“It’s a little too quiet” - US Politics February 2021

Remember when the worst person you knew was just some drunk asshole who lived down the street and not an elected official who held the fate of thousands if not millions of constituents in their shitty little spite hands?

This thread is well worth a read. A lot of assholes from Trump times are being systematically thrown overboard.

!!! Biden fired four of Trump’s awful appointees to @acusgov, an obscure but important agency with a lot of influence over the federal regulatory process. One of them, Roger Severino—Trump’s anti-LGBTQ warrior at HHS—is suing.

Complaint: https://t.co/esq1AnSz26 h/t @ZoeTillman

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) February 4, 2021

Remember when a bunch of US Attorneys got the chop and Alberto Gonzalez had to say “the pleasure of the president” a lot

Tangentially related to this thread, but I wanted to say I've been having fun (somewhat guiltily) reading r/wallstreetbets. Of course it's idiotic and silly, but tbh I legitimately gleamed a better understanding of how Q-Anon worms its way into peoples brains - the Inception-stacking of irony, rampant fantasy and misinformation, channeled into a frothing loop of confirmation bias. They really are the Q of finance, but thankfully I don't see a pack of self-proclaimed "retards and autists" marching into government buildings with guns when they get pissy.

As I understand it a healthy economy depends on the amount of dynamic flow through it I. E. Exchange of money. So the importance of the stimulus cheques is as much to do with there actually being arterial cash flow as individuals getting a needed handout. Is that right?
Cos I do think the economy was already teetering on the brink after 4 years of t and his accolades abusing it. That's before it was hit again by the effects of a widespread act of God or whatever equivalent term one would use.

But on the other hand looks like we're still stuck in a place where bad is heavily rewarded. Would be great if this was the first stages of the GOP actually imploding. One thing I'm noticing from comments here is that it presumably does put turtle mitch on the outs. Not sure if there is anybody as good at organising on the now popular batshit side of the party. Would assume belief in a nutzoid conspiracy might suggest that unlikely.

But on the other hand looks like we're still stuck in a place where bad is heavily rewarded.

c'mon, "Where bad is heavily rewarded" could basically have been in the Articles of Confederation

Useful review of what happened in 2009/10 https://theintercept.com/2021/02/03/democrats-covid-stimulus-obama-lessons/

christ what a cast of miscreants in that piece: Baucus, Nelson, Rahm, President Scott Brown, Messina, DeMint. and there’s no hell hot enough for Chuck Grassley.

also I’d totally forgotten about how close that Franken/ Coleman race was and how it gummed up the works.

I don't know if it's been posted but in case anyone else couldn't bypass the New Republic paywall for Sam Adler-Bell's profile of Manchin
https://archive.is/gMDil

also I’d totally forgotten about how close that Franken/ Coleman race was and how it gummed up the works.

― Washington Generals D-League affiliate (will),

A useful reminder when people, usually Republicans,, go, "BUT DEMS HAD A VETO-PROOF MAJORITY HIS FIRST TWO YEARS"

Where else in the developed world are there monthly checks? Certainly not here in France. I don’t think it’s happening in Germany either. We do have significant unemployment benefits for workers out because of the rona, but that’s not the same as giving everyone monthly checks.
― All cars are bad (Euler), Thursday, 4 February 2021 10:20 AM (twelve hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Australia paid $1200 per employee per fortnight to every company that lost 30% or more in venues (50% for large companies). Far from perfect because a lot of contractors, self-employed and temporary visa holders weren’t getting it. But it was effectively a forthrightly cheque replacing wages that might have been reduced or lost out right. They also significantly increase unemployment benefits lifting 100s of thousands out of poverty. Because the government is a bunch of heartless knuckledraggers 100s of thousands will be plunged back into poverty when the scheme ends next month.

Of course the scheme has been heavily rorted by companies paying bonuses to execs and dividends to shareholders, but money was shovelled out the door and into the pockets of millions, and the useless prick in the lodge is going to get re-elected as a result.

To no one’s surprise whatsoever

https://www.google.com/amp/s/slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/02/trump-administration-tippers-fine-dining-dc.amp

Thread goes in a direction I did not expect.

My former colleague @HawleyMO, whom I recruited to Mizzou Law and consider a friend, penned this @firstthingsmag piece. He argues that Robinhood’s restriction on GameStop trading was a Big Tech conspiracy to hold down the little guy. A few thoughts. 1/x https://t.co/Zfl1Rb75nj

— Thom Lambert (@profthomlambert) February 4, 2021

What most surprised me about that tipping piece was that the author, whose work I have read many times on a range of subjects, was waiting tables the whole time.

Because even Trump tippers pay better than freelance writing.

of course, the article starts off semi-reasonable and devolves into another cancel culture rant

https://tenor.com/view/metallica-sad-but-true-gif-18020772

lol can't win

MTG is abhorrent but there is real danger in the way she is being elevated by those would denounce her (me included) and in saturation coverage. This could be a moment in which a post-Trump precedent is created - or one in which the attention makes her a powerful national figure.

— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) February 4, 2021

re that Hawley article.

Power-hungry ivy-league guy who's just in it for the people points at profit-hungry elite business that's just in it for the people and says they aren't doing god's work. isn't that the definition of gas-lighting?

One nice thing about MTG is that, as far as I've seen, she doesn't possess whatever shitty huckster star quality Trump has cultivated as a decades-long public figure. She just projects mental illness. Which is the thing I've been saying about potential post-Trump figures for years: no one is just going to slip effortlessly into his well-worn shoes.

which means she'll be the vessel through which the racist fucks in her district and GOP satraps nationally communicate their rage and raise money, respectively.

You really undersell the power of the mentally ill fascist voter demographic in the US, Old Lunch

Don't do a disservice to the mentally ill, table. Ninety-nine percent of the racists I know love being racist.

Old Lunch started it

a big nazi did it then ran away?

I don't mean to undersell, and she's clearly a dangerous person who shouldn't be within a thousand miles of the power she now wields. I just don't see her becoming a figure with Trump's degree of influence. Lunatics will rally around her, sure, but I don't see the MTG coalition growing much. If anything, I imagine her rise will spur more republicans to peel away from the increasingly-nutbag party (that they were naturally instrumental in incubating).

even ryan cooper feeling a bit optimistic

https://theweek.com/articles/964803/republicans-have-lost-grip-national-discourse

I mean, even Sarah Palin was famous for a while. Probably a closer comparison.

my inclination is to let her keep digging, but I’m also a guy who was initially thrilled that Trump was going to be the nominee. so maybe my inclination isn’t to be trusted.

tipping article made me anxious and ragey. god bless anyone who has to do restaurant work in that town, Trump or not.

Let's check in what's happening at the state level; I hear something's going in in HawleyLand:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/04/us/missouri-lawmaker-fake-covid-19-treatment-trnd/index.html

republicans-have-lost-grip-national-discourse

It's almost as if banning the biggest bullhorn in their asshole party from social media has made a difference. Now they should ban the rest of them.

What's Mitt Romney doing?

The federal government would pay most parents of young children $350 per child every month under a groundbreaking new proposal from Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) that would put a serious dent in child poverty.

Parents would get $350 for each child younger than 6 and $250 for kids between 6 and 17 under Romney’s Family Security Act, which he unveiled Thursday as Democrats prepare to pass a big pandemic relief bill in the coming weeks.

Romney’s proposal closely resembles a Democratic plan to boost the child tax credit as part of the party’s coronavirus legislation. The tax credit changes have received less attention than an extension of unemployment benefits, vaccine distribution funds and one-time payments of $1,400 for most Americans.

But social policy experts are watching the child credit changes closely. The U.S. is one of the only developed countries that doesn’t pay parents a child benefit or child allowance. Romney’s proposal shows there is bipartisan support for the policy.

Democrats want to raise the maximum value of the child tax credit from $2,000 to $3,600, make it “fully refundable” so that poorer parents qualify, and have the Internal Revenue Service distribute the payments in advance, on a monthly basis ― essentially reverse-engineering a child allowance through the tax code.

Romney’s Family Security Act is bolder. It would pay benefits through the Social Security Administration instead of the Internal Revenue Service, which has less experience with monthly payments. The new payments would replace several tax benefits, including the child tax credit and the deduction for state and local taxes, as well as the entire Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program ― all likely nonstarters for Democrats.

Monthly payments would be available to expecting parents four months before their kids are born. Benefits would be capped at $1,250 per month and couples with combined incomes above $400,000 would get less. Something like 90% of households with children would qualify.

wow

It just took a while for some of his dad to rub off on him, I guess.

that's uh something

One nice thing about MTG is that, as far as I've seen, she doesn't possess whatever shitty huckster star quality Trump has cultivated as a decades-long public figure.

I've always been skeptical about the idea that someone can just step into Trump's shoes - so much of his appeal was tied up in the fact that he was a "successful businessman" and a celebrity, therefore not a politician, which fits right in with the GOP's insistence that government doesn't work and no politicians can be trusted. I'm not sure MTG can replicate that with by just saying "well, I'm not much of a politician..."

Trump is sui generis, there is no second Trump. Which doesn't mean other politicians and would-be autocrats can't take pages from his playbook to their own advantage, but even if there's another figure who can command the kind of attention and loyalty Trump has, they'll be a different figure with their own brand of charisma.

Trump-aping repubs are like Skeet Ulrich. They'll carve out their niche and get steady work but they'll never achieve the Depp-ian career highs of a genuine full-blown maniac.

this is a pretty interesting in depth look at the effort to protect the election process over the past couple years

https://time.com/5936036/secret-2020-election-campaign/

It remains to be seen if this type of work will continue in a post-Trump world. Republicans across the country are scrambling to find ways to further undermine elections, and they are often much better at flying under the radar than Trump ever could manage.

the romney plan sounds uh, pretty dope???

It depends on the trade-offs with all of the things it would replace. In principle a monthly payment is a good idea, but the amount versus what it would take away is key.

Mormons have lots of kids.

yeah I’d like to see what Romney wants in return. but it is pretty remarkable that someone in that party is even talking about this stuff in 2021

Romney's angling to primary Biden

Mormons have lots of kids.

― Mosholu Porkway (Boring, Maryland), Thursday, February 4, 2021 4:11 PM (three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

this is part of it. sorry to get insular-mormon-tea-leaves but i do think it has quite a bit of effect on what mitt will get behind. mormons are incredibly racist but unconscious about it so they love "personal responsibility" republicanism. but when it comes to the nuclear family they will go full socialist no problem, it's in their history.

xp i don't see romney switching parties.

he is very ambitious though, so maybe.

like all of this, romney, whatever the $1400 thing turns out to be, it's all very healthy and good to me, just that the concept of the government directly supporting people with actual money payments

watching him debase himself in 2012 for tea parties (“man-made claimed change boy? I just don’t know”-(paraphrased)) pretty much put him in the never-to-be-trusted box

also a walking avatar for vampire capitalism—thanks for that one Newt!

buT hE PioNeEreD oBamACaRe