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Open thread May 12, 2020

Dan Crawford | May 12, 2020 7:15 am

Tags: open thread Comments (31) | Digg Facebook Twitter |
31 Comments
  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 9:50 am

    The DNC still staying on brand I see: https://twitter.com/papichulomin/status/1258756906421751808

    $15K to call yourself a “friend” is so 2016. Twirling onwards to victory they are!

  • EMichael says:
    May 12, 2020 at 9:59 am

    Better if you were on the other side.

    Trump has over $120 million on hand for the campaign. He will doubtlessy rasie far, far more than the Dems from the Citizen United people.

    So, let’s not try to raise money from rich people, cause all rich people are evil.

    Fen insanity.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 10:06 am

    I wish I had a mailing list of the people ponying up $100K to lobby Biden and the Clintons. Sounds like a target rich environment as the Wall Street guys say.

  • EMichael says:
    May 12, 2020 at 10:11 am

    Yeah, Biden was VP when the marginal tax rates on those “Wall Street guys” were raised almost 60%, and they were subjected to the harshest regulation of Wall Street in history.

    Ever think of doing that math?

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 10:12 am

    If you think I want to be on “the side” of the people who have apparently learned nothing from 2016 you couldn’t be more mistaken. But Perez and the Clintons will do fine after they lose another election to trump. The Netflix documentary will be avidly watched by hundreds. If anybody can still afford a subscription.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 10:13 am

    HST got it exactly right 28 years ago. https://twitter.com/in2indica/status/1259409817132769282

    Gone too soon.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 10:14 am

    Sorry 48 years ago (!!!)

  • EMichael says:
    May 12, 2020 at 10:20 am

    What people are you talking about?

    The Dem voters who wanted Biden?

    Or are you stupidly talking about the DNC making him the winner?

    What nonsense are you repeating from 2016?

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 10:57 am

    Thanks EMichael for the quick reminder of why I generally stay out of the comments on this site. My stupidity and nonsense will hie thee hither anon.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 10:58 am

    But I wish you all the best on your Ridin With Biden! It will probably be a short trip.

  • EMichael says:
    May 12, 2020 at 11:12 am

    He was my next to last choice ahead of Mayor P, until Bloomberg joined the race when he became third to last choice.

    But the voters have spoken, and it is idiotic to go against them

    If the last 20 years have not convinced you that the two parties are nowhere near the same, your best action in the future would be to try as hard as you can not to talk.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 11:50 am

    Right. Because “shut up Shut Up SHUT UP!” went so perfectly in 2016. Carry on!

  • EMichael says:
    May 12, 2020 at 11:55 am

    Yeah, what the Dem Party needs is to have a minority of the voters declare the winner because “neoliberals”.

    Get a clue.

  • EMichael says:
    May 12, 2020 at 11:56 am

    Oh, major fail on not talking.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 12:07 pm

    But HYOOOGE win on authoritarianism! Well played sir, well played.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    Behold the work of the mighty “reasonable centrists” and weep. https://twitter.com/EconCharlie/status/1260181967057948673

  • EMichael says:
    May 12, 2020 at 12:42 pm

    You’re a complete asshole.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 12:47 pm

    But you’re just a delightful ray of sunshine. Bless your heart.

  • EMichael says:
    May 12, 2020 at 12:57 pm

    It’s called reality, pal.

    Not that you understand that.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 1:14 pm

    I do understand that you think calling people stupid assholes helps win elections somehow. Ridin with Biden, enjoy the scenery friend. It won’t last long.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 1:24 pm

    Nancy Pelosi, friend of the non profit 501 (c) (4) and (c) (6) (aka lobbyists). She never stops fighting for you!

    BREAKING: House Democrats' new CARES Act proposal would expand PPP loan eligibility to *all* 501(c)(4) and (c)(6) groups with under 500 employees. Our research shows it would cover 99.9% of c6 trade groups. https://t.co/TtSP6aqYLG pic.twitter.com/5b788IRDsx

    — Democratic Policy Center (@DemPolicy) May 12, 2020

  • EMichael says:
    May 12, 2020 at 2:48 pm

    You’re not going to vote for Biden anyway. No loss there.

    If my saying mean things about you gets you to fuck off, everyone wins.

  • EMichael says:
    May 12, 2020 at 2:52 pm

    “I get that there are different factions among the progressive movement and some are more progressive than others. That’s obvious. But my Twitter feed for the past couple of days has been full of true-blue progressives convinced that Nancy Pelosi is nothing more than a neoliberal shill who will cave in to Republican wishes this week and introduce only a weak, watered-down stimulus bill. Nancy Pelosi! A neoliberal shill! But then again, the same thing happened to Paul Ryan when he became Speaker of the House. It took only a few seconds for him to go from Mr. Conservative to a sellout.

    Anyway, today this happened:

    House Democrats unveiled a coronavirus rescue bill Tuesday that would direct more than $3 trillion for state and local governments, health systems, a second round of stimulus checks, and a range of other priorities.

    Republicans rejected the legislation even before they saw it, describing it as a liberal wish list that would go nowhere in the Republican-led Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he was at work on crafting liability protections for businesses instead.

    The massive new Democratic bill was assembled by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her top lieutenants without input from Republicans or the Trump administration. It’s less an opening bid in a bipartisan negotiation than an expression of House Democrats’ priorities that they hope will resonate with the public as the nation suffers through the worst economic calamity since the Great Depression.

    So . . . is $3 trillion enough? I mean, it’s true that Pelosi isn’t demanding Medicare for All and the nationalization of all banks as part of her bill, but $3 trillion is a pretty sizeable chunk of change, even for the federal government. So what would it do?

    The 1,800-page legislation, which the House is expected to vote on Friday, would devote nearly $1 trillion to state, local, territorial and tribal governments and establish a $200 billion “Heroes Fund” to extend hazard pay to essential workers. It would also send a second – and larger – round of direct payments to individual Americans, up to $6,000 per household. Other parts of the bill would increase nutrition assistance benefits by 15 percent and provide $175 billion in housing assistance, among other things. A $600 weekly increase in unemployment insurance would be extended through January, and the bill directs another $75 billion for coronavirus testing and contact tracing.

    That seems like a lot. But I suppose there’s some kind of means testing somewhere that’s helpful for gaining public support but might make things 2 percent more complicated, and that means that NANCY PELOSI IS A NEOLIBERAL SHILL!

    https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2020/05/is-nancy-pelosi-a-neoliberal-shill-spoiler-alert-oh-come-on/

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 4:20 pm

    In my adopted home of Vermont it won’t matter who I vote for for president. So you can enjoy the veal fattening pen and be as mean as you like dearest one. Namaste.

    Superb community of ideas you have going on here. Obviously a wide ranging and tolerant place to seek consensus. Good luck with it.

  • EMichael says:
    May 12, 2020 at 5:55 pm

    Not interested in consensus. Interested in progressive voters that understand there is only one way to vote in every election.

    Otherwise, they are not progressives and I do not consent to speak with them.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 8:05 pm

    Authoritaian. I get that. Heil Centrism!

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 12, 2020 at 8:06 pm

    Looking forward to the rest of the Ridin with Biden show. “Better things aren’t possible, vote Biden 2020 or ELSE!!!!”

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 13, 2020 at 6:22 am

    https://www.salon.com/2019/06/19/joe-biden-to-rich-donors-nothing-would-fundamentally-change-if-hes-elected/

    If reasonable centrism and attacking critics of shitty sold out democrats actually you know, won elections we’d be arguing about how HRC could get dragged over the finish line for her 2nd term. But Joe has the old band back together, you know, the superstars who lost to Trump in 2016. Including wrong about everything Larry Summers.

    Biden would be a terrible candidate at any time; his ability to blow presidential primaries is well documented history by now. But his weak tea and awful legislative history with regard to civil rights and economic policy leave the democrats particularly vulnerable in this crisis.

    Trump is not ideological. He just likes to be popular and to “win”. He will easily exploit Biden’s policy weaknesses and many gaffes to run to his left. And will carry 40 states. So it goes. But do carry on with your abusive marching orders herr commandant EMichael. It just has to work this time right?

  • EMichael says:
    May 13, 2020 at 7:22 am

    AH.

    “Joe Biden and his former presidential primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), have unveiled a list of 48 lawmakers, activists, union leaders and academics who will work to craft a compromise Democratic policy platform and shape a possible Biden administration.

    On the task forces are Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y), a progressive firebrand whom Sanders tapped to co-lead the policy task force on climate issues; as well as prominent labor leaders like Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers; and former Obama administration Cabinet members, such as former Secretary of State John Kerry, and Dr. Donald Berwick, who used to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and has become an advocate for Sanders’ signature “Medicare for All” health insurance plan.

    Over the last month, Biden’s and Sanders’ teams have been negotiating the makeup of six joint policy task forces on the economy, education, criminal justice, immigration, climate change and health care, which are meant to represent a united Democratic Party in the campaign to defeat President Donald Trump in November.

    Each task force will have eight participants, five of whom have been picked by Biden’s team and three of whom were tapped by Sanders. Each committee will have two co-chairs, representing each man’s viewpoint.

    Over the next six weeks, these task forces, which are a core part of Biden’s outreach to the progressive wing of the party and played a major role in Sanders’ endorsement of Biden after he dropped out of the Democratic primary on April 8 — will be asked to offer policy recommendations as well as influence the kind of personnel Biden would bring to the White House and his Cabinet. The hope is they could also arm Biden with possible executive orders that he could issue quickly should he be elected president.

    “A united party is key to defeating Donald Trump this November and moving our country forward through an unprecedented crisis,” former Vice President Biden said in a statement about the task forces. “As we work toward our shared goal, it is especially critical that we not lose sight of the pressing issues facing Americans.”

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-bernie-sanders-climate-task-force-ocasio-cortez_n_5ebb5b87c5b6ae915a8be292

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 13, 2020 at 8:53 am

    Hey if Veep Biden has found a clue and realized he can’t win by abusing his critics I’m glad to hear about it. Anything’s possible. Especially in these crazy times.

  • Amateur Socialist says:
    May 14, 2020 at 12:04 pm

    Can’t resist sharing this amazing documentary we found last night looking for something new to watch: https://www.pbs.org/video/jim-allison-breakthrough-vriyqn/

    An inspiring story of perseverance in the face of massive obstacles and people who won’t accept new ideas. Genuinely compelling and well told. Very timely in this era of misinformation about medicine and health care etc. My favorite part is the way they almost missed out by giving up. Highest recommendation well worth the 90 minutes.

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