Vaccines, Infrastructure, and Kids In Cages: US Politics April 2021

And then you got

Washington Post scoop:

FBI gave #RonJohnson defensive briefing in 2020 warning he was being targeted by Russia to spread disinformation on Biden.

What did he do?

He considered it “completely useless and unnecessary”

With his usual paranoia, he thought FBI briefing was a trick

— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) April 30, 2021

https://i.ibb.co/mv6Z9pY/57ovkg.jpg

what an absolute putz.

I didn’t mention this on the show, and won’t tag him in case people pop off, but in Rauchway’s book on the New Deal, he mentions an unnamed 2020 Dem candidate who fretted about the New Deal’s “excesses.”

I checked the footnote. It was Former Mayor Pete lmao

— Matthew Sitman (@MatthewSitman) April 30, 2021

hmm:

Progressives were frequently aghast at candidate Joe Biden's instinct for moderation, his nostalgia for a bygone era and a record they perceived as too corporate-friendly and out of touch with his changing party.

But nearly 100 days into his term, some are happy to admit, they may be wrong.

"Many of us were disappointed when President Biden got the nomination," said newly elected Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who defeated a 16-term incumbent in a primary last year. "When you look at Biden's career, he's definitely someone we would call a moderate Democrat."

He is less disappointed today.

"Biden has been incredibly responsive to the progressive movement," Bowman said, recounting a recent meeting between progressive House members and White House chief of staff Ron Klain. "He told us point-blank: Keep pushing us. Keep us honest."

A series of private messages starting in late 2020—also recently obtained by The Daily Beast—shows a number of exchanges between Greenberg and Stone conducted over the encrypted messaging app Signal, with communications set to disappear. However, Greenberg appears to have taken screenshots of a number of their conversations.

lmao this is amazing

let them all destroy each other instead of us

amazing how they're all Daniel Stern's character from Home Alone

I'm hoping Roger Stone blunders back into jail, or, ideally, painful intubated death by COVID.

he's gonna die, confused, alone on the street dancing with his pants around his ankles and singing "Old Grey Mare"

Framing the Raise The Wage Act as a $9.50 an hour wage that increases by $1.50 each year, as opposed to simply describing it as raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, significantly increases support among Republicans and Democrats

https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2021/4/30/minimum-wage-framing

The increase in support isn't actually that much, but there is a significant decrease in opposition:

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5aa9be92f8370a24714de593/1619791715637-7SU3B5YLW1BETDZWNBS4/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kGQ8go5zqP-XnMluNTXxm257gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1UaMxPIa9yKM4Jm-EhYu5AB3G6jsXWKFQzNliOK85jQHHOpYghpI-Ha_TwZsqqmJXng/dfp-minwage-comparison-chart.png?format=1500w

The summer's hottest ticket... Gaetz & Greene, live on stage!!

Rocked by a steady stream of leaks about a federal investigation into alleged sex crimes, the Florida congressman is planning to take his case on the road by holding rallies across the nation with Greene, another lightning rod member of Congress.

Their targets? So-called RINOs and “the radical left.“

Gaetz and Greene will kick off their barnstorming “America First Tour” on May 7 in the mega-conservative Florida retirement community known as The Villages, a must-stop for any Republican candidate hoping to win the state or generate grassroots excitement.

Cool cool, yes Marge, please tie yrself to that sinking ship, great career move

I know the GOP stands for absolutely nothing at this point, but I'm still kind of amazed that Gaetz hasn't been forced to resign.

Omg, please get Boebert to sign on for this tour as well. I cannot believe anyone would willingly attach themselves to Gaetz at this particular point though.

I'm half expecting republicans to start shifting to an underaged sex trafficking is good actually platform

I wonder if she signed on just because she and Gaetz have the same first and last initials and she saw it as a sign from Q

Louie G and the MGs

Q continuing the hunt for government pedophiles when one is on onstage at their rallies should be fun to watch.

The only way you can bring down sex trafficking is by infiltrating the ring

Omg, please get Boebert to sign on for this tour as well. I cannot believe anyone would willingly attach themselves to Gaetz at this particular point though.

regardless of their views, and not sure if it's enough, but they really have gotten better at politics

Schumer not exactly charitable on Obama’s first 2 years. “I don’t just blame Obama” https://t.co/zPwMYzEHuo pic.twitter.com/yFPBrLiQI2

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) April 30, 2021

I'm half expecting republicans to start shifting to an underaged sex trafficking is good actually platform

but then what would be the point of the libertarian party?

but then what would be the point of the libertarian party?

"Everything the Republicans want, plus weed."

NEW: @POTUS and @FLOTUS confirm there will soon be a First Cat at the White House. "She is waiting in the wings."

In their NBC interview, the First Lady said that they took Major to a shelter that had cats to see how he interacted with them, and "he did fine."

— Sara Cook (@saraecook) April 30, 2021

Major biting Secret Service - fine, whatever, who cares
Major biting the First Cat - time for the farm upstate

are you canvassing for Biden now? b/c I back that platform 100%

First Cat is not going to take shit from any dog. But good luck getting it not to scratch the furniture.

That’s what they said about Trump.

They just got the pee smell out of the lincoln bedroom, what the hell

but then what would be the point of the libertarian party?

"Everything the Republicans want, plus weed."

― Frumious Cumberbatch (Ye Mad Puffin)

And you don't have to pretend to love Jesus.

D.C. Statehood is most likely dead for this Congress. U.S. Senator Joe Manchin told reporters today he does not support the D.C. statehood bill in the US House and would only consider it as an amendment to the U.S. Constitution https://t.co/dL6UtlqRlo

— Blake Allen (@Blake_Allen13) April 30, 2021

Fuckin' Joe Manchin is having the time of his life jerking around the entire country on his leash.

If Breyer retires, Manchin’s going to demand the seat for his grandson.

of course he doesn't support it, 2 more Democrats in the senate would take away all his leverage. what a dick.

Has there every been talk of Maryland just annexing D.C.? I know there's no strategic political benefit, but they would at least be able to have representation

neither wants that

It has been talked about a lot (that is, retroceding all but the "monumental core" back to Maryland).

After all, that's precisely what happened to the Virginia portion.

It would, in a technical sense, grant DC residents representation, but that representation is diluted into Maryland's where it doesn't make much difference. A sizable chunk of Maryland's population is DC suburbs anyway. vc is right that Maryland may not want the territory gained by such a move, for various reasons.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-administration-return-billions-border-wall-funding-trump/story?id=77423458

Is this the project people were talking about when they said the Biden administration was going to fill in holes in the wall?

Construction under the prior administration blew large holes into the Rio Grande Valley’s flood barrier system to make way for a border wall.

Big beautiful holes, no doubt.

No idea how real this is, but it feels like progress

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/29/politics/border-patrol-unaccompanied-minors/index.html

Nice little story to end the April thread

https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article251069219.html

o_O

Samsel is the second Kansas lawmaker to be arrested this year. Former Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop, a Wichita Republican, was charged with felony eluding and fleeing from police and also faces misdemeanor charges of drunk and reckless driving after allegedly driving the wrong way on Topeka highways on March 16. He was forced to step down from his leadership post.

jesus that gets increasingly dark

I mean, I'd still vote for him a second time, sure, but if this sort of thing happens again I'd definitely reconsider voting for him a third time.

Feels like we’re lucky that didn’t turn into something much worse.

US Politics May 2021: Joe Manchin's Choose-Your-Adventure Book