The Biden Presidency - 2020

[Edward64]

Joe is doing a great job in foreign policy (not necessarily in his public appearances though). I think Vietnam is a more willing & eager partner than India, but both are the logical next tier of "allies" after Japan, South Korea, Australia & Philippines.

President Joe Biden on Monday wrapped up a five-day diplomatic sprint through Vietnam and India that put a spotlight on imperfect partners that he believes will be crucial for global stability in the years to come.

The whirlwind visit demonstrated that as Russia’s war on Ukraine plods on with no end in sight, Biden appears to have become more willing to look past differences with complicated allies that he badly needs to keep close for the sake of stability in the Indo-Pacific, Middle East and beyond.

I assume Blinken is the driving force here. Looked him up and below caught my attention.

Blinken is Jewish.[152] In 2002, Blinken and Evan Ryan were married in an interfaith ceremony officiated by a rabbi and a priest at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.[20][5] They have two children.[153] Blinken is fluent in French.[154] He plays the guitar and has three songs available on Spotify by the alias Ablinken[155] (pronounced "Abe Lincoln").[156]

See below for the YT 3 song playlist. Not great, wouldn't spend money on it, but much better than anything I could do.

https://music.youtube.com/search?q=ablinken

[GrantDawg]

McCarthy called for an impeachment inquiry without a vote because he knew a vote would fail. It is going to be fascinating to see if they are going to get to 51 on the actual impeachment vote.

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[Atocep]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

McCarthy called for an impeachment inquiry without a vote because he knew a vote would fail. It is going to be fascinating to see if they are going to get to 51 on the actual impeachment vote.

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Didn't they argue Trump's impeachments would only make him more likely to get a 2nd term?

[albionmoonlight]

It's just noise for the low information voter.

Instead of a steady drumbeat of Trump's criminal cases, it will be a steady drumbeat of bothsides with Trump's criminal cases and [mumble mumble somthing Hunter Biden].

[Lathum]

Cracks me up that these right wing ghouls are of course misrepresenting the money to Iran for the release of American prisoners using frozen Iranian funds while being totally cool with Kushner getting 2 bil from the Saudis.

[RainMaker]

.@SenFettermanPA reacts to Speaker McCarthy moving forward with a House impeachment inquiry into POTUS…

(Just watch) pic.twitter.com/jg3aeyDW7F

— Liz Brown-Kaiser (@lizbrownkaiser) September 12, 2023

[JPhillips]

McCarthy gives the HFC the impeachment inquiry and Gaetz responds by threatening to introduce a vacate motion if McCarthy doesn't do everything they demand.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

McCarthy gives the HFC the impeachment inquiry and Gaetz responds by threatening to introduce a vacate motion if McCarthy doesn't do everything they demand.

How does he not realize there is no appeasing them.

[Edward64]

Assume fairly lightweight survey. I'd think this is "ideal", I'd factor in (or give bigger weighting) to Cost of Living, Weather, Food etc.

But still interesting.

If I had to pick one (other than US) at this stage of my life, I'd pick a EU country specifically because of Schengen and ease of travel. If there wasn't Schengen, I'd go with Australia.

Americans rank United Kingdom as the best country in the world, poll reveals - with New Zealand second...and the US in third | Daily Mail Online

Attributes were grouped into 10 thematic subrankings that rolled into the Best Countries rankings: Adventure, Agility, Cultural Influence, Entrepreneurship, Heritage, Movers, Open for Business, Power, Quality of Life and Social Purpose.

[HerRealName]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Assume fairly lightweight survey. I'd think this is "ideal", I'd factor in (or give bigger weighting) to Cost of Living, Weather, Food etc.

But still interesting.

If I had to pick one (other than US) at this stage of my life, I'd pick a EU country specifically because of Schengen and ease of travel. If there wasn't Schengen, I'd go with Australia.

Americans rank United Kingdom as the best country in the world, poll reveals - with New Zealand second...and the US in third | Daily Mail Online

It's interesting that you're in favor of open borders in Europe but don't seem to have the same attitude towards the US border.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by HerRealName

It's interesting that you're in favor of open borders in Europe but don't seem to have the same attitude towards the US border.

Honestly, don’t see what’s interesting about it.

The difference here is legal vs illegal immigration, legal vs illegal work/guest visas.

And before anyone brings the race card … regardless of skin color.

[Edward64]

I don't know what she is complaining about. She's an adult, she made an adult decision, made money from it, and now complaining about it coming out? She has every right to do what she did, every right to run for politics etc. but voters have the right to know about her life choices.

I personally don't think this prevents her from running & winning. Standards have changed and this doesn't seem "bad" to me. I wish she would just embrace it (instead of complaining).

Virginia Democratic House candidate Susanna Gibson condemns sharing of sex videos | CNN Politics

The Democratic candidate in a competitive Virginia House district denounced reports that she and her husband had performed sexual acts on a pornographic livestreaming website, describing the sharing of those videos as “the worst gutter politics.”

The existence of the sexually explicit videos, first reported by The Washington Post on Monday, has injected a highly sensitive issue into one of the most competitive races in this fall’s battle for control of the Virginia General Assembly.

[GrantDawg]

I think she is the first that we are hearing about dealing with an issue like this, but she will be far from the last. Eventual politicians with an active Onlyfans account are just around the corner.

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[RainMaker]

It's a weird story. Nothing she did was illegal. The person who disseminated it did do something illegal according to Virginia law (the Republican operative). I know laws don't really matter in politics, but it is a crime.

There is a case to be made that revenge porn laws violate the 1st Amendment, especially when it comes to journalists. But I don't think it's ever been ruled in the higher courts. Probably something we'll see more of down the road and will need the courts to clarify further.

[Lathum]

I did a little , um, research, on the video. I would vote for her.

[RainMaker]

I also think she's handling it poorly, although asking someone to act rational after having their sex tapes leaked to the world is asking a lot. She should have owned it and explained why she did it. That the act was with her husband.

This media portrays the country as prudish toward politicians, but we've seen voters don't care that much. The former first lady has nude photo shoots. The former President was having sex with a pornstar while his wife was home nursing their newborn. A popular Congressman was paying a minor for sex. Clinton got blown in the oval office over 20 years ago. There's a laundry list of people in politics who were flying to lolita island.

It's embarrassing and you'll get some blowback by the fake christian crowd who weren't going to vote for you anyway. But I think owning it makes the other side look like weirdo puritans to normal people.

[GrantDawg]

Wait. They were live-streaming that video for tips. This isn't a stolen sex tape. This was arguably a public act. I would guess there is zero chance the Republican operative gets hit with revenge porn charges, and if they do there is no way they stick. It was a non-password protected open site with 5,700 watchers. You can't claim privacy on that.

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[RainMaker]

If they didn't have a license or authorization to disseminate, it's a crime in Virginia. The law is pretty clear.

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/...ion18.2-386.2/

Whether the law is constitutional is up for debate.

Worth noting that the video was pulled from a site that illegally rips cam streams and uploads them without permission. Usually operated out of Russia or an Eastern Eiropean country. This wasn't some person who came across her livestream and sent a link to someone.

[GrantDawg]

That will never stand up in court on a case like this.

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[GrantDawg]

Dola: Just to take it further, they are trying to say a person telling a reporter of the existence of a video he never possessed on a site he does not own is "disseminating?" Again, no way he even gets charged.

Edit: This the case law that the attorney is trying to use to justify charges
"In that case,*Ronnie Lee Johnson v. Commonwealth of Virginia, the court found that consent to being seen is not the same as consent to being recorded, writing that there was a “stark distinction between an image existing only in someone’s memory … [and] a permanent file that may be shared or re-viewed indefinitely.”
The problem here is they were the ones recording. It was their camera that did the recording, not someone hiding a camera or in the bushes. Further, they broadcast that online. Doing something in public (and that would definitely be reconsidered as public) waves your right to privacy. The best they have is a copyright violation on the sites that hosted video. But someone pointing put that the video exists is not getting charged with squat.

[Edward64]

This makes me think that opposition research at the state level is minimal. I'm going to research on all of this and maybe run for a GA Senate.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Edward64

This makes me think that opposition research at the state level is minimal. I'm going to research on all of this and maybe run for a GA Senate.

It totally depends on the opposition. Like George Santos opposition did absolutely zero, yet I have seen some pretty deep research items come out about county commissioner races. It just depends on how deep the pockets are of those you oppose. Or more specifically how much you piss off any wealthy donor.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

It totally depends on the opposition. Like George Santos opposition did absolutely zero, yet I have seen some pretty deep research items come out about county commissioner races. It just depends on how deep the pockets are of those you oppose. Or more specifically how much you piss off any wealthy donor.

Thanks. Want to volunteer for my campaign to do oppo research?

But wait ... going to vote for me?

[whomario]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Assume fairly lightweight survey.

For starters, that's not the swiss flag.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by whomario

For starters, that's not the swiss flag.

Thanks for noticing. Did a google reverse search and it's Swaziland or now formally known as Eswatini.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Thanks. Want to volunteer for my campaign to do oppo research?

But wait ... going to vote for me?

That would totally depend on what your platform is. But I can't do oppo research any better than anyone with Google.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

That would totally depend on what your platform is. But I can't do oppo research any better than anyone with Google.

First priority, legalize marijuana ...

[GrantDawg]

That's a good one. I would be for that even though I don't partake.

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[Flasch186]

This just hit the height of hilarity.

[Thomkal]

Biden going on offense against the Republican "impeachment inquiry" Sent out this to all network/media services:

https://documentcloud.wondershare.co...7kOVnlVC0R4YIQ
Wondershare Document Cloud


Not sure if it talks about this here, but it's been reported that Trump's admin already ruled against an inquiry without a vote during the Ukraine Impeachment investigation.

[Ghost Econ]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I did a little , um, research, on the video. I would vote for her.

She and her husband need to learn how to use sunscreen.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

She and her husband need to learn how to use sunscreen.

How do you use sunscreen during sex?

[cuervo72]

For that "Best Country" graphic above, I have trouble taking seriously any source which can't figure out the difference between Switzerland and eSwatini (Swaziland).

edit: I see whomario was on it

[Edward64]

TBF, the survey referenced a US News link. Went to it and saw that US News had the right flag for Switzerland so I'm thinking it's some Daily Mail intern that got the graphic wrong.

[Edward64]

Hmmm, don't know where to put this but it is somewhat political so I'll use Joe's place.

Interesting graphic on news sites political bias. You have to zoom in to see the individual news sites.

Interactive Media Bias Chart | Ad Fontes Media

MSNBC and FoxNews are no surprise. AP, Reuters and BBC are a little left of center which doesn't surprise me either. I don't spend alot of time on CBS or ABC so no opinion.

Surprised where HuffPost is, I'd put them on par with MSNBC or maybe even worse. I am surprised that Politico is that close to CNN and PBS. Forbes is a pay site so don't visit but would have thought more right than left.

[GrantDawg]

That almost feels like Newnation paid for that as an ad, because that is exactly what they claim. Dead center.


edit: It is also interesting that NPR is the most reliable and almost dead center. It is almost as if without a profit motive you might get more reliable news.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Dola: Just to take it further, they are trying to say a person telling a reporter of the existence of a video he never possessed on a site he does not own is "disseminating?" Again, no way he even gets charged.

Edit: This the case law that the attorney is trying to use to justify charges
"In that case,*Ronnie Lee Johnson v. Commonwealth of Virginia, the court found that consent to being seen is not the same as consent to being recorded, writing that there was a “stark distinction between an image existing only in someone’s memory … [and] a permanent file that may be shared or re-viewed indefinitely.”
The problem here is they were the ones recording. It was their camera that did the recording, not someone hiding a camera or in the bushes. Further, they broadcast that online. Doing something in public (and that would definitely be reconsidered as public) waves your right to privacy. The best they have is a copyright violation on the sites that hosted video. But someone pointing put that the video exists is not getting charged with squat.

I agree that they'll never be charged. The law wasn't designed to go after people with power; it was meant to protect people in power.

Regardless, the law is clear (to a fault). There is no exemption that states you can disseminate if you don't own it or host it. Otherwise, you could just throw your ex-girlfriend's nudes on Dropbox and claim the same thing. They also didn't record anything, they broadcast it. It was recorded by an illegal site based outside the United States.

The law is incredibly dumb and should be ruled unconstitutional. But the person broke it. The words "by any means whatsoever" would include links in an e-mail or text. There's a reason they wanted to remain anonymous.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

That almost feels like Newnation paid for that as an ad, because that is exactly what they claim. Dead center.

edit: It is also interesting that NPR is the most reliable and almost dead center. It is almost as if without a profit motive you might get more reliable news.

It's a really weird chart because it doesn't define right or left either. For instance, Reason is a libertarian publication. It should be as economically far-right as you get but is lumped in as just right of center. Meanwhile others like Shapiro who want expansive governments are considered farther to the rigth likely due to their fascist beliefs. Just seems tough to put them on the same chart.

Another odd aspect is including foreign outlets. BBC and Al-Jazeera might be considered left of center in this country, but they'd be right of center in most of the world. This country is very far-right compared to the rest of the world.

You also have outlets like The Intercept listed as left-wing. They're an investigative new outlet and doesn't seem to have a lot of opinion pieces from what I've seen. You can argue it takes a strong isolationist stance, but I wouldn't consider that left or right wing.

[Thomkal]

In case you missed it today Hunter Biden sued a former Trump aide to Peter Navarro for being behind the publication of photos, texts, emails etc of Hunter and that he illegally hacked his Icloud's storage in order to do so:


MSN

[sovereignstar v2]

Somehow the Susanna Gibson story snuck by me. Boy, if there ever was a face that screamed Chaturbate streamer

[GrantDawg]

Your first statement is ridiculous on the surface because we have no idea how "powerful" this guy is, and I doubt whatever his position has any bearing on whether he would be charged or not.
Secondly, the law says "malicious" and clearly states an intent to dispute. Pointing out that something exists is not malicious or dissemination. He nor the reporter have committed a crime, and even the case law the lawyer used would only at best put culpability on the website. But even they would probably be able to beat this charge because of the fact this was publicly broadcast. It would be a violation of the Chaterbate terms of service and copyright law, that is about it.

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[Edward64]

Nice Joe.

One more step towards an Asian NATO. Maybe sell more defensive arms to Taiwan.

(Still wondering though why Maverick didn't use F-35 vs F-18)

South Korea cleared to buy $5B worth of F-35s - Breaking Defense

The US State Department has formally approved the sale of 25 more F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to South Korea, with an estimated price tag of $5.06 billion.

In a statement posted on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Biden administration stated that the deal “will improve the Republic of Korea’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing credible defense capability to deter aggression in the region and ensure interoperability with U.S. forces.”

South Korea already has a standing order for 40 F-35A conventional take-off and landing models, meaning the new buy would increase its fifth-gen fighter fleet by over 50 percent. The first jets were delivered in 2019. The announcement comes on the heels of a major trilateral meeting between the leaders of the US, Japan and South Korea.

[Edward64]

Great that Hunter has been indicted on the firearm charges.

The two most serious counts carry maximum sentences of 10 years in prison and $250,000 fines. Actual penalties are often much lower than the statutory maximums.

I'm also interested in the status of the Federal taxes charges. I know Weiss dismissed them because of some procedural thing and will re-file.

Bottom line. I think Hunter is a scumbag so don't mind him sweating & being squeezed. But even if found guilty of guns & taxes, my guess is bigger fines and minimal, if any, prison time.

The big prize is really finding any connection between Hunter's business dealings enriching Joe. Wouldn't be surprised if the Reps try to come up with a 2024 Oct surprise.

[Ryche]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Great that Hunter has been indicted on the firearm charges.



I'm also interested in the status of the Federal taxes charges. I know Weiss dismissed them because of some procedural thing and will re-file.

Bottom line. I think Hunter is a scumbag so don't mind him sweating & being squeezed. But even if found guilty of guns & taxes, my guess is bigger fines and minimal, if any, prison time.

The big prize is really finding any connection between Hunter's business dealings enriching Joe. Wouldn't be surprised if the Reps try to come up with a 2024 Oct surprise.

If we're going to start putting gun owners in jail for doing drugs, those prisons are going to fill up awfully quick.

That and it might be a violation of the second amendment. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ban...es-2023-02-04/

[RainMaker]

It's a weird one because gun groups have been trying to fight against laws like that for years. Guessing they'll just ignore this one but kind of funny that Hunter Biden might end up getting a pro-2A ruling through the Supreme Court.

[RainMaker]

Also weird because I can't find anyone who's ever been charged with that on the federal level.

[Edward64]

Good for you McCarthy. You gotta push back on bullies (especially internet forum ones).

Kevin McCarthy's profanity-laced tirade overshadowed the special GOP impeachment briefing. - Live Updates - POLITICO

“If you think you scare me because you want to file a motion to vacate, move the f—ing motion,” McCarthy said at the top of the meeting, according to three Republicans in the room, referring to the technical name of a vote that would oust him from leadership.

It's a sign of the broader frustration building among the majority of House Republicans, many of whom were receptive to McCarthy's blow up.

I like the goal. Need to see the details though

And McCarthy is dialing up the pressure, telling his members during the closed-door meeting that once they return to Washington next week they won’t leave until they’ve funded the government.

“We’re going to come back in next week and we’re not going to leave until we get the job done,” he told reporters after the meeting.

[Lathum]

Totally normal stuff from the GOP

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Also weird because I can't find anyone who's ever been charged with that on the federal level.

It's rare, but it does happen.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

It's rare, but it does happen.

From what I saw is it only happens if the gun was used in a crime, repeat offender, etc...

For him to have no criminal history and be charged with this is a joke while the GOP screams and forms committees about the weaponization of the DOJ

I hate this place.