A report card on the Biden administration

“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.”

After watching the mob he had incited attack our capitol Trump declared on video, "This was a fraudulent election but we can't play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. We love you. You're very special. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil but go home and go home in peace."

The AP reports, "The Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin Wednesday warning of the lingering potential for violence from people motivated by anti-government sentiment after President Joe Biden’s election, suggesting the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol may embolden extremists and set the stage for additional attacks."

"Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman called Thursday for major upgrades to security at the Capitol complex, including the installation of "permanent fencing" following that unprecedented breach that occurred during the Jan. 6 riot," Fox News.

Vladimir Putin has got to be loving this. From his standpoint he made a wise choice when he decided to help Trump get elected in 2016. America hasn't been this divided since the Civil War, and Republicans like Kevin McCarthy, Jim Jordan, and Matt Gaetz are sucking up to Trump, hoping for his support in 2022.

It only gets better for Putin. The Republican Party is expected to vindicate Trump for inciting the insurrection, ensuring more violence in the future. Putin could not be happier.

Amidst all this Biden is trying to unite the nation. Good luck with that.

 

This last part is just more of the Russian collusion BS that has been debunked.

 

Many are bewildered by the fear Republican lawmakers have for Trump's followers. Much of the confusion arises because Trump was an idiot who directed an insurrection in our capital, was impeached twice, and left Washington in disgrace. He has been a recluse for 3 1/2 months.

This is all very strange. Perhaps someone can explain the strange phenomenon. Why does Trump get so much support on the grassroots level? Is it because of ignorance? Is this an intelligence issue?

The Nation reports, "Trump’s second impeachment has had the perverse effect of demonstrating that he’s still the top man of the GOP, the figure that can violate the most fundamental principles of democracy and still have the support of the vast majority of the party, including lawmakers."

Why?

Once again Trump's followers remain silent. Do they even know why they support Trump? Because of their silence, one can reasonably conclude they do not.

Further complicating the issue is the undeniable fact that on Trump's watch the GOP first lost the House, then the Senate and the White House. Why in the world are grassroots Republicans supporting Trump.

They don't know!

Complete devotion to Trump's policies by Republican lawmakers is making it difficult for Biden to accomplish his goals. He is forced to govern by fiat. The impeachment trial can't get over soon enough.

 

Mitchscove replied, "So the fact that the 'storming' of the Capitol was planned weeks in advance of Trump's speech has no effect on your narrative, we can safely ignore anything you have posted."

Of course, Trump planned this in advance. This was no spur of the moment thing.The Jan. 6 session of Congress was known far in advance.

 

I’m sure Biden would be willing to pardon Trump if Trump was willing to delineate what he needed to be pardoned for to those 74 million people.

Sure, ultimately it would be good for the country but it would lay waste to the infrastructure that supported the administration.

 

A sprawling report released Tuesday by a Republican-controlled Senate panel that spent three years investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election laid out an extensive web of contacts between Trump campaign advisers and Kremlin officials and other Russians.

It provided an extraordinary set of facts: The Russian government disrupted an American election to help Mr. Trump become president, Russian intelligence services viewed members of the Trump campaign as easily manipulated, and some of Mr. Trump’s advisers were eager for the help from an American adversary.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/18/us/politics/senate-intelligence-russian-interference-report.html

 

I thought this thread was about Biden. Apparently Sandy can't let go of Trump even in their own thread.

 

NBC News reports, "President Joe Biden is planning to wind down his initial burst of executive actions by the middle of next week and shift his focus to getting key parts of his legislative agenda passed, with the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package as the top priority, according to three administration officials."

Some have been critical of Biden, accusing him of being a hypocrite for preaching unity while dispatching countless executive orders, virtually governing by fiat.

Of course, this criticism comes mostly from Trump's followers who never take into account what their boy did. Actually, Trump's followers largely avoid what Trump has said and done. They have to, to make their point.

So, they ignore the fact that Trump was the least popular President in modern American history. Why? Trump was unpopular because of his policies. Makes sense, right, but not to his fans who ignore such unpleasantries.

Consequently, before he could unite the nation, Biden first had to rid the nation of Trump's policies, and he has been doing that with executive orders because Trump did his damage with executive orders.

 

A Senate trial of Trump's insurrection is looming, and that is negatively affecting Biden's agenda. Unlike Trump's followers, I am not going to ignore the elephant in the room.

I would prefer discussing Biden because discussing Trump has become nauseous, but his supporters are questioning what I say about Trump, prompting me to spend too much time on the former President.

It should be noted you are still unable to defend Trump. Instead, you focus on the writer, standard tactic for Trump's fans. Don't deal with the issues. Get personal with the writer.

It should also be noted that far right militant groups loyal to Trump and still believing his fantasy about a stolen election are threatening Washington, according to the DHS.

I would suppose you want me to ignore that, too.

 

One simple question.

What would impeachment do for a former president? Why are they wasting the effort? What will it solve?

 

jcarlilesiu wrote, "One simple question.

"What would impeachment do for a former president? Why are they wasting the effort? What will it solve?"

I wrote on Jan. 21, "In politics, as well as in life, one encounters the future by weighing the odds. In a Senate trial of a Republican President it is extremely unlikely that there will be a conviction since 17 Republicans would have to vote with the Democrats.

"It is extremely likely that a Senate trial will be a complete waste of time.

"Biden needs to get his cabinet certified ASAP. Another 900,000 Americans filed for unemployment for the first time last week. The pandemic is setting records for new deaths, cases, and hospitalizations. The pandemic and the economy is at its worst right now.

"The Senate is split right down the middle, 50/50. Biden needs the cooperation of those 50 Republicans to accomplish his tasks.

"What are the odds of Republicans cooperating with a Democratic President while the Democrats are trying to convict Trump of "Incitement of Insurrection?"

"The answer: slim and none."

The failed Senate trial will cause unintended consequences. First, we will be hearing from Trump again as he loudly declares his innocence on every major network willing to listen. To our everlasting regret, that will be all of them. After all, it will be news.

Second, and far worse, the Senate exoneration of Trump who incited an insurrection against our capital will embolden every future President. The precedent is a dagger at the heart of our democracy. The President can do anything he wants as long as the Senate is controlled by his party, controlled to the extent that the 67 vote bar is too high to reach!

 

The GOP is destroying itself!

As a Reagan Republican and a former member of the GOP -- now a conservative Independent forced out by Trump's idiocy -- I am sorry to see that happening. But there it is.

Hampering Biden's work with the GOP is the fact that the GOP is splitting in two while the GOP leadership remains largely silent.

The pro-Trump state Republican Party in Oregon declared the Jan. 6 assault on our capital a "false flag" event.

ABC News reports, "Department of Justice officials said they are looking at felony sedition charges for people who stormed the Capitol." It is extremely unlikely that 17 Republican Senators will join the Democrats in convicting Trump.

So, the people who actively took part in the attack on our capital will be charged with sedition and conspiracy, but the person who ordered the attack -- our President at the time -- will be exonerated by Republicans in the Senate. Ten Republicans in the House voted to impeach the President.

Trump Republicans -- 138 of whom still think the election was stolen -- want to oust Liz Cheney (Wyo.) as chair of the House Republican Conference to punish her after her vote to impeach Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Cheney voted her conscience.

On the other hand, GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia enjoys the good graces of House Republicans. Videos and social media activity from 2018 and 2019 show Greene harassing a survivor of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting, falsely suggesting that several deadly school and mass shootings were staged. She also indicated support for executing prominent Democrats, and expressing approval of far-right conspiracy theories. She was chosen to be on the education committee. McCarthy said he would talk to her.

Speaking of whom, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy recently visited with the disgraced former President at Mar-a-Lago. He wants to become the Speaker, and he wants Trump's help. That is somewhat amazing. While Trump was President, the GOP lost the House, the Senate, and the White House. For that reason, many in the GOP want to ditch Trump, but McCarthy and many others want his support.

Go figure.

 

The Post reports, "Weeks after their jogging routes and day care drop-offs were interrupted by a mob storming the U.S. Capitol, the residents of a quiet neighborhood nestled amid the national monuments are wrestling with life in a fortress, where checkpoints abut corner stores and armed soldiers are new neighbors.

"Some residents on Capitol Hill have rallied behind the thousands of National Guard members stationed nearby, bringing them wagons full of snacks and hot coffee to express gratitude for their service. Other locals have gone to great lengths to avoid the encampment, saying the presence of armed troops and fencing topped with razor wire makes them feel even more on edge in their own neighborhood.

"The polarizing positions has laid bare the personal toll that the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol has taken on D.C. residents who have to live with the aftermath of the insurrection and the militarization of their home."

Thank you, Mr. Trump. You have made Vladimir Putin very happy.

 

CNN reports, "Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Friday ratifying the extension of the New START Treaty with the US for five years until Feb. 5, 2026, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"The treaty is a key nuclear arms control agreement, the last major pact of its kind between Russia and the US, following the US pulling out of the INF treaty during the Trump administration.

"Some background: Putin and President Biden spoke on the phone on Tuesday expressing “satisfaction” over the exchange of diplomatic notes between both countries on extending the treaty. A bill was submitted on the same day of the phone call to Russia’s Parliament on ratifying the agreement on extending the treaty for five years, due to expire next week.

"The Russian parliament voted to ratify the extension on Wednesday."

Now Biden needs to get to work on restoring the nuclear agreement with Iran. Iran was permanently barred from making a nuke until Trump destroyed the agreement in May 2018. Iran has since resumed her nuclear research to dangerous levels.

So, get to work, Joe.

 

There may be optimism on the west coast but no where else. The rest of us have watched Biden's first half week and what we see is government by incompetent self serving jackasses more interested in pleasing powerful interest groups than serving the people who voted for them.

 

Senate Republicans say Trump should be held accountable for the insurrection he incited ... but not by them.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, said "No -- not at all," when asked if he can defend what Trump did. "The way he handled the post-election, both in terms of his public statements and things that he tried to do to change the outcome, no."

When asked what Republicans should do about it, Thune replied, "Well, that's a good question. One way, obviously, would be in a court of law."

The last is a sentiment I agree with, but that is beside the point. It's too late. There will be a Senate trial and Thune will vote to acquit Trump.

"I think he's been held accountable in the court of public opinion already," Sen. John Cornyn said. Cornyn is another GOP leader.

"I've already condemned them," GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said when asked if he could defend Trump's actions.

Asked what Republicans should do about it, Cassidy said: "There is something in our nation called due process and there are things called kangaroo courts. We don't need a kangaroo court."

Is Cassidy saying a trial in the Senate would be a "kangaroo court?" Cassidy never has made much sense.

Sen. Mike Braun said: "I think he's going to be held accountable in the way that people sort him out with whatever he intends to do in the future."

Little doubt the American people will hold Republicans accountable for their actions. A part of that has already happened. Since 2016, Republicans have lost the House, the Senate, and the White House.

Senate Republicans say Trump should be held accountable for riot -- but not by them helped in the writing of this report.

 

If you were honest with readers you would explain that you are a hard left liberal. Despite what you think of yourself., what you write tells the truth.

 

Nice of some European Politician to blow some smoke up Biden's backside - but - is that not their Job ?

Unlike Trump - where we should have known what we were getting but didn't - meaning there was a bit of an unknown Factor.

With Joe you get the Devil you know - if we assume the Obama Admin is any reflection on Joe - or his 100 year voting record

So perhaps Dr Donald was not so great - but don't forget that Joe is still the Devil.

 

“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. 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 — give our Republicans, the weak ones, because the strong ones don’t need any of our help, we’re try — going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”
***********************************************************************President Donald J. Trump

Trump's five impeachment defense attorneys have left a little more than a week before his trial is set to begin.

CNN reports, "It was a dramatic development in the second impeachment trial for Trump, who has struggled to find lawyers willing to take his case. And now, with legal briefs due next week and a trial set to begin only days later, Trump is clinging to his election fraud charade and suddenly finds himself without legal representation."

"Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier, who were expected to be two of the lead attorneys, are no longer on the team. A source familiar with the changes said it was a mutual decision for both to leave the legal team. As the lead attorney, Bowers assembled the team.

"Josh Howard, a North Carolina attorney who was recently added to the team, has also left, according to another source familiar with the changes. Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris, from South Carolina, are no longer involved with the case, either.

"No other attorneys have announced they are working on Trump's impeachment defense."

Interesting how Trump's supporters are avoiding this important issue like the plague. Ignorance is bliss, I would suppose.

 

Trump's office announced that David Schoen and Bruce L. Castor, Jr. will now head the legal team for his second impeachment trial, a day after five members of his defense left and his team effectively collapsed. The trial begins in nine days.

CNN reports, "Trump has struggled to find lawyers willing to take his case as he refuses to budge from his claims of election fraud which has been a serious sticking point.

"Trump's advisers have been talking to him about his legal strategy and he keeps bringing up election fraud for his defense, while they have repeatedly tried to steer him away from that, according to a source familiar with those discussions.

"It's unclear if Schoen and Castor will go along with what Trump wants."

"Schoen has already been working with the 45th President and other advisors to prepare for the upcoming trial, and both Schoen and Castor agree that this impeachment is unconstitutional - a fact 45 Senators voted in agreement with last week," the release says.

The inability to understand reality is a sure sign of mental illness. Trump is still living a fantasy.

Maybe GOP Senators will argue that Trump is innocent by reason of mental defect. Might work, too. Many know that Trump is nuts.

 

Ten Republican senators on Sunday announced plans to unveil a roughly $600 billion Covid-19 relief package, a counterproposal to President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion plan meant to force relief talks with the White House back to the middle.

Politico writes, "Biden is leaning on doctors and health experts to publicly detail his Covid policy. He’s relying on his Cabinet, economic advisers and other high-ranking administration officials to help sell his nearly $2 trillion rescue package. Biden’s press team, meanwhile, is standing in for their boss by blanketing TV programs with pledges to tell the truth even when it’s inconvenient. It’s one of the more arresting shifts after four years of a president who delighted in torturing the media with sudden pronouncements that often surprised and befuddled his own advisers."

Isn't this refreshing. We now have a President who is actually doing his job. He is not looking to make headlines with outrageous statements. Biden is not interested in creating conspiracies where none exist.

He just wants to do his job. The Presidency is boring again.

Ain't life grand?

 

The Times reports, "In the days after the attack on the Capitol, hopes began rising among some Republicans that their party would make a clean break from Donald J. Trump once he was no longer president.

"Well, Mr. Trump has now left Washington. And, yet, Republicans remain scared of his shadow.

"As the former president putts around Mar-a-Lago, the vast majority of his party has stayed faithful to his lingering political legacy."

The Senate hasn’t even begun Trump’s second impeachment trial, but an acquittal already appears preordained. 45 Republicans in the Senate supported the ludicrous contention that trying an ex-president would be unconstitutional — essentially trying to invalidate the entire process while being able to ignore what Trump did and said.

Trump will be charged with inciting an insurrection and attempting to deny the will of the American people with a month long effort.

Republicans know that is exactly what happened. Trump indicted himself.

So, they don't want to talk about it. They will spend all their time on the process, the foolish notion that the trail is unconstitutional.

The Times writes, "The party’s rush to judgment is even more surprising given that Senate Republicans are all witnesses, as well as jurors, in this trial. Most were in the chamber during the attack, eventually fleeing to shelter within the Capitol complex. A few could even be considered co-defendants for stoking the baseless claims about election fraud that incited the riot."

The fear Republicans have of Trump appears to be unreasonable. During his stewardship, the GOP lost the House, the Senate, and the White House.

One would think Republicans would want to rid themselves of Trump and his violent base.

 

Biden is working with ten centrist Republicans to get the Covid relief package to desperate Americans. Today he met with the group of Senate Republicans who were pitching a scaled-down coronavirus relief package, while Democratic congressional leaders took a step forward in laying the groundwork to pass Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus bill with only Democratic votes.

With 10 Republicans on board, joining the Senate’s 50 Democrats, a bipartisan bill could overcome the chamber’s 60-vote filibuster rule.

That's the good news.

The bad news is there is considerable disparity between the Biden plan and the Republican plan, and Democrats have shown little enthusiasm for a measure that amounts to less than one-third of what the President says is needed.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, played down expectations of the meeting. “What this meeting is not is a forum for the president to make or accept an offer,” Psaki told reporters.

One is getting the distinct impression that there will be unity in our government if the Republicans do exactly what Biden wants them to do.

 

CNN reports, "A Republican senator said President Biden was fully engaged in the policy discussion last night, but didn’t commit to either using reconciliation or not using that process to advance a Covid relief package without GOP votes.

"Asked if Biden indicated a willingness to drop the $1.9 trillion price tag, the senator told CNN: “I think he himself wants to come down and wants to work with us. I don't know about his team.'"

 

NBC News reports, "Loony lies and conspiracy theories are cancer for the Republican Party and our country," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday after being questioned about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.

“Somebody who’s suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon on 9/11, that horrifying school shootings were pre-staged, and that the Clintons crashed JFK Jr.’s airplane is not living in reality," McConnell said.

This has all happened before. Sens. McConnell, Collins, Murkowski, Romney, and others have been critical of a Republican's behavior -- most of the time, Trump -- but they never do anything. Several were highly critical of Trump in the first impeachment. Only Romney voted to convict Trump. So, while the evidence showed that Trump was guilty of an impeachable offense, Senate Republicans acquitted him.

It is extremely likely that will happen again, emboldening future Presidents. It is okay to incite an insurrection against the American capital as long as the President's party has sufficient power in the Senate to prevent conviction of sedition.

Although that can happen with a Democratic President just as easily as a Republican President, Republicans don't mind the dangerous precedent they will be setting.

So, history has shown that McConnell's condemnation of Greene is just talk. It doesn't mean a damn thing.