Here's the game Manchurian Joe is playing. Disingenuous. Just switch parties already. Seems leadership has more than met Manchurian Joe in the middle to boot. And if this is Joe's bottom line, where the fuck has he been since January 20th, 2021? Other than stringing us along and doing Moscow Mitchy Baby's bidding?
The hidden absurdities behind Joe Manchin’s ugly new reversal
This will surprise only people who haven’t paid even cursory attention to the last year of Democratic politics, but Sen. Joe Manchin III may have just killed any hopes for a resuscitated version of the Democratic agenda.
The West Virginia Democrat reportedly told party leaders late Thursday that he won’t support any new incentives to combat climate change or any new tax hikes on corporations or the wealthy. The Post reports that in private talks, Manchin appeared close to a deal, only to renege at the last minute.
Yet as ludicrous as this turnaround is on its face, there are still more hidden absurdities behind the situation that show what a farce it has truly become. They turn on the specifics of what Manchin appeared to reject, and his inflation-related excuse for doing so, which amount to a display of towering bad faith.
First, a caveat: After those stories broke, Manchin claimed on Friday that he’s still open to a deal and wants to see July’s inflation numbers before deciding. So perhaps he just doesn’t want to act quite yet. But given all we’ve seen, let’s inaugurate the Manchin Rule: Until the senator actually shows he’s operating in good faith, we’ll presume otherwise.
The deal would have raised around $1 trillion in revenue from rolling back some of the 2017 GOP tax cuts. Half of that revenue would have gone to deficit reduction, and the other half would have gone mostly to funding the transition to green energy.
Also in the mix were provisions empowering Medicare to negotiate down prescription drug prices, which would produce substantial savings. Those could be used to continue funding expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire after originally passing in last year’s covid-19 rescue package.
But Manchin has rejected the tax hikes and the climate provisions. For now, he is open only to some kind of deal in which savings from the prescription drugs provisions fund expanded ACA subsidies.
By the way, the subsidies highlight another problem with Manchin’s position. Even if he does just want to delay another month, extending the subsidies this month is critical, because states will soon have to assume they’ll expire and send out notices of premium increases.
Regardless, how Manchin reached this point is hard to discern. As The Post reports, he has long supported tax reforms such as those being debated, yet he seemingly backed away from them, including a measure to close a loophole enjoyed by the very wealthy to sustain Medicare.
What’s more, Manchin is still reportedly telling people he wants to secure a few hundred billion dollars in deficit reduction. How he would do this without raising high-end taxes is unclear.
It gets worse. A Democrat briefed on the conversations says Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) sought to meet Manchin’s concerns about the climate provisions head-on.
This included reducing spending on green energy tax incentives to $375 billion, the Democrat says. It also included nixing incentives for electric vehicles, which Manchin had objected to as well.
And a Democratic aide tells me much of the legislative text on green tax incentives had been written, and haggling was down to minor points. Manchin’s turnaround floored those working on that text, given what had been happening only hours earlier.
A sympathetic reading of Manchin’s motives goes like this. As someone who represents a state that’s both deep red and relies on fossil fuels, he has understandably sought a balance. He’s open to the government facilitating innovation that aids the transition to green energy, but only if it does not inflict damage too quickly on the traditional energy sector or the people reliant on it.
But even so, the dropping of incentives for electric vehicles represents a big concession toward his values. After all, a transition away from gas-powered vehicles is an essential piece of cutting emissions at the pace necessary to minimize long-term risk.
Indeed, the package of climate incentives that still remains plainly falls within the parameters of the balanced approach he wants. That is, if Manchin — who has personally grown rich off the coal industry — means what he says.
Nor does Manchin’s own explanation make much sense. His spokesperson insists we must “adjust to the economic realities the country faces” and avoid “steps that add fuel to the inflation fire.”
But climate change is also a reality, and without something like this agenda, it may be impossible to come close to hitting climate targets scientists say are necessary to avoid disaster.
And how much would the package offered to Manchin actually increase inflation? Economist Dean Baker notes that half would go to deficit reduction, which Manchin wants, and the nixing of incentives for electrical vehicles removes another spending piece.
What’s more, Baker says, spending on ACA subsidies would be offset by less spending on prescription drugs. “It’s basically impossible to see how that would be inflationary,” Baker tells me.
Manchin is free to disagree with that, but he hasn’t offered a serious case that something like this package would disastrously fuel inflation. Nor has he meaningfully explained why whatever inflation it would allegedly produce is worse for the country than the climate future he’s consigning us to.
Instead, he’s betting the word “inflation” will simply turn off our critical faculties. We shouldn’t let that happen. The absurdities behind his position should be mercilessly exposed.
I would venture a guess that a majority of West Virginians would support tax increases on wealthy individuals and corporations. Also, if one could convince the old-school mining folk that in addition to their skill sets, their salaries will increase with the adoption of clean energy to help thwart climate change -- I mean, a huge portion of the new spending in the economic package is for upskilling, etc. -- a majority would then likely support that as well.
I say poll them and see what turns up. If it turns out that Joe Manchin is incredibly out of touch with the citizens of his state, that should be used against him politically.
And if he is, indeed, voting in accordance with the citizens of West Virginia (which I doubt), well, then, he's doing his job well, and his critics just need to feast on some sour grapes.
Bought and paid for. Why doesn't Manchurian Joe see what his constituents see?
We find that a clear majority of West Virginia voters support putting America on a path to achieving 100 percent clean electricity by 2035, including a majority of Democrats and Independents and nearly 40 percent of Republicans.
When asked if respondents agree with the statement that coal is the backbone of the state and that renewable energy is hurting mining jobs, 59 percent of statewide respondents and 59 percent of coal country respondents agreed. But when asked whether they agree that the economy is shifting away from coal and fossil fuels towards clean and renewable energy sources, 69 percent of statewide respondents and 73 percent of coal country respondents agreed.
Guys, let's not forget Biden saved us from another 4 years of 45. I think that's why Joe ran in the first place. Instead of focusing on him being an old man (because, of course, who likes old fuckers anyway, right? ) Dems should be focusing on someone who will have a chance to win in 2024. I can't think of a single Democrat who has a chance to do that, can you?
I agree with all of this. I don't think Biden even wanted this and did it because the party convinced him that only he could beat Trump (and that was probably true). He's probably not able to give the job its due attention the way he'd have been able to 20 years ago and there is a sadness to it, but that's why they have staffs.
And the day after midterms, the party needs to think about who can beat MAGA in 2024. I don't think it's fair to Joe to suggest he'll be there for six more years. If the party needs him to beat Trump or DeSantis because nobody else can, then the problems they have go well beyond Joe's age.
Yeah, I agree. I think the best thing all around would be for Joe to say in 2024, "Thanks for the opportunity, but I'm ready to retire." I'm grateful Joe beat 45, greatful for his efforts, and I think he's done the best he can under the circumstances, but six more years would really be pushing it. Dems need to get off the pot and start grooming someone good or we're going to be stuck in a MAGA quagmire that will lead to even more ruination that this country has already faced. It's 2 and 1/2 years off and I'm already feeling sketchy about the whole thing.
Not the preferred nomenclature.
Let me put it in the way a 16 year old would understand:
"Them Dems don't need some noob. They need to make some dude snatched so good we gonna say 'bruh, that dude is dope!'"
Are you calling Michelle Obama a dude? She would be their only hope in 2024.
Haha! See, this post evolved out of another one by... oh which one of you posted that thing about teen-talk? Dankind?... and then I told a story about this mom I saw in a thrift store who turned to her daughter, held up a stuffed animal she was thinking about buying and said, "DUDE! This one's DOPE!"
So yes, in teen-talk, Michelle is "dude". And yes, if she ran (very unlikely) I would be all for it!
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.
0
Options
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,709
edited July 2022
Could something as simple as a fist bump be the straw that broke the camel's back?
"What was Joe Biden thinking? His excruciating fist bump with
Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince he and much of the world
regard as a murderer, marks the low point of a presidency that is slowly
dying on its feet."... ..."Maybe he’s not thinking clearly at all. When a president’s approval rating drops to 33%,
as Biden’s did last week, when most Democrats say he’s too old to run
again, and when inflation is driving maddened voters into the arms of
opponents, the mind tends to mist up."
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
"What was Joe Biden thinking? His excruciating fist bump with
Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince he and much of the world
regard as a murderer, marks the low point of a presidency that is slowly
dying on its feet."... ..."Maybe he’s not thinking clearly at all. When a president’s approval rating drops to 33%,
as Biden’s did last week, when most Democrats say he’s too old to run
again, and when inflation is driving maddened voters into the arms of
opponents, the mind tends to mist up."
You shake hands, you bow or in covid times, you first bump. The smallest of issues..
0
Options
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,709
"What was Joe Biden thinking? His excruciating fist bump with
Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince he and much of the world
regard as a murderer, marks the low point of a presidency that is slowly
dying on its feet."... ..."Maybe he’s not thinking clearly at all. When a president’s approval rating drops to 33%,
as Biden’s did last week, when most Democrats say he’s too old to run
again, and when inflation is driving maddened voters into the arms of
opponents, the mind tends to mist up."
You shake hands, you bow or in covid times, you first bump. The smallest of issues..
The issue- from what I understand- is not the method of greeting but, rather, the friendly gesture toward a man consider by much of the world to be a murderer. The hand bump may factor in slightly because it might be taken as an overly friendly gesture, but the issue is more about being seen as cozening up to a murderer. It's not a huge deal to me- people in power have greeted murderous others in power before as part of the business of politics. But Biden is on thin ice as it is and each movement taken to be a blunder only sets him back further. But maybe even that is not a big deal... if Joe does not intend to run again. I certainly do not mean to disparage the man, I'm just curious.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.
0
Options
mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,751
"What was Joe Biden thinking? His excruciating fist bump with
Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince he and much of the world
regard as a murderer, marks the low point of a presidency that is slowly
dying on its feet."... ..."Maybe he’s not thinking clearly at all. When a president’s approval rating drops to 33%,
as Biden’s did last week, when most Democrats say he’s too old to run
again, and when inflation is driving maddened voters into the arms of
opponents, the mind tends to mist up."
You shake hands, you bow or in covid times, you first bump. The smallest of issues..
The issue- from what I understand- is not the method of greeting but, rather, the friendly gesture toward a man consider by much of the world to be a murderer. The hand bump may factor in slightly because it might be taken as an overly friendly gesture, but the issue is more about being seen as cozening up to a murderer. It's not a huge deal to me- people in power have greeted murderous others in power before as part of the business of politics. But Biden is on thin ice as it is and each movement taken to be a blunder only sets him back further. But maybe even that is not a big deal... if Joe does not intend to run again. I certainly do not mean to disparage the man, I'm just curious.
lets be clear, EVERYTHING he does will be seen as a blunder.
People need to decide, a compromise of values, either shut the fuck up and quit bitching about oil prices and the prices at the pump so we can shun the worlds leading producer of oil and wrongfully claim some kind of moral superiority, or let the man do his job as our representative to the world AS leader of the free world to maybe open up those spigots and recognize we still arent one to speak on human rights until our own house is in order.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
0
Options
mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,751
Biden's Mideast trip aimed at reassuring wary leaders
By AAMER MADHANI, AYA BATRAWY, ZEKE MILLER and CHRIS MEGERIAN
Today
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Before stepping foot in Saudi Arabia, President Joe Biden knew there would be trouble.
Biden was risking criticism by visiting a country he had vowed to make a “pariah” for human rights abuses, and there was no guarantee the visit would immediately yield higher oil production to offset rising gas prices.
He decided to face the blowback anyway, hoping to use the visit to repair strained ties and make clear to wary Arab leaders that the United States remains committed to their security and the region’s stability.
His visit to Saudi Arabia was occasionally uncomfortable but, in Biden's view, ultimately necessary. Although he's been focused on confronting Russia's invasion of Ukraine and limiting China's expanding influence in Asia, those goals become far more difficult without the partnerships that he was tending to here.
“It is only becoming clearer to me how closely interwoven America’s interests are with the successes of the Middle East,” the president said Saturday at a summit in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
It was a belated recognition of geopolitical reality that, for nearly a century, has kept the United States deeply invested in the energy-rich region, most recently with ruinous wars that stretched over two decades. Biden tried to turn the page on those conflicts while insisting that the U.S. would remain engaged.
“We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran,” Biden said. “We will seek to build on this moment with active, principled, American leadership.”
The summit, where Biden announced $1 billion in U.S. funding to alleviate hunger in the region, was the final destination on Biden's four-day trip, which included stops in Israel and the West Bank.
His travels were shadowed by a steady stream of grim news from Washington, where Democratic plans to address climate change floundered on Capitol Hill and there was fresh evidence that inflation had reached historic levels.
And at every step along the way, Biden confronted a far different region than existed when he served as vice president.
President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal reached under President Barack Obama, and Tehran is believed to be closer than ever to building a nuclear weapon.
The threat, which Biden has struggled to address through renewed negotiations, has deepened coordination between Israel and its Arab neighbors, who have found common cause in confronting Iran.
The budding ties have also opened the door to greater economic and security integration, recasting the Middle East's fractious politics at the same time that Arab leaders were fearing the U.S. had become a less reliable ally. They distrusted Obama's outreach to Iran and Trump's erratic behavior, then viewed Biden as neglectful toward the region once he took office.
Biden's challenge has been to recognize the shifting landscape and persuade leaders in the Middle East to remain aligned with U.S. interests — without being dragged back into a corner of the world that the American public has largely turned away from after the end of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Although Biden expressed a renewed commitment to the region by saying “the United States is not going anywhere,” he also seemed to acknowledge its limitations.
“The United States is clear-eyed about the challenges in the Middle East and about where we have the greatest capacity to help drive positive outcomes," he said.
Besides announcing the new funding for hunger relief, he met individually with several of his counterparts, some for the first time since he became president.
He also invited Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who recently became president of the United Arab Emirates, formalizing his role at the helm of major policy decisions, to visit the White House in the coming months.
It was another effort to smooth ties that have become strained, in part because of Biden's actions. For example, although the U.S. has played a key role in encouraging a monthslong cease-fire in Yemen, the Emiratis have criticized his decision to reverse a Trump-era move that had listed the Iran-backed Houthis as a terrorist group.
The centerpiece of Biden's outreach in the Middle East was his first meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia and heir to the throne held by his father, King Salman.
The encounter began Friday with a fist bump outside the royal palace in Jeddah, a chummy gesture that was swiftly criticized because of Prince Mohammed's history of human rights abuses. In addition to cracking down on his critics in Saudi Arabia, the prince, according to U.S. intelligence, likely approved the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi nearly four years ago.
Biden rejected the notion that he was abandoning human rights by meeting with the crown prince, and said he brought up Khashoggi's murder during their conversation. The topic created a “frosty” start to the meeting, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss the private meeting and insisted on anonymity.
The Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news network, citing an unnamed Saudi source, reported that Prince Mohammed responded to Biden’s mention of Khashoggi by saying that attempts to impose a set of values can backfire. He also said the U.S. had committed mistakes at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, where detainees were tortured, and pressed Biden on the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during a recent Israeli raid on the West Bank city of Jenin.
The atmosphere between the two eventually became more relaxed, the U.S. official said, as they spoke about energy security, expanding high-speed internet access in the Middle East and other issues.
The regional summit in Jeddah and Biden's visit provided Prince Mohammed with the opportunity to showcase his country's heavyweight role in the Middle East, and his position at the helm of the world's largest oil exporter.
He hinted that the kingdom could pump more oil than it currently does, something Biden wants to see when existing production quotas among OPEC+ member countries, which include Russia, expire in September.
“I’m doing all I can to increase the supply for the United States of America, which I expect to happen,” Biden said Friday. “The Saudis share that urgency, and based on our discussions today, I expect we’ll see further steps in the coming weeks.”
He also tried to draw Arab nations onto his side over the invasion of Ukraine by releasing satellite imagery indicating that Russian officials visited Iran in June and July to see weapons-capable drones that it could acquire.
The disclosure appeared aimed at drawing a connection between the war in Europe and Arab leaders' own concerns about Iran.
So far, none of the countries represented at the summit has moved in lockstep with the U.S. to sanction Russia, a foreign policy priority for the Biden administration. If anything, the UAE has emerged as a sort of financial haven for Russian billionaires and their multimillion-dollar yachts. Egypt remains open to Russian tourists.
Meantime, there are sharp divisions on regional foreign policy among the heads of state who attended the summit.
For example, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE are trying to isolate and squeeze Iran over its regional reach and proxies. Oman and Qatar have solid diplomatic ties with Iran and have acted as intermediaries for talks between Washington and Tehran.
But before ending his speech at the summit, Biden expressed hopes for a new era of cooperation.
"This is a table full of problem solvers," he said. “There’s a lot of good we can do if we do it together.”
___
Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Megerian and Miller reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
"What was Joe Biden thinking? His excruciating fist bump with
Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince he and much of the world
regard as a murderer, marks the low point of a presidency that is slowly
dying on its feet."... ..."Maybe he’s not thinking clearly at all. When a president’s approval rating drops to 33%,
as Biden’s did last week, when most Democrats say he’s too old to run
again, and when inflation is driving maddened voters into the arms of
opponents, the mind tends to mist up."
You shake hands, you bow or in covid times, you first bump. The smallest of issues..
The issue- from what I understand- is not the method of greeting but, rather, the friendly gesture toward a man consider by much of the world to be a murderer. The hand bump may factor in slightly because it might be taken as an overly friendly gesture, but the issue is more about being seen as cozening up to a murderer. It's not a huge deal to me- people in power have greeted murderous others in power before as part of the business of politics. But Biden is on thin ice as it is and each movement taken to be a blunder only sets him back further. But maybe even that is not a big deal... if Joe does not intend to run again. I certainly do not mean to disparage the man, I'm just curious.
That's my point.. fist bump is what you do in lieu of shaking during covid. If they shook hands, would we care?
"What was Joe Biden thinking? His excruciating fist bump with
Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince he and much of the world
regard as a murderer, marks the low point of a presidency that is slowly
dying on its feet."... ..."Maybe he’s not thinking clearly at all. When a president’s approval rating drops to 33%,
as Biden’s did last week, when most Democrats say he’s too old to run
again, and when inflation is driving maddened voters into the arms of
opponents, the mind tends to mist up."
You shake hands, you bow or in covid times, you first bump. The smallest of issues..
The issue- from what I understand- is not the method of greeting but, rather, the friendly gesture toward a man consider by much of the world to be a murderer. The hand bump may factor in slightly because it might be taken as an overly friendly gesture, but the issue is more about being seen as cozening up to a murderer. It's not a huge deal to me- people in power have greeted murderous others in power before as part of the business of politics. But Biden is on thin ice as it is and each movement taken to be a blunder only sets him back further. But maybe even that is not a big deal... if Joe does not intend to run again. I certainly do not mean to disparage the man, I'm just curious.
That's my point.. fist bump is what you do in lieu of shaking during covid. If they shook hands, would we care?
I wouldn’t care. But I think those complaining about a fist bump still would. As already mentioned, it wasn’t about the first bump, it was about being friendly with a political leader who killed a journalist. But other presidents have been as friendly with worse leaders, so I don’t see the big deal here. What’s he supposed to do, hold his hand out and at the last minute pull it back with a “sike!”?
"What was Joe Biden thinking? His excruciating fist bump with
Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince he and much of the world
regard as a murderer, marks the low point of a presidency that is slowly
dying on its feet."... ..."Maybe he’s not thinking clearly at all. When a president’s approval rating drops to 33%,
as Biden’s did last week, when most Democrats say he’s too old to run
again, and when inflation is driving maddened voters into the arms of
opponents, the mind tends to mist up."
You shake hands, you bow or in covid times, you first bump. The smallest of issues..
The issue- from what I understand- is not the method of greeting but, rather, the friendly gesture toward a man consider by much of the world to be a murderer. The hand bump may factor in slightly because it might be taken as an overly friendly gesture, but the issue is more about being seen as cozening up to a murderer. It's not a huge deal to me- people in power have greeted murderous others in power before as part of the business of politics. But Biden is on thin ice as it is and each movement taken to be a blunder only sets him back further. But maybe even that is not a big deal... if Joe does not intend to run again. I certainly do not mean to disparage the man, I'm just curious.
That's my point.. fist bump is what you do in lieu of shaking during covid. If they shook hands, would we care?
I wouldn’t care. But I think those complaining about a fist bump still would. As already mentioned, it wasn’t about the first bump, it was about being friendly with a political leader who killed a journalist. But other presidents have been as friendly with worse leaders, so I don’t see the big deal here. What’s he supposed to do, hold his hand out and at the last minute pull it back with a “sike!”?
Agreed. Realpolitik is a thing.
0
Options
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,709
I have to remember to think twice about what I post here. Sheesh, the blow back some times!
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.
0
Options
mickeyrat
up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,751
I have to remember to think twice about what I post here. Sheesh, the blow back some times!
if this was in reference to my reply, it wasnt directed at you personally but rather the whole of the nation. Far too many seem to expect to have it both ways. We simply cannot. I do not believe you fall into that camp.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Man Biden is looking really old and frail. I cannot wait until we have a president south of 70 again!
It’s sad honestly. He should just be enjoying whatever is left of his life imo. Who the fuck would want to do this at that age?
Yup. If you are trying to do that job well, and I am sure Biden is trying, it takes so much out of you anyhow. I cannot imagine it at his age.
If the country doesn't get some relief soon his legacy will be tarnished and no way he gets a second term.
I don't think anyone really wants that second term, including him.
The Dems really need their next Obama to emerge...hopefully within a year. There are some OK people that could do the job but with their electoral college disadvantages, they really need someone like Obama that people just gravitate towards and are willing to get out and vote for. For about 10 minutes a few years ago, I thought it could be Beto. Since then I have no idea. Gavin Newsome thinks it might be him, but it's not. That person's not going to come from California.
It might just be, he gets it.
” You also have to recognize what you’re up against.
And right now we’re up against the ruthlessness of the Republican party.
And I say that, not naively. I don’t say that…that’s not a cheap shot.
You see what’s happening to all of the progress we’ve made in the 21st century.
All of the rights that we, in many ways, have taken for granted; that have been afforded since the 60’s, are being rolled back in real-time.
This is a totally different moment.
We have to wake up with a different mindset.
And not just a mindset, in terms of a collaborative mindset, a cup of tea and everyone is going to work together and get along in big ways to advance the collective cause.
That's where the party needs to come in.
Democrats need the Democratic party—not the President, not a Speaker, not an elected office holder—the party, the infrastructure, I think, has to organize with more ferocity of focus, more determination to set the agenda; set the course and put the other party on the defense.
They are dominating the narrative.
The facts aren't on their side but they're dominating the narrative.
And in this world right now, you dominate the narrative you win and that's what I'm worried about and that's what I’m expressing.”
0
Options
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,709
I have to remember to think twice about what I post here. Sheesh, the blow back some times!
if this was in reference to my reply, it wasnt directed at you personally but rather the whole of the nation. Far too many seem to expect to have it both ways. We simply cannot. I do not believe you fall into that camp.
No, M, not at all. Just in general, the fist bump issue went on and on. But hey, AMT, what's new?
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
I learned this because "President Harris" is trending and people are freaking out. Gee, I wonder why.
1995 Milwaukee 1998 Alpine, Alpine 2003 Albany, Boston, Boston, Boston 2004 Boston, Boston 2006 Hartford, St. Paul (Petty), St. Paul (Petty) 2011 Alpine, Alpine 2013 Wrigley 2014 St. Paul 2016 Fenway, Fenway, Wrigley, Wrigley 2018 Missoula, Wrigley, Wrigley 2021 Asbury Park 2022 St Louis 2023 Austin, Austin
I learned this because "President Harris" is trending and people are freaking out. Gee, I wonder why.
Yeah I told my wife that the magats are going to have all sorts of conspiracy theories.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
unless he does an evening rush hour flight to walter reed via marine one, it isn't really covid.
And triumphantly marches alone from the WH to Marine One, turns at the top of the stairs, turns around, and snaps his suit jacket with his jaw jutted out.
Comments
The hidden absurdities behind Joe Manchin’s ugly new reversal
This will surprise only people who haven’t paid even cursory attention to the last year of Democratic politics, but Sen. Joe Manchin III may have just killed any hopes for a resuscitated version of the Democratic agenda.The West Virginia Democrat reportedly told party leaders late Thursday that he won’t support any new incentives to combat climate change or any new tax hikes on corporations or the wealthy. The Post reports that in private talks, Manchin appeared close to a deal, only to renege at the last minute.
Yet as ludicrous as this turnaround is on its face, there are still more hidden absurdities behind the situation that show what a farce it has truly become. They turn on the specifics of what Manchin appeared to reject, and his inflation-related excuse for doing so, which amount to a display of towering bad faith.
First, a caveat: After those stories broke, Manchin claimed on Friday that he’s still open to a deal and wants to see July’s inflation numbers before deciding. So perhaps he just doesn’t want to act quite yet. But given all we’ve seen, let’s inaugurate the Manchin Rule: Until the senator actually shows he’s operating in good faith, we’ll presume otherwise.
The deal would have raised around $1 trillion in revenue from rolling back some of the 2017 GOP tax cuts. Half of that revenue would have gone to deficit reduction, and the other half would have gone mostly to funding the transition to green energy.
Also in the mix were provisions empowering Medicare to negotiate down prescription drug prices, which would produce substantial savings. Those could be used to continue funding expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire after originally passing in last year’s covid-19 rescue package.
But Manchin has rejected the tax hikes and the climate provisions. For now, he is open only to some kind of deal in which savings from the prescription drugs provisions fund expanded ACA subsidies.
By the way, the subsidies highlight another problem with Manchin’s position. Even if he does just want to delay another month, extending the subsidies this month is critical, because states will soon have to assume they’ll expire and send out notices of premium increases.
Regardless, how Manchin reached this point is hard to discern. As The Post reports, he has long supported tax reforms such as those being debated, yet he seemingly backed away from them, including a measure to close a loophole enjoyed by the very wealthy to sustain Medicare.
What’s more, Manchin is still reportedly telling people he wants to secure a few hundred billion dollars in deficit reduction. How he would do this without raising high-end taxes is unclear.
It gets worse. A Democrat briefed on the conversations says Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) sought to meet Manchin’s concerns about the climate provisions head-on.
This included reducing spending on green energy tax incentives to $375 billion, the Democrat says. It also included nixing incentives for electric vehicles, which Manchin had objected to as well.
And a Democratic aide tells me much of the legislative text on green tax incentives had been written, and haggling was down to minor points. Manchin’s turnaround floored those working on that text, given what had been happening only hours earlier.
A sympathetic reading of Manchin’s motives goes like this. As someone who represents a state that’s both deep red and relies on fossil fuels, he has understandably sought a balance. He’s open to the government facilitating innovation that aids the transition to green energy, but only if it does not inflict damage too quickly on the traditional energy sector or the people reliant on it.
But even so, the dropping of incentives for electric vehicles represents a big concession toward his values. After all, a transition away from gas-powered vehicles is an essential piece of cutting emissions at the pace necessary to minimize long-term risk.
Indeed, the package of climate incentives that still remains plainly falls within the parameters of the balanced approach he wants. That is, if Manchin — who has personally grown rich off the coal industry — means what he says.
Nor does Manchin’s own explanation make much sense. His spokesperson insists we must “adjust to the economic realities the country faces” and avoid “steps that add fuel to the inflation fire.”
But climate change is also a reality, and without something like this agenda, it may be impossible to come close to hitting climate targets scientists say are necessary to avoid disaster.
And how much would the package offered to Manchin actually increase inflation? Economist Dean Baker notes that half would go to deficit reduction, which Manchin wants, and the nixing of incentives for electrical vehicles removes another spending piece.
What’s more, Baker says, spending on ACA subsidies would be offset by less spending on prescription drugs. “It’s basically impossible to see how that would be inflationary,” Baker tells me.
Manchin is free to disagree with that, but he hasn’t offered a serious case that something like this package would disastrously fuel inflation. Nor has he meaningfully explained why whatever inflation it would allegedly produce is worse for the country than the climate future he’s consigning us to.
Instead, he’s betting the word “inflation” will simply turn off our critical faculties. We shouldn’t let that happen. The absurdities behind his position should be mercilessly exposed.
Opinion | The hidden absurdities behind Joe Manchin’s ugly new reversal - The Washington Post
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
We find that a clear majority of West Virginia voters support putting America on a path to achieving 100 percent clean electricity by 2035, including a majority of Democrats and Independents and nearly 40 percent of Republicans.
Memo: West Virginia Voters Support the Clean Electricity Standard (dataforprogress.org)
When asked if respondents agree with the statement that coal is the backbone of the state and that renewable energy is hurting mining jobs, 59 percent of statewide respondents and 59 percent of coal country respondents agreed. But when asked whether they agree that the economy is shifting away from coal and fossil fuels towards clean and renewable energy sources, 69 percent of statewide respondents and 73 percent of coal country respondents agreed.
Polling shows West Virginians open to energy transition | News, Sports, Jobs - Weirton Daily Times
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
..."Maybe he’s not thinking clearly at all. When a president’s approval rating drops to 33%, as Biden’s did last week, when most Democrats say he’s too old to run again, and when inflation is driving maddened voters into the arms of opponents, the mind tends to mist up."
The issue- from what I understand- is not the method of greeting but, rather, the friendly gesture toward a man consider by much of the world to be a murderer. The hand bump may factor in slightly because it might be taken as an overly friendly gesture, but the issue is more about being seen as cozening up to a murderer.
It's not a huge deal to me- people in power have greeted murderous others in power before as part of the business of politics. But Biden is on thin ice as it is and each movement taken to be a blunder only sets him back further.
But maybe even that is not a big deal... if Joe does not intend to run again. I certainly do not mean to disparage the man, I'm just curious.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Before stepping foot in Saudi Arabia, President Joe Biden knew there would be trouble.
Biden was risking criticism by visiting a country he had vowed to make a “pariah” for human rights abuses, and there was no guarantee the visit would immediately yield higher oil production to offset rising gas prices.
He decided to face the blowback anyway, hoping to use the visit to repair strained ties and make clear to wary Arab leaders that the United States remains committed to their security and the region’s stability.
His visit to Saudi Arabia was occasionally uncomfortable but, in Biden's view, ultimately necessary. Although he's been focused on confronting Russia's invasion of Ukraine and limiting China's expanding influence in Asia, those goals become far more difficult without the partnerships that he was tending to here.
“It is only becoming clearer to me how closely interwoven America’s interests are with the successes of the Middle East,” the president said Saturday at a summit in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
It was a belated recognition of geopolitical reality that, for nearly a century, has kept the United States deeply invested in the energy-rich region, most recently with ruinous wars that stretched over two decades. Biden tried to turn the page on those conflicts while insisting that the U.S. would remain engaged.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
White House: Russian officials visited Iran to see drones
Cargo plane operated by Ukraine carrier crashes in Greece
G20 finance meetings in Bali overshadowed by war in Ukraine
'Bang, bang': Children live and play near Ukraine front line
“We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran,” Biden said. “We will seek to build on this moment with active, principled, American leadership.”
The summit, where Biden announced $1 billion in U.S. funding to alleviate hunger in the region, was the final destination on Biden's four-day trip, which included stops in Israel and the West Bank.
His travels were shadowed by a steady stream of grim news from Washington, where Democratic plans to address climate change floundered on Capitol Hill and there was fresh evidence that inflation had reached historic levels.
And at every step along the way, Biden confronted a far different region than existed when he served as vice president.
President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal reached under President Barack Obama, and Tehran is believed to be closer than ever to building a nuclear weapon.
The threat, which Biden has struggled to address through renewed negotiations, has deepened coordination between Israel and its Arab neighbors, who have found common cause in confronting Iran.
The budding ties have also opened the door to greater economic and security integration, recasting the Middle East's fractious politics at the same time that Arab leaders were fearing the U.S. had become a less reliable ally. They distrusted Obama's outreach to Iran and Trump's erratic behavior, then viewed Biden as neglectful toward the region once he took office.
Biden's challenge has been to recognize the shifting landscape and persuade leaders in the Middle East to remain aligned with U.S. interests — without being dragged back into a corner of the world that the American public has largely turned away from after the end of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Although Biden expressed a renewed commitment to the region by saying “the United States is not going anywhere,” he also seemed to acknowledge its limitations.
“The United States is clear-eyed about the challenges in the Middle East and about where we have the greatest capacity to help drive positive outcomes," he said.
Besides announcing the new funding for hunger relief, he met individually with several of his counterparts, some for the first time since he became president.
He also invited Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who recently became president of the United Arab Emirates, formalizing his role at the helm of major policy decisions, to visit the White House in the coming months.
It was another effort to smooth ties that have become strained, in part because of Biden's actions. For example, although the U.S. has played a key role in encouraging a monthslong cease-fire in Yemen, the Emiratis have criticized his decision to reverse a Trump-era move that had listed the Iran-backed Houthis as a terrorist group.
The centerpiece of Biden's outreach in the Middle East was his first meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia and heir to the throne held by his father, King Salman.
The encounter began Friday with a fist bump outside the royal palace in Jeddah, a chummy gesture that was swiftly criticized because of Prince Mohammed's history of human rights abuses. In addition to cracking down on his critics in Saudi Arabia, the prince, according to U.S. intelligence, likely approved the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi nearly four years ago.
Biden rejected the notion that he was abandoning human rights by meeting with the crown prince, and said he brought up Khashoggi's murder during their conversation. The topic created a “frosty” start to the meeting, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss the private meeting and insisted on anonymity.
The Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news network, citing an unnamed Saudi source, reported that Prince Mohammed responded to Biden’s mention of Khashoggi by saying that attempts to impose a set of values can backfire. He also said the U.S. had committed mistakes at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, where detainees were tortured, and pressed Biden on the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during a recent Israeli raid on the West Bank city of Jenin.
The atmosphere between the two eventually became more relaxed, the U.S. official said, as they spoke about energy security, expanding high-speed internet access in the Middle East and other issues.
The regional summit in Jeddah and Biden's visit provided Prince Mohammed with the opportunity to showcase his country's heavyweight role in the Middle East, and his position at the helm of the world's largest oil exporter.
He hinted that the kingdom could pump more oil than it currently does, something Biden wants to see when existing production quotas among OPEC+ member countries, which include Russia, expire in September.
“I’m doing all I can to increase the supply for the United States of America, which I expect to happen,” Biden said Friday. “The Saudis share that urgency, and based on our discussions today, I expect we’ll see further steps in the coming weeks.”
He also tried to draw Arab nations onto his side over the invasion of Ukraine by releasing satellite imagery indicating that Russian officials visited Iran in June and July to see weapons-capable drones that it could acquire.
The disclosure appeared aimed at drawing a connection between the war in Europe and Arab leaders' own concerns about Iran.
So far, none of the countries represented at the summit has moved in lockstep with the U.S. to sanction Russia, a foreign policy priority for the Biden administration. If anything, the UAE has emerged as a sort of financial haven for Russian billionaires and their multimillion-dollar yachts. Egypt remains open to Russian tourists.
Meantime, there are sharp divisions on regional foreign policy among the heads of state who attended the summit.
For example, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE are trying to isolate and squeeze Iran over its regional reach and proxies. Oman and Qatar have solid diplomatic ties with Iran and have acted as intermediaries for talks between Washington and Tehran.
But before ending his speech at the summit, Biden expressed hopes for a new era of cooperation.
"This is a table full of problem solvers," he said. “There’s a lot of good we can do if we do it together.”
___
Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Megerian and Miller reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
if this was in reference to my reply, it wasnt directed at you personally but rather the whole of the nation. Far too many seem to expect to have it both ways. We simply cannot. I do not believe you fall into that camp.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
” You also have to recognize what you’re up against.
And right now we’re up against the ruthlessness of the Republican party.
And I say that, not naively. I don’t say that…that’s not a cheap shot.
You see what’s happening to all of the progress we’ve made in the 21st century.
All of the rights that we, in many ways, have taken for granted; that have been afforded since the 60’s, are being rolled back in real-time.
This is a totally different moment.
We have to wake up with a different mindset.
And not just a mindset, in terms of a collaborative mindset, a cup of tea and everyone is going to work together and get along in big ways to advance the collective cause.
That's where the party needs to come in.
Democrats need the Democratic party—not the President, not a Speaker, not an elected office holder—the party, the infrastructure, I think, has to organize with more ferocity of focus, more determination to set the agenda; set the course and put the other party on the defense.
They are dominating the narrative.
The facts aren't on their side but they're dominating the narrative.
And in this world right now, you dominate the narrative you win and that's what I'm worried about and that's what I’m expressing.”
No, M, not at all. Just in general, the fist bump issue went on and on. But hey, AMT, what's new?
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2013 Wrigley 2014 St. Paul 2016 Fenway, Fenway, Wrigley, Wrigley 2018 Missoula, Wrigley, Wrigley 2021 Asbury Park 2022 St Louis 2023 Austin, Austin
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Chicago; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©