10/21 political talk

[lea]

Can someone give me a Cliff’s notes on what’s happening in Congress with the big bills? I see bits and pieces here and there, like they’ve done away with free community college and that the GOP Filibustered the Voting Rights Act.

I’m feeling discouraged with how things are going, is there any reason I shouldn’t be?

[mbcdefg]

I would also like a Cliff’s notes/Explain It Like I’m Five rundown of Trump’s stupid new social media organization. I don’t give two shits about whatever nonsense platform he’s starting (a “free speech/truth” platform where people can be banned if they make fun of the platform), but I see that that organization is somehow combined with another organization based out of Wuhan. I also see some stock market-type people commenting on how this is an obvious financial scam, and some sort of “blank check company,” and it’s all going right over my head.

[seeyalater52]

Oct 21, 2021 10:24:41 GMT -5 lea said:

Can someone give me a Cliff’s notes on what’s happening in Congress with the big bills? I see bits and pieces here and there, like they’ve done away with free community college and that the GOP Filibustered the Voting Rights Act.

I’m feeling discouraged with how things are going, is there any reason I shouldn’t be?

No, you should be discouraged. Really no major bills are being passed. The infrastructure package was pre-negotiated and it is still hung up although if I had to guess it will probably eventually come through. They’re fighting still over the reconciliation bill (“human infrastructure” package, Build Back Better) and that only takes 50 votes to pass. Democrats in the Senate just don’t have a deep enough margin to do anything worthwhile and even in the House the margin is slim and getting to passage is really tough. We need more Dems in both chambers to move on these priorities (and other things like voting rights that don’t have a shot in hell at passing right now bc they can’t be done through reconciliation) but instead we are projected to lose big at midterms. They can’t even pass a fucking budget, it’s pathetic.

I’m discouraged. BBB was on the brink for a long time but I’m just not sure we will get there now and it makes me really sad.

[Roc A Bee]

I think Dems will lose big in the midterms. They can’t really point to a single win. And although I know it’s more complicated than that, I don’t think an average voter does.

[heat40]

I wonder if putting up a smaller but specific bill versus a major bill that encompasses everything, would’ve had the same fate. I know that’s not what many on the left wanted, but it seems like failing to get this one passed will be very detrimental to an already difficult midterm election.

Barely holding a majority is just brutal, and I don’t know when we’ll ever see a solid majority anytime soon.

[lea]

Thanks seeyalater52. I don’t want to be a downer seeing as we still have one more year until midterms but it’s frustrating.

[erbear]

Oct 21, 2021 13:18:04 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

I think Dems will lose big in the midterms. They can’t really point to a single win. And although I know it’s more complicated than that, I don’t think an average voter does.

Agree.

And when they do, I’m going to be mad as hell if they don’t filibuster the shit out of everything that comes into their chamber.

[seeyalater52]

Oct 21, 2021 13:23:03 GMT -5 heat40 said:

I wonder if putting up a smaller but specific bill versus a major bill that encompasses everything, would’ve had the same fate. I know that’s not what many on the left wanted, but it seems like failing to get this one passed will be very detrimental to an already difficult midterm election.

Barely holding a majority is just brutal, and I don’t know when we’ll ever see a solid majority anytime soon.

It’s hard to do that with a reconciliation bill just by the nature of a thing. Or any priority really. We don’t have the straight votes to pass much of anything narrow either. The reason the bills get so big and complicated is because in order to secure the votes we have to add a bunch of random shit in to appease individual interests. If you start taking things out you lose votes and all our coalitions are so fractured that we can’t withstand it.

I agree that the average voter can’t parse any of this and it’s killing me because we are getting massacred.

[pugz]

fuck the GOP

[carmenere]

Everything looks bleak right now but I’m basking in the glow of Steve Brannon being held in contempt.

[neverfstop]

I think they will pass a slimmed down bill, which would still be a monumental improvement, but disappointing nonetheless.

I hate Sinema & Manchin with the fire of a thousands suns. I get that he's in a coal state & basically owns a coal company and won't let even the tiniest of green policies go fowrward, but WTF is up with Sinema?? She's just taking the big Pharma money and enjoys being the talk of the town??

I'm pissed the rich keep getting off, the big corporations keep all their tax breaks, and

There was some talk of doing a filibuster carve-out for the voting rights act, so there's that??

[Velar Fricative]

Basically, Sinema and Manchin might as well be Republicans.

[konapoppy]

Did Trump get anything major passed? I feel like everything was an executive order. Is Biden not doing EOs? I could see how it would look bad - why does he need them when he has there majority. Except we know he doesn’t have the majority in the senate.

[Bad Dingo]

I'm about as rah-rah pro Dem as you can get and I'm PISSED that they can't seem to get things done. There's plenty of smart people in DC, FIND A GOD DAMN WAY!

[neverfstop]

Oct 21, 2021 17:00:28 GMT -5 konapoppy said:

Did Trump get anything major passed? I feel like everything was an executive order. Is Biden not doing EOs? I could see how it would look bad - why does he need them when he has there majority. Except we know he doesn’t have the majority in the senate.

Tax cuts for the rich....

So funny story....the GOP is targeting Dems in Blue states for NOT repealing the Trump SALT deduction limits that they wanted....

[seeyalater52]

Oct 21, 2021 16:37:43 GMT -5 neverfstop said:

I think they will pass a slimmed down bill, which would still be a monumental improvement, but disappointing nonetheless.

I hate Sinema & Manchin with the fire of a thousands suns. I get that he's in a coal state & basically owns a coal company and won't let even the tiniest of green policies go fowrward, but WTF is up with Sinema?? She's just taking the big Pharma money and enjoys being the talk of the town??

I'm pissed the rich keep getting off, the big corporations keep all their tax breaks, and

There was some talk of doing a filibuster carve-out for the voting rights act, so there's that??

100% Sinema is counting on losing her seat and is just gunning for her next job as a consultant or lobbyist or fox new correspondent. She isn’t even pretending to make any sort of sense. Manchin for all his faults is pretty ideologically consistent and clear about what he wants/needs to compromise. She’s all over the damn place, it’s infuriating.

[redheadbaker]

Supreme Court again refuses to block Texas abortion bill, but agrees to fast-track their consideration of appeals

www.nytimes.com/2021/10/22/us/supreme-court-abortion-texas.html

The Supreme Court on Friday once again refused to immediately block a Texas law that banned most abortions after six weeks. But the justices agreed to fast-track their consideration of appeals from the Justice Department and abortion providers in Texas, scheduling arguments for Nov. 1.

[Velar Fricative]

Oct 22, 2021 12:29:39 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Oct 21, 2021 16:37:43 GMT -5 neverfstop said:

I think they will pass a slimmed down bill, which would still be a monumental improvement, but disappointing nonetheless.

I hate Sinema & Manchin with the fire of a thousands suns. I get that he's in a coal state & basically owns a coal company and won't let even the tiniest of green policies go fowrward, but WTF is up with Sinema?? She's just taking the big Pharma money and enjoys being the talk of the town??

I'm pissed the rich keep getting off, the big corporations keep all their tax breaks, and

There was some talk of doing a filibuster carve-out for the voting rights act, so there's that??

100% Sinema is counting on losing her seat and is just gunning for her next job as a consultant or lobbyist or fox new correspondent. She isn’t even pretending to make any sort of sense. Manchin for all his faults is pretty ideologically consistent and clear about what he wants/needs to compromise. She’s all over the damn place, it’s infuriating.

I don't even understand why she is so certain she would lose her seat. She beat out what's-her-face in 2018, AZ turned blue in 2020 and Mark Kelly won. I know it's a swing state and it would be a close rate no matter what, but she really has decided to just fuck it all I guess.

[mouse]

I keep seeing stuff about how Sinema started out Green Party and how could she change like this??? Philosophically, I don’t think 3rd parties are a bad idea, but this does confirm my bias that they attract a lot of candidates who really like attention and are not interested in the nitty gritty work of actually governing. Which, I get it, that’s why I prefer my activist hobby and know that I would probably be a terrible candidate. But I’m not shocked by this behavior at all.

I’m trying not to feel too defeated here, because I feel like That’s What THEY Want *tm. Last I looked the board isn’t as bad as it was going into 2020 or 2018, we could make gains, we could still make big structural changes, we just need to keep going. But fuck, it’s hard.

[seeyalater52]

Oct 22, 2021 12:34:29 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Oct 22, 2021 12:29:39 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

100% Sinema is counting on losing her seat and is just gunning for her next job as a consultant or lobbyist or fox new correspondent. She isn’t even pretending to make any sort of sense. Manchin for all his faults is pretty ideologically consistent and clear about what he wants/needs to compromise. She’s all over the damn place, it’s infuriating.

I don't even understand why she is so certain she would lose her seat. She beat out what's-her-face in 2018, AZ turned blue in 2020 and Mark Kelly won. I know it's a swing state and it would be a close rate no matter what, but she really has decided to just fuck it all I guess.

There’s a good chance she won’t survive a Dem primary. Of course, that is a situation of her own making that her current antics aren’t helping.

[mouse]

Pretty sure Kurt Schrader has lost the plot entirely. He’s currently on FB touting his experience as the only animal veterinarian in Congress. 🙄

I will give him that he genuinely seems to have a rapport with animals. Wish it extended to humans.

[fumbalina]

Texas redistricting political

apps.texastribune.org/features/2021/texas-redistricting-map/

I am so frustrated by this but don't have a good way to process how I am feeling.

[neverfstop]

Oct 22, 2021 14:40:49 GMT -5 fumbalina said:

Texas redistricting political

apps.texastribune.org/features/2021/texas-redistricting-map/

I am so frustrated by this but don't have a good way to process how I am feeling.

The TL:DR from Rachel last night was that Texas was gaining 2 net seats (almost all from the increase in minority populations), but some how the GOP redistricting was taking away 2 seats from majority Latino districts and also diluting the only majority AA district in the state.   

[lea]

Biden says paid leave reduced from 12 weeks to 4.

thehill.com/homenews/administration/577944-biden-says-paid-leave-proposal-reduced-from-12-to-4-weeks


I’m so pissed off that our fucking parties can’t even agree on this. I’m starting to turn into my mother who is just disgusted by every politician.

[notsopicky]

Oct 21, 2021 16:37:57 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Basically, Sinema and Manchin might as well be Republicans.

I don't understand how they're not. 

[mbcdefg]

Jan. 6 Protest Organizers Say They Participated in ‘Dozens’ of Planning Meetings With Members of Congress and White House Staff

www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/exclusive-jan-6-organizers-met-congress-white-house-1245289/

As the House investigation into the Jan. 6 attack heats up, some of the planners of the pro-Trump rallies that took place in Washington, D.C., have begun communicating with congressional investigators and sharing new information about what happened when the former president’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Two of these people have spoken to Rolling Stone extensively in recent weeks and detailed explosive allegations that multiple members of Congress were intimately involved in planning both Trump’s efforts to overturn his election loss and the Jan. 6 events that turned violent.

Rolling Stone separately confirmed a third person involved in the main Jan. 6 rally in D.C. has communicated with the committee. This is the first report that the committee is hearing major new allegations from potential cooperating witnesses. While there have been prior indications that members of Congress were involved, this is also the first account detailing their purported role and its scope. The two sources also claim they interacted with members of Trump’s team, including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who they describe as having had an opportunity to prevent the violence.

…

Along with [Marjorie Taylor] Greene, the conspiratorial pro-Trump Republican from Georgia who took office earlier this year, the pair both say the members who participated in these conversations or had top staffers join in included Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas).

…

And Gosar, who has been one of the most prominent defenders of the Jan. 6 rioters, allegedly took things a step further. Both sources say he dangled the possibility of a “blanket pardon” in an unrelated ongoing investigation to encourage them to plan the protests.

“Our impression was that it was a done deal,” the organizer says, “that he’d spoken to the president about it in the Oval … in a meeting about pardons and that our names came up. They were working on submitting the paperwork and getting members of the House Freedom Caucus to sign on as a show of support.”

The organizer claims the pair received “several assurances” about the “blanket pardon” from Gosar.

[Bad Dingo]

I'm not surprised. I will be surprised if any of them actually get in any kind of trouble for it. You'd think that planning a coup would at least lead to a Congressional censure.

I still can't believe we don't know who planted the bombs that day or that no one seems to even care about them.

[neverfstop]

this graphic is a good summary of what's in/out of the bill

[atarianna]

I am so frustrated with the handwringing and seemingly complete inaction on the part of dems. We got out the vote, we did our part and you’ve not done yours.

I also believe they will lose big at midterms because quite honestly no one on the left has the motivation to keep them around and the right is super motivated because of all of the disinformation/perceived boogeyman they constantly put out.

The right is really fantastic at messaging and the left sucks. People who follow politics and understand the nuances understand why things aren’t happening but the general public does not. The right can easily sway their opinion with their messaging and the dems just assume that truth and justice will always prevail (spoiler alert: they don’t).

[atarianna]

Oct 25, 2021 13:28:14 GMT -5 neverfstop said:

View Attachmentthis graphic is a good summary of what's in/out of the bill

WTF?? How the fuck are we supposed to pay for this without return the corporate tax to some semblance of fairness?