The Era of rivalry, Biden vs. Trump and their respective parties

DeSantis says he is going on offense.

CNN reports, "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a closed-door speech to donors Thursday, sought to cement himself as the governor who will go places other Republicans will not as he accused fellow GOP leaders of sitting back in the cultural fights “like potted plants,” according to audio of his remarks obtained by CNN.

“I’m going on offense,” DeSantis said at a retreat hosted by the conservative Club for Growth. “Some of these Republicans, they just sit back like potted plants, and they let the media define the terms of the debate. They let the left define the terms of debate. They take all this incoming, because they’re not making anything happen."

I quite agree. DeSantis described Republicans perfectly.

 

NBC Reports, "Steve Bannon, a former top adviser to Donald Trump, unloaded a torrent of attacks here Friday on Fox News and its leader, Rupert Murdoch — a sign of escalating tension between the former president's political network and Murdoch's conservative media empire.

"You've disrespected Donald J. Trump long enough," Bannon, who hosts a popular right-wing podcast, said of Murdoch in remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, which was heavily attended by Trump-loyal Republicans.

"Murdoch, you’ve deemed Trump’s not going to be president," Bannon added at the close of his fiery speech. "Well, we’ve deemed that you’re not going to have a network. Because we’re going to fight you every step of the way."

 

These are difficult days for Donald Trump and Fox News.

NBC reports, "Two progressive groups want the Federal Election Commission to investigate Fox Corp. and former President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign for breaking campaign finance laws.

"On Friday, End Citizens United PAC filed a complaint with the FEC arguing that Fox Corp. chair Rupert Murdoch broke the law when he shared Joe Biden's campaign ad and debate strategy with Trump adviser Jared Kushner.

"The exchange of confidential information was first made public this week in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation case against Fox News and the Fox Corp. According to a filing citing Murdoch's sworn deposition, the Fox boss admitted to providing a preview of the ads with Kushner before they were public, as well as sharing Biden's debate strategy during the 2020 campaign."

 

Trump has been getting off too many times Scot free and maybe soon, it will end. I remember when Nixon was going to be impeached but Nixon took the easy way out when he resigned from office. That was in 1974. Trump can run but he can't hide. There isn't anything else I can say at this time.

 

Ales Murdaugh will never get out of prison, because that's where he belongs.

 

Here is hoping either Trump or DeSantis become the Republican nominee for the Presidency in 2024.

Trump is promising revenge if elected. “I am your retribution.” He is declaring war on members of his own party who he calls RINOS.

DeSantis, despite his disingenuous calls for freedom, is increasing the role of state government. It is what Florida Republicans want, and the Republican legislature bows to every DeSantis whim.

If either becomes the nominee, we are pretty much assured that Republicans will lose again. Trump lost the popular vote in 2016. The Republican Party lost elections in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Every Trump-endorsed election denier in a major election lost in 2022.

CNN reports, "Ex-President Donald Trump and his most serious potential rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, laid out with unprecedented clarity this weekend how their sharply contrasting personalities and approaches would define the 2024 race for the Republican nomination.

"Trump served up his familiar brew of fury, falsehoods and dishonest braggadocio at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, billing himself as the only man who could save the planet from World War III, girding his adoring supporters for their “final battle” against communists, globalists and the “Deep State,” and declaring: “I am your retribution.”

“We will beat the Democrats, we will rout the fake news media, we will expose and appropriately deal with the RINOs (Republicans in Name Only). We will evict Joe Biden from the White House and we will liberate America from these villains and scoundrels once and for all,” Trump told the crowd at a Maryland convention center outside Washington on Saturday.

DeSantis speaks in tongues using meaningless generalizations and baseless accusations. It is politician-speak, but he has perfected it.

CNN continued, "DeSantis, who is yet to declare a campaign, used an appearance at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California on Sunday to channel the same conservative anger at what he claims is a left-wing “woke” elite takeover of politics, education, Covid-19 public health policy and big business, tapping into the modern Republican Party’s driving ideological force. Yet he offered a far more specific blueprint than Trump for a disruption of government as Americans know it, strongly implying that after implementing hardline conservatism in the Sunshine State, he could deliver the policy goals that often eluded Trump in his chaotic White House term."

Can some Republican tell me what "woke" elite is? DeSantis uses woke a lot, and I don't think his followers know what he is talking about. To be frank, judging from the definition of the term, it seems likely DeSantis doesn't know what it means.

 

The [Republican] Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday [4/21/2020] reaffirmed its support for the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/...rms-russia-aimed-to-help-trump-in-2016-198171

“I am your retribution,” Donald Trump

“A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” Trump wrote in a post on his social network, Truth Social.
“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
“When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules."
“We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
"Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you. We are going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”
*****************************************************************************************************************Donald J. Trump, Jan. 6, 2021

On August 8, 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, the residence of former U.S. president Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida. Over 13,000 government documents were recovered. They included nuclear-related information and FBI, CIA, and NSA information about national security interests. Of these documents, 325 were classified.

This man is seeking the Republican nomination for President.

No doubt Trump's followers will continue their silence.

 

No response. That was expected. In the DeSantis context, they don't know, either.

 

If either becomes the nominee, we are pretty much assured that Republicans will lose again. Trump lost the popular vote in 2016. The Republican Party lost elections in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Every Trump-endorsed election denier in a major election lost in 2022.

CNN reports, "The same fundamental dynamic that decided the 2016 Republican presidential primaries is already resurfacing as the 2024 contest takes shape.

"As in 2016, early polls of next year’s contest show the Republican electorate is again sharply dividing about former President Donald Trump along lines of education. In both state and national surveys measuring support for the next Republican nomination, Trump is consistently running much better among GOP voters without a college education than among those with a four-year or graduate college degree."

Is anyone surprised by that? You shouldn't be. Grassroots Trump Republicans lack the skills and knowledge to deal with the issues. Despite Trump's crimes (lead a failed insurrection effort to overthrow the elected government, stole hundreds of pages of classified material), they still support him, but have no idea why. They are incapable of explaining their support for Trump. Indeed, Trump Republicans avoid discussing Trump.

Want proof? The forum's Trump Republicans will not respond to the issues in this report.

CNN continued, "Analysts have often described such an educational divide among primary voters as the wine track (centered on college-educated voters) and the beer track (revolving around those without degrees). Over the years, it’s been a much more consistent feature in Democratic than Republican presidential primaries. But the wine track/beer track divide emerged as the defining characteristic of the 2016 GOP race, when Trump’s extraordinary success at attracting Republicans without a college degree allowed him to overcome sustained resistance from the voters with one.

“Trump does seem to have a special ability to make this sort of populist appeal [to non-college voters] and also have a special ability to make college-educated conservatives start thinking about alternatives,” GOP pollster Chris Wilson said in an email. “I think we’ll continue to see a big education divide in his support in 2024.”

CNN concludes, "On paper, none of the leading candidates other than DeSantis himself seems particularly well positioned to threaten Trump’s hold on the non-college Republicans who have long been the most receptive audience for his blustery and belligerent messaging."

Scan this thread. Please note the number of reports highly critical of Trump and the Republican Party. Trump Republicans have not been able to defend Trump or their party. Nor have they been able to deal with the issues presented.

 

The Republican Party has stooped to a new low.

The GOP caused a Fox News presentation that described an American tragedy as a peaceful walk in the park.

The Republican Speaker of the House turned over 41,000 hours of January Six video to Tucker Carlson at Fox News. Carlson aired a tiny portion of that video on Monday night.

CNN reports, "US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger on Tuesday ripped into Fox News host Tucker Carlson over his commentary about footage from the January 6, 2021, insurrection that he aired Monday night, saying the host “cherry-picked” from the footage to present “offensive” and “misleading” conclusions about the attack."

“Last night an opinion program aired commentary that was filled with offensive and misleading conclusions about the January 6 attack,” Manger wrote in an internal department memo.

“The program conveniently cherry-picked from the calmer moments of our 41,000 hours of video. The commentary fails to provide context about the chaos and violence that happened before or during these less tense moments,” Manger said.

CBS described Carlson's presentation. "Carlson claimed surveillance video from the scene showed "mostly peaceful chaos" inside the Capitol. While a "small percentage" of the rioters were "hooligans" who committed vandalism, he said, most were "orderly and meek," and he equated them with "sightseers."

The program was so egregious that even prominent Republicans -- RINO's who Trump severely criticizes -- spoke out in disgust, most notably Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“With regard to the presentation on Fox News last night, I want to associate myself entirely with the opinion of the Chief of the Capitol Police about what happened on January 6,” McConnell told reporters at the Capitol Tuesday.

"When you come into the chambers, when you start opening members' desks, when you stand up in their balcony, to somehow put that in the same category as permitted protest is just a lie," Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota told reporters.

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called Carlson's claims "bulls**t."

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said that the events of Jan. 6 were "an attack on the Capitol. There were a lot of people in the Capitol at the time who I think were scared for their lives," he said.

At least 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 assault, over half have pleaded guilty to federal charges, and about 140 officers were assaulted on Jan. 6 in Carlson's "mostly peaceful chaos."

The forum's Republicans will continue their silence on the issues.

 

CBS described Carlson's presentation. "Carlson claimed surveillance video from the scene showed "mostly peaceful chaos" inside the Capitol. While a "small percentage" of the rioters were "hooligans" who committed vandalism, he said, most were "orderly and meek," and he equated them with "sightseers."

The program was so egregious that even prominent Republicans spoke out in disgust, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

We have to ask ourselves, why is Tucker Carlson doing this? Why is he seemingly making a completely fool of himself, causing Republican disgust being heaped on the conservative network? Why did he cause respected news sources to subject him to immense ridicule?

The answer is, Tucker Carlson doesn't care.

Carlson knows that his audience with their limited education will not hear what Mitch McConnell said. He knows they avoid respected news networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN.

Have you noticed? Trump Republicans even avoid this reality-based thread.

Trump Republicans are not interested in reality. They are only interested in the fantasies told by Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, et.al.

Trump Republicans were allowed to choose our President in 2016. Will we allow them to do it again in 2024?

 

It is becoming quite clear that the Republican Party is embracing the concept of more government.

States with Republican governments have passed numerous laws that allow the state to control a woman's health in the case of pregnancy. There are prison sentences for doctors who perform an abortion at the request of the woman.

With its Republican government, Florida is rapidly expanding government control over education, libraries, and Walt Disney.

Then we come to Georgia. The Republican government wants the power to rid themselves of a prosecutor they don't like for political reasons.

CNN reports, "Georgia’s Republican-led state legislature is considering a set of bills that would establish a commission with the power to remove prosecutors and district attorneys from their posts.

"Republicans, including Gov. Brian Kemp, say additional oversight is necessary to prevent “soft on crime” prosecutors from endangering Georgians. But Democrats are taking note of the timing – Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is deciding whether to pursue indictments following her office’s investigation into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

"House Bill 231 would create the “Prosecuting Attorneys Oversight Commission, which shall have the power to discipline, remove, and cause involuntary retirement of appointed or elected district attorneys or solicitors-general.”

Southern grassroots Republicans are getting the kind of government they deserve.

 

Speaking of fantasies, there is President Biden's budget proposal.

CNN reports, "Biden’s budget comes out after the US hit the debt ceiling, a cap set by Congress, earlier this year. The Treasury Department is now taking extraordinary measures to allow the government to keep paying its bills. But the country could start to default on its obligations over the summer if Congress doesn’t address the debt ceiling before then.

"The proposed budget would provide the US Department of Defense with a 3.2% increase in funding over this year’s level, with an emphasis on countering China and assisting Ukraine.

"Many of the provisions in the budget rehash the president’s earlier proposals to expand the social safety net and to pay for it by raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations. He wants to restore the expanded child tax credit and make permanent enhanced Obamacare subsidies, both enacted in the American Rescue Plan in 2021. And he wants to provide universal free preschool, make college more affordable and establish a national paid family and medical leave program.

"Unfortunately, the proposed budget has no chance of making it through the Republican-controlled House. But Biden’s plan will frame upcoming political battles on Capitol Hill, where the GOP has yet to unveil its own spending plan.

"Republicans are calling for some spending cuts in exchange for voting to raise the cap."

However, the Republicans have not revealed what programs they want to cut. McCarthy wants to negotiate, but he has not disclosed what he wants to negotiate.

 

CNN opines, "For nearly two decades, democracies around the world have been losing ground. Countless autocrats have managed to pulverize the foundations of democracy in their countries by passing arcane laws that quietly erode civil liberties, press freedoms or the separation of powers, to name a few examples.

"A new report from the non-partisan Freedom House confirms that millions of people in dozens of countries saw their freedoms eroded last year. There were more countries that lost freedom in 2022 than those that gained it.

"Freedom has been declining worldwide for 17 years. Autocracy is still on the march, and democracy is still on the defensive. In most places, autocrats are advancing their agenda more subtly by changing the rules of the game and amassing more power for themselves. (See report #1779)

That sounds very much like America's southern states which are largely under Republican control, Florida, for example

CNN continues, "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has made freedom his calling card, but some conservatives have become skeptical of how liberally the Republican leader is using government power to impose his will.

"Among GOP donors, leading conservative voices and even some supporters, there is a growing concern that DeSantis has overstepped in his fight against “wokeness” as he seeks to shore up conservative support ahead of a highly anticipated 2024 campaign for president. Several potential rivals for the GOP nomination have seized on DeSantis’ brash approach and top-heavy governing style to draw sharp contrasts with the popular Republican.

"As Florida state lawmakers met earlier this month to hand DeSantis new authority over Disney World – punishment for the company’s opposition restricting certain classroom instruction."

“I’m a principled free-market conservative. For others out there that think that the government should be penalizing your business because they disagree with you politically, that isn’t very conservative,” Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire said.

 

Wow! DOUBLE WOW!!

The Times reports, "The Manhattan district attorney’s office recently signaled to Donald J. Trump’s lawyers that he could face criminal charges for his role in the payment of hush money to a porn star, the strongest indication yet that prosecutors are nearing an indictment of the former president, according to four people with knowledge of the matter.

"The prosecutors offered Mr. Trump the chance to testify next week before the grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the potential case, the people said. Such offers almost always indicate an indictment is close; it would be unusual for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, to notify a potential defendant without ultimately seeking charges against him.

"In New York, potential defendants have the right to answer questions in the grand jury before they are indicted, but they rarely testify, and Mr. Trump is likely to decline the offer. His lawyers could also meet privately with the prosecutors in hopes of fending off criminal charges.

"Any case would mark the first indictment of a former American president, and could upend the 2024 presidential race. It would also elevate Mr. Bragg to the national stage, though not without risk, and a conviction in the complex case is far from assured.

"Mr. Bragg could become the first prosecutor to charge Mr. Trump, but he might not be the last."

 

Despite numerous threats and expert naysayers predicting a coming recession, President Biden's economy is doing quite well, although "some 80 percent of American adults think the economy is either in poor or fair shape, according to January data from Pew Research Center."

In light of our President's economic successes, that is a staggering number, proving once again that Americans are not well informed.

ABC reports, "America’s employers added a substantial 311,000 jobs in February, fewer than January’s huge gain but enough to keep pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates aggressively to fight inflation.

"The unemployment rate rose to 3.6%, from a 53-year low of 3.4%, as more Americans began searching for work but not all of them found jobs.

"Friday’s report from the government made clear that the nation’s job market remains fundamentally healthy, with many employers still eager to hire. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told Congress this week that the Fed would likely ratchet up its rate hikes if signs continued to point to a robust economy and persistently high inflation.

"From October through December, the average monthly job gain was 284,000. That average has surged to 351,000 for the past three months."

And yet, 80% of Americans think our economy is in the toilet. Go figure!

 

Speaking of fantasies, there is the Republican budget proposal.

For several weeks President Biden has been requesting a budget proposal from Speaker McCarthy because of his opposition to raising the debt limit so our country can pay its existing bills such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

What he got was a prime example of, be careful what you wish for.

Background: McCarthy got the gravel because a group of ultraconservative House Republicans finally agreed to support him because McCarthy agreed to their demands. Consequently, the House of Representatives is being controlled by ultraconservative House Republicans. That would explain McCarthy's highly controversial step of giving Fox's controversial Tucker Carlson 41,000 hours of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on our capitol and no one else.

NBC reports, "A group of ultraconservative House Republicans on Friday sketched out their demands to tackle the debt ceiling, pushing to repeal much of President Joe Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act and roll back the latest government funding deal.

"The plan is highly unlikely to become law, and it represents a major challenge facing GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy: unifying a conference that is divided on strategy in the face of a looming deadline to avert an economically calamitous default.

"Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa. estimated that the plan would save about $3 trillion over a decade. The group said in a one-page plan it would "consider voting to raise the debt ceiling contingent upon the enactment of legislation" that would achieve the above.

"It's far from clear McCarthy would endorse the plan, let alone find the votes to pass it under the slim Republican majority. And if he does, it would be dead on arrival in the Democratic-led Senate."

McCarthy wants to negotiate with the President, but he has not provided a meaningful proposal as to which programs the Republicans want to cut. McCarthy pleads almost daily that he wants to negotiate, but he is clueless as to what he wants to negotiate, making him the perfect Republican leader.

No doubt the forum's Republicans will continue their silence on the issues.

 

“We will never surrender to the woke mob. Florida is where woke goes to die,” Ron DeSantis.

Would some Republican explain what DeSantis is talking about? DeSantis didn't say.

DeSantis' said he "eliminated critical race theory" from schools in Florida.

Would some Republican explain what DeSantis is talking about? DeSantis didn't say.

Probably not to both questions. They don't know, either.

 

The fed will continue to raise rates (unless the bank disaster expands) until we are in a recession. So, the economy is not in good shape, especially with the price of so many things at the store up substantially over the past few years.

It will all be moot in June - the debt ceiling not being expanded will crash the economy as both parties will be thrilled to use it as talking point for 2024

 

No response from Republicans. That was expected. They don't know what DeSantis is talking about, either.

Does Desantis? Or is it just a bunch of phony Republican B.S.?

 

This says it all!

NBC reports, "Former Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday harshly criticized former President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

“President Trump was wrong,” Pence said during remarks at the annual white-tie Gridiron Dinner attended by politicians and journalists. “I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”

There is no reason to add anything.

 

They are crazy in Republican-controlled Texas.

The NRA-sponsored pro-gun law in Texas allows most Texans who legally own a firearm to carry it openly in public without obtaining a permit or training, and a background check is not required. The measure, experts say, will make it more challenging for law enforcement to protect the public from gun violence.

These two killings in Texas occurred Sunday. Shooting incidents are rather common in Texas.

ABC reports, "A man and woman have been arrested and charged after four people were found fatally shot in a Dallas apartment where an infant was found unharmed, police said Monday.

"Artemio Maldonado, 18, and Azucena Sanchez, 20, have been charged with capital murder, police said. Jail records did not list an attorney for either suspect.

"Police responded to the apartment around 7:10 p.m. Sunday and found two men and two women who had been shot. They all died at the scene. Authorities have not released the names of the victims.

"A 3-year-old girl in Houston gained access to a firearm and "unintentionally" shot and killed her 4-year-old sister late Sunday, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

"Gonzalez said the preliminary investigation showed that the two children had been inside an apartment with five family members and friends and each of the two children's parents believed the other was watching the kids. Instead, they were left unsupervised and picked up an "unsecured" and loaded semi-automatic pistol.

"The family members heard one gunshot and ran into the room to find one child had apparently accidentally shot the other toddler."

No doubt Republicans will say nothing.

 

Sandy Shanks said:
“President Trump was wrong,” Pence said during remarks at the annual white-tie Gridiron Dinner attended by politicians and journalists. “I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”
*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Trump is not the brightest bulb in the room, and his knowledge of our Constitution is scanty at best.

The beginnings of Trump's obsession to overturn the results of the 2020 election go back to early November -- months before the Jan. 6 insurrection attempt. However, his response to Pence's indictment of him was to say that Pence was responsible for the attack on our capitol, a response based entirely on his lack of knowledge of our Constitution.

The Hill reports, "Former President Trump on Monday claimed former Vice President Mike Pence was responsible for the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, two days after Pence took aim at his old boss for his conduct around the riots at the Capitol that day.

"Trump, speaking to a group of reporters aboard his personal plane en route to a campaign event in Iowa, responded to comments Pence made at the annual Gridiron Dinner in Washington, D.C., in which the former vice president said “history will hold Donald Trump accountable” for the events of Jan. 6.

“Had he sent the votes back to the legislatures, they wouldn’t have had a problem with Jan. 6, so in many ways you can blame him for Jan. 6,” Trump said, according to The Washington Post. “Had he sent them back to Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, the states, I believe, No. 1, you have had a different outcome. But I also believe you wouldn’t have had ‘Jan. 6’ as we call it.”

It is difficult to understand how a former President of the United States could say such a thing. The vice-president has no authority to reject Electoral College votes that have been certified by the states. Pence's role on that day was purely perfunctory, certify the results only, not changing the results for political purposes.

Trump didn't know that! He is running for President again! He is the leading Republican candidate!

My God!

There is no doubt in my mind that forum Republicans will be too ashamed to respond to the issues of this report. That really ought to tell you something.

 

Sandy Shanks said:
No response from Republicans. That was expected.
Sandy Shanks said:
No doubt Republicans will say nothing.
Sandy Shanks said:
There is no doubt in my mind that forum Republicans will be too ashamed to respond to the issues of this report.
*****************************************************************************************************************************************************
Why is it that the forum's Republicans prefer to remain in the closet? They don't attempt to defend the former Republican President and the leading candidate for President in 2024. They don't defend their party. They are mum on the issues facing us today.

Their silence is deafening.

 

CNN reports, "From lengthy droughts to severe flooding, the intensity of water-related disasters around the world has increased over the last two decades as global temperatures climbed to record levels, according to new research.

"The study from NASA scientists published Monday in the journal Nature Water found that increasingly frequent, widespread and intense droughts and floods were linked more strongly to higher global temperatures than to naturally changing weather patterns, like El Niño and La Niña. This suggests these intense events will increase as the climate crisis accelerates, the study says.

"The study comes as California is slammed with its 11th atmospheric river so far this season – storms that have brought torrential rainfall and crushing snow to a region that for the past several years has been mired in extreme drought. These storms have caused significant flooding, mudslides, collapsed bridges and unusable roads."