Should Biden run again in 2024? I think Joe Biden, while of course not perfect, has exceeded expectations and been a better president than most of his predecessors. The rightwing propaganda attempts to paint him as senile, that range from nitpicking every minor misspeak on his part to actually doctoring photos and videos - and the corresponding ugly insulting comments from MAGAs on social media, really make me angry. However, as someone about to turn 77, I have to agree with James Carville. Biden is showing some of the signs of age-related changes and that will only increase as time goes by. Although I realize that there are significant individual differences in mental and physical functioning in older adults, the job requirements of the presidency are (or should be) such a high bar to meet, that places them beyond the reach of a past 80 year old man who is already struggling with being able to express himself publicly in ways that don't invite ridicule. In addition, it's more likely that the Republican nominee is going to be a much younger Ron DeSantis rather than Donald Trump - and that means age will definitely be a factor in the minds of voters. The Democrats will need to have a younger more dynamic candidate to run against DeSantis.
The issue with the Biden documents is not that there is no legal case against Biden but there is one against Trump. It is that if you or I would be in trouble for something like that. The American compact is supposed to be that we have no overlords, who routinely violate the rules the rest of us are held to. Biden behaved like an overlord in this instance, and it stinks.
Excellent excellent reporting from Amanda Carpenter today on the 1/6 clusterfuck. Answered a lot of questions I had about the lack of response as well as highlighting the frightening fact that people in Trump’s staff and 10 former Secretaries of Defense had legitimate fears that Trump might misuse the National Guard and the army to interfere in the certification of the election. Crazy stuff!
I realize that as a society we have a long way to go before we achieve equality - not equity, equality - and that we are also a very litigious bunch, but just like the "anti-woke" bullies need slapping down so do many hardcore SJW bullies need a good smack-down.
There has been much too much targeting professionals for the sake of diva-quality political theater. For example, the bakery down the street is owned by a couple who are deeply religious. This shop is visited on occasion by a member of the LGBTQIA+ community who likes the cakes so much that they asked the couple to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. They politely refuse the special order, explaining their religious convictions prevent them from celebrating a same sex marriage. The engaged couple have 2 choices at this time: they can thank the shop-owners for their consideration and continue to buy a cake or pie from time to time and find another baker for the wedding, or they can sue the couple for violating their rights - all the while ignoring the couple's rights to not be compelled to violate their faith. Which of these is the right thing to do?
How about a florist being forced to produce arrangements and a bouquet for a same sex couple in opposition to her/his beliefs? What about a Mohel (A Jew who performs ritual circumcisions) being coerced to come down to the local hospital to circumcise the mayor's new godson because she defines herself, like George Santos, as Jew-ish? A halal butcher (one who practices traditional Islamic slaughter) cater a pig roast?
I fully realize that there are laws that provide a "do for one-do for all" basis for businesses to avoid discrimination , but c'mon, at least try to see the proprietors' points of view. Just remember that they have inalienable rights too.
A big part of the problem is that the DOJ is taking so long. If indictments would have come out on July 5th the Dems may have held the House. Bannon is still strutting around, provoking and untouched. Likewise Trump, although he seems to have lost his mojo, and can't afford to pay for rallies and lawyers at the same time. Georgia will announce before the end of January. They ought to put him I'm jail for just what he did to Ruby Freeman. Will they?
I just want to put in a plug for Amanda Carpenter's wonderful January 6 coverage. Detailed, entertaining, relentless- with an entirely appropriate measure of indignant scorn for those responsible. Go back and read them all. Amanda, put all of it in a book and get it into high school civics classes. This is living history and it isn't over.
Not able to find the new podcast, "Just Between Us," on any normal search attempts through my iPhone Podcast app. Is it already released? Do I need to do something "special" to access it?
Much of the commentary I have read and heard about possible charges against trump in the Mar-a-Lago documents case has cited the obstruction of recovery rather than the removal from the White House as more likely to land trump in court. There is no evidence of obstruction whatsoever in the case of the documents found in the Biden think tank's possession. So why would the Biden incident preclude bringing an obstruction charge against trump? (I know, "politics" and all . . . .) I think a jury can be trusted to appreciate the distinctions well enough to deliver trump a clearly warranted guilty verdict.
I find it hard to believe that a Deep State that can steal an election, influence private companies & big media, orchestrate a pandemic in order to judge human response in preparation for a new One World Order allows Biden's documents gaff to be known.
I mean really? Is it a big moneyed stealthy sly canny under the radar group, or is it the equivalent of PeeWee Herman?
To comment on Cathy's article about free speech threats from left and right:
I'll start by saying I disagree with Hamline University's actions and it appears Aram Wedatalla was looking for a fight given all the warnings. Unless the painting was accompanied by clearly disparaging remarks about Islam or something then the reaction was too strong from both Aram to start and the University after.
Cathy also says the cycle won't end until both sides police their own and she is probably right.
However, what I think is missing from her article is a further examination of the asymmetries at play. She mentions that the left does and is attempting to self police but there is more to it than that. This cherry picked instance of overreach due to "woke" ideology is national news. I had never heard Baggett's name until Cathy's article and I doubt it is national news. Going further I wonder how many people have been fired for not being Christian enough in private universities or any other private setting. There is the obvious on-the-nose examples of getting fired for not being a Christian or being gay when working at a Christian school. I'm more talking about being discovered as gay or atheist in a secular position but in a very conservative area and then being let go for other reasons soon afterwards. Those instances have clearly happened and continue to happen but they never make the national news, yet they are identical to the Hamline case. Someone's choices ran afoul of regional culture and they were pushed out.
Honestly I don't like that it happens. I've felt that pressure myself and its why I don't live in my hometown anymore even if I never got canned for it. That said it almost never gets covered if it's majority culture applying the pressure. Of course there is a line here where some of that pressure must be allowed in order to produce a cohesive society. Not all of that conservative pressure is verboten but lets not kid ourselves. Plenty of it should be, much more of it than the isolated incidents you hear about coming from the left. Overreach from conservatives is like bee sting deaths, sad but considered fairly common and mundane. Overreach from the left is like shark attacks, rare but considered sensational and scary.
My point being there should be a little more leeway given on the left because while these incidents aren't good and shouldn't happen they are still infrequent and that side clearly doesn't have the clout to make it a wide spread issue even if they didn't already self police. Meanwhile on the right the abuse is still pretty widespread and no one on their side cares. In fact its practically being encouraged at this point. Its like punishing your kids equally when one has a history of bad behavior and the other has done it for the first time just to appear even handed. Some context needs to be applied.
Can someone please tell me why the DOJ seemingly didn't get involved with Trump until it rose to the level of obstruction after the Archives was repeatedly rebuffed, but there was an immediate DOJ referral after the Biden team voluntary disclosed and returned the documents? Seems strange, but it wouldn't be the first time that Trump has received different, and more lenient, treatment by the DOJ.
There was some analyst...can't remember who they were, but they were very familiar with this type of situation and they said that the fact that the lawyers were doing this....meant they were concerned that they would find something.
They weren't 100% positive but they did feel like it was unusual and therefore appeared like the Biden team had concerns.
I am so tired of the word "woke". Politicians and most citizens couldn't describe it even if you spotted them a sentence or two. Like CRT it is simply a word to alarm ignorant people. But here is a distinction between the Left and Right. The Left has a university like Hamline being over reactive and stupid. The Right has governors passing anti-democratic bills for an entire state and R Politicians promising to do the same for the country. Journalists trying to equate the two are wrong.
One of the best statements I've read regarding January 6th, in Amanda Carpenter's Bulwark piece: 'Our national security apparatus is only as good as the political appointees who run it, and many of them provided a gross disservice to the men and women in uniform on the ground that day.'
Well written piece, Amanda Carpenter. Thank you for the insight.
Should Biden run again in 2024? I think Joe Biden, while of course not perfect, has exceeded expectations and been a better president than most of his predecessors. The rightwing propaganda attempts to paint him as senile, that range from nitpicking every minor misspeak on his part to actually doctoring photos and videos - and the corresponding ugly insulting comments from MAGAs on social media, really make me angry. However, as someone about to turn 77, I have to agree with James Carville. Biden is showing some of the signs of age-related changes and that will only increase as time goes by. Although I realize that there are significant individual differences in mental and physical functioning in older adults, the job requirements of the presidency are (or should be) such a high bar to meet, that places them beyond the reach of a past 80 year old man who is already struggling with being able to express himself publicly in ways that don't invite ridicule. In addition, it's more likely that the Republican nominee is going to be a much younger Ron DeSantis rather than Donald Trump - and that means age will definitely be a factor in the minds of voters. The Democrats will need to have a younger more dynamic candidate to run against DeSantis.
That's the thing about Biden. When things seem to be going good for him he always finds the rake to step on.
The issue with the Biden documents is not that there is no legal case against Biden but there is one against Trump. It is that if you or I would be in trouble for something like that. The American compact is supposed to be that we have no overlords, who routinely violate the rules the rest of us are held to. Biden behaved like an overlord in this instance, and it stinks.
Excellent excellent reporting from Amanda Carpenter today on the 1/6 clusterfuck. Answered a lot of questions I had about the lack of response as well as highlighting the frightening fact that people in Trump’s staff and 10 former Secretaries of Defense had legitimate fears that Trump might misuse the National Guard and the army to interfere in the certification of the election. Crazy stuff!
"valid concerns about social justice bullies"
I realize that as a society we have a long way to go before we achieve equality - not equity, equality - and that we are also a very litigious bunch, but just like the "anti-woke" bullies need slapping down so do many hardcore SJW bullies need a good smack-down.
There has been much too much targeting professionals for the sake of diva-quality political theater. For example, the bakery down the street is owned by a couple who are deeply religious. This shop is visited on occasion by a member of the LGBTQIA+ community who likes the cakes so much that they asked the couple to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. They politely refuse the special order, explaining their religious convictions prevent them from celebrating a same sex marriage. The engaged couple have 2 choices at this time: they can thank the shop-owners for their consideration and continue to buy a cake or pie from time to time and find another baker for the wedding, or they can sue the couple for violating their rights - all the while ignoring the couple's rights to not be compelled to violate their faith. Which of these is the right thing to do?
How about a florist being forced to produce arrangements and a bouquet for a same sex couple in opposition to her/his beliefs? What about a Mohel (A Jew who performs ritual circumcisions) being coerced to come down to the local hospital to circumcise the mayor's new godson because she defines herself, like George Santos, as Jew-ish? A halal butcher (one who practices traditional Islamic slaughter) cater a pig roast?
I fully realize that there are laws that provide a "do for one-do for all" basis for businesses to avoid discrimination , but c'mon, at least try to see the proprietors' points of view. Just remember that they have inalienable rights too.
A big part of the problem is that the DOJ is taking so long. If indictments would have come out on July 5th the Dems may have held the House. Bannon is still strutting around, provoking and untouched. Likewise Trump, although he seems to have lost his mojo, and can't afford to pay for rallies and lawyers at the same time. Georgia will announce before the end of January. They ought to put him I'm jail for just what he did to Ruby Freeman. Will they?
I just want to put in a plug for Amanda Carpenter's wonderful January 6 coverage. Detailed, entertaining, relentless- with an entirely appropriate measure of indignant scorn for those responsible. Go back and read them all. Amanda, put all of it in a book and get it into high school civics classes. This is living history and it isn't over.
Not able to find the new podcast, "Just Between Us," on any normal search attempts through my iPhone Podcast app. Is it already released? Do I need to do something "special" to access it?
-mboin78@yahoo.com
Much of the commentary I have read and heard about possible charges against trump in the Mar-a-Lago documents case has cited the obstruction of recovery rather than the removal from the White House as more likely to land trump in court. There is no evidence of obstruction whatsoever in the case of the documents found in the Biden think tank's possession. So why would the Biden incident preclude bringing an obstruction charge against trump? (I know, "politics" and all . . . .) I think a jury can be trusted to appreciate the distinctions well enough to deliver trump a clearly warranted guilty verdict.
I find it hard to believe that a Deep State that can steal an election, influence private companies & big media, orchestrate a pandemic in order to judge human response in preparation for a new One World Order allows Biden's documents gaff to be known.
I mean really? Is it a big moneyed stealthy sly canny under the radar group, or is it the equivalent of PeeWee Herman?
To add to that quote of the day with some Voltaire flavor; When Trump no longer exists, it will be necessary to re-invent him.
To comment on Cathy's article about free speech threats from left and right:
I'll start by saying I disagree with Hamline University's actions and it appears Aram Wedatalla was looking for a fight given all the warnings. Unless the painting was accompanied by clearly disparaging remarks about Islam or something then the reaction was too strong from both Aram to start and the University after.
Cathy also says the cycle won't end until both sides police their own and she is probably right.
However, what I think is missing from her article is a further examination of the asymmetries at play. She mentions that the left does and is attempting to self police but there is more to it than that. This cherry picked instance of overreach due to "woke" ideology is national news. I had never heard Baggett's name until Cathy's article and I doubt it is national news. Going further I wonder how many people have been fired for not being Christian enough in private universities or any other private setting. There is the obvious on-the-nose examples of getting fired for not being a Christian or being gay when working at a Christian school. I'm more talking about being discovered as gay or atheist in a secular position but in a very conservative area and then being let go for other reasons soon afterwards. Those instances have clearly happened and continue to happen but they never make the national news, yet they are identical to the Hamline case. Someone's choices ran afoul of regional culture and they were pushed out.
Honestly I don't like that it happens. I've felt that pressure myself and its why I don't live in my hometown anymore even if I never got canned for it. That said it almost never gets covered if it's majority culture applying the pressure. Of course there is a line here where some of that pressure must be allowed in order to produce a cohesive society. Not all of that conservative pressure is verboten but lets not kid ourselves. Plenty of it should be, much more of it than the isolated incidents you hear about coming from the left. Overreach from conservatives is like bee sting deaths, sad but considered fairly common and mundane. Overreach from the left is like shark attacks, rare but considered sensational and scary.
My point being there should be a little more leeway given on the left because while these incidents aren't good and shouldn't happen they are still infrequent and that side clearly doesn't have the clout to make it a wide spread issue even if they didn't already self police. Meanwhile on the right the abuse is still pretty widespread and no one on their side cares. In fact its practically being encouraged at this point. Its like punishing your kids equally when one has a history of bad behavior and the other has done it for the first time just to appear even handed. Some context needs to be applied.
Well said!
Can someone please tell me why the DOJ seemingly didn't get involved with Trump until it rose to the level of obstruction after the Archives was repeatedly rebuffed, but there was an immediate DOJ referral after the Biden team voluntary disclosed and returned the documents? Seems strange, but it wouldn't be the first time that Trump has received different, and more lenient, treatment by the DOJ.
On another note, who pays lawyers to move? Is surrounding yourself only with staff who can assert attorney-client privilege a thing?
There was some analyst...can't remember who they were, but they were very familiar with this type of situation and they said that the fact that the lawyers were doing this....meant they were concerned that they would find something.
They weren't 100% positive but they did feel like it was unusual and therefore appeared like the Biden team had concerns.
That sounds right.
I am so tired of the word "woke". Politicians and most citizens couldn't describe it even if you spotted them a sentence or two. Like CRT it is simply a word to alarm ignorant people. But here is a distinction between the Left and Right. The Left has a university like Hamline being over reactive and stupid. The Right has governors passing anti-democratic bills for an entire state and R Politicians promising to do the same for the country. Journalists trying to equate the two are wrong.
One of the best statements I've read regarding January 6th, in Amanda Carpenter's Bulwark piece: 'Our national security apparatus is only as good as the political appointees who run it, and many of them provided a gross disservice to the men and women in uniform on the ground that day.'
Well written piece, Amanda Carpenter. Thank you for the insight.