrutiny in Washington -- from antitrust probes and criticism over its tax and labor practices to its role as a gatekeeper granting other companies access to the web. And his chosen replacement has been in the thick of some of Amazon's highest-profile battles."
Remembering the Kaiser, Ctd.
Amy Gardner, et al., of the Washington Post: "House Democrats made their case to convict ... Donald Trump of inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in a sweeping [80-page] impeachment brief filed with the Senate Tuesday that accused Trump of jeopardizing the foundations of American democracy by whipping his supporters into a 'frenzy' for the sole purpose of retaining his hold on the presidency. In the brief, the House's nine impeachment managers made an impassioned case that Trump was 'singularly responsible' for the mayhem that day -- and that he is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors..., primarily because he used the powers of his office to advance his own personal political interests at the expense of the nation.... Hours later, Trump's new defense attorneys filed a 14-page response to the House article of impeachment, denying that Trump incited the crowd at his Jan. 6 rally.... While the former president's attorneys stopped short of embracing his baseless claims that the election was rigged, they defended his right to argue that massive fraud led to his defeat, a false claim echoed by his supporters as they ransacked the Capitol that day. Democrats drew a direct line between Trump's rhetoric and the violence. But Trump's defense team argued that free-speech protections allowed him to make such allegations...." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Politico's story is here. The AP's report is here.~~~
~~~ Here's the House brief for Trump's second impeachment trial, via NPR. ~~~
~~~ Brett Wilkins of Common Dreams: "The defense team for ... Donald Trump's impending impeachment trial was widely mocked Tuesday for issuing a response to the House of Representatives' article of impeachment that contained both spelling and -- according to critics -- legal mistakes. One spelling error that sparked a flurry of comments on Twitter came in the very beginning of Trump's response (pdf), which is addressed to the 'The Honorable, the Members of the Unites States Senate.'... 'If you're curious about the actual substance of the document, it's of the same quality' as the spelling, tweeted Washington Post national correspondent Philip Bump.... [A] central argument of Trump's trial defense involves the former president's right to free speech. However, critics were quick to note that there are well-established limits on First Amendment speech, and that no one has the right to incite violence with their words[.]" ~~~
~~~ Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "So the two arguments being made [in the Trump team's brief], both of which are terrible, are that Trump was simply exercising free speech in repeatedly claiming that the election was stolen and, second, that the sanctity of the election is unknowable.... By now, your brain should be jumping up and down hollering 'Fire in a crowded theater!' for the very good reason that this commonly known (though often misunderstood) scenario serves as a reminder of how the First Amendment is necessarily limited.... In 1969, the Supreme Court ... [ruled that] speech that incites or is likely to incite lawless action is exempted from the First Amendment. Sort of a flaw in using the First Amendment to defend speech alleged to have incited lawless action.... As expected, the [brief's] evaluation of Trump's actions surrounding the violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 includes a defense of his claims that the 2020 presidential election was marred by voter fraud. This assertion from Trump -- a constant drumbeat offered from the hours after polls closed on Nov. 3 until the morning of Jan. 6 itself -- was the primary trigger for the events of the day." [MB: Here's my favorite Trump defense, from the brief & the best indicator that he has not defense:] "Insufficient evidence exists upon which a reasonable jurist could conclude that the 45th President's statements were accurate or not, and he therefore denies they were false."
~~~ Lee Moran of the Huffington Post: "Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) cautioned Democrats against calling witnesses to testify in the impeachment trial of ... Donald Trump for incitement of his supporters' deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.... Graham and other Republicans have argued it is time to 'move on' from the insurrection for the good of the U.S. 'If you open up that can of worms (by calling witnesses), we'll want the FBI to come in and tell us about how people actually pre-planned these attacks and what happened with the security footprint at the Capitol,' the South Carolina Republican continued, parroting a right-wing talking point that the attack was planned well before Trump urged his supporters at a pre-riot rally to march to the Capitol. Graham did not mention that Trump ― even before the election ― whipped his supporters into a lie-fueled frenzy about voter fraud." ~~~
~~~ Frances Langum of Crooks & Liars: "This week Trey Gowdy is trying out for a prime time hosting job at Fox. Trey's look is universally acknowledged to be 'Anderson Cooper put through a pencil sharpener.' And his guest Lindsey Graham apparently thought he had the goods on Democrats who want to call witnesses at Mango Mussolini's second impeachment trial.... The entire world of Twitter called [Lindsey's] bluff. 'Bring in the FBI' went trending."
Reid Epstein of the New York Times: "As Republicans splinter over how to deal with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene..., Democrats are seizing on the infighting to make her the avatar for an array of G.O.P. lawmakers. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Tuesday began a $500,000 advertising campaign on television and online tying eight House Republicans, including Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, to Ms. Greene and QAnon, an effort to force them to make a public affirmation about Ms. Greene." MB: Not sure how smart this ad run is; a large percentage of Republicans are glad MTG & Kevin are saving us from Hillary & the other "Democrat" pedophiles. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ MTG Endorsed Violence Against Members of Congress if Nonviolence Didn't Work. Roger Sollenberger of Salon: "In a video posted to social media months before announcing her congressional candidacy, Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene called on supporters to 'flood the Capitol Building' in a protest against 'tyrannical' [Democratic] leaders.... 'All of us together, when we rise up, we can end all of this. We can end it,' Greene said in the 90-minute rant, which was posted in February 2019 and unearthed on Sunday by Twitter user @zedster. 'We can do it peacefully. We can. I hope we don't have to do it the other way. I hope not. But we should feel like we will if we have to. Because we are the American people.' Greene ... posted the video to recruit attendees for a Feb. 23, 2019, 'Fund the Wall' march in Washington. At the time, the Southern Poverty Law Center described the event as Greene's 'brainchild,' citing national support from right-wing militia group American Defence Force." ~~~
~~~ Mike DeBonis & Paul Kane of the Washington Post: "A growing number of Republicans took sides Tuesday in a brewing House battle over the shape of the GOP after the Donald Trump presidency, amplifying pressure on Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy as he decides this week whether to sideline conspiracy theorists and secure a place for anti-Trump voices in party leadership.... The debate over the future of the GOP comes a day before House Republicans are scheduled to meet privately to debate whether [Rep. Liz] Cheney (R-Wyo.) ... can continue in her role as GOP conference chairwoman.... It is in McCarthy's hands to navigate a path through the turmoil. On one side are Trump loyalists who make up the bulk of the House GOP -- two-thirds of whom voted to reject state electoral votes and endorse Trump's baseless voter fraud claims -- while a significant minority are eager to move the party away from Trump and toward a more policy-driven foundation." The article cites comments about Margorie Greene from Senators Mitch McConnell ("loony") & Todd C. Young (R-Ind.) ("nutty"). But nothing from Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). Let's find out why. ~~~
~~~ Business Insider, republished in Yahoo! News: "Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said on Tuesday that he can't comment on allegations against Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene because bad weather has prevented him from reading the news." MB: I assume there's more to the Business Insider story, which is firewalled, but that's the lede that appears in Yahoo! News. Anyhow, it's freezing & snowing outside, so I can't read any more news. Check in again in, say, late April when the sun shines & the daffodils bloom. ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE, Dana Milbank of the Washington Post observes that Mitch McConnell's condemnation of MTG & his support for [Liz] Cheney, among other things, have been a long time coming, causing Milbank of wonder, "Has McConnell been struck by a Jewish space laser?... It's perhaps better late than never for McConnell to denounce her now, but this isn't leadership. If he really wanted to do something about the 'loony lies' gripping the Republican Party, if he really wanted to defend Cheney's courageous stand on impeachment, he would move his fellow Republicans to convict Trump for inciting the Capitol insurrection with his lies, conspiracy theories and violent words.... McConnell's criticism of Trump for inciting the Capitol attack came after years of tolerating Trump's degradations, through 'Access Hollywood' and Charlottesville, through Trump's first impeachment trial (for which McConnell blocked witnesses and operated 'in total coordination' with the White House), Trump's usurpation of congressional powers and his attempts to overturn the election results." ~~~
~~~ Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "It's Marjorie Taylor Greene's party now." Here's the graf P.D. Pepe highlighted in today's Comments: "If you're steeped in creationism and believe that elites are lying to you about the origins of life on earth, it's not a stretch to believe they're lying to you about a life-threatening virus. If what you know of history is the revisionist version of the Christian right, in which God deeded America to the faithful, then pluralism will feel like the theft of your birthright. If you believe that the last Democratic president was illegitimate, as Trump and other birthers claimed, then it's not hard to believe that dark forces would foist another unconstitutional leader on the country." MB: That's a damned good explanation of why the GOP is what it is. (Also linked yesterday.)
Jayme Deerwester of USA Today: "A woman accused of participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol asked a federal judge for permission to leave the country on vacation later this month -- and got it. In a Monday court filing, lawyers for Jenny Louise Cudd requested the court's blessing to travel to Mexico's Riviera Maya from Feb. 18-21 for a prepaid 'work-related bonding retreat' with her employees and their spouses. Cudd, a small business owner in Midland, Texas, is currently on pretrial release after being charged with two misdemeanor offenses, including entering a federal building without permission and engaging in disorderly conduct. The filing, obtained by USA TODAY, noted that Cudd has no prior criminal history and has remained in contact with her attorney and pretrial service officer, who had no objection to her proposed travel plan Prosecutors took 'no position' on the request." ~~~
~~~ Marie: What could possibly go wrong? A woman who has been charged with federal crimes for violently laying siege to the U.S. Capitol in order to stop the certification of the presidential election goes on "vacation" in Mexico. I wonder if part of that "bonding" with her friends will revolve around their prepping her to go on the lam. It would be fun & unique vacation experience!
Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is weighing whether to bring a state court case against Stephen K. Bannon, who was indicted on federal fraud charges for his role in a fundraising scheme to build a border wall but received a last-minute pardon from ... Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.... In August..., Bannon and three others were charged by federal prosecutors in Manhattan with falsely claiming that they would not take compensation as part of their 'We Build the Wall' fundraising campaign to underwrite part of the construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. The three others charged with Bannon were not pardoned by Trump.... Bannon was accused of personally taking more than $1 million from people who had donated to the 'We Build the Wall' campaign and hoped to help secure one of Trump's signature promises from the 2016 campaign." The Hill has a summary story here.
Georgia. Justin Gray of WSB-TV Atlanta: "Attorney Lin Wood ... has been one of the most vocal, visible and controversial critics of the integrity of Georgia's election. [He] filed lawsuits and held rallies, claiming people voted illegally in the 2020 presidential election. Now Channel 2 investigative reporter Justin Gray has learned that the state has launched an investigation into whether Wood himself was a legal Georgia voter.... Sources at the secretary of state's office say an email that Wood sent to Gray caused them to launch an official investigation. In the email, Wood confirmed he moved to South Carolina, writing 'I have been domiciled in South Carolina for several months after purchasing property in the state in April.' Now state election investigators are looking into whether that means Wood legally should not have been able to vote in the November election." MB: Obviously, IOKIYAR.
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Wednesday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Wednesday are here.
Marc Santora & Rebecca Robbins of the New York Times: "The vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca not only protects people from serious illness and death but also substantially slows the transmission of the virus, according to a new study -- a finding that underscores the importance of mass vaccination as a path out of the pandemic. The study by researchers at the University of Oxford is the first to document evidence that any coronavirus vaccine can reduce transmission of the virus.... The results, detailed by Oxford and AstraZeneca researchers in a manuscript that has not been peer-reviewed, found that the vaccine could cut transmission by nearly two-thirds.... The Oxford and AstraZeneca researchers also found that a single dose of the vaccine was 76 percent effective at preventing Covid-19." As usual, there are caveats to the study's results. The vaccine may be eligible for FDA review for emergency use in the U.S. in early March.
Way Beyond the Beltway
Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "A Russian court sentenced Aleksei A. Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, to more than two years in prison on Tuesday, a decision likely to send him for a lengthy term in a far-flung penal colony for the first time. Tuesday's sentencing represented a pivotal moment for President Vladimir V. Putin's Russia. Mr. Navalny, one of the main challengers of the Kremlin, has inspired some of the biggest street protests of the Putin era and repeatedly embarrassed the president and his close allies with investigative reports about alleged corruption that were viewed many millions of times on YouTube. Until now, the authorities have tried to contain him with short jail terms of a few weeks to avoid making Mr. Navalny into a political martyr. The decision to send him to prison removes his direct voice from Russia's political landscape, but it could energize his supporters and further rally Russian opposition to Mr. Putin around the figure of Mr. Navalny." (Also linked yesterday.)
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Reader Comments (20)
I've been searching for affordable housing in the pacific northwest for a long time - not any. So when Senator Joe Manchin says $11/hr is a plenty good wage I got to looking on Rent.com for rental prices in West Virginia just for S&G. Turns out you can get into some decent digs for $500 - $800/month, and much lower if you are away from the capitol and the bigger cities. So $11/hr brings in $1760/mo before taxes. A $500/mo apartment would only consume a third of your $11/hr paycheck. No too bad considering a comparable apartment or house in Seattle would go for $1500 - $2500/mo. - and there are college grads in biochemistry and molecular biology here that are making under $20/hr. Manchin was bringing his non-coastal perspective.
Manchin also probably assumes that three generations share that domicile and pool wages to get by. And that Granny minds the youngins, so no child care. She does poultices too, so no insurance or med costs. Etc.
It's different in WV, fershure.
Another reason to love the competence and compassion of Rep. Katie Porter:
https://youtu.be/cuS5ahTIybI
I've always enjoyed reading Andy Borowitz's satire in the New Yorker. Is it just me or do his headlines lately not sound like satire?
Recent examples:
1. Marjorie Taylor Greene blames blizzard on Jewish space snow machines.
2. White House dogs dig up trump's tax returns on south lawn.
3. Trump to defend self after receiving law degree from trump university.
4. Qanon fears that Greene's obsession with Jewish space lasers is distracting her from battling baby-eating cannibals.
Etc. Etc. Etc.
Marie's mention of being snowbound (it's been a long time since I experienced that condition, much to my dismay) and being unable to read the news (the Tuberville* Effect), brought to mind a snowy anecdote from the past.
Politics used to attract colorful characters. Now, especially on the right, we get traitors, crooks, liars, and secessionists. Oh, and did I mention dangerous, gun toting loons? One must now dig back into the past to find the more diverting types (as opposed to the perverting types who currently darken our days).
I recall to your attention the highly colorful, ever entertaining (if not assiduously nose-to-grindstone) Marion Barry, erstwhile mayor of the District of Columbia.
Once upon a winter some years ago, the District was immobilized under a heavy blanket of snow (it's been my experience that a very light blanket is enough to accomplish this in DC, but I digress).
The good citizens of the region were distraught, wondering however they might regain standard municipal operational capabilities. The mayor, however, was nowhere to be found. He was, in fact, out in sunny California, taking in the Rose Bowl game. Reporters, locating him in the midst of a long, tall imbibement, wondered what his plan might be for snow removal in his city. The mayor had a ready answer: "Spring!"
Hahahaha. They don't make 'em like Marion Barry anymore.
Now we have pols suggesting that those they disagree with be shot in the head. Kinda makes crack smoking hooker trysts sound quaint.
*Is it just me or do any of youse guys think "Tupperware" when you read about this idiot? Either that or Tuber Ville, which could be the name of a blighted potato patch somewhere.
Is Tuberville (I am of the potato frame of mind--)getting dumber, or is it just that people are asking him questions with the hope of getting dumber and dumber answers for our amusement?
Watched some of the lying-in-state last night-- it is fascinating to watch the changing-of-the-guard patterns. I wonder if people go into the military and law enforcement to become specifically honor guards-- Seems like a calming thing to be engaged in...
Apparently Kevin has met with Marjorie. Wonder how that went... Loser fanatic talks with another loser fanatic... maybe they had tea or arsenic--
Love the Trey Gowdy description! I actually saw him yesterday and noticed the likeness to Anderson, but not the pencil sharpener part-- hilarious!
Apparently the legal-beagle morons planning to defend the Former Head-Of-State Moron are in need of proofreaders. Oh, and intelligence...
Sun is out, I left the house for a walk, abandoning the elliptical, and it's time to think about Valentine's Day. Happy hearts, people... (Better take full advantage of my nonbitter and vengeful mood today-- I'm sure it is temporary...)
Periscope has a point that goes beyond a one-size fits all minimum wage. As our politics has shouted at us over the last forty years, we are a divided nation. The country is not the same, state by state or shore to shore.
We keep talking about those divisions but do little to treat the problems they raise, perhaps because we lack the vision or imagination, but more likely because one of our political party is sustained by those divisions and depends on them for its survival.
One of those obvious divisions is economic. And as economic issues drive so many others, pitting state against state, prompting resentments that divide us even further, maybe its time we looked harder at some of the implications of those economic devisions and actually tried to do something about them.
The WV senator does have a point. For WV's, as everything else stands (if not so cartoonishly as Patrick depicts) a 15 dollar minimum wage might be quite a bump, while on the other hand, as Periscope implies, it would hardly be noticed in Seattle.
But maybe that's good. Setting a more reasonable minimum wage across the. country would have the effect of evening things out a bit, putting each state's workers at the same starting point.
One immediate effect would be to begin to rebalance the direction our federal income tax money flows. WV is near the top of the list of states that gets far more than it gives and maybe it's time it started paying its fair share. That might lessen the resentment I just discovered I have long harbored toward WVirginians...
More seriously, the minimum wage is not just about money. It's about the resepct the nation pays to its workers, and as a nation we've been dissing them for decades. While certain regions of the country have more thriving economies and/or stronger union presence and hence most often more progressive state governments, factors that taken together have resulted in higher minimum wages, that picture is hardly universal.
It's time we acted to make it so. It's no telling exactly what effect a more reasonable federal minimum wage would have on the psychology of workers across the country, pr on what they think and feel about their government working for them, but I'm guessing it wouldn't be all bad.
That's why one political party is agin it.
@Ken Winkes: As @Patrick implies, it would impossible to rear a family of four on a single salary of $11/hour for a 40-hour-week. Even in West Virginia. And even with the government subsidies available to people in such circumstance -- food stamps, school lunch programs, Earned Income Credit, Medicaid, Medicaid health insurance subsidy, etc. -- there would still be times when the kids went hungry & that nice, $500/month apartment's rent didn't get paid. Joe Manchin seems to envision Patrick's extended-family living arrangements when he suggests $11/hour would allow for living high off the hog.
Republicans, with their embrace of small government, should clamor for the $15/hour wage guarantee. It shifts some responsibility for maintaining the working poor from (local, state & federal) government to the private sector. But apparently consistency is the hobgoblin of Democrats' small minds.
If we really want to make America great again, one place to start is by ensuring that all working Americans earn a living wage. And I completely agree with you that 99 percent of workers would much rather be paid for the value of their work that be dependent on government handouts to make ends meet.
@ Ken
The minimum wage debate is kind of a sided show diversion IMO - and an old tired one at that. The government wont regulate the private equity barons or the earls of the multinational mega corporation monopolies or the lords of the shadow banking industry or the wall street sharks because that would be 'market manipulation'. But when it comes to manipulating the labor market - oh hell no! It will come to fisticuffs and mud wrestling for all. A minimum wage bump is like giving a blood transfusion to person covered with blood sucking parasites - the parasites get fatter, but the condition of the patient stays the same.
If the West Virginians get a $15 minimum wage, just watch the rent prices.
Marie,
Yeah, eleven/per hour doesn't cut it anywhere, if only one family member is working.
Good point about Republicans and the inconsistent application of their small government fetish, but didn't fully grasp the line about the small-minded Democrats. Sarcasm, I'm thinking--or a mild shot at the unimaginative Manchin. who could never be accused of large-mindedness.
Will admit I had my first Covid shot yesterday and am a little foggy this AM....
Ken, to pick up your point, the USG could develop a national minimum wage that is not the same dollar amount everywhere, but which is fixed on a base-plus system. Very crudely, let's say it costs 1.5 times as much to live in NYC as in WVA, AND that WVA is the "National Base". If the National Base minimum wage is &10, the NYC minimum wage is $15.
This is way oversimplified, but the federal General Schedule (GS) employee wage system is based on a similar concept. If you are a GS9 in Charleston WVA, you are paid less than if you are a GS9 in Washington DC (or Seattle, or NYC). Different locations have different adjustments based on local living costs.
These systems are hard to administer (imagine the arbitrage possibilities in high cost areas that border low cost ones, like Miami v. 30 miles west of Miami). But it can be done. Maybe Manchin could propose something like that, as opposed to "$11".
Like and agree with the image, Periscope.
You have it right, but I nonetheless think an across-the-board, federally mandated move toward a living wage for all, as Marie suggests, might go some way toward healing our economically based political divisions.
Sometimes symbol is substance.
Patrick,
Had the same thought, and in effect that's what's been happening state to state, with states where Republicans allow the issue to come to a vote of the people setting their minimum wage floors at differing levels.
I like your plan far better than the herky-jerky path we're on as a statement of national intent for two reasons.
The federal minimum is abysmally low, more a joke than a wage and needs to be raised simply to quiet some of the laughter it evokes, but there are also those critical elements of respect for workers and treating a national problem as if we were really a nation, humps we must get over, if we're ever going to treat other problems, like let's say health costs and insurance availability, as if we really were all in this together.
Once upon a time few women worked outside the home if they were married and had children. During WW11 because men ( and some women) were off fighting, women were needed in the factories and got a taste of having a job and earning a salary ( and liked it a lot) but after the war it was a move to the suburbs and back into the kitchen. Around the 1970's women started to rebel–-worked hard to change laws and develop unions. Some gains–-many losses.
We now are in a position in this country that women with families HAVE to have a job ( and sometimes more than one) in order to make ends meet and even then many families are suffering. Those like Manchin who reject the $15/hr wage need to explain to us their reasoning without the usual baloney; I'd never ask that from a Republican ( why bother) but Joe is a democrat–-chin up! Man!
The Democrats should start doing Capitol tours of their own, but with all the people that will be helped by the covid relief program. Incourage the people to bring letters or pictures to leave on the doors of Manchin and the like about what $11/hr really gets them, or how long they had to wait in line to pick up a box of food that only lasts them a couple of days. Let the members of Congress who are dragging their feet hear from some of the millions of people that need their help now.
The bit that WV workers don't "need" a 15$ wage makes me remember how it used to be if workers at a business or industry got a break, be it a raise, paid sick leave, or whatever the social attitude was: "Great, how do we get that"? Today the response is a whiny "I don't have that, why should they?" Too many people thinking zero sum not giving a damn for fellow workers.
PD,
Wasn't just an assertion of independence that brought women out of the home and into the workforce about time you mentioned.
Two other factors. The decline of a living wage for a family earned by one wage earner, associated with the decline of union jobs and the explosion of what was once called the poverty of rising expectations fueled by our burgeoning consumer society, when television told us hour after hour day after day why we needed all those things (two or three cars, boats, bigger homes) that we'd never needed before..
And how could we afford all that? Two wages, not just one, and the simultaneous growth of the financial industry which found maniford ways to tie the whole country to massive debt as a way of life.
An, oh, those employers liked it, too, because they could pay women less than they would have had to pay men for equivalent work.
My wife and I remembered this AM that in the fifties women workers were pretty much limited to school teaching, phone company exchanges (remember those, where "operators" physically connected the lines by plugging them in on a vast switchboard?), seasonal farm labor, and department and dime store clerking.
Bobby Lee: old Russian joke -
a man dies and goes to hell. His devil is taking him to his fiery pit, and they walk past many pits. At the pit for "Americans", people keep trying to climb out and other imps at the rim shove them back in. At the pit for "Irish", same scenario, ditto "Italians", "French", etc. As they walk past the pit marked "Russians" the man notices there are no imps at the rim, and no activity there. He asks his devil what's going on there? His devil says "Oh, Russians! We don't need imps on their pit. When one of them starts to climb out, the others just pull them back down."
So now, maybe, the "American" pit is also bezbes -- without devils. We can take care of ourselves.
Another joke, with a genie, ends up "No, I just want him to be blind too".
There are lots of such Russian jokes. They know themselves.
Recent polls show that about 70% of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, support a $15/hour minimum wage. Joe Country Home Manchin, being a politician & all, might want to ask his constituents who earn less if they'd like $15/hour.
Randy Rainbow–-takes Streisand's lovely song and makes it his own starring MT Greene. I knew he'd have to do something with this lady of the dark shadows and he has done her proud!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ8ldD9wKmY