A good stumper to "the most Christian president" claim is replying "Oh? When was he born again?"
The Biden Presidency
Theopolis Q. Hossenffer
I am in America, not of it.
And why was he born in the first place ?
Biden Won’t Penalize Saudi Crown Prince Over Khashoggi’s Killing
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/26/us/politics/biden-mbs-khashoggi.htmlNot a good look for him. Sure, it's understandable, but a total free pass without any reprimand at all (even minor ones) is disappointing given how he's previously blasted MBS.
The decision by Mr. Biden, who during the 2020 campaign called Saudi Arabia a “pariah” state with “no redeeming social value,” came after weeks of debate in which his newly formed national security team advised him that there was no way to formally bar the heir to the Saudi crown from entering the United States, or to weigh criminal charges against him, without breaching the relationship with one of America’s key Arab allies.
Officials said a consensus developed inside the White House that the cost of that breach, in Saudi cooperation on counterterrorism and in confronting Iran, was simply too high.
Yes, on the one hand, not a good look. But on the other hand, he's following the advice of advisers and experts. If you want to give him the benefit of the doubt, you could argue that he chose to take a political hit and follow the advice of the diplomats and security experts to do what's best overall. But you could also ask the question why he didn't get that advice before opening his mouth.
gmase
On the dark side of the moon
It is early in the administration, but Biden's approval rating tops 60%. Not too shabby for a guy who lost by a landslide.
https://www.newsweek.com/biden-appr...its-higher-trumps-was-early-2017-poll-1572985
https://www.newsweek.com/biden-appr...its-higher-trumps-was-early-2017-poll-1572985
Theopolis Q. Hossenffer
I am in America, not of it.
Just imagine how high it would have been if he had won?
What I find very strange is that the Democrats, even now that they control everything, are so afraid to use that power. They have at least two years to make historic legislation yet there continues to be infighting. The Republicans on the other hand always fall in line. Biden should use his authority as president to make the entire party fall in line and get shit done.
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Theopolis Q. Hossenffer
I am in America, not of it.
maildude
Postal Paranoiac
Except when it comes to the last president and his exercise of executive privilege. If anything, we should expect a big cat fight over the next two years. Why? The Republican thought trust is still smarting over the results of the Trump presidency...and they hate to admit how fractured it has left them. Like a rat in a corner, their collective action is going to be fight first so that they can exhibit some degree of unity. In a time when the whole of this country desperately needs direction, aid, and legislative cohesion, we are going to get a staring match. That would be monkey business as usual, except that today we face way too many obstacles for "that's the way it's always been" to be an acceptable point of view.
It does make me wonder how many of the more moderate Democrats are so caught up in corporate interest they secretly don't want things like a $15/hour minimum wage, and won't admit that. People too often forget that a lot of them aren't on our side or even good people. They are just for the most part better than Republicans, which isn't saying much.
Do they think if the situation was reversed Republicans would give a shit about what a parliamentarian said? They would just shrug and invent some lame excuse to do otherwise. They have gotten rid of them in the past so they could pass tax cuts. The Dems are well past the point of dealing with honorable people with a difference of view. It's like continuing to play a card game and make friends with them at the table when they have already been caught cheating. You don't sit your ass down and continue the game with them in an effort to reach out to them.. You flip the table or at the very least leave and quit playing their game. It's gotten to the point I condone most legal if shady actions the Democrats can engage in if it gets their legislation passed. They as always continue to not learn. As always they insist on bringing a knife to a gun fight and losing.
While I despise most Republicans anymore, I can admit they are much less afraid to use the power they have. Often it's too the level of shamelessness. Really, does anybody with half a brain really think if they regain power in the future they will give a single damn about norms, or reaching across the aisle, or refraining from doing whatever the hell pleases them anymore. It pisses me off so many Democrats are such weaklings. I don't know any other way to put it than that. I'm not saying they should engage macho chest thumping antics like Republicans do, but I'm getting sick of the sheer political cowardice and lack of motivation when it comes to issues that need to be solved. If they don't want to put actual effort to get their legislation passed that they need to primaried by new people that give a damn and aren't weaklings. I also don't care if they think they will be filibustered. At least force the Republicans to do that, and make them pay as high a public relations price as possible for opposing things most Americans want. Drag them through the mud as much as possible as they do it.
On another note. Joe Biden, I know you are just continuing the tradition presidents have engaged in for decades now and longer than most of us have been alive, but will you please quit bombing other countries.
While your at it quit wrist slapping and finger wagging brutal totalitarian dictators because they have oil and give them actual serious punishments if you're going to do anything.
Do they think if the situation was reversed Republicans would give a shit about what a parliamentarian said? They would just shrug and invent some lame excuse to do otherwise. They have gotten rid of them in the past so they could pass tax cuts. The Dems are well past the point of dealing with honorable people with a difference of view. It's like continuing to play a card game and make friends with them at the table when they have already been caught cheating. You don't sit your ass down and continue the game with them in an effort to reach out to them.. You flip the table or at the very least leave and quit playing their game. It's gotten to the point I condone most legal if shady actions the Democrats can engage in if it gets their legislation passed. They as always continue to not learn. As always they insist on bringing a knife to a gun fight and losing.
While I despise most Republicans anymore, I can admit they are much less afraid to use the power they have. Often it's too the level of shamelessness. Really, does anybody with half a brain really think if they regain power in the future they will give a single damn about norms, or reaching across the aisle, or refraining from doing whatever the hell pleases them anymore. It pisses me off so many Democrats are such weaklings. I don't know any other way to put it than that. I'm not saying they should engage macho chest thumping antics like Republicans do, but I'm getting sick of the sheer political cowardice and lack of motivation when it comes to issues that need to be solved. If they don't want to put actual effort to get their legislation passed that they need to primaried by new people that give a damn and aren't weaklings. I also don't care if they think they will be filibustered. At least force the Republicans to do that, and make them pay as high a public relations price as possible for opposing things most Americans want. Drag them through the mud as much as possible as they do it.
On another note. Joe Biden, I know you are just continuing the tradition presidents have engaged in for decades now and longer than most of us have been alive, but will you please quit bombing other countries.
While your at it quit wrist slapping and finger wagging brutal totalitarian dictators because they have oil and give them actual serious punishments if you're going to do anything.
gmase
On the dark side of the moon
The coronavirus package didn't have everything in it, but this it certainly was a step in the right direction:
https://thehill.com/policy/finance/542208-relief-package-would-cut-taxes-on-average-by-3000-analysis
According to a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center: "three quarters of the tax benefits in Biden's bill would go to those making $91,000 or less, while nearly half of the 2017 tax law's benefits in 2018 went to people in the top 5 percent of income. Simply in terms of whose taxes are cut, the bill is in stark contrast to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act."
https://thehill.com/policy/finance/542208-relief-package-would-cut-taxes-on-average-by-3000-analysis
According to a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center: "three quarters of the tax benefits in Biden's bill would go to those making $91,000 or less, while nearly half of the 2017 tax law's benefits in 2018 went to people in the top 5 percent of income. Simply in terms of whose taxes are cut, the bill is in stark contrast to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act."
gmase
On the dark side of the moon
The Dems do not have a strong hand to play. Although they won the White House they inexplicably lost seats in the House. They picked up enough Senate seats for a 50/50 split and hold the tie breaker. It was not a strong mandate for the progressive agenda. As for primarying insufficiently progressive Democrats, why? When your opponent is imploding*, just let them. There is no need to join them in the process. Just keep the memory of who is responsible for January 6th alive.
I would prefer to see them solidify and expand the ACA and 'repeal and replace' the TCJA.
As noted above, the recent coronavirus bill was a win for them. They are not being weak, cowardly, or disregarding the problems. It's a fucked up mess which is going to take time to get on track.
You're right on target about the bombing (no pun intended). An end to these involvements would be appreciated. Just because someone makes the weapons, they don't need to be used.
*
Trump v RNC: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/08/rnc-trump-cease-and-desist-474412
Senate Retirements: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/542130-these-gop-senators-arent-seeking-reelection-in-2022
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At the rate they are going and the strategy they going with they never will. The "we're not as bad the the Republicans" strategy has been lacking for four decades now. They don't have a strong hand to play...then again they aren't exactly trying very hard either. They aren't really using what they do have as it is. It's an easy out that gives most of them a convenient excuse rather than a reason they couldn't get things done. They get to put minimal effort in while saying, "Well gosh darn, those dastardly Republicans thwarted us yet again" and then shrug.
When we are talking about issues that a significant majority of people want it's so infuriating they don't put more effort into some of the very few things that might actually have a sliver of hope of getting people like poor rural whites Republicans on their side let alone just about everybody else. Even among them a 15 dollar minimum wage and universal heath care is very popular. So is taxing the riches among us more for that matter. They should be attacking Republicans non stop about issues like this like they are piranhas that sense blood in the water.
If I was Biden and any other major Democrat instead of capitulating to them I would be downright threatening people like Manchin of coming to their state their next election and heavily and directly campaigning for their primary opponent if they don't fall in line, even if that means a greater chance a Republican wins. After all if the choice is between a de facto Republican and a regular one you might as well make sure he knows it's not going to be him in the senate seat next cycle. Things like that might even win more people that have become so jaded and disillusioned with politics they have just settled for disappointment.
gmase
On the dark side of the moon
Not a good risk. If Manchin switches parties or his seat flips there is a different leader. Your statement sounds good in theory, but in practical terms it could be a disaster. There were 3 SCOTUS vacancies over the last 4 years - including one near the election. Imagine if there were 4 more 'watered-down-Dems' in the Senate how the final one would have turned out.
A lot of good points on both sides here.
I think we can all agree that if republicans had exactly the amount of power dems have right now, they'd be doing whatever the fuck they want and nobody would stop them. That is a major source of frustration for non-republicans.
But also, the democratic support base is a very different beast than the republican one. republicans seem unable to lose their base, no matter how much they lie, cheat, and fail to even maintain the facade of doing their jobs. What's more, they seem to have settled on not attracting any new members to their base, so they're fine with spending all their energy trying to rig the system so that they can achieve and maintain power with a minority of the population. The other advantage republicans have is that they pretty much always put party over country. Even on those rare occasions that one of them has a moral qualm, they'll still vote party lines and then tell fox news how conflicted they were about it.
Dems, on the other hand, are trying to herd cats a lot of the time, even though it does seem like there are a large number of policy items that pretty much everyone agrees on. And they'd probably have no problems ramming a lot of that stuff through if it weren't for wild cards like manchin and sinema.
Seems like the whip needs to start whipping harder.
I think we can all agree that if republicans had exactly the amount of power dems have right now, they'd be doing whatever the fuck they want and nobody would stop them. That is a major source of frustration for non-republicans.
But also, the democratic support base is a very different beast than the republican one. republicans seem unable to lose their base, no matter how much they lie, cheat, and fail to even maintain the facade of doing their jobs. What's more, they seem to have settled on not attracting any new members to their base, so they're fine with spending all their energy trying to rig the system so that they can achieve and maintain power with a minority of the population. The other advantage republicans have is that they pretty much always put party over country. Even on those rare occasions that one of them has a moral qualm, they'll still vote party lines and then tell fox news how conflicted they were about it.
Dems, on the other hand, are trying to herd cats a lot of the time, even though it does seem like there are a large number of policy items that pretty much everyone agrees on. And they'd probably have no problems ramming a lot of that stuff through if it weren't for wild cards like manchin and sinema.
Seems like the whip needs to start whipping harder.
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