USA Politics (redux)

[SimonNZ]

Wot, no tear gas?

And didn't he already have a million maga march that attracted hundreds?

[MusicTurner]

Due to the advertizing ahead of the Wednesday event, there'll probably be some 1000s of civilians, including some searching for trouble.

The sensible thing to do for those critical of #45 is to stay away and avoid any confrontations.

Yesterday's Georgia visit by #45 was rather small in scale - mainly a stage for some camera work, it seems.

[krummholz]

It's unclear to me why the Secret Service can't simply escort #45 and his entourage from the premises.

[MusicTurner]

It's unclear to me why the Secret Service can't simply escort #45 and his entourage from the premises.

Hm, this was maybe a fault on my part, and maybe naive - the original source for the story about Biden in Blair House has disappeared.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Hm, this was maybe a fault on my part, and maybe naive - the original source for the story about Biden in Blair House has disappeared.

Looking around now, I saw some suggestions that President-Elect Biden should stay at Blair House for a while whilst the White House is properly cleaned due to the Corona virus.

Very interesting story about the possibility of Pres. Trump going to Scotland on the 19th and skipping the inauguration; nothing that he does (or might do) would surprise me these days. 

PD

p.s.  I wonder who leaked the story about the planes, etc. at the airport?  Doesn't bode well for security/safety there.

[milk]

That might not be a winning strategy. Pence has shown some integrity of late, objecting to the lawsuit seeking to give him the power to overturn the election.

Of course, that might just get Pence branded as a RINO by rabid Trumpists. But it would also leave the door open to possible criminal charges against Crazy Don Corleone.

The case grows harsher and harsher. Pence has a brand of being a "god-fearing" man of principle. Leaving aside what being on the trump train says about that, now Pence has to choose between being honest and having a future political career. The republicans rejecting Biden's win are concerned for reelection or, as in Cruz and Pence, looking to run for president themselves. Pence would destroy that hope by going against trump now. Maybe he can wiggle out. The case is hopeless anyway so maybe I'm wrong. He might think it won't matter to the outcome so what's an inconsequential lie. He can be dishonest knowing it's going nowhere anyway. I guess he could cross his fingers behind his back.

[BasilValentine]

The case grows harsher and harsher. Pence has a brand of being a "god-fearing" man of principle.

Pence used campaign funds to pay off his mortgage, credit cards, and other expenses running for Congress in Indiana in the 1990s while railing against his opponent for taking money from special interests. It cost him the election. He's proven himself a dishonest lowlife throughout the Trump administration. I've seen no principle he's not willing to compromise. His conscience is a well-beaten whore. Only a fool would expect honesty from him.

[Karl Henning]

The case grows harsher and harsher. Pence has a brand of being a "god-fearing" man of principle.

But the Evangelicals, e.g., have cadt all morality and principle to the devil.  The "god-fearing" brand doesn't count for much.

[71 dB]

Everyone is following Trump's crazy final days as the lame duck president, but does anyone here have an opinion about the forcethevote thing? Are you in Jimmy Dore club or Cenk Uygur's side on this? Both sides give believable arguments and I am undecided. What does this do to the left? Jimmy Dore says this was the moment to get medicare for all and now it won't happen in 10-15 years. Cenk Uygur says it can be done in short term if planning starts now. All I say is this is absolutely insane. It's difficult enough to get medicare for all implemented for all the utter corruption and now the left is this fragmented and toxic. Did the "fraudsquad" get consessions like getting rid of pay go? It's suck's to be an American... ...what a country. 

[Daverz]

Everyone is following Trump's crazy final days as the lame duck president, but does anyone here have an opinion about the forcethevote thing? Are you in Jimmy Dore club or Cenk Uygur's side on this? Both sides give believable arguments and I am undecided. What does this do to the left? Jimmy Dore says this was the moment to get medicare for all and now it won't happen in 10-15 years. Cenk Uygur says it can be done in short term if planning starts now. All I say is this is absolutely insane. It's difficult enough to get medicare for all implemented for all the utter corruption and now the left is this fragmented and toxic. Did the "fraudsquad" get consessions like getting rid of pay go? It's suck's to be an American... ...what a country. 

Perhaps it's not so obvious from Finland that Jimmy Dore is an idiot.  He's been attacking AOC as a sellout of late. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on the possibility of Pres. Trump going to Scotland to play golf:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-scotland-55553493

Wonder if they might not let his plane land?  Or only to let it refuel?

PD

[krummholz]

The case grows harsher and harsher. Pence has a brand of being a "god-fearing" man of principle. Leaving aside what being on the trump train says about that, now Pence has to choose between being honest and having a future political career. The republicans rejecting Biden's win are concerned for reelection or, as in Cruz and Pence, looking to run for president themselves. Pence would destroy that hope by going against trump now. Maybe he can wiggle out. The case is hopeless anyway so maybe I'm wrong. He might think it won't matter to the outcome so what's an inconsequential lie. He can be dishonest knowing it's going nowhere anyway. I guess he could cross his fingers behind his back.

Pence is, indeed, impaled on the horns of a dilemma. I predict that when all is said and done, he will simply read the decision of Congress. He might make a comment that he personally considers the result invalid, but maybe not even that. I could be wrong.

[71 dB]

Perhaps it's not so obvious from Finland that Jimmy Dore is an idiot.  He's been attacking AOC as a sellout of late.

I don't know what to think about him. I'd not call him an idiot, but he surely is impatient! He explodes if other people don't adopt his ideas in 5 seconds. He also seems to suffer from some sort of paranoia: Everyone who disagrees with him is a sell out or working for the other side. He also seems to think only he can tell the Americans the "truth" while others are compromised.

One minute I feel he is feuding with everyone just to brand himself as the true "no-nonsense" leftist. Next minute I feel he has a point in saying what's the point of getting people like AOC elected if they don't really fight for people. Jimmy Dore is not alone in his frustrations. Even Kyle Kulinski has expressed his disappointment on how little the Justice Democrats actually fight. They have 98-100 % correct political positions, but none of them seems to be a leader forcing corporate Dems to move left. Unlike Jimmy Dore, Kyle Kulinski however seems to be constructive and is telling people on the left to calm down and instead of fighting each other, start seriously planning how to get lefty policies implemented.

At his best Jimmy Dore can be quite funny and I can relate to some of his impatience. The US needed to do single payer healthcare half a century ago and the Democrats majority in the house can't have even a damn VOTE on it during a pandemic? Who isn't frustrated?

[Daverz]

but none of them seems to be a leader forcing corporate Dems to move left.

AOC is just about to start her second term and is one out of 435 representatives.  If he wants superheroes he should stick to comic books.

[Karl Henning]

AOC is just about to start her second term and is one out of 435 representatives.  If he wants superheroes he should stick to comic books.

(* chortle *)

[71 dB]

AOC is just about to start her second term and is one out of 435 representatives.  If he wants superheroes he should stick to comic books.

Comic book superheroes are needed, because the Republicans are comic book villains and corporate Dems aren't that much better. Nobody is expecting AOC or the squad to singlehandedly make single payer healthcare reality, but what they do doesn't appear fighting in the eyes of the people who elected them, donated to them and campaigned for them. That's a problem as we are seeing.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Looking likely that the two Georgian Senate seats will go to the Democrats.

PD

[Karl Henning]

Looking likely that the two Georgian Senate seats will go to the Democrats.

PD

Aye; It's been called for Warnock, and Ossof presently leads Perdue by 16K votes.

[Karl Henning]

Comic book superheroes are needed, because the Republicans are comic book villains and corporate Dems aren't that much better. Nobody is expecting AOC or the squad to singlehandedly make single payer healthcare reality, but what they do doesn't appear fighting in the eyes of the people who elected them, donated to them and campaigned for them. That's a problem as we are seeing.

Possibly germane:

Bill Kristol:

As a newly inaugurated president, as the man who not only defeated Donald Trump but brought the Democratic party back to power (albeit very narrowly), Biden will enter office with real momentum. Even Democrats, a notoriously unruly lot, will feel some obligation to go along with the new president.

And some Republicans will, too. Some congressional Republicans would like to be in the game and be able to play some role, even if a minor one, in legislation in return for their support. This will be the case especially if Biden begins mostly with legislative proposals—especially on the pandemic, and also some economic relief—that are reasonably easy for some Republicans to support.

Who knows how long any honeymoon will last? And God knows  that honeymoons in a post-Trump and hyperpolarized political environment won't be what presidential honeymoons once were. But the odds tonight got quite a bit better that President Biden will have, and will be seen to have, a reasonably successful first few months in office.

[...]

Meanwhile, a word about Joe Biden: He made a bet on America. He never wavered from the promise to unite the country and actually get things done. People to his left scoffed. Trump supporters disdained him. But Biden never gave in. Tonight's result in Georgia will at least give him a fighting chance to do what he promised—and to focus not just on the very real threats we face, but also on the opportunities before us.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Aye; It's been called for Warnock, and Ossof presently leads Perdue by 16K votes.

Yup!  That's what I heard earlier this morning (on CNN).  Hope that it doesn't need to be recounted.

Congress to start counting the electoral votes soon...and National Guard has been deployed to help keep the peace during pro-Trump rally today in DC; some arrests have already been made there.

PD