US Politics Thread 2021-24

[Jimbuna]

Why Mike Johnson succeeded where Kevin McCarthy failed – for now

Amid all of the unrest, something interesting happened on Capitol Hill on Tuesday: The House of Representatives passed a government funding bill with no spending cuts.

More surprisingly, however, House conservatives did not revolt against Speaker Mike Johnson for doing the same thing that former speaker Kevin McCarthy did at the end of September, even though they hated the idea of a “clean” spending bill.

On top of that, even though Democrats think that Mr Johnson’s two-tiered spending bill is less than ideal, they are pretty satisfied with it and the Senate will likely take it up either Wednesday or Thursday.

“I think this whole idea of a two-part process is ridiculous, but at least we're not shutting down government and there's no spending cuts and there's no poison pills,” Rep Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told The Independent.
So what gives? Why are conservatives willing to give the new speaker a pass? Furthermore, why are House Democrats, who despised Mr McCarthy so much that they joined the likes of Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to eject the House speaker, willing to give him some grace?

One reason is that Mr Johnson is still in the honeymoon phase. The newly-elected speaker is not even a month into his tenure. So everyone is inclined to give him a pass.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...25c33b2e&ei=15

[MrMojok69]

Originally Posted by August

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

That Republican speaker managed to pass a CR with the help of the Dems, and then immediately went on all the Sunday morning talk shows and said “The democrats wanted to shut the government down.”

He lied about this over and over, using the so-called Fake News MSM to broadcast that particular message.

Dem votes are what passed that CR. McCarthy and most of the Repubs are the living embodiment of the oft-circulated meme where a dude is riding a bike, thrusts a stick into the spoke of the front wheel, crashes, and then wails “why did the democrats do this?!”

Their new speaker isn’t going to last for long either. Once again, it will be one of the freedom caucus or perhaps MTG (who got kicked out of the freedom caucus because she was too crazy and annoying even for them) who calls for the motion to vacate.

This guy too will have to count on Dems to save his ass. Maybe they will, probably they won’t, but either way the Repubs are going to once again be the living embodiment of that meme.

The Republicans have the majority in the House but all they’ve shown is that they are so splintered and riddled with lunatics that they are completely incapable of governing at all.

This is now their identity, and it goes hand in hand with what I said before, that they have no choice but to go all-in on abortion and supporting Trump.

It’s a car with no brakes that has been pushed down from the top of a long hill. It is most definitely going to crash, the only question is how spectacular the crash will be, and it’s the Republican Party itself that cut the brake lines.

There is no escape, for them. It may well be the case that none of us will live long enough to see the day when there is an out, an escape. And they created this situation entirely by themselves.

[Rockstar]

In other words we just handed Iran 10 billion dollars they can use to free up other monies for more nefarious deeds.

US extends sanctions waiver allowing Iraq to buy electricity from Iran

https://apnews.com/article/iran-iraq...ed07304c02db0f

BY MATTHEW LEE
Updated 4:42 PM EST, November 14, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has extended by four months a sanctions waiver that will allow Iraq to continue to purchase electricity from Iran and gives Iran limited access to the proceeds to buy humanitarian goods.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed the 120-day waiver extension and it was transmitted to Congress on Tuesday, U.S. officials said. The move is likely to draw criticism from Iran hawks on Capitol Hill and elsewhere who believe the extension will reward Iran at a time when it is coming under increasing pressure to end its support for proxy groups, including Hamas, that are destabilizing the Middle East.

There is roughly $10 billion in Iraqi payments for Iranian electricity currently being held in escrow accounts in Iraq, and the waiver will allow Baghdad to maintain its energy imports without fear of U.S. penalties for violating sanctions on Iran.

It will also keep in place a provision — included in the last 120-day waiver — under which portions of the electricity proceeds can be transferred to accounts in Oman and then converted to euros or other widely traded currencies for Iran to buy non-sanctioned products.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the decision-making process, said Blinken signed the waiver mainly because the administration doesn’t want to cut Iraq off from a critical source of energy.

But, they said the administration is confident Iran will not be able to use any of the money for nefarious purposes. They said a rigorous vetting process is in place to ensure that the cash can only be used for food, medicine, medical equipment and agricultural goods.

Blinken visited Baghdad on Nov. 5 and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani during the course of a Middle East trip focused on the Israel-Hamas war and efforts to prevent it from spreading into a broader regional conflict.

The officials added that only a small amount of the money held in Iraq had been transferred to Oman during the past 120 days and that none of the money now held in Omani banks had yet been spent.

The waiver is similar to one signed by Blinken earlier this year, which freed up some $6 billion that South Korea had paid to Iran for oil imports in exchange for the release of Americans held prisoner by Tehran. Under that waiver, the money held by South Korea was transferred to banks in Qatar and is also restricted for the purchase of humanitarian supplies.

However, Iran hawks point out that the waivers can allow Iran to free up domestic revenue it would have otherwise spent on humanitarian goods to fund proxies like Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen.

[les green01]

Originally Posted by MrMojok69

That Republican speaker managed to pass a CR with the help of the Dems, and then immediately went on all the Sunday morning talk shows and said “The democrats wanted to shut the government down.”

He lied about this over and over, using the so-called Fake News MSM to broadcast that particular message.

Dem votes are what passed that CR. McCarthy and most of the Repubs are the living embodiment of the oft-circulated meme where a dude is riding a bike, thrusts a stick into the spoke of the front wheel, crashes, and then wails “why did the democrats do this?!”

Their new speaker isn’t going to last for long either. Once again, it will be one of the freedom caucus or perhaps MTG (who got kicked out of the freedom caucus because she was too crazy and annoying even for them) who calls for the motion to vacate.

This guy too will have to count on Dems to save his ass. Maybe they will, probably they won’t, but either way the Repubs are going to once again be the living embodiment of that meme.

The Republicans have the majority in the House but all they’ve shown is that they are so splintered and riddled with lunatics that they are completely incapable of governing at all.

This is now their identity, and it goes hand in hand with what I said before, that they have no choice but to go all-in on abortion and supporting Trump.

It’s a car with no brakes that has been pushed down from the top of a long hill. It is most definitely going to crash, the only question is how spectacular the crash will be, and it’s the Republican Party itself that cut the brake lines.

There is no escape, for them. It may well be the case that none of us will live long enough to see the day when there is an out, an escape. And they created this situation entirely by themselves.

in other words no differnce when dems blames trump for everything or the ruskies for high infaltion

[Rockstar]

Wow what do Jan 6th protesters and yesterday’s democrat nov 15th protesters have in common? Neither like democrat party politicians.

[em2nought]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

Wow what do Jan 6th protesters and yesterday’s democrat nov 15th protesters have in common? Neither like democrat party politicians.

I guarantee mainstream media cameras were pointed in the opposite direction if anyone got too violent at "this" demonstration.

[les green01]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

Wow what do Jan 6th protesters and yesterday’s democrat nov 15th protesters have in common? Neither like democrat party politicians.

maybe they thought they was at the southern border oh wait the democrats would have to know we have a southern border and where it is at

[Rockstar]

Originally Posted by em2nought

I guarantee mainstream media cameras were pointed in the opposite direction if anyone got too violent at "this" demonstration.

You know it.

Rep. McCaul’s pro-Israel resolution was the very first legislation to receive a roll call vote, about four hours after Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA4) was elected as Speaker on October 25. The resolution H.Res. 771: Standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists. passed 412 to 10, with 10 actual “no” votes plus six representatives who voted “present.” Rep. Massie was the only Republican to vote against it, just as he was the only Republican not to cosponsor it.

As might be expected, the 10 “no” members are Democrats and had also refused to cosponsor the House resolution 771 in the first place:

Those 10 democrat congressmen leading the riots across the nation instead proposed H.Res. 786: Calling for an immediate deescalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.

D Bush, Cori [D-MO1]
D Jackson, Jonathan [D-IL1]
D Bowman, Jamaal [D-NY16]
D Carson, André [D-IN7].
D García, Jesús “Chuy” [D-IL4]
D Lee, Summer [D-PA12]
D Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY14]
D Omar, Ilhan [D-MN5].
D Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA7]
D Ramirez, Delia [D-IL3].
D Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI12].
D Velázquez, Nydia [D-NY7].
D Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ12]
D Casar, Gregorio [D-TX35]
D Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA7]
D Lee, Barbara [D-CA12]
D Adams, Alma [D-NC12]
D Frost, Maxwell [D-FL10]

[Rockstar]

It must be getting hard to fill the ranks, even so I’d tell the tyrants to go piss up a rope and demand those fascist fans of Joseph Mengele who fired them go fight the wars themselves. In Oct it was reported by CNN: “only 43 of the more than 8,000 US service members who were discharged from the military for refusing to be vaccinated against Covid-19 have sought to rejoin eight months after the vaccine mandate was officially repealed, according to data provided by the military branches.”




Amid recruiting woes, Army sent letters to soldiers separated for vaccine refusal

The Army separated 1,903 active duty soldiers for COVID-19 vaccine refusal. Letters were sent to approximatel 1,900.

BY PATTY NIEBERG | PUBLISHED NOV 17, 2023 6:01 PM EST

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army...date-reversal/

Soldiers who were forced out of the Army for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine have received letters with instructions on how to rejoin, as the service faces its toughest recruiting environment in a generation.

“As a result of the rescission of all current COVID-19 vaccination requirements, former soldiers who were involuntarily separated for their refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination may request a correction of their military records,” according to a letter signed by Brig. Gen. Hope Rampy, Army Director of Personnel Management.

It also instructs soldiers looking to return to service to contact an Army, Army Reserve, or National Guard recruiter. It was not immediately clear to an Army spokesperson if soldiers who rejoin would return to their former unit or MOS.

The letter, circulated on social media and confirmed by the Army as authentic to Task & Purpose outlines the steps soldiers can take to correct their military records through the Army Discharge Review Board or the Army Board for Correction of Military Records.

In October, CNN reported that only 43 of over 8,000 troops across the entire military had been discharged for refusing the vaccine and showed interest in rejoining. As of September, 19 soldiers returned to active duty, according to the Army.

The letter comes as the Army is dealing with a recruitment crisis. The service missed its recruiting goals for this past year by nearly 15,000 soldiers. A lack of interest from Gen Z to join the military, with many citing factors as broad as the economy and job market to factors as specific as the service’s struggles with sexual assault and suicide in the ranks.

The Army has turned to offering sign-on benefits like bonuses and soldiers’ choice of first duty station. They’ve also upped their advertisement spending to reach various demographics.

The Army separated 1,903 active duty soldiers for refusing the COVID-19 vaccination during the nearly year and a half it was mandatory, the service said. Letters were sent to approximately 1,900 troops, according to an Army spokesperson.

“This was specifically as part of the COVID mandate recession process,” said Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee, referring to policy that was passed in last year’s annual defense policy bill.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a memo on Aug. 24, 2021, mandating the services to vaccinate troops against COVID-19. Though the vast majority of soldiers complied, thousands did not, with many believing the vaccines were developed too quickly or were unsafe.

A slew of servicemembers unsuccessfully sought religious exemptions from the vaccine, including 8,945 soldiers, 10,800 airmen and guardians, 4,172 sailors, and 3,717 Marines.

The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act mandated the defense secretary to rescind the COVID-19 vaccination mandate and on Dec. 29, 2022, the Army directed commanders to suspend separation actions for soldiers who refused the vaccine. On Jan. 10, 2023, the defense secretary officially rescinded the requirement.

Earlier this year the Defense Department suggested that 8,400 servicemembers separated for vaccine refusal might be eligible for backpay, but officials walked back that statement in January.

The coronavirus pandemic wasn’t the first time that the military mandated vaccines. In the 1990s, former President Bill Clinton mandated that troops receive the anthrax vaccine, leading to similar lawsuits and complaints about adverse side effects. Some troops continued work, others were penalized with nonjudicial punishments, lost ranks and pay, or received dishonorable discharges.

[em2nought]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

It must be getting hard to fill the ranks, even so I’d tell the tyrants to go piss up a rope and demand those fascists who fired them go fight the wars themselves.

They'll probably be creating their own Foreign Legion from all those military age males flooding across our southern border. On the plus side for them, those fellers will feel no conflict of interest at slaughtering those evil Trump voters if called on to do that.

[MrMojok69]

Originally Posted by les green01

in other words no differnce when dems blames trump for everything or the ruskies for high infaltion

No, what it means is, exactly what I said. There was zero ambiguity in there, zero room for interpretation.

I was very precise in my wording, and the common idea held by you guys that you can twist anything to mean whatever you want it to mean/twist it into whatever makes you feel better, is another reason why you've failed, and will continue to fail.

Maybe try reading the post again. I am honestly stunned that you could have read what I posted, and taken that from it.

[Skybird]

Au weia.

https://www.nzz.ch/international/wah..._x_tr_pto=wapp

https://www.axios.com/2022/07/22/tru...an-second-term

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by MrMojok69

No, what it means is, exactly what I said. There was zero ambiguity in there, zero room for interpretation.

I was very precise in my wording, and the common idea held by you guys that you can twist anything to mean whatever you want it to mean/twist it into whatever makes you feel better, is another reason why you've failed, and will continue to fail.

Maybe try reading the post again. I am honestly stunned that you could have read what I posted, and taken that from it.

George Orwell predicted that truth will not be truth anymore, and reality will get completely deconstructed by total relativization.

[Rockstar]

I got good news and I got bad news.

1st the good news! Biden gets China to curb Fentanyl production.

Now for the bad news! Biden will lift restrictions on a Chinese agency accused of human-rights violations in exchange for Beijing’s planned crackdown on the fentanyl trade, per Bloomberg.

So let me get this straight. Biden asked China to stop flooding the US with illegal drugs. And China only agreed to do this if we turn our cheeks from the heinous human-rights violations they commit?! And our leader of the free world says ya sure, no problem.


Biden to Lift Curbs on Chinese Forensic Lab in Fentanyl Deal

Chinese forensic science institute will come off US blacklist
Fentanyl agreement was centerpiece of Biden-Xi meeting


https://archive.ph/2023.11.16-221544...-fentanyl-deal

By Jenny Leonard
November 16, 2023 at 10:01 PM UTC

The US will lift restrictions on a Chinese agency accused of human-rights violations in exchange for Beijing’s planned crackdown on the fentanyl trade, according to a Biden administration official.

Joe Biden’s deal with Xi Jinping to curb production of illicit fentanyl, a deadly synthetic drug, was one of the main achievements for the US president resulting from his high-stakes meeting with the Chinese leader.

China’s Ministry of Public Security’s Institute for Forensic Science, a national network of crime labs, will see restrictions on access to US technology lifted as part of the agreement, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the deal.

The curbs, put in place in 2020 by former President Donald Trump, prohibited the institute from doing business with US companies due to its alleged human-rights violations against ethnic Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region.

Removing the institute from the Commerce Department’s trade blacklist was the only way for the US to make progress with China on the fentanyl issue, the administration official said. The official called the US concession a modest step and cited other authorities, like financial sanctions, that remain in place to address human-rights issues.

In return, China agreed to issue a notice to its domestic industries reminding them about legal restrictions on the manufacture and export of fentanyl, precursor chemicals and pill-press equipment used to make the drug. Chinese authorities have also begun to take law enforcement actions against synthetic-drug and chemical-precursor suppliers, according to a White House fact sheet.

“As a result, certain PRC-based pharmaceutical companies have ceased operations and have had some international payment accounts blocked,” the fact sheet said, using an acronym for China.

Health Crisis

The issue is a priority for Biden, who has faced criticism from Republicans over his administration’s handling of the issue ahead of the 2024 election. Fentanyl addiction and deaths have spiked for the last decade, becoming a major problem in states and cities across the US.

Biden hailed the agreement as a key step toward stemming the opioid epidemic after his four-hour meeting with Xi outside San Francisco.

“That’s a big movement,” Biden said of the deal during a press conference Wednesday. “It’s going to save lives, and I appreciate President Xi’s commitment on this issue.”

He added that the leaders asked their teams “to maintain policy and law enforcement coordination going forward to make sure it works.”

Human Rights

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, said Biden did not receive enough assurances from China.

“The Biden administration made concessions to get this meeting – only to make more concessions – including the removal of an organization from the entity list known to conduct human rights abuses,” McCaul said in a Thursday statement.
State Department spokesman Matt Miller defended the administration’s human-rights record and said Biden raised specific concerns about China’s violations with Xi.

“We have to make tough decisions in this administration and the decision that we made was that when you looked at the potential of saving American lives by securing this cooperation with China on fentanyl trafficking, it was an appropriate step to take,” Miller told reporters.

It is not clear if the administration would reimpose the entity listing on the forensics institute if Beijing does not abide by the agreement.
Asked if he trusted Xi to follow through on his commitments, Biden said: “Look, do I trust? You know, I — ‘trust but verify,’ as the old saying goes. That’s where I am.”

— With assistance from Iain Marlow

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Skybird

George Orwell predicted that truth will not be truth anymore, and reality will get completely deconstructed by total relativization.

Hasn't that already came to pass?