President Biden Is Getting Little Help From His Friends
How can one Senator hold up military promotions or Department Officials’ conformations? Does this make sense to anyone out there?
Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), by himself, has put a hold on military promotions! And Rand Paul (R-KY), by himself, was blocking the confirmation of more than 60 State Department officials!
Is this some more of Trumps evil agenda?
If as a Democracy, we somehow survive this traitorous takeover, our government needs to address the weaknesses that were found by those who attempted the overthrow of our government! We need to prevent this from ever happening again!
And how about the Deflector and Thief, the FPOTUS, threatening anyone who dares to come after him! “If you go after me, I’m coming after you!”
This UnAmerican has NEVER tried to Unite the Country. He and his loyal army-geddon are after a white nationalist country where he is the ruler. The propaganda he spreads on his Truth Social
is crazy and dangerous!
I agree with Ben Meiselas from the Meidastouch Network podcast that if you had a friend who talked like Trump you would ask for an Involuntary 5150.
Fully agree. We must stop one senator from plugging up the works. You cited the perfect examples. Paul and Tuberville are perfect examples. Then, no way can a governor superimpose his smart aleck ways into international problems and ship immigrants to opposition states. Then of course there's book bannings, etc. Troubling times.
A better example (directly alienating the main demographic--young people--that canvassed, phonebanked, texted, postcarded and drove voters to the polls to get out the vote for a candidate they didn't support in the primaries--and may not do so again after Biden's abandonment of their struggle against fossil fuels and failure to cancel college debt or make a dent in mass shootings): Democrat Joe Manchin.
Exactly. And well-meaning folken just get it wrong. This is still a nation of laws. Don't blame Biden if he is stymied by a corrupt party aided by a corrupt SCOTUS!
Not sure of your messages here. For one thing, what is "89% of licensed therapists refuse to measure as Required by law" ????? Sounds like gibberish to me. I'm a therapist. Why wasn't I told about this? What am I supposed to be measuring? Please explain, Mr. Killing Your Ego.
Dare I ask just what you're going on about? My comment was about the student loan initiative Biden promoted, only to have it stymied by the corrupt SCOTUS.
Please have anyone you know saddled with student debt go on the government site for the SAVE program. They may be surprised by how affordable (or even wiped out) their debt is. :)
THAT is enraging, and we know he knows better, so one wonders if someone was holding his grandchildren hostage when he did that!!!
Of course, I’m not serious about the hostage thing, but WHAT COULD JUSTIFY THAT!!!???
It’s tough to get past it, but he is STILL not the Republican Unitary President Party Nominee…
Think of it this way — There is NO excellent candidate on the horizon for 2024.
A Third Party at this stage has NO CHANCE of taking 270 Electoral Votes, so there’s no way to get another candidate into the mix who can pull us out of this mess.
If we don’t vote for Biden and nobody gets 270 EC votes, it goes to Congress to choose, and likely to a Republican.
If ANY Republican is President in 2025, we will see the Party begin to push again for a Unitary President, the erosion of checks and balances, another assault on the DOJ {who among us does NOT think Bill Barr was an abomination as AG?}, further migration of wealth to Oligarchs … fossil fuel drillling and burning as far as the eye can see…
OK, make your own list, and I’m sure it will be long. Biden needs us to put pressure on him to do better, but he is already miles and miles better than any Republican. The Dems can be a pain in the a$$, but they are miles and miles better than Repubs.
What makes sense in 2024? Which vote has the greatest chance of producing SOMETHING we can work with? Answer that, and you’ll know who you’re going to vote for.
You are clueless to what is actually going on and the corruption of the establishment. The only hope for this once great nation is an outsider. But that will take people setting aside their ideologies and biases, turning off the main stream propaganda masquerading as journalists and returning to common sense. The federal government is FAR TOO LARGE and the establishment (republican and democrat parties) are beholden to their corporate donors (i.e. big pharma, big tech, military industrial complex, etc.) and drunk on their own power. We no longer have a Constitutional Republic that sends representatives to Washington to fight for their constituents. We have career liars and grifters and it's time for them all to go.
Mary, I would hope Democratic young people would see that at least some of the things you are critical of are not Biden's fault: the student loan crisis and guns. Our Supreme Court 6 took care of those. Biden, however has not done what is needed to slow global warming and everyone is suffering for it. The states that are suffering most still think global warming isn't even real. I do believe young people are smarter than to be uninformed about what is really going on. If they have phone-banked, written notes, and attended rallies, they know who is to blame for our problems, and it isn't Democrats, except for a few like Manchin and the folks who ran as Democrats and left the party just as planned. The best thing our precious young people can do for themselves and their future is to vote Democratic down the ballot everywhere. I hope they will, then use their power to stop any new fossil fuel incursions and plastics plants, expand the Supreme Court, make global warming a priority, work to end poverty, and the other things that will make a better future for all of us. Without power, it is hard to get anything done.
Ruth, I have to disagree with you about this: "Biden, however has not done what is needed to slow global warming and everyone is suffering for it."
What is needed is subsidies and tax incentives for development of alternative energy sources. The Inflation Reduction act provides nearly unlimited billions of that money, and already we're seeing new facilities being planned and built. Until alternatives are economically feasible, there'll be no transition.
Keep in mind that leases to drill are nothing more than permission slips. Actual development of a drilling site takes years, and will never happen at all if profitability of fossil fuel profits diminish.
Jerry, you are right it is not just President Biden who is not moving fast enough on global warming, but it really looks bad to people who care about what is happening that he is allowing leases on public lands for more drilling and more pipelines which won't take as long as the drill sites because some of them are already started. We do need more incentives, but the message counts and I am not sure what message the president is trying to send. One can't have it both ways. I know he likes bipartisanship, but this is not our father's Republican party. It is something altogether different and they do not know how to play well with others even though they are acting like toddlers.
I don't have the answer to why Joe Biden isn't perfect. I suspect that he's subject to a myriad of conflicting pressures and constraints. It's not just that he likes bipartisanship. Bipartisanship is the only way anything can get done in our democratic republic when neither party has a decisivie majority.
But I do know two things for sure:
1) President Biden has done more for the environment and the transition to renewable resources in less than 3 years than all other presidents combined.
2) Republicans have publicly pledged to make repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act's environmental protections their highest priority. In fact, the MAGA group in the House was attempting to do exactly that just a couple months ago when they refused to support a bipartisan bill to raise the debt ceiling.
That would be an excellent message to deliver to the young voters.
Ruth, here's where I totally agree with you: "The best thing our precious young people can do for themselves and their future is to vote Democratic down the ballot everywhere." In essence, Biden was almost "miraculous" (OK, a bit of hyperbole) in that he was working with a House which had the slim majority the Republicans now hold (with the difference being Nancy Pelosi instead of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker) plus, in his first two years a 50/50 Senate that included "democrats" Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. Keeping in mind about a third of America's voters are "in the middle," to me, Biden't first two years were historic. (At some point "we the people" will understand the difference in investment in people from the "bottom up middle out" as opposed to the "Top down.") With solid majorities in the House and Senate he (and democrats) can accomplish much more. The critical issues which are "on the line" will only be "tackled" with massive support from the young voters who are most critically affected by them. (Climate change, women's rights, civil rights, voting rights, education, health care, etc. etc.)
The intensity of young people's lawsuits, campaigns, petitions, their research, writing and thinking, forming new organizations and news sources and staffing older ones, including Congressional offices (and making universities high schools teach real history, and ecology) to get these issues before the public, Congress and the president hasn't been matched in my lifetime, except maybe by the Civil Rights movement in the 60s. They're going to jail for what they believe, some have even died. And they're the ones who did the grunt work to put Joe Biden in power.
I've been teaching young people for 46 years and doing election work for 54, and I've never seen anything like them. They know plenty. They know more about the immediate and mid-term consequences of climate change and warming than anyone in Congress, never mind the president. Whom I too worked hard to elect, with a Democratic majority, and am working hard for that again, but whom I've watched all my life: it's no surprise that a man from PA who represented DE for most of his career would befriend the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries. Or that a lifelong centrist would respond to SCOTUS blocking his (compromised) debt relief plan with a complex bureaucracy for paying loans at somewhat lower rates....
I'm sitting right now in a country where no student pays for a university education, because France understands it's at least as good for the country as for individual students. No student in Europe pays. No student in Tunisia does. The burden we put on our young is obscene. Its consequences are and will be bad for all of us.
Here we go again. With friends like you, Biden doesn’t need enemies. $350 billion on climate change…is that chump change to you. We lefties always do the Republicans job for them as we let the perfect be the enemy of the good. For gods sake, think of the alternative and get the message to the younger voters in your life!
Subsidies and tax incentives for development of alternative energy sources is what's most important. The Inflation Reduction act provides nearly unlimited billions of that money, and already we're seeing new facilities being planned and built. Until alternatives are economically feasible, there'll be no transition.
Leases to drill are nothing more than permission slips. Actual development of a drilling site takes years, and will never happen at all if profitability of fossil fuel profits diminish.
Howie, Biden doesn't have many friends better than me. I work year round volunteering and organizing for Democratic grassroots organizations to get out the vote in swing states--midterms, presidential elections, special elections, off-year state elections. I travel to other states to canvass (my own state is safely blue), I phone bank, write letters to the editor, letters to Congress, postcards to infrequent voters, go without sleep, donate my disposable income through organizations like The Movement Voter Project, which raises awareness and gets out the vote in rural areas and at local and state levels where elections are safeguarded or defrauded, and rights like abortion are now decided. I fight attempts to suppress the Native Americans' vote on reservations and Black folks' votes in Texas and Georgia. That I don't like Biden's choice to buddy up to fossil fuel extraction, or the too-little-too-late-too-complicated SAVE program doesn't mean I'm not his friend. He needs this advice: he can't win if he keeps alienating the ground troops, the young people who did the work on the ground to get out the vote for him!
You clearly are doing your part. I especially like your focus on indigenous folk, as part of my family is Ojibwe, two granddaughters, 6 great grandchildren and my son are all White Earth Anishinaabe Enrolees and we live in the reservation. Thank you.
I, too spend much time campaigning, raising money, writing editorials. And, “buddying up to the fossil fuel industry is simply over the top and not true. There are plenty of Republicans to tear him down. Look at the reality of what he’s up against and all that his administration has gotten done, and all you can say after a $360 billion investment in green energy is he’s buddying up to the fossil fuel industry, no “I don’t support his action on the drilling but think of how he has changed the trajectory of the future on energy?” I’m not saying do t be critical. I’m saying the media narrative “he’s too old, senile etc” doesn’t need more criticism on public stages like this one unless it is balanced with what he’s doing that you support.
Hi Howie, and I thank you for your thanks. And for your dedication.
I wouldn't make such a criticism in a neutral place, but readers of Prof. Reich are progressives and Democrats. I thought it was a safe space, and my intentions were good: he must, he really must, face up to the importance of the young people's disappointment. For the good of his campaign and the good of us all. See you on the ramparts!
There’s a larger issue than only student debt. It’s the finance industry. Predatory lenders today are worse than the loan sharks of yesterday. The average interest rate for credit cards is 20+% with a variable rate.
This seriously needs to be addressed.
Nobody forced people to sign onto the loans. They did so of their own choosing. Rather than cancelling student debt the terms of the loans should be renegotiated by the government to get things under control. This should be done for the student loans and credit cards. Bring the interest rates back to a reasonable rate.
That's true. But many intelligent people suggested ways around it and he hasn't taken them. He has executive powers but doesn't see student debt as an emergency.
That's 1 thing that is frustrating to me about Democrats, both President & legislators: they will stand on the correct side of an issue, but once stymied by the right on a vote or a court decision, they fail to pursue it further, even though there are alternative strategies that may be non-traditional or take more effort, but have the possibility of succeeding.
Mr. Raico, I'm too busy year round, every year, in midterms and presidential elections, special elections and off-year state elections like Virginia's, getting out the vote for the Democrats in swing states to watch FOX News.
Lucky for me, all the labor and all the sleepless nights haven't fried my brain, so I'm still capable of working to get a man elected who is not perfect and who has done many good things and some bad things. I can live with ambivalence, because I'm an adult.
Well Teofilo actually I am, and have to be, because I'm a college professor and these are my students whose lives we're talking about. In my line of work we have to help them try to plan their lives around this morphing labyrinth, and now to understand what their options (if any) are, and when, under SAVE, and whether given those they can afford to stay in college or not. I see the blood and the tears up close.
In our time it started with the hateful Gingrich in the House, and now McConnell has enabled the destruction of the Senate in furtherance of the repubs self serving and exclusionary goals. The Founders knew this could happen, but the greedy few have re-written the rules by money whipping their colleagues and caving to the deep pocketed lobbies. Legally (because they...ahem...write the rules).
And the sellout of our political system was put on steroids by the most openly corrupt extreme court in my lifetime. Corporations are people my friends, and their money is speech bc they have no mouth.
Well they have no assh*le either but I wish they’d get a colonoscopy and prove their humanity.
What is a party leader for? I know McConnell is I’ll, I saw the vid of his mental time out. The alarming bit was that all his pals/ sharks around him seemed unperturbed for quite a while, as if this happens all the time.
Still, the Senste minority leader ought to have some small amount of influence. And I think he does, and is exercising it. It’s part of the rethugnican playbook now to damage the country in the name of Power.
Obama a “one term president. Im pretty sure the old turtle wants the same for Biden. Damn the country and its suffering millions.
I find Schumer somewhat compromised & less than effective as a majority leader. I've never liked the corporatist & wish they'd get him out of the leadership position. The centrists Democrats have had in the congressional leadership for decades now have been disappointing & a large reason there has been little effective resistance to the corporatization of America, increasing economic injustice, lack of action on climate & the environment, & continued failure to get universal healthcare long after all other developed countries have adopted it at half the price we pay.
I don’t see Schumer enabling “democrats “ to pull this kind of crap. Yeah, we don’t like Manchin and Sinema was a joke, but he managed to get a lot of Biden’s agenda passed.
McConnell supports the fool Gooberville, and of course the Ol’ South continues to send idiots like him and John Kennedy and Rand Paul. And we do have him to thank for the continuing trauma of drumpf.
Ineffective or complicit corporatist Democrats like Schumer are part of the reason we can't get progressive legislation passed like universal healthcare, strong climate & environmental policy, full voting rights & abortion rights.
A further comparison Keith, and Elspeth is the 118th do nothing Congress. Under the guidance??? of Kevin McCarthy they haven't managed to pass a single piece of legislation, the s#%& the send to the Senate dies on arrival. The MAGA party (the DesPOTs) have no responsible platform. It has two planks, Keep us in power, and Stop the Democrats from passing any citizen oriented legislation.
If Tuberville and Paul continue with their "disorderly behavior" (mentioned in the Constitution) then the Senate should censure them! If they persist, then threaten them with expulsion and be prepared to carry out the threat! Many Senate Republicans are just as pissed off by their behavior as the Senate Democrats.
I agree Keith. The trumpers have VERY loud mouths and the Democratic Party can't seem to get over Biden's age. Unless more Democrats speak up LOUDLY...we will be left with brainless larynxes. Wisdom comes with age, and just because reagan was senile doesn't mean Biden is. I know lots of people his age that are much wiser than their children.
It’s not about his age, it’s about his physical and mental capacity to do the job coherently. We’e all seen the video clips, brother. Whether voters choose to stick their proverbial heads in the sand and ignore reality is a debate that should be honestly had. Regardless, it’s time for a new generation of leadership in both of the parties.
Young leadership is always needed and new generations of leaders are the lifeblood of progress. I can name a number of young Democrats that I would love to see fill the role of 'head of the Democratic Party'. But there is a time and a place for a new generation to take the lead, and I for one to not see this precarious time to be that time or place. So until one emerges I will accept the fact that Biden may not show well in the 'dog and pony show' of modern day videography, and place my bet that he defeats the monster who the republicans claim to be our messiah. While he continues to fool those who counted him out as an old codger.
Sure we need to change the system but are you talking about Trump's hand shaking both of them while he's holding glass of water and not being able to walk down a ramp without someone holding on to him, someone who tried to get five black boys killed in a political pissing match in New York City? I think you're talking about the wrong candidate because Biden is a very sharp attorney and then damn good physical shape just because he trips once in a while means nothing so maybe you want to reevaluate what you posted because I really think you meant the former guy
Keith, yep, you have put your finger on some of the weaknesses that could cause serious trouble in the future if not fixed. Democrats could block Tupperville and Paul, but somehow, just can't manage. No single senators should be able to stop appointments. Somehow, Republican first-termers do get a lot of power. Ted Cruz tried to shut down the whole government in his first term and did it. Democrats under Schumer need to vote to block the insanity and make the promotions and appointments within the first week back. McConnell really looks bad, letting minor players screw with his power that way. And, Republicans claim to be so patriotic. How do we get that knee-jerk tie broken. Republicans are so far from patriotic, the best they can do is force people to fly the flag, which in reality means nothing since we have flags flying all over the place already. Working for the American people and to make the world at least somewhat safer is patriotism along with securing everyone's rights. Republicans can't manage any of that, but how do we get the word out. Dems need some really good messaging.
Jaime : It renders everything meaningless, from those who endured the Death camps to those who faced the anger of the slaveholders' 'loss' of 'their ' 'property'; The facts are lost along with the truth and respect for victims of both horrific crimes against humanity.: and our present fight to keep tfg out of office and keep him out! He must be stopped from causing more harm to the human beings here and everywhere in the world
Jaime Ramirez : It shows the total confusion of tfg's zombie 'army'. His alternative facts political campaign is a deadly weapon. First amendment has NOTHING to do with his lies and deliberate misinformation hate machine!
Nancy was indirectly attacked by tRump when her husband Paul was attacked by one of his zombies. She was effectively "taken out' by tfg.That is why he should be behind bars. And yet another reason that Biden is the best man for the Presidency. Because tfg is beneath the pit of even being a decent human being , never- mind the leader of the free world.
They have stolen the American flag and made it there simple now I'm almost ashamed to fly an American flag because I don't want to be considered one of those idiots
Chicken Little, played by the current Republican party, is relentlessly discounting the achievements put forth by the Biden administration in an attempt to distract voters from seeing the truth. The election of 2024 isn't that far away and the Trump camp has nothing to offer in the way of accomplishments so they invent negative scenarios thrown like poisonous darts at President Biden and the Democratic party. They say the "IQ" level of the average American is between 85 and 115 points. For Trumpers to fall for the falsehoods the far right is concocting would lead you to believe those people's "IQ" levels are far below the norm. As long as Chicken Little gets all the attention President Biden will continue to get negative results in the polls. When all is said and done Trump and his cronies will be the ones with yolk on their faces and crap on their cowboy boots. Because if they follow Trump what they scrape from the bottom of their shoes is a substance they should get used to. For the rest of us, we just have to sift through all the BS to find the truth.
Agreed. Can you even comprehend the reaction from the Republicans if a Democratic Senator held up the Appointments? I'm shocked the Dems aren't taking full advantage of this (yet again) disgusting behavior.
I say we, AMERICANS, propose a law that, if ANY politician foments an insurrection, they get PUT TO DEATH.
I know that may SEEM harsh, but with what has happened and how many have been murdered, I think it is FULLY justified to prevent another wannabe dictator.
5150 refers to the section in California law allowing for the police to hold a person for up to 72 hours while ascertaining whether they really are bonkers or not. They (the police) have to meet certain conditions, as does the detainee to be held without arrest.
Keith 🎯 I keep saying it is so damn easy to bring in Fascism. Hardly a peep from the other side…politicians and DOJ, police etc
We have a 14th Amendment-not applied to trump and his trumpanzees. We have laws against terroristic threats-not applied., we have consequences for threatening officials-not applied.
Republicans have broken constitutional law and trump has been twice impeached, found guilty of sexual assault, is responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands thru Covid denial etc- no consequences to the Orange monster. THAT MUST NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!
These holdups on nominations are part of the dysfunctional customs of the Senate that have no constitutional basis & must be eliminated to get the Senate functioning properly. Manchin & Sinema are helping Republicans to prevent that. A somewhat positive note: neither are likely to remain in the Senate beyond 2024, although Manchin is sure to be replaced by a Republican. Democrat Gallego has a good chance of defeating Sinema, even in a 3 way race. On the other hand, the Senate race overall is stacked against Democrats with about twice as many Democrats as Republicans having to defend their seats.
Jaime Ramirez : tumorville has a plan to replace people in military positions with MAGA sympathizers, just in case we can stop the present 'republican' demagogue. Part of their long (or short) term tactics.We know what they could do with a complicit military. Martial law. (As in MTG's 'Marshall law'). This must be stopped!
I agree, Laurie, & it's very worrisome, & I love your nickname for Tuberville. It makes me laugh each time I see it (not that what he's trying to do to our military is a laughing matter).
Keith you said a mouthful with all you stated especially; “If as a Democracy, we somehow survive this traitorous takeover, our government needs to address the weaknesses that were found by those who attempted the overthrow of our government! We need to prevent this from ever happening again!” May I add we need to prevent this from continuing to happen, statewide and federally. Tennessee has spoken loudly in their recent reelection of the Justin’s and Ohio is hopefully going to speak loudly today about what they feel about this subversive attempt to change their Constitution. If only we could take care of the constant air being sucked out of us by MSM giving Trump so much free airtime. And am hopeful the judicial system will prevail to move quickly to trial for MR Trump, like they would for any other citizen accused of these same crimes. So much more to say, so little time. But thanks Keith for your awesome post.
Keith, thoughtful comment, leads me to think about--just change-the-channel for the MAGA ignorant. A hacker that would upset Fox would help (since Fox is strictly guided by shrill tabloid fodder, money-spinner, when cable pays Fox more than anyone, a negotiated pay to view, though most payers don’t watch Fox).
I don’t think MAGAs really care about substance of their faux outrage, they just enjoy it, they enjoy getting together and feeling righteous. I have a friend that suffers from a high-functioning form of, join anything and grumble along, as if you know what you’re talking about, and as if you mean it. She is older now so off her meds, they make her feel too calm and controlled. The Human Motivators, “membership, purposefulness, autonomy, mastery,” are all answered by joining the shrill alarmist influencers on social media. Somehow stop the flow, as it is necessary. So They awaken, as from a trance.
I'm surprised that people are not outraged and saying so against FOX, against Republicans, against outright terrible behavior of MTG, Gaetz. Gosar, Boebert, Jordan, Scott, Johnson, Scalise, Abbot... They all are off the wall and shouldn't be allowed to be Congresspeople. It's hard to believe that people are so misguided and led to follow Donald and risk losing the very programs that would make their lives better. Biden continues to methodically show his love for our Country and our people. He's doing a great job! I hope people see this and acknowledge it sooner than later. He deserves a lot of credit.
I think most sane, reasonable Americans are outraged & speaking up. Unfortunately our mass media outlets can’t get enough of the ridiculous drama the GOP creates on a daily basis, & so the realities of what’s happening in this country get pushed aside in favor of sensationalism. We’re generally pretty unappreciative in the US but I see & hear praise for Biden all the time & while ik he’s got plenty of rabid opposition, no one’s ever asked my opinion- so I just don’t put much stock in polls
Kim, I like your stance. You are right about our media and needing the drama. Trump has been the first or second story nearly every day since June of 2015 just before Trump announced running for president. If he is off for a few days, he will do or say something the media just MUST cover even if it is something he has blurted out hundreds of times before, rarely even calling a lie a lie. Their best new thing is to say "there is no evidence to support that." They just can't seem to say the word "lie." Trump's comments now are becoming more and more unhinged and his Republican presidential wannabees are following suit: DeSantis with his cutting people's throats and Pence now whining that Trump really was a bad man (what he doesn't say is that he himself was too much of a coward to say something sooner). Trump now issues regular threats to everyone who is not him and who does not give him total loyalty even though he is loyal to no one. Amazing, and our media loves it and plays it day after day. Biden may get a mention if he is traveling or gave a speech that the media can connect with, or if he happens to mention Trump. Outrageous!
Thanks Ruth, I couldn’t agree more. I can’t stomach the sound of Cheetolini’s lies for more than 20 seconds, so I haven’t watched the news on tv in a really long time. Print journalists are a little better imo, they get caught up in the juicier stories too but tend to be little more circumspect & factual about it at least. At the end of the day, the GOP’s been hard at work corporatizing America for decades, & supporting a corrupt, bigoted, incompetent, childish “businessman” with no regard for the law or anything else into the White House was their crowning betrayal
Great comments, all. But it’s not just the fact that corporate “mainstream” media just wants to sell copy (clicks), or that Americans are reeling in the aftermath of Covid (Americans have lost their ability to see nuance and apply critical thought), or that a few notorious Republican politicians are acting as roadblocks to important confirmations and legislation (there are Dems too, like Manchin, that are drunk on their power). It seems to me that this country has ossified into its present state by a couple of spoiled, privileged, white dominated generations unwilling to relinquish control. Look at the state of many of our top political figures (McConnell, Feinstein, and yes, Trump AND Biden). The parties are controlled by them. Corporations are dominated by them (Murdoch, Gates, the Kochs, for example) and a rigid, entitled block of elderly, relatively affluent white voters still pack a wallop politically and insist on living in the past. Only time and fresh blood will cure this, if we are fortunate enough to survive these times. It gives me no great pleasure to make these observations; I’m of Western European descent (white as snow) and will turn 80 this month.
Yes, the comment I am linked to here (LeMoine) is much closer to my own thoughts. All the other comments I saw were just agreeing with the same stuff Reich is saying. I am glad to see this and I need to point out that, if this is a democracy, other persons have a right to express their views as well. Our country is turning into a mess. I was astonished at the way Robert Reich opened, failing to see any problems in the Biden administration. I am so fed up with Biden... But does my side have the right to speak? If other persons are fully absorbed in their own views, overlooking all the facts that do not agree with those views, then I am sure they will eventually just shut down all the critics. All "for the good of the nation" of course. I think we are seeing how easy it is, with lack of proper social and cultural support, for persons to become completely locked into ideology. How could anyone possibly fail to see that Biden really loves the inside deals and backroom dealing sort of politics. Corruption is just a big barrel of laughs for him. His some is some kind of expert on natural gas, so he was paid to "advise" a Ukrainian company about such things? No one notices that, though. Biden is corrupt. He LIKES being corrupt. That is why nobody can stop him in his "inevitable" rise to the presidency. He is buyable. He won't stop the corporations from polluting the earth with plastics, which are accumulating in huge pools or islands in the oceans. If nobody stops this, eventually the whole earth will be destroyed, or almost. Humans will then need to be eliminated, to save the planet. They will be. That is how our ideological obsessions will end, with the death of the human race. So okay I will stop here and hope I did more good than bad.
Well, Jacob, I will say that any politician of any stripe is suspect in my mind. But I don't take as dim a view of Biden or his son as you apparently do. In fact, I have to say that Joe Biden is many orders of magnitude better than Donald Trump was and aspires to be again. And the Republican extreme right in the House is a joke that can't possibly be compared to any entrenched group of Democrats in either house of Congress, although they too are politicians and generally feed out of the same corporate trough as their Republican brethren. Again, only a new generation will resolve this. I would love to see the 2024 presidential election be between Florida's Ron DeSantis and California's Gavin Newsome and be about policy positions and not lies and smear tactics. Sadly, the only things that seem capable of shaking things up and affecting fundamental change are catastrophes like the Great Depression or WW2 (of course we DO have climate change....).
You can speak all you want but here's the problem you're just regurgitating Murdoch and I never saw Biden hump a flag and I never saw biden's handshake when he drank a glass of water and I never saw him look up at an eclipse and I never saw him where he's Superman shirt or overthrow a government so speak away whether or not people listen well that just throws you into the realm of Megyn Kelly who was annihilated by Trump hoping that USA soccer team lost and Ted Cruz who was willing to take, I don't even want to use the language, let's just say that he didn't protect his wife and he ran when they were problems so speak away because we have the right to ignore you as well.
Thanks Lucy, I guess bad news always makes more noise than good news. Biden will likely experience the same lack of appreciation in his own lifetime that a lot of good people who do important things end up suffering. But I really don’t think he’ll mind all that much, as long as people & the country get the help they need
Kim, like you I haven’t been asked in polls. That’s because like so many others, I have a lot of restrictions on my phone as to what calls I receive. Also, I don’t listen to broadcast news I read the outlets I pick and choose who seem to give mostly honest and as unbiased as I can find reporting on my various devices.
I don’t have a lot of confidence in polls and even the mailed polls always want personal info I’m not willing to give and most definitely money. But I do vote and I do know that Pres. Biden has done a lot of good so far, in spite of the fierce opposition and antics of the paid-for so-called representatives in the political arena, now.
Am I in the minority? Perhaps, but I think there’s a lot of people like me out there that just don’t have the time or inclination to be bombarded by the media or hang out in a lot of social media. This is my non-guilty pleasure, lol.
I don’t think you’re in the minority at all, & I do spend a fair amount of time on social media most days! For all his bluster & bs, Donnie didn’t win the popular vote in 2016 & then lost bigly in 2020- like many of the midterm crackpots & clowns he backed last year. And I seriously doubt his antics since have won him many new supporters, so any poll that has him even with Biden just strikes me as unreliable- though I’ll never underestimate the depth of American ignorance & pettiness again :(
I am outraged that media like WSJ, CNBC, and other financial "experts" aren't reporting that Saudi/OPEC/Russia have in effect raised oil prices, which is like a tax on all of us and that the Fed is still brainwashed by trickle down theory.
From what I understand, Fox et al took DNC and other Democratic ad campaign money in 2020 Abd 2022. The defamation case exposed tat they were a defacto agent for Trump and they screwed them. Why haven't they sued? This should be headlines.
And why haven't FOX and other Media been held accountable for their part in Ja, 6?
President Biden Is Getting Little Help From His Friends
How can one Senator hold up military promotions or Department Officials’ conformations? Does this make sense to anyone out there?
Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), by himself, has put a hold on military promotions! And Rand Paul (R-KY), by himself, was blocking the confirmation of more than 60 State Department officials!
Is this some more of Trumps evil agenda?
If as a Democracy, we somehow survive this traitorous takeover, our government needs to address the weaknesses that were found by those who attempted the overthrow of our government! We need to prevent this from ever happening again!
And how about the Deflector and Thief, the FPOTUS, threatening anyone who dares to come after him! “If you go after me, I’m coming after you!”
This UnAmerican has NEVER tried to Unite the Country. He and his loyal army-geddon are after a white nationalist country where he is the ruler. The propaganda he spreads on his Truth Social
is crazy and dangerous!
I agree with Ben Meiselas from the Meidastouch Network podcast that if you had a friend who talked like Trump you would ask for an Involuntary 5150.
Fully agree. We must stop one senator from plugging up the works. You cited the perfect examples. Paul and Tuberville are perfect examples. Then, no way can a governor superimpose his smart aleck ways into international problems and ship immigrants to opposition states. Then of course there's book bannings, etc. Troubling times.
A better example (directly alienating the main demographic--young people--that canvassed, phonebanked, texted, postcarded and drove voters to the polls to get out the vote for a candidate they didn't support in the primaries--and may not do so again after Biden's abandonment of their struggle against fossil fuels and failure to cancel college debt or make a dent in mass shootings): Democrat Joe Manchin.
Biden did not fail the student loan process. It was SCOTUS that stopped it. He recently signed executive order to have the student loan become law.
Biden also did not abandon the fossil fuel policy, that was the Republican house and senate.
Exactly. And well-meaning folken just get it wrong. This is still a nation of laws. Don't blame Biden if he is stymied by a corrupt party aided by a corrupt SCOTUS!
Not sure of your messages here. For one thing, what is "89% of licensed therapists refuse to measure as Required by law" ????? Sounds like gibberish to me. I'm a therapist. Why wasn't I told about this? What am I supposed to be measuring? Please explain, Mr. Killing Your Ego.
Dare I ask just what you're going on about? My comment was about the student loan initiative Biden promoted, only to have it stymied by the corrupt SCOTUS.
You have replied to the wrong comment perhaps?
Please have anyone you know saddled with student debt go on the government site for the SAVE program. They may be surprised by how affordable (or even wiped out) their debt is. :)
Thank you
Wrong. The 100s of drilling permits he's handed out have been his own direct jurisdiction.
THAT is enraging, and we know he knows better, so one wonders if someone was holding his grandchildren hostage when he did that!!!
Of course, I’m not serious about the hostage thing, but WHAT COULD JUSTIFY THAT!!!???
It’s tough to get past it, but he is STILL not the Republican Unitary President Party Nominee…
Think of it this way — There is NO excellent candidate on the horizon for 2024.
A Third Party at this stage has NO CHANCE of taking 270 Electoral Votes, so there’s no way to get another candidate into the mix who can pull us out of this mess.
If we don’t vote for Biden and nobody gets 270 EC votes, it goes to Congress to choose, and likely to a Republican.
If ANY Republican is President in 2025, we will see the Party begin to push again for a Unitary President, the erosion of checks and balances, another assault on the DOJ {who among us does NOT think Bill Barr was an abomination as AG?}, further migration of wealth to Oligarchs … fossil fuel drillling and burning as far as the eye can see…
OK, make your own list, and I’m sure it will be long. Biden needs us to put pressure on him to do better, but he is already miles and miles better than any Republican. The Dems can be a pain in the a$$, but they are miles and miles better than Repubs.
What makes sense in 2024? Which vote has the greatest chance of producing SOMETHING we can work with? Answer that, and you’ll know who you’re going to vote for.
You are clueless to what is actually going on and the corruption of the establishment. The only hope for this once great nation is an outsider. But that will take people setting aside their ideologies and biases, turning off the main stream propaganda masquerading as journalists and returning to common sense. The federal government is FAR TOO LARGE and the establishment (republican and democrat parties) are beholden to their corporate donors (i.e. big pharma, big tech, military industrial complex, etc.) and drunk on their own power. We no longer have a Constitutional Republic that sends representatives to Washington to fight for their constituents. We have career liars and grifters and it's time for them all to go.
I just read about the drilling permits his first two years. You are correct. I did not know.
So what knowledge do you have that allows you to second guess the president?
Did Biden not give licenses for oil exploration in Alaska?
Joe Manchin may claim to be a Democrat. However, he always sounds, votes and acts like a Repub.
Mary, I would hope Democratic young people would see that at least some of the things you are critical of are not Biden's fault: the student loan crisis and guns. Our Supreme Court 6 took care of those. Biden, however has not done what is needed to slow global warming and everyone is suffering for it. The states that are suffering most still think global warming isn't even real. I do believe young people are smarter than to be uninformed about what is really going on. If they have phone-banked, written notes, and attended rallies, they know who is to blame for our problems, and it isn't Democrats, except for a few like Manchin and the folks who ran as Democrats and left the party just as planned. The best thing our precious young people can do for themselves and their future is to vote Democratic down the ballot everywhere. I hope they will, then use their power to stop any new fossil fuel incursions and plastics plants, expand the Supreme Court, make global warming a priority, work to end poverty, and the other things that will make a better future for all of us. Without power, it is hard to get anything done.
Ruth, I have to disagree with you about this: "Biden, however has not done what is needed to slow global warming and everyone is suffering for it."
What is needed is subsidies and tax incentives for development of alternative energy sources. The Inflation Reduction act provides nearly unlimited billions of that money, and already we're seeing new facilities being planned and built. Until alternatives are economically feasible, there'll be no transition.
Keep in mind that leases to drill are nothing more than permission slips. Actual development of a drilling site takes years, and will never happen at all if profitability of fossil fuel profits diminish.
.
Jerry, you are right it is not just President Biden who is not moving fast enough on global warming, but it really looks bad to people who care about what is happening that he is allowing leases on public lands for more drilling and more pipelines which won't take as long as the drill sites because some of them are already started. We do need more incentives, but the message counts and I am not sure what message the president is trying to send. One can't have it both ways. I know he likes bipartisanship, but this is not our father's Republican party. It is something altogether different and they do not know how to play well with others even though they are acting like toddlers.
I don't have the answer to why Joe Biden isn't perfect. I suspect that he's subject to a myriad of conflicting pressures and constraints. It's not just that he likes bipartisanship. Bipartisanship is the only way anything can get done in our democratic republic when neither party has a decisivie majority.
But I do know two things for sure:
1) President Biden has done more for the environment and the transition to renewable resources in less than 3 years than all other presidents combined.
2) Republicans have publicly pledged to make repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act's environmental protections their highest priority. In fact, the MAGA group in the House was attempting to do exactly that just a couple months ago when they refused to support a bipartisan bill to raise the debt ceiling.
That would be an excellent message to deliver to the young voters.
.
“Leases are nothing more than permission slips”....THANK YOU! Once fossil fuels are not profitable, drilling will cease!
So simple to see the HEADLINES in the forest with the tress! Takes examining consequences and sleepy Joe is a hero!
Ruth, here's where I totally agree with you: "The best thing our precious young people can do for themselves and their future is to vote Democratic down the ballot everywhere." In essence, Biden was almost "miraculous" (OK, a bit of hyperbole) in that he was working with a House which had the slim majority the Republicans now hold (with the difference being Nancy Pelosi instead of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker) plus, in his first two years a 50/50 Senate that included "democrats" Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. Keeping in mind about a third of America's voters are "in the middle," to me, Biden't first two years were historic. (At some point "we the people" will understand the difference in investment in people from the "bottom up middle out" as opposed to the "Top down.") With solid majorities in the House and Senate he (and democrats) can accomplish much more. The critical issues which are "on the line" will only be "tackled" with massive support from the young voters who are most critically affected by them. (Climate change, women's rights, civil rights, voting rights, education, health care, etc. etc.)
The intensity of young people's lawsuits, campaigns, petitions, their research, writing and thinking, forming new organizations and news sources and staffing older ones, including Congressional offices (and making universities high schools teach real history, and ecology) to get these issues before the public, Congress and the president hasn't been matched in my lifetime, except maybe by the Civil Rights movement in the 60s. They're going to jail for what they believe, some have even died. And they're the ones who did the grunt work to put Joe Biden in power.
I've been teaching young people for 46 years and doing election work for 54, and I've never seen anything like them. They know plenty. They know more about the immediate and mid-term consequences of climate change and warming than anyone in Congress, never mind the president. Whom I too worked hard to elect, with a Democratic majority, and am working hard for that again, but whom I've watched all my life: it's no surprise that a man from PA who represented DE for most of his career would befriend the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries. Or that a lifelong centrist would respond to SCOTUS blocking his (compromised) debt relief plan with a complex bureaucracy for paying loans at somewhat lower rates....
I'm sitting right now in a country where no student pays for a university education, because France understands it's at least as good for the country as for individual students. No student in Europe pays. No student in Tunisia does. The burden we put on our young is obscene. Its consequences are and will be bad for all of us.
🎯🎯🎯
Here we go again. With friends like you, Biden doesn’t need enemies. $350 billion on climate change…is that chump change to you. We lefties always do the Republicans job for them as we let the perfect be the enemy of the good. For gods sake, think of the alternative and get the message to the younger voters in your life!
Absolutely right, Howie!
Subsidies and tax incentives for development of alternative energy sources is what's most important. The Inflation Reduction act provides nearly unlimited billions of that money, and already we're seeing new facilities being planned and built. Until alternatives are economically feasible, there'll be no transition.
Leases to drill are nothing more than permission slips. Actual development of a drilling site takes years, and will never happen at all if profitability of fossil fuel profits diminish.
.
Howie, Biden doesn't have many friends better than me. I work year round volunteering and organizing for Democratic grassroots organizations to get out the vote in swing states--midterms, presidential elections, special elections, off-year state elections. I travel to other states to canvass (my own state is safely blue), I phone bank, write letters to the editor, letters to Congress, postcards to infrequent voters, go without sleep, donate my disposable income through organizations like The Movement Voter Project, which raises awareness and gets out the vote in rural areas and at local and state levels where elections are safeguarded or defrauded, and rights like abortion are now decided. I fight attempts to suppress the Native Americans' vote on reservations and Black folks' votes in Texas and Georgia. That I don't like Biden's choice to buddy up to fossil fuel extraction, or the too-little-too-late-too-complicated SAVE program doesn't mean I'm not his friend. He needs this advice: he can't win if he keeps alienating the ground troops, the young people who did the work on the ground to get out the vote for him!
You clearly are doing your part. I especially like your focus on indigenous folk, as part of my family is Ojibwe, two granddaughters, 6 great grandchildren and my son are all White Earth Anishinaabe Enrolees and we live in the reservation. Thank you.
I, too spend much time campaigning, raising money, writing editorials. And, “buddying up to the fossil fuel industry is simply over the top and not true. There are plenty of Republicans to tear him down. Look at the reality of what he’s up against and all that his administration has gotten done, and all you can say after a $360 billion investment in green energy is he’s buddying up to the fossil fuel industry, no “I don’t support his action on the drilling but think of how he has changed the trajectory of the future on energy?” I’m not saying do t be critical. I’m saying the media narrative “he’s too old, senile etc” doesn’t need more criticism on public stages like this one unless it is balanced with what he’s doing that you support.
Hi Howie, and I thank you for your thanks. And for your dedication.
I wouldn't make such a criticism in a neutral place, but readers of Prof. Reich are progressives and Democrats. I thought it was a safe space, and my intentions were good: he must, he really must, face up to the importance of the young people's disappointment. For the good of his campaign and the good of us all. See you on the ramparts!
He tried to cancel student debt but got stopped by SCOTUS. My criticisms of Bush are in another comment.
There’s a larger issue than only student debt. It’s the finance industry. Predatory lenders today are worse than the loan sharks of yesterday. The average interest rate for credit cards is 20+% with a variable rate.
This seriously needs to be addressed.
Nobody forced people to sign onto the loans. They did so of their own choosing. Rather than cancelling student debt the terms of the loans should be renegotiated by the government to get things under control. This should be done for the student loans and credit cards. Bring the interest rates back to a reasonable rate.
I looked for your other comment Carol but couldn't find it.
That's true. But many intelligent people suggested ways around it and he hasn't taken them. He has executive powers but doesn't see student debt as an emergency.
BS.
Explain why that's BS? I take well to correction! And as an educator this issue matters a lot to me so new information or angles are welcome.
That's 1 thing that is frustrating to me about Democrats, both President & legislators: they will stand on the correct side of an issue, but once stymied by the right on a vote or a court decision, they fail to pursue it further, even though there are alternative strategies that may be non-traditional or take more effort, but have the possibility of succeeding.
Mary, three very important issues to young Americans! And they can be the saviors of Democracy if not abandoned by governance!
you need to stop watching fox
Mr. Raico, I'm too busy year round, every year, in midterms and presidential elections, special elections and off-year state elections like Virginia's, getting out the vote for the Democrats in swing states to watch FOX News.
Lucky for me, all the labor and all the sleepless nights haven't fried my brain, so I'm still capable of working to get a man elected who is not perfect and who has done many good things and some bad things. I can live with ambivalence, because I'm an adult.
Mary, you are not well informed.
Well Teofilo actually I am, and have to be, because I'm a college professor and these are my students whose lives we're talking about. In my line of work we have to help them try to plan their lives around this morphing labyrinth, and now to understand what their options (if any) are, and when, under SAVE, and whether given those they can afford to stay in college or not. I see the blood and the tears up close.
In our time it started with the hateful Gingrich in the House, and now McConnell has enabled the destruction of the Senate in furtherance of the repubs self serving and exclusionary goals. The Founders knew this could happen, but the greedy few have re-written the rules by money whipping their colleagues and caving to the deep pocketed lobbies. Legally (because they...ahem...write the rules).
And the sellout of our political system was put on steroids by the most openly corrupt extreme court in my lifetime. Corporations are people my friends, and their money is speech bc they have no mouth.
Well they have no assh*le either but I wish they’d get a colonoscopy and prove their humanity.
The only colonoscopy that might work on these rogues should be done with a hot poker.
What is a party leader for? I know McConnell is I’ll, I saw the vid of his mental time out. The alarming bit was that all his pals/ sharks around him seemed unperturbed for quite a while, as if this happens all the time.
Still, the Senste minority leader ought to have some small amount of influence. And I think he does, and is exercising it. It’s part of the rethugnican playbook now to damage the country in the name of Power.
Obama a “one term president. Im pretty sure the old turtle wants the same for Biden. Damn the country and its suffering millions.
I find Schumer somewhat compromised & less than effective as a majority leader. I've never liked the corporatist & wish they'd get him out of the leadership position. The centrists Democrats have had in the congressional leadership for decades now have been disappointing & a large reason there has been little effective resistance to the corporatization of America, increasing economic injustice, lack of action on climate & the environment, & continued failure to get universal healthcare long after all other developed countries have adopted it at half the price we pay.
Thanks for the what about- ism. Really helpful.
I don’t see Schumer enabling “democrats “ to pull this kind of crap. Yeah, we don’t like Manchin and Sinema was a joke, but he managed to get a lot of Biden’s agenda passed.
McConnell supports the fool Gooberville, and of course the Ol’ South continues to send idiots like him and John Kennedy and Rand Paul. And we do have him to thank for the continuing trauma of drumpf.
Let’s do be clear.
Surely you mean Robert Kennedy, Jr.
1 of the most extremist Republic senators is one representing Louisiana named John Kennedy. Quite the opposite of the John Kennedy we knew & loved.
Ineffective or complicit corporatist Democrats like Schumer are part of the reason we can't get progressive legislation passed like universal healthcare, strong climate & environmental policy, full voting rights & abortion rights.
Somewhat????!!!!! 🤣
A further comparison Keith, and Elspeth is the 118th do nothing Congress. Under the guidance??? of Kevin McCarthy they haven't managed to pass a single piece of legislation, the s#%& the send to the Senate dies on arrival. The MAGA party (the DesPOTs) have no responsible platform. It has two planks, Keep us in power, and Stop the Democrats from passing any citizen oriented legislation.
If Tuberville and Paul continue with their "disorderly behavior" (mentioned in the Constitution) then the Senate should censure them! If they persist, then threaten them with expulsion and be prepared to carry out the threat! Many Senate Republicans are just as pissed off by their behavior as the Senate Democrats.
I agree Keith. The trumpers have VERY loud mouths and the Democratic Party can't seem to get over Biden's age. Unless more Democrats speak up LOUDLY...we will be left with brainless larynxes. Wisdom comes with age, and just because reagan was senile doesn't mean Biden is. I know lots of people his age that are much wiser than their children.
We’re going to have to do the job ourselves
It’s not about his age, it’s about his physical and mental capacity to do the job coherently. We’e all seen the video clips, brother. Whether voters choose to stick their proverbial heads in the sand and ignore reality is a debate that should be honestly had. Regardless, it’s time for a new generation of leadership in both of the parties.
Young leadership is always needed and new generations of leaders are the lifeblood of progress. I can name a number of young Democrats that I would love to see fill the role of 'head of the Democratic Party'. But there is a time and a place for a new generation to take the lead, and I for one to not see this precarious time to be that time or place. So until one emerges I will accept the fact that Biden may not show well in the 'dog and pony show' of modern day videography, and place my bet that he defeats the monster who the republicans claim to be our messiah. While he continues to fool those who counted him out as an old codger.
Sure we need to change the system but are you talking about Trump's hand shaking both of them while he's holding glass of water and not being able to walk down a ramp without someone holding on to him, someone who tried to get five black boys killed in a political pissing match in New York City? I think you're talking about the wrong candidate because Biden is a very sharp attorney and then damn good physical shape just because he trips once in a while means nothing so maybe you want to reevaluate what you posted because I really think you meant the former guy
Keith, yep, you have put your finger on some of the weaknesses that could cause serious trouble in the future if not fixed. Democrats could block Tupperville and Paul, but somehow, just can't manage. No single senators should be able to stop appointments. Somehow, Republican first-termers do get a lot of power. Ted Cruz tried to shut down the whole government in his first term and did it. Democrats under Schumer need to vote to block the insanity and make the promotions and appointments within the first week back. McConnell really looks bad, letting minor players screw with his power that way. And, Republicans claim to be so patriotic. How do we get that knee-jerk tie broken. Republicans are so far from patriotic, the best they can do is force people to fly the flag, which in reality means nothing since we have flags flying all over the place already. Working for the American people and to make the world at least somewhat safer is patriotism along with securing everyone's rights. Republicans can't manage any of that, but how do we get the word out. Dems need some really good messaging.
When American flags are carried among Confederate, Nazi, Trump & other such flags, it dilutes any sense of patriotism.
Jaime : It renders everything meaningless, from those who endured the Death camps to those who faced the anger of the slaveholders' 'loss' of 'their ' 'property'; The facts are lost along with the truth and respect for victims of both horrific crimes against humanity.: and our present fight to keep tfg out of office and keep him out! He must be stopped from causing more harm to the human beings here and everywhere in the world
Jaime Ramirez : It shows the total confusion of tfg's zombie 'army'. His alternative facts political campaign is a deadly weapon. First amendment has NOTHING to do with his lies and deliberate misinformation hate machine!
Nancy would’ve found a way to eviscerate these guys, Schumer is useless.
Nancy was indirectly attacked by tRump when her husband Paul was attacked by one of his zombies. She was effectively "taken out' by tfg.That is why he should be behind bars. And yet another reason that Biden is the best man for the Presidency. Because tfg is beneath the pit of even being a decent human being , never- mind the leader of the free world.
They have stolen the American flag and made it there simple now I'm almost ashamed to fly an American flag because I don't want to be considered one of those idiots
Chicken Little, played by the current Republican party, is relentlessly discounting the achievements put forth by the Biden administration in an attempt to distract voters from seeing the truth. The election of 2024 isn't that far away and the Trump camp has nothing to offer in the way of accomplishments so they invent negative scenarios thrown like poisonous darts at President Biden and the Democratic party. They say the "IQ" level of the average American is between 85 and 115 points. For Trumpers to fall for the falsehoods the far right is concocting would lead you to believe those people's "IQ" levels are far below the norm. As long as Chicken Little gets all the attention President Biden will continue to get negative results in the polls. When all is said and done Trump and his cronies will be the ones with yolk on their faces and crap on their cowboy boots. Because if they follow Trump what they scrape from the bottom of their shoes is a substance they should get used to. For the rest of us, we just have to sift through all the BS to find the truth.
I agree 💯
Rafael--We need a bunch of those "Toos."
Agreed. Can you even comprehend the reaction from the Republicans if a Democratic Senator held up the Appointments? I'm shocked the Dems aren't taking full advantage of this (yet again) disgusting behavior.
I say we, AMERICANS, propose a law that, if ANY politician foments an insurrection, they get PUT TO DEATH.
I know that may SEEM harsh, but with what has happened and how many have been murdered, I think it is FULLY justified to prevent another wannabe dictator.
Ummm....not to sound ignorant, but what is a "5150"? BTW, Ben Meiselas is an outstanding, upstanding guy!!1
5150 refers to the section in California law allowing for the police to hold a person for up to 72 hours while ascertaining whether they really are bonkers or not. They (the police) have to meet certain conditions, as does the detainee to be held without arrest.
Thank you for the clarification.
Keith 🎯 I keep saying it is so damn easy to bring in Fascism. Hardly a peep from the other side…politicians and DOJ, police etc
We have a 14th Amendment-not applied to trump and his trumpanzees. We have laws against terroristic threats-not applied., we have consequences for threatening officials-not applied.
Republicans have broken constitutional law and trump has been twice impeached, found guilty of sexual assault, is responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands thru Covid denial etc- no consequences to the Orange monster. THAT MUST NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!
These holdups on nominations are part of the dysfunctional customs of the Senate that have no constitutional basis & must be eliminated to get the Senate functioning properly. Manchin & Sinema are helping Republicans to prevent that. A somewhat positive note: neither are likely to remain in the Senate beyond 2024, although Manchin is sure to be replaced by a Republican. Democrat Gallego has a good chance of defeating Sinema, even in a 3 way race. On the other hand, the Senate race overall is stacked against Democrats with about twice as many Democrats as Republicans having to defend their seats.
Jaime Ramirez : tumorville has a plan to replace people in military positions with MAGA sympathizers, just in case we can stop the present 'republican' demagogue. Part of their long (or short) term tactics.We know what they could do with a complicit military. Martial law. (As in MTG's 'Marshall law'). This must be stopped!
I agree, Laurie, & it's very worrisome, & I love your nickname for Tuberville. It makes me laugh each time I see it (not that what he's trying to do to our military is a laughing matter).
Or in the case of the FPOTUS a 5150 immediately followed by a 5250. He poses a dangerous and imminent threat to our democracy.
Kenneth-I'm not familiar with "5105" and "5250". Pleas help me to understand these terms.
A word worth knowing and using in the future:
Kakistocracy:
Government by the least qualified or worst people.
Tommy Tuberville is seeing the detriments of his misguided actions. Now the Space Command will not be moving to Alabama.
Keith you said a mouthful with all you stated especially; “If as a Democracy, we somehow survive this traitorous takeover, our government needs to address the weaknesses that were found by those who attempted the overthrow of our government! We need to prevent this from ever happening again!” May I add we need to prevent this from continuing to happen, statewide and federally. Tennessee has spoken loudly in their recent reelection of the Justin’s and Ohio is hopefully going to speak loudly today about what they feel about this subversive attempt to change their Constitution. If only we could take care of the constant air being sucked out of us by MSM giving Trump so much free airtime. And am hopeful the judicial system will prevail to move quickly to trial for MR Trump, like they would for any other citizen accused of these same crimes. So much more to say, so little time. But thanks Keith for your awesome post.
Keith, thoughtful comment, leads me to think about--just change-the-channel for the MAGA ignorant. A hacker that would upset Fox would help (since Fox is strictly guided by shrill tabloid fodder, money-spinner, when cable pays Fox more than anyone, a negotiated pay to view, though most payers don’t watch Fox).
I don’t think MAGAs really care about substance of their faux outrage, they just enjoy it, they enjoy getting together and feeling righteous. I have a friend that suffers from a high-functioning form of, join anything and grumble along, as if you know what you’re talking about, and as if you mean it. She is older now so off her meds, they make her feel too calm and controlled. The Human Motivators, “membership, purposefulness, autonomy, mastery,” are all answered by joining the shrill alarmist influencers on social media. Somehow stop the flow, as it is necessary. So They awaken, as from a trance.
I so agree with you..it sickens me every day to hear how the few are holding us hostage
I'm surprised that people are not outraged and saying so against FOX, against Republicans, against outright terrible behavior of MTG, Gaetz. Gosar, Boebert, Jordan, Scott, Johnson, Scalise, Abbot... They all are off the wall and shouldn't be allowed to be Congresspeople. It's hard to believe that people are so misguided and led to follow Donald and risk losing the very programs that would make their lives better. Biden continues to methodically show his love for our Country and our people. He's doing a great job! I hope people see this and acknowledge it sooner than later. He deserves a lot of credit.
I think most sane, reasonable Americans are outraged & speaking up. Unfortunately our mass media outlets can’t get enough of the ridiculous drama the GOP creates on a daily basis, & so the realities of what’s happening in this country get pushed aside in favor of sensationalism. We’re generally pretty unappreciative in the US but I see & hear praise for Biden all the time & while ik he’s got plenty of rabid opposition, no one’s ever asked my opinion- so I just don’t put much stock in polls
Kim, I like your stance. You are right about our media and needing the drama. Trump has been the first or second story nearly every day since June of 2015 just before Trump announced running for president. If he is off for a few days, he will do or say something the media just MUST cover even if it is something he has blurted out hundreds of times before, rarely even calling a lie a lie. Their best new thing is to say "there is no evidence to support that." They just can't seem to say the word "lie." Trump's comments now are becoming more and more unhinged and his Republican presidential wannabees are following suit: DeSantis with his cutting people's throats and Pence now whining that Trump really was a bad man (what he doesn't say is that he himself was too much of a coward to say something sooner). Trump now issues regular threats to everyone who is not him and who does not give him total loyalty even though he is loyal to no one. Amazing, and our media loves it and plays it day after day. Biden may get a mention if he is traveling or gave a speech that the media can connect with, or if he happens to mention Trump. Outrageous!
Thanks Ruth, I couldn’t agree more. I can’t stomach the sound of Cheetolini’s lies for more than 20 seconds, so I haven’t watched the news on tv in a really long time. Print journalists are a little better imo, they get caught up in the juicier stories too but tend to be little more circumspect & factual about it at least. At the end of the day, the GOP’s been hard at work corporatizing America for decades, & supporting a corrupt, bigoted, incompetent, childish “businessman” with no regard for the law or anything else into the White House was their crowning betrayal
Great comments, all. But it’s not just the fact that corporate “mainstream” media just wants to sell copy (clicks), or that Americans are reeling in the aftermath of Covid (Americans have lost their ability to see nuance and apply critical thought), or that a few notorious Republican politicians are acting as roadblocks to important confirmations and legislation (there are Dems too, like Manchin, that are drunk on their power). It seems to me that this country has ossified into its present state by a couple of spoiled, privileged, white dominated generations unwilling to relinquish control. Look at the state of many of our top political figures (McConnell, Feinstein, and yes, Trump AND Biden). The parties are controlled by them. Corporations are dominated by them (Murdoch, Gates, the Kochs, for example) and a rigid, entitled block of elderly, relatively affluent white voters still pack a wallop politically and insist on living in the past. Only time and fresh blood will cure this, if we are fortunate enough to survive these times. It gives me no great pleasure to make these observations; I’m of Western European descent (white as snow) and will turn 80 this month.
Yes, yes & yes
Yes, the comment I am linked to here (LeMoine) is much closer to my own thoughts. All the other comments I saw were just agreeing with the same stuff Reich is saying. I am glad to see this and I need to point out that, if this is a democracy, other persons have a right to express their views as well. Our country is turning into a mess. I was astonished at the way Robert Reich opened, failing to see any problems in the Biden administration. I am so fed up with Biden... But does my side have the right to speak? If other persons are fully absorbed in their own views, overlooking all the facts that do not agree with those views, then I am sure they will eventually just shut down all the critics. All "for the good of the nation" of course. I think we are seeing how easy it is, with lack of proper social and cultural support, for persons to become completely locked into ideology. How could anyone possibly fail to see that Biden really loves the inside deals and backroom dealing sort of politics. Corruption is just a big barrel of laughs for him. His some is some kind of expert on natural gas, so he was paid to "advise" a Ukrainian company about such things? No one notices that, though. Biden is corrupt. He LIKES being corrupt. That is why nobody can stop him in his "inevitable" rise to the presidency. He is buyable. He won't stop the corporations from polluting the earth with plastics, which are accumulating in huge pools or islands in the oceans. If nobody stops this, eventually the whole earth will be destroyed, or almost. Humans will then need to be eliminated, to save the planet. They will be. That is how our ideological obsessions will end, with the death of the human race. So okay I will stop here and hope I did more good than bad.
Well, Jacob, I will say that any politician of any stripe is suspect in my mind. But I don't take as dim a view of Biden or his son as you apparently do. In fact, I have to say that Joe Biden is many orders of magnitude better than Donald Trump was and aspires to be again. And the Republican extreme right in the House is a joke that can't possibly be compared to any entrenched group of Democrats in either house of Congress, although they too are politicians and generally feed out of the same corporate trough as their Republican brethren. Again, only a new generation will resolve this. I would love to see the 2024 presidential election be between Florida's Ron DeSantis and California's Gavin Newsome and be about policy positions and not lies and smear tactics. Sadly, the only things that seem capable of shaking things up and affecting fundamental change are catastrophes like the Great Depression or WW2 (of course we DO have climate change....).
You can speak all you want but here's the problem you're just regurgitating Murdoch and I never saw Biden hump a flag and I never saw biden's handshake when he drank a glass of water and I never saw him look up at an eclipse and I never saw him where he's Superman shirt or overthrow a government so speak away whether or not people listen well that just throws you into the realm of Megyn Kelly who was annihilated by Trump hoping that USA soccer team lost and Ted Cruz who was willing to take, I don't even want to use the language, let's just say that he didn't protect his wife and he ran when they were problems so speak away because we have the right to ignore you as well.
You've made some wise points. Thank you!
Thanks Lucy, I guess bad news always makes more noise than good news. Biden will likely experience the same lack of appreciation in his own lifetime that a lot of good people who do important things end up suffering. But I really don’t think he’ll mind all that much, as long as people & the country get the help they need
Kim, like you I haven’t been asked in polls. That’s because like so many others, I have a lot of restrictions on my phone as to what calls I receive. Also, I don’t listen to broadcast news I read the outlets I pick and choose who seem to give mostly honest and as unbiased as I can find reporting on my various devices.
I don’t have a lot of confidence in polls and even the mailed polls always want personal info I’m not willing to give and most definitely money. But I do vote and I do know that Pres. Biden has done a lot of good so far, in spite of the fierce opposition and antics of the paid-for so-called representatives in the political arena, now.
Am I in the minority? Perhaps, but I think there’s a lot of people like me out there that just don’t have the time or inclination to be bombarded by the media or hang out in a lot of social media. This is my non-guilty pleasure, lol.
I don’t think you’re in the minority at all, & I do spend a fair amount of time on social media most days! For all his bluster & bs, Donnie didn’t win the popular vote in 2016 & then lost bigly in 2020- like many of the midterm crackpots & clowns he backed last year. And I seriously doubt his antics since have won him many new supporters, so any poll that has him even with Biden just strikes me as unreliable- though I’ll never underestimate the depth of American ignorance & pettiness again :(
F the media.
I am outraged that media like WSJ, CNBC, and other financial "experts" aren't reporting that Saudi/OPEC/Russia have in effect raised oil prices, which is like a tax on all of us and that the Fed is still brainwashed by trickle down theory.
From what I understand, Fox et al took DNC and other Democratic ad campaign money in 2020 Abd 2022. The defamation case exposed tat they were a defacto agent for Trump and they screwed them. Why haven't they sued? This should be headlines.
And why haven't FOX and other Media been held accountable for their part in Ja, 6?