The Biden Era

[gipper]

Biden, an old white supremacist, has accused Trumpers of being white supremacists and the nations biggest terrorist threat. Then like magic Buffalo happens. Seems strange timing to me, but maybe that’s just me.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Jen will be missed. She did an extraordinary job in an extremely difficult position.

CNN reports, "Jen Psaki held her 224th and final briefing as White House press secretary on Friday afternoon.

"Psaki thanked press office colleagues and members of the media, telling the reporters, “You have challenged me, you have pushed me, you have debated me, and at times we have disagreed. That is democracy in action. That is it working.”

"Psaki’s successor, Karine Jean-Pierre, confirmed on Friday that she will continue to hold regular briefings.

"Embedded in their remarks on Friday is a stark difference between presidents and parties. In about 16 months working on behalf of President Joe Biden, Psaki held a greater number of briefings than all of President Donald Trump’s press secretaries combined. The Trump-era total was 205, according to Martha Joynt Kumar, director of the White House Transition Project. Kumar counted 58 briefings by Sean Spicer, 107 by Sarah Sanders, zero by Stephanie Grisham, and 40 by Kayleigh McEnany during a four-year period."

Joe Biden has not held a press conference in how long now?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

So, what is the teenage killer supposed to think? The Buffalo killer was embracing a theory that is being held by Republican lawmakers. Republicans protect the right to purchase firearms by preventing regulation to be passed in Congress. A Republican President thought it was okay to lead a coup attempt to overthrow our elected government because he lost an election, and he is the current the leader of the GOP. Our capitol was ransacked, hundreds were injured, and people were killed in the coup attempt.

In his mind he was doing God's work. After all, nearly everything he believed was supported by the Republican Party, and they are expected to win in November.

The forum's Republicans will remain silent about all of this. What the hell can they say?

Joe Biden has not held a press conference in how long now?

Biden, an old white supremacist, has accused Trumpers of being white supremacists and the nations biggest terrorist threat. Then like magic Buffalo happens.

Republicans are so predictable.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

So, what is the teenage killer supposed to think? The Buffalo killer was embracing a theory that is being held by Republican lawmakers. Republicans protect the right to purchase firearms by preventing regulation to be passed in Congress. A Republican President thought it was okay to lead a coup attempt to overthrow our elected government because he lost an election, and he is the current the leader of the GOP. Our capitol was ransacked, hundreds were injured, and people were killed in the coup attempt.

In his mind he was doing God's work. After all, nearly everything he believed was supported by the Republican Party, and they are expected to win in November.

The forum's Republicans will remain silent about all of this. What the hell can they say?



Republicans are so predictable.

Why aren't you defending Ukraine??

 

[Flash]

According to FiveThirtyEight, which is a poll that averages several leading polls, our President's current approval number is 42%. That's not very good, and it is somewhat of a mystery.

CNN reports, "The United States is rapidly approaching a major jobs milestone that highlights the historically strong economic recovery from Covid-19.

The axiom is true. Presidents, unless they do something drastic, have very little control over the economy. Nonetheless, if the economy is good, they get the credit, as in the case of Trump. If there are serious problems with the economy, the President gets the blame, as in the case of Biden.

ABC reports, "Employers posted a record 11.5 million job openings in March, meaning the United States now has an unprecedented two job openings for every person who is unemployed.

"The latest data released Tuesday by the the Bureau of Labor Statistics further reveals an extraordinarily tight labor market that has emboldened millions of Americans to seek better paying jobs, while also contributing to the biggest inflation surge in four decades."

According to CNN, 66% of Americans disapprove of Biden's handling of the economy.

The AP reports, "President Joe Biden on Wednesday highlighted new figures showing the government’s red ink will grow less than expected this year and the national debt will shrink this quarter as he tried to counter criticism of his economic leadership amid growing dismay over inflation going into midterm elections that will decide control of Congress.

"Biden, embracing deficit reduction as a way to fight inflation, stressed that the dip in the national debt would be the first in six years, an achievement that eluded former President Donald Trump despite his promises to improve the federal balance sheet."

Stocks rallied on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by half a percentage point.

"The Dow ended the day up by more than 900 points, and the S&P 500 gained almost 3 percent," NPR.

When it comes to the economy, Americans are naive.

1. The post pandemic recovery is not creating jobs.

2. Biden has significantly increased the national debt while President. The small dip in the rate was a result of increased tax revenue revenue due to the post pandemic recovery.

3. The stock market is tanking nowadays.

4. Biden's massive inflation and increase cost of energy is a terrible decrease in family income for all Americans.

Potatohead is a complete failure. Anybody that voted for him is an idiot.

The stupid uneducated Moon Bats don't know any more about Economics than they know about History, Biology, Climate Science, Ethics or the Constitution.

 

[gipper]

So, what is the teenage killer supposed to think? The Buffalo killer was embracing a theory that is being held by Republican lawmakers. Republicans protect the right to purchase firearms by preventing regulation to be passed in Congress. A Republican President thought it was okay to lead a coup attempt to overthrow our elected government because he lost an election, and he is the current the leader of the GOP. Our capitol was ransacked, hundreds were injured, and people were killed in the coup attempt.

In his mind he was doing God's work. After all, nearly everything he believed was supported by the Republican Party, and they are expected to win in November.

The forum's Republicans will remain silent about all of this. What the hell can they say?



Republicans are so predictable.

Who’s a Republican?

 

[bendog]

An era is generally greater than 16 mos.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Wow! The EU is really serious about getting off Russian oil and gas. It may take till the end of the year, but the Russian economy will be devastated.

There is an added benefit. The EU is also fighting climate change. We have seen the drastic effects of climate change here in the U.S., drought, flooding, abnormal number of violent storms and tornadoes, abnormal number of damaging forest fires, etc. Next up, hurricane season is almost upon us.

Anyway, here is what the EU is doing.

ABC explains, "The European Union’s executive arm moved Wednesday to jump-start plans for the 27-nation bloc to abandon Russian energy amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, proposing a nearly 300 billion-euro ($315 billion) package that includes more efficient use of fuels and faster rollout of renewable power.

"The European Commission’s investment initiative is meant to help the 27 EU countries start weaning themselves off Russian fossil fuels this year. The goal is to deprive Russia, the EU’s main supplier of oil, natural gas and coal, of tens of billions in revenue and strengthen EU climate policies.

"The bloc’s dash to ditch Russian energy stems from a combination of voluntary and mandatory actions. Both reflect the political discomfort of helping fund Russia’s military campaign in a country that neighbors the EU and wants to join the bloc.

"With no end in sight to Russia’s war in Ukraine and European energy security shaken, the EU is rushing to align its geopolitical and climate interests for the coming decades. It comes amid troubling signs that have raised concerns about energy supplies that the EU relies on and have no quick replacements for, including Russia cutting off member nations Poland and Bulgaria after they refused a demand to pay for natural gas in rubles."

No doubt our President will help anyway he can. It's in our interests to do so.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Chris Cillizza writes, "Tuesday was the biggest day of the 2022 primary season to date, with five states – ranging from Pennsylvania in the east to Oregon in the west – casting votes for Senate, governor and House.

"A week ago, it looked like conservative activist Kathy Barnette might be the GOP’s Senate nominee in Pennsylvania, which would have been a total and complete disaster for McConnell, who has emphasized the need to nominate candidates who can win over swing voters (Dr. Oz?). It appears McConnell can breathe a sigh of relief." The extremist Trump acolyte is losing.

"In maybe the most consequential result of the night, state Sen. Doug Mastriano rolled to a victory in the Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial primary. Mastriano, who would have been considered a fringe candidate (at best) even a decade ago is now the Republican nominee for governor in one of the most competitive states in the country. Mastriano is a leading proponent of election denial and was in Washington for the “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6, 2021. The scariest part? If Mastriano wins, he would have the ability appoint Pennsylvania’s secretary of state, the top election official who will oversee the 2024 election."

Cillizza continued, "It was a bit of a mixed bag for the former President on Tuesday night – and it remains to be seen whether Oz, his pick for the Pennsylvania Senate race, can pull it off. But what the primary voting across the country reinforced is that Trump is (still) the primary mover in Republican politics. He is the sun around which all candidates – those openly courting his endorsement and those trying to keep him at a comfortable distance – revolve. Trump’s endorsement isn’t fullproof: He backed Rep. Madison Cawthorn in North Carolina and Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin in Idaho, who both lost. But he also plucked North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd from obscurity to an easy victory in the state’s GOP Senate primary."

It would appear that rejecting American elections is a new hobby for Republicans. Just look at their leader. Trump is the Stolen Election-in-Chief, and he is the leader of the party. Vladimir Putin, who helped Trump get elected in 2016, could not be more pleased.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Republican Party has captured the minds of those who live in the rural counties of America. Those voters are mostly farmers and rural shopkeepers. They lack education and they are not well-informed. Most of what they know about politics is by word of mouth or YouTube.

Most of them do not have a computer. Some do not have a television, and, if they do, they don't spend much time watching it. Farming and ranching is not a eight hour job. It's more like an 18-hour job. The shopkeeper spends nearly all of his waking hours in his store because he doesn't have enough business to do otherwise.

They are quite gullible. If a politician they like says something, they take it as gospel. Trump won their hearts because he is good at that kind of thing and he doesn't let truth or reality interfere with what he wants to say.

As this thread will attest it is unlikely that any Republican will respond to this post. They are, after all, educationally challenged. They prove it nearly every day.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Due in part to our President, Putin was dealt a triple whammy in his war against Ukraine.

President Biden on Thursday stood alongside his Swedish and Finnish counterparts to endorse their countries’ entry into NATO, a move in defiance of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he urged the Senate to move "efficiently and quickly" to consent to Finland and Sweden's application.

Biden said it was a “momentous day,” calling Sweden and Finland “two capable partners,” and noting that their troops “already serve shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. troops” across the globe. “This is a victory for democracy in action.”

President Biden and Congress deepened U.S. involvement in the global effort to reject Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Thursday, with the Senate voting to finalize more than $40 billion in new military and humanitarian assistance.

The European Union’s executive arm moved Wednesday to jump-start plans for the 27-nation bloc to abandon Russian energy amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, proposing a nearly 300 billion-euro ($315 billion) package that includes more efficient use of fuels and faster rollout of renewable power.

Instead of dividing NATO, Putin's war with Ukraine has strengthened NATO, thanks in part to our President. Led by the United States, in every respect Putin is losing this war.

 

[gipper]

Due in part to our President, Putin was dealt a triple whammy in his war against Ukraine.

President Biden on Thursday stood alongside his Swedish and Finnish counterparts to endorse their countries’ entry into NATO, a move in defiance of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he urged the Senate to move "efficiently and quickly" to consent to Finland and Sweden's application.

Biden said it was a “momentous day,” calling Sweden and Finland “two capable partners,” and noting that their troops “already serve shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. troops” across the globe. “This is a victory for democracy in action.”

President Biden and Congress deepened U.S. involvement in the global effort to reject Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Thursday, with the Senate voting to finalize more than $40 billion in new military and humanitarian assistance.

The European Union’s executive arm moved Wednesday to jump-start plans for the 27-nation bloc to abandon Russian energy amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, proposing a nearly 300 billion-euro ($315 billion) package that includes more efficient use of fuels and faster rollout of renewable power.

Instead of dividing NATO, Putin's war with Ukraine has strengthened NATO, thanks in part to our President. Led by the United States, in every respect Putin is losing this war.

Do you think Russians and Putin are suffering in this war? Aside from Russians killed in action, no one on their side is suffering. Do you know who is suffering? The Ukrainian people.

Do you care?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Excellent news on the economic front.

ABC reports, "More Americans applied for jobless aid last week, but the total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits is at a 53-year low."

Well, that doesn't sound good, but this does as ABC continued.

"The total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits for the week ending May 7 fell again from the previous week, to 1,317,000. That’s the fewest since December 27, 1969.

"American workers are enjoying historically strong job security two years after the coronavirus pandemic plunged the economy into a short but devastating recession. Weekly applications for unemployment aid have been consistently below the pre-pandemic level of 225,000 for most of 2022, even as the overall economy contracted in the first quarter and concerns over inflation persist.

"Earlier this month, the government reported America’s employers added 428,000 jobs in April, leaving the unemployment rate at 3.6%, just above the lowest level in a half-century. Hiring gains have been strikingly consistent in the face of the worst inflation in four decades, with employers adding at least 400,000 jobs for 12 straight months."

Honestly, I do not know what Americans are complaining about. Americans are working, spending money, and bitching. Would they prefer widespread unemployment, less spending, and lower prices? Do they want a recession? Prices retreat during a recession due to lack of spending. Do they know what they want? There are doubts.

When it comes to the economy, Americans are extremely short-sighted.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Ultimately this is what Republicans want as they silently cheer on the prospect of the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs, Wade. They want complete government control of pregnancies in the U.S. What the woman wants in terms of her physical, mental, circumstantial health is immaterial.

Strangely enough, Republicans say nothing about achieving their decades long goal.

Oklahoma Republicans provide an example for what Republicans want for the country as a whole.

CNN reports, "Oklahoma’s legislature on Thursday passed a bill that would ban abortions from the stage of “fertilization” and allow private citizens to sue abortion providers who “knowingly” perform or induce an abortion “on a pregnant woman.”

"The legislation is among the nation’s strictest bills on abortion and is a clear rebuke of the protections granted in the landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade. The bill prohibits abortions at any stage of pregnancy, with exceptions for medical emergencies or if the pregnancy was a result of rape, sexual assault or incest and reported to law enforcement.

"Oklahoma’s House of Representatives approved the measure by a vote of 73-16, and it now heads to the desk of Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has previously pledged to sign every piece of legislation limiting abortion that reaches his desk. CNN has reached out to the governor’s office for comment.

"The bill’s passage comes as Republican-led states have been pushing strict abortion measures in anticipation of the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade next month in a case concerning a Mississippi abortion law. Though many states have on their books so-called trigger laws, which ban abortions in the event that the high court reverses Roe, the Oklahoma bill would take effect upon approval by the governor.

Little wonder as to why Republicans want to keep this under wraps. Try to find a Republican lawmaker willing to talk about the consequences of voiding Roe. Or even a forum Republican who has read this.

You see my point.

 

[skye]

Here you have some of the legacy in the Turnip in Chief's era!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Ultimately this is what Republicans want as they silently cheer on the prospect of the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs, Wade. They want complete government control of pregnancies in the U.S. What the woman wants in terms of her physical, mental, circumstantial health is immaterial.

Barbara A. Perry, a Gerald L. Baliles Professor and director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, and a Supreme Court fellow in 1994-95, writes, "A bullseye might now be an apt metaphor for the US Supreme Court, which is at the center of incoming fire after the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion by Politico on May 2. The preliminary opinion, authored by Justice Samuel Alito and joined by four other conservative justices, would overturn Roe v. Wade, the court’s 1973 precedent that guaranteed a national right to abortion.

"Since that ruling, conservatives have been calling for a ban on the premature ending of pregnancies and they have excoriated justices for not voiding Roe.

"The justices will issue a final opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which will likely uphold Mississippi’s limit on abortions, by late June. If the leaked draft remains intact, Roe’s precedent will be extinguished."

Strangely enough, Republicans are quiet about their achievement, and the Supreme Court is tearing itself apart according to at least one justice.

Last week at a Dallas conference, Clarence Thomas took a surprising, public jab at Roberts. "Thomas’ blunt remarks suggest new antagonism toward Roberts and added to the uncertainty regarding the ultimate ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, expected by the end of June," CNN.

The leak, he said, had eroded trust, and “you begin to look over your shoulder. It’s like kind of an infidelity, that you can explain it, but you can’t undo it.”

“I do think what happened at the court is tremendously bad,” Thomas said. “I wonder how long we’re going to have these institutions at the rate we’re undermining them, and then I wonder when they’re gone or they are destabilized, what we’ll have as a country – and I don’t think that the prospects are good if we continue to lose them.”

Vladimir Putin, who helped Trump become President in 2016, is extremely happy with what the Republican Party is doing. Trump was granted the authority to appoint three Supreme Court justices, thus enabling all this to happen.

As is their custom, the forum's Republicans will remain silent on the issues contained in this report.

They might resort to more cartoons.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Donald Trump is in serious trouble. It appears a key member of his former cabinet is going to testify before the Jan. 6 committee.

CNN reports, "Former Attorney General William Barr has “tentatively agreed to give sworn testimony behind closed doors” to the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations.

"Barr has already talked informally to the committee, including at a meeting at his home last fall with committee lawyers and committee Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, according to sources familiar with the matter.

"The meeting lasted approximately two hours, and it focused on interactions between Barr and former President Donald Trump before and after the election, according to one of the sources. The committee also inquired about Barr informing Trump there was no widespread election fraud.

"The committee declined to comment."

For more, Axios reported the more recent discussions.

It is difficult to imagine a more devastating blow to the Trump story line, and just in time for the November mid-terms in which the Republican Party is expected to win control of Congress. This comes on top of illumination of the Republican goal of having government control all pregnancies, and still another massacre magnifying Republican unwillingness to pass gun control legislation.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The media is trying very hard to convince us that recession is just around the corner. Our President disagrees.

National Review reports, "President Biden attempted to allay concerns about the performance of the U.S. economy.

“I’m not concerned about a recession,” Biden told reporters at a press conference at the White House.

Biden added, “But here’s the deal: we had last quarter consumer spending and business investment and residential investment increase at significant rates,” and “unemployment’s the lowest rate since 1970.”

"Biden said that the U.S. was seeing “enormous” economic growth," National Review.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Vladimir Putin knows his invasion of Ukraine is not going well, but he is enormously pleased with the Republican Party in his cold war with the United States.

The Republican Party is doing exactly what Putin wants them to do -- attack the very foundation of American democracy, free, unfettered elections. It all began with Donald Trump, Putin's choice for President in 2016.

The Post reports, "In high-profile statewide races in Georgia, Ohio and Arizona, leading Republican candidates have embraced the false claim that the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen, often reversing their previous statements to do so. Despite a complete lack of evidence for the claim, this belief has become widespread among Republican voters and shows no sign of diminishing.

"Believing that elections are rigged reduces trust in democracy and democratic norms, research finds. While there’s nothing new about partisans believing that elections have been stolen, it is new to have so many Americans — including prominent political figures from the Republican Party — accept this belief."

Four states are voting Tuesday in statewide primaries. In each of them, Republican candidates for offices that would oversee or help certify future elections continue to advance discredited accusations that the last federal election was stolen, ABC News.

ABC continued, "In Georgia, Trump's mission is to dislodge the incumbent GOP governor and secretary of state who stood behind President Joe Biden's victory. In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton was the leader of failed legal efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In the Alabama Senate race Rep. Mo Brooks was a key Trump ally in and around the events of Jan. 6."

The list of Republican candidates supporting Trump's Big Lie is endless.

What could be more dangerous to American democracy than loss of faith in our free elections?

Little wonder why Putin is so pleased with the Republicans. It makes up for his setbacks in Ukraine.

As is their custom, the forum's Republicans will not address the issues in this report. Instead, they would like to bury the report.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Following the massacre in Buffalo over the weekend by a teenager we are hearing the same load of crap from politicians that we heard following Columbine, Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, Orlando, Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, Parkland, El Paso, N.Y. City subway, and countless others. And nothing got done. Nothing will get done following the Buffalo massacre.

There will be another mass shooting before the month is over. Indeed, there were at least five other mass shootings since Friday coinciding with the Buffalo massacre.

That was written eight days ago. No, I can't see the future. We all knew this was going to happen.

The AP reports, "An 18-year-old gunman opened fire Tuesday at a Texas elementary school, killing 14 children, one teacher and injuring others, [Republican] Gov. Greg Abbott said, and the gunman was dead.

"It was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. grade school since the shocking attack at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, almost a decade ago.

"The gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun and possibly a rifle, Abbott said. Officials have not revealed a motive for the shooting, but Abbott identified him as Salvador Ramos and said he was a resident of the community that’s about 85 miles (135 kilometers) west of San Antonio."

Republican controlled Texas passed an open carry law in 2021. "A new pro-gun law in Texas that went into effect [in September 2021] allows most Texans to legally own a firearm and carry it openly in public without obtaining a permit, training, or background check," CNN.

Once again, nothing will change. The Republican Party will once again prevent life saving laws to be passed. Here is why.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a 501(c)(4) organization it says of itself, It is widely recognized today as a major political force and as America's foremost defender of Second Amendment rights.In 2013. The NRA contributes heavily to the Republican Party, and the GOP has for decades stymied gun control measures in Congress.

At the same time Republican states are passing laws that enable government control of pregnancies, and many wonder what freedoms will be next.

There is tragic irony in that the Republican Party is passionate about protecting the life of the unborn but has no interest in protecting the lives of the born, children and adults alike. Their decades long struggle to permit dangerous people like Salvador Ramos and Payton S. Gendron to own guns prove that point.

It is safe to say the Republican Party is fast becoming dangerous as they also are attacking the integrity of America's free elections, the very foundation of our democracy.

The Republican Party expects to win control of Congress in November.

The forum's Republicans will not respond to the issues contained in this report.