President Joe Biden and U.S. Politics Catch-All

[MungoMan]

In Australia all you need is to be able to read upside down. It doesn't seem to cause any problems.

Shitting upside down is a bit problematic, tho'.

Ever seen a flying fox with clean T-shirt or a decent hairdo?

[Santa]

Saucey stuff from the Chinese. Watch it while it's still up. You get what you vote for.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=you ... cZXridt7wM

[Santa]

Apparently the translation is accurate and it has been scrubbed from Chinese social media. Who knows.

[ticketlessinseattle]

Saucey stuff from the Chinese. Watch it while it's still up. You get what you vote for.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=you ... cZXridt7wM

holy sh1t, I'm impressed, I had no idea Michael McIntyre spoke fluent Chinese

[Santa]

This bloke will be fun to watch.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/0 ... hhs-443555

He has no background in health management but on the upside he's an abortion enthusiast.

[Laurent]

This bloke will be fun to watch.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/0 ... hhs-443555

He has no background in health management but on the upside he's an abortion enthusiast.

I did not notice that the trump admin was any good at managing the health sector.

[Flyin Ryan]

Kind of an interesting pick because word was Becerra was in line for being appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom for the Senate seat when Kamala Harris officially became vice president. Reason a Becerra appointment by Newsom to the Senate would be favorable to him is that would also create a vacancy for California Attorney General, that Newsom could also appoint the replacement for. So the appointment either frees Newsom's hand to decide on someone from outside of California government, or gives him the opportunity to do even a further wholesale shifting of California government to make it more reflect his image.

To paint California politics in a nutshell and how regionally controlled it is, I read this elsewhere regarding a possible Dianne Feinstein (Senator from California for 30 years now) retirement from the Senate and found it funny.

If Dianne Feinstein (D-San Francisco) resigns from her seat in the Senate, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-San Francisco) would get a second seat to fill, along with the other vacancy created by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-San Francisco) ascending to the Vice Presidency. Former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) has been lobbying for Harris's seat to go to Mayor London Breed (D-San Francisco).

It's possible Newsom seeks some balance by appointing Breed to Harris's seat and filling Feinstein's seat with an equally history-making pick, such as State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who has been a leader on LGBT issues in the state legislature, or either State Controller Betty Yee (D-San Francisco) or State Treasurer Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco), both of whom would follow Harris as the second Asian-American woman to represent the state in the Senate. He could also look to a loyalist like Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (D-San Francisco) or a national figure like 2020 presidential candidate Tom Steyer (D-San Francisco). Whoever he picks, however, they won't be the most powerful Californian in Congress for as long as Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) hangs on to the speaker's gavel.

Someday Los Angeles and San Diego will catch on to the gig.

For an article I posted previously, Flournoy has officially been ditched by Biden for Defense Secretary, so the left in the Democrats have succeeded in getting rid of her. He's going to appoint retired Army General Lloyd Austin, who is black.

[Santa]

In addition to being black, Lloyd Austin is also on the board of Raytheon, which is one of the world's largest aerospace and defence manufacturers. No conflict of interest there.

https://www.rtx.com/our-company/corporate-governance

[Short Man Syndrome]

In addition to being black, Lloyd Austin is also on the board of Raytheon, which is one of the world's largest aerospace and defence manufacturers. No conflict of interest there.

https://www.rtx.com/our-company/corporate-governance

Listing his ‘being black’ as one of his faults shows refreshing honesty from a Neckbeard such as yourself.

[Santa]

Sorry where did I say it was a fault? I merely listed it as a fact.

[Short Man Syndrome]

Sorry where did I say it was a fault? I merely listed it as a fact.

You could at least own your petty hatred, this craven evasion just makes you look like a toddler with chocolate round it’s mouth denying even knowing where the biscuits are kept.

[ovalball]

Sorry where did I say it was a fault? I merely listed it as a fact.

Was there any need to list him as black.

[Santa]

Sorry where did I say it was a fault? I merely listed it as a fact.

Was there any need to list him as black.

I merely picked up the last point Flyin' Ryan made. Was what he said racist? No it wasn't. This is bizarre.

[Short Man Syndrome]

Sorry where did I say it was a fault? I merely listed it as a fact.

Was there any need to list him as black.

I merely picked up the last point Flyin' Ryan made. Was what he said racist? No it wasn't. This is bizarre.

Yeah, whatever you say, ‘Rush Limbaugh’...

[Santa]

We are each of us responsible for our own interpretations.

Still, nice deflection. Saves you having to think about the conflict of interest which is the real issue.

[Trostan]

Sorry where did I say it was a fault? I merely listed it as a fact.

Was there any need to list him as black.

I merely picked up the last point Flyin' Ryan made. Was what he said racist? No it wasn't. This is bizarre.

You paralleled his skin colour with his commercial achievements.
Can you not identify your racism?

[Flyin Ryan]

Sorry where did I say it was a fault? I merely listed it as a fact.

Was there any need to list him as black.

I'm repeating from the L.A. Times article which was posted on the last page. Since you ignored it, I'll repost the relevant section from me posting the article that was background for my post.

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden is facing escalating pressure from competing factions within his own party as he finalizes his choice for Secretary of Defense.

Black leaders have encouraged the incoming president to select an African American to diversify what has so far been a largely white prospective Cabinet, while others are pushing him to appoint a woman to lead the Pentagon for the first time.

At the same time, a growing collection of progressive groups is opposing the leading female contender, Michele Flournoy, citing concerns about her record and private-sector associations.

A coalition of at least seven progressive groups warned Biden to avoid Flournoy in an open letter to Biden obtained Wednesday by the Associated Press that referred to her record of “ill-advised policy decisions” — particularly in relation to Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Afghanistan — and an “opaque history of private-sector activity.”

“Ms. Flournoy’s consistent support for military interventions has contributed to devastating crises around the world, including in Yemen,” said Jehan Hakim, chairperson of the Yemeni Alliance Committee, which helped organize the letter.

Other contenders are emerging, including retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin and Jeh Johnson, who served as the Pentagon’s top lawyer and then as head of the Department of Homeland Security during President Obama’s second term. Both Austin and Johnson are Black.

...

Flournoy had been seen as the leading candidate for Defense Secretary under a Democratic president since Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 campaign.

She stood out as deeply experienced, respected on Capitol Hill and well-known on the international stage. But soon after Biden’s victory, her stock seemed to slip as others, including Austin and Johnson, came into consideration.

A leading Black voice in Congress, South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, has openly called for Biden to choose more Black men and women for Cabinet positions. The Pentagon job, which has never been held by a woman or a Black person, is one of the last remaining opportunities for Biden to demonstrate his commitment to diversity at the senior levels of his national security team.

[Flyin Ryan]

Probably not

To be fair though, dishing up the Tammany Hall era as proof of anything at all, is the debating equivalent of under-arm bowling

Well, New York State's election administration this election have been doing a good job showing they haven't advanced much past the 1800s. Look up NY-22.

Still that corrupt?

What the hell have you been doing since?

It's just a terribly ran state, and Democrats can't blame Republicans because Republicans have no power there. The election judge today ordered all counties in NY-22 to resolve their errors, and if they can't, do a full recanvass.

To provide a personal anecdote, I made 5 driving trips for my job to Rochester, New York, during this past spring with Covid going on. In Ohio, they had automated their road tolls so you could pay it with a debit or credit card even with no poll workers there. In New York, you were supposed to remember where you entered the toll, a toll worker would manually write down your license plate number, and a couple months later, you would receive a bill of what was due. I did a couple of these trips with a rental car, so this all worked awesome for reporting work expenses to your employer by the way. My last trip there they had gone to you could pay your tolls in person, but only if you had cash. Well I didn't have $3 in cash on me the 2nd of the 2 tolls I had to pay there. So they did the whole license plate record razzmatazz. I pay via check. Then in an unrelated thing some money got sent to Venmo, fraud in my bank account, I never used Venmo so not sure how it happened, and I had to switch bank account numbers after bank notified me. But I already had a check out to New York State. Which bounces. So this $3 toll because they don't take automated payment via debit or credit card costs me $30 in the end. And imagine how much expense the state was putting toward collecting the $3 even before my check bounced with overhead and state employees.

The state's just failing its residents. How's the New York economy doing? Well, let's look at feet moving.

https://www.theday.com/article/20201205/NWS12/201209641

"Even before Covid-19, 2600 people a week were leaving NYC"

https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/new ... clock.html

"Western New York loses another person every 2 hours and 41 minutes"

The state is absolutely losing 1 seat during reapportionment for the 2020 census, but it might be 2. And without Wall Street, the state's economy collapses. Upstate has been in bad shape for a long time. And there's quite a few people wondering how long-term systemic this move to work from home will be and what does that mean for New York City. You can have a job working in New York but now you can live a couple hundred miles away and the City doesn't see any taxable income. Apartment vacancies have been historically high there this year. And as far as Covid, Cuomo and De Blasio kind of botched things just as much as Trump did. New York was an epicenter early on. Yet I saw a book on the shelves at Wal-Mart yesterday talking about Cuomo's leadership during this health crisis (signal #1 he plans to run for president in 2024) when everyone is critical of how he handled the state's nursing home facilities, yet don't be a journalist asking him that. As far as De Blasio, pretty much everyone right to left and all points in between think he's been a bad mayor. He short-term in 2019 declared he was making a run for president but was pretty much a joke and got no support. But he was the progressive candidate, won the Democratic primary, the Republicans in New York City don't exist, and he won 2 terms.

[Zico]

I just remembered who Kamala Harris reminds me of

[ticketlessinseattle]

Sorry where did I say it was a fault? I merely listed it as a fact.

why list it ? what's his height and weight ?

[Flyin Ryan]

Sorry where did I say it was a fault? I merely listed it as a fact.

why list it ?

Ask the Los Angeles Times.

[Santa]

https://uk.reuters.com/article/usa-bide ... KL1N2IN0WC

Eeish, racism and sexism in the same paragraph.

Austin, who would be the first Black U.S. secretary of defense, was a surprise pick over Michele Flournoy, a former top Defense Department official who was considered the leading contender for the job. Flournoy would have been the first woman defense secretary.

...

The nomination of Austin, who headed U.S. Central Command under Obama, could draw fire from some progressive groups given his role in retirement on the board of a number of companies, including weapons maker Raytheon Technologies Corp.

So it says what I said in more words but with added sexism.

Of course it's one of those situations here Lloyd is being reported as, in part, a diversity selection (see below) and yet it is racist to mention his diversity criterion. Perhaps the objection is because I didn't capitalise the word.

The choice also comes as Biden faces pressure to ensure diversity in his Cabinet appointments, including complaints from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus about the number of Latinos and from civil rights groups about the lack of Black nominees.

Biden’s decision to nominate the first Black defense secretary in Austin helps him make good on his diversity promise. It also will resonate among proponents for greater diversity in the leadership of the U.S. armed forces, which is regularly criticized for failing to promote Black servicemembers and whose top tier has been largely white.

[Flyin Ryan]

Local reporter's Twitter thread breaking down the decision from the judge on NY-22, who cites major errors in 7 of the 8 county election boards (this is government incompetence and not following state law, not malice, the judge in his ruling says there's no signs of fraud). This is the last outstanding race for the House, which is presently 222-212 Democrats. The thread closes stating the district will likely not be represented when Congress starts its new session January 4th as it won't have a declared winner yet.

https://twitter.com/JRosenblattTV/statu ... 8384139266

(1 of the 434 called races is a Republican candidate in Iowa defeating the Democratic incumbent by 6 votes. Recount happened, Democrat gained a bit but Republican still leading. State certified results after recount. The Democrat chose to forgo challenging the election in Iowa State Supreme Court but is going to challenge the result in the House of Representatives. This last happened in the 1984 congressional elections where a Democrat narrowly lost a House race in Indiana and the Democratic majority House applied its own recounting standard, switching the winner by 2 votes.)

[fonzeee]

Black leaders have encouraged the incoming president to select an African American to diversify what has so far been a largely white prospective Cabinet, while others are pushing him to appoint a woman to lead the Pentagon for the first time.

Well, at least we can find solace in the fact that they're focusing on the right things. We already have trouble putting quality people into government, why not winnow the pool down even further?

God our country is so stupid.

[fonzeee]

Yet I saw a book on the shelves at Wal-Mart yesterday talking about Cuomo's leadership during this health crisis (signal #1 he plans to run for president in 2024) when everyone is critical of how he handled the state's nursing home facilities, yet don't be a journalist asking him that.

It's not just the nursing homes. I'll repost it if someone wants it but there's an article I put up here a few times before contrasting Newsome and Cuomo's responses to the pandemic in the early days; the decisions and quotes attributed to Cuomo are little different than what you'd expect out of Trump.

But hey, he looked real good on television, so in the end no one cared. Nice job Drew

Americans are suckers for a smooth-talker so God help us in four years. I have zero doubt he's gonna go for it.

[Flyin Ryan]

Black leaders have encouraged the incoming president to select an African American to diversify what has so far been a largely white prospective Cabinet, while others are pushing him to appoint a woman to lead the Pentagon for the first time.

Well, at least we can find solace in the fact that they're focusing on the right things. We already have trouble putting quality people into government, why not winnow the pool down even further?

God our country is so stupid.

It's always been this way, and the Democratic Party as presently constituted are absolutely captured by identity politics. Blacks will always prioritize themselves and their representation above all other considerations. That's what they as a group have decided and power to them for having a Machiavellian understanding of politics and doing the best with it, but if you're a white Democrat or progressive Democrat, you're f*cked, and that's why Sanders lost to Hillary, that's why Biden won, and that's why Deadtigers hated Sanders so much. It has influenced the rest of the party as well. The day Warren fell out of the presidential race, Pelosi had a press conference saying DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS were biased against women candidates. There's then Buttigieg and color me skeptical that a Mayor of South Bend would have been treated so seriously if he was straight.

[Flyin Ryan]

Yet I saw a book on the shelves at Wal-Mart yesterday talking about Cuomo's leadership during this health crisis (signal #1 he plans to run for president in 2024) when everyone is critical of how he handled the state's nursing home facilities, yet don't be a journalist asking him that.

It's not just the nursing homes. I'll repost it if someone wants it but there's an article I put up here a few times before contrasting Newsome and Cuomo's responses to the pandemic in the early days; the decisions and quotes attributed to Cuomo are little different than what you'd expect out of Trump.

But hey, he looked real good on television, so in the end no one cared. Nice job Drew

Americans are suckers for a smooth-talker so God help us in four years. I have zero doubt he's gonna go for it.

His father was going to run for president in 1996 when it was an open race. Unfortunately for him, a guy named Bill Clinton came and threw out all political calculations defeating George Bush in 1992. He definitely would've been a serious contender in a hypothetical 1996 Democratic primary, the Republicans then would've won 4 elections in a row meaning the country would be more ripe for change, and he would've represented the liberal wing of the party, meaning Democrats would've been a lot more left than the Bill Clinton/Al Gore-led Democratic Party was.

[DOB]

Black leaders have encouraged the incoming president to select an African American to diversify what has so far been a largely white prospective Cabinet, while others are pushing him to appoint a woman to lead the Pentagon for the first time.

Well, at least we can find solace in the fact that they're focusing on the right things. We already have trouble putting quality people into government, why not winnow the pool down even further?

God our country is so stupid.

It's always been this way, and the Democratic Party as presently constituted are absolutely captured by identity politics. Blacks will always prioritize themselves and their representation above all other considerations. That's what they as a group have decided and power to them for having a Machiavellian understanding of politics and doing the best with it, but if you're a white Democrat or progressive Democrat, you're f*cked, and that's why Sanders lost to Hillary, that's why Biden won, and that's why Deadtigers hated Sanders so much. It has influenced the rest of the party as well. The day Warren fell out of the presidential race, Pelosi had a press conference saying DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS were biased against women candidates. There's then Buttigieg and color me skeptical that a Mayor of South Bend would have been treated so seriously if he was straight.

You've said yourself that Buttegieg had to run for President because there was nowhere left to go in Indiana politics. Even without his sexuality, his story as a war vet and young mayor in a GOP state was a pretty strong narrative. In support of, but also contrast to, your point, though, he got a lot of pushback from the Ls in the LGBTQ community, who felt that a woman in his situation would have never been taken as seriously (looking at Tulsi Gabbard, they may have had a point).

[Flyin Ryan]

Black leaders have encouraged the incoming president to select an African American to diversify what has so far been a largely white prospective Cabinet, while others are pushing him to appoint a woman to lead the Pentagon for the first time.

Well, at least we can find solace in the fact that they're focusing on the right things. We already have trouble putting quality people into government, why not winnow the pool down even further?

God our country is so stupid.

It's always been this way, and the Democratic Party as presently constituted are absolutely captured by identity politics. Blacks will always prioritize themselves and their representation above all other considerations. That's what they as a group have decided and power to them for having a Machiavellian understanding of politics and doing the best with it, but if you're a white Democrat or progressive Democrat, you're f*cked, and that's why Sanders lost to Hillary, that's why Biden won, and that's why Deadtigers hated Sanders so much. It has influenced the rest of the party as well. The day Warren fell out of the presidential race, Pelosi had a press conference saying DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS were biased against women candidates. There's then Buttigieg and color me skeptical that a Mayor of South Bend would have been treated so seriously if he was straight.

You've said yourself that Buttegieg had to run for President because there was nowhere left to go in Indiana politics. Even without his sexuality, his story as a war vet and young mayor in a GOP state was a pretty strong narrative. In support of, but also contrast to, your point, though, he got a lot of pushback from the Ls in the LGBTQ community, who felt that a woman in his situation would have never been taken as seriously (looking at Tulsi Gabbard, they may have had a point).

South Bend is about a hundred miles down the road. Fort Wayne had a 3-term Democratic mayor who started term #4 January 1st earlier this year. Everything Buttigieg cited for his accomplishments with South Bend I could legitimately say about my mayor who oversaw rebirth and expansion in a rust belt city that was twice South Bend's size, my city didn't have the rich northeastern kids subsidy that comes from Notre Dame being in town, and unlike Buttigieg didn't raze homes in historically black neighborhoods as part of the narrative. The difference between Buttigieg and my mayor honestly is Buttigieg was young and gay and my mayor was old and straight. My mayor Tom Henry ran for reelection to a 4th term he won, and Buttigieg ran for president.

[Zico]

Once upon a time Democrats were violently against emancipation and the suffragettes

Now they're the libs?

[DOB]

Once upon a time Democrats were violently against emancipation and the suffragettes

Now they're the libs?

Funny how that worked out.

[Flyin Ryan]

Another Cabinet pick. This is the 2nd person from the House picked for the Biden administration. It's also a black majority seat. But this combined with Cedric Richmond vacating his Louisiana seat will take Pelosi's majority at least shortly after her confirmation temporarily down to 220-212. I'm sure she's happy.

RRHElections:

Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge (D) has been picked by Biden as his choice to lead HUD. Fudge has not been high-profile in her six terms in DC, but has cultivated strong relationships within the Democratic caucus that led to a boomlet of cabinet speculation. Fudge was initially talked up for Agriculture Secretary, but as an urban representative with little experience in farm issues, she might have been a tough lift for confirmation to that post. Barring a major revelation in the vetting process she is probably likely to be non-controversial as a choice to run HUD, and demographically adds more African-Americans to Biden’s prospective cabinet (a deficiency that was raising gripes).

Fudge’s nomination will presumably throw open OH-11, a D+32 Black-majority seat based around Cleveland’s east side. The seat includes very poor Black-majority inner-city neighborhoods, very wealthy upscale liberal inner suburbs around Case Western and the Cleveland Clinic, and some middle-class Black suburbs. The seat also includes a gerrymandered tail to the Black-majority part of Akron. The seat is very well-stocked with a large Democratic bench, which will likely open a free-for-all Democratic primary.

[Zico]

Another Cabinet pick. This is the 2nd person from the House picked for the Biden administration. It's also a black majority seat. But this combined with Cedric Richmond vacating his Louisiana seat will take Pelosi's majority at least shortly after her confirmation temporarily down to 220-212. I'm sure she's happy.

I've no idea what that means.

Is it a good selection on merit ?

or.. are you saying it's a tactical selection and if so why?

[Flyin Ryan]

Another Cabinet pick. This is the 2nd person from the House picked for the Biden administration. It's also a black majority seat. But this combined with Cedric Richmond vacating his Louisiana seat will take Pelosi's majority at least shortly after her confirmation temporarily down to 220-212. I'm sure she's happy.

I've no idea what that means.

Is it a good selection on merit ?

or.. are you saying it's a tactical selection and if so why?

Well it's tactical in the sense of it's a very safe Democratic seat. It's tactical in the sense of it satisfies the Black Caucus further. Being from Cleveland, it fits the Representative better for her to be the head of Housing and Urban Development than it would be Agriculture. It's a negative for Pelosi for who a few months will see her very narrow House majority narrowed further. I'm sure she'll do as good a job as anyone else Biden could pick.

(Bad for Former Mayor Buttigieg's career prospects I feel. I thought HUD Secretary was his best avenue moving forward if he still had presidential ambitions because HUD would allow him the opportunity to repair his reputation with blacks who absolutely hated him in the primary. I know some people thought he should be Biden's pick for UN Ambassador which I rolled my eyes at. He's rapidly running out of places where he can look important. I saw one article that mentioned him for running the Department of Commerce.)

Appears about to no longer be Sen. Doug Jones who just lost his Alabama Senate seat may be Biden's pick for Attorney General. Tom Vilsack - a former Iowa governor - will be reprising the role he had for all 8 years of the Obama administration and become Secretary of Agriculture again. The largest thing he dealt with there was the opioid epidemic and by the end of his tenure he was largely frustrated with the White House for not giving it a high level of importance. The Ag Department is like what HUD is for urban areas, for Ag you have to have someone for rural areas, and those are presently in short supply for Democrats, so they're hitting up an Obama holdover.

[Zico]

Compared to his predecessor that would be merit then.

Are these appointees or do they need to be approved by a legislature?

[fonzeee]

Once upon a time Democrats were violently against emancipation and the suffragettes

Now they're the libs?

There was a lot more diversity of ideology within the parties in that era; even when they had segregationists in their ranks, they still had the libs too.

[Anonymous 1]

In addition to being black, Lloyd Austin is also on the board of Raytheon, which is one of the world's largest aerospace and defence manufacturers. No conflict of interest there.

https://www.rtx.com/our-company/corporate-governance

Listing his ‘being black’ as one of his faults shows refreshing honesty from a Neckbeard such as yourself.

Seneca always has been and always will be a dick

[Anonymous 1]

Once upon a time Democrats were violently against emancipation and the suffragettes

Now they're the libs?

Things change from time to time. Such is life

[Flyin Ryan]

Compared to his predecessor that would be merit then.

Are these appointees or do they need to be approved by a legislature?

They serve at the president's pleasure but must be approved by the Senate. Normally, appointees are withdrawn/they resign from having interest before they are voted down in the Senate. Flournoy for Defense Secretary for example Biden just never offered her up to the Senate after blowback to her came his way.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan who facilitated the CHAZ putting up shop in her city has announced she won't run for reelection.

[TheFrog]

https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2020/ ... xes-444139

With Durham as special counsel... impeachment coming in... Ah... the GOP doesn't control the house.... too bad. Would they want to put Harris in charge though?

What is sure is that Biden will be under intense scrutinity.