Biden / Harris Focused Discussion

[YUPPIE]

a bit late, but damn the Republicans were enraged. Like, I don't even have to say or cite anything else other than that.

[Shadowferal]

a bit late, but damn the Republicans were enraged. Like, I don't even have to say or cite anything else other than that.

Faux rage isn't rage.

[Poopymonster]

a bit late, but damn the Republicans were enraged. Like, I don't even have to say or cite anything else other than that.

Yet you will. Ad nauseum. Again.

[Flarelaine]

Real, Republicans made it so hilariously easy to bait them and they just walked into everything. Like, holy shit Biden didn't do anything super impressive or sneaky in his speech, he just opened the door and let them leap through.

I'm not even saying Biden is super smart. But he has been a Capitol Hill operator since 19-fucking-72. Longer than most of these folks have been alive.

[Edge-]

I'm not even saying Biden is super smart. But he has been a Capitol Hill operator since 19-fucking-72. Longer than most of these folks have been alive.

He was making bipartisan deals while many of those Republicans were still swimming around in their daddy's balls, to take a quote from a movie I can't recall off-hand.

He's no great orator and he's not the sharpest with a quip, though he does have them. A lot of the bait was purely written into the speech and he delivered it well enough, but he did have some solid off-script followups. But again, not particularly hard to bait a crowd that largely seemed primed for outbursts already. Though them sitting down in silence multiple times when he responded to their jeers was amusing.

[Flarelaine]

He was making bipartisan deals while many of those Republicans were still swimming around in their daddy's balls, to take a quote from a movie I can't recall off-hand.

He's no great orator and he's not the sharpest with a quip, though he does have them. A lot of the bait was purely written into the speech and he delivered it well enough, but he did have some solid off-script followups. But again, not particularly hard to bait a crowd that largely seemed primed for outbursts already. Though them sitting down in silence multiple times when he responded to their jeers was amusing.

Responses lead me to believe that he does not rely solely on speechwriters and we know he has snark to spare.

And I also think all the memes about Biden (going back to the Obama/Biden memes) also affect his audience whether they want it or not. Some of those are now burnt into the collective consciousness.

[Edge-]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...says-rcna70166

Another high flying object shot down, this time over Alaskan airspace. We'll have to wait to hear more on it. I wonder if Senator Murkowski is going to bitch and moan and complain and whine about this like she apparently did about the last balloon going over Alaska.

[unfilteredJW]

Responses lead me to believe that he does not rely solely on speechwriters and we know he has snark to spare.

And I also think all the memes about Biden (going back to the Obama/Biden memes) also affect his audience whether they want it or not. Some of those are now burnt into the collective consciousness.

Uncle Joe as presented by The Onion will always be my fav Biden memes.

[Paranoid Android]

NEWS:

Senate Dem aides are frustrated with the Biden administration for withholding materials they need to investigate Jared Kushner's Saudi deals, sources tell me.

It's become "unacceptable," Sen Wyden says. It's hampering probe of Trump-Saudi dealings:

Thread.

The deals we make.

So Dems want documents and Biden not willing to produce them into Kuschner and Saudi Arabia. While this thread doesn't lean into it or have evidence this is likely that SA has the US by the balls and just like Kashoggi, if you make Saudi look bad, then no oil for you!

[Breccia]

So Dems want documents and Biden not willing to produce them into Kuschner and Saudi Arabia.

Biden is trying to stay above all this. By doing this, when Comer asks for information on Hunter Biden, he can simply say he's not playing favorites.

[Paranoid Android]

So let's get political with East Palestine, Ohio train disaster. Posting here cause it's bout the politics.

In my post on General chat thread. @Edge had a good post in Palestine thread bout the politics and I want to riff off this.

The Democrats are once again getting out maneuvered on this. The Dems should be everywhere on media talking about how the de-regulation and yes rail workers getting screwed helped contribute. Now in my whole post we are not sure but run with this.

A chance to maybe get Ohio voters on your side is quickly being turned into "It's Biden's fault". Now I do see problems. Buttigieg has been asleep at the wheel and I must say a shit Secretary of Transportation. Biden and part of the strategy should immediately push for the brake regulation and safety and not sure what you can do with the workers, since it's been solved.

The Republicans are completely blaming Biden and Buttigieg for derailment and asking Buttigieg in particular to show up. While yes JD Vance took 10 days, but who cares right.

I'm very much a pessimist and sometimes just feel that much pockets of the country you can't do nothing for them, since they vote against their interest. If I have any hope and this is also pessimistic is the Dems fight back. Of course my narrative has always been the Dems are just the other party that sits there to get kicked in the teeth by Republicans and every once in awhile they win elections, cause people get tired of all the Republican eff ups. Dems never win on policy. Here they should fight for one.

[Edge-]

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-...er-3-trillion/

FACT SHEET: The Congressional Republican Agenda to Increase the Debt by Over $3 Trillion

Eyo this is actually some good shit. It goes point by point, with multiple citations to news reports or Republicans own materials/interviews, backing up each of their claims.

TLDR: Republicans want to continue to blow up the deficit/debt while largely focusing on tax breaks for super-wealthy Americans and corporations, including big-pharma.

The bottom line is: having committed to over $3 trillion in debt increases and also insisted they are committed to reducing the debt, Congressional Republicans owe the American public a complete and transparent accounting of who will foot the bill. Will it be middle-class and working families, seniors, students, or all of the above?

Emphasis not mine, but it's fitting given that Republicans have consistently promised transparency out of this session of the House and we're not getting much of it so far.

[Paranoid Android]

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-...er-3-trillion/



Eyo this is actually some good shit. It goes point by point, with multiple citations to news reports or Republicans own materials/interviews, backing up each of their claims.

TLDR: Republicans want to continue to blow up the deficit/debt while largely focusing on tax breaks for super-wealthy Americans and corporations, including big-pharma.



Emphasis not mine, but it's fitting given that Republicans have consistently promised transparency out of this session of the House and we're not getting much of it so far.

I don't know why so much of the general public believe the Republicans are experts on issues. Republicans are supposedly always know how to handle the budget yet blow it out of the water every time since 1980 at least, when honestly this is when the present day Republicans were born.

So many people are brainwashed into this. Once more I think of these people a good majority just want culture war issues and would burn their house down if we just didn't teach that CRT. But what we called the suburban Republicans who always voted for their interests of money, money, money. Them crying about debt and spending and voting for Republicans is puzzling. Well, of course they do get tax cuts and if other homes burn, they don't care.

[Breccia]

NTSB has preliminary findings on the train wreck in Ohio. Because that's their job.

The preliminary findings from the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) investigation released Thursday came as residents have pushed for answers from officials over the potential health dangers of long-term exposure.

The report was released Thursday as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was visiting the site of the crash.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said during a press conference after the report's release that the board will hold a rare investigative field hearing in East Palestine this spring.

The goal of the hearing will be to inform the public, collect factual information from witnesses, discuss possible solutions and "build consensus for change," Homendy said.

The NTSB said in its report that as the crew slowed the train to inspect cars for a hot axle, an automatic emergency brake application initiated, which may indicate the train experienced a separation during deceleration that disconnected air brake hoses between railcars.

"After the train stopped, the crew observed fire and smoke and notified the Cleveland East dispatcher of a possible derailment," the report reads.
"This was 100 percent preventable," Homendy said during the press conference. "We call things accidents. This is no accident. Every single event we investigate is preventable."

I am neither type of engineer involved in this kind of thing, but, it sounds like the train itself had problems. The crew seems to have been doing their job -- the train was going below the speed limit.

If it sounds like I'm about to propose stronger regulations to prevent, well, Trump from doing photo ops and pretending he's helping, I'll point out Biden's DoT has already done so.

Buttigieg called on Congress to help hold the freight rail industry accountable by increasing the maximum fines that the Transportation Department can issue.

He wants to give the Transportation Department more room to penalize rail companies for violating safety regulations and strengthen rules governing high-hazardous shipments.

The Department of Transportation said rail operators can improve rail safety by joining the Federal Railroad Administration's close-call reporting program.

The department asked companies to deploy new inspection technologies while retaining human inspectors and phasing in safer tank cars before a congressionally mandated 2029 deadline.

It also called on the industry to provide paid sick leave to its workers, which was the issue at the heart of a narrowly averted nationwide rail strike in December.

"Profit and expediency must never outweigh the safety of the American people," Buttigieg said.

So while the person who actually axed train safety regulations and cut FEMA's budget is pretending somehow this is not his fault, Biden's team is actually taking steps to help prevent the next one.

By the way, I don't think Gov. DeWine has declared a state of emergency yet, so anyone thinking of asking "Why isn't Biden helping?" the answer is "states' rights, the thing you claim you value".

[Paranoid Android]

NTSB has preliminary findings on the train wreck in Ohio. Because that's their job.



I am neither type of engineer involved in this kind of thing, but, it sounds like the train itself had problems. The crew seems to have been doing their job -- the train was going below the speed limit.

If it sounds like I'm about to propose stronger regulations to prevent, well, Trump from doing photo ops and pretending he's helping, I'll point out Biden's DoT has already done so.



So while the person who actually axed train safety regulations and cut FEMA's budget is pretending somehow this is not his fault, Biden's team is actually taking steps to help prevent the next one.

By the way, I don't think Gov. DeWine has declared a state of emergency yet, so anyone thinking of asking "Why isn't Biden helping?" the answer is "states' rights, the thing you claim you value".

Just stay on the offensive politically. I admit this may just be an accident, something that all the precautions and it still happened. Eff that! Keep on offensive about stronger built tanks for chemicals, the carrying of hazardous chemicals, breaks for any future prevention and maybe some law for how many people needed each train.

All I wrote about above are reasonable rules before, so get some Nutz Democrats.

[Milchshake]

Naw, the best thig about Biden's team, is they dont listen to the internet. Online pundits and their fans have incurable Protagonist Syndrome. They veer from being fungus experts, to troposphere balloon scientists, to now rail safety engineers.

But honestly if I learned anythig over the past few years. It's some people just purposely seek out brains-wroms and conspirarcy theories on the internet. They're the bread and butter for grifters like Alex Jones or a David Sirota.

[Paranoid Android]

The EPA is ordering Norfolk Southern to conduct and pay for the cleanup of contamination from the Ohio train derailment. If the company fails to complete any actions ordered by EPA, the agency will conduct the work, and then seek to compel Norfolk Southern to pay triple the cost

https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/162...JmXBF3gxw&s=19

Vid embedded.

There you go Pete! Go on the offensive. He also attacked Trump on deregulation in another episode.

Buttigieg on MSNBC on irony of Trump going to East Palestine: "You water down regulations, you weaken the power of the administration to deal with freight railroad companies, & then you show up wanting to be a great friend of the people who have been impacted by a rail disaster."

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1...N5kXnt6FQ&s=19

[Breccia]

Biden returns to the US, takes one step off the plane onto American soil, and announces a wide spread of sanctions and tariffs against Russia for being genocidal bastards.

In addition to individuals and banks being hit, the big targets include Russia's mining industry. Biden plans to raise tariffs on "metals, minerals and chemical products" from Russia imported into the US.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Biden can't raise taxes as a punishment like that!"

(points at Trump, China, and steel) You were saying? Anyone who pushes back against Biden using tariffs in this way had better quote the post where they took issue with Trump doing the same thing, not for genocide/rape/murder, but for being better at business than he was. Failure to include such a quote will invalidate the outrage as it will be proven false.

"But you were against Trump raising tariffs on Chinese steel. That means you oppose this move too!"

Nope. I support the death penalty for someone currently in the act of murder/attempted murder, such as self defense. I oppose the death penalty for shoplifting a candy bar. There's not much more evil a country can be than "invading a sovereign country just because we feel like it" and penalties are due. Yes, this is going to fuck up some supply chains, I get that. But I would rather pay the high prices than support a dictator committing genocide. Not even a hard call.

Biden also said he was working with G7 so it might not just be us doing this.

[Breccia]

In the ongoing hypocrisy of Republicans calling out Biden for the train wreck, House Democrats introduce a bill that would tighten regulations, specifically, widen the definition of hazardous flammable materials to "that shit in East Palestine should have counted".

Evidently, DeWine specifically asked for this.

The House is Republican-controlled. If this passes the House, and avoids a filibuster in the Senate, then we can take Republican outrage at the situation as genuine. If Biden signs it, I'll even say that's basically an admission this should have been done earlier.

But!

(a) it will also be admission that even Republicans think Trump deregulating the rail industry to make events like this one more likely, and that such is wrong, and
(b) The House was GOP-led for a while now. A bill didn't appear on Biden's desk on this topic, because the House GOP didn't see a need for one either. If Biden signing the bill is any form of admission of responsibility, it splashes onto the Republican Party just as much.

We'll see where this bill goes, but uh...I'm expecting some hastily-contrived reasons for Republicans to say "I'm against train wrecks that spill volatile hazardous waste...but you have to understand--" at which point, Biden gets a retroactive pass.

[Breccia]

Gasoline prices are down 6% year over year.

Thanks, Biden.

"What did Biden do?"

He took all the blame from Republicans when prices were up. So, I'm giving him the credit when they drop. It's both or neither. Sorry. I don't make the rules.