Hunter Biden pardoned by President Biden

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M

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
13,251
4,031
136
jdubs03 said:
If things turn out the way I think it will, the Dems will regain a trifecta. Just look at all these clowns and suck ups he’s putting into the cabinet. That’s not inconsequential.
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This is just crazy talk. This writer explains why Dems will be the minority in the Senate for the foreseeable future (in which case, the filibuster is likely toast).



jdubs03 said:
Perhaps. Right now in Congress the GQP will have a razor thin margin. For the first few months they’ll have effectively a 217-215 margin. The Redumblicans couldn’t get their shit together with passing legislation when having a couple more Reps. Me thinks it’ll be much tough this go around.
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Yes, the GQP is borderline ungovernable. But part of the reason was Leader McCarthy's Faustian bargain with MAGA to win the speakership. It took just one member to call for a vote to oust him. GOP has wisely raised that bar to 8 members. With Trump driving the bus and total control of the federal government, they will pass some legislation in the next term.

Right now I'm not good enough to say how much Dems will be able to obstruct the worst of Project 2025.


QueBert said:
But they're not gonna be mad at him, if people didn't get angry for the shit he did his 1st term, I don't possibly see how they can feel any differently this go-round. I would assume the idiots who aren't MAGA but voted for him will get mad here, but I also was sure he wouldn't get many non MAGA votes. So apparently I know nothing anymore.
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The problem isn't MAGA per se, which Nate Silver always estimated to be about 1/3 of the electorate. The problem is that 16% of other voters also voted for the dirtbag, and he darn near got 50% of the total vote.

Although I tend to agree that we got spanked overall, it's not quite as bad as it seems. We lost all of the federal government, which is a travesty. But the margins in WI/MI/PA weren't huge and we fought hard in a lot of House and even (losing) Senate races. The bottom line is that racism and misogyny won this election, which dragged some other downballot contests into the close/loss column as well. Unfortunately "Winter is coming" and it's as yet unclear how bad things will run for the next several years.

If democracy isn't dead, we'll need a new standard bearer that won't lose in 2028 to racism and misogyny. It's fucking bonkers that some people think Kamala Harris is "young enough" to get another shot at this. You'd have to be fucking insane to run it back.
 
F

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
87,934
55,280
136
manly said:
This is just crazy talk. This writer explains why Dems will be the minority in the Senate for the foreseeable future (in which case, the filibuster is likely toast).




Yes, the GQP is borderline ungovernable. But part of the reason was Leader McCarthy's Faustian bargain with MAGA to win the speakership. It took just one member to call for a vote to oust him. GOP has wisely raised that bar to 8 members. With Trump driving the bus and total control of the federal government, they will pass some legislation in the next term.

Right now I'm not good enough to say how much Dems will be able to obstruct the worst of Project 2025.



The problem isn't MAGA per se, which Nate Silver always estimated to be about 1/3 of the electorate. The problem is that 16% of other voters also voted for the dirtbag, and he darn near got 50% of the total vote.

Although I tend to agree that we got spanked overall, it's not quite as bad as it seems. We lost all of the federal government, which is a travesty. But the margins in WI/MI/PA weren't huge and we fought hard in a lot of House and even (losing) Senate races. The bottom line is that racism and misogyny won this election, which dragged some other downballot contests into the close/loss column as well. Unfortunately "Winter is coming" and it's as yet unclear how bad things will run for the next several years.

If democracy isn't dead, we'll need a new standard bearer that won't lose in 2028 to racism and misogyny. It's fucking bonkers that some people think Kamala Harris is "young enough" to get another shot at this. You'd have to be fucking insane to run it back.
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I really can't imagine a situation where Republicans kill the filibuster, as much as I wish they would.

The issue with the filibuster is that Republicans have already eliminated it for the things they care about. Why eliminate the remainder and make it easier for Democrats to enact their agenda if they do regain control?
 
M

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
13,251
4,031
136
fskimospy said:
I really can't imagine a situation where Republicans kill the filibuster, as much as I wish they would.

The issue with the filibuster is that Republicans have already eliminated it for the things they care about. Why eliminate the remainder and make it easier for Democrats to enact their agenda if they do regain control?
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Read the op-ed; it breaks down the cruel math. Repubs won't be much concerned about falling into the Senate minority anytime soon. Meanwhile, they desperately want to enact Project 2025 while they have this grand "mandate." Budget reconciliation alone won't be enough for them to do it.

I don't buy another poster's argument (elsewhere) that intra-state migration means a permanent GOP Senate majority in the next decade. That shit made no sense. But what does make sense is the seats we've lost in WV and MT are permanent loses. States like OH and FL are semi-permanent, although I suppose things could eventually change. Our only real hope is to flip ME and to eventually figure out how to unseat Rafael Cruz.
 
M

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,726
6,754
126
MrSquished said:
What are you even talking about? Ego exists. There are different ways an ego can manifest itself. Biden's ego fucked this country over when he decided to run again when it's very clear he was not the choice OF HIS OWN PARTY and became quite clear during the campaign he did not have it in him.
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I would suggest that if you are going to ask me what I am talking about you should at least have given some consideration of your own as to what I said. I said:

"It seems odd to me to complain about politicians with ego. Biden was Biden because of his ego. Newsom is the same, in my opinion, a pretty face, a smooth talker, and an empty suit. He doesn't hold a candle to somebody like Sanders, again, in my opinion."

I said that primarily in response to what you said here:

"I think and I've said that Joe Biden fucked us with his ego by running again. The majority of Democrats polled by far, did not want him to run again. His own base. And he looked at them and said fuck you I'm going to run again. Even though the numbers were terrible about his candidacy."

I think this is a mischaracterization of fact, in my opinion. I saw Biden as the presumptive candidate the Democratic establishment was fully behind as the presumptive candidate despite concerns about his age and that except for his poor debate performance and seeming frailness he was clearly the only choice to defeat Trump as he had already done just that. And throughout his political career he had consistently won difficult races by shear determination of will. He was a fighter with a record. You wanted a person like that to cede defeat and called his willingness to fight on a matter of ego. But everything spoke to his right to have that kind of ego, the self confidence to persevere in the face of profound obstacles and overcome.

Indeed there are different ways that ego can manifest and the one you attributed to him was incorrect in my opinion. I believe that Biden stayed in the race because he believed he could beat Trump and that he was by far the better choice for our country. For him to give up would have been like committing a sin. So the frightened knocked him off. We will never know what would have happened if he had not given up, but we do know the result of him doing so. You cannot say it is very clear he didn't have it in him because he was not the candidate and only his actual defeat would establish that as fact. Your ego, however is free to speculate. People like you are responsible for that. I am not blaming you for that as I believe humanity is asleep and everything it does it does like a clock, a top, or a robot, programmed to respond without self awareness.

Also, I have no use for the portion of the party that Biden best represents. There is no name that I know of that expresses my beliefs, a synthesis of the left and the right from a third perspective that can't be named and that requires piercing the veil of duality.
 
F

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
87,934
55,280
136
manly said:
Read the op-ed; it breaks down the cruel math. Repubs won't be much concerned about falling into the Senate minority anytime soon. Meanwhile, they desperately want to enact Project 2025 while they have this grand "mandate." Budget reconciliation alone won't be enough for them to do it.

I don't buy another poster's argument (elsewhere) that intra-state migration means a permanent GOP Senate majority in the next decade. That shit made no sense. But what does make sense is the seats we've lost in WV and MT are permanent loses. States like OH and FL are semi-permanent, although I suppose things could eventually change. Our only real hope is to flip ME and to eventually figure out how to unseat Rafael Cruz.
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I've seen enough declarations of a new permanent state in my life to be highly skeptical of them. Highly.

Budget reconciliation alone along with new seizures of presidential power will be sufficient to implement nearly all of project 2025. I think people really underestimate the extent to which Trump is just going to do things by executive fiat and Congress is going to let him.

Again, I would love nothing more than for Republicans to kill the filibuster once and for all. I would cheer it. I just don't see it happening.
 
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M

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
13,251
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fskimospy said:
I've seen enough declarations of a new permanent state in my life to be highly skeptical of them. Highly.

Budget reconciliation alone along with new seizures of presidential power will be sufficient to implement nearly all of project 2025. I think people really underestimate the extent to which Trump is just going to do things by executive fiat and Congress is going to let him.

Again, I would love nothing more than for Republicans to kill the filibuster once and for all. I would cheer it. I just don't see it happening.
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Permanent depends on how you describe it, of course. I'm a Gen. Xer without kids, so it's not like I have to personally worry about the U.S. 50 years from now.

But show me some states that Dems could flip within a decade? I'm not saying the filibuster is certainly dead, but the GOP could pull the trigger if they believe their Senate majority is permanent. Whether that's ultimately true a generation from now is unknowable.

I understand that Dems have been the Senate majority now and again since 2008. But every couple years recently, it's been a "tough map" for us and I don't see any evidence that's going away. Bottom line as the opinion piece stated is that there are more red states than there are blue states. There's just no fix for this, although you can (and we do) win seats in the few battlegrounds.

I guess you could argue all of this is just window dressing if fascism rules supreme for 4 years. If Trump indeed gets away with murder by EO, then who cares about this silly filibuster business.
 
F

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
87,934
55,280
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manly said:
Permanent depends on how you describe it, of course. I'm a Gen. Xer without kids, so it's not like I have to personally worry about the U.S. 50 years from now.

But show me some states that Dems could flip within a decade? I'm not saying the filibuster is certainly dead, but the GOP could pull the trigger if they believe their Senate majority is permanent. Whether that's ultimately true a generation from now is unknowable.

I understand that Dems have been the Senate majority now and again since 2008. But every couple years recently, it's been a "tough map" for us and I don't see any evidence that's going away. Bottom line as the opinion piece stated is that there are more red states than there are blue states. There's just no fix for this, although you can (and we do) win seats in the few battlegrounds.

I guess you could argue all of this is just window dressing if fascism rules supreme for 4 years. If Trump indeed gets away with murder by EO, then who cares about this silly filibuster business.
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Just saying things change. Florida used to be a swing state and now it isn’t. Colorado used to be a red state and now it’s solidly blue. I have no idea what the future holds but as a fellow gen Xer we have seen similar predictions before.

But yes, the filibuster debate may no longer matter at this point as I expect Trump to largely sideline Congress and just do what he wants.
 
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nakedfrog

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
62,695
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I think it's possible that the GOP could fuck things up badly enough to lose some seats in the next few years, does that make me an optimist by way of pessimism?
 
MrSquished

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
26,067
24,395
136
nakedfrog said:
I think it's possible that the GOP could fuck things up badly enough to lose some seats in the next few years, does that make me an optimist by way of pessimism?
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It does and I'm with you. If there is one thing the Trump party is capable this time around, it is of fucking things up badly, enough to potentially cost them in the mid-terms.
 
QueBert

QueBert

Lifer
Jan 6, 2002
22,974
1,175
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jdubs03 said:
I’ll frame it this way:
Maybe most of the diehard GQPs won’t be mad. But it’s a direct causation so if they’re being honest, they won’t have anyone else to blame. Those are the people we call completely lost. However, in that infamous center to center right, those people will be and they’ll know where to place to blame. If I’m wrong then we’re truly fucked.
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MAGAs and GOP can't be honest, most MAGAs won't ever blame Trump. Hell you gotta remember, the majority of them can't even be honest about Trump being a criminal. Whether they're lying to save face, or they truly believe he's the victim of a huge political witch hunt. They stick to "he's never committed a crime" Like their glorious leader, they are incapable of admitting they were wrong about something.

Some of them are still placing blame on Obama. so I suspect when shit goes left and eggs actually are as expensive as MAGAs have been whining about for the last 2 years. Somehow Obama will be who they say's behind it.

The non MAGAs who thought voting for Trump was the better choice between the 2 will definitely understand and get mad at him. MAGAs could all become homeless from his bullshit and will still proudly say "best president ever!"


nakedfrog said:
I think it's possible that the GOP could fuck things up badly enough to lose some seats in the next few years, does that make me an optimist by way of pessimism?
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The job the GOP has done since 2016 and they still are ahead makes me doubt people even give a shit anymore. Trump was out of office 4 short years, it wasn't 2 decades where people had forgotten the shit that happened. 48 months, and people ignored everything he did. How much more badly would the GOP have to fuck up to make people jump ship?

I hope you're right, but my faith in people has dwindled to almost nothing.
 
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jdubs03

Golden Member
Oct 1, 2013
1,282
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nakedfrog said:
I think it's possible that the GOP could fuck things up badly enough to lose some seats in the next few years, does that make me an optimist by way of pessimism?
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That was my whole point. They have really damaging people and policies they’re instituting.

Everyone complained about high prices, if prices rise directly after Trump to puts in a tariff, you can’t blame anyone else but him. There’s no way to spin it. Start taking away peoples Social Security and healthcare entitlements and people are gonna get pissed. It’s easy for these people to complain that spending is high, but that’s just such an abstract concept. They’ll just as soon bitch and moan once that gov spending/provisions are cut.
 
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M

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
13,251
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LOL the GOP has been FA, and peons have been FO since the Reagan revolution. At best, they will keep voting against their self-interests, but our elections will be close and occasionally we win when he have the right candidate for POTUS. Gerrymandering aside, the House is less of a rigged deck so sometimes we'll have a majority there.

SS is the third rail (and Medicare arguably as well), so at some point there will be a limit to the GOP's depravity that could result in pitchforks in the streets. We're not there yet.

FFS some 20% of voters polled said Joe Biden was to blame for the reversal of Roe v. Wade. That's the electorate we're dealing with, folks.
 
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Indus

Indus

Lifer
May 11, 2002
15,944
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manly said:
FFS some 20% of voters polled said Joe Biden was to blame for the reversal of Roe v. Wade. That's the electorate we're dealing with, folks.
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That's their golden ticket.. they will set these bombs to go off when Dems are in control and they can still blame dems.
 
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IronWing

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,790
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K1052

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
52,581
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O

outriding

Diamond Member
Feb 20, 2002
4,394
3,809
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I will bet $5 that the majority of the J6 people will not know if they are pardoned that that they will not know they are admitting they are guilty

Let’s watch the google search’s for that go up


My thought regardless of if u think the J6 were in the right or not they still assaulted the police and due to their actions some police officers died for their actions and that should never be pardoned

Frustrating that the police still support trump
 
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