And Sleepy Joe Will Get The Credit: US Politics January 2021

Is there any actual legitimate reason NOT to invoke statehood for DC/PR besides crying Republicans?

no

The only legitimate reason would be if the people of DC or PR didn’t want to be a state.

But I would assume PR doesn’t want to continue getting treated like an unwanted territory every time the GOP is in power. I don’t think a state would be shit on/disregarded/treated the way PR was during the Trump era.

Right, that makes sense. PR just voted yes on a ballot measure (though narrowly, looks like enough want total indepedence) and DC seems pretty strongly for it

I guess the question is- does Manchin vote against statehood because he wants to be the pivotal vote that gets courted by both sides (a short term situation at best), or does he vote for statehood because it takes pressure off him and allows him some flexibility to stay in the good graces of his constituency and stay in his seat longer? I say the latter, but there are a lot of hot takes out there saying how he’s going to enjoy being the most powerful person in Washington, etc. I think that would be extremely shortsighted if that’s the case.

From last night, Fox News says "All is well! All is well!"

this graphic just aired on Fox News pic.twitter.com/IO0Qi7qaZ8

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 6, 2021

DGAF DGAF DGAF DGAF DGAF DGAF STFU

I have the general impression from the twitterverse that statehood for PR is a hotly disputed issue. DC seems pretty straightforward though.

Have to agree with SDFG SDFG SDFG SDFG SDFG SDFG SF

DGAF DGAF DGAF DGAF DGAF DGAF STFU

Suck Diseased Fannies, Grandpa?

oh lol I just saw the graphic

But yes.

Sorry, Donnie Fucked Georgia

It'll be intersting, going forward, to see how the party responds to someone who a) pretty much single-handedly robbed them of legislative power and b) has trained a majority of their constituents to be his own personal attack dogs. You lie in that shitty bed you made!

I think they will respond by demonizing brown people

checks out

I am not used to the horrible news not happening

GOP is finally fracturing. Trump and McConnell had them glued together during his term but now that they are both on their way out of power, it’s over.

Time to reap what they sowed, etc.

Hm imo there's nothing to be gained by once again predicting the demise of the GOP

I lived in GA for long enough to be shocked and amazed and delighted this morning, but I also recall that Alabamans elected Doug Jones when they had to.

xp I suppose not, just feeling hopeful for the first time in a while.

The problem is that every time the GOP "fractures", they end up retaking the House, Senate, and Presidency.

^^exactly

Anyway, sorry to dampen anyone's spirits! I've been chatting with my brother who lives in GA; here's what he said about voting in-person in Athens:

One poll worker was telling another that she was telling voters which way to exit, but people would say “you can’t tell me what to do” and walk across the whole room to leave out the entrance instead of the exit right next to them. The poll workers had to set up more barriers.

re: DC/PR statehood and Manchin et al, iiuc the question is eliminating the filibuster, not whether or not 50 Dems are up for it

legit lol @ that poll worker story

I feel like Trump was a once-in-a-lifetime cult of personality who won them an election they expected to lose, and generated some enthusiasm that they had been lacking, so they lined up behind him and it bought them four years of power which they took full advantage of. But as long as Democrats take full advantage of getting the Senate, maybe they can make some moves that help prevent the GOP from sweeping back into power.

xxp And Manchin has already said no to nixing the filibuster—at least prior to pork enticements (or per milo^ mountaintop removal)

My daughter worked as a poll worker in November, and they were told that while masks were required, if someone showed up without a mask they could not prevent them from voting and in fact had to go through a whole complicated process to accommodate them. I assume the same holds true for people that want to exit through the in door.

I have the general impression from the twitterverse that statehood for PR is a hotly disputed issue.

If there is significant sentiment for independence, would that dampen the wish for statehood? From history I guess seceding from the Union would be pretty much a no-go, is there a more realistic path non-statehood -> independence?

Trump only cared about himself, he doesn’t give a shit about the GOP. And now he feels like they have betrayed him by not enabling his coup. I don’t see him doing anything for the GOP going forward. Who are they going to line up behind?

To be honest, it's up to the people of Puerto Rico as to whether they want statehood. A lot of the Puerto Ricans I know want independence, and I agree with them, tbh.

We must be able to leverage this contrarianism in some way

"vote this way on healthcare" "no, fuck you! (votes for single payer)"
"vote this way on tax cuts" "no, fuck you! (votes for increased taxes on millionaires)"
"walk on this sidewalk" "no, fuck you! (charges into oncoming traffic)"

Lolol

PR is a colonial territory, “seceding” isn’t the right word

Also re that poll-worker story, "Raspberry Beret" immediately came to mind

thoughts re: GOP 'fracture':

Some GOP are going to finally break the facade, because they were merely trying to keep the Georgia Senate races competitive, and perhaps never liked Trump that much.

Many GOP are still going to support him because they're garbage and actually do like him. This includes people like McCarthy, Gaetz, but also some Senators as well, like Potatoland.

Most GOP will probably wait to reveal all of this until after inauguration day, and some cowards never will publicly speak against him cos of fear of his influence out of office/him supporting their challengers during their re-election campaigns.

don't expect this mass exodus, but yeah, some people who have previously been sheepish will prooooobably stop being as much soon.

how I break it down

bye kelly loeffler you stupid cunt lmao

— Brandy Jensen (@BrandyLJensen) January 6, 2021

Famously, deals with the devil end when you celebrate what you illicitly got and part with the devil as friends. https://t.co/fdu9Bxtk0y

— Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) January 6, 2021

Can we stop talking about GOP "fissures" and "cracks" and "ruptures"? We can celebrate -- rightly and loudly -- without assuming the GOP ain't gonna insist on more voter suppression and attacks on POC.

sadly and as usual otm

Who's assuming that? These people are a disease, regardless of how much power they have.

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/cobra_poster.jpg?resize=620%2C349

Whoa, sorry I said the word fracture everyone, but that is not what I was trying to say. Obviously they’ll keep doing what they do, I’m just glad we have an opportunity to try to stop them and try to keep their hands off the levers of power.

i am a man
who will fight
for your honor

Yeah GOP is going to immediately become scorched-earth fuck-you opposition-at-all-cost minority party, all with eyes on ‘22 and ‘24. There will be some handwringing and so forth among party elders, but mostly they’re just gonna keep on doing what they have been doing. Except even louder and screechier since being in the minority they don’t have to be accountable for anything they actually do.

McConnell had a pretty strong grip on his caucus even during most of Trump’s reign, and that’s what has been fracturing ever since Trump went completely off the rails about losing. But the GOP isn’t going anywhere. We just have an opportunity to make things harder for them going forward.

They were already prepared to be an opposition-at-all-costs majority party, preventing Biden from doing anything. I’d much rather have them as an opposition-at-all-costs minority party.