The Biden Administration and All Things Politics

[str8line]

“Dementia Don” has been trending on Twitter. I’ve been enjoying some of the resulting tweets. I think Democratic operative James Caraville helped start the “Trump has syphilis and dementia” thing. Likely all going up his butt sideways, too. He does have the emotional development of a 5 year old. Imagine a debate with Biden, in which Trump says “I know you are, but what am I?”. I can imagine that from our 5 year old ex. I can imagine seeing an insecure man-child come debate time.


View: https://twitter.com/TTolman/status/1749943631610552603

Donmentia.

 

[str8line]

"Senior Senate Republicans are furious that Donald Trump may have killed an emerging bipartisan deal over the southern border, depriving them of a key legislative achievement on a pressing national priority and offering a preview of what’s to come with Trump as their likely presidential nominee.

In recent weeks, Trump has been lobbying Republicans both in private conversations and in public statements on social media to oppose the border compromise being delicately hashed out in the Senate, according to GOP sources familiar with the conversations – in part because he wants to campaign on the issue this November and doesn’t want President Joe Biden to score a victory in an area where he is politically vulnerable.

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged in a private meeting on Wednesday that Trump’s animosity toward the yet-to-be-released border deal puts Republicans in a serious bind as they try to move forward on the already complex issue. For weeks, Republicans have been warning that Trump’s opposition could blow up the bipartisan proposal, but the admission from McConnell was particularly striking, given he has been a chief advocate for a border-Ukraine package.
Now, Republicans on Capitol Hill are grappling with the reality that most in the GOP are loathe to do anything that is seen as potentially undermining the former president. And the prospects of a deal being scuttled before it has even been finalized has sparked tensions and confusion in the Senate GOP as they try to figure out if, and how, to proceed – even as McConnell made clear during party lunches Thursday that he remains firmly behind the effort to strike a deal, according to attendees.

“I think the border is a very important issue for Donald Trump. And the fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn’t want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is … really appalling,” said GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who has been an outspoken critic of Trump.

He added, “But the reality is that, that we have a crisis at the border, the American people are suffering as a result of what’s happening at the border. And someone running for president not to try and get the problem solved. as opposed to saying, ‘hey, save that problem. Don’t solve it. Let me take credit for solving it later.’”


GOP Sen. Todd Young of Indiana called any efforts to disrupt the ongoing negotiations “tragic” and said: “I hope no one is trying to take this away for campaign purposes.”

“I would encourage (chief Senate GOP negotiator) James Lankford and other conservatives to produce a work product with which they will shortly allow conservatives like myself to review it and take heart that there are a number of us who won’t be looking to third parties and assessing the propriety of passing this bipartisan proposal,” Young said.

Underscoring just how damaging Trump’s comments and campaign to kill the border deal have been in the Senate, one GOP senator on condition of background told CNN that without Trump, this deal would have had overwhelming support within the conference.

“This proposal would have had almost unanimous Republican support if it weren’t for Donald Trump,” the Republican senator said.

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina – who has also been involved in the talks – said he didn’t know if anyone could convince Trump to not kill the deal. But he acknowledged that it would take some “courage” for members to be able to press ahead at this point in defiance of Trump – though Tillis argued it would ultimately be beneficial for Trump for them to pass a border security deal and help address the flow of migrants trying to enter the country.

“I think this is when members of the Senate have to show some courage and do something that at the end of the day will be very helpful for President Trump,” Tillis said.

Asked whether it was a mistake for Trump to be assailing this deal, Tillis said: “I’ll leave it to him to figure out how he needs to get into office. I hope you’ll leave it to some of us who would support that effort to give him the tools he needs to really manage the border and the abuse and the dangerous situation we have today.”

For his part, McConnell – who has had zero relationship with Trump since the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack – downplayed Trump’s opposition saying, “It’s not anything new,” and insisting they were not abandoning the talks.

“We’re still working,” McConnell said. “Trying to get an outcome.”

Sen. John Thune, the no. 2 Senate Republican, said the discussions have reached a critical moment but acknowledged they may need to turn to a “plan B.”

“If we can’t get there, then we’ll go to plan B,” Thune said. “But I think for now at least, there are still attempts being made to try and reach a conclusion that would satisfy a lot of Republicans.”

This is the second time in six years Trump killed or was actively trying to kill a bipartisan immigration deal as it emerged. Back in 2018, Murkowski was part of bipartisan talks over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The bill got 54 votes in the Senate, but not enough to get it over the finish line.

Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, one of the Democrats involved in the border talks, expressed frustration about Trump seeking to inject chaos into the situation.

“I think over the next 24 to 48 hours, they are going to make a decision as to whether they want to do this, or whether the forces surrounding Donald Trump – who want to keep chaos at the border – win,” Murphy said. “So they have a decision to make. I hope they make that decision very quickly. We have an agreement that is 95% written and is ready to get to the floor if Republicans decide that they actually want to solve the problem.”

MSN

 

[fishonjazz]

"Senior Senate Republicans are furious that Donald Trump may have killed an emerging bipartisan deal over the southern border, depriving them of a key legislative achievement on a pressing national priority and offering a preview of what’s to come with Trump as their likely presidential nominee.

In recent weeks, Trump has been lobbying Republicans both in private conversations and in public statements on social media to oppose the border compromise being delicately hashed out in the Senate, according to GOP sources familiar with the conversations – in part because he wants to campaign on the issue this November and doesn’t want President Joe Biden to score a victory in an area where he is politically vulnerable.

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged in a private meeting on Wednesday that Trump’s animosity toward the yet-to-be-released border deal puts Republicans in a serious bind as they try to move forward on the already complex issue. For weeks, Republicans have been warning that Trump’s opposition could blow up the bipartisan proposal, but the admission from McConnell was particularly striking, given he has been a chief advocate for a border-Ukraine package.
Now, Republicans on Capitol Hill are grappling with the reality that most in the GOP are loathe to do anything that is seen as potentially undermining the former president. And the prospects of a deal being scuttled before it has even been finalized has sparked tensions and confusion in the Senate GOP as they try to figure out if, and how, to proceed – even as McConnell made clear during party lunches Thursday that he remains firmly behind the effort to strike a deal, according to attendees.

“I think the border is a very important issue for Donald Trump. And the fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn’t want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is … really appalling,” said GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who has been an outspoken critic of Trump.

He added, “But the reality is that, that we have a crisis at the border, the American people are suffering as a result of what’s happening at the border. And someone running for president not to try and get the problem solved. as opposed to saying, ‘hey, save that problem. Don’t solve it. Let me take credit for solving it later.’”


GOP Sen. Todd Young of Indiana called any efforts to disrupt the ongoing negotiations “tragic” and said: “I hope no one is trying to take this away for campaign purposes.”

“I would encourage (chief Senate GOP negotiator) James Lankford and other conservatives to produce a work product with which they will shortly allow conservatives like myself to review it and take heart that there are a number of us who won’t be looking to third parties and assessing the propriety of passing this bipartisan proposal,” Young said.

Underscoring just how damaging Trump’s comments and campaign to kill the border deal have been in the Senate, one GOP senator on condition of background told CNN that without Trump, this deal would have had overwhelming support within the conference.

“This proposal would have had almost unanimous Republican support if it weren’t for Donald Trump,” the Republican senator said.

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina – who has also been involved in the talks – said he didn’t know if anyone could convince Trump to not kill the deal. But he acknowledged that it would take some “courage” for members to be able to press ahead at this point in defiance of Trump – though Tillis argued it would ultimately be beneficial for Trump for them to pass a border security deal and help address the flow of migrants trying to enter the country.

“I think this is when members of the Senate have to show some courage and do something that at the end of the day will be very helpful for President Trump,” Tillis said.

Asked whether it was a mistake for Trump to be assailing this deal, Tillis said: “I’ll leave it to him to figure out how he needs to get into office. I hope you’ll leave it to some of us who would support that effort to give him the tools he needs to really manage the border and the abuse and the dangerous situation we have today.”

For his part, McConnell – who has had zero relationship with Trump since the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack – downplayed Trump’s opposition saying, “It’s not anything new,” and insisting they were not abandoning the talks.

“We’re still working,” McConnell said. “Trying to get an outcome.”

Sen. John Thune, the no. 2 Senate Republican, said the discussions have reached a critical moment but acknowledged they may need to turn to a “plan B.”

“If we can’t get there, then we’ll go to plan B,” Thune said. “But I think for now at least, there are still attempts being made to try and reach a conclusion that would satisfy a lot of Republicans.”

This is the second time in six years Trump killed or was actively trying to kill a bipartisan immigration deal as it emerged. Back in 2018, Murkowski was part of bipartisan talks over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The bill got 54 votes in the Senate, but not enough to get it over the finish line.

Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, one of the Democrats involved in the border talks, expressed frustration about Trump seeking to inject chaos into the situation.

“I think over the next 24 to 48 hours, they are going to make a decision as to whether they want to do this, or whether the forces surrounding Donald Trump – who want to keep chaos at the border – win,” Murphy said. “So they have a decision to make. I hope they make that decision very quickly. We have an agreement that is 95% written and is ready to get to the floor if Republicans decide that they actually want to solve the problem.”

MSN

Trump wants things to be as bad as possible this year. He wants a horrible economy. He wants wars. He wants a bad border situation. He sucks.

 

[Al-O-Meter]

"Senior Senate Republicans are furious that Donald Trump may have killed an emerging bipartisan deal over the southern border ...

OMFG Democrats are useless. All this article says is that once again the Democrat-controlled Senate is going to fail to do anything and they are looking for someone to blame.

The Democrats have the majority in the Senate. They don’t even need Republicans. If they do want Republicans, there are plenty who hate Trump and would work with Democrats just to spite Trump. Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell hates Trump. There is no way this is really about Trump messing anything up. It is that the Senate is a mess and the party in power asked a friendly media outlet to misdirect away the responsibility.

 

[fishonjazz]

OMFG Democrats are useless. All this article says is that once again the Democrat-controlled Senate is going to fail to do anything and they are looking for someone to blame.

The Democrats have the majority in the Senate. They don’t even need Republicans. If they do want Republicans, there are plenty who hate Trump and would work with Democrats just to spite Trump. Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell hates Trump. There is no way this is really about Trump messing anything up. It is that the Senate is a mess and the party in power asked a friendly media outlet to misdirect away the responsibility.

How large is this democrat majority?
What percentage is needed to get legislation to pass in the Senate?

Sent from my CPH2451 using Tapatalk

 

[Al-O-Meter]

How large is this democrat majority?

The Democrats have an effective 51-49 majority.

What percentage is needed to get legislation to pass on the Senate?

All they need to get something passed is a 50-50 tie because VP Kamala Harris is the tie breaker, but there has to be something to vote on. There is no bill. They were planning to start crafting the bill next week but a new poll from Harvard Caps Harris dropped on Monday. If you've seen quotes from Mitch McConnell saying things had flipped in favor or the R's, that is what he was referring to.

• Immigration is now the top concern for voters, up 7 points since last month to 35% (with inflation at second, 32%).
• 77% of voters believe the Biden administration should make a deal with the Republicans to increase border security – including 65% of Democrats.
• 68% believe the Biden administration should make it tougher to get into the U.S. illegally – including 50% of Democrats.

JANUARY HARVARD CAPS / HARRIS POLL: IMMIGRATION IS NOW VOTERS' TOP CONCERN

/PRNewswire/ -- Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) today released the results of the January Harvard CAPS / Harris poll, a monthly collaboration between the Center for...

www.prnewswire.com

That poll seems to have changed the calculus of the negotiation teams. Now they're not as close as they thought they were last week and the Dems who had been in the press saying a bipartisan bill was imminent appear to be looking for someone to blame when they once again fail to deliver a bill to vote on.

 

[fishonjazz]

The Democrats have an effective 51-49 majority.


All they need to get something passed is a 50-50 tie because VP Kamala Harris is the tie breaker, but there has to be something to vote on. There is no bill. They were planning to start crafting the bill next week but a new poll from Harvard Caps Harris dropped on Monday. If you've seen quotes from Mitch McConnell saying things had flipped in favor or the R's, that is what he was referring to.

• Immigration is now the top concern for voters, up 7 points since last month to 35% (with inflation at second, 32%).
• 77% of voters believe the Biden administration should make a deal with the Republicans to increase border security – including 65% of Democrats.
• 68% believe the Biden administration should make it tougher to get into the U.S. illegally – including 50% of Democrats.

JANUARY HARVARD CAPS / HARRIS POLL: IMMIGRATION IS NOW VOTERS' TOP CONCERN

/PRNewswire/ -- Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) today released the results of the January Harvard CAPS / Harris poll, a monthly collaboration between the Center for...

www.prnewswire.com

That poll seems to have changed the calculus of the negotiation teams. Now they're not as close as they thought they were last week and the Dems who had been in the press saying a bipartisan bill was imminent appear to be looking for someone to blame when they once again fail to deliver a bill to vote on.

Would it be easier or harder to work on a bill if a large portion of those working on the bill were motivated to intentionally make it fail?

Or answer this question: does it please you that a dude who isn't part of our government is trying to influence dudes who are part of our government to make things worse for Americans in order to benefit himself?

Sent from my CPH2451 using Tapatalk

 

[Al-O-Meter]

Would it be easier or harder to work on a bill if a large portion of those working on the bill were motivated to intentionally make it fail?

The answer depends on which party they are in. If the anti-motivated were the Republicans then it wouldn’t matter because the Democrats have enough votes to pass it on their own. If the anti-motivated are a contingent of the Democrats who want to see any increase in border funding go towards advancing the path to citizenship with nothing going to decrease the flow across the border, and polling is released to show that path as unpopular with Americans then the bill goes nowhere.

Or answer this question: does it please you that a dude who isn't part of our government is trying to influence dudes who are part of our government to make things worse for Americans in order to benefit himself?

That is called a lobbyist, and you just described a huge chunk of Washington DC.

 

[fishonjazz]

The answer depends on which party they are in. If the anti-motivated were the Republicans then it wouldn’t matter because the Democrats have enough votes to pass it on their own. If the anti-motivated are a contingent of the Democrats who want to see any increase in border funding go towards advancing the path to citizenship with nothing going to decrease the flow across the border, and polling is released to show that path as unpopular with Americans then the bill goes nowhere.

That is called a lobbyist, and you just described a huge chunk of Washington DC.

Sure if the Democrats get 100% on board. You didn't answer the question though.
Would it be easier or harder to have less people on board? Or phrased another way, is better or worse to have less margin for error/descent?

Trump isn't a lobbyist and holds way more sway with voters who vote for senators. Lobbyists typically use money to influence lawmakers. I don't think trump is paying these dudes.

And also you didn't answer that question either. Both questions required a simple yes or no. So try again but this time use a yes or a no in your response.

Sent from my CPH2451 using Tapatalk

 

[Al-O-Meter]

Sure if the Democrats get 100% on board. You didn't answer the question though.
Would it be easier or harder to have less people on board?

I answered your question directly, and you seemed to understand the answer two seconds before you didn't understand. Not all dissenters are equal. As you pointed out, you need 100% of Democrats on board. If one or two Democrats jump ship then you're sunk. If one or two or *ALL* of the Republicans jump ship then no once cares because it doesn't matter. If they have 51 people then they should be able to get something done. If they don't have 51 people then it isn't a Republican issue or a Trump issue. It is a problem with the Democrats. I simply don't believe your premise of Trump convincing Democrats in the Senate to not author or vote on a bill.

 

[fishonjazz]

I answered your question directly, and you seemed to understand the answer two seconds before you didn't understand. Not all dissenters are equal. As you pointed out, you need 100% of Democrats on board. If one or two Democrats jump ship then you're sunk. If one or two or *ALL* of the Republicans jump ship then no once cares because it doesn't matter. If they have 51 people then they should be able to get something done. If they don't have 51 people then it isn't a Republican issue or a Trump issue. It is a problem with the Democrats. I simply don't believe your premise of Trump convincing Democrats in the Senate to not author or vote on a bill.

You have been programmed to believe that every individual should and will always vote with their tribe. Sad.

And you didn't answer my question. Expected.


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[Red]

One judge upset with the continuing GOP effort to rewrite history. Part of the struggle we are enveloped in involves a conflict over a correct history of events involving the 2020 election. Trump and his party are attempting to write a false history of events describing our recent history. If Trump wins in 2024, will our school history texts need to be rewritten? Will we one day have a national holiday celebrating the 1/6 heroes? Put that way, one can see the present moment seems to include a Republican Party continuing the overthrow of the government that was launched by Trump’s efforts to remain in power. Seems to me the GOP is a party of traitors right now. Deliberately attempting to rewrite our recent history to make Trump appear correct in his version of history. Desperately trying to make sure the Big Lie is seen as the Truth. They should be held to account for this destructive behavior to our democratic institutions. This is what trembling fear of the MAGA base has done to them….That is one hell of a corner to be trapped in….


View: https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1750683190895804495


View: https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1750684479209791625


View: https://twitter.com/joshgerstein/status/1750648151071990182