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

xp: None of which is to say the article is de facto invalid but I think interrogating confirmation bias would be helpful to many of you

― Hello Nice FBI Lady (DJP), Monday, February 1, 2021 3:03 PM (thirty minutes ago)

I like Porter a lot, but yeah that piece features some very dubious Maxine Waters mind-reading. You're off to an indefensible start if your sub-headline has the phrase "Waters appears to have a problem" in it

― rob, Monday, February 1, 2021 8:40 PM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

agree with all this.

I have a stupid question.

Is it possible, under the current US governmental system, to write a bill that says, basically, "The financial benefits of this package extend only to the states whose Senators vote in favor of it; if you vote against it, your state doesn't get any of the gravy"? I realize that the US Senate (well, the Democratic Party, anyway) would never do something so rude and combative, but is it even constitutionally feasible?

that sounds like an absolutely terrible idea, so i'm sure it's possible

I don't think so. Congress can obviously appropriate funding to specific projects in specific states, but I think federal laws apply to the whole country. States have jurisdiction over state-only regulations.

It's an interesting idea, but each state has two Senators so I could see the vote splitting all the time.

Is it possible, under the current US governmental system, to write a bill that says, basically, "The financial benefits of this package extend only to the states whose Senators vote in favor of it; if you vote against it, your state doesn't get any of the gravy"? I realize that the US Senate (well, the Democratic Party, anyway) would never do something so rude and combative, but is it even constitutionally feasible?

I don't think constitutionally it's possible -- a violation of the Privileges and Immunities Clause, no? Someone help.

I figure if that ploy were available it would have been in common use since before 1850.

Apologies if this was already posted since the article is from Jan. 28, but… lol:

https://www.businessinsider.com/qanon-shaman-jacob-chansley-wants-to-testify-at-trump-impeachment-2021-1

Yes pls

re: waters, i would have been fine with her and all other 82 year old representatives retiring last november.

but she has/is on the receiving end of a ton of assumptions about her abilities and the usual implication that people with a background in local politics of big cities are corrupt, all of which is of course extremely racist.

No shirt, no shoes, no service, shaman dude.

lol, it would be awesome if he appeared as full shaman, but with a tie on, too.

Depose him and use any parts you find useful, but don't let him testify in person.

Knowing the Trump administration, they would probably accidentally book Mr. C.

To be clear, I think the Democrats need to be encouraging and developing talent younger than 40 so that there are people ready to step into the fray when the current leadership dies (because they will die on the job, that is what they do). I'd be much, much happier if everyone 70 or older had a younger protégé in a state office that they were mentoring/supporting to replace them at the Federal level, introducing them to constituents and socializing/supporting their platforms so they would be known entities with some level of name recognition and association with political involvement before election time/primaries rolled around, just so it felt less like Democatic elders were bogarting all the work and glory and taking their clout with them when they go.

(I reserve the right to backtrack on that if the Democrats present an entire army of Buttigiegs)

I believe the popular usage of 'research' pretty much just means 'google search'.

― Vladislav Bibidonurtmi (Old Lunch)

nah they use duck duck go

AskJeeves

I believe the popular usage of 'research' pretty much just means 'google search'.

― Vladislav Bibidonurtmi (Old Lunch)

god, if only it did. for the true idiots who "research", or more often than not means "the links they clicked on in the facebook group"

Was about to say. If these people's google-fu was even so much as decent we wouldn't be here.

but also, google itself has become worse. the ratio of legit/relevant things to products/sponsored/garbage results gets lower and lower each year

Rep. @AOC will go live on Instagram tonight. She plans to share details of what happened to her during the Capitol insurrection.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 1, 2021

Hopefully she won't pull a Maddow.

The House Rules Committee will move Wednesday to begin the process of removing @mtgreenee from the Ed/Labor committee.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) February 1, 2021

xpost - Eh, I don't feel like there's ever been a precedent for her pulling anything like that. I'm guessing it's only happening now because she's had to talk with some lawyers about how much detail she can get into at this point without jeopardizing any ongoing investigations.

(I reserve the right to backtrack on that if the Democrats present an entire army of Buttigiegs)

god yes. the gerontocracy running the democratic party is dumb and bad and something i love to bitch about, but then they try to primary a pretty moderate but decent guy like Markey with the dampest, palest Kennedy and it's like No Please Not Like That

(I reserve the right to backtrack on that if the Democrats present an entire army of Buttigiegs)

Don't want to be pedantic here but I'm pretty sure the correct plural is Buttigieux

I'm not sure he really even needs a defense team, but this could prove awkward:

The trial could be particularly dangerous, legal scholars said, if Trump built his case around his lie that the November election was stolen and Senate Republicans effectively endorsed that lie, in unprecedented numbers, by voting to acquit.

Multiple reports suggested Trump jettisoned his previous legal team because they were unwilling to recite the election fraud lie. Trump’s new lawyers, David Schoen and Bruce Castor, did not indicate what defense they had planned...

Markey deserved to win that race even imo though “he’s being primaried from the right” was kind of a phony baloney talking point. Did he have some bad pretty votes over the years? Sure but he became more progressive over time just like his friend President Joe Biden.

Don't want to be pedantic here but I'm pretty sure the correct plural is Buttigieux

― Guayaquil (eephus!)

Buttiteras

So I guess this is what happens without the fabled organizing resolution?

I keep telling you the GOP is still in charge of Senate committees. And Merrick Garland still can't get a hearing.https://t.co/X9VfgneF4C

— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) February 1, 2021

We don’t have a rolling dystopia thread

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/upshot/rich-hospitals-profit-poor.html

“he’s being primaried from the right” was kind of a phony baloney talking point

but it was just sO wEiRd that he was being primaried at all, right? since that's Bad Form and Bad for Democrats and consultants who engage in such transgressions are to be blacklisted (and yes as i understand it this was a position taken by DCCC, not explicitly on senate races)

something tells me anyone who worked on Kennedy's senate campaign will be juuuust fine though

what happened with the organizing resolution? it was reported that McConnell back off his filibuster threat last week. Does anyone know what they are stuck on now?

This is built on a quoted Times story, but Times site fucking with me:

A whistleblower alleged Monday that a top Trump administration official abused his authority by entering into a series of last-minute agreements with the union for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers that could hamstring President Joe Biden’s sweeping policy changes.

The letter released by the Government Accountability Project, which was sent to congressional committees and the Department of Homeland Security inspector general, alleges that Ken Cuccinelli, the former acting second-in-command at the Department of Homeland Security, signed a set of agreements with the ICE union, which endorsed former president Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.

“The agreements grant [the union] extraordinary power and benefits — far more than what DHS agreed upon with its other employee unions which did not endorse President Trump. The agreements confer on the union the ability to indefinitely delay changes to immigration enforcement policies and practices as well,” the letter, written by David Seide, an attorney with the Government Accountability Project, states. “Moreover, under the agreements, ICE expressly waives statutory management rights which negotiating parties know better than to waive. Even more shockingly, the agreements attempt to prohibit any challenge to their validity for eight years.”

According to the Government Accountability Project, the agreement could give the ICE union “unprecedented veto authority in many areas” and increase the use of agency resources. The letter was first reported by the New York Times.

The group says it is representing the whistleblower, who is a current government official and “possesses information concerning significant acts of misconduct committed” by Cuccinelli.

The controversial former acting deputy secretary also signed a series of agreements that required DHS to provide notice of immigration policy changes to local jurisdictions to give them six months to review and submit comments. The state of Texas, which signed one of the agreements, eventually sued DHS over its implementation of a deportation moratorium, claiming it violated the contract.

However!
The letter states that the government has 30 days to officially disapprove of the union agreement.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hamedaleaziz/ice-union-agreements-biden-policies

just so it felt less like Democatic elders were bogarting all the work and glory and taking their clout with them when they go.

― Hello Nice FBI Lady (DJP), Tuesday, February 2, 2021 9:03 AM (one hour ago)

(I reserve the right to backtrack on that if the Democrats present an entire army of Buttigiegs)

― Hello Nice FBI Lady (DJP), Tuesday, February 2, 2021 9:04 AM (one hour ago)

don't bogart the buttiegiegs

grr @ typo

what happened with the organizing resolution? it was reported that McConnell back off his filibuster threat last week.

Apparently not yet?

lmao

GOP Rep. Kinzinger tells Business Insider: "My dad's cousins sent me a petition — a certified letter — saying they disowned me because I'm in 'the devil's army' now" over his vote to impeach Trump.

— Ana Cabrera (@AnaCabrera) January 31, 2021

unperson, I think the relevant con law doohickey is equal protection.

Undermine equal protection where you DON'T like it and you incur the loss of it in places where you DO like it.

meanwhile

I wish the media would stop reporting on Nobel "nominations."

It's an honor just to be nominated amirite

to caek's link: devil's army, sounds lit. where do I enlist?

Ned Raggett and David Grubbs liked
Mike Larsen
@MikeLarsenOH
Charles Manson carved a swastika in his forehead and his lawyers didn't quit.

Replying to
@MikeLarsenOH
Charles Manson never entered the Tate nor LaBianca house yet he went to jail. That’s an argument the prosecutors need to demonstrate in the senate impeachment. Well---

hmm. have all of donald trump's lawyers been accounted for?

Ronald W. Hughes (March 16, 1935 – c. November 1970) was an American attorney who represented Charles Manson. Hughes disappeared while on a camping trip during a ten-day recess from the Tate-LaBianca murder trial in November 1970. His body was found in March 1971, but his cause of death could not be determined. At least one Manson Family member has claimed that Hughes was murdered by the family in an act of retaliation. No one has been charged in connection with his death.

Being "disowned" by one's Dad's cousins seems like it would be a relatively painless experience, tbh. Their ownership stake was a pittance from the beginning.

Kinzinger is the only Congressional Republican who realizes he has bloodthirsty third-rate fascists around him who want him dead.

xpost

in retaliation, i am disowning Kinzinger's cousin

This is from the right of the party

Short thread on Biden's COVID relief plan vs. GOP Senators' plan:

Median income here in western PA is around 60K, meaning half our people make that or less. If you're in/close to that group, there's no question which COVID release proposal is better for you. (1/)

— Conor Lamb (@ConorLambPA) February 1, 2021

when all the GOP vote against COVID relief the Democrats can spend the next two years attacking them for it

wau, so has Biden grown a spine too?

Senate Republicans emerge from a 2 hour meeting with Biden at the White House, describe it as "productive," "cordial" and "excellent" and took zero questions from reporters.

— Alice Miranda Ollstein (@AliceOllstein) February 2, 2021