Nonsense. We all have the choice of who we engage with and who we don't. We can just ignore anyone we're not interested in discussing things with. The amusing part is, the arguments by the majority tend to not be any better, and often worse, than those by the 'bad' posters.

Echo chambers suck. I certainly don't think FOFC is any better than it was when people were running in circles venting about how Trump sucks and literally nobody disagreeing with them but it just happened again ... and again . .. and again. At least now we have actual substantive disagreements to potentially learn from.

This has never been the case.

Umm, yes it has been. There was an extended period where you could go several pages of posts in the Trump threads with nobody defending him at all. Jon wasn't posting much and when he did he was as likely to criticize Trump as he was to back what he was doing. Edward was against what he was doing in the great majority of cases, so was I ... there were repeated, large blocks of time where it was just a question of how effusive and bombastic the critical rhetoric was going to be.

There was nobody saying Trump was a good president around here. Nobody even close to that. There were issue debates on climate change or Afghanistan or racism or whatever, but there simply was no pro-Trump contingent at all.

The polling for the UK election is just brutal for the Tories.

Looking forward to a competent, if not strong, showing by you Joe on Jun 27. You got your wish with no audience.

Please make sure your make up guy makes you look less old.

I still don't think this happens. I think Trump finds a way to weasel his way out of it.

I'm looking forward to ignoring the debate :)

Looking forward to the carefully planned zingers.

Trump kinda gets a pass. IMO there’s little he says/does that will help/hurt him significantly. He may surprise on some policies (hey, let’s do a bipartisan immigration bill, let’s help Ukraine etc.) but no one will believe him unless it’s sustained/repeated the next 4-5 months.

Joe can help/hurt himself significantly by performing/not well. The American public needs to know if Joe is all/mostly there. They already know about Trump.

If you're in the neighborhood come on over & we can ignore it together ;)

Hard for me to come up with many things that are bigger waste of time that watching one of those in real time.

State of the Union (regardless of who is in office) comes to mind but after that I'm pretty hard pressed.

This opens the door for me to toss a recent social media post I saw in here. (Bear with me a moment & I'll tie this together)

To be fair, I enjoyed the Trump term in office, but that was largely for entertainment value. There were good moments, but not really enough actually accomplished to make me a huge fan of the 4 year span.

Which brings me to what I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

It comes from Doug Collins, former Congressman (R/GA-9) and failed Senate candidate.

I don't remember the last political post I liked as much as this one and I believe it applies in a non-partisan manner. It's simple basic truth, and I loved it a ton.

Amen, I couldn't agree more.

It's a little weird that for someone as interested in politics as I, one of the things in life that makes me cringe the most is listening to almost any politician speak. Even most of Obama's stuff made my cringe. Don't know what it is, but it is, and debates are the worst form of it.

Vast swathes of the American populace have long not understood how our legislative system works. But whereas back in the day there seemed to be a sort of acceptance that the system worked slowly and sometimes you didn't have the votes, these days you have morons on both the left and the right utterly convinced that they absolutely know how it works and it should be completely easy to do X, Y, and Z.

Lots of them get elected to office - witness Cruz in the Senate self-owning when his botched parliamentary procedure (years ago) got some Democratic bill passed. Or pretty much anything MTG thinks she can do in the House. And, conversely, all the Bernie Bros who are so convinced that if all you did was elect Bernie, he'd kick that ole Congress into shape and pass every left-wing pipe dream of legislation you could think of.

The electorate is, by and large, a bunch of idiots.

.

Joe, not sure if possible, but can you stop appearing in public with other younger world leaders. You looked really stiff and old walking beside Macron, and walking down those steps.

The only thing that is going to make Joe look less old is a time machine.

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Makeup does miraculous things.

Source: Hollywood A-listers

Cant we use CGI to de-age Joe?

We can just accept the fact that an old man was chosen on purpose. Trying to hide the fact that he's old as some seem to be trying to do is silly IMO.

Seriously, the party of Reagan going on about how old a dude is seems a bit much.

Optics matter, especially so in politics, that is reality. Is it shallow? Sure but everyone does it and it’s for the greater good.

Re: Reagan, there is about 8 ‘presidential years’ difference.

They also aren't the party of Reagan anymore in anything beyond a historical sense. Reagan was 35 years ago, at the end of his presidency. What percentage of the people who voted for him are even still alive?

I think he looks good for his age. Just age naturally and try to give off a wise, strong presence instead of trying to look 20 years younger than he is. Like the facelift he had looked worse to me.

I also think your overall presence and demeanor matter (take a look at Eastwood looking tough into his 90's). Trump is nearly as old but comes across as more of a fighter. Reagan's whole gimmick was some tough cowboy who gave off a strong presence. Biden looking so weak on so many issues makes him seem older by proxy.

That Trump thing with the electric boats and the sharks is hilarious. I wish he was just a standup comedian.

Well would you look at that-American juries can find both republicans/Trump and Democrats/Biden guilty-jury took 3 hours to find Hunter guilty on all 3 charges

Cool. Lock him up.

You just know he's going to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court. :)

Thing is, at least on the gun charges he might win. That law I believe is already being challenged in the courts, so it might get overturned before he has a chance.

I think he wins it too.

Nice tip of the hat from the President on the anniversary of the supreme court allowing same sex marriage: pardoning those who had been banned from the military for having consensual gay sex


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Senator Menendez and his co-conspirators found guilty on all charges-now lets see him resign. His wife's trial was put off as she recovers from breast cancer surgery

I think one of the things we've seen with the trump cases and the resulting Biden presidency, is that the bully pulpit is much, much stronger for the executive than anyone realized, thanks to the Rs. The failure to recognize and willingness to use by the Ds has exacerbated the issue to an exponential degree.



People want to feel like their leader is taking charge, has an opinion, and is willing to use it. Biden doesn't. Obama didn't. Clinton.....eh, I was an R at that time. I hated him too.

But it's clearly a factor is the perception of a president's ability to get shit done.

The retired general that they had put in charge of prosecuting the two masterminds of the 9/11 attacks had worked out a plea deal with them for life imprisonment. Tonight Defense Secretary Austin said "ah, hell no" and revoked the deal, putting the death penalty back on the table.

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In another Friday night bombshell, the Secret Service Inspector General report was just released. They report that then VP-Elect Harris came within 20 feet of the pipe bomb at the DNC.

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WTF? I don’t know the chain of command here but at the very least, you’d think Joe signed off on the plea deal (therefore not needing SecDef approval).

More to come on this cluster I’m sure.

Forgot all about this. So much has happened since the last time. Sep 30 is the deadline.

Access to this page has been denied

Given that all of the changes would currently be made as of the date of implementation, the SAVE Act would absolutely cause chaos to the elections. I'm not sure that anyone would be able to vote without re-registering with a new document standard.

As usual the GOP isn't interested in making sure things work.

I guess this is good news on the yield rate. And good for US strategically so we aren't so dependent on the island of Taiwan.

Not a Joe initiated thing though, I read in another article the plant location was already selected in early 2021. Article says state of AZ was encouraging chip companies to invest. But Joe's CHIPs act helps with federal funds.

There was another article on how TSMC was running this plant like a Taiwanese company and not Americans running a TSMC plant. Reminds me a little of Japan back in the heydays with auto companies.

TSMC’s Arizona Trials Put Plant Productivity on Par with Taiwan

The government (and states) can't even get REAL ID implemented, so this should be a non-starter to anyone with common sense.

Don't know the details (weapon systems, restrictions etc.) but assuming the details & restrictions can be worked out, I'm all for it. Probably something Joe should have started working on 1H of the year.

Trump said we've spent $250B on Ukraine so far. I've not seen any fact checking done on that (yet) but as far as I know, it's around $175B budgeted for the 2.5-3 years of war.

reuters.com

I did see it on twitter at the time but can't find it now. Europe is actually out spending the US by a decent margin, and the number he gave was close to the total of both combined.

Some weekend work for the GOP to come up with the CR

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/11/hous...collapses.html
I wonder if the 15 below are really against the SAVE addendum or are they playing politics to get some pork for their vote. Interesting because this is after Trump voiced support for it

I wonder what happened in 2020 that led to a massive fiscal response in 2021?

Most definitely, but the fact that it's higher than pre-pandemic is also significant.

It's because the free school lunches that dems hand out has made the kids too lazy to work in the factories Republicans have made it legal for them to work in.

We know what the cause is, the child tax credit was killed and inflation plays a role. We could reestablish the CTC, but the GOP didn't want to give Dems a victory so they killed it in the Senate.

Dems have had control of the Senate since 2021.

What point is having control of the senate if it takes 60 votes to move anything through and is DOA in the house?

It doesn't take 60 votes. That's a self-imposed rule they don't actually have to abide by.

And regardless, you only need a simple majority if done through reconciliation which is how they would have done it.

49 votes doesn't do much in reconciliation or in a majority, but you knew that.

I thought the Democrats had control of the Senate.

No one believes you're this dumb. Obstinate and self-righteous, sure, but not this dumb.

You're blaming Republicans for not voting for a Democrat's bill. It's as silly as Trump blaming Democrats for the wall not being built. They're the opposition party.

If you want to blame members of your own party, have at it. But the minority party is not responsible for passing your legislation.

Stop gaslighting, the bill had enough support to get 60 and Trump killed it and as others have said, it would have been DOA in the house too. Beyond that is a solid talking point, "if the GOP wants a secure border why would they sink this bill that would have accomplished that."

unpopular opinion that probably gets me drummed out of the cool Democrats club: The SAVE act doesn't bother me much. I think that it is largely unneeded and probably could and should be improved, but it isn't a bill a would lay down in traffic to try to stop.

The biggest problem with SAVE is that it would seemingly invalidate all voter registration and require a new document standard to re-register. It simply couldn't be done by November.

I think that's why they want it. It's a no-win for Democrats. If they don't support it, Republicans will claim it's so they can do fraud. If they do support it, it'll never be implemented in time so they'll also say it's because Democrats want to commit fraud.

As currently written I think it's trash. Anything like this should be looked at after the election, not right before. It also specifies that it is effective immediately. The biggest issue, though, is there's no funding included to assist states in getting it implemented so how would we have an election by November?

There are far better ways of getting something like this implemented if they took the time to do it correctly using REAL ID.

I feel like REAL ID is just a running gag by the government at this point.

In so many ways the GOP just doesn't care if things can work. It certainly wouldn't surprise me if they used a chaotic SAVE Act implementation as an argument to throw the election to the House and SCOTUS might agree.

You’re welcome to the independent club.

I don’t mind the SAVE act but agree it can’t be implemented well for Nov. maybe the compromise is Dems agreeing to bring it to a separate vote in the Senate after election is done.

But I do think the Dems have an upper hand here with elections so close.

I never suspected it could be implemented before November. There is no legal way that could happen, and the Republicans I have seen discussing it even admit that. There should be a couple of negotiated changes for sure. I would think that it could be tied to passing a renewal of the voting rights act, but of course, that would all require some kind of actual functioning Congress that could negotiate in good faith.

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It Mitch McConnell said previously that we shouldn't do something so rash as to replace a Supreme Court Justice in the last year of a President's term, then surely a wholesale revamp of voter ID laws should also wait a few months?

The smart thing for Democrats to do would be to let it die in committee. Keep tabling it while also saying "oh yes, we're definitely looking into it seriously".

As it exists currently it says changes go into effect as soon as it becomes law. I doubt the GOP would change that since their whole argument is that we need it to keep Kamala from stealing the election. Who in the GOP has the guts to face the wrath of Trump?

lol

Speaker Johnson put the CR with SAVE up for a vote and couldn't pass it. The GOP is a total shit show.

It failed by 20 votes. It wasn't even close. I don't even know how you manage to fail at counting your votes that badly.

He knew it was going to fail. This was to provide a CYA when he negotiates a six month clean CR, in an attempt to avoid getting McCarthy-d.. May not stop the firebrands from having a go.. wonder if the democrats would love the chaos of yet another house speaker election during election season.

I agree with you. But we'll see if GOP really has a Plan B.

It's a little reassuring to see some members of the GOP risking the ire of Trump this close to election season.

Kathy Hochul has a lower net approval in NY than does Trump.

Worst Dems in America.

Looks like a clean CR regardless of Trump's wishes.

Dec 20 is an interesting date for the end date but guess Johnson wants one last bite at the apple if the GOP loses the House.

Johnson may be a Trump ball licker but he isn't stupid like Boebert or MTG. He knows a shut down when people are already voting would be suicide.

He's also in a very different position than those two - he's in a position of actual responsibility/accountability rather than an elected loudmouth/performance art position who can sit on the sidelines and play to the base rather than govern. There's a reason why no matter how many times the GOP revolts against a speaker, they basically end up in the same place. You think Johnson wants to be an easy target for Trump if/when Trump loses the election (even though I'm sure Trump would be happy to see a shutdown, and just as happy to play either side depending on how the election shakes out)?

Is it me or does it seem there is a lack of news about Joe and Hurricane relief? I know he's visited but I haven't seen any front & top of page news about this on CNN.

I'd think he would be front and center on this, stressing how he is helping etc. I wonder if he does not want to supersede Kamala or that news are just not reporting on him as much.

I think its a little of both-Kamala is the future of the party now, so he's letting her have more of a presence, and the media is following her around more than him.

I just can't understand the level of hate and just plain stupid that gets someone like this elected. I mean, I live here. I have seen hate, and I have seen stupid, but people this level of both are generally not invited to parties much less voted for.

The Jewish Space Laser is stored at the Yentagon and is operated by Hanukkah Solo with his partner Jewbacca. pic.twitter.com/eVbKTSfFnx

— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) October 4, 2024

Yeah, that's certainly one way to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.

So I've seen a couple of stories about Baltimore Orioles pitcher Cole Irvin who was nobly trying to get some Helene supplies to FEMA and apparently wasn't happy with how he was being treated or something. Anyone have the full story on this?


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This line tells me he is buying into the MAGA influencers BS.

Basically the same line my mother posted on her social media today. Unfortunately she lacks the critical thinking and is certainly inside the MAGA spoon-fed bubble. So any time I see her post something I know it is the message going out over and over again to the lackeys.

It is like Springfield all over again. Virtually every public official is claiming they are getting what they need and the GOP is gaslighting for political points.

I’m seeing reports that half of FEMA’s budget was spent on non/citizens and Majorkas says they don’t have any money left for another hurricane. Not sure if that’s just MAGA news reporting but it looks and sounds like Majorkas. Maybe it’s AI?

The money was always separate and in 2021 175 republicans voted against additional funding for FEMA

https://www.newsweek.com/fema-respon...grants-1963702

dola- maybe this article from the far left leaning FOX news will clear things up and provide more context.

FEMA has funds needed for 'immediate response and recovery,' despite Mayorkas' warning | Fox News

If we hold Biden to the standards that trump set regarding emergency relief, then Biden should be ok declaring that areas that feel slighted should have voted for him. Plain and simple. It's the new order of things per the party of trump. Why can't they understand that.


yes.../s

Can Biden still soft-toss paper towels, toilet paper, and bottle of water, or is he too old for that?

Only if he can go on tv afterwards and tell everyone how much those people loved him for being there.

And God forbid if he uses a teleprompter.

Now people on the right are complaining that the Feds are taking up all the hotel rooms while also saying that the Feds are ignoring the victims.

So they are just there for a convention or a gun show then? Not there in any way to help the victims. C'mon people, wake up.

Was catching a nap watching CNN. Woke up to Joe holding an impromptu press conference Q&A after he did a statement on the jobs report. First time he has gone into press briefing room and took questions.

Looked old, talked slow, walked slow. Still had a twinkle in his eye, good smile. But yeah, it was time. Thanks Joe for your decision.

It seems like there is a lot of misinformation about the FEMA stuff but it does stem from a legitimate issue. They have enough money for rescue operations and everything taking place in the aftermath of Helene, but they don't have enough to make it through the rest of hurricane season. They also don't have enough for long term help for the hurricane victims, just immediate assistance.

The stuff about it going toward immigrants is just racist drivel. But it is fair to point out that Biden did not put any effort into securing more FEMA funding. He proposed it last year but didn't designate as emergency funding and didn't bother to request it from Congress. And since last year, there has been no talk about refilling those coffers until this hurricane hit.

I'm guessing they'll approve funding as it's political poison to not. But still pretty pathetic that the government even got to this point.

Well the House GOP was dead set against any increase in FEMA funding. Remember they were pushing the Mayorkas impeachment all summer.

The FEMA funding was never formally submitted to Congress as an emergency. It was part of a proposal he put out to the public and quickly abandoned. It seems it wasn't ever intended to be taken seriously.

At the same time he did submit a different one for foreign aid which he heavily lobbied for and marked as emergency spending. Something that was necessary.

This was brought up earlier in the year. The stuff about immigrants is pure racism. And I'm sure Republicans were not going to be helpful passing anything. But it is true he never gave a shit about it and when you do focus most of your Presidency on giving billions in weapons to foreign countries, you're going to be criticized when shit hits the fan domestically. It's purely optics till they run out of money, but it's deserved.

Who are the House GOPers who would have been yes votes on more FEMA funding? Even now the House GOP isn't willing to pass emergency funding until after the election.

Maybe he should have put the same effort into it as he did into sending weapons to Ukraine and Israel. At the very least, he would have forced the Republicans to go on the record against the funding.

None of this new or original to Biden. I can't think of any major disaster when there wasn't a need for additional funding. FEMA's budget is made to have enough to handle the immediate need, but there is always going to be more funding needed after a major disaster.

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They did go on record. There's plenty of quotes out there from House GOPers saying they won't increase FEMA funding. Funding bills start in the House and the President doesn't have the power to just make them vote on everything he wants.

This administration did not divert money from the FEMA relief funds to use on immigrants. But there was another administration that did.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/imm...order-n1046691