Retire, Breyer: another September 2021 US Politics thread

you should have been the one to start the 2024 stolen election thread, raymond! i tried but i got too mad and sad about it, it went downhill quickly. but i do want more level-headed people to think about it and take it seriously. i've hit my nyt paywall limit and can't seem to bust in using a VPN, but Bouie usually is great

Speakin' of that good ole' (semi) legal graff...this was another one that seemed to get filed in the back pages.

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2021/09/20/jesse-benton-indicted-rand-paul-mitch-mcconnell-former-campaign-manager/5791086001/

Got a feeling that this perhaps be tied to this load of BS.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/played-for-fools-ky-lawmakers-want-their-2415-million-back-from-aluminum-mill/ar-AAOSIPv

Don't really have to hide anything...

Shafer attempts to pull Kagen back from the ledge: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/09/24/why-the-fear-of-trump-may-be-overblown-514270

Basically, don't worry about Trump, he won't get re-elected... but that's what everyone said about him getting elected in the first place and that doesn't address the underlying faults in our system of government that he's exploiting. I can buy that Trump is on his way out, he's already giving himself a "health conditions" pass to drop out if all else fails, but all the unprecedented and unthinkable things he's done to undermine our democracy are now part of the Republican playbook and Democratic leadership seems to think once he's gone, the Republicans will just toss that playbook and come join them in the center to help them defeat those pesky progressives.

Right before a star dies, it swells up and make a giant terrifying explosive flash... but it still dies.

So goes the GOP.

Jack Shafer is one of the most "my-life-is-fine-so-all-is-well" hacks around. He contributes nothing, but he'll always have a column.

GOP: Waiting for a Star to Fall

the problem is that dying stars often cause a little bit of damage during the death phase

that's where you belong
in my arms baby yeah

the problem is that dying stars often cause a little bit of damage during the death phase

Totally agree, I think that's what we're seeing now

Well, at least I could use a wish right now

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that Democrats should raise the ceiling alone, but he has also closed off all avenues for them to do so, save one: an amended reconciliation bill that would occupy a fair chunk of Senate floor time before Democrats could pass it by party-line vote.
Democrats in Congress are at odds over whether they have enough time to do that and the next steps forward. The party tried to pass a debt limit hike alongside a measure to fund the government last week. But that was filibustered by Senate Republicans.

On Tuesday, Democrats sought unanimous consent to pass a debt ceiling hike by a simple majority vote. Republicans objected to that too, further angering White House officials who were already chafing at their refusal to fall in line on a vote they’ve been trying to portray as almost pro forma.

Biden has coordinated his approach with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, but has publicly deferred to the congressional leaders on how to maneuver out of the jam. On Monday evening, they discussed possibly raising the debt ceiling through budget reconciliation, something White House officials had been saying they were loath to do.
One other option: The Senate could vote to change their own rules so that a bill that raises or suspends the debt limit is not subject to a filibuster. Lawmakers have made similar rules changes for the confirmation of judicial nominees and Cabinet officials. But it would require all 50 Democrats to support such a measure as well as Vice President Kamala Harris’ sign off. Biden’s opposition to such a change would effectively doom it.
Am I making too much of this? Admin not inspiring/allowing much confidence these days.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/28/biden-senate-rules-raise-debt-limit-514561

Yes, it's unspeakably stupid not to just exempt the debt ceiling from the filibuster. The only argument against it, I guess, is that if Republicans hold Congress they could vote to lower the debt ceiling by a simple majority... but that would just make them directly responsible for crashing the economy.

Yes, and meanwhile, of course, xpost unprecedented and unthinkable not so uncommon any more.

So we have an unlikely hypothetical vs. a Democratic Congress and President playing chicken with the economy and scaring people.

Saved from being the dumbest marginally left of center party in the world only by Kieth Starmer.

I mean, with the time factor, especially (?), how far could the stumbling etc. go? If Biden really were deferring to Congressional leaders, in a timely fashion, or at all---I'd feel a little more reassured.

So now the Dems get their-our own Get The Fuck Outta The Way Prez, like second-term Reagan---?

Not that he doesn't have horrible shitty obstruction, horribly shitty everything as the Trump legacy, but he needs to trust other people's judgement more, also trust recognition of judgement's limitations, recognition's too, in this our shitstorm.

And fucking say something about limitations and shitty options (and make it stick) as well as that West Wing soldiering on stuff.

up is down black is white dogs laying with cats

It's the difference between finishing 0-16 and finishing 1-15. What would strengthen absolutists is electing Biden and showing the Democratic party can't advance any progressive goals: not health care, not child care, not education, safety net.

— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) September 29, 2021

The D establishment would be discredited. The left would just want to burn the whole party to the ground. And it would be very hard to argue against them.

— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) September 29, 2021

I'm a huge fan of incremental progress. I wrote a whole book defending Obama's presidency! But if the only permanent change Biden signs into law is a plussed up highway bill, there's no defending that. It's a failure and there will be a recknoning.

— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) September 29, 2021

Ro Khanna is out there turning the heat up on Sinema. To hear him say it, she is the one and only true roadblock and the president will support a vote against infrastructure if there isn't further agreement.

"The President keeps begging her, tell us what you want. Put a proposal forward," says Rep. Ro Khanna of Senator Kyrsten Sinema.

"One Senator, Kyrsten Sinema, is holding up the will of the entire Democratic Party." pic.twitter.com/kxVP9fGZCG

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) September 29, 2021

Cannot fucking wait to vote against her in a primary

Do wonder what her better good is? What is driving her to go ahead with this. I mean surely she must be acting out of something other than contrarian evil like.

She's bought and paid for...I'm sure to win that senate seat there was boodles of outside money flowed into Arizona and those interests trump anything else.

Witch probably will go full Lieberman and switch to being an 'independent' or join the freaking GQP next election as a 'Maverick' when the Democrats lose the Senate stating some malarky of 'party changed since I was elected' or whatever horse crap her handlers write. Then she will lose the seat to some Maricopa county lunatic to the right of Joe Arpaio.

I hate them all...

Easy with the "It was Sinema all along."

she’s irredeemably awful but kinda feel like it wasn’t her someone else would have to step up and be ‘the Sinema’

Anemic Sinema.

Her behavior is Classic Sinema.

She's an attention-seeking clown.

she def seems like the type who's holding out for a red swingline stapler more than any sort of pork

The Trump impressions, apparently those are all largely improvised, too, which I think is the key.

oops lol rong thred

very sinematic

FIN DU SINEMA

sinema dis pants, i breaka u face

Should have been DE instead of DU sorry

What was that bs about her doing a paid internship at a winery in 2020

josh marshall weighs in:

In any case, if you’re going to lose it is important to lose well rather than poorly. Doing so is a key way to actually win. But to win you have to be ready to lose well. Losing well is far better than losing poorly.

loooooooooooooooooooooooooool

the art of losing is hard to master

losing at losing after winning: a democratic party story

it's a classic josh marshallism, just excruciating positioning to make sure he'll have been sort of correct about something.

the rest of it isn't bad (though not sure i agree - i have checked out of this negotiation process a long time ago): https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/kill-the-bill-2

I think all he is saying is there's no point in supporting infrastructure without the other bill

yeah, i get his point, and like i said, i haven't followed closely enough to really know. i was just laughing at how he phrased that one quoted part above, because it's that classic kind of thing that may be technically accurate but is just not a good way to convince anyone else of anything (which i believe is his role, as a blogger/pundit etc)

no, it's a grammatical mess, but I don't think he's trying to be purposefully ambiguous about his position

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZzyRcySgK8

Thanks for a great race @ACLINews - I’ll be back next year to break records and crush dreams. 💥 https://t.co/nIkfgYemAB

— Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) September 29, 2021

sinematic!

These guys will primary Sinema if she doesn't end the filibuster: https://www.crowdpac.com/campaigns/404047/either-sinema-votes-to-end-the-filibuster-or-we-fund-a-primary-challenger

She dabs her skin with pretty smells
Concealing to appeal
"I will make my bed,"
She said, but turned to go
Can she be late for her sinema show?

there will be a gigantic primary against sinema no matter what, and she'll lose