;)
The Conversation -- December 6, 2023
Congress needs to pass supplemental funding for Ukraine before they break for the holiday recess. Simple as that. Frankly, I think it's stunning that we've gotten to this point in the first place. Republicans in Congress are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he can hope for and abandon our global leadership. -- President Biden, in remarks today ~~~
~~~ Joe Biden Is Tired of Trying to Reason with You People. Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden called on congressional Republicans on Wednesday to put aside 'petty, partisan, angry politics' and pass a multibillion-dollar aid package for Ukraine, warning that failure to do so could enable President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to reclaim momentum in the war and even draw in American troops. The president said that he was willing to make 'significant compromises' on border security to satisfy Senate Republicans who have refused to support further Ukraine aid without a new crackdown on illegal immigration. But Mr. Biden complained that they have been unwilling to back off what he characterized as 'extreme' demands."
Donald Judd of CNN: "President Joe Biden on Wednesday fired back against claims from House Republicans that he was involved in business dealings with his son and brother, telling reporters at the White House the GOP claims are 'a bunch of lies.'... Most, if not all, of the claims about Joe Biden's involvement with Hunter Biden's business dealings were refuted in 2019, but they gained major traction in the right-wing media ecosystem, where they are often presented as facts. There is no public evidence that the president ever abused his government powers to help his family." MB: Thank you, CNN, for accurate reporting instead of succumbing to both-siderisms.
** Kevin Breuninger of CNBC: "Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Wednesday he will resign from Congress at the end of the year." McCarthy made his announcement in McCarthy said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. MB: That's one less Republican in the House majority. Wasn't it just yesterday I speculated that My Kevin would not be long in the House? ~~~
~~~ Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Mr. McCarthy's imminent departure will shrink the already slim Republican majority, which went to three seats from four with the expulsion last week of Representative George Santos of New York." MB: Also, Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) will resign within the next few months.
Patrick Marley of the Washington Post: "In a legal settlement Wednesday, the 10 Republicans who signed official-looking paperwork falsely purporting Donald Trump won Wisconsin in 2020 have agreed to withdraw their inaccurate filings, acknowledge Joe Biden won the presidency and not serve as presidential electors in 2024 or in any election where Trump is on the ballot. Wednesday's civil settlement marks the first time pro-Trump electors have agreed to revoke their false filings and not repeat their actions in the next presidential election.... Documents released as part of the settlement revealed one of the Wisconsin Republicans appeared to refer to the attempt to install Trump for a second term as a 'possible steal.' That Republican expressed skepticism about the plan but told others he was going along with it in part because he feared he would face blowback from Trump supporters if he didn't.
"The lawsuit, filed last year by two of the state's rightful electors, alleged the Republicans had taken part in a conspiracy to defraud voters and sought up to $200,000 from each Trump elector. No money is being exchanged as part of the settlement. The Biden electors are continuing their lawsuit against two attorneys who assisted the Wisconsin Republicans -- Jim Troupis, a former Dane County judge who led Trump's recount efforts in the state, and Kenneth Chesebro, who advised Republicans around the country and pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to overturn Biden's win in Georgia." CNN's story is here.
Zachary Cohen, et al., of CNN: "Prosecutors in the Georgia election subversion case against ... Donald Trump have officially listed former Vice President Mike Pence as one of the witnesses who could be called to testify at trial.... Pence could become a key witness as one of the few one-time Republican allies of the former president to strongly rebuke Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud in the Peach State. 'Despite what the former president and his allies have said for now more than two and a half years and continue to insist .. the Georgia election was not stolen, and I had no right to overturn the election on January 6,' Pence said at the National Conference of State Legislatures after Trump was indicted in August."
"Accessory After the Fact." Lawrence O'Donnell reads chapter & verse of the U.S. criminal code to illuminate at least one of the crimes Speaker of the House Mike Johnson yesterday confessed to committing:
To be honest, I'm a bit worried that I may be in better shape than our democracy is. -- Normal Lear, New York Times op-ed, July 27, 2022, on his 100th birthday ~~~
~~~ Richard Sefaro & Peter Keepnews of the New York Times: "Norman Lear, the television writer and producer who introduced political and social commentary into situation comedy with 'All in the Family' and other shows, proving that it was possible to be topical as well as funny while attracting millions of viewers, died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 101. A spokeswoman for the family, Lara Bergthold, confirmed the death. Mr. Lear reigned at the top of the television world through the 1970s and into the early '80s, leaving a lasting mark with shows that brought the sitcom into the real world."
~~~~~~~~~~
Great Battles in Military History: The Spudsville Retreat. Catie Edmonson of the New York Times: "Senator Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama, announced on Tuesday that he would lift his blockade of nearly all the military promotions he had delayed for months in protest of a Pentagon policy ensuring abortion access for service members. Mr. Tuberville said he had lifted his holds on about 440 military promotions. 'Everybody but the 10 or 11 four-stars,' he said. 'Those will continue.' The announcement came amid mounting pressure on Mr. Tuberville about his decision, announced in February, to hold up officer promotions over a new Pentagon policy that offers time off and travel reimbursement to service members seeking abortions or fertility care. His blockade, which both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill had vociferously opposed, had for months disrupted the Pentagon's ability to fill its top ranks." An NPR story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Kate Santaliz, et al., of NBC News: "The Senate confirmed more than 400 military nominees Tuesday afternoon after Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., announced he would drop the bulk of his holds, ending a monthslong campaign.... Hours [after Tuberville's announcement], Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., took to the Senate floor to confirm all 425 of those nominees unanimously, saying members of the military and their families 'can breathe a sigh of relief.' He then took aim at Tuberville for his 10-month hold, saying it risked national security while putting military families through a 'pointless and gravely damaging ordeal.' Schumer went on to warn other senators against pursuing a similar tactic in the future." ~~~
~~~ Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Biden on Tuesday ripped Sen. Tommy Tuberville after the Alabama Republican ended a nearly 10-month hold on military nominations.... 'These confirmations are long overdue, and should never have been held up in the first place. Our service members are the backbone of our country and deserve to receive the pay and promotions they have earned,' Biden said in a statement. 'In the end, this was all pointless. Senator Tuberville, and the Republicans who stood with him, needlessly hurt hundreds of servicemembers and military families and threatened our national security -- all to push a partisan agenda. I hope no on forgets what he did,' Biden added. 'Those who serve this nation deserve better.'"
Yesterday's Comments feature a good discussion of principles & "principles."
Kayla Guo of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris broke the centuries-old record on Tuesday for the most tiebreaking votes cast by a vice president in the Senate, underscoring Democrats' tenuous hold on the majority and the deep polarization gripping Congress. It was the latest bit of history to be made by Ms. Harris, a former senator from California and the first woman, African American and Asian American to serve as vice president. She cast her 32nd tiebreaking vote on Tuesday, beating the previous record of 31 set nearly 200 years ago by John C. Calhoun, who was vice president from 1825 to 1832.... [Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer presented Ms. Harris with a golden gavel to commemorate the milestone after she provided the 51st vote to move ahead with confirming Judge Loren AliKhan to the U.S. District Court in Washington. Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, broke with his party and voted to block the move, leaving the chamber in a 50-50 tie and prompting Ms. Harris to step in."
** The Revolution Will Be Pixelated. Speaker Johnson Is Protecting Violent Criminals. Igor Derysh of Salon: "House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., drew criticism after telling reporters on Tuesday that Republicans are blurring faces in security footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol attack to protect the rioters. 'We have to blur some of the faces of persons who participated in the events of that day because we don't want them to be retaliated against and to be charged by the DOJ,' said Johnson, who played a key role in ... Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. Numerous MAGA Republicans who falsely alleged that the attack was instigated by federal agents or was largely executed by violent leftists have long called for the release of the footage, which they claim will back up their baseless conspiracy theories.... Andrew Weissmann called ... Mike Johnson's comments 'open contempt for the rule of law and a violation of oath of office.' Despite Johnson's comments, the FBI and DOJ have long had access to the video footage, though blurring people's faces could prevent civilians from reporting tips to the FBI." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Just think how lawless this is. If you and I proactively hid the identities of violent criminals, we would likely face criminal charges for obstruction of justice. As Steve Benen of MSNBC reminds us, "At a Capitol Hill press conference last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson boasted to reporters, 'We are the rule-of-law team.' The Louisiana Republican quickly added, 'The Republican Party stands for the rule of law.'" (Normally, when you see blurred faces [or license plates or house numbers] in news footage, the images that have been blurred are of children or other innocent bystanders.) ~~~
~~~ Update. Johnson's Office Tries to Walk Back Obstruction Motive. Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "Johnson's spokesman suggested that the speaker was trying to keep the raw footage away from online sleuths who have helped identify hundreds of Capitol rioters and aided in the FBI's investigation. 'Faces are to be blurred from public viewing room footage to prevent all forms of retaliation against private citizens from any non-governmental actors,' Raj Shah, who worked as a deputy White House press secretary in the Trump administration and now works as deputy chief of staff for communications for Johnson, said in a statement. 'The Department of Justice already has access to raw footage from January 6, 2021.' DOJ does have that footage. But online sleuths have proven to be an extremely valuable resource in identifying Jan. 6 participants...." A Huffington Post report is here.
Anemona Hartocollis of the New York Times: "Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and M.I.T. were hammered on Tuesday by Republican House members who claimed that the universities themselves had sown seeds of bias on campus against Jews.... Republican members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce ... yoked rising antisemitism on college campuses to other hot-button issues that have helped animate G.O.P. politics for the last several years.... Over the course of the four-hour hearing, Republicans mentioned the influence of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the inclusion of trans athletes, foreign funding for Middle Eastern studies, the paucity of conservative faculty and the declining percentage of Jewish students on campuses."
All Those Times Trump Incriminated Himself. Spencer Hsu & Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Federal prosecutors on Tuesday accused ... Donald Trump of a long pattern of lying about elections and encouraging violence, saying he 'sent' supporters on Jan. 6, 2021 to criminally block the election results. In a new court filing, prosecutors working for special counsel Jack Smith went further than in their August indictment in attempting to tie him to that day's violence, saying they intended to introduce evidence of his other acts both before the November 2020 presidential election and subsequent alleged threats to establish his motive, intent and preparation for subverting its legitimate results." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Brandi Buchman of Law & Crime: "... prosecutor Molly Gaston cited Trump's eerily familiar sentiment that voting machines had been rigged against Mitt Romney in 2012 when he ran against Barack Obama. The same thing occurred in 2016, Gaston wrote, when Trump 'claimed repeatedly with no basis, that there was widespread voter fraud including through public statements and tweets.'... The special counsel also indicated that they would enter evidence at trial that showed Trump's history of remarks where he 'repeatedly refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power,' the filing states." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Katelyn Polantz, et al., of CNN: "Special counsel Jack Smith plans to present evidence at Donald Trump's trial next year that his continued support for US Capitol rioters helps to show he intended to inspire violence on January 6, 2021, as part of a conspiracy he led to overturn the 2020 election. In a court filing made public Tuesday, prosecutors point to Trump endorsing the Proud Boys during a 2020 presidential debate, saying he would pardon January 6 rioters and playing a recording of the National Anthem from imprisoned January 6 defendants at a campaign rally. Prosecutors say the fact that Trump has financially supported -- and celebrated -- January 6 rioters establishes his motive and intent to commit federal crimes." MB: Read the filing, linked in the CNN article. It contains several examples of Trump's self-incriminating remarks. (Also linked yesterday.)
Where's Rudy? Kyle Cheney of Politico: "Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, two Georgia election workers who have been tormented by harassment and threats since 2020, were prepared Tuesday to confront the man they view as the chief instigator of their suffering: Rudy Giuliani. But Giuliani was a no-show at a federal court hearing in the duo's defamation lawsuit, prompting a lashing for his attorney by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, who had ordered Giuliani to be present. 'How could you have missed that?' Howell asked Giuliani's attorney, Joe Sibley, incredulously, when he took the blame for Giuliani's absence. 'My mistake,' Sibley replied, prompting Howell to ask whether he was 'falling on his sword' for the former mayor. Sibley insisted he wasn't but rather that he simply had misunderstood Howell's order requiring Giuliani's presence at the hearing, the final session before the civil damages case goes before a jury next week."
Elections 2024
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Biden suggested on Tuesday that he might have been content to serve only a single term if his predecessor..., Donald J. Trump, were not attempting to recapture the White House. At a campaign fund-raiser in the Boston area, Mr. Biden presented his decision to run for re-election as driven largely by his determination to defeat Mr. Trump a second time and prevent him from returning to power.... He later approached reporters upon his return to the White House late Tuesday night and amended his comments. Asked if he would be running if Trump were not, he said, 'I expect so, but look, he is running and I have to run.' Asked if he would drop out if Mr. Trump did, Mr. Biden replied, 'No, not now.'... After two months largely consumed by the war in the Middle East, Mr. Biden is heading back to the campaign trail this week with three fund-raisers in the Boston area on Tuesday, another one in Washington on Wednesday and a three-day trip to Nevada and California this weekend." CNN's report is here.
The GOP presidential* debate will be held tonight at 8 pm ET. The only participants will be Crisco, Haley, DeSantolini & Vivek. It's being aired by News Nation, so good luck finding it. NBC has a report here, but nothing about how to watch. The NYT has a report here that includes options to watch or listen. MB: I looked for other, non-subscription, stories with where-to-watch info, and found nothing. So sorry.
Ian Philbrick & Lyna Bentahar of the New York Times: "As he campaigns for another term in the White House, Donald Trump ... has made baldly antidemocratic statements, praising autocratic leaders like China's Xi Jinping and continuing to claim that the 2020 election was stolen.... He has threatened to use the power of the presidency against his political opponents, including President Biden and Biden's family. Trump frequently insults his opponents in personal terms, calling them 'vermin,' as well as 'thugs, horrible people, fascists, Marxists, sick people.' He has made dozens of false or misleading statements. He has advocated violence, suggesting that an Army general who clashed with him deserved the death penalty and that shoplifters should be shot. And he describes U.S. politics in apocalyptic terms, calling the 2024 election 'our final battle' and describing himself as his supporters' 'retribution.'... The Times has compiled a list of Trump's most extreme comments during the campaign so far."
Giselle Ewing of Politico: "Donald Trump said Tuesday he will not be a dictator 'except for day one' if he returns to office in 2025. In a town hall with Fox News' Sean Hannity, the former president was pressed on whether he would disavow taking retributive action against all his enemies if he reentered the Oval Office. He initially shied away from responding, but when asked a second time said he would only be a dictator on the first day of his second term. He emphasized that it would be for two specific issues. 'I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill,' Trump said. 'Other than that, I am not a dictator.' The remarks may have been an attempt to defuse an issue that has bubbled up in recent weeks, with various news outlets spotlighting an authoritarian bent of Trump's proposed second-term approach." The Hill reports a few more of Trump's responses.
Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: Kash Patel, "a confidant of Donald J. Trump who is likely to serve in a senior national security role in any new Trump administration threatened on Tuesday to target journalists for prosecution if the former president regains the White House.... Patel, who served as Mr. Trump's counterterrorism adviser on the National Security Council and also as chief of staff to the acting secretary of defense, made the remarks on a podcast hosted by Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump's former strategist, during a discussion about a potential second Trump presidency beginning in 2025. 'We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media,' Mr. Patel said. 'Yes, we're going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections -- we're going to come after you. Whether it's criminally or civilly, we'll figure that out.' He added: 'We're actually going to use the Constitution to prosecute them for crimes they said we have always been guilty of but never have.'"
A Speaker's Lot Is Not a Happy One. Sahil Kapur of NBC News: "Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., announced Tuesday that he won't seek re-election in 2024, a shocking move to many of his colleagues that will further thin the ranks of Republican institutionalists in Congress. He plans to finish out his two-year term, he said ... on X. McHenry, 48, became the chair of the powerful House Financial Services Committee at the beginning of the year. He gained national attention during his three-week stint in October as House Speaker pro tempore after Republicans ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the position." The Washington Post's story is here. MB: Funny how all the GOP speakers -- Newt, Hastert (okay, he landed in jail), Boehner, Ryan -- quit their jobs; rumors abound that My Kevin is about to leave Congress, too. Turns out if you hold the job merely on an interim basis for just a few weeks, it's all too much. (Also linked yesterday.)
Speaking of Newt.... Ken Meyer of Mediaite: Newt Gingrich said of Fox Monday that any House Republican who votes against an impeachment inquiry into President Biden will get a primary challenge. (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~~~~~~~~
Israel/Palestine
The Washington Post's live updates of developments Wednesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Israeli forces pierced deeper into the Gaza Strip as part of a new phase of the war, a ground incursion of the enclave's south after aerial and ground attacks in the north. The Israel Defense Forces is present 'in the heart of the Khan Younis region' in southern Gaza, as well as the Jabalya and Shejaiya regions in the north, said Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, who leads the IDF's southern command. Palestinians in southern Gaza -- many of whom came from the north after Israel said the south would be safer -- say they have few safe places left to flee. The Biden administration imposed visa restrictions on 'extremist settlers' from Israel, as well as Palestinians, 'involved in or meaningfully contributing to actions that undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank.'" ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' live updates for Wednesday are here. CNN's live updates are here.
Loveday Morris of the Washington Post: "As Israel opens a new southern front in its war in Gaza, it is still far from achieving its stated military objective: the total destruction of the Hamas militant group that rules the enclave and spearheaded the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. At least 5,000 Hamas militants have been killed, according to three Israeli security officials, leaving the majority of the group's estimated 30,000-strong military wing intact.... 'I think we have reached a moment when the Israeli authorities will have to define more clearly what their final objective is,' French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday. 'The total destruction of Hamas? Does anybody think that's possible? If it's that, the war will last 10 years.'"
Jonathan Allen of NBC News: "A group of White House interns joined the growing list of administration officials applying internal pressure to President Joe Biden to call for a permanent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, sending him a letter late Tuesday that accuses him of having 'ignored' the 'pleas of the American people.' The letter, first shared with NBC News and addressed to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, is supported by more than 40 interns who work in th White House and other executive branch offices, according to the text."
Ukraine, et al.
Karoun Demirjian & Marc Santora of the New York Times: "President Biden’s urgent push to replenish Ukraine's war chest and send aid to Israel is on the brink of collapse in the Senate, where Republicans are prepared on Wednesday to block the funding unless Democrats agree to add strict measures to clamp down on migration at the U.S. border with Mexico. A classified briefing with administration officials called to shore up support devolved into a partisan screaming match on Tuesday afternoon, with Republicans angrily accusing Democrats of trying to steamroller over their demands for a border crackdown. The meltdown, which took place on the eve of a critical test vote in the Senate on a $110.5 billion emergency spending bill, not only made it clear that the measure would fail, but severely dimmed the prospects for any bipartisan agreement soon. A vote to block aid would spotlight flagging U.S. resolve at a critical time in Ukraine's war against President Vladimir V. Putin's Russia." The Washington Post's report is here. CNN's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Republicans are not trying only to destroy American democracy; they're trying to ruin any chance for liberal democracy in the rest of the world. They're concentrating right now on Eastern Europe, where they seem intent upon allowing Putin to re-establish the Soviet Union. The pretense that they suddenly must have immigration reform & U.S. border security -- after decades of sabotaging reasonable measures -- is convenient. If not saving white people from brown people, then something else.
Washington Post: A "meeting in Brussels, less than two weeks into [Ukraine's counteroffensive] campaign, illustrates how a counteroffensive born in optimism has failed to deliver its expected punch, generating friction and second-guessing between Washington and Kyiv and raising deeper questions about Ukraine's ability to retake decisive amounts of territory. As winter approaches, and the front lines freeze into place, Ukraine's most senior military officials acknowledge that the war has reached a stalemate.... Read part two [of the report] here."
News Ledes
Here in Guns America, we had two mass shootings today:
CNN is live-updating developments in a mass shooting on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus: "There appear to be multiple victims following a shooting at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, police said. The suspect is dead, Las Vegas Metro Police said. Police said they were responding to reports of a shooting near Beam Hall, home of the university's Lee Business School, and shortly after added there was an 'additional report of shots fired in the Student Union.' Law enforcement is encouraging people to avoid the area."
AP: "A daylong series of attacks in Austin has left four people dead and at least three wounded, and a man believed to be connected to them and the deaths of two other people near San Antonio was taken into custody, Texas authorities said. Those who died were found in two homes in Austin and a residence east of San Antonio. The wounded, who were shot, included two police officers and a bicyclist, police said. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening. The man, who is in his 30s, was charged with capital murder, Austin Interim Police Chief Robin Henderson said at a news conference Tuesday night. His name was not immediately released."
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Reader Comments (16)
Here are a few dozen cartoons, some from the past, some timely.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/11989233
More flaccid both sides bullshit…
Congressional Democrats trying to get the support desperately needed by Ukraine to fend off Putin’s army was short circuited yesterday by screaming Republicans who attempted to take over a discussion about Ukraine by making it all about border security in the United States.
I’ve now seen over a dozen reports that talk about a partisan screaming match, making it seem like the wailing infants were on both sides of the aisle when in fact the screaming came from one side only.
Instead of highlighting the screaming, it would have been far more imstructive and helpful to readers if headlines went along the lines of “Republicans scream about their pet issue while Putin bombs Ukrainian citizens.”
But…naaahhh, “partisan screaming match” will get more clicks.
It’s just funny how all this flabby “journalism” nearly always benefits the Party of a Traitors.
Hear ye, hear ye, call together a meeting to discuss aid to Ukraine.
What?? Brown people at the border!!! Aieeee!
It’s as if a meeting called to consider climate change was hijacked by screams for more guns.
Because that would never happen, right?
More to the point, immigration is a serious and longstanding issue which Republicans repeatedly refuse to deal with. It’s a problem that requires serious thought and it can’t be solved by screaming about it in a meeting called to discuss a vital but entirely separate issue. But since when are PoT hacks able or inclined to handle serious policy issues? They’re whiny brats who care more about their own PR than any public policy issue. As Connecticut senator Chris Murphy pointed out this morning on NPR, the whole screaming and storming out of the hearing business all looked a little too planned, too performative, playing to the base in order to say “See? We tried, but those damned Democrats wouldn’t talk about the border!”
No mention, of course, that Democrats have been waiting for years to talk seriously about immigration reform, or that this was not the time and place for that discussion.
It’s just playground bullying because they got nothin’. And plenty of it (apologies to Ira Gershwin).
Would be money well spent
It sounds like Johnson is giving aid and comfort to enemies of the government, again.
Capitalism is great
"Automakers are increasingly obsessed with turning everything into a subscription service in a bid to boost quarterly returns. We’ve noted how BMW has embraced making heated seats and other features already in your car a subscription service, and Mercedes has been making better gas and EV engine performance something you have to pay extra for — even if your existing engine already technically supports it.
They’re effectively disabling technology you already own, then charging you a recurring additional monthly fee just to re-enable it"
Not only is Speaker johnson violating the law, he is spending my money to do it. He said they had hired extra people to do the video editing to blur the faces of the criminals.
I am to the point of not even keeping up anymore. As far as Democrats interested in "border security" issues, Dems have been trying, through numerous administrations, to have serious discussions about changes to be made. Endlessly the Cult (as in Mike Johnson (C) whines and screams and fabricates everything said out loud. There is simply no point in discussions now, and Biden has already laid out what Dems might approve. It will never be enough for the Cult. Also, bon voyage, Kevin. Don't let the door hit your a** on the way out. Or do. Who cares... Also, Manchin? Your desperate longing for fame (he already has the fortune--) makes you look idiotic. As does everything else.
Interesting that Mattel has come out with the new Barbie doll,
'Wilma Mankiller,' honoring the new female president of the Cherokee
Nation but labeling it 'Chicken Nation.'
One would think that a company that large would at least have
spell check in their system.
Or possibly the Donald has a position with Mattel now. Sounds like
something he would say.
@Marie: Taylor Swift may be Time's person of the year, but you
have been our person of the year, year after year. And hopefully
for many more.
We should be extremely careful about cutting off all imigration.
Who's going to do that labor on those 10,000 acre farms, weeding,
hoeing, picking and packing.
I did that one summer in high school and I swore I would never do
it again. I didn't either. Got summer jobs after that in a restaurant,
cooking, cleaning fish, waiting tables, etc., and I swore I would
never do that again either.
Meanwhile right next door to MB governor Ronnie seems to have found something else to get his tail in a knot over: https://floridapolitics.com/archives/647137-foreigners-desantis/
Like ForestMorris said we better careful cutting off immigrants or even temporary residents.
Pic of the moment: Trump changes tone in latest campaign speech.
Instead of 'I could shoot someone in the middle of 5th Avenue and
wouldn't lose any voters' it's now 'I could hold public executions
in the middle of 5th Avenue and it won't mater because there's no
more voting.'
https://democratiunderground.com/100218506014
Rhonda may not realize that:
-- almost all of those foreign students in the US pay full boat
-- pre-9/11, there were so many that education was a very significant US export (it is less now)
-- the cash from those foreign students subsidized some underfunded requirements of US colleges and universities
-- many of them had support stipends that went right into local pizza parlors, retailers, landlords, etc.
-- a large percentage were STEM students, who were hired after graduation by US employers, became citizens and put down roots. Reverse "brain drain."
-- many who went back took with them a fondness for the US, and some of those became highly influential in their country's business, politics, education establishments, etc. (Not all; a few found their experience in the US to be hateful, and a few of those started some really nasty jihadi organizations).
There's probably a lot more stuff Rhonda doesn't realize. Just guessing.
Just a wild hair of a thought, but with all the GOP representatives who are leaving, what happens if their majority disappears?
Patrick,
He may realize those things but not care. If they don’t fit into his viperous weltanschauung, it doesn’t matter because facts are despised on the right, especially if they cannot be somehow twisted to conform to cloud cuckoo land requirements.
The process is never “Here are the facts of the case, how can we craft a plan that takes those into account?”
The process is “Here is our preconceived end result. How can we fold, spindle, mutilate, and ignore inconvenient facts that make us look stupid?”
@Bobby Lee: Possibilities abound. If by "their majority disappears," you mean "Democrats take the majority," that's easy: they all vote for a new speaker and presumably Hakeem Jeffries wins.
If by "their majority disappears," you mean "there are an equal number of Republicans & Democrats," then a guy named Carter Moore, who says he used to work in the House, lists the various ways the cookie could crumble.