US Politics Thread 2021-24

[em2nought]

Originally Posted by mapuc

Just seen a clip in the news where Biden was attending some Veterans days celebration and where he was acting kind of disillusioned.

Markus

More delusional less disillusioned.

[Jimbuna]

I appreciate the clip below is a week old but I'm not seeing anything about the matter anywhere.

Now it is possibly me not looking in the right places or is it simply the fact it is not being reported on currently?

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by em2nought

More delusional less disillusioned.

Should have used the word confused instead

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Republican parties in 2024 battleground states are plagued with infighting and fundraising woes — some due to the legal costs incurred by attempts to overturn Donald Trump's 2020 election loss, The Washington Post reported Monday.

“There has been an emphasis on ideological cleansing instead of electioneering,” said former Georgia GOP chairman John Watson. “If those new entrants to the party want to argue the earth is flat and the election is stolen, those are counterproductive to winning elections.”

State parties take the lead when it comes to get-out-the-vote efforts and mobilizing volunteers, but those efforts are in jeopardy thanks to infighting and squabbling over money, according to the report.
More experienced leaders have tried to limit the damage, but the transformation of many GOP parties into promoters of election denial has continued to put pressure on more moderate Republicans, the Post wrote.

"Trump and his team have become deeply involved with state parties, elevating candidates for positions who back him, courting members at his Mar-a-Lago resort home and attacking officials in states who oppose him," The Post's report stated.

"His campaign could be the one to have to make up lost ground from shortfalls in local fundraising and field operations. Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said, 'When President Trump is the nominee, everyone will be aligned.'"
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...01e484e2&ei=10

[Rockstar]

Mulling not yet decided. I sure as hell hope clueless Jake and “The Big Guy” renews the sanctions. Can’t see freeing up 10 billion to give to Iran as a good thing. As the article states Biden says they can’t use it for anything other than humanitarian needs. Great now the ayatollah can buy baby formula with Biden’s 10 billion. But then that frees up 10 billion in Iranian budget to fund more terror organizations and proxy war


Biden Mulls Approval of Fresh $10 Billion for Iran
Sanctions waiver frees up money for Tehran as it funds Hamas’s war on Israel

https://freebeacon.com/national-secu...yment-to-iran/

Adam Kredo
November 13, 2023

The Biden administration may approve a sanctions waiver on Tuesday that will allow Iran to access at least $10 billion in previously frozen funds held in Iraq, a closely watched decision that comes just a month after the Tehran-backed terror group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that left 1,200 dead.

The waiver would extend the multibillion-dollar sanctions relief first issued in July that expires tomorrow. It allows Iraq to transfer frozen electricity payments into Iranian-owned bank accounts in Europe and Oman. The waiver renewal is driving concerns that the Biden administration is maintaining financial avenues for Tehran as the country’s terrorist proxies foment chaos across the Middle East.

"The world is living in a post-Oct. 7 world, but the White House is still running an Oct. 6 policy toward Iran," Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and sanctions expert who previously served on the White House National Security Council, told the Washington Free Beacon, referring to Hamas’s attack last month. "Why should Iran have any access to more than $10 billion after sponsoring one of the worst terrorist attacks against American citizens and the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust? It would make more sense to freeze all of these accounts and keep every penny out of Tehran's hands."

While the Biden administration paused a $6 billion ransom payment to Iran following a pressure campaign in Congress, the Iraq-Europe-Oman sanctions waiver would signal the United States is still trying to provide financial relief to the hardline regime. Iranian military officials warned Monday that the Gaza war has already "spilled over into neighboring Lebanon and may even widen in scope" as Iranian-armed Hezbollah fighters become more active in the conflict. Tehran also has been rallying Arab nations against Israel, threatening to prolong the war and open more fronts.

The Trump administration first allowed Iraq to import electricity and gas from Iran, but only on the condition that the payments were kept in an escrow account in Baghdad. The Biden administration continued to issue that waiver, and then broadened it in July so that Iraq could move more than $10 billion outside the country, enabling Tehran to draw on the funds for its budget and humanitarian needs. In late October, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran reportedly discussed expediting Iran's access to the funds with his Omani counterpart.

In testimony before Congress late last month, Goldberg advised Congress to lock down the $10 billion as punishment for Tehran’s role in supporting Hamas’s war on Israel.

The Biden administration insists that, like the $6 billion held in Qatar, Iran can only use the $10 billion for non-sanctioned purposes.

Critics argue that since money is fungible, the access allows Iran to free up cash in other places for illicit activities.

Republican lawmakers in Congress made this argument when they pressured the Biden administration to halt its $6 billion ransom payment to Iran, arguing that even though the money was allocated for humanitarian purposes, it helped the hardline regime divert funds into terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

Iranian leaders in recent days have emphasized the importance of the electricity payments, reportedly telling Omani leaders they should "accelerate the use of these new foreign exchange resources" and signaling the regime is relying on the Biden administration to continue freeing up this cash.

The State Department declined to comment on the sanctions waiver or confirm whether it will be renewed this week.


NATIONAL SECURITY

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by mapuc

Just seen a clip in the news where Biden was attending some Veterans days celebration and where he was acting kind of disillusioned.

Will he be reelected next year ?

His age is his disadvantage, where his advantage is, he's not trump.

The Dems really doesn't have any other candidate than President Biden

(This was said after the video clip)

Markus

As I said before I don’t believe Biden will run on account of his and his son’s shady business dealings coming to light (finally), plus it’s been obvious from the outset he is in mental decline and his own party has made it known they wouldn’t be too thrilled if he ran again. Trump is being prevented by endless accusations and litigation to destroy his wealth, solely by the opposition party. Though I wouldn’t be too sure about voting for someone just because “he’s not Trump” option either, the thing is, like him or not, every time they indict him Trump’s polls skyrocket, anyone with half a brain can see he’s being railroaded and people just don’t like that. But politics shouldn’t be about being presented and forced to pick the lessor of two evils. Anyone but Trump or Anyone but Biden are pretty piss poor reasons to cast a vote.

Personally, I could care less about the U.K. spammers and kook fringe obsessions over meaningless click bait drama. I just want a president who will drop the hammer on Iran, lay out our plan regarding Ukraine, fix the damn border, stop using my taxes to subsidize green industry and corporations, stop spending money we don’t have and reign in the debt because I think its gonna be the death of us if don’t.

Anyone got any presidential ideas? Does anyone realize there are over 11,000 bills before congress in 2024, does anyone know what the top three are? Or does U.S. politics thread just amount to being subjected to some euro padding his post count with meaningless drama from foreign and kook fringe sources?

[Jimbuna]

Trump has a victory in court so all is not yet lost and his fight continues.

Donald Trump has been handed a major court victory after detractors plotted to block him from being listed as a candidate in the next election.

Trump, 77, was given yet another electoral lifeline last week when Minnesota’s Supreme Court ruled against a petition seeking to disqualify him from the Republican Party primary ballot.

The court’s ruling left the door open to a potential challenge should Trump win the Grand Old Party’s general election nomination.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...dac5bd2f&ei=16

[Jimbuna]

Great news for the US yes?

Government shutdown averted as Democrats help GOP pass funding package
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...e6b14345&ei=10

[August]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Great news for the US yes?

We'll see. That's exactly what got the previous Speaker of the House kicked out.

[Buddahaid]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Trump has a victory in court so all is not yet lost and his fight continues.

Not much of a victory. They ruled that federal constitutional law has no jurisdiction over who a political party wants to back at the state level.

[Buddahaid]

Originally Posted by August

We'll see. That's exactly what got the previous Speaker of the House kicked out.

That’s part of it, but each time a republican speaker seeks help across the aisle, the more meaningless the MAGA faction is rendered. Eventually they will become just an annoying buzz.

[les green01]

its funny they keep trying to use artical 14.3 which been revolk remove whatever for over 100 years so its no good but then if you look at the 1860 election Lincoln wasnt on the ballots anywhere in the south and still won

[August]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

That’s part of it, but each time a republican speaker seeks help across the aisle, the more meaningless the MAGA faction is rendered. Eventually they will become just an annoying buzz.

The last time a republican speaker reached across the aisle the democrats repaid the effort by joining the MAGA faction in voting him out.

[Buddahaid]

That's why I said it's only part of it.

[August]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

That's why I said it's only part of it.

It doesn't support your MAGA theory though.