The Era of rivalry, Biden vs. Trump and their respective parties

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by Sandy Shanks, Jul 31, 2022.

  1. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    It would appear that the more trouble Trump has with the law and lawsuits -- inciting the Jan. 6 attack on our capital, theft of classified documents, interference in Georgia's 2020 elections, a criminal indictment for paying off a porn star, and found guilty of sexual assault -- the more popular he becomes.

    His popularity as the Republican nominee for the Presidency is increasing.

    A conclusion one may infer from all of this is, many, but not all, loyal members of Trump's cult are anarchists and wish to weaken our government.


    These voters made Trump our President in 2016 with disastrous results domestically and on the foreign front while adding $7.8 trillion to our National Debt. On Jan. 6, 2021, President Trump organized the attack on our capital. Upon leaving office, Trump took home classified documents, breaking several of our laws in the process.

    Since then, he has gotten more popular with grassroots Republicans as several polls show. He is the leader of the Republican Party, and the leading Republican candidate for President.

    The forum's Republicans know all this, which explains their silence.

    They do not talk about Trump!
     
  2. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    Sandy Shanks said:
    The debt limit crisis is looming. The President wants Congress to allow him to pay the country's current bills such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veteran's benefits, and as well as other obligations to the American people.

    Republicans are not allowing this. They want to address future spending with a Republican House bill that approves the debt limit increase but guts many of the President's programs and has no chance of becoming law.

    *******************************************************************************************************************************************************

    ABC reports, "After dozens of standoffs with Congress over government spending in recent decades, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday that in her opinion, the United States should adopt a different system for national finances.

    "Emphasizing that it was her own opinion, not President Joe Biden's, Yellen said there are various alternatives for avoiding situations where the Treasury lacks the funds to pay its bills.

    "In January, the U.S. government ran up against its legal borrowing limit of $31.381 trillion, and the Treasury Department began implementing “extraordinary measures” to avoid missing payments on its bills.

    "It's a predicament that has occurred nearly 80 times since 1960, she said. The Treasury Department has warned the U.S. could default as soon as June 1 if there is no deal."

    “Personally, I think we should find a different system for deciding on fiscal policy,” Yellen said when asked about the issue. Congress could repeal the debt ceiling or handle it differently. The president could decide to raise the debt ceiling and inform Congress, which could vote to override that decision, and the president could veto that, and it would take a supermajority of two-thirds of Congress to override the veto.
     
  3. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    The Biden economy keeps on firing despite the threat of default by Republicans. We have virtual full employment, the lowest unemployment in six decades, and robust spending.

    What more could one ask? American workers answer that question.

    CNN reports, "No job will ever be perfect.

    "But a new survey released by The Conference Board on Thursday found that US employees’ job satisfaction overall is the highest it has ever been since the survey began in 1987.

    "Two key reasons for the record satisfaction level, according to Conference Board researchers: A tighter labor market, which has meant employees can command better pay, benefits and working conditions; and greater flexibility in work arrangements.

    Just over 62% of survey respondents indicated overall satisfaction with their jobs, a 2.1 percentage point increase over the prior year’s survey and a 5 percentage point jump over that recorded in 2020.
     
  4. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    "President Trump famously declared during his 2016 campaign that he loved the “poorly educated” because voters with lower levels of schooling delivered an overwhelming share of votes to him," the conservative Washington Times.

    As Trump lied his way through the town hall meeting in New Hampshire in front of a largely Republican audience, he acted like a complete jerk.

    Republican voters loved it. He cemented himself as the leader of the party, and, no doubt, increased his commanding lead as the Republican nominee for President in 2024.


    Those Republican voters on this forum are likely to continue their silence on the issues. As shown, they do not have the background to respond, but they want to choose our next President just as they did in 2016 with disastrous results.

    It is hard to accept that Trump was once our President. He was that disgusting. The more disgusting Trump became, the more his fans adored him.

    Democrats, however, were cheering. They are praying Trump is the Republican candidate for President in 2024.

    CNN provided an analysis of the disastrous evening.

    "It’s hard to see how America was served by the spectacle of lies that aired on CNN Wednesday evening.

    "Kaitlan Collins is as tough and knowledgeable of an interviewer as they come. She fact-checked Trump throughout the 70-minute town hall. Over and over and over again, she told him that the election was not stolen. That it was not rigged. That there was no evidence for the lies he was disseminating on stage.

    "Trump frequently ignored or spoke over Collins throughout the evening as he unleashed a firehose of disinformation upon the country, which a sizable swath of the GOP continues to believe. A professional lie machine, Trump fired off falsehoods at a rapid clip while using his bluster to overwhelm Collins (like a complete jerk. Trump has no class, which is why his fans adore him. That is obvious from the audience's reaction to Trump).

    "Trump said the US should default on its debt if the White House does not agree to Republican spending cuts (which is contrary to his administration in every way), refused to say whether he wants Ukraine or Russia to win the war, and declined to give a straight answer on abortion."

    I could go on, but what is the point?
     
  5. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    What exactly does McCarthy want? Is he interested in getting spending cuts, or does he want to lead this country over the cliff if he doesn't get his way?

    NPR reports, "President Biden will not meet with congressional leaders Friday to discuss the debt ceiling as planned, according to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's office.

    "Biden was set to meet McCarthy, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at the White House to continue talks on lifting the nation's debt limit, which expires as soon as early June. An meeting on Tuesday ended with no resolution.

    "McCarthy's office said Friday that he, Biden and the other leaders agreed that their staffs should continue to meet.

    "A source familiar with the meetings told NPR that Biden and the congressional leaders postponed their gathering because did not want interrupt the progress that was being made."
     
  6. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    What exactly does McCarthy want? Is he interested in getting spending cuts, or does he want to lead this country over the cliff if he doesn't get his way?

    If Republicans stay out of the way of our President's economy, it is unlikely we will have a recession any time soon.

    CNN Business reports, "Economic experts are once again ringing the alarm bells over an imminent downturn. A US recession is coming, they say, in the second half of 2023. That time frame begins less than three weeks from now.

    "JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warned on Thursday of great economic danger lurking just over the horizon. Given the risks that lie ahead, he told Bloomberg news, “I would take a mild recession happily.”

    "Billionaire investor Stan Druckenmiller didn’t mince his words this week at the Sohn Investment Conference. A hard landing is coming, he cautioned, and “it’s just naive not to be open-minded to something really, really bad happening.”

    'For more than a year CEOs, economists, analysts and their kind have been warning of an imminent economic downturn, The economy, meanwhile, has remained relatively resilient through it all.

    "Things weren’t great last year: Inflation hit a 40-year peak, gas prices were elevated, consumer sentiment plunged and markets fell by 20%. Still, the United States managed to avoid a recession.

    “This has been the most predicted potential recession in memory,” said Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Tom Barkin way back in January."
     
  7. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    Maybe there is progress in the talks over the debt ceiling crisis, while it is unclear what the President is negotiating over. Is it a recently passed bill in the House that has no chance of becoming law and guts his administration if it did?

    Don't expect an answer from the forum's Republicans. They have gone silent.

    CNN reports, "After a week of meetings on the debt ceiling, Congress, the White House and the country still do not have a clear path forward to avoid a cataclysmic default with just four days when both the House and Senate are scheduled to be in session before June 1, when the US could default on its obligations. On one hand, it looks like this could go to the brink. On the other, there have been pockets of progress over the intervening days and signs that some of the most stringent and hardened positions negotiators have been echoing over the last three months are slowly beginning to soften."
     
  8. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    Paul Begala writes, "More than 400,000 Americans died from Covid-19 during the Trump presidency. 2.9 million Americans lost their jobs while former President Donald Trump was in the White House. Opioid deaths skyrocketed, and the national debt exploded by $7 trillion during Trump’s tenure.

    "But in the CNN town hall, Trump told us who the real victim of this era is: Donald Trump.

    "From the opening question to his last comment, Trump whined, griped and complained. It was an airing of grievances that will doubtless thrill his MAGA base, but may well motivate anti-Trump voters just as much. And there’s little indication he did enough to win over independent voters.

    "This was vintage Trump: whining about the election he lost, grumbling about being indicted in New York, moaning about the jury that found him liable for the civil offense of sexual abuse and defamation. He used the first-person pronoun in nearly every sentence, sounding like a tenor warming up for the opera: “Me, me, me, me, meeeeee.”

    "He failed to acknowledge the very real pain felt by so many Americans – including the millions who voted for him."
     
  9. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    The [Republican] Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday [4/21/2020] reaffirmed its support for the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/...rms-russia-aimed-to-help-trump-in-2016-198171

    However, a Trump appointee, special counsel, John Durham, differs with the intelligence community and the three-year investigation by the Republican Senate Intelligence Committee. Durham thinks the FBI was too zealous in its investigation of Trump and his election committee.

    ABC reports, "In a long-awaited report, special counsel John Durham slams the FBI for actions agents took during the 2016 probe scrutinizing then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and it alleged ties to Russia.

    "Durham's final report examining the origins of the Russia investigation brings to a close a four-year probe that failed to produce any major convictions despite the expectations pushed by Trump and his allies.

    'The Justice Department and FBI "failed to uphold their important mission of strict fidelity to the law," Durham concluded in the 306-page report."

    Note: Whatever the hell that means. Republicans are skilled at meaningless generalities that lack specifics.

    ABC continued, "Some of the FBI's most controversial actions were largely based on since-debunked allegations provided by former British spy Christopher Steele."

    Note: It comes as no surprise the that Trump appointee would attack the Steele Dossier. When defending Trump, Republicans harp on the dossier. It is certainly reasonable that the FBI would investigate the allegations made in the Steele document.

    The Steele Dossier is not mentioned in the Mueller Report, the intelligence report, the Republican Senate Intelligence Committee, and the two impeachments of President Trump. As stated, it is only mentioned by Republicans defending Trump, meaning Durham as well.


    "Our investigation ... revealed that senior FBI personnel displayed a serious lack of analytical rigor toward the information that they received, especially information received from politically affiliated persons and entities," Durham wrote in his report.

    Durham did not suggest any malfeasance, any personnel changes, and not even a slap on the wrist.

    "In his report, however, Durham seems to reject the idea that the FBI should add new rules or training to remediate any potential future wrongdoing," ABC added.

    Being that he was appointed by the President who was the subject of the investigations and subsequent reports, Durham did all he could do.

    Basically, Durham criticized the investigation, but he did not criticize the results of the investigation as the reports from the Republican Senate Committee and intelligence show.
     
  10. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    Texas has a real problem. Do the Republican governor and Republican legislature even care? It would seem that they don't. Abbott recently stated that the many murders in the state are caused by mental illness.

    "Beginning September 1, 2021, HB1927 made it legal in Texas for most people 21 or over to carry a handgun in a holster without a permit both openly and/or concealed. This law modified the previous open carry law from 2016 by eliminating the requirement to have a license to carry, austintexas.gov. Note: most guns are purchased from "private sellers," meaning no background check.

    Texas is home to slightly more than 6,000 gun sellers. That’s more than twice as many as any other state.
    Texas also led the U.S. in estimated minimum gun sales from 2017 to 2020, and was first in most major categories of licensed gun sales. Texas also has had more people killed in mass shootings than any other state, and the second-highest number of people killed in a single mass shooting, behind Nevada, The Dallas Morning News.

    ABC reports, "A 12-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man have been arrested in the fatal shooting of a Sonic Drive-In employee in Texas, police said. Matthew Davis, 32, was shot and killed Saturday night as he fought with Angel Gomez in the parking lot. The boy was at the restaurant with Gomez and shot Davis several times after taking the gun from Gomez’s vehicle, according to a police statement. The boy used an AR-style rifle in the shooting."

    CNN reports, "A mother in Dallas, Texas, was going to pick up a prom dress with her daughter when she was fatally shot by a stray bullet – just a day before Mother’s Day. Ana Moreno, 39, was driving with her teenage daughter when she was struck by the bullet at around 4 p.m. Saturday, the Dallas Police Department said in a statement. Individuals in two other vehicles had been shooting at each other while driving, police said. Three men were also shot in the incident and were in critical condition at local hospitals as of Sunday, police said."

    The debt limit crisis is looming. The President wants Congress to allow him to pay the country's current bills such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veteran's benefits, and as well as other obligations to the American people. Future spending is created in budgetary talks and is not an issue in paying current obligations, an axiom that has been true for 65 years and the past 78 debt limit increases.

    Republicans are not allowing this. They want to address future spending with a Republican House bill that approves the debt limit increase but guts many of the President's programs and has no chance of becoming law.

    A Republican-caused U.S. default would be catastrophic on several fronts and would impact every American in a tragic sense.

    Is this the Republican idea of leadership?

    Strangely enough, the forum's Republicans will be silent on the issues contained in this report. While responsible for the Republican government in Austin and the Republican-led House, they don't have the background to deal with these issues.
     
  11. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    With Republicans, it is all talk and no walk.

    To make bold headlines and promises they can't keep, they love to make accusations against Democrats they will prove later. In the process, they make complete fools of themselves.

    CNN reports, "An IRS whistleblower who claims to have information about alleged mishandling and political interference in the ongoing criminal probe into Hunter Biden has been removed from the investigation into the president’s son, attorneys for the whistleblower have told key congressional lawmakers.

    "Attorneys for the whistleblower sent a letter on Monday to a series of House and Senate Committee chairmen informing them of the change, adding that the whistleblower’s investigative team has also been taken off the case."

    "Hold on a second, Congressman," Bartiromo said. "Did you just say that the whistleblower or the informant is now missing?"

    "Well, we're hopeful that we can find the informant," Comer said, explaining the informant was in the "spy business" and "they don't make a habit of being seen a lot.
     
  12. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    Still another example of Republican leadership.

    CNN reports, "House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is facing fresh pressure from within his ranks – including from key allies and top lieutenants – to launch impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, multiple sources tell CNN, putting the speaker in a bind as he tries to show they’re taking aggressive action on the border without alienating the party’s moderate, so-called majority makers.

    "GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has long called to remove Mayorkas from office over problems at the southern border, met with McCarthy on Monday to make her case for why the House GOP should pursue impeachment now that Title 42 has lifted, even though the expiration of the pandemic public health emergency policy – which allowed migrants to be turned away at the border – did not produce the surge that officials had expected.

    “There’s a lot of renewed interest,” Greene, an influential McCarthy ally, told CNN.

    "House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a top deputy on McCarthy’s leadership team, called for the impeachment of Mayorkas for the first time publicly on Friday – a sign that the movement is growing from the fringe to the mainstream of the GOP.

    "House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, whose committee would be tasked with launching impeachment proceedings, and GOP leadership have an understanding that the impeachment of Mayorkas is inevitable, a source familiar with leadership’s thinking told CNN, and members on the Judiciary Committee have recently discussed the prospect of impeachment."

    Just one question.

    What "high crimes or misdemeanors" are the Republicans going to charge Mayorkas with?

    Republicans, can you answer that question? The link is provided.

    https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/16/politics/alejandro-mayorkas-impeachment-pressure-campaign/index.html
    It’s exceedingly rare for a Cabinet secretary to be impeached, something that has only happened once in US history when William Belknap, the secretary of war, was impeached by the House before being acquitted by the Senate in 1876.
     
  13. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    CNN reports, "Timothy Parlatore, an attorney for Donald Trump who played a key role in the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation and once testified before the grand jury, is leaving the former president’s legal team, two sources familiar with the exit tell CNN.

    "Parlatore’s departure became official Tuesday, though it had been rumored for several weeks among the former president’s inner circle. The high-profile departure comes as special counsel Jack Smith appears to be in the final stretch of investigations into the possible mishandling of classified documents and efforts to obstruct the 2020 election."

    It would appear that the special counsel has been in the "final stretch" for the past several months.

    Trump once claimed that, as President, he could declassify documents by thinking about it. He also claims that when he took the documents home they were defacto declassified.

    Perhaps the special counsel is concerned about a possible defense Trump's lawyers might use. That defense would be that Trump is stupid and is not responsible for his incredibly stupid actions and statements.

    Judging from the town hall meeting, they may have a point.
     
  14. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    Republicans remain totally silent!

    Texas has a real problem. Do the Republican governor and Republican legislature even care? It would seem that they don't. Abbott recently stated that the many murders in the state are caused by mental illness.

    "Beginning September 1, 2021, HB1927 made it legal in Texas for most people 21 or over to carry a handgun in a holster without a permit both openly and/or concealed. This law modified the previous open carry law from 2016 by eliminating the requirement to have a license to carry, austintexas.gov. Note: most guns are purchased from "private sellers," meaning no background checks.

    This is what happens under Republican leadership.

    According to CNN, five of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in America over the past eight years have been in Texas, the latest occurring in Allen in early May when a gunman fired an AR-15-style rifle at a crowded outlet mall, killing eight people and injuring at least seven others. The number of mass shootings in Texas is no coincidence given the sheer number of guns in the hands of the public.

    ABC reports, "A 12-year-old boy shot a Sonic Drive-In employee in Texas several times. The boy used an AR-style rifle in the shooting."

    CNN reports, "A mother in Dallas, Texas, was going to pick up a prom dress with her daughter when she was fatally shot.

    "A 1-year-old boy is expected to survive after he was accidentally shot by his 4-year-old brother at their home in Texas on Tuesday afternoon, authorities said," ABC

    The President wants Congress to allow him to pay the country's current bills such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veteran's benefits, and as well as other obligations to the American people.

    Republicans are not allowing this. They want to address future spending with a Republican House bill that approves the debt limit increase but guts many of the President's programs and has no chance of becoming law.

    Congress has increased or suspended the debt limit unconditionally 78 times since 1960 under both Republican and Democratic administrations, three times under Trump. Without a war or a recession, $7.8 trillion was added to the National Debt during the Republican administration of Donald Trump.

    States governed by Republicans have enacted laws in which the government is in control of a woman's health if she is pregnant.

    According to the Times, Republican Representative George Santos of New York was charged last week in a 13-count federal indictment. Republicans voted to refer the resolution to expel Mr. Santos to the House Ethics Committee, virtually killing the resolution. Republicans refuse to expel the criminally indicted congressman.

    "Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican-controlled Legislature and a rapidly growing network of conservative groups aligned to pass three state laws last year aimed at banning books used in libraries and classrooms," Times

    Is this the Republican idea of leadership?

    As proof that Republicans are inept at leadership, Republicans are equally inept at responding to reality as displayed here.
     
  15. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    Is this the Republican idea of leadership?

    A conservative judge appointed by a Republican President challenged the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortion. Although it was safer than penicillin or Viagra and has been in use for over 20 years, the Republican judge banned its use nationally.

    Of course, he was overturned, but that is hardly the point.

    Republicans want to control the lives of Americans. As shown, their decisions prove it.

    That's the point.
     
  16. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    DeSantis targeted Disney after the company publicly criticized a controversial Florida bill — dubbed “Don't Say Gay” by critics — that limits discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms.

    Even Republicans are saying that is not very bright. For the people of Florida, the chickens have come home to roost.

    The Post reports, "Disney has scuttled a Florida office construction project that would have been worth nearly $1 billion amid an ongoing feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

    "The Lake Nona Town Center project was expected to bring about 2,000 jobs to Orange County, Fla., enabled by a state tax credit. But Disney is now telling California-based staffers they will no longer have to relocate."

    A spokesman for DeSantis said Disney has fallen on hard times.

    “Given the company’s financial straits, falling market cap and declining stock price, it is unsurprising that they would restructure their business operations and cancel unsuccessful ventures,” Jeremy Redfern said.

    Other American companies would love to have Disney's "problems."

    "Disney in its most recently completed quarter reported revenue of $21.8 billion, up 13 percent year-over-year. The division that includes Walt Disney World and other theme parks saw particularly strong growth of 17 percent for the quarter. Disney’s stock price is down about 10 percent from a year ago," Post.

    Florida Republicans passed a bill that targets transgender persons. It limits discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms.

    While we are on the subject, what do Republicans have against transgender persons? Nationally, there are roughly one million adults who are transgender, and Republicans are treating them as though they were a national security threat. I don't get it.

    I don't expect an answer from the forum Republicans. They don't talk much.

    "President Trump famously declared during his 2016 campaign that he loved the “poorly educated” because voters with lower levels of schooling delivered an overwhelming share of votes to him," the conservative Washington Times.

    Maybe that is why.

    Is this the Republican idea of leadership?
     
  17. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    It is getting dicey with the debt limit thing, and our President has duties elsewhere. Currently, he is in Japan for the G-7 Summit.

    The Post reports, "Top aides to President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) continued negotiating directly over the debt ceiling and the federal budget Wednesday, but Democrats in both chambers of Congress started pushing for unilateral options that could head off a catastrophic default without the need for talks with Republicans, a sign of growing anxiety among liberal lawmakers over the contours of a possible deal.

    "Even as Biden and McCarthy expressed some optimism about resolving the debt ceiling standoff before the deadline — which could be as soon as June 1 — efforts were underway on Capitol Hill to put together alternative plans.

    "Some Senate Democrats were circulating a letter urging Biden to prepare to invoke the 14th Amendment to resolve the debt ceiling standoff without involving Congress.

    "The 14th Amendment states “the validity of the public debt, authorized by law … shall not be questioned.”

    "Lawmakers may have just days to raise the nation’s borrowing limit. If the cap isn’t raised by the time the Treasury Department runs out of available cash, the nation risks default, which would probably cause a global economic shock that could send the United States into a recession.

    "The House Freedom Caucus said it’s calling on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to suspend his negotiation on raising the debt limit with the White House and instead focus on getting the House-passed “Limit, Save, Grow Act” through the Senate.

    There should be no further discussion until the Senate passes the legislation,” a statement from the Republican group said."

    Is this the Republican idea of leadership?
     
  18. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    Speaking on Fox News’ “Hannity, “There doesn’t have to be a process, as I understand it,” Trump said. “You’re the president of the United States, I can declassify just by saying it’s declassified, even by thinking about it.”

    DeSantis targeted Disney after the company publicly criticized a controversial Florida bill — dubbed “Don't Say Gay” by critics — that limits discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms. "Disney has scuttled a Florida office construction project that would have been worth nearly $1 billion amid an ongoing feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)."

    Is this the Republican idea of leadership?

    Democrats can breathe easy. The best the Republican Party can come up with for President in 2024 is Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump.
     
  19. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    On Thursday, McCarthy expressed optimism about ending the debt limit crisis.

    Later on Thursday,"The House Freedom Caucus said it’s calling on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to suspend his negotiation on raising the debt limit with the White House and instead focus on getting the House-passed “Limit, Save, Grow Act” through the Senate.

    There should be no further discussion until the Senate passes the legislation,” a statement from the Republican group said."

    The following day, McCarthy changed his mind.

    CNBC reports, "High-stakes talks over raising the debt limit paused at midday when Republican negotiators walked out of the room and blamed the White House for holding up discussions.

    "As the White House presses for a debt limit hike that would push the next deadline past the 2024 presidential election, Republicans are insisting on a spending cap for next year that goes beyond a freeze on the current topline number, and actually rolls government spending back to 2022 levels."

    Put another way, House Republicans are making demands that will cause our nation to default on its obligations, including obligations to the American people. The backlash against Republicans in the media was so harsh that McCarthy changed his mind again.

    CNBC continued, "High-stakes talks over raising the debit limit will continue Friday evening, said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy."

    The forum's Republicans know their party is doing enormous harm to the U.S. They seem proud of that fact for some reason.

    It is why they do not respond.
     
  20. Independent4ever

    Independent4ever Well-Known Member

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    Both parties are doing egregious harm to the US and many partisans are proud of it
     
  21. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    That is so typically Republican. Ignore the realities expressed in this thread or the report you responded to, and then make an accusation you cannot substantiate.

    The old Republican "everybody does it" meme.
     
  22. Independent4ever

    Independent4ever Well-Known Member

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    and you comment is the usual partisan BS - and the usual, someone isn't defending the libs, he must be a Republican BS.
     
  23. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    It isn't the first time Trump's big mouth got him in trouble. This time, not unlike each time before, his dumbass statement may cost him an election. Trump has never won the popular vote in an election. Last time out, he lost to Biden by over seven million votes.

    His many fans think he is a winner, but they don't talk about him as evidenced by this thread.

    Now this.

    CNN reports, "I’m the one that got rid of Roe v. Wade,” former President Donald Trump boasted Tuesday on Newsmax. He cited his appointment of three Supreme Court justices who last June joined three other conservatives in overturning the 50-year decision guaranteeing abortion rights.

    "The problem: two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the court’s rejection of a right to abortion, and many independent and even some Republican voters have shown repeatedly that they will side with Democrats on the issue.

    "In a general election, a strong anti-abortion stance can be a real nightmare. Trump — who has dodged questions about whether he would support a national ban on abortion — admitted as much by saying that his strongest GOP rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed a bill banning most abortions after six weeks, is “losing women voters like crazy.”

    No one ever said he was bright.

    CNN continued, "Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said Sunday he doesn’t think Donald Trump would be able to win a general election, pointing to the GOP’s disappointing performance in last year’s midterm elections when several candidates endorsed by the former president went down to defeat.

    “The president’s kind of high-profile endorsement of those candidates actually hurt those candidates, at least in the general election. So if past is prologue, that means President Trump is going to have a hard time in those swing states, which means that he cannot win a general election,” Cassidy said.

    Democrats are overjoyed that the best Republicans can offer for the Presidency in 2024 is Trump and DeSantis.
     
  24. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    As the fight continues over the debt ceiling, Republicans need to ask themselves a question.

    On any particular issue, the Senate normally takes the lead. Senators have six-year terms -- as compared to members of the House with two years -- and Senators have far more power than congressmen.

    So, why are Republican Senators sitting this one out?

    The Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell admitted in a live interview that he is taking a backseat to McCarthy and House Republicans, including the far-right Freedom Caucus.

    On Thursday,"The House Freedom Caucus said it’s calling on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to suspend his negotiation on raising the debt limit with the White House and instead focus on getting the House-passed “Limit, Save, Grow Act” through the Senate.

    There should be no further discussion until the Senate passes the legislation,” a statement from the Republican group said.

    Republican Senators remain curiously quiet about the debt limit crisis, except for McConnell who said the U.S. would not default on its obligations.

    McConnell is an extremely shrewd and highly experienced politician. What he is doing is very uncharacteristic of him. Ordinarily, he doesn't take a backseat to anyone, including the President.

    But he is here. Why?

    Could it be that holding the American and global economy hostage over budgetary matters is an extremely unpopular position and is doomed to fail?

    All the Democratic President wants to do is be able to pay our bills. Spending is not involved. Paying our bills is money already spent, much like a credit card statement.

    Who will American voters blame for the grief we are experiencing now?

    Who will American voters blame if the U.S. defaults?


    You get my point. McConnell wants nothing to do with what House Republicans are doing.
     
  25. Sandy Shanks

    Sandy Shanks Banned

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    Republican Senators are not talking, and neither are the forum's Republicans. That is a sure sign they know that what House Republicans are doing will cause serious damage to their party.

    But Democratic Senators are speaking up.

    ABC reports, "Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Sunday argued that House Republicans, led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, had created an "insane situation" as the White House negotiates with lawmakers on raising the nation's debt ceiling to avoid a potentially disastrous default.

    "What we have right now is Speaker McCarthy and MAGA House Republicans saying that they're going to push the default detonator and blow up our economy if they don't get their way," Van Hollen, D-Md., told ABC "This Week.".

    All this is not unlike a thief holding a gun to a man's head and saying, "Okay, let's negotiate. You give me your wallet, and I will allow you to live."
     

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