The Biden Presidency - Page 20

Aridas · 8th January 2021, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by Mumbles

I don't count either political party as in any sort of long-term exile, ever. Frankly, I'm waiting to see if mainstream corporate media has learned anything, or if they'll be back to "Why can't Biden work with the the violent insurrectionists?" mode in a few months.

(And I mean NBC, CBS, and the like - I know Tucker Carlson's White Power Hour, OANN, what remains of AM radio, and so on will gladly continue down the same path)

I'm not going to hold my breath on that. I'm just not seeing anything that would cause structural change yet, after all. The mainstream corporate media just doesn't have any real motivation to stop being dramatically more accommodating to the right than the left. The right is trying to promise business like usual and the center left is pushing for fundamental changes to make corporations more, say, patriotic and less profit-oriented.

DevilsAdvocate · 8th January 2021, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by acbytesla

I'd like to ask Fox News what qualifications did current Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao have outside being the wife of the Senate Majority Leader.

Her father founded a major shipping company, Foremost Maritime Corporation. MBA from Harvard Business School. She was Deputy Administrator of the Maritime Administration, Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, and Deputy Secretary of Transportation, all before marrying Mitch. The she was also later U.S. Secretary of Labor.

Delvo · 8th January 2021, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by dudalb

Just read about Senator Lisa Murkowski calling for the ouster of Trump and she is questioning her future as a Republican.
I hope Biden gets on the phone and offers her a home. She is the kind of centrist Republican the Dems could use.

Originally Posted by Mumbles

Ehhh...She's really the sort of person a party that rises from the GOP's ashes needs. You know, when they decide on a platform aside from "we hate darkies, tax cuts for the rich".

Well, "Republican except for wanting some distance from Trump" is pretty much dudalb's vision for the DP, so you two are agreeing with each other.

Originally Posted by Segnosaur

Assuming that it will "rise from the ashes" in any sort of realistic time frame.

First, it would need to burn down, which hasn't happened yet.

DevilsAdvocate · 8th January 2021, 10:59 PM

Originally Posted by Captain_Swoop

Ted Cruz tweets

@tedcruz
Really sad. At a time of deep national division, President-elect Biden’s choice to call his political opponents literal Nazis does nothing to bring us together or promote healing.

This kind of vicious partisan rhetoric only tears our country apart.

It's too late for you to say that, Ted. You fanned the flames of sedition and insurrection that ran through the halls of the United States Capitol. That happened, in part, because of you, Ted.

You drove a wedge into the division of this nation when you could. You feign unity and cooperating when it is politically expedient. You strive for manipulation, not healing. You are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

If you truly want to heal this nation, resign from the Senate, Ted. Resign from politics. Resign from public life. That is the most you can do to help allowing this country to heal.

Pixel42 · 8th January 2021, 11:18 PM

Sorry, did Ted Cruz just seriously accuse someone else of "vicious partisan rhetoric"?

dudalb · 9th January 2021, 12:21 AM

Can we send Cruz back to Canada, please?

Blue Mountain · 9th January 2021, 07:35 AM

Originally Posted by dudalb

Can we send Cruz back to Canada, please?

Fortunately, our border with the States is closed. You can keep him.

pgwenthold · 9th January 2021, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by Pixel42

Sorry, did Ted Cruz just seriously accuse someone else of "vicious partisan rhetoric"?

Yep

Hey, hey, hey, can't we all get along? Let's be nice to each other!!!

Stolen election.

trustbutverify · 9th January 2021, 06:46 PM

One remarkable thing about about Ted Cruz is he has absolutely no shame whatsoever. For a non-sociopath(I'm assuming), that's unusual.

Venom · 9th January 2021, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by trustbutverify

One remarkable thing about about Ted Cruz is he has absolutely no shame whatsoever. For a non-sociopath(I'm assuming), that's unusual.

He's a champion college debater isn't he? I'm sure he can wriggle himself out of anything.

dirtywick · 9th January 2021, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by Venom

He's a champion college debater isn't he? I'm sure he can wriggle himself out of anything.

They said he was a huge master.

Firestone · 9th January 2021, 11:33 PM

Not a Sanders fan (not a hater either), but this sounds as good advice for the incoming Biden administration and the slim Democratic majorities in Congress:

Quote:

Sanders said he's eying a "bold" agenda that includes $2,000 stimulus payments, enhanced unemployment insurance, access to child care, action on climate change, mitigating student debt and investing "very significantly in expanding health care," including by lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60.

The Vermont senator urged his colleagues to aim big or risk suffering a repeat of Obama's first midterm election, when Republicans won huge victories in congressional races because, as Sanders tells it, voters "judged that Democrats didn’t do anywhere near enough" to improve their lives.

"We have to act with a boldness that we have not seen in this country since FDR," Sanders said. "If we do not, I suspect that in two years we will not be in the majority."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...ing-u-n1253638

"lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60" is the kind of "simple" measures I like. Go Biden, do it!

SteveAitch · 10th January 2021, 02:38 AM

Well, Vice-President Elect Harris has really made it - she's the answer to a clue in today's Observer, New Review supplement, Everyman cryptic crossword!

Who knew her name was an anagram of 'Shark malaria'?

pgwenthold · 10th January 2021, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by Venom

He's a champion college debater isn't he? I'm sure he can wriggle himself out of anything.

That's the point. He can effectively argue any position, regardless of whether he believes it or not.

It's about rhetoric, not principle

Captain_Swoop · 11th January 2021, 06:34 PM

NRA tweeted

@NRA
On Friday, Biden pledged to DEFEAT THE NRA.
Biden wants to ban our semi-auto rifles, tax our guns/mags & more. He knows the only thing standing in his way to DISMANTLE THE 2ND AMENDMENT is NRA.
Gun owners must stay vigilant & be engaged in elections and the legislative process.

Captain_Swoop · 11th January 2021, 07:21 PM

Sean Hannity tweets
@seanhannity
New migrant caravan heading to US days before Joe Biden takes office

New migrant caravan heading to US days before Joe Biden takes office | Gregg Jarrett
Just 8 days before Joe Biden is set to be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, a new migrant caravan is forming in Honduras.
thegreggjarrett.com

Captain_Swoop · 11th January 2021, 07:26 PM

If you say “caravan” three times quickly Fox News appears

gregthehammer · 11th January 2021, 07:30 PM

Originally Posted by Captain_Swoop

If you say “caravan” three times quickly Fox News appears

No new material? Just the greatest hits? Couldn't we at least get a shiney new box set?

This actually should have been in reply to the hannity tweet, I quoted wrong post ��

Trebuchet · 11th January 2021, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by Captain_Swoop

Ted Cruz tweets

@tedcruz
Really sad. At a time of deep national division, President-elect Biden’s choice to call his political opponents literal Nazis does nothing to bring us together or promote healing.

This kind of vicious partisan rhetoric only tears our country apart.

Hey Lyin' Ted, your wife is ugly and your daddy killed JFK!

Firestone · 15th January 2021, 12:27 AM

The delicious expected normality of the coming Biden administration means that a $2 trillion relief package barely registers.

Quote:

President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday night broke sharply with the Trump administration on fighting the coronavirus pandemic, unveiling a new plan for a robust federal role in everything from testing to vaccine delivery.

In a speech in Wilmington, Del., Biden, called on Congress to swiftly pass a nearly $2 trillion relief package soon after he takes office, with significant sums directed at expanding testing, accelerating vaccine deployment and safely reopening schools. The bill will also include $1,400-per-person checks to working families, extended unemployment insurance and housing and nutrition aid.

As a Belgian, this make me jealous. (The vaccine rollout in Belgium is a disaster, a disgrace, a calamity, an outrage, and I'm being polite.)

Quote:

The incoming administration envisions setting up vaccination sites in schools, libraries, churches and community centers across the country, a move that public health experts and civil rights groups have been pleading for after a sluggish and uneven initial rollout of the shots.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/0...pansion-459473

angrysoba · 15th January 2021, 12:32 AM

Originally Posted by Firestone

Not a Sanders fan (not a hater either), but this sounds as good advice for the incoming Biden administration and the slim Democratic majorities in Congress:

"lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60" is the kind of "simple" measures I like. Go Biden, do it!

From what I understand, this was what Sanders had argued on his campaign, to lower the age of eligibility for Medicare year by year until everyone was covered.

Firestone · 15th January 2021, 12:37 AM

Originally Posted by angrysoba

From what I understand, this was what Sanders had argued on his campaign, to lower the age of eligibility for Medicare year by year until everyone was covered.

Makes too much sense.

I expect the US political system will come up with something utterly complicated, that, while an improvement, will allow Republicans to campaign against it without offering an alternative.

Hope I'm wrong.

Delvo · 15th January 2021, 12:43 AM

I was going to wait until after the inauguration to start commenting on Biden's Presidency (and that date would still make a good cutoff time to break off a new thread from this one even if this one isn't long enough by then, just because that'll be when his Presidency really starts), but, since he's already started getting involved, there's no point in waiting to respond to things he's already done.

Back when they were still debating & negotiating about the latest "stimulus", there were behind-the-scenes reports about Biden weighing in on the side that wanted to give people as little as they could get away with and had originally started at $0; when it looked like it could be $1200 or $2000, he was one of those who sank it back down to the $600 we got.

Then he went to Georgia and told them to elect Democrats if they want 2000. And now he's pushing to sink it to 1400, again trying to squeeze it down as low as he thinks he can get away with by pretending that's really 2000 because the 600 already happened.

So he's already not only fighting & striving to do us as little good as possible, but lying to us about intending to do any better and then looking for ways to weasel out of that while saying "Well, technically..." to us and "Did you like that? Did I do good?" to the Republican politicians. So clearly he knows what the people need & want, he knows what wins, and it's the opposite of what he intends to do, all for the great cause of kissing Republican butts and going down in history as the greatest conservative-collaborator ever.

Elect a Republican/conservative President, get a Republican/conservative Presidency

Firestone · 15th January 2021, 01:33 AM

Senator Sanders (I-VT) tweets: "President-Elect Biden's COVID rescue plan will begin to provide our people with much-needed support, such as $2,000 direct payments and a $15 minimum wage.

I look forward to working with him and my colleagues in Congress to urgently provide bold relief to working families."

https://twitter.com/SenSanders/statu...80150041780227

angrysoba · 15th January 2021, 01:55 AM

Originally Posted by Firestone

Senator Sanders (I-VT) tweets: "President-Elect Biden's COVID rescue plan will begin to provide our people with much-needed support, such as $2,000 direct payments and a $15 minimum wage.

I look forward to working with him and my colleagues in Congress to urgently provide bold relief to working families."

https://twitter.com/SenSanders/statu...80150041780227

Seems pretty good!

SuburbanTurkey · 15th January 2021, 05:03 AM

Originally Posted by Delvo

I was going to wait until after the inauguration to start commenting on Biden's Presidency (and that date would still make a good cutoff time to break off a new thread from this one even if this one isn't long enough by then, just because that'll be when his Presidency really starts), but, since he's already started getting involved, there's no point in waiting to respond to things he's already done.

Back when they were still debating & negotiating about the latest "stimulus", there were behind-the-scenes reports about Biden weighing in on the side that wanted to give people as little as they could get away with and had originally started at $0; when it looked like it could be $1200 or $2000, he was one of those who sank it back down to the $600 we got.

Then he went to Georgia and told them to elect Democrats if they want 2000. And now he's pushing to sink it to 1400, again trying to squeeze it down as low as he thinks he can get away with by pretending that's really 2000 because the 600 already happened.

So he's already not only fighting & striving to do us as little good as possible, but lying to us about intending to do any better and then looking for ways to weasel out of that while saying "Well, technically..." to us and "Did you like that? Did I do good?" to the Republican politicians. So clearly he knows what the people need & want, he knows what wins, and it's the opposite of what he intends to do, all for the great cause of kissing Republican butts and going down in history as the greatest conservative-collaborator ever.

Elect a Republican/conservative President, get a Republican/conservative Presidency

Better get a hard hat, those expectations are going to be lowering pretty abruptly.

The Biden admin is going to find every excuse to move the goalposts of his campaign promises and there's no way the Democratic party is going to oppose it.

Darat · 15th January 2021, 05:05 AM

Originally Posted by Delvo

I was going to wait until after the inauguration to start commenting on Biden's Presidency (and that date would still make a good cutoff time to break off a new thread from this one even if this one isn't long enough by then, just because that'll be when his Presidency really starts), but, since he's already started getting involved, there's no point in waiting to respond to things he's already done.

Back when they were still debating & negotiating about the latest "stimulus", there were behind-the-scenes reports about Biden weighing in on the side that wanted to give people as little as they could get away with and had originally started at $0; when it looked like it could be $1200 or $2000, he was one of those who sank it back down to the $600 we got.

Then he went to Georgia and told them to elect Democrats if they want 2000. And now he's pushing to sink it to 1400, again trying to squeeze it down as low as he thinks he can get away with by pretending that's really 2000 because the 600 already happened.

So he's already not only fighting & striving to do us as little good as possible, but lying to us about intending to do any better and then looking for ways to weasel out of that while saying "Well, technically..." to us and "Did you like that? Did I do good?" to the Republican politicians. So clearly he knows what the people need & want, he knows what wins, and it's the opposite of what he intends to do, all for the great cause of kissing Republican butts and going down in history as the greatest conservative-collaborator ever.

Elect a Republican/conservative President, get a Republican/conservative Presidency

Do you have evidence for all those claims?

Firestone · 15th January 2021, 05:43 AM

Originally Posted by angrysoba

Seems pretty good!

Yep.

I've said it before, Sanders has been exemplary, fully supportive of Biden, honest about the differences with Biden, since Biden clinched the nomination.

Adult politics, quite refreshing.

SuburbanTurkey · 15th January 2021, 05:45 AM

Originally Posted by Firestone

Yep.

I've said it before, Sanders has been exemplary, fully supportive of Biden, honest about the differences with Biden, since Biden clinched the nomination.

Adult politics, quite refreshing.

Despite all the gnashing of teeth from the centrists, Sanders has always been a team player. Attempts were made to paint him as a Trumpian figure, but it was always a baseless smear.

The unreliable Democrats aren't lefties, it's conservative freaks like Manchin that we need to worry about.

Tero · 15th January 2021, 11:26 AM

It's going to take more than 4 to get to "communism."

turingtest · 15th January 2021, 11:29 AM

(I wasn't sure where to put this; here seems like as good a place as any)

Under the "stupid that burns" heading- Tommy Tuberville, newly elected Senator from Alabama, thinks Biden's inauguration should have been delayed because of COVID-19. (USA Today via MSN):

Quote:

"We probably could have had a swearing-in and done an inauguration a little later on after we got this virus behind us a little bit. But again, we’re talking about Washington, D.C.,” Tuberville told Birmingham TV station CBS 42.

Tommy Tuberville, last summer, attended campaign events in Washington D.C. this week without following coronavirus protocol orders spelled out by the District of Columbia mayor. (AL.com):

Quote:

"The D.C. Democrat mayor’s order specifically applies only to non-essential travel, and Coach Tuberville was not up there sightseeing,” Shashy [Tuberville's campaign manager] said in the statement. “Coach was working hard to help determine the direction of this nation for the next several years, return some sanity to the U.S. Congress, and make sure Alabama has a U.S. senator who represents Alabama values, not New York values or California values.

“If you don’t think those things should be considered essential and important work, then there’s no convincing you otherwise.”

Well, there ya go- Covid 19 is a good reason to postpone a Constitutionally-mandated (you might even say "essential and important") inauguration (and, in this particular case, one for which precautions are in effect specifically for Covid), but nothing to pay attention to when it comes to campaigning for a political office. That's a funny sense of "essentials."

But, again, we're talking about Tommy Tuberville.

Captain_Swoop · 15th January 2021, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by Delvo

I was going to wait until after the inauguration to start commenting on Biden's Presidency (and that date would still make a good cutoff time to break off a new thread from this one even if this one isn't long enough by then, just because that'll be when his Presidency really starts), but, since he's already started getting involved, there's no point in waiting to respond to things he's already done.

Back when they were still debating & negotiating about the latest "stimulus", there were behind-the-scenes reports about Biden weighing in on the side that wanted to give people as little as they could get away with and had originally started at $0; when it looked like it could be $1200 or $2000, he was one of those who sank it back down to the $600 we got.

Then he went to Georgia and told them to elect Democrats if they want 2000. And now he's pushing to sink it to 1400, again trying to squeeze it down as low as he thinks he can get away with by pretending that's really 2000 because the 600 already happened.

So he's already not only fighting & striving to do us as little good as possible, but lying to us about intending to do any better and then looking for ways to weasel out of that while saying "Well, technically..." to us and "Did you like that? Did I do good?" to the Republican politicians. So clearly he knows what the people need & want, he knows what wins, and it's the opposite of what he intends to do, all for the great cause of kissing Republican butts and going down in history as the greatest conservative-collaborator ever.

Elect a Republican/conservative President, get a Republican/conservative Presidency

What is your evidence for this?

Dr. Keith · 15th January 2021, 01:42 PM

When Biden came on TV to give his speech I paid attention for a bit. After a few minutes I told my kids: this is what politics used to be, not the idiotic ramblings of Trump or the careful diction of Obama that you grew up with, just stumbling old white men.

It was nostalgic. Somewhere in that Bush/Carter/Reagan soup of blandness that we haven't seen for some time.

Dread Pirate Roberts · 15th January 2021, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by Delvo

Then he went to Georgia and told them to elect Democrats if they want 2000. And now he's pushing to sink it to 1400, again trying to squeeze it down as low as he thinks he can get away with by pretending that's really 2000 because the 600 already happened.

Maybe I'm just dense today, but how is $600 + $1400 not $2000?

Mader Levap · 15th January 2021, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by Dread Pirate Roberts

Maybe I'm just dense today, but how is $600 + $1400 not $2000?

Certain people are butthurt to today that Bernie did not win nomination, ensuring another 4 years of Trump. Expect more nonsense about how Biden is same as Trump and democrats are same as republicans.

Firestone · 16th January 2021, 07:32 AM

Warren Gunnels, Staff Director for Senator Sanders, about the $1,400-$2,000 "controversy":

Quote:

The original $908 billion plan had $0 in checks. We fought for $1,200 & ended up with $600, not enough. The House passed the CASH Act boosting it to $2,000. We fought like hell to get it done, the GOP blocked it. Now, Biden included it in his plan. Folks, that's a good start.

Boosting checks to $2K is NOT enough. We must cancel student debt, combat climate change, guarantee healthcare, end homelessness & much more. We must be engaged in lots of battles to enact a bold agenda. But the 1st ask was to get to $2K. Let's get it done & fight for more.

https://twitter.com/GunnelsWarren/st...33453396865024

wareyin · 16th January 2021, 07:57 AM

Originally Posted by Firestone

Warren Gunnels, Staff Director for Senator Sanders, about the $1,400-$2,000 "controversy":

That can't be right. Sanders' Staff Director is contradicting the un-named "sources" provided by those who told us Trump would be a better President than Biden?

alfaniner · 16th January 2021, 01:19 PM

I had good feelings watching P-E Biden announcing his Science Team, and especially at the announcement below.

Biden elevates White House science post to Cabinet level

He talked about the five divisions he is looking to improve, like technology, medicine, economy, etc., using science as a focus. I am quite excited about that.

Firestone · 16th January 2021, 01:25 PM

Busy first day for Biden. All good, at first glance.

"On 1st day, Biden will rescind travel ban on several Muslim countries, rejoin Paris climate accord, extend pandemic limits on evictions and student loan payments, and order agencies to figure out how to reunite children separated from families at border. "

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/...724620290?s=19

dudalb · 16th January 2021, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by Firestone

Busy first day for Biden. All good, at first glance.

"On 1st day, Biden will rescind travel ban on several Muslim countries, rejoin Paris climate accord, extend pandemic limits on evictions and student loan payments, and order agencies to figure out how to reunite children separated from families at border. "

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/...724620290?s=19

And probably beginnng purging the agencies of all the "sleepers" that Trump has left behind.

8th January 2021, 08:45 PM	#761
Aridas Crazy Little Green Dragon Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: East Coast, US Posts: 7,316	Originally Posted by Mumbles I don't count either political party as in any sort of long-term exile, ever. Frankly, I'm waiting to see if mainstream corporate media has learned anything, or if they'll be back to "Why can't Biden work with the the violent insurrectionists?" mode in a few months. (And I mean NBC, CBS, and the like - I know Tucker Carlson's White Power Hour, OANN, what remains of AM radio, and so on will gladly continue down the same path) I'm not going to hold my breath on that. I'm just not seeing anything that would cause structural change yet, after all. The mainstream corporate media just doesn't have any real motivation to stop being dramatically more accommodating to the right than the left. The right is trying to promise business like usual and the center left is pushing for fundamental changes to make corporations more, say, patriotic and less profit-oriented.
	__________________ So sayeth the crazy little dragon.

8th January 2021, 10:45 PM	#762
DevilsAdvocate Philosopher Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,257	Originally Posted by acbytesla I'd like to ask Fox News what qualifications did current Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao have outside being the wife of the Senate Majority Leader. Her father founded a major shipping company, Foremost Maritime Corporation. MBA from Harvard Business School. She was Deputy Administrator of the Maritime Administration, Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, and Deputy Secretary of Transportation, all before marrying Mitch. The she was also later U.S. Secretary of Labor.
	__________________ I don't need to fight to prove I'm right. - Baba O'Riley

8th January 2021, 10:53 PM	#763
Delvo Дэлво Δελϝο דֶלְבֹֿ देल्वो Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: North Tonawanda, NY Posts: 9,194	Originally Posted by dudalb Just read about Senator Lisa Murkowski calling for the ouster of Trump and she is questioning her future as a Republican. I hope Biden gets on the phone and offers her a home. She is the kind of centrist Republican the Dems could use. Originally Posted by Mumbles Ehhh...She's really the sort of person a party that rises from the GOP's ashes needs. You know, when they decide on a platform aside from "we hate darkies, tax cuts for the rich". Well, "Republican except for wanting some distance from Trump" is pretty much dudalb's vision for the DP, so you two are agreeing with each other. Originally Posted by Segnosaur Assuming that it will "rise from the ashes" in any sort of realistic time frame. First, it would need to burn down, which hasn't happened yet.
	Last edited by Delvo; 8th January 2021 at 10:55 PM.

8th January 2021, 10:59 PM	#764
DevilsAdvocate Philosopher Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,257	Originally Posted by Captain_Swoop Ted Cruz tweets @tedcruz Really sad. At a time of deep national division, President-elect Biden’s choice to call his political opponents literal Nazis does nothing to bring us together or promote healing. This kind of vicious partisan rhetoric only tears our country apart. It's too late for you to say that, Ted. You fanned the flames of sedition and insurrection that ran through the halls of the United States Capitol. That happened, in part, because of you, Ted. You drove a wedge into the division of this nation when you could. You feign unity and cooperating when it is politically expedient. You strive for manipulation, not healing. You are part of the problem, not part of the solution. If you truly want to heal this nation, resign from the Senate, Ted. Resign from politics. Resign from public life. That is the most you can do to help allowing this country to heal.
	__________________ I don't need to fight to prove I'm right. - Baba O'Riley Last edited by DevilsAdvocate; 8th January 2021 at 11:15 PM.

8th January 2021, 11:18 PM	#765
Pixel42 Schrödinger's cat Join Date: May 2004 Location: Malmesbury, UK Posts: 12,826	Sorry, did Ted Cruz just seriously accuse someone else of "vicious partisan rhetoric"?
	__________________ "If you trust in yourself ... and believe in your dreams ... and follow your star ... you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things" - Terry Pratchett

9th January 2021, 12:21 AM	#766
dudalb Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Sacramento Posts: 49,876	Can we send Cruz back to Canada, please?
	__________________ Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accepts the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay - and claims a halo for his dishonesty. Robert Heinlein.

9th January 2021, 07:35 AM	#767
Blue Mountain Resident Skeptical Hobbit Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Waging war on woo-woo in Winnipeg Posts: 6,388	Originally Posted by dudalb Can we send Cruz back to Canada, please? Fortunately, our border with the States is closed. You can keep him.
	__________________ The social illusion reigns to-day upon all the heaped-up ruins of the past, and to it belongs the future. The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduce them. Gustav Le Bon, The Crowd, 1895 (from the French) Canadian or living in Canada? PM me if you want an entry on the list of Canadians on the forum.

9th January 2021, 02:28 PM	#768
pgwenthold Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 20,039	Originally Posted by Pixel42 Sorry, did Ted Cruz just seriously accuse someone else of "vicious partisan rhetoric"? Yep Hey, hey, hey, can't we all get along? Let's be nice to each other!!! Stolen election.
	__________________ "As your friend, I have to be honest with you: I don't care about you or your problems" - Chloe, Secret Life of Pets

9th January 2021, 06:46 PM	#769
trustbutverify Philosopher Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 8,771	One remarkable thing about about Ted Cruz is he has absolutely no shame whatsoever. For a non-sociopath(I'm assuming), that's unusual.
	__________________ "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." -- Mahatma Gandhi Wollen owns the stage

9th January 2021, 10:44 PM	#770
Venom Illuminator Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: United States Posts: 4,842	Originally Posted by trustbutverify One remarkable thing about about Ted Cruz is he has absolutely no shame whatsoever. For a non-sociopath(I'm assuming), that's unusual. He's a champion college debater isn't he? I'm sure he can wriggle himself out of anything.

9th January 2021, 11:20 PM	#771
dirtywick Master Poster Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 2,838	Originally Posted by Venom He's a champion college debater isn't he? I'm sure he can wriggle himself out of anything. They said he was a huge master.
dirtywick Master Poster Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 2,838

9th January 2021, 11:33 PM	#772
Firestone Proud Award Award recipient Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,920	Not a Sanders fan (not a hater either), but this sounds as good advice for the incoming Biden administration and the slim Democratic majorities in Congress: Quote: Sanders said he's eying a "bold" agenda that includes $2,000 stimulus payments, enhanced unemployment insurance, access to child care, action on climate change, mitigating student debt and investing "very significantly in expanding health care," including by lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60. The Vermont senator urged his colleagues to aim big or risk suffering a repeat of Obama's first midterm election, when Republicans won huge victories in congressional races because, as Sanders tells it, voters "judged that Democrats didn’t do anywhere near enough" to improve their lives. "We have to act with a boldness that we have not seen in this country since FDR," Sanders said. "If we do not, I suspect that in two years we will not be in the majority." https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...ing-u-n1253638 "lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60" is the kind of "simple" measures I like. Go Biden, do it!
	__________________ Countdown The method of science is tried and true. It is not perfect, it's just the best we have. And to abandon it, with its skeptical protocols is the pathway to a dark age. -- Carl Sagan

10th January 2021, 02:38 AM	#773
SteveAitch Scholar Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: St Aines Posts: 77	Well, Vice-President Elect Harris has really made it - she's the answer to a clue in today's Observer, New Review supplement, Everyman cryptic crossword! Who knew her name was an anagram of 'Shark malaria'?

10th January 2021, 09:21 AM	#774
pgwenthold Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 20,039	Originally Posted by Venom He's a champion college debater isn't he? I'm sure he can wriggle himself out of anything. That's the point. He can effectively argue any position, regardless of whether he believes it or not. It's about rhetoric, not principle
	__________________ "As your friend, I have to be honest with you: I don't care about you or your problems" - Chloe, Secret Life of Pets

11th January 2021, 06:34 PM	#775
Captain_Swoop Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 31,336	NRA tweeted @NRA On Friday, Biden pledged to DEFEAT THE NRA. Biden wants to ban our semi-auto rifles, tax our guns/mags & more. He knows the only thing standing in his way to DISMANTLE THE 2ND AMENDMENT is NRA. Gun owners must stay vigilant & be engaged in elections and the legislative process.

11th January 2021, 07:21 PM	#776
Captain_Swoop Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 31,336	Sean Hannity tweets @seanhannity New migrant caravan heading to US days before Joe Biden takes office New migrant caravan heading to US days before Joe Biden takes office \| Gregg Jarrett Just 8 days before Joe Biden is set to be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, a new migrant caravan is forming in Honduras. thegreggjarrett.com

11th January 2021, 07:26 PM	#777
Captain_Swoop Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 31,336	If you say “caravan” three times quickly Fox News appears

11th January 2021, 07:30 PM	#778
gregthehammer Muse Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 705	Originally Posted by Captain_Swoop If you say “caravan” three times quickly Fox News appears No new material? Just the greatest hits? Couldn't we at least get a shiney new box set? This actually should have been in reply to the hannity tweet, I quoted wrong post ��
gregthehammer Muse Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 705	Last edited by gregthehammer; 11th January 2021 at 07:33 PM.

11th January 2021, 07:36 PM	#779
Trebuchet Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Port Townsend, Washington Posts: 30,594	Originally Posted by Captain_Swoop Ted Cruz tweets @tedcruz Really sad. At a time of deep national division, President-elect Biden’s choice to call his political opponents literal Nazis does nothing to bring us together or promote healing. This kind of vicious partisan rhetoric only tears our country apart. Hey Lyin' Ted, your wife is ugly and your daddy killed JFK!
	__________________ Cum catapultae proscribeantur tum soli proscripti catapultas habeant.

15th January 2021, 12:27 AM	#780
Firestone Proud Award Award recipient Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,920	The delicious expected normality of the coming Biden administration means that a $2 trillion relief package barely registers. Quote: President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday night broke sharply with the Trump administration on fighting the coronavirus pandemic, unveiling a new plan for a robust federal role in everything from testing to vaccine delivery. In a speech in Wilmington, Del., Biden, called on Congress to swiftly pass a nearly $2 trillion relief package soon after he takes office, with significant sums directed at expanding testing, accelerating vaccine deployment and safely reopening schools. The bill will also include $1,400-per-person checks to working families, extended unemployment insurance and housing and nutrition aid. As a Belgian, this make me jealous. (The vaccine rollout in Belgium is a disaster, a disgrace, a calamity, an outrage, and I'm being polite.) Quote: The incoming administration envisions setting up vaccination sites in schools, libraries, churches and community centers across the country, a move that public health experts and civil rights groups have been pleading for after a sluggish and uneven initial rollout of the shots. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/0...pansion-459473
	__________________ Countdown The method of science is tried and true. It is not perfect, it's just the best we have. And to abandon it, with its skeptical protocols is the pathway to a dark age. -- Carl Sagan

15th January 2021, 12:32 AM	#781
angrysoba Philosophile Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Osaka, Japan Posts: 28,911	Originally Posted by Firestone Not a Sanders fan (not a hater either), but this sounds as good advice for the incoming Biden administration and the slim Democratic majorities in Congress: "lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60" is the kind of "simple" measures I like. Go Biden, do it! From what I understand, this was what Sanders had argued on his campaign, to lower the age of eligibility for Medicare year by year until everyone was covered.
	__________________ "The thief and the murderer follow nature just as much as the philanthropist. Cosmic evolution may teach us how the good and the evil tendencies of man may have come about; but, in itself, it is incompetent to furnish any better reason why what we call good is preferable to what we call evil than we had before." "Evolution and Ethics" T.H. Huxley (1893)

15th January 2021, 12:37 AM	#782
Firestone Proud Award Award recipient Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,920	Originally Posted by angrysoba From what I understand, this was what Sanders had argued on his campaign, to lower the age of eligibility for Medicare year by year until everyone was covered. Makes too much sense. I expect the US political system will come up with something utterly complicated, that, while an improvement, will allow Republicans to campaign against it without offering an alternative. Hope I'm wrong.
	__________________ Countdown The method of science is tried and true. It is not perfect, it's just the best we have. And to abandon it, with its skeptical protocols is the pathway to a dark age. -- Carl Sagan

15th January 2021, 12:43 AM	#783
Delvo Дэлво Δελϝο דֶלְבֹֿ देल्वो Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: North Tonawanda, NY Posts: 9,194	I was going to wait until after the inauguration to start commenting on Biden's Presidency (and that date would still make a good cutoff time to break off a new thread from this one even if this one isn't long enough by then, just because that'll be when his Presidency really starts), but, since he's already started getting involved, there's no point in waiting to respond to things he's already done. Back when they were still debating & negotiating about the latest "stimulus", there were behind-the-scenes reports about Biden weighing in on the side that wanted to give people as little as they could get away with and had originally started at $0; when it looked like it could be $1200 or $2000, he was one of those who sank it back down to the $600 we got. Then he went to Georgia and told them to elect Democrats if they want 2000. And now he's pushing to sink it to 1400, again trying to squeeze it down as low as he thinks he can get away with by pretending that's really 2000 because the 600 already happened. So he's already not only fighting & striving to do us as little good as possible, but lying to us about intending to do any better and then looking for ways to weasel out of that while saying "Well, technically..." to us and "Did you like that? Did I do good?" to the Republican politicians. So clearly he knows what the people need & want, he knows what wins, and it's the opposite of what he intends to do, all for the great cause of kissing Republican butts and going down in history as the greatest conservative-collaborator ever. Elect a Republican/conservative President, get a Republican/conservative Presidency

15th January 2021, 01:33 AM	#784
Firestone Proud Award Award recipient Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,920	Senator Sanders (I-VT) tweets: "President-Elect Biden's COVID rescue plan will begin to provide our people with much-needed support, such as $2,000 direct payments and a $15 minimum wage. I look forward to working with him and my colleagues in Congress to urgently provide bold relief to working families." https://twitter.com/SenSanders/statu...80150041780227
	__________________ Countdown The method of science is tried and true. It is not perfect, it's just the best we have. And to abandon it, with its skeptical protocols is the pathway to a dark age. -- Carl Sagan

15th January 2021, 01:55 AM	#785
angrysoba Philosophile Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Osaka, Japan Posts: 28,911	Originally Posted by Firestone Senator Sanders (I-VT) tweets: "President-Elect Biden's COVID rescue plan will begin to provide our people with much-needed support, such as $2,000 direct payments and a $15 minimum wage. I look forward to working with him and my colleagues in Congress to urgently provide bold relief to working families." https://twitter.com/SenSanders/statu...80150041780227 Seems pretty good!
	__________________ "The thief and the murderer follow nature just as much as the philanthropist. Cosmic evolution may teach us how the good and the evil tendencies of man may have come about; but, in itself, it is incompetent to furnish any better reason why what we call good is preferable to what we call evil than we had before." "Evolution and Ethics" T.H. Huxley (1893)

15th January 2021, 05:03 AM	#786
SuburbanTurkey Philosopher Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Massachusetts, USA Posts: 7,147	Originally Posted by Delvo I was going to wait until after the inauguration to start commenting on Biden's Presidency (and that date would still make a good cutoff time to break off a new thread from this one even if this one isn't long enough by then, just because that'll be when his Presidency really starts), but, since he's already started getting involved, there's no point in waiting to respond to things he's already done. Back when they were still debating & negotiating about the latest "stimulus", there were behind-the-scenes reports about Biden weighing in on the side that wanted to give people as little as they could get away with and had originally started at $0; when it looked like it could be $1200 or $2000, he was one of those who sank it back down to the $600 we got. Then he went to Georgia and told them to elect Democrats if they want 2000. And now he's pushing to sink it to 1400, again trying to squeeze it down as low as he thinks he can get away with by pretending that's really 2000 because the 600 already happened. So he's already not only fighting & striving to do us as little good as possible, but lying to us about intending to do any better and then looking for ways to weasel out of that while saying "Well, technically..." to us and "Did you like that? Did I do good?" to the Republican politicians. So clearly he knows what the people need & want, he knows what wins, and it's the opposite of what he intends to do, all for the great cause of kissing Republican butts and going down in history as the greatest conservative-collaborator ever. Elect a Republican/conservative President, get a Republican/conservative Presidency Better get a hard hat, those expectations are going to be lowering pretty abruptly. The Biden admin is going to find every excuse to move the goalposts of his campaign promises and there's no way the Democratic party is going to oppose it.
	__________________ Gobble gobble

15th January 2021, 05:05 AM	#787
Darat Lackey Administrator Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: South East, UK Posts: 96,031	Originally Posted by Delvo I was going to wait until after the inauguration to start commenting on Biden's Presidency (and that date would still make a good cutoff time to break off a new thread from this one even if this one isn't long enough by then, just because that'll be when his Presidency really starts), but, since he's already started getting involved, there's no point in waiting to respond to things he's already done. Back when they were still debating & negotiating about the latest "stimulus", there were behind-the-scenes reports about Biden weighing in on the side that wanted to give people as little as they could get away with and had originally started at $0; when it looked like it could be $1200 or $2000, he was one of those who sank it back down to the $600 we got. Then he went to Georgia and told them to elect Democrats if they want 2000. And now he's pushing to sink it to 1400, again trying to squeeze it down as low as he thinks he can get away with by pretending that's really 2000 because the 600 already happened. So he's already not only fighting & striving to do us as little good as possible, but lying to us about intending to do any better and then looking for ways to weasel out of that while saying "Well, technically..." to us and "Did you like that? Did I do good?" to the Republican politicians. So clearly he knows what the people need & want, he knows what wins, and it's the opposite of what he intends to do, all for the great cause of kissing Republican butts and going down in history as the greatest conservative-collaborator ever. Elect a Republican/conservative President, get a Republican/conservative Presidency Do you have evidence for all those claims?
	__________________ I wish I knew how to quit you

15th January 2021, 05:43 AM	#788
Firestone Proud Award Award recipient Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,920	Originally Posted by angrysoba Seems pretty good! Yep. I've said it before, Sanders has been exemplary, fully supportive of Biden, honest about the differences with Biden, since Biden clinched the nomination. Adult politics, quite refreshing.
	__________________ Countdown The method of science is tried and true. It is not perfect, it's just the best we have. And to abandon it, with its skeptical protocols is the pathway to a dark age. -- Carl Sagan Last edited by Firestone; 15th January 2021 at 05:44 AM.

15th January 2021, 05:45 AM	#789
SuburbanTurkey Philosopher Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Massachusetts, USA Posts: 7,147	Originally Posted by Firestone Yep. I've said it before, Sanders has been exemplary, fully supportive of Biden, honest about the differences with Biden, since Biden clinched the nomination. Adult politics, quite refreshing. Despite all the gnashing of teeth from the centrists, Sanders has always been a team player. Attempts were made to paint him as a Trumpian figure, but it was always a baseless smear. The unreliable Democrats aren't lefties, it's conservative freaks like Manchin that we need to worry about.
	__________________ Gobble gobble

15th January 2021, 11:29 AM	#791
turingtest Mistral, mistral wind... Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Embedded, reporting from Mississippi Posts: 4,530	(I wasn't sure where to put this; here seems like as good a place as any) Under the "stupid that burns" heading- Tommy Tuberville, newly elected Senator from Alabama, thinks Biden's inauguration should have been delayed because of COVID-19. (USA Today via MSN): Quote: "We probably could have had a swearing-in and done an inauguration a little later on after we got this virus behind us a little bit. But again, we’re talking about Washington, D.C.,” Tuberville told Birmingham TV station CBS 42. Tommy Tuberville, last summer, attended campaign events in Washington D.C. this week without following coronavirus protocol orders spelled out by the District of Columbia mayor. (AL.com): Quote: "The D.C. Democrat mayor’s order specifically applies only to non-essential travel, and Coach Tuberville was not up there sightseeing,” Shashy [Tuberville's campaign manager] said in the statement. “Coach was working hard to help determine the direction of this nation for the next several years, return some sanity to the U.S. Congress, and make sure Alabama has a U.S. senator who represents Alabama values, not New York values or California values. “If you don’t think those things should be considered essential and important work, then there’s no convincing you otherwise.” Well, there ya go- Covid 19 is a good reason to postpone a Constitutionally-mandated (you might even say "essential and important") inauguration (and, in this particular case, one for which precautions are in effect specifically for Covid), but nothing to pay attention to when it comes to campaigning for a political office. That's a funny sense of "essentials." But, again, we're talking about Tommy Tuberville.
	__________________ I'm tired of the bombs, tired of the bullets, tired of the crazies on TV; I'm the aviator, a dream's a dream whatever it seems Deep Purple- "The Aviator" Life was a short shelf that came with bookends- Stephen King Last edited by turingtest; 15th January 2021 at 11:48 AM. Reason: grammar

15th January 2021, 01:03 PM	#792
Captain_Swoop Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 31,336	Originally Posted by Delvo I was going to wait until after the inauguration to start commenting on Biden's Presidency (and that date would still make a good cutoff time to break off a new thread from this one even if this one isn't long enough by then, just because that'll be when his Presidency really starts), but, since he's already started getting involved, there's no point in waiting to respond to things he's already done. Back when they were still debating & negotiating about the latest "stimulus", there were behind-the-scenes reports about Biden weighing in on the side that wanted to give people as little as they could get away with and had originally started at $0; when it looked like it could be $1200 or $2000, he was one of those who sank it back down to the $600 we got. Then he went to Georgia and told them to elect Democrats if they want 2000. And now he's pushing to sink it to 1400, again trying to squeeze it down as low as he thinks he can get away with by pretending that's really 2000 because the 600 already happened. So he's already not only fighting & striving to do us as little good as possible, but lying to us about intending to do any better and then looking for ways to weasel out of that while saying "Well, technically..." to us and "Did you like that? Did I do good?" to the Republican politicians. So clearly he knows what the people need & want, he knows what wins, and it's the opposite of what he intends to do, all for the great cause of kissing Republican butts and going down in history as the greatest conservative-collaborator ever. Elect a Republican/conservative President, get a Republican/conservative Presidency What is your evidence for this?

15th January 2021, 01:42 PM	#793
Dr. Keith Not a doctor. Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 21,964	When Biden came on TV to give his speech I paid attention for a bit. After a few minutes I told my kids: this is what politics used to be, not the idiotic ramblings of Trump or the careful diction of Obama that you grew up with, just stumbling old white men. It was nostalgic. Somewhere in that Bush/Carter/Reagan soup of blandness that we haven't seen for some time.
	__________________ Suffering is not a punishment not a fruit of sin, it is a gift of God. He allows us to share in His suffering and to make up for the sins of the world. -Mother Teresa If I had a pet panda I would name it Snowflake.

15th January 2021, 01:50 PM	#794
Dread Pirate Roberts Thinker Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 196	Originally Posted by Delvo Then he went to Georgia and told them to elect Democrats if they want 2000. And now he's pushing to sink it to 1400, again trying to squeeze it down as low as he thinks he can get away with by pretending that's really 2000 because the 600 already happened. Maybe I'm just dense today, but how is $600 + $1400 not $2000?

15th January 2021, 04:21 PM	#795
Mader Levap Graduate Poster Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 1,496	Originally Posted by Dread Pirate Roberts Maybe I'm just dense today, but how is $600 + $1400 not $2000? Certain people are butthurt to today that Bernie did not win nomination, ensuring another 4 years of Trump. Expect more nonsense about how Biden is same as Trump and democrats are same as republicans.
	__________________ Sanity is overrated. / Voting for Republicans is morally equivalent to voting for Nazis in early 30's.

16th January 2021, 07:32 AM	#796
Firestone Proud Award Award recipient Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,920	Warren Gunnels, Staff Director for Senator Sanders, about the $1,400-$2,000 "controversy": Quote: The original $908 billion plan had $0 in checks. We fought for $1,200 & ended up with $600, not enough. The House passed the CASH Act boosting it to $2,000. We fought like hell to get it done, the GOP blocked it. Now, Biden included it in his plan. Folks, that's a good start. Boosting checks to $2K is NOT enough. We must cancel student debt, combat climate change, guarantee healthcare, end homelessness & much more. We must be engaged in lots of battles to enact a bold agenda. But the 1st ask was to get to $2K. Let's get it done & fight for more. https://twitter.com/GunnelsWarren/st...33453396865024
	__________________ Countdown The method of science is tried and true. It is not perfect, it's just the best we have. And to abandon it, with its skeptical protocols is the pathway to a dark age. -- Carl Sagan