2020 US Presidential Election

[Contrast]

It will be extremely embarrassing if we have riots for the next 18 months over the Ohio cop who saved a girl from being stabbed.

 

[Zugzug]

This is so dumb it almost makes me laugh if it wasn't so evil. Just frightening that this guy is a thought leader.

 

[Born To Slay]

View attachment 44655

This is so dumb it almost makes me laugh if it wasn't so evil. Just frightening that this guy is a thought leader.

The Floyd case is just so obvious, idk how anyone can defend it.

 

[Born To Slay]

@FGG, @Zugzug, what do you guys think of the Ma'Khia Bryant case?

 

[Luman]

@FGG, @Zugzug, what do you guys think of the Ma'Khia Bryant case?

I read that she was lunging at a young woman with a kitchen knife when she was shot.

 

[Born To Slay]

I read that she was lunging at a young woman with a kitchen knife when she was shot.

That's definitely what the video shows.

 

[FGG]

@FGG, @Zugzug, what do you guys think of the Ma'Khia Bryant case?

This one is tough. Clearly she was being violent and needed to be detained but I would have liked to think she could have been tased and restrained.

Regardless, I don't see it as in the same universe as the George Floyd case which was clearly egregious.

 

[Born To Slay]

This one is tough. Clearly she was being violent and needed to be detained but I would have liked to think she could have been tased and restrained.

Regardless, I don't see it as in the same universe as the George Floyd case which was clearly egregious.

Yeah I think ultimately even if it's determined there was something else that could've been done after we spend weeks examining it, it's hard to condemn the cop who only had one chance to get it right.

 

[Christiaan]

View attachment 44655

This is so dumb it almost makes me laugh if it wasn't so evil. Just frightening that this guy is a thought leader.

We're really in trouble when a considerable amount of peeps take his opinion seriously.

The thing that bugs me the most is the role of the media in reporting information as fairly & critically as possible. If that were the case, people like Ben Shapiro would be considered outliers and thus too extreme/irrational to be taken seriously.

However, with the current climate in which media seeks sensationalism as a means to get attention (and make some quick bucks), outliers are promoted and slowly become more normalised. Ben Shapiro is such an exponent of a conservative-nationalist thought that would have been considered as politically toxic in the past (e.g. The current GOP alienating itself from the secular middle/upper class but gaining traction from blue collar class & Evangelicals by promoting zealously religious and far-right ''protectionist'' policies).

 

[Christiaan]

What a breath of fresh air

Biden: Trickle-down economics "has never worked"
During his joint address to Congress on Wednesday, President Biden spoke of the need to tax the ultra-wealthy to fix economic inequality in the U.S.

Why it matters: Biden wants to use tax hikes on the rich to pay for his American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan. This philosophy has been a sticking point for many Republicans.

The big picture: Biden noted that tax cuts during the Trump administration were a boon to corporations and wealthy Americans and the pandemic has only increased economic inequality in the U.S.

• Biden's plans, he argued, would invest in the "human infrastructure" that allows for the growth of the middle class and raising people out of poverty.

What he's saying: "I will not add to the tax burden of the middle class of this country. They're already paying enough."

• "What I've proposed is fair. It's fiscally responsible."
• "My fellow Americans, trickle-down economics has never worked," Biden said.
• "It's time to grow the economy from the bottom up and middle-out."

"A broad consensus of economists – left, right, center – agree that what I'm proposing will help create millions of jobs and generate historic economic growth."

Link: https://www.axios.com/biden-trickle...ked-8f211644-c751-4366-a67d-c26f61fb080c.html

 

[Daniel Lion]

Hi @Born To Slay, I hope you're keeping well.

Do you remember our wager concerning Trump?

I asked for 9 months, knowing that litigation takes time, and things are picking up.
The Feds raided Giuliani, which is huge, and multiple cases are gaining speed.

It's gonna get even more batty as Giuliani and other conspirators start to flip.

 

[Born To Slay]

Hi @Born To Slay, I hope you're keeping well.

Do you remember our wager concerning Trump?

I asked for 9 months, knowing that litigation takes time, and things are picking up.
The Feds raided Giuliani, which is huge, and multiple cases are gaining speed.

It's gonna get even more batty as Giuliani and other conspirators start to flip.

Hey man, hope you are doing well also.

Unless they charge Trump himself, I think Trump is still good to go. I'm thinking his followers will say they went after Giuliani for political reasons and it may even make them more enthusiastic to vote Trump.

 

[Daniel Lion]

Hey man, hope you are doing well also.

Unless they charge Trump himself, I think Trump is still good to go. I'm thinking his followers will say they went after Giuliani for political reasons and it may even make them more enthusiastic to vote Trump.

Hi friend.

You very well may be right and that saddens me. Having said that, I am still hoping that the DOJ does its job, dishes out justice and clamps down on corruption that was rampant and out of control in the last administration.

Time will tell...

I am very pleased with President Biden and hope that his infrastructure mandate and vision can be realized. I've waited decades for an administration to have the courage to do something like his administration is pushing for.

 

[Born To Slay]

Hi friend.

You very well may be right and that saddens me. Having said that, I am still hoping that the DOJ does its job, dishes out justice and clamps down on corruption that was rampant and out of control in the last administration.

Time will tell...

I am very pleased with President Biden and hope that his infrastructure mandate and vision can be realized. I've waited decades for an administration to have the courage to do something like his administration is pushing for.

I do think the DOJ will do its job, as the new President can't look like it's bowing to crazy conspiracy theorists.

I believe the way we defeat the crazies is not thru clamping down per se but solid policy. Biden needs to implement a bold, transformative agenda to keep Trump out of office. The one he has proposed will probably do and I hope he's able to realize it.

 

[Luman]

The April 2021 jobs report shows that Biden is doing a terrible job of getting people off Unemployment Insurance, and back to work.

KEY POINTS

• Hiring was a huge letdown in April, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by a much less than expected 266,000.
• The unemployment rate rose to 6.1%, the Labor Department said.
• Dow Jones estimates had been for 1 million new jobs and an unemployment rate of 5.8%.

U.S. added just 266,000 jobs in April, March payrolls revised lower.

April's expected hiring boom goes bust as nonfarm payroll gain falls well short of estimates

 

[Born To Slay]

The April 2021 jobs report shows that Biden is doing a terrible job of getting people off Unemployment Insurance, and back to work.

KEY POINTS

• Hiring was a huge letdown in April, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by a much less than expected 266,000.
• The unemployment rate rose to 6.1%, the Labor Department said.
• Dow Jones estimates had been for 1 million new jobs and an unemployment rate of 5.8%.

U.S. added just 266,000 jobs in April, March payrolls revised lower.

It's up the states to determine if they need the extra unemployment money. Biden merely provided the option.

 

[Luman]

It's up the states to determine if they need the extra unemployment money. Biden merely provided the option.

Whatever he did, or didn't do, the results are a reflection of his administration - and it does not look good.

 

[Born To Slay]

Whatever he did, or didn't do, the results are a reflection of his administration - and it does not look good.

How? Unemployment benefits are run by the states, your particular criticism has nothing to do with Biden. Some states have already begun terminating the enhancements, showing that it's their job to decide when they no longer need the help. With 50 states, all with various situations regarding vaccinations and COVID-19 numbers, each state will need to the enhanced unemployment program at different times. So Biden gave the option through September but they're free to drop the program whenever they want if they feel the state is fine now.

In conclusion, it's up to the governors to decide when their state doesn't need the help. Your criticism is completely unfair.

 

[Zugzug]

What a breath of fresh air

Biden: Trickle-down economics "has never worked"
During his joint address to Congress on Wednesday, President Biden spoke of the need to tax the ultra-wealthy to fix economic inequality in the U.S.

Why it matters: Biden wants to use tax hikes on the rich to pay for his American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan. This philosophy has been a sticking point for many Republicans.

The big picture: Biden noted that tax cuts during the Trump administration were a boon to corporations and wealthy Americans and the pandemic has only increased economic inequality in the U.S.

• Biden's plans, he argued, would invest in the "human infrastructure" that allows for the growth of the middle class and raising people out of poverty.

What he's saying: "I will not add to the tax burden of the middle class of this country. They're already paying enough."

• "What I've proposed is fair. It's fiscally responsible."
• "My fellow Americans, trickle-down economics has never worked," Biden said.
• "It's time to grow the economy from the bottom up and middle-out."

"A broad consensus of economists – left, right, center – agree that what I'm proposing will help create millions of jobs and generate historic economic growth."

Seems like Bernie is in his ear...

 

[Luman]

How? Unemployment benefits are run by the states, your particular criticism has nothing to do with Biden. Some states have already begun terminating the enhancements, showing that it's their job to decide when they no longer need the help. With 50 states, all with various situations regarding vaccinations and COVID-19 numbers, each state will need to the enhanced unemployment program at different times. So Biden gave the option through September but they're free to drop the program whenever they want if they feel the state is fine now.

In conclusion, it's up to the governors to decide when their state doesn't need the help. Your criticism is completely unfair.

Biden is now on the defensive, denying that his way of handling unemployment is hurting the job market. He refuses to change his mind, saying, "Some critics said we didn't need the American Rescue Plan, that this economy would just heal itself. Today's report just underscores, in my view, how vital the actions we are taking are," the president said. "Our efforts are starting to work, but the climb is steep, and we have a long way to go."

• President Joe Biden said April's lower than expected job growth shows that his massive infrastructure and family support bills are needed now more than ever.
• The president rejected the idea that federal unemployment benefits are removing incentives for people to return to the labor force.

Weak jobs report shows the need for massive jobs and families bills, Biden says

 

[Born To Slay]

Biden is now on the defensive, denying that his way of handling unemployment is hurting the job market. He refuses to change his mind, saying, "Some critics said we didn't need the American Rescue Plan, that this economy would just heal itself. Today's report just underscores, in my view, how vital the actions we are taking are," the president said. "Our efforts are starting to work, but the climb is steep, and we have a long way to go."

• President Joe Biden said April's lower than expected job growth shows that his massive infrastructure and family support bills are needed now more than ever.
• The president rejected the idea that federal unemployment benefits are removing incentives for people to return to the labor force.

So what did he do that actually hurt the economy? You're blaming but why? Of course he's going to defend himself, that'd be natural. But can you tell me what in the American Rescue Plan actually hurt the economy?

 

[Luman]

So what did he do that actually hurt the economy? You're blaming but why? Of course he's going to defend himself, that'd be natural. But can you tell me what in the American Rescue Plan actually hurt the economy?

Continuing to issue extra and extended unemployment benefits when there are not enough employees applying for jobs, is not a good policy. People are making more money not working, than if they were. How can we get the economy back on track, when businesses cannot operate due to a labor shortage that this administration has created?

 

[Born To Slay]

Continuing to issue extra and extended unemployment benefits when there are not enough employees applying for jobs, is not a good policy. People are making more money not working, than if they were. How can we get the economy back on track, when businesses cannot operate due to a labor shortage that this administration has created?

You cannot blame Biden for the faults of state governors. Biden cannot force any state to continue the enhanced unemployment. He only made the money available in case states needed it. It's up to states to decide if they need it.

 

[Luman]

You cannot blame Biden for the faults of state governors. Biden cannot force any state to continue the enhanced unemployment. He only made the money available in case states needed it. It's up to states to decide if they need it.

I wouldn't turn down more money to not work, than the opposite, either. Biden is to blame for this situation. He is very slow and has already said that recovery is going to take a long time.

 

[Christiaan]

Seems like Bernie is in his ear...

According to Joel Wertheimer of The Guardian, it seems that Biden's decision making has not only been influenced by the Progressive Caucus in Congress, but also by a shake-up within his inner circle of staff, which has been expanded to include more progressive and liberal-minded people.

_________________________________________________________________________________

To understand why Joe Biden has shifted left, look at the people working for him

In president Joe Biden's first address to Congress last week, he celebrated the $1.9tn relief plan that passed within the first days of his presidency and proposed an ambitious $4tn plan for family care, green infrastructure, education and jobs that Democrats might have been surprised to hear from even Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders. To understand how Biden, the 78-year-old self-proclaimed moderate, came to push such an ambitious and progressive domestic policy agenda, you can start by looking at the young lanyard-wearing staffers who populate the West Wing and Old Executive Office Building.

Policy decisions in Washington are made by the principals – the president, the senators and the cabinet secretaries – but their decisions are significantly constrained by the information they receive.

(....)

The president's staff give the president a policy menu of memos, data and updates on government programmes. Extending the menu analogy, presidential decision-making looks a lot more like choosing from a few items on the prix fixe than dictating a specific meal to a private chef.

So Biden's decisions, like those of any president, are heavily influenced by what the staffers who populate the White House tell him. The new cohort of staff, who joined the administration when Biden took office, have fundamentally different views and experiences to those who worked under Obama's presidency 12 years ago.

(...)

The young Democratic staffers who dominate the White House and Capitol today have never known a Republican party worth negotiating with. They are tired of the Republicans and are convincing their principals to join them.And so a huge, popular stimulus package that includes child tax credits, increased health care subsidies and direct relief payments made its way through the Senate within two months of Biden's inauguration, without a single Republican vote.

This generation of staffers haven't just got different tactics: their ideological commitments are different too. Many of them lived through the Great Recession, have accumulated significantly less wealth than their baby boomer and gen X elders, and therefore have a much more positive view of how government action can improve people's lives.

Beyond their economic experiences, they are also more diverse than their forebears. The Biden administration announced in January that of its first 100 appointees, over half were women and people of colour. Even young white Democrats, spurred by activists and protesters across the country, are significantly more progressive on racial justice and immigration issues than they would have been four or eight years ago. Many of the staffers who now occupy the White House worked for the Senate offices and primary campaigns of Warren and Sanders. Those senators didn't win the primary, but their ideas can still be found in the White House, at least on domestic policy.

(...)

As in the domestic sphere, there is space here for a younger, more diverse generation to begin to shift the paradigm. If Biden's presidency is remembered as more progressive than anyone anticipated, they will have played no small part in making it so.

 

[Zugzug]

According to Joel Wertheimer of The Guardian, it seems that Biden's decision making has not only been influenced by the Progressive Caucus in Congress, but also by a shake-up within his inner circle of staff, which has been expanded to include more progressive and liberal-minded people.

_________________________________________________________________________________

To understand why Joe Biden has shifted left, look at the people working for him

In president Joe Biden's first address to Congress last week, he celebrated the $1.9tn relief plan that passed within the first days of his presidency and proposed an ambitious $4tn plan for family care, green infrastructure, education and jobs that Democrats might have been surprised to hear from even Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders. To understand how Biden, the 78-year-old self-proclaimed moderate, came to push such an ambitious and progressive domestic policy agenda, you can start by looking at the young lanyard-wearing staffers who populate the West Wing and Old Executive Office Building.

Policy decisions in Washington are made by the principals – the president, the senators and the cabinet secretaries – but their decisions are significantly constrained by the information they receive.

(....)

The president's staff give the president a policy menu of memos, data and updates on government programmes. Extending the menu analogy, presidential decision-making looks a lot more like choosing from a few items on the prix fixe than dictating a specific meal to a private chef.

So Biden's decisions, like those of any president, are heavily influenced by what the staffers who populate the White House tell him. The new cohort of staff, who joined the administration when Biden took office, have fundamentally different views and experiences to those who worked under Obama's presidency 12 years ago.

(...)

The young Democratic staffers who dominate the White House and Capitol today have never known a Republican party worth negotiating with. They are tired of the Republicans and are convincing their principals to join them.And so a huge, popular stimulus package that includes child tax credits, increased health care subsidies and direct relief payments made its way through the Senate within two months of Biden's inauguration, without a single Republican vote.

This generation of staffers haven't just got different tactics: their ideological commitments are different too. Many of them lived through the Great Recession, have accumulated significantly less wealth than their baby boomer and gen X elders, and therefore have a much more positive view of how government action can improve people's lives.

Beyond their economic experiences, they are also more diverse than their forebears. The Biden administration announced in January that of its first 100 appointees, over half were women and people of colour. Even young white Democrats, spurred by activists and protesters across the country, are significantly more progressive on racial justice and immigration issues than they would have been four or eight years ago. Many of the staffers who now occupy the White House worked for the Senate offices and primary campaigns of Warren and Sanders. Those senators didn't win the primary, but their ideas can still be found in the White House, at least on domestic policy.

(...)

As in the domestic sphere, there is space here for a younger, more diverse generation to begin to shift the paradigm. If Biden's presidency is remembered as more progressive than anyone anticipated, they will have played no small part in making it so.

That's sort of my ideal president. A moderate that pushes left. Looks like his staff understands that Republicans will vote against their self interest no matter what...

 

[Born To Slay]

I wouldn't turn down more money to not work, than the opposite, either. Biden is to blame for this situation. He is very slow and has already said that recovery is going to take a long time.

You as a person wouldn't turn the money down but states already are turning the money down because they no longer need it. The feds can't just end the program now because there are still parts of the country that really do need it. That's why it's optional for states.

And so what Biden said that? Recovery by most economic models will take a long time. The economy was decimated by the virus, not sure why people thought that despite the mass business closures (mostly under Trump) and the largest economic depression in a century happening just last year that the economy was going to come back in 2 seconds. You are criticizing Biden for being honest? Would you prefer he lied to boost his ego like a certain other president we know?

 

[FGG]

You as a person wouldn't turn the money down but states already are turning the money down because they no longer need it. The feds can't just end the program now because there are still parts of the country that really do need it. That's why it's optional for states.

And so what Biden said that? Recovery by most economic models will take a long time. The economy was decimated by the virus, not sure why people thought that despite the mass business closures (mostly under Trump) and the largest economic depression in a century happening just last year that the economy was going to come back in 2 seconds. You are criticizing Biden for being honest? Would you prefer he lied to boost his ego like a certain other president we know?

One of the two main reasons for Trump's popularity:

The other is to play into people's conspiracies and make them afraid of not supporting you.

 

[Luman]

One of the two main reasons for Trump's popularity:

View attachment 44916

The other is to play into people's conspiracies and make them afraid of not supporting you.

My securities market investments increased by 15% during 2020 and did very well overall during Trump's presidency. Is this something that I am imagining?

 

[Luman]

You as a person wouldn't turn the money down but states already are turning the money down because they no longer need it. The feds can't just end the program now because there are still parts of the country that really do need it. That's why it's optional for states.

And so what Biden said that? Recovery by most economic models will take a long time. The economy was decimated by the virus, not sure why people thought that despite the mass business closures (mostly under Trump) and the largest economic depression in a century happening just last year that the economy was going to come back in 2 seconds. You are criticizing Biden for being honest? Would you prefer he lied to boost his ego like a certain other president we know?

There are jobs, but people would rather collect the generous unemployment benefits, so the jobs report for April was one-fourth of what it should have been, and very dissapointing.

I did great under Trump, too bad Joe isn't as savvy as he was, not by a longshot.

Biden is a joke, he is setting up the Dems for a loss in 2024.