The Commentariat -- March 17, 2021

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

The IRS Is Severely Messed Up. Tony Romm & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "The Internal Revenue Service is expected to push the country's tax-filing deadline to mid-May, according to two people familiar with the decision, as the agency grapples with a backlog of 24 million returns awaiting processing since the 2019 tax year. The workload has put the agency underwater in recent months, and under political siege, as lawmakers fear that long-unresolved troubles at the IRS could undercut the Biden administration's economic recovery efforts. Millions of Americans still have not received stimulus checks under prior coronavirus aid packages, even as the tax agency began distributing payments Wednesday under the $1.9 trillion stimulus signed into law this month. The IRS shared the full scope of its backlog in recent days with the House Ways and Means Committee and the agency's internal watchdogs."

Kimberly Cowell-Meyers & Carolyn Gallaher of the Washington Post: "Last Wednesday, an American group that supports Sinn Fein, the Northern Ireland political party associated with the Irish Republican Army, placed half-page ads in The Washington Post, the New York Times, and other newspapers, calling for a referendum on Irish unification. Such a referendum is not likely very soon. Since the 1920s, the island of Ireland has been divided between what is now the independent Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Whether Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom or should unify with the Republic was the principal source of violent conflict from the 1960s to the 1990s, generally known as 'The Troubles.' Still, the possibility of Irish reunification will hang over many of the political discussions this St. Patrick's Day. Brexit has reignited tensions and fueled interest in a referendum. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, most of Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union. Unification would accomplish that."

Steven Myers, et al., of the New York Times: "The United States punished 24 Chinese officials on Wednesday for undermining Hong Kong's democratic freedoms, acting days before the first scheduled meeting of senior Chinese and American diplomats since President Biden took office. In diplomatic terms, the timing of the action was pointed and clearly intentional, continuing a testy start to relations between the Biden administration and China after a tumultuous four years under ... Donald J. Trump.... The State Department announced that it would impose financial sanctions on a raft of officials...."

GOP Insists on Whatabout? Commission. Jordan Williams of the Hill: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in an interview early Wednesday criticized the GOP for its response to the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. During an appearance on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe,' Pelosi pointed to outstanding disagreements with Republicans regarding the scope of a bipartisan 9/11-style commission to investigate the insurrection. 'They want to treat something like Black Lives Matter or peaceful demonstrations in a similar manner as they would do Jan. 6,' Pelosi said. 'So the main problem is the scope of the investigation.'" MB: IOW, Republicans know that any report on the insurrection will leave them smelling like a fresh cowpie, so they want to to have a Jan. 6 commission talk about not-Jan. 6.

Taj MaDoral. Jonathan O'Connell & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump’s son Eric, who runs the family's private company, touted the potential of transforming their Doral golf resort into a gambling destination amid a quiet push among Florida Republicans to legalize casinos in areas of the state that have long opposed them. Although Republican legislative leaders have not yet submitted a bill, word of a proposal has spread widely enough that both supporters and opponents already are gearing up for a fight that they say could be more intense than in previous years due to Trump's potential interest and his close relationship with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)."

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The Detritus of the Former Guy

** U.S. Intelligence Report Exposes the Big Lie. Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: "Russia sought to influence the 2020 election by laundering misleading information about Joe Biden through prominent individuals, some of whom were close to ... Donald Trump, the U.S. intelligence community said in a report Tuesday. The new report does not identify those individuals by name, but appears to reference Trump's one-time personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, whose repeated meetings with a suspected Russian agent came under scrutiny by U.S. officials. Both Russia and Iran sought to influence the election, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in its report. But a third major adversary, China, did not even try, it says, contradicting the Trump administration's assertions about Beijing's activity last year. The declassified document, the first U.S. government report on the matter since November's election, said that no foreign government attempted to change votes or alter ballots results -- supporting U.S. officials' earlier assessments.... While foreign disinformation and interference was a major concern heading into the 2020 campaign, domestic efforts to disrupt the race -- including by Trump and his allies -- turned out to be of far greater significance.... Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized operations aimed at undercutting Biden's campaign for president, the report said. A key element of its strategy was to use Ukrainians linked to Russian intelligence to 'launder' unsubstantiated allegations against Biden.... Iran, by contrast, carried out a covert influence campaign to hurt Trump's reelection chances, the report said." Emphasis added. ~~~

~~~ Julian Barnes of the New York Times: "A companion report by the Justice and Homeland Security Departments also rejected false accusations promoted by Mr. Trump's allies in the weeks after the vote that Venezuela or other countries had defrauded the election. The reports, compiled by career officials, amounted to a repudiation of Mr. Trump, his allies and some of his top administration officials.... And they categorically dismissed allegations of foreign-fed voter fraud, cast doubt on Republican accusations of Chinese intervention on behalf of Democrats and undermined claims that Mr. Trump and his allies had spread about the Biden family's work in Ukraine.... While it was declassified by the Biden administration, the report is based on work done during the Trump administration..., reflecting the vastly different views that officers had from their political overseers, who were appointed by Mr. Trump. The report rebutted yearslong efforts by Mr. Trump and his allies to sow doubts about the intelligence agency's assessments that Russia not only wanted to sow chaos in the United States but also favored his re-election.... Citing in one instance a meeting between [pro-Russian Ukraine MP Andriy] Derkach and [Rudy] Giuliani, intelligence officials warned Mr. Trump in 2019 that Russian intelligence officers were using his personal lawyer as a conduit for misinformation." ~~~

     ~~~ CNN's report is here. An AP report is here. ~~~

     ~~~ The National Intelligence Council's "Foreign Threats" report is here. The joint DOJ-DHS report on foreign interference in the election is here. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Bear in mind that the entire time Donald Trump was promoting his Big Lie, he had all of this intelligence available to him. He was not just making up stuff; he was lying, a Big Lie that led to millions of Americans not believing Joe Biden is the legitimate president, to hundreds of people launching an insurrection against the Congress & the then-Vice President, and to Repubican state legislators in 43 states initating draconian voter suppression laws against Democratic voters, especially minority voters. As Frank Figliuzzi said on MSNBC, Trump, Giuliani, et al., were not just lying, they were knowingly acting as Russian assets. And, as Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) pointed out on MSNBC, Sen. Ron Johnson laundered some of the Russian disinformation about the Bidens through the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, of which Johnson was then chair. This is not new information, of course, to those of us who were paying attention, but it is official confirmation of what we surmised.

Paul Sonne, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Army initially pushed to reject the D.C. government's request for a modest National Guard presence ahead of the Jan. 6 rally that led to the Capitol riot, underscoring the deep reluctance of some higher-ups at the Pentagon to involve the military in security arrangements that day. In an internal draft memo obtained by The Washington Post, the Army said the U.S. military shouldn't be needed to help police with traffic and crowd management, as city officials had requested, unless more than 100,000 demonstrators were expected. The draft memo also said the request should be denied because a federal agency hadn't been identified to run the preparations and on-the-day operations; the resources of other federal agencies hadn't been exhausted; and law enforcement was 'far better suited' for the task.... The Army ultimately relented after facing pressure from acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: BTW, according to the commanding general of the D.C. Guard, Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn, Michael Flynn's brother, was was of those Army brass pushing against allowing the Guard to participate in the defense of the Capitol.

Jonathan O'Connell & David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "A House committee on Tuesday asked the Biden administration to provide detailed financial records on ... Donald Trump's Washington hotel -- which is located in a federally owned building and must give the government financial data as part of its lease. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which oversees public buildings, first asked for records on the hotel in early 2019. But for two years -- while Trump's administration was the Trump International Hotel's landlord -- the government refused to hand them over."

Stephanie Kirchgaessner of the Guardian: "The FBI is facing new scrutiny for its 2018 background check of Brett Kavanaugh, the supreme court justice, after a lawmaker suggested that the investigation may have been 'fake'. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic senator and former prosecutor who serves on the judiciary committee, is calling on the newly-confirmed attorney general, Merrick Garland, to help facilitate 'proper oversight' by the Senate into questions about how thoroughly the FBI investigated Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing.... Among the concerns listed in Whitehouse's letter to Garland are allegations that some witnesses who wanted to share their accounts with the FBI could not find anyone at the bureau who would accept their testimony and that it had not assigned any individual to accept or gather evidence." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) Whitehouse's letter to Garland is here, via his office. ~~~

     ~~~ Charles Pierce of Esquire: "Senator Sheldon Whitehouse [D-R.I.] is not kidding about tracing how dark money has come to influence the selection of judges for the federal bench. And now he's found a big fish in a small barrel.... Whitehouse also has had his teeth into what always has been the hinkiest part of that whole [Kavanaugh nomination] episode -- namely, how Kavanaugh's substantial personal indebtedness was settled up before he was confirmed.... Of course, former Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose sudden retirement opened the place on the Court that Kavanaugh took, something that did not go unnoticed at the time, reassured us that, 'The appearance of influence or access... will not cause the electorate to lose faith in our democracy.' Called that one a little early."

Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: "Speaking outside El Paso on Monday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said border agents he had met earlier that day issued dire warnings that suspected terrorists are trying to cross into the United States via Mexico.... McCarthy's claims, which were echoed by another Republican congressman, were among the most alarming raised by a GOP delegation that aimed to highlight a growing crisis for the Biden administration amid a surge of migrants. But some Democrats from border states pushed back late on Monday and demanded evidence to back up McCarthy's assertions. 'Weird as the Chairman of the subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations and a border state member of Congress haven't heard anything about this,' tweeted Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat who represents the Phoenix area. 'Gonna ask for a briefing. Pretty sure he is either wrong or lying.'... McCarthy's claims echo repeated assertions by ... Donald Trump and members of his administration that terrorists were using the southern border to sneak into the United States, a line Trump often used to justify his attempts to build a wall and tighten immigration rules. But those claims withered under scrutiny." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

[The walls] look more like conceptual art pieces than imposing barriers to entry. -- Simon Romero & Zolan Kanno-Youngs ~~~

~~~ Bienvenido a Los Estados Unidos. Simon Romero & Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: Along the Arizona Trail stands "a lonely segment of border wall, connected to nothing at all, in an area where migrants rarely even try to cross into the United States. 'There it was, this unfinished piece of completely pointless wall, right in this magical place,' said [hiker] Julia Sheehan, 31.... 'It's one of the most senseless things I've ever seen.' The quarter-mile fragment of wall is part of an array of new barrier segments along the border, some of them bizarre in appearance and of no apparent utility, that contractors rushed to build in the waning days of the Trump administration -- well after President Biden made it clear that he would halt border wall construction.... There are half-dynamited mountaintops ... leaving a heightened risk of rapid erosion and even dangerous landslides as the summer monsoon season approaches. In some areas, colossal piles of unused steel bollards linger at deserted work sites, next to idled bulldozers and water-hauling trucks.... Rough roads carved by work crews into hillsides near uncompleted segments of wall now serve as easy access points for smugglers...."

Ben Gittleson of ABC News: "President Joe Biden said in an exclusive interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Tuesday that his message to migrants is 'Don't come over.' Amid a surge of migrants and unaccompanied minors on the U.S. southern border, Stephanopoulos asked the president, 'Do you have to say quite clearly, "Don't come"?. 'Yes, I can say quite clearly: Don't come over,' Biden said during the wide-ranging interview in Darby, Pennsylvania.... Republicans have said Biden's moves to rescind former President Donald Trump's harsh immigration policies have encouraged migrants to come to the United States, but Biden told ABC News that 'we're sending back people' who cross the border." ~~~

~~~ Amanda Holpuch of the Guardian: "Joe Biden's homeland security secretary said on Tuesday that even as the US processes a growing number of unaccompanied child migrants at the US-Mexico border, the country remains closed to most asylum seekers. 'Now is not the time to come to the border,' Alejandro Mayorkas said.... Mayorkas said the border was not permanently closed to adults and families, but urged people to wait before approaching it. The secretary also issued a lengthy statement, warning that the US was on pace to encounter more individuals at the border with Mexico than it had in the past 20 years.... He also acknowledged several factors pushing people north, including poverty, violence, corruption and two damaging hurricanes which hit Honduras in November. The measured tone from the Biden administration is a marked departure from US policy under Donald Trump, when migrants were routinely vilified. Advocates have said this tone shift is an important step in itself but they are also watching closely to see if Biden administration acts reflect its promise of 'a safe, legal and orderly immigration system'. A first test for the administration is how it processes children who make the dangerous journey to the US without adults."

You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks. Marie: Joe Biden is proving to be a remarkably nimble president. I'm impressed. Really. ~~~

~~~ Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "The fight over the Senate filibuster escalated sharply on Tuesday, as President Biden for the first time threw his weight behind changing the rules even as Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, threatened harsh reprisals if Democrats moved to weaken the procedural tactic. In an interview with ABC News, Mr. Biden gave his most direct endorsement yet of overhauling the filibuster, saying that he favored a return to what is called the talking filibuster: the requirement that opponents of legislation occupy the floor and make their case against it.... The comments were a significant departure for Mr. Biden, a 36-year veteran of the Senate who has been frequently described by aides as reluctant to alter Senate procedure.... After Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, called for changes to reduce its power, Mr. McConnell, of Kentucky, bluntly promised a 'scorched earth' response and pledged to grind the Senate to a standstill and derail Mr. Biden's agenda if Democrats took that step." An ABC News report is here. ~~~

~~~ Ursula Perano of Axios: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) again warned Democrats on Tuesday that eliminating the legislative filibuster would 'break the Senate' and turn the chamber into a '100-car pileup' where chaos reigns.... McConnell warned on the Senate floor Tuesday that if Democrats eliminate the filibuster and Republicans take back the majority, 'we wouldn't just erase every liberal change that hurt the country -- we'd strengthen America with all kinds of conservative policies with zero, zero input from the other side.'... Democrats are under increasing pressure from progressives to set aside the filibuster for issues of exceptional importance, such as voting rights legislation that would counter the wave of voting restrictions being passed by Republicans at the state level. But moderate Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have said they oppose abolishing the measure, as has President Biden."

Capitalism Is Awesome. And Jeff Bezos Is as Mean as Donald Trump. David Streitfeld of the New York Times: "Over two decades, as [Amazon] ... mushroomed from a virtual bookstore into a $1.5 trillion behemoth, it forcefully -- and successfully -- resisted employee efforts to organize.... Now Amazon faces a union vote at a warehouse in Bessemer, Ala. -- the largest and most viable U.S. labor challenge in its history. Nearly 6,000 workers have until March 29 to decide whether to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union." The report goes on to detail how Amazon intimidated -- and fired -- workers who wanted to unionize.

The Pandemic, Ctd.

Tony Romm & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "Twenty-one Republican state attorneys general on Tuesday threatened to take action against the Biden administration over its new $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus law, decrying it for imposing 'unprecedented and unconstitutional' limits on their states' ability to lower taxes. The letter marks one of the first major political and legal salvos against the relief package since President Biden signed it last week -- evincing the sustained Republican opposition that the White House faces as it implements the signature element of the president's economic policy agenda. The attorneys general take issue with a $350 billion pot of money set aside under the stimulus, known as the American Rescue Plan, to help cash-strapped cities, counties and states pay for the costs of the pandemic. Congressional lawmakers opted to restrict states from tapping these federal dollars to finance local tax cuts." MB: Republicans really bitch about everything, don't they?

Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post: "... on Monday, in response to a question about whether it would help to have [Donald Trump] promote vaccination, [President] Biden ... explain[ed] why Trump is irrelevant. '... I discussed it with my team, and they say the thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks is what the local doctor, what the local preachers, what the local people in the community would say.' He added, 'So I urge all local docs and ministers and priests to talk about why, why it's important to get that vaccine, and even after that, until everyone is in fact vaccinated, to wear this mask,' before putting on his own mask. Biden's marketing idea is almost certainly correct.... So when it comes to the major issues facing our country, especially fighting covid-19, there really is no need to pay attention to the pandemic deniers who got us in this fix in the first place. Does it hurt when ignorant, reckless politicians such as Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) falsely say that those who had covid-19 do not need the shot? Perhaps...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Johnson, of course, should not be disseminating false information about the vaccine. However, he is not a doctor, nor does he pretend to be, so he's just a stupid guy using his bully pulpit to mislead millions of Americans. But what about this guy? -- "'I have not chosen to be vaccinated because I got it naturally and the science of 30 million people -- and the statistical validity of a 30 million sample -- is pretty overwhelming that naturally immunity exists and works,' said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), an ophthalmologist who contracted the disease last March and does not wear a mask in the Capitol."

Here's What Happens When You Tell Trump He's Irrelevant. Meridith McGraw of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Tuesday recommended Americans get vaccinated to help fight the Covid pandemic, engaging on the issue after months of relative silence. 'I would recommend it,' Trump said during an interview on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo. 'And I would recommend it to a lot of people that don't want to get it and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly. But again, we have our freedoms and we have to live by that and I agree with that also. But it is a great vaccine. It is a safe vaccine and it is something that works.'... Since leaving office, Trump has issued a short statement taking credit for the vaccine's fast-tracked development and, in passing, told people to take the shot during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month.... Beyond that, Trump had not encouraged vaccination efforts...." MB: Looks as if Biden successfully trolled Trump.

Lenny Bernstein & Ben Guarino of the Washington Post: "Some people who have spent months suffering from long-haul covid-19 are taking to social media to report their delight at seeing their symptoms disappear after their vaccinations, leaving experts chasing yet another puzzling clinical development surrounding the disease caused by the coronavirus.... A December workshop held by the National Institutes of Health that began grappling with those issues suggested that 10 percent to 30 percent of people infected with the coronavirus suffer some long-term symptoms. And on Feb. 23, NIH announced that it would spend more than $1.1 billion over four years to study the effects of long-term covid-19. But there is little guidance about vaccination for people suffering through extended battles with the disease, other than medical authorities' instruction that everyone in the United States should be immunized." MB: This is such good news; many people report that their "long-haul" systems are debilitating & life-altering. I hope states will immediately give them access to vaccines.

Beyond the Beltway

Colorado v. Nebraska. Meat Wars! Marie Fazio of the New York Times: "Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado recently declared [March 20] to be 'MeatOut Day,' seeking to decrease meat consumption and encourage meat eaters to consider plant-based diets. Though Mr. Polis's proclamation was largely ceremonial, Gov. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska took notice, and on Monday he declared March 20 to be 'Meat on the Menu Day' in his state. Thus began a carnivorous culture war complicated by the prominent agriculture industries in both states, where livestock accounts for meaty portions of the economy.... MeatOut Day was started in 1985 by the Farm Animal Rights Movement, a nonprofit animal welfare organization."

Rudy and friend. He looks beautiful. He should have won the homecoming queen election.Florida. Rudy Needs to Look into This Election Fraud Right Away. Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: Florida Department of Law Enforcement "agents arrested Laura Carroll, 50, and her daughter, Emily Grover, 17, on Monday and charged them with conspiracy to use Ms. Carroll's school district login to help Ms. Grover get elected homecoming queen. A five-month investigation found that the login for Ms. Carroll, an assistant principal at Bellview Elementary School near Pensacola, was used to gain access to the internal accounts of 372 Tate High students since August.... Ms. Grover was expelled, according to police records, a decision that the family contested, but the expulsion was upheld. Ms. Carroll was suspended from her job.... On Oct. 30, Ms. Grover was elected homecoming queen." MB: I did find some photos of Emily online, and she's a very pretty young woman; still, she's no Rudy.

Georgia. Richard Fausset & Neil Vigdor of the New York Times: "Eight people were shot to death at three massage parlors in the Atlanta area on Tuesday evening, the authorities said, raising fears that the crimes may have targeted people of Asian descent. Six of the people killed were Asian, and two were white, according to law enforcement officials. All but one were women. A suspect, identified as Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, Ga., was captured in Crisp County, about 150 miles south of Atlanta, after a manhunt, said the authorities...." CNN's report is here.

Indiana. Azi Paybarah of the New York Times: "An Indianapolis man was accused of fatally shooting four people [including a seven-year-old] over the weekend after arguing with his girlfriend because he wanted a portion of her federal coronavirus stimulus check, police officials said. The man, Malik Halfacre, 25, was arrested on Sunday, a day after the shootings, and is expected to face murder, robbery and attempted-murder charges, according to the police and Indiana jail records." Halfacre reportedly confessed the murders to his sister.

New York. Maggie Haberman & Jesse McKinley of the New York Times: "Days after Lindsey Boylan became the first woman to accuse Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of sexual harassment in a series of Twitter posts in December, people tied to the governor started circulating an open letter that they hoped former staff members would sign. The letter was a full-on attack on Ms. Boylan's credibility, suggesting that her accusation was premeditated and politically motivated. It disclosed personnel complaints filed against her and attempted to link her to supporters of ... Donald J. Trump.... The initial idea, according to three people with direct knowledge of the events, was to have former Cuomo aides -- especially women -- sign their names to the letter and circulate it fairly widely.... Mr. Cuomo was involved in creating the letter, [a source] said.... The letter, which was reviewed by The New York Times, was never released.... In an ABC News interview broadcast on Tuesday evening, President Biden said that he believed Mr. Cuomo should resign if investigators confirmed the accusers' claims. The president's remarks represented a slight shift ... from comments Mr. Biden had made on Sunday, when he noted only that 'the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us.'" ~~~

~~~ Ben Gittleson of ABC News: "'I know you said you want the investigation [of Andrew Cuomo] to continue,' [George] Stephanopoulos told [President] Biden, referring to a probe by New York's attorney general into allegations Cuomo had harassed several women. 'If the investigation confirms the claims of the women, should he resign?' 'Yes,' the president replied. 'I think he'll probably end up being prosecuted, too.'"

Comments

[Ken Winkes]

If I could simplify McConnell's simple threat even more:

Even with Democrats in charge of the Senate, the filibuster must remain in place if the nation is to be protected from democracy.

When Republicans are again in charge, as we have already demonstrated democracy will be no threat;

[citizen625]

Bundy and the consequences of 'soft abuses' of Federal law: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/16/ammon-bundy-mask-arrest-idaho/.

[Ken Winkes]

The Republican Way:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/03/16/republicans-threat-stimulus/

Call it having MY cake and eating it, too.

[Forrest Morris]

Sometimes it doesn't work to negotiate with terrorists
like Moscow Mitch. Democrats in the Senate should
call his bluff and get on with the business of governing.
If Democrats can figure out how to ensure that every
eligible voter in the country gets to vote then we won't
have to worry about the Mitch McConnells in congress
because any intelligent person would vote them out.
It's no coincidence that th first 3 letters in conservative
are c-o-n, as in con-artist, or conniving, or contrary, or
contemptible, or contradictory, etc.etc.

[Akhilleus]

Turtle Man is whining about potentially losing the filibuster, which he weaponized as a battering ram to crush majority will in the country. This is the guy who spent the last 15 years pouring sugar into democracy’s gas tank now complaining that the car won’t run right unless he gets to do the maintenance.

This is Ted Bundy screaming that things were great back when he was hall monitor in the girls dorm.

[PD Pepe]

OPENING THE CAN OF WORMS:

It looks as though we are embarking on a grand sweep of the contents in that thing called the Can-Can-Con ( thanks Forest) of the last administration: the U.S. intelligence report on Russia's influence in the 2020 election; the repudiation of the Trumps that Venezuela and other countries defrauded the election; new scrutiny into the Brett Kavanaugh skinny investigation process ( like that of the Anita Hill debacle–-refusal of other witnesses); Sheldon Whitehouse's investigation into how dark money influenced the selection of all those judges the Trump administration appointed.

And good to see all the late night comedy shows including Chris Hayes denounce one of the biggest slugs in that can of worms: Tucker, the Sucker of the racist lollipop. As Chris said:

"Tucker isn't stupid; he just thinks his audience is."

We have a long way to go but as M.B. said:

"You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks. Joe Biden is proving to be a remarkably nimble president. I'm impressed. Really."

So maybe we can empty that other Can little by little and if we can do something to fix that filibuster then...

[Ken Winkes]

It really comes down to this, doesn't it?

Do we really want to be a democracy, or were we just kidding for all those years?

The Constitution does contain some deliberate impediments to un-reined democracy, like the Electoral College and, one could argue, the Senate.

But gerrymandering, voter suppression and the filibuster are not among them.

Those gotta go.

[Marie Burns]

@Ken Winkes: I pick "just kidding." Obviously, the country was established as a non-democratic republic, where women, Blacks, Amerindians, non-propertied white men had no say in the government. The Senate itself, even minus the filibuster, is designed for minority rule: states with small populations have an outsized say. Same is true for the Electoral College. Joe Manchin & Kyrsten Sinema -- both of whom represent smallish-population states -- don't want to face this one true fact.

It's true that over the course of 230-odd years, the country has become more "democratic." The high point was in the 1960s & '70s, when the "idea" of democracy briefly became an American "value," albeit one accepted by only a portion of the population. It was through the auspices of a relatively liberal Supreme Court, not the people, that democracy flourished. Most white people didn't want Black people to vote, and they probably didn't think much of Amerindians voting (not all Native Americans had the right to vote until 1962). Many men still didn't think women should vote -- unless they obeyed their husbands & voted as the "heads of household" demanded.

And expanded democracy wasn't particularly successful. We ended up with Presidents Nixon (a crook) and Jimmy Carter (I love him, but he wasn't a great president). The last straw was Ronald Reagan.

[Ken Winkes]

You're right, of course, Marie, but this old guy is still dreaming the dream.

As I remember, the choice we were offered in 1968 wasn't a great one.
I held my nose and used my newly gifted franchise to vote for Humphrey.

And I've always blamed the Vietnam war, its protests and the coincident racial strife of the time for the Reagan years.

Of course, too many of my (our) generation were compliant and let it happen. They either did not vote or hadn't been successfully brainwashed at a liberal university. Perhaps for today's younger generation that standing on the sidelines and letting the old folks decide is changing.

And Happy St. Patrick's Day (Patrick?) to those for whom that applies.

My Irish grandmother is never far from my mind, particularly so on March 17.