What are the Great Things President Joe Biden Has Done While President
After taking a hit from the classified document mess, Biden's numbers have recovered and are ticking up again.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epoll … -7320.htmlOne, if not the, best speech Biden has made, especially in the way he took on disrespectful a-holes like MTG. Did you see that McCarthy was forced to shush his extremist wing several times?
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/politics … index.htmlHe snookered the "a-holes" by baiting them with their own agenda for messing with social security and Medicare. Apparently, they didn't know that McCarthy agreed to not touch social security and Medicare I like that name for that group, The A-Holes.
Got to hand it to the "mad cow", Majorie Greene, and the Republicans without the courtesy the let the President speak during the SOTU without childish cat calls and interruption. And yet somehow, we are to believe that they can be reasoned with through negotiations?
From the left of Biden, I say he is making a big mistake to think that these people are to be taken seriously. I say damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. Run them down and over with a Mack Truck....
I have nothing to offer them beyond my utter contempt.Come on bud, your name-calling is sounding a bit Trumpian. Remember how you described his name-calling?
Anyway, I hope it's safe to agree with you on a point. Rep. Green and her cat-calling cohorts showed themselves to be rude political idiots. However, that 'cohort' is no more representative of the serious Republicans, (there are many in the House), than 'The Squad' represents serious Democrats.
They could be a good thing. Their actions might upset the political status quo by forcing the body to mix them in. Thus diluting their idiocy and incorporating some of their zeal into some needed legislative changes. At least that's my optimistic perspective. ;-)
On another speech-related note, I did surf across one Biden statement that probably got him in hot water with his party—because it is true. To paraphrase, he said he never intended to shut down oil production because we will need oil for at least another decade. (the "true" part was about needing the oil, I won't guess at his intentions)
GANo, its not Trumpian, I don't mince words with people that behave like this. My descriptive adjectives were kind. So, if the shoe fit, I am going to make you wear it.
Why haven't Democrat senators or House members behaved in this way in a SOTU featuring Trump at during his lowest levels of depravity? You talk about civility in politics, here is a prime example of the lack of it.
These rude, political idiots just showed us all in HD quality color what they were all about. The "Squad" does not dominate the Democrats in Congress. Mc Carthy made sure that his most obnoxious members are put in plum assignments in their House of ill repute. The Squad while on the far left political boundary showed courtesy during the Trump SOTU tirades during his term. So, let not compare apples with cantaloupes.
Their zeal is artificial and is just stubbornness and obstructionism. I can't be as optimistic as you are about any Republican agenda.
As for the oil, it is science fiction to think that we can totally wean ourselves away from fossil fuels within the immediate future, but let us begin. So, no, he can't shut it down even if wanted to.Apples and cantaloupes? There seems to be a pattern that challenges to your analogies are always misapplied. I must be missing the nuances that make your name-calling different from Trump's, It sounds the same to me.
Surely you didn't think I would argue in 'their', (you know who), defense—regarding their performance at the speech, right?
GAMisapplied? They are two obviously different pieces of fruit, physically distinct.
You call and shout that the President is a liar at the SOTU and cannot see the clear difference, there is no nuance involved between silly conspiracy theories and things that are unproven verses a affront that is right in your face. You say it is the same, I say that it isn't....
I don't know, GA, you might have well taken the GOP side in all this, you usually do....I can see why you 'don't know . . . ' You are still talking about the 'political idiots. I wasn't.
The nuances I mentioned were about the difference you see between your name-calling and Trump's name-calling. I don't see a difference.
Now, about the folks you want to talk about. They are close enough to each other that letting Greene represent them all seems fair. The speech behavior was bad and telling. It will be 'each to their own' whether that is a good thing. It looks like a manageable thing to me. The party and legislature processes will smooth most of the rough edges and moderate most of the extreme positions. I think that we will get to see the range of that moderation in the Republican primary race. I don't think Trump will do well and we will see a lot less zeal from the MTG group(s) of folks.
GAGreene? She is anything but a moderate mediator who I certainly would not allow to represent the party, that you always say has its moderate elements.
I believe the republicans will prove to be as obstinate and stubborn as they have always been. Thei very purpose is to promote and lead with the rough edge. Well,Joe made it clear that Republicans can expect absolutely nothing by approaching our differences in the wrong way. As he made it clear for a national television audience who was on the "people's" side and who were not.It looks like this misunderstanding is on me. I didn't mean the MTGs would turn moderate and realistic, I meant candidate Trump's expected, (by me, of course), primary race standings will moderate their support in the party and force the smart ones to see they're hitched to the wrong wagon.
My perception of McCarthy isn't flattering. (it's a shallow publically fed perception) I think he will use them, (or yield to them), or not, based on purely political motives. So, if their extremism starts to harm him he and the party powers will find a way to sideline them. That will be easier to do if the national Trump-effect is diminished by their primary race for 2024.
That is a cynical political view. An optimistic one would be that they do bring enough chaos to the process to shake it up. A [C]onservative's optimistic view would be that they force a party split and a moderate conservative faction forms.
A viable 3rd party would be a good thing for us. I think a lot of folks on your side think so too.
GAHere's a current indication of my optimistic prophesy: Trump rips Club for Growth after he wasn’t invited to donor retreat: Known potential Republican presidential candidates invited to give speeches, the one declared candidate was not.
GA
One difference is Trump's name-calling is gratuitous and undeserved. This is not true when speaking of "people" like MTG. They fit the mild descriptions we apply to them.
It is STILL pejorative, no matter what you state. Name calling is name calling, pure & simple.
No it is not the same, it. Is out of line to call the President a liar, interrupting his speech. This was done during one of Obama's SOTU. It reflects a brazenly trashy right wing culture and set of values. Not a model that I would follow
We are living in a new world... Americans are speaking out loudly, due to not being willing to listen to lies. This is something that should be obvious. The country is split, my half is not going to remain on conservative pedestals and take in all the lies any longer. We are calling them out, we are not willing to let manners get in the way -- Conservatives have needed to evolve out of necessity, and it is more than overdue that we become vehement about stressing our views.
Did the "new world" start with Joe Wilson shouting out that a Obama was a liar during an SOTU address during his term?
How many times must I have believed that GW Bush or Trump were lying but no one verbally assaulted the President of the United States during this important annual report?
It is not so much of a new world where decorum, respect and plain good manners have also gone by the wayside? The Republicans have their 15 minute rebuttal to express their misgivings there. They will receive no sympathy for that behavior as majority leader McCarthy expressed concerns as to how this will all be seen by the American public.
Meanwhile the hallowed halls of Congress should not be subjected to a raucous behavior that one would expect to find in a burlesque show."Did the "new world" start with Joe Wilson shouting out that a Obama was a liar during an SOTU address during his term?"
Perhaps. Perhaps it did. But then it was cemented into place when the Speaker of the House publicly tore up a SOTU address on TV in front of the world. You want to talk about decorum, respect and plain good manners, talk about that disgusting display.Thank you Wilderness. What Pelosi did was beyond disrespectul of the presidential office. Pelosi was acting childish.
As I told others, Pelosi waited until Trump was done and gone before giving his speech what it deserved. Wilson and MTG did their thing while the President was delivering his address. Even the White Dresses waited to give their protest until the Republican side was on their feet yelling and clapping and NOT while Trump was speaking.
See the difference in decorum?Damn, it's that nuance thing again, isn't it?
GAThis forum has turned into my tribe is better than your tribe and your tribe is to blame for all the country's problems. When in fact we don't even realize that there is an elephant in the room by the name of Trump. He has divided this country with his "Fake News" of the Main Stream Media and the "Real News" of Fox and MAGA news.
He even has admitted to doing this, in on air interviews, to protect his lies and manipulate the country. We can talk about lies and point figures, but Trump holds the trophy for at least 10,000 documented lies and miss-information during his term. He is a narcissistic master con-artist who has successfully divided this country so that he can manipulate the people and the country. Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." and Trump knows that and has used that and will continue to divide the country with it..
And that made her disgusting display all right?
Not in my mind. A display of complete disrespect for the President is a display of complete disrespect whether he is speaking or not."As I told others, Pelosi waited until Trump was done and gone before giving his speech what it deserved."
I realize you told us --- However, you are wrong. You need to check facts before presenting a statement in the context of being true.
This is just not true --- It is odd you would even share such a statement' Pelosi ripped the speech up while Trump was not only present but still speaking, thanking those that attended the speech.
There are literally multiple clips of her stunt. You need to stop spreading this form of misinformation. I realize fully you believe what you say, but much of the time your statements are not true.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ … mps+speech
NBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPlvYeEfceU
CNN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSgc7wuiN30I stand corrected - she should not have done that at that point. I think he was finished but I can see he had definitely not left the podium. My apologies.
I appreciate your second look at the incident, no apology is necessary.
But I need to anyway, I had it in my mind that Trump was gone, but didn't do what I normally try to do and check it out. That is what I get for being sloppy.
+100000000, someone has to decifer this. People have to go beyond groupthink. I am totally against groupthink.
Except they weren't listening to lies, were they?
Even though the country is split in half, that is no reason for the kind of ugliness the Trumplicans (and an occasional left-winger) exhibit and which you seem to support and defend.Oh man, it was the leftist who caused the riots. Occasional leftist? The leftists comprise of the majority of riot participation. The so-called Trumplicans seldom caused riots.
How did "riots" get into this? In any case, the riots were caused by criminals, many of them professional rioters, and not the people pretesting the slaughter of black people by rogue cops.
On the other hand, the insurrection (whose direct participants far exceeded in number the total number of rioters at the George Floyd murder protests) was caused by Trump and executed by MAGA followers who became criminals in the process.Can you name even a handful of these "professional rioters" (those getting a paycheck for rioting)? Can you produce their paycheck, or even a link to a photo of it? Can you produce the ones paying the professionals?
Or is this just another exaggerated claim without supporting evidence?
Biden's speech was fact-checked --- he told several mistruths. As he does frequently.
Sure, that's the ticket . . . it's different because . . . it's you doing it.
GAYou didn't catch the nuance of "deserved" vs "undeserved".
So your nuance makes the difference. Deserved vs. undeserved?
That's what I said. It's different because you said it and you know who is deserving, or not.
Sure . . . it's the 'nuances' that I don't understand. That's the ticket . . .
GA
I don't think we can wean our way off of oil completely ever. There will always be some need for it. But, that need will be small enough such that its production won't harm the climate.
I would like to believe your "They could be a good thing" thought, but I am not that optimistic. Their whole goal appears to be to tear down established order and replace it with chaos (the same goal Trump has).
Unlike the "squad" they have the numbers to actually do a lot of damage, especially now that they are in positions of power.
I look at trying to work with them as I do trying to work with China. The world tried very hard to bring China into the fold and to realize it was to their benefit to play by the rules. Not to be poetic, they played like fools.Yep, I also think they have more leverage than 'The Squad" and that their leverage could be more dangerous. Their publically presented goals are things I think we need—to shake up the business-as-usual legislative establishment, but I don't trust them. The ones making the news—the MTG types, strike me as opportunistic political schemers. I think their personal goals are different from their party goals.
But things could turn out as I mentioned. They could be more sincere than they look and their efforts could drive some well-needed change. Or, their actions could also damage the Republican party enough to force them to clean up their house. Either way, there is room for optimists to hope.
GA
OMG -- Your Guy Just Let a Chinese balloon make its way into our airspace and cross America at their leisure. How in the world do you feel anyone I mean anyone with half a brain can that this senile old man seriously?
Only being rude by calling Joe a derogatory name because you opened the door...
I must say, and you dam know I will speak my mind, --- I find your comment directed at the wrong party. As I ask almost weekly --- What next?You really think that Congresswoman Green is deserving a break when she behaves like a petulant child?
I know that you, too, don't mince words, we have that in common. Too bad that you are on the wrong side. Let me know when you decide to come away from the "dark side", we will welcome you with open arms.So what do you think of the outburst by Democrats that got loud and out of control at one of Trump's SOU?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GgwhQZhb-c
If ya think their behavior was appropriate --- wall it certainly would indicate you may be using a double standard.
It is very common for both sides to shout out, and last I looked we still have free speech.
I did not watch the speech but will be reading the transcript this evening. Naturally, I have sen the news un regards to MTG.
I will also dig into the fact-checkers. It appears he lied frequently during is speechSharlee: It depends on what they are shouting. The GOP was calling Biden a liar. Your video is about the the Dems shouting about HR-3 being turned down by Trump. This is from the comments from your video.
"President Trump boasted of taking on big pharmaceutical companies, saying he approved a record-number of generic affordable drugs, and brought down the cost of prescription drugs. After noting that by working together, Congress could work to get something on drug pricing done “quickly and properly." “Get a bill on my desk and I will sign it immediately,” the president said. This statement was met by vocal pushback from Democrats who began changing “HR 3,” referring to the lower drug costs act that died in the GOP-controlled Senate."As I said, I did not watch the speech and will have a look at the transcript. The only article I have read thus far is on the Wahington Post provided fact-checking. They were not overly kind to Joe. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics … n-address/
I am not sure we should be shocked that some Republicans accused Biden of Lying. He has lied over and over about a multitude of issues. And been caught doing so, and fact-checkers have provided information on his many mistruths.
Yes, you are correct in regard to why these women were on their feet screening and disrupting Trump's speech. I never disputed why they were screaming. Only pointing out to Cred they were just loud and
inappropriate as those that were yelling last night. Were their causes different, yes? Freedom of speech is for all. Period. I have no problem with the Democrats doing this or the Republicans. They were in the Peoples House, they had the right to speak, and speak loudly.
I think you may have missed the point made. Cred pointed out that MTG got loud and was shouting out, along with other Republicans. I don't think anyone could beat Nacey Pelosi's stunt, and I don't remember anyone here that leans left being incensed at her ridiculous behavior.
I have come to understand that many on the left do not really recognize hypocrisy without a nudge.
I am almost afraid to read his speech at this point.You are right, the Post is not particularly nice to Biden, but they didn't say he lied about anything that I could discern.
Why was Pelosi's behaviour is a "stunt" His speech deserved it - just not while he was talking.
Of course, there is free speech. But there is couth as well, decorum, respect for the office, all those things which those that approve or defend such rude behaviour don't find important."Why was Pelosi's behaviour is a "stunt" His speech deserved it - just not while he was talking."
In my view, that speech was a very unifying, wonderful speech. It was uplifting.
I certainly feel that those yelling out believed in what they were yelling out. Just as you feel Trump's speech should have been ripped up --- they feel Biden is a liar and disagreed with whatever he was saying when they booed him.
So, do you feel your view is more acceptable than theirs? I finally have finished his speech, I must agree he skirted the truth (as presidents will do at SOU speeches). I can say, I would have not sat quietly with some of his words.
There is a difference between shouting in support verses insulting the President...
But anyway, I was proud that he told Republicans before a national audience that his administration will not be taken hostage over the debt ceiling so that Republicans can attempt to gut Social Security and Medicare. He was adamant, yet did it in good humor. That is what is called a mighty pair of stones and went well beyond my greatest expectation of what I wanted him to make clear.Yep, you caught them, although I will note that was in conjunction with applause from Republicans and not while Trump was speaking. I personally don't approve of them chanting even then,
I need to correct you on one point you made - it is NOT common for the kinds of outbursts your heard from Wilson during Obama's SOTU, the counter-applause by the Dems during Trump's SOTU, or the several outbursts by MTG and others during BIdens.. If fact, such outbursts are extremely rare.I don't find it appropriate to interrupt a speech with hackling, which is much different than clapping or gleefully cheering. However, in the Peoples House, it is very much the norm. Outbursts in my view, are a form of protest.
This is one reason I never voiced any opinion on the Trump State Of the Union when the "ladies in white" protested vociferously. They had a right to --- as did the Republicans have the other night.
I did not agree with the ladies in white, I was against the bill they were up on their feet for. They had a right that right is free speech.
Their cause is no less important than what the republicans were booing and yelling out about. I did not watch it. I have read about the fact he was hackled and called out as a liar. Poor manners, yes, truth IMO, yes.
WAPO pointed out mistruths in his speech.
I have posted many threads here in regard to his problem with not being truthful.
Free speech is a real bitch it just goes both ways.
Here, I will save you the trouble of looking for fact-checking:
* "Biden claimed his administration cut the federal deficit by “more than $1.7 trillion.”" - TRUE, but needs context
* Additionally, over the last two years, a record 10 million Americans applied to start a new small business". - TRUE
* "Near record low unemployment for Black and Hispanic workers." - TRUE
* "Nearly 25% of the entire national debt, a debt that took 200 years to accumulate, was added by just one administration alone – the last one." - TRUE
* "Biden claimed that a new law, the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, will produce hundreds of thousands of new jobs."
* Unemployment rate is at 3.4%, a 50-year low." - TRUE
* "Families save more than $1,000 a year with tax credits to purchase electric vehicles and … energy-efficient appliances." - TRUE, but needs context.
* "Let’s restore the full child tax credit, which gave tens of millions of parents some breathing room and cut child poverty in half, to the lowest level in history." - TRUE
* "Here at home, gas prices are down $1.50 since their peak." - TRUE
* "I stand here tonight after we’ve created, with the help of many people in this room, 12 million new jobs – more jobs created in two years than any president has ever created in four years." - TRUE
* "In the past two years, democracies have become stronger, not weaker. Autocracies have grown weaker, not stronger." - At odds with some reports such as from Freedom House.
* "We’ve already created, with your help, 800,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs, the fastest growth in 40 years." - TRUE, although not all jobs will be "good paying".
* "I should have known this, but I didn’t until two years ago. Thirty million workers had to sign non-compete agreements with the jobs they take. Thirty million. So, a cashier at a burger place can’t walk across town and take the same job at another burger place and make a few bucks more. Well, they just changed it because we exposed it. That was part of the deal, guys, look it up." - Partially TRUE
* "Food inflation is coming down, not fast enough, but coming down. Inflation has fallen every month for the last six months, while take-home pay has gone up." - TRUE, although pay has only just started going up on an inflation adjusted basis.
* "Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. … You know it means – if Congress doesn’t keep the programs the way they are, they would go away.”" - TRUE, some Republicans do want this (Sen Scott and several like-minded Senators at least)
I guess you heard wrong.
* Sarah Huckabee Sanders - "After years of Democratic attacks on law enforcement, and calls to defund the police, violent criminals roam free." - A LIE. While yes, there were a few crackpot Dems who called for "defunding" the police (meaning reallocating resources). Biden and mainstream Democrats rejected the idea.
* Sarah Huckabee Sanders "Sanders claimed that after Trump left office, Biden inherited “a world that was stable and at peace.”" - Totally inaccurate.
* Sarah Huckabee Sanders "Despite Democrats’ trillions in reckless spending and mountains of debt, we now have the worst border crisis in American history." - FALSE, it was much worse under Reagan and Bush II.
* Sarah Huckabee Sanders "President Biden inherited the fastest economic recovery on record." - Sort of true, but needs context.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/politics … index.htmlOk, this one is just for giggles and grins. You opened the door for an irresistible opportunity.
"* "Near record low unemployment for Black and Hispanic workers." - TRUE"
Couldn't it be said that he is simply riding the coattails of a Trump achievement and that all he did was not mess it up? That was your logic for Trump's achievement claims—he was just riding Obama's economic coattails?
GAYes, it could be if you also agree that Trump was riding the coattails of Obama who started the downward trend in the first place. It only fell a little bit under Trump from where Obama left it to achieve his record.
Chinese balloons entered our airspace during Trump's term, but he didn't know anything about them, according to Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, the commander of the Pentagon’s Northern Command.
"The top military commander overseeing North American airspace said Monday that some previous incursions by Chinese spy balloons during the Trump administration were not detected in real time, and the Pentagon learned of them only later. “I will tell you that we did not detect those threats, and that’s a domain awareness gap,” said Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, the commander of the Pentagon’s Northern Command."
You know how I feel about MTG and Boebert. McCarthy made MTG speaker pro tempore. She is really sucking up to him.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl … 77375.htmlI feel most likely the same as you do about MTG and Boebert. I think that our Country is in trouble due to a Congress that is made up of many, on both sides, that do not have the qualifications, or values to perform as congressmen and congresswomen.
OMG - our guy followed the advice of the military and what is turning out to be common sense. I guess you don't trust our military anymore.
I guess you didn't watch the speech - that was anything but senile. Here is the difference - you want Joe to be senile because it fits your narrative.
We call MTG a "mad cow" because the description fits - she is bonkers.I have one view of Biden, he is a failure, the very worse president I have ever witnessed. His weak promises mean little in light of all his lies, and failures.
I have great disgust for anyone that supports this man. I do respect their right to share their views.
"It is very common for both sides to shout out," No, it's not. What is very common is for republicans to argue "but what about" when there is no equivalent on the other side. If you can find an example of a Democrat calling out at a president during his SOU, please post the video here. We'll wait.
I did post a video --- Again please follow a conversation before jumping in.
So back up, cool your jets, and go have a look at the video. We have free speech in this country, and shouts in 'The People's House" is more than acceptable to me. From either side.
You have shared your view, as have I. I will step away and agree to just disagree.Free speech does not excuse being rude and discourteous on such an occasion.
Unfortunately at times, it does... When lies have been told time and time again, and one continues to tell those lies --- we should all be screaming loudly.
Even McCarthy weighed in..
https://news.yahoo.com/rowdy-republican … p_catchallYes, I couldn't help but smile when I saw him "shushing" his own members. ROFL.
With the glaring eye of the television camera revealing all, I love the way Biden put them all on notice, while putting them on the spot.
This was funny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm_oBJeGj58
*I dont think he's going to be the next presidential candidate, but this would make a great campaign ad.
Or perhaps the Republican candidate could incorporate this gem into a TV campaign ad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UoCf6NU3uY
Or this gem --- Go Berrie Go Berrie !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X3UiSvgle0Sure. That should make him popular with some rightwingers, I guess.
It was certainly good for a chuckle or two, thanks...
That is true and why I keep objecting to much that is said here. But the predicate to your statement is that there is actual lying going on. At the SOTU, there was not.
Reps. Ilhan Omar (D) Minnesota, and Rashida Tlaib (D) Michigan, led the protests which included holding up three fingers and chanting “H.R.3" at Trump's State of the Union.
Ayanna Pressley (D) Massachusetts didn't even show up to chant with the gang, she boycotted, because it was Trump's SOTU.
"The Squad" are some of the most childish, petulant, classless female Reps. in history, but y'all can pretend they are classy, if it makes you feel better, while you name-call and such.While I am no fan of the "squad" and often find them annoying, rude, and wrong, as has been pointed out, you are comparing apples to oranges. In fact, they give me reason to feel about them as I feel about MTG and cohorts. The difference is there behaviour is occasionally off-putting but generally not dangerous while MTG is almost always being an ass and what's worse, she and her group does it on purpose.
Freedom Of Speech Is For All ... And it appears that memory has failed some here in regard to the loudmouth Democratic congresswomen all dressed in white who got up on their feet, while President Trump speaking offering his State Of The Union Speech. shouting out as he tried to speak. And let us not forget the bag of bones Pelosi decided to make a full-fledged fool of herself by ripping up Trump's state speech!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppoElx09wFk
enter at 100 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GgwhQZhb-c
The hypocrisy is getting deep --- yuck
SO VERY PROUD OF HERSELF
Did you notice WHEN she made her statement about his speech? AFTER he was done and gone. Apples to Oranges.
Exactily, who REMEMBERED this? I do. There was blatant disrespect for President Trump. A blind man could see this.
I remember very well Shar and "The Squad" was cheering her on! It was so rude, not to mention unprofessional and unbecoming, but EVEN SO, we didn't get on here and refer to them as mad cows and a--holes.
No, we did not. Because we make every attempt to be mindful of respecting views and actually showing very little hypocrisy. It is very obvious how some here do not see the hypocrisy they share in their comments.
As I have said, it seems to be a sort of innate characteristic in liberals. I have come to get a kick out of it. I mean, this phenomenon would be hard to figure out. So why not smile, and just point it out at times, and at other times just smile...Sharlee: What this has come down to is "my group" is better than your group (Tribe). on both sides of the aisle I'm sorry, but you say Biden lies all the time and can't be trusted. However, Trump lied over 10,000 times documented and yet you and others still trust and support him.
He is running again and I'm sure he will continue to lie and do the name calling as he always does. He calls Biden Sleepy Joe. If you would have watched his SOU speech, you would see and hear the fire in his belly.
But you choose to read his transcript instead which does not show nor hear his emotion. I know you can't handle that, but I can't handle seeing and hearing Trump or DeSantis as well.I will stick with the current president, and not be diverted, I have posted some severe lies Biden has made over not only the last ten years but for his entire time in Washington. His lies are extreme and could be determinantal to the Nation. It is my opinion that he worked to weaponize the DOJ and FBI. Much currently is being reported on the dishonesty of this administration.
From the FBI working with Twitter to bury the Hunter Biden story, Back to the debates when Biden denied ever proposing getting rid of Social Security. My list is long, and I presented a thread on the many lies Biden has told.
He stood before the Nation and lied to a wide audience over and over ----
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X3UiSvgle0
Source to back up Bernie --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UoCf6NU3uY
Interesting Poll numbers:
* Biden v Trump: Trump +3
* Biden v Trump: Biden +4
* Biden v DeSantis: DeSantis +3
* Biden v DeSantis: Biden +3
* Harris v Trump: Tie
* Biden v Pence: Biden +8
* Biden v Haley: Biden +6 (not good news for Pence)
* Biden v Haley: Biden +12
* Biden v Trump v Cheney: Trump 39, Biden 32, Cheney 15 (which tells me a lot of Republicans DO NOT want to vote for Trump)Peter Nicholas
WARSAW — President Joe Biden made a surprise and historic visit to war-torn Ukraine on Monday, a show of support and solidarity with a democratic nation battling for its survival after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded nearly a year ago.
The visit, including a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was kept under tight secrecy until Biden's arrival.
It is the first time in modern history that a U.S. president has entered a war zone where there is not an active American military presence. Ukrainian police and military had a strong presence and much of the central part of Kyiv was shut down, paralyzing traffic nearby.
Biden's appearance in Ukraine is a strong statement that the U.S. stands with Zelenskyy despite growing pressure at home to downsize American aid.
"Joseph Biden, welcome to Kyiv!" Zelenskyy posted on the social media site Telegram along with a picture of the two leaders. "Your visit is an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians."
He announced an additional aid package worth $500 million, which will include more military equipment and weapons like anti-tank Javelin missiles.
Zelenskyy said that when Russia invaded, the U.S. was the first to call him in support.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white- … -rcna71116Joe Biden is going to bankrupt America. We don't have $500 million dollars to help any country. Let each country help themselves or go under. America's first priority should be Americans. America first & foremost! Biden is bad for this country. Hopefully a Republican will be the next president.
"Joe Biden is going to bankrupt America. We don't have $500 million dollars to help any country."
Of course we do. Just saw on the news tonight that we gave away $250B to fraudulent COVID claims during Biden's great giveaway, mostly because we hurried payments to the point we checked nothing, and thousands of people got money they didn't need.
If we can do that we can help Ukrainians 1/500th of that.There is TOO MUCH government spending. My motto is to stay out of other's countries' business. Let other countries take care of themselves. Let other countries, as in other people, pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Those who don't help themselves whether countries or people, let them do without or perish. The United States isn't the savior. It's time to STOP ASSISTING countries &/or people. The buck stops.
Had we done that Europe would be under Nazi rule now.
So much sipping through the cracks while much of America once again looks to Trump news --- Fox being sued by Dominion. Like we are unaccustomed to media lies being covered well with the proper context to cover their butts. Gosh, have many been in a coma for the past decade?
Guess that is a bit more of a mouthful than Biden's many messes. Such as the $250B Biden, and the fact that Americans in Ohio are living in a toxic wasteland, while Buttigieg is somewhere, who knows where, not doing his job, and just saying the favorite saying of the Dems "wasn't me".... Just blame Trump.
And not to mention Biden heading off to Ukraine to deliver more cash.
What's Next? ImpeachDeleted
Biden is ruining America. Biden is letting illegals into this country which is taxing our schools, hospitals, & other social systems. Biden is causing American more astronomical debt which we will not able to get out of. Biden is THE WORST president in history. I didn't vote for this .------------ of a president. Trump was a MUCH BETTER president. At least, there were no disasters when Trump was president.
In my estimation, America should concentrate on its own internal problems. Cut off aid to foreign countries, if they can't survive- oh well.......
To reiterate to the question-topic "What are the Great Things President Joe Biden Has Done While President", the answer is "He has done absolutely nothing. In fact, he has made America into a 3rd world nation." Biden is even a worst president than Jimmy Carter. The last great Democratic president was Bill Clinton & after that, it went downhill, starting with Obummer. Since Obummer, I have voted Republican, starting w/Trump.
This Politico article lays out in great detail how Biden and the energy companies (with a little help from a warm Winter) worked to defeat Putin's use of energy deprivation as a tool of war.
HIGHLIGHTS:
* The flow of American energy has given America a growing role in Europe's economy while pushing Russia's role aside
* US companies provided 50% of Euorpe's LNG in 2022 and 12% of its oil. The Russian role was cut in half and is still shrinking
* The US is the world's biggest energy producer
* The EU and the Biden administration are working closely together to push clean energy out faster than was on the books before the war.
* While clean energy is becoming a reality, the EU will rely more heavily on America fossil fuels. But, as Europe adopts clean, renewable energy, America's long-term role as an energy supplier will probably diminish.
* Europe's energy divorce from Russian is nearly complete
* US fossil fuel exports played a huge role
* US LNF has become one of the foundations of European energy security
* US companies decided to restructure their multi-year contracts to allow buyers to ship gas wherever they wanted played a major role in combatting Russia switching off their supplies
* Russia is on its way to becoming a client state of China
* The article gives some credit to US policy, but gives most credit to US energy suppliers
* The US is becoming the supplier of choice for EU energy needs (until they grow their renewable energy, at least)
* All that said, US energy companies are still not willing to produce more oil but instead give their bumper profits to their shareholders. This would seem to indicate that "the good times for U.S. oil may eventually fade".
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/2 … n-00083750Rasmussen, the right-leaning poll, has Biden at almost 50/50, specifically 48 - 50 on Mar 2. Biden has gained almost all of the ground he lost after the debacle of the Afghan withdrawal.
March 3 2023 Rasmussen 41% disapprove 29% approve.
"Friday, March 03, 2023
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll, sponsored by Miranda Devine's LAPTOP FROM HELL for Friday shows that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Biden’s job performance. Fifty (50%) disapprove.
The LATEST figures include 29% who Strongly Approve of the job Biden is doing and 41% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -12"
https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public … rack_mar03
43% approve - 53% Disaprove
https://edition.cnn.com/polling/approva … l-of-polls
Biden Job Approval at 42%; Below 40% on Four Issues
https://news.gallup.com/poll/471206/bid … ssues.aspx
Democrats Are Open To Ditching Biden In 2024
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/bi … illiamson/
The long awaited report is out from the Biden administration regarding the withdrawal from Afghanistan and it 1) rightly lays a lot of blame for what went wrong on Trump, and 2) papers over Biden's role in bad decision-making.
First, let me say I disagree with pulling out of Afghanistan in the first place; we should have figured out how to do it right including getting very tough on Afghan leadership. We are seeing the results of that decision today in the abject misery of the Afghan people.
But, given the decision was make to withdraw, I obsoletely disagree with the way Biden went about it. For starters, he should have thrown out the surrender treaty Trump made with the Taliban. Then, beef forces back up to stabilize the situation. THEN, execute a coherent, well thought out withdrawal plan.
That said, let's look at what the says - https://www.documentcloud.org/documents … fghanistan
To start with, let me share one of the more critical statements in the summary in the part talking about why we didn't reinforce:
"President Trump ordered direct talks with the Taliban without consulting with our allies and partners or allowing the Afghan government at the negotiating table. In September 2019, President Trump emboldened the Taliban by publicly considering inviting them to Camp David on the anniversary of 9/11. In February 2020, the United States and the Taliban reached a deal, known as the Doha Agreement, under which the United States (Trump) agreed to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by May 2021. "
Biden, mistakenly in my opinion, chose to try to abide by that agreement. Once the Doha Agreement was signed, President Trump ordered a series of drawdowns of U.S. troops. By June 2020, President Trump reduced U.S. troops in Afghanistan to 8,600. In September 2020, he directed a further draw down to 4,500. A month later, President Trump tweeted, to the surprise of military advisors (WOW, war by tweet), that the remaining U.S. troops in Afghanistan should be “home by Christmas!” On September 28, 2021, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley testified that, on November 11, he had received an unclassified signed order directing the U.S. military to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan no later than January 15, 2021. One week later, that order was rescinded and replaced with one to draw down to 2,500 troops by the same date."
But then we have this well known fact:
"the outgoing Administration provided no plans for how to conduct the final withdrawal or to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies. Indeed, there were no such plans in place when President Biden came into office, even with the agreed upon full withdrawal just over three months away.!!!
There were 2,500 troops on the ground in Afghanistan and we were to be out by May 1 with no plan in place on how to disengage. This is what Trump handed Biden on January 21, 2021.
Biden asked DOD and the intel community for recommendations. The answer was "There were no signs that more time, more funds, or more Americans at risk in Afghanistan would have yielded a fundamentally different trajectory. Indeed, the speed with which the Taliban took over the country showed why maintaining 2,500 troops (that Trump left) would not have sustained a stable and peaceful Afghanistan."
Prior to May 1, 2021 the "intelligence and military consensus was that the ANDSF would be able to effectively fight to defend their country and their capital, Kabul. The ANDSF had significant advantages. Compared to the Taliban, they had vastly superior numbers and equipment: 300,000 troops compared to 80,000 Taliban fighters, an air force, and two decades of training and support. The Intelligence Community’s assessment in early 2021 was that Taliban advances would accelerate across large portions of Afghanistan after a complete U.S. military withdrawal and potentially lead to the Taliban’s capturing Kabul within a year or two. As late as May 2021, the assessment was still that Kabul would probably not come under serious pressure until late 2021 after U.S. troops departed." - Biden relied on that assessment.
After extensive consultations with out allies and other experts and senior officials, Biden decided not to send more Americans into Afghanistan and live with, as best he could, the mess Trump left him.
,https://www.documentcloud.org/documents … fghanistan
PLANNING THE WITHDRAWL
This is what TRUMP left Biden to work with - "The departing Trump Administration had left the Biden Administration with a date for withdrawal, but no plan for executing it. And after four years of neglect—and in some cases deliberate degradation—crucial systems, offices, and agency functions that would be necessary for a safe and orderly departure were in disrepair."
This led to the debacle of getting the Afghans out - "The Trump Administration’s disregard and even hostility toward our commitment to Afghan allies led to a massive backlog of over 18,000 SIV applicants. Despite drawing down troops and committing to a full withdrawal, the departing Trump Administration had all but stopped SIV interviews. Refugee support services had been gutted and personnel dramatically reduced, lowering admissions to historic lows and forcing more than 100 refugee resettlement facilities in the United States to close."
To fix Trump's failures, Biden immediately instructed the relevant agencies to quickly ramp up capacity to process the visa requests from our loyal allies who risked their lives for us and who Trump planned on leaving behind. From February to May 2021,these agencies, using the above intel and DOD assessments of Afghan capabilities, did detailed planning on how to extract our forces, civilians who wanted to leave, and Afghan allies.
Informing all this planning is the " late spring and early summer, intelligence reports continued to suggest that—even if the Taliban made gains in some Afghan provinces— the capital, Kabul, would be more difficult for the Taliban to take and the ANDSF would defend it. " Further, "In line with that planning, in early summer, President Biden directed military assets to be prepositioned in the region to be able to help with an evacuation on short notice. And it was THIS decision that " later enabled the United States to respond and deploy quickly enough to facilitate the successful evacuation of over 124,000 American citizens, permanent residents, Afghan partners, and allies."
Over the summer, Biden was caught between a rock and a hard place which was "how to prepare for evacuation in such a way as not to undermine the Afghan government's will to fight and hold off the Taliban to allow the Americans to withdraw in an orderly fashion. (Keep in mind that Trump froze the Afghans out of his negotiations with the Taliban. . This probably had a lot to do with quick collapse of the Afghan gov't.) "Ultimately, the Administration made a decision to engage in unprecedently extensive targeted outreach to Americans and Afghan partners about the risk of collapse, including numerous security alerts and tens of thousands of direct phone calls and messages to U.S. citizens in particular to leave Afghanistan, but to not broadcast loudly and publicly about a potential worst-case scenario unfolding in order to avoid signaling a lack of confidence in the ANDSF or the Afghan government’s position." In other words, Biden did a lot to try to get Americans out of Afghanistan prior to its collapse. Behind this decision was intel's assessment that "throughout the early weeks of August that Kabul would hold beyond the end of the withdrawal." It was since learned that even the Taliban agreed with that assessment.After reading this lengthy comment, all I could come up with --- who was president when the US pulled out of Afghanistan? Who was the president, with all the power to not respect Trump's deal? It would seem Biden was the guy that was making the decisions at the time we pulled out.
We have no idea how Trump would have handled the pull-out or if he would have not even pulled out.
IMO, Biden makes poor decisions, and then when he fails he walks away, blames others, and ignores the glaring problem he left in his wake.The only thing more ludicrous than this is Biden telling his press conference that it was the MAGA republicans who supported defunding the police.
Truman is probably rolling in his grave. Remember "the buck stops here"?Biden is really playing the blame more and more as his own policies and decisions turn out so badly. Always someone else's fault - notably Trump.
I guess if he lies often enough and loud enough he is always going to find the eso and pps of the world that are going to believe him. Shifting the blame to Trump seems to be the Democrat go-to-play since 2015.
Is not Trump the candy that liberals favor? I mean serves to feed many political addictions. Trump Trump Trump!
Biden is certainly not blameless. He could have chosen the Trump method and break American promises willie-nillie. Instead, he chose to not show the world that America can not be trusted to keep its word as Trump did so often. Once he did the responsible thing (which apparently Trump supporters on this forum didn't want him to do) the summary clearly shows that, combined with Western intelligence (and apparently Taliban as well), the die was cast.
OMG --- Keep another president's word, even if he thought by keeping another's word would cause the death of 13 soldiers?
Too bad he did not keep his word in regard to the pipeline, the list is so long. Trump pulled out of agreements that he felt were meaningless, or bad for the Nation. He protected America's interests, and its people.
How in the world can at this point defend this man's (Biden) actions?So, are you saying in your first sentence that Biden KNEW those 13 soldiers would die? If that isn't an example of an extraordinary mind, I don't know what is.
he did keep his word about the (I presume you are talking about the ) XL pipeline.
Trump may have FELT nuclear non-proliferation treaties were meaningless, but he still had no right, without Congresses approval, to break America's word. To Democrats, our word actually means something.
It is easy to defend Biden when he is doing the right thing."Trump may have FELT nuclear non-proliferation treaties were meaningless, but he still had no right, without Congresses approval, to break America's word."
But breaking "America's word" on the pipeline doesn't count, right? I presume because it was Trump that OK'ed it.
"To Democrats, our word actually means something."
Yeah. It means that Biden can break "America's word" with impunity because he's a Democrat."So, are you saying in your first sentence that Biden KNEW those 13 soldiers would die? If that isn't an example of an extraordinary mind, I don't know what is."
No Biden did not know what his poorly planned withdrawal would
cause.
Here are a few facts that the media have underplayed, but none the less are facts.
Fact Check: President Biden’s False Claims on Afghanistan
Press Release 08.19.22
Media Contact 202-226-8467
Washington, D.C. – One year ago yesterday, as Americans and Afghan partners were desperately trying to get to the Kabul airport and out of the country to safety, President Biden was interviewed by ABC News. In this interview he made many claims about his decision to withdraw and the situation on the ground at the time. We now know many of these claims were inaccurate.
Claim: “I don’t think anybody anticipated that” the Afghan military would not be able to defend themselves against the Taliban.
Fact: The Afghan military was not nearly as large as the president claimed and the U.S. government knew for years it heavily relied on U.S. contractors and air support. The U.S. military also warned a collapse was likely after the U.S. military completed its withdrawal. (Interim Report, pg. 14)
Claim: His top military advisors did not urge him to keep about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan.
Fact: Generals Milley, McKenzie, and Miller all recommended he keep 2,500 troops in the country. And General McKenzie testified to Congress, “I am confident that the President heard all the recommendations.” (Interim Report, pg. 4)
Claim: The Taliban was “cooperating, letting American citizens get out.”
Fact: Secretary Austin told Congress the very next day they had reports of Taliban fighters beating and harassing American citizens. (Interim Report, pg. 71)
Claim: He personally met with NATO allies and that “they agreed. We should be getting out.”
Fact: Most NATO Members did not support the unconditional withdrawal, and senior officials in the UK government explored ways to keep their troops on the ground there after the American withdrawal. NSA Sullivan has since admitted “many allies disagreed wit the result of the decision” to withdraw. (Interim Report, pg. 8)
Claim: The U.S. accomplished its reasons for being in the country, which were to kill Osama bin Laden and to “wipe out” al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
Fact: The president’s own military officials at the Pentagon confirmed that al Qaeda was still operating in the country the day after this interview. In addition, an UN report issued the month before on July 21, 2021, stated al Qaeda had a presence in at least 15 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. (Interim Report, pg. 14)
In this interview, President Biden also:
Admitted he “would’ve tried to figure out how to withdraw those troops” even if President Trump had not made the Doha agreement;
Rep. McCaul’s Interim Report has an entire chapter evaluating the Doha agreement’s impact on the president’s decision to withdraw. While the report finds the agreement “damaged the morale of Afghan forces, and emboldened the Taliban,” top Biden military officials and U.S. allies like the UK have all agreed the agreement was conditions-based, and that those conditions were not being met (Interim Report, pg. 11);
https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press- … ghanistan/
https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press- … ghanistan/
Again in my view, Biden was president, he could have made his own decision, and he did. He could have backed out of Trump's deal and planned another solution to the pull-out. To blame Trump or anyone but himself seems very much ridiculous.
He makes problems and has no ability to solve the problems he creates so he blames others."
He makes problems and has no ability to solve the problems he creates so he blames others." - YEP, that is Trump alright.
"He could have backed out of Trump's deal and planned another solution to the pull-out. To blame Trump or anyone but himself seems very much ridiculous. " - YES he could have. But why do you want him to continue to destroy America's credibility after Trump did such a good job at making the world not trust us. How is that a good thing, in your opinion?
In my opinion, that is a terrible thing to do - to have the world think America is totally untrust worthy.
"No Biden did not know what his poorly planned withdrawal would
cause." - THEN why did you suggest he did with "OMG --- Keep another president's word, even if he thought by keeping another's word would cause the death of 13 soldiers?" - CLEARLY, you are of the opinion that Biden knew those soldiers were going to die before the event. Talk about odd.
I think it is safe to say at this juncture that Joe Biden is a very cognitively challenged man. He believes his own thoughts to be true. One can see this in his demeanor any time he gets in front of a mike... He has a big smile much of the time and just claims all is well. In my view, he lives in a make-believe world where he may truely feel all love him, and he is doing a really great job. He tells the same lies over and over and does not seem to grip reality. For example -- He claims his son died in Iraq. His son died many years after leaving the service of Cancer. He shares stories about people that were long dead before the incident he is sharing.
I think he poses a danger to the country, and I don't understand why Congress is not impeaching him. This is a stain on America.
In this case, the buck stops with Congress. Biden needs to be impeached, he is ruining the country.Not sure how to take your reply. It almost looks like a threat or perhaps a warning...
This is America, my thoughts are my thoughts. My view was formed on the basis of Biden's demeanor, and actions. His cognitive state is hard not to note.
Hopefully, you are not insinuating I must watch my words due to some form of retaliation. This still is America, we live under democracy and have clear rights to speak of what we witness. Biden is very confused, not sure if you have noted media gives video examples almost every time Biden emerges.
I truely feel he needs to be impeached, and that Congress is lacks in not bringing about an impeachment procedure.
You dont believe Biden said that? There is a video but you will not find it at your only news source, CNN. Why noy try looking at an independent news source?
Actually, he has made that claim repeatedly...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wAp6POII54
On another occasion --The 80-year-old president made the claim during a visit with mass shooting survivors in Monterey Park, Calif., as he tries to position himself as tough on crime ahead of his anticipated re-election campaign"Congressional Republicans should pass my budget instead of calling for cuts in these [mental health] services or defunding the police or abolishing the FBI, as we hear from our MAGA Republican friends,” Biden said." https://nypost.com/2023/03/14/biden-cla … he-police/
Real Clear Politics --- https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video … e_fbi.html
"MAGA Republicans are calling for defunding the police department and defunding the FBI now," Biden said during an event at the Finishing Trades Institute in Philadelphia. "That's a good one. I like that."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden- … ing-police
He has literally shared that sentiment time and time again. This is a pure mistruth or possibly being said out of confusion.I dont think it was confusion. In fact that person already proved my point. Biden has found out that if he lies often enough some of them are going to believe him.
Biden has a history of just that kind of politicking. He tells his crowd whatever he feels they want to hear. Like being brought up in a "Black church" when addressing mainly a black audience. Or that he lives in a Puerto Rican hood... el es un tipo loco!
I think the majority of citizens are starting to see how unscrupulous this man is.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates provided The Post with a list of examples of congressional Republicans supporting cuts to federal law enforcement agencies or programs, dating from the Trump administration through this year.
Examples included GOP opposition to federal subsidies distributed through the Justice Department’s Community Oriented Policing program and Republican efforts to scrap the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
So even with examples to back up Biden's statement, members of the far-right here still claim it to be a lie. To me, this is one of those alternate reality scenarios where the right absolutely chooses to ignore the behavior that makes their own party look bad and then claims the other party is lying about things that are completely true.Hey, I just gave examples of Biden making the statement. Eco asked for links,
DRMARK1961 WROTE:
The only thing more ludicrous than this is Biden telling his press conference that it was the MAGA Republicans who supported defunding the police.
Truman is probably rolling in his grave. Remember "the buck stops here"?
ECO --Link please. I don't believe you.
Not sure what Washington Republicans are for defunding the police. MAGA Republicans are against defunding the police totally. Do you have a link to the list?
The first one was from Fox who no doubt edited together the video presented. They are known for doing that. Fox is not a credible source for facts and truth.
In fact lying is probably going to cost them $1.6 billionI offered you several sources, two are videos where Biden makes the statement. Not sure how or why you choose not to believe the facts when they are clearly laid out. Very odd.
Believe what you want to, Biden has made that statement time and time again.
Stepping away from this conversation, it's getting very odd.I find it very odd that you don't recognize it when I said I believed your ONE CREDIBLE source. Anything Fox puts out can be presumed to a lie.
So, now that we have established Biden told the truth about MAGA wanting to defund law enforcement, I ask again, how do you translate that into Biden's mental capacity going down hill, which, of course, is not even close to being true. Do you not have a answer to that?As I said Biden made that very statement over and over. I referred to that particular statement as being untrue. I can't say if he believes the statement, he may believe it. In that case, he is either misinformed or possibly confused or being untruthful, politicking.
All I have said is in regard to Biden being confused in regard to the MAGA statement --- He has literally shared that sentiment time and time again. This is a pure mistruth or possibly being said out of confusion.
I have certainly for some time made the claim I feel he is cognitively challenged. And over the past two years, I have offered many sources as to why I came to that conclusion. I mean just today there were reports of him having cognitive problems in Ireland.
"Oh no, Joe: Biden confuses ‘All Blacks’ rugby team with ‘Black and Tan’ military force"
https://www.politico.eu/article/oh-no-j … n-ireland/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/13/politics … index.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/202 … 650836002/
So, you really don't feel Biden is having cognitive problems?"As I said Biden made that very statement over and over. I" - YES, he said that TRUE statement over and over again. Your point?
SO? Biden is an admitted gaffe machine - has been all his life. Are you saying he was senile (or had cognitive problems) at 30 when he made worse gaffe's. That is odd. Since he makes less gaffes today than he has in the past, maybe he is becoming less senile.Gaffe machine --- is this executable in a president of the US? I guess, I feel his what some call gaffes are what I see as confusion, not really having all his faculties. I won't post any further clips. I think I made my point, and don't what to be cruel. This man can't help it.
So, we can agree to disagree on Biden's cognitive skills.Since you let Trump's innumerable gaffes (I am not talking about his lies you ignored), I would think the ones Biden makes wouldn't bother you.
So, are you inferring that Biden has had what you see "as confusion, not really having all his faculties. " ALL HIS political life?
The only thing in your right-wing Post opinion piece that alludes to Biden saying the Maga is calling for defunding the police is this truthful statement "“Congressional Republicans should pass my budget instead of calling for cuts in these [mental health] services or defunding the police or abolishing the FBI, as we hear from our MAGA Republican friends,” Republicans have called for all three of those which means Biden is pretty perceptive and on the ball.
Yes, I comment on your comment --- Where you said this --
DRMARK1961 WROTE:
The only thing more ludicrous than this is Biden telling his press conference that it was the MAGA Republicans who supported defunding the police.
Truman is probably rolling in his grave. Remember "the buck stops here"?
ECO --Link please. I don't believe you.
Just pointing out the fact that Biden did make the statement over, and over, and over.
I did not enter into any other aspect of your conversation --- just gave you the sources/links, that you asked for. LOL
Not interested in the rest of your thoughts. I find them very odd, and hyperbolic.
OK, the RCP clip shows Biden saying that about the Republicans. Why does anyone have a problem with him speaking the truth?
After all, Matt Gaetz wants to get rid of the FBI and ATF.
I didn't bother with the last Fox News piece since they lack all credibility."Congressional Republicans should pass my budget instead of calling for cuts in these [mental health] services or defunding the police or abolishing the FBI, as we hear from our MAGA Republican friends,” Republicans have called for all three of those which means Biden is pretty perceptive and on the ball."
You need to prove this statement with actual quotes from Republicans that you feel have called for what you have claimed in your comment.
Facts just do matter, I have not heard any Republicans calling for
cuts in these [mental health] services or defunding the police or abolishing the FBI.
Yes, I heard Biden make that claim many times... I hope you can offer something in regard to quotes from Republicans calling for all of the above.
You rarely back up your accusations. These accusations need to be backed up.
Gaetz has shared this thought on government agencies
"I don’t care if it takes every second of our time and every ounce of our energy," he said. "We either get this government back on our side or we defund and get rid of, abolish the FBI, the CDC, ATF, DOJ, every last one of them if they do not come to heel.”
He certainly did not say he wants to get rid of the FBI or ATF --- he pointed out "we need to get government back on our side" and gave the option if that could not be accomplished they should be abolished.
Many Americans do see problems in many of our Government agencies. The FBI, and DOJ, as well as many other Government agencies, have appeared to be weaponized time and time again. (this is my view)
No doubt in my mind that if Biden had done what you suggest and ignore the treaty Trump made (which is a very Trumpian thing to do, btw) you would be just as critical of Biden. That is the way Biden-haters work, isn't it.
The fact remains, Trump set Biden up (not on purpose mind you since Trump SAYS he thinks he won the election) with very poor negotiations. To me, the reasons behind actions are pretty important and should not be ignored to make political points.
Effectively, Trump put a gun to Biden's head leaving him with no good options.
PART 3 - Triggering the Evacuation
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents … fghanistan
March 2021, Biden tries to protect personnel while at the same time get our Afghan allies to safety - "A drawdown of U.S. personnel on the ground was undertaken consistent with the threat environment, but core personnel remained. Even as many Embassy personnel returned to the United States, we sent more consular officers to Kabul to process SIV applications." Because our intel was still saying the collapse of the Afghan government was not imminent the decision was made to not start mass evacuations until July so as not to undercut, like Trump had done, the Afghan gov't. If fact, as Gen Milley testified later [i]" “[even during that time, there was] no intel assessment that says the government’s going to collapse and the military’s going to collapse in 11 days…"
On Aug 6, 8, an 11. as the Taliban closed in on Kabul, Biden's NSC, military, diplomats, and senior staff all recommended NOT to initiate NEO - non-combat evacuation operation. With the Taliban knocking on Kabul's door on Aug 14, Biden authorized the NEO and surged pre-positioned troops to assist in the execution. (In my personal opinion, they waited way too long and it, belatedly, was a lesson learned for future situations. This is why we evacuated early in Ukraine, even though our allies thought it unnecessary at the time.)
Because of the earlier contingency planning Biden ordered, " we were able to draw down our Embassy and move our remaining personnel to the airport within 48 hours.” To manage potential terrorist attacks, Biden kept pulsing the military to make sure they didn't need any MORE troops to effect a safe extraction; they said no. (Was this a throw-away line to save Biden's face? I would like to think
As to the suicide attack on Abby Gate. It is almost impossible to stop a determined suicide bomber even on a good day. But on the days of the NEO, the chaos almost guaranteed one would happen. Nevertheless, the unclassified summary could have expanded a bit more. All the reader is left with is:
"During the NEO, specific decisions about which gates would be used to access the airport were made by commanders on the ground. On the afternoon of August 25, the commanders decided to keep Abbey Gate open to facilitate the evacuation of U.K. forces and Afghan partners. According to the 2021 U.S. Central Command report, “If the JTF-CR [Joint Task-Force-Crisis Response] Commander decide to close Abbey Gate while U.K. Forces were still processing evacuees, it would have isolated them at Baron Hotel.” On the evening of August 26, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive outside of Abbey Gate, killing 13 service members and 170 Afghans, while injuring 45 other service members, a tragic human toll." President Biden asked if he should end the NEO then and there, but the commanders on the ground advised not to.
The NEO operation was a success as well as a massive and complex operation. "From the beginning of the evacuation on August 14 to its completion on August 31, U.S. military and civilian personnel engaged in an around the clock effort to execute the largest airlift of non- combatants in U.S. history. As Secretary Austin explained on September 28, 2021, “On military aircraft alone, we flew more than 387 sorties, averaging nearly 23 per day. At
the height of this operation an aircraft was taking off every 45 minutes. Sec Def Austin said ["And not a single sortie was missed for maintenance, fuel, or logistical problems. It was the largest airlift conducted in U.S. history, and it was executed in 17 days.”
Keeping Our Promise to American Citizens and Afghan Partners
Keep in mind - "When President Biden made his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, he made a commitment to provide every American who wanted to leave the opportunity to leave. This was an unprecedented commitment—one that the United States has not made in previous situations like Libya, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia when we shut down U.S. embassies. In addition, because Americans are not required to register with our embassies whenever they travel to, leave, or reside in a foreign country, it is impossible to know with precision how many Americans are in a given country at a given time." It is sad that the critics of President Biden purposely ignore that very real fact in order to spread their misinformation.
Even though Trump did his darndest to leave as many Afghan partners behind by effectively killing the SIV program,, Biden reversed Trump's and focused on getting are allies to safety. " During the evacuation, approximately 70,000 vulnerable Afghans were evacuated by the U.S. Government to overseas Defense Department facilities for security screening, vetting, and the administration of public health vaccinations." In the end, Biden was able to welcome approximately 100,000 Afghans as part of Operation Allies Welcome and now with Enduring Welcome.There is enough blame to go around when it comes to Afghanistan, starting with the lie from the republican president that got us into it in the first place. Each subsequent president who didn't cut our losses sooner bears their share of responsibility for the costs and loss of life.
The end was always going to be a disaster. Avoiding that by leaving troops in country would have ensured it never ended - and there was nothing left to gain.
Thirteen deaths were heartbreaking. All the deaths were heartbreaking - including the young man who grew up with my son and the daughter of a general who went to chapel with us at Ft. Riley.
First rule of war: young people die. Second rule of war: You can prevent rule one.Kathleen, he does lie. His lies are serious type lies. I don't get pleasure in offering this link to Biden's lies, over many pages. I could offer links that go back many years now. But have a look at the source. Could he be telling mistruths due to being confused? This is possible. I prefer to think he tells mistruths over just lying. But in the end, he does end up lying.
Perhaps have a look, and consider, I did not make my accusation lightly or out of any bias.
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/l … =joe-biden
SharI will agree Biden has effectively lied a few times, all politicians do. But what I find odd is you won't let one go by without a negative comment while you had nothing to say about the 10,000 Trump made. Interesting.
I was really hoping that was the case, especially when I hear him tell a story about how he used his position of vice-president to get his uncle his purple heart from world war II, and he told us how happy his uncle was. When he did not remember that his uncle died in the 90s when he was still a senator I thought maybe Joe was just making an honest gaffe.
When he goes on national TV and tells outright lies, like how he did not order the bombing of the gas pipeline from Russia to Europe, it cannot be considered to be just a gaffe.I agree. I really feel his lengthy stories that are, and not true. He creates flower stories, that are very far-fetched.
Why do Biden's occasional lie bother you but Trump's serial lying does not? Just curious. (Just one little example - Trump said his father was born in Germany (twice) after he wrote that he was born in New Jersey.) That didn't bother you?
No, that is wrong. I missed that one but it is not surprising. From the time that Trump was elected you have election deniers among the Democrats (like the current house minority leader) telling us that they were going to impeach Trump. The MSM has daily told lies about him until it is nothing more than white noise. All of that noise had the effect of allowing him to say anything, no matter how outlandish or wrong, because his followers no longer believed anything from CNN and their ilk.
Biden lies and you said that it is occassional, whereas you characterize Trump as a serial liar. Why? Biden lies every time he appears on camera.Ah, yes, Jeffries is an election denier because he sent out some tweets being angry that Trump's campaign conspired with Russia to win in 2016 and called him illegitimate. Denying the legitimacy based on something obvious and public done by a country we deem an enemy versus something completely fabricated is one heck of a false equivalency but par for the course with today's far-right.
'...because his followers no longer believed anything from CNN and their ilk.' Actually, that's just a choice to continue to live in Trump's alternate realities. It's cult-like behavior to deny actual reality to live in the world where Trump is great and everyone else is bad, despite all evidence to the contrary. Blaming the MSM for the choice to be deluded is such a poor excuse for accepting lies.Does Trump remind you have Jim Jones of Kool-Aid fame?
No, I see Trump in a harsher light since his campaign has tried things like a loyalty salute, aims to oppress marginalized Americans, and non-so-subtly aims to gin up violence against his perceived enemies.
I see your point - Trump is much worse than Jim Jones.
The problem is Trump lies to himself and actually believes his lies, further causing his supporters to believe him. On Jan. 6 he lied to himself about Biden stealing the election from him. When in fact he tried to steal the election from Biden and caused death, destruction, and mayhem that day.
Biden lies don't even come close to the magnitude of Trump's lies.. He is still propagating that lie to himself and his supporters. In Trump's alternate reality when he goes to court, his alternate reality is, "I have never done anything wrong."
He just lies to himself and believes his lies because he is a sick puppy who suffers from extreme narcissisms. The sad, dangerous thing is millions of people believe him, because he is also a master con artist who plays the victim to his supporters while attacking those who oppose him.I think Trump starts with a desired outcome and then says whatever he needs to to make that outcome a reality, whether true or false. His supporters think that makes him a fighter. The rest of us see a gaslighter and liar.
I think you're right. But then a great many people rationalize in the same way; what they want is what really is.
Does that make them a liar? Not in my book; to deceive ones self does not make it a lie; it makes it an error. To be wrong is not a lie; it is an error, or mistake.
Except, of course, in the case of Trump, where every error, whether self induced or from outside sources, is a lie to the liberals. Would that they use the same definition on their own words.We are reading different books. When your desired outcome is to remain in power, and you fabricate something like claiming that two election workers were passing a USB drive to each other to alter the vote count - that then puts their lives in danger - that lie about what was reality has life and death consequences. If you do not know what they were passing, find the truth of the matter.
When you fabricate a reality, you have intentionally lied about what happened. You chose not to investigate what was the truth and instead made up your own truth. That is lying. You are intentionally deceiving yourself about what happened, and worse in these cases, you are deceiving others as well when you are a public figure and make your fabricated claims public.
In early January, Trump himself singled out Freeman, by name, 18 times in a now-famous call in which he pressed Georgia officials to alter the state’s results. He called the 62-year-old temp worker a “professional vote scammer,” a “hustler” and a “known political operative” who “stuffed the ballot boxes.”
Freeman made a series of 911 emergency calls in the days after she was publicly identified in early December by the president’s camp. In a Dec. 4 call, she told the dispatcher she’d gotten a flood of “threats and phone calls and racial slurs,” adding: “It’s scary because they’re saying stuff like, ‘We’re coming to get you. We are coming to get you.’”I think the ACLU ought to take up a defamation case against Trump in Freeman's case. I would donate a lot to a Go Fund Me page to fund the suit.
I seriously think, however, if she did that, some MAGA nutjob would actually try to kill her.You do bring up an interesting idea; that the exaggerations and claims by politicians are lies rather than exaggerations. It brings to mind the promise by Obama to institute what was to become Obamacare if elected...and as soon as elected changed the promise to "when you reelect me".
I would have to agree such things are lies, as they know better, but at the same time recognize that those lies are the way of our society and acknowledged without disparaging the speaker for lying. Unless, of course, it was Trump.The difference between past politicians and Trump is that past politicians did not try and convince people that easily provable truths were not actually true. It began on day one when he tried to say he had the largest crowd sizes in history at his inauguration. He painted himself as a liar, or delusional. Either way, he lost a lot many people's benefit of the doubt on that day with something so obviously false.
And those that lie so blatantly will be held to account at the ballot box. They are not accepted as the way of our society and that's the message that the GOP continues not to receive. There are so many that vote against the character of such people and not actually for the candidate of their own party.Where did you get that piece, "when you REelect me/" Seems to me he got it past in his first term.
I believe you are correct. I just recall him saying that.
Irrelevant, though - the post was about politicians lying. And they ALL do, including Obama.Yes they do, just an order of magnitude less than MAGA politicians who lie an order of magnitude less than Trump does (save for Marjorie Taylor Green, she may be catching up to Trump)
I would say your "great many people" actually is a small percentage of society. Most people, from my 75 years of experience, are basically honest and just want to get along until somebody like Trump riles them up. Do a lot, maybe most, people break the speed limit? Probably so, but that doesn't turn them into serial liars and manipulators like Trump.
We will have to agree to disagree on how many people rationalize their conclusions so that what they want is what is reality. We will also have to agree to disagree on just what a lie is; based on your reply you think it is anything you disagree with, that you think is not real.
Oh Contrair. Whether I disagree with something or not does not change the status of a lie. How could it. Either Trump's father was born in New York or where Trump said he was, be it Germany or New Jersey, depending on which version you listen to.
My wife just told me Trump has raised $34 million the year by deceiving his followers.
I must agree, among the millions of Democrats, there are probably a couple or three who still deny Trump one the 2016 election. But back to that relativity thing - how do those few stack up to the millions of MAGA-types who still think Trump won in 2020?
Give me some examples of actual lies MSM has told about Trump? I bet I won't get an answer.
I notice it isn't CNN who is on trial for lying, instead, it is Fox.
And back to my question to you. "Why do Biden's occasional lie bother you but Trump's serial lying does not? Just curious. "
Thumbs up to the DOJ
U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against Leadership Of The Sinaloa Cartel And 25 Other Defendants In Massive Fentanyl Importation And Trafficking Conspiracies.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us … defendants3124 Biden
5818 Trump
Research is a dangerous thing. And Politifact doesn't determine the degree of the lie and/or its consequences.
My point is: as a Trump supporter, I wouldn't be pointing a finger at anyone.I never turned away from the Lies Trump told, and will I with this president. I don't weigh one against the other. I can justify either man's lie, due to one having a long list.
I pointed the finger at Trump many times, right here on HP.I have been reading these forums a lot. Obviously, I could have missed one or two, but I have never seen you say one bad word about Trump UNLESS forced to. Sorry, but that is what I have observed.
Am I the only one who has observed this?We have a great archive here at HP. I will repeat
"SHARLEE01 WROTE:
I never turned away from the Lies Trump told, and will I with this president. I don't weigh one against the other. I can justify either man's lie, due to one having a long list.
I pointed the finger at Trump many times, right here on HP."
Plus, you very rarely post a comment anywhere but two threads, not sure you are aware of my comments on the many threats I have left comments.
"Am I the only one who has observed this?" -- What a childish ploy.
I trust there are users here that will be truthful about this subject. I have called Trump out when I felt he needed calling out.But the best I can tell is you never have felt to the need to voluntarily to "call out" Trump. Maybe I am wrong, but in the several years I have watched you post, I can't recall one occasion.
Maybe you can prove me wrong (as you occasionally have in the past) by providing even two cases where you either immediately agreed to criticism about Trump or posted your own without prompting?Another factually wrong claim. Here are the forums I have recently posted on:
- What are the Great Things President Joe Biden Has Done While President
- Did Trump Really Try To Implement a Coup? (there are your two)
- Gun Control - California Style
- Is Russia Going to Invade Ukraine? Should America care if they do?
- Racism, Institutional or Otherwise, in America
- Racism is Rampant Today
- Are Republicans Trying to Defund the Police?
- Ron DeSantis - The New Authoritarian
- Grassley Releases Trove Of Hunter Biden's Hard Copy Documents To Media
- Solar Geoengineering - Good or Bad or Somewhere in Between?
- The Weaponization of the DOJ?
- The 118th Republican House
- What Do Trump's Taxes Show?
- Why do people in America support authoritarians in 2022?
- Who will control the Senate in 2023?
- Bombshell Durham Report. Hillary paid to spy on Trump Campaign
- The Distavorous Ramifications of the Deadly Reversal of Roe vs Wade.
And my latest - Why do people risk death to get into America?
The GOP's long list of tragedies inflicted on our country going back to the Great Depression are always countered with Whataboutism for the speck in a Democrat's eye compared to the boulder in theirs.
I have found through conversations on these various forums that those who support Trump have no concept of relativeness. Jaywalking is as serious a crime as murder in their view. Or one lie by Biden is just as bad as the 10,000+ lies by Trump.
I suspect that now that Biden has announced, his poll numbers against Trump (which generally have him in the lead already) and DeSantis will improve as previously reticent Democrats rally around him.
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/ … index.htmlDeleted
IT'S ABOUT TIME! The Feds have been trying to slow the economy down to battle inflation (which has been cut in half from its high even without this), the economy wasn't listening. Now, maybe the Fed can slow the interest rate hikes.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/25/business … index.htmlThis is why Biden will win in 2024 - "I don't love Biden, but I am terrified of Trump and DeSantis".
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/25/opinions … index.htmlYesterday Biden released a video and also gave a speech that vilifies Republicans. He stood at a podium with a vicious look on his face screaming out insults, most out and out lies. He clearly insulted half the nation's citizens. In my view, he is so dangerous and so very unfit to be the President of the US.
That claim that half the nation's citizens are MAGA Republicans is also an out and out distortion. According to Gallup in 2021, only 27% of the country identify as Republicans and less than half (48% according to Reuters) want Trump as the nominee currently. So that's about 13-14% of the country that makes up the MAGA crowd.
And it's not a lie to call out those who lob domestic terror threats at fellow Americans, attack FBI offices and attack their Capitol to prevent the outcome of a free and fair election because they believed the lies of the losing candidate over the courts, DOJ, and GOP state governments. That's just full on delusional and cultish behavior and a complete danger to the continuation of our democratic principles.My comment -- Yesterday Biden released a video and also gave a speech that vilifies Republicans. He stood at a podium with a vicious look on his face screaming out insults, most out and out lies. He clearly insulted half the nation's citizens. In my view, he is so dangerous and so very unfit to be the President of the US.
I made no mention of MAGA . He made mentioned Republicans, as well as MAGA supporters. This was my thought when I said he insulted half of the NATION.Republicans are vilifying themselves. Removing rights from women, attacking the LGBQT+ community, inciting violence, lying about an election. If calling out those things is vilifying, they deserve it.
And even then, the Republican Party is not half of the NATION. They are 27%. Independents are 42%, Democrats 29% - with 92% of Democrats and 68% of those Independents having an unfavorable view of MAGA.You forgot making the teaching of real Black history illegal in Florida schools.
The half thing is a standard myth oft repeated by conservatives.
Did you know that if you point out the bad behavior of MAGA-types, that is by definition lying in the conservative alt-reality, LOL?
Sane people clearly can't do math. And the ones referred to here clearly aren't qualified to identify lies as at one point around 70% of the GOP were believers of Trump's lies about the 2020 election.
You must be hyperbolic and exaggerating or you must have been watching a Republican remake of his speech. He didn't look vicious (he never does), he didn't scream anything (he never does), and he told the truth (he lies very little and less than most politicians).
Yes, he did insult 80 million MAGA types (who deserve it with their anti-American activity), No American, and I mean NO American can be more dangerous than Donald J. Trump (who was accused of rape on the witness stand today).
Biden has pulled much of the country together. He has gotten several bi-partisan laws passed (something your hero didn't do) and he is much more fit to be president than Trump and as fit as many of the predecessors before him.
I am getting sick hearing of this. If it wills, another 4 years of disaster. Hell has broken losse-more hell is to come.
Just one of the many conservative myths.
Since Republicans wrongly blame Biden and the Democrats for inflation, then they get to take credit for this good news.
"The Federal Reserve’s favorite inflation measure cooled further in March, a sign that the central bank’s massive rate-hike campaign is taking hold, according to new data released Friday by the Commerce Department.
The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index rose 4.2% for the 12 months ended in March, down from an upwardly revised 5.1% in February."
AND
"The Employment Cost Index, released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed that workers were paid 1.2% more in wages and benefits in the first quarter from the prior three-month period. That's above analysts' expectations of 1.1%."So if we don't mention the cost of food or energy inflation (both above the average), then the cost of what we buy went up the same as wages. Leaving people stagnant, still fighting to fill their tables.
Are you sure you want to give Biden credit for that, or was it due to interest rate hikes that he had nothing to do with? (Except that they were necessary to "fix" what he had already broken, of course.)
Promises Biden made and Kept, Stalled, or Broken:
COVID RESPONSE - What Biden pledged: “When I’m elected your president, I’m going to act, and I’m going to act on day one. Folks, we’re going to act to get this Covid under control. … I’m never going to raise the white flag and surrender. We’re going to beat this virus. We’re going to get it under control, I promise you.”" - Politico says He Kept His Promise
REBULIDING THE ECONOMY - "What Biden pledged: “We’re going to invest in infrastructure, clean energy and manufacturing, and so much more. We’ll create millions of good paying American jobs and get the job market back in the path to full employment.”" - Politico says He Kept His Promise
Ending gun violence - "What Biden pledged: “No one needs an AR-15. … I promise you, I will get these weapons of war off the street again and out of our communities.”" - Politico says This Is Stalled
Restoring U.S. leadership abroad - "What Biden pledged: “As president, I will ensure that democracy is once again the watchword of U.S. foreign policy, not to launch some moral crusade, but because it’s in our enlightened self-interest. We have to restore our ability to rally the free world so we can once more make a stand upon new fields of action together to face new challenges.”" - Politico says Kept His Promise
Strengthening voting rights - "What Biden pledged: “One thing the Senate and the president can do right away is pass the bill to restore the Voting Rights Act. … If they don’t, I’ve been saying all along, it’s one of the first things I’ll do as president if elected. We can’t let the fundamental right to vote be denied.”" - Politico says This Is Stalled
Protecting access to abortion - "What Biden pledged: “We’re in a situation where I would codify Roe v. Wade as defined by Casey. It should be the law, and there’s no reason why, if the Supreme Court makes the judgment that everybody’s worried about with these appeals going to the Supreme Court, that in exchange, I would codify Roe v. Wade and Casey.”" - Politico says In Progress
Expanding health care - "What Biden pledged: “I’ll not only restore Obamacare, I’ll build on it. … I’m going to increase subsidies to lower your premiums, deductibles, out-of-pocket expenses, out-of-pocket spending, surprise billing. I’m going to lower prescription drugs by 60 percent, and that’s the truth.”" - Politico says He Kept His Promise
Overhauling immigration policies - "What Biden pledged: “We’re going to restore our moral standing in the world and our historic role as a safe haven for refugees and asylum seekers, and those fleeing violence and persecution.”" - Politico says Broke His Promise
Tackling climate change - "What Biden pledged: “My time table for results is my first four years as president, the jobs that we’ll create, the investments we’ll make, and the irreversible steps we’ll take to mitigate and adapt to the climate change and put our nation on the road to net zero emissions no later than 2050.”" - Politico says Kept His Promise
Expanding child and elder care access - "What Biden pledged: “My childcare plan is straightforward, straightforward. Every 3- and 4-year-old child will get access to free high quality preschool like students have here. And low- and middle-income families won’t spend more than 7 percent of their income on childcare for children under the age of five.”" - Politico says This Is Stalled
You can read why Politico graded him the way he did here: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/2 … d-00093779Job market STRONG and Trump's inflation headed DOWN - Good Job Joe.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/business … index.htmlI guess it's how you look at it. I see income rising 4.4% and the value of the dollar decreasing nearly double that.
A net loss of income, then.Lets consider... since 2019 Inflation has gone up 18%.
https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
Since all the wonderful events that occurred in 2020, 21, 22, all the way to today. There have been increases in costs that outpaced wage increases.
Since December of 2020, nominal wages and salaries were up 4.5 percent, the fastest increase since 1983... this does not keep pace with inflation.
What inflation really is... is the devaluation of the dollar... caused mostly because we have a government spending trillions of dollars that they do not have.
The U.S. government has spent $3.15 trillion in fiscal year 2023 (March) Compared to the federal spending of $2.79 trillion for the same period last year (Oct 2021 - Mar 2022) our federal spending has increased by $359 billion.
https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/america … -spending/
In 2018, the government spent $4.11 trillion.
Government spending increased $2 trillion in 2020, but GDP fell by nearly a trillion.
The federal government spent $6.6 trillion in fiscal year 2020
In 2021, the government spent $6.8 trillion.
In 2022 it was more, and it will be more yet again in 2023.
This spending of trillions of dollars, that they are not collecting in taxes or revenues, essentially creates out of thin air new money, which in turn devalues all the current money out there.
Or to put it simply: The carton of eggs used to cost you $2.99 and it now costs you $3.99 and this time next year it will cost you $4.99 regardless of what type of wage or salary increase you get.Ken,
Before you entertain us with your version of the "Biden Bash", how do you explain this?
"The growth in the annual deficit under Trump ranks as the third-biggest increase, relative to the size of the economy, of any U.S. presidential administration, according to a calculation by Eugene Steuerle, co-founder of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. And unlike George W. Bush and Abraham Lincoln, who oversaw the larger relative increases in deficits, Trump did not launch two foreign conflicts or have to pay for a civil war."
Why are conservatives quick to blame Biden for something that Trump did so much better?There are a couple of factors.
You will see I edited that post to add some additional information.
Trump spent 4.11 Trillion in 2018.
Biden has been averaging 6.8 Trillion so far.
A good chunk of having a better GDP during the Trump years pre-pandemic has a lot to do with energy policies and regulation rollbacks.
In short, cheap energy means lower costs.
You want to see how badly things get when you no longer have cheap energy, go check out how Germany is doing.
https://www.deutsche-welle.com/en/germa … a-64240063
https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/p … -politics/
America still has relatively cheap energy, but no where near to what it had during Trump's Admin.
So energy is part of the problem higher energy costs means lower GDP as well as higher costs to consumers.
The other part of the problem is Biden is now spending an additional two trillion dollars (or more) than Trump was, but is bringing in less income, so to speak, than Trump did.
This means Biden is creating Trillions of dollars, spending what does not exist, which lowers the value of all dollars... or in other words, creates inflation.Ken, how do I come to accept your explanation, this information seems to take issue with it? .. I am seeing less revenue with more spending during Trumps watch. That combined with higher deficits for the 2020 and 2021 FY....
2022 Budget of the United States federal government
Submitted by
Joe Biden
Submitted to
117th Congress
Total revenue
$4.896 trillion (actual)[1]
19.6%% of GDP[1]
Total expenditures
$6.272 trillion (actual)[1]
25.1% of GDP[1]
Deficit
$1.375 trillion (actual)[1]
5.5% of GDP[1]
2021 Budget of the United States federal government
Submitted by
Donald Trump
Submitted to
116th Congress
Total revenue
$4.046 trillion (actual)[1]
18.1% of GDP[1]
Total expenditures
$6.818 trillion (actual)[1]
30.5% of GDP[1]
Deficit
$2.772 trillion (actual)[1]
12.4% of GDP[1]
2020 Budget of the United States federal government
Submitted
March 11, 2019
Submitted by
Donald Trump
Submitted to
116th Congress
Total revenue
$3.420 trillion (actual)[1]
16.3% of GDP[1]
Total expenditures
$6.552 trillion (actual)[1]
31.3% of GDP[1]
Deficit
$3.132 trillion (actual)[1]
15.0% of GDP[1]You are looking at 20.
I specifically avoided the 2020 year because of what I considered obvious reasons.
You need to look at pre-pandemic and then post.
Key to these spending differences are energy regulation and policy decisions, as well as war efforts and expenditures, along with abundant give aways at home.
But I don't want to belabor the matter.
You see this as Democrat vs Republican... Trump vs Biden.
It's more than that... That's why I no longer want to debate matters here... 90 percent of Americans are unaware or really don't want to accept certain facts... Until you start with the acceptance that there is no two party system in DC:
https://youtu.be/dbD2IQCLHLA
I have repeatedly said, until you read and become familiar with UN agendas, especially Agenda 2030, the WEF, etc....what the goals are, you are arguing matters without all the information... without knowing the why to their efforts.Has the reality of the situation changed with the pandemic and its aftermath, so maybe a different perspective needs to be seen in light of that?
What is the alternative to mainstream media, is it rightwing oriented media? As far as I am concerned, they are just as biased if not more so.
Your viewpoints are ideologically supporting a partisan stance while simply not using the explicit label.
I watched the video and got the gist of it.
if you don't want to debate and discuss only because others disagree with your opinions, that I cannot help. I have no expectation that anyone is going to necessarily agree with my points of view, but I won't dismiss anyone because of that.
"Key to these spending differences are energy regulation and policy decisions, as well as war efforts and expenditures, along with abundant give aways at home."
These are Republican views and complaints and I would not define them as non-partisan.And right-wing media have proven to be nothing more than propaganda outlets parroting Putin's lies.
The problem is not that people don't agree with me.
The problem is debating a matter based on different information base.
Have you researched Agenda 2030?
Have you researched the WEF?
Have you considered what CBDC is?
If you have not put those issues to the forefront of WHY things are happening and what EOs and laws are being passed then any debate is worthless.
Not understanding how the new Social Credit system will work, how every post you make on ANY site, no matter how insignificant of a site you think it is, is going to impact what you can do, where you can go, how much funds you can access...
This is not some scifi futuristic dystopian reality... This will all be reality before 2030.I can't claim to have delved to all this to the extent that you have.
Those are terrifying eventualities that, but I have heard and read stuff like this 15 years ago, "totally cashless society"?
I am going to wait and see how much of what is presented come to pass.And this, I believe, is the crux of the difference between our positions today.
I project, into the future, that is what I do and have done throughout my life.
I do the same with UN Agenda 2030, WEF, CBDC, and the general trends, what is going on with banks and the banking system since 2020, what China has implemented with facial recognition technology and CBDC, I see the separation of global powers and how that will greatly impact the American economy and value of the dollar.
Understanding that the Biden Administration is fully committed to seeing those goals met, from CBDC to Social Credit to Equity not Equality. Makes it very easy to understand where things are headed in just a few short years.
2030
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/c … %20web.pdf
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopme … nt-agenda/
https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
WEF
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/05/ … -happened/
https://initiatives.weforum.org/2030vis … work/about
https://www.forbes.com/sites/worldecono … 2b4edc1735
I concur with your perception that 5 or 6 years ago you or I would argue our positions and that I would neither empathize with nor comprehend what the reality was for POC in the 60s especially, but well beyond that also.
You can also contend that my position on the variance between Indentured Servitude and Slavery is far greater than I have argued time and again.
I see it as essentially: 'A shit life of serving others and not having freedom is a shit life of serving others and not having freedom' call it Servitude or call it Slavery these people were subject to the whims of others. Both could be killed, raped, abused, sold, depending on State and circumstances.
We are heading back to a form of that 'shit life'. To serfdom, if not slavery and subjugation. If you cannot type or say something without being punished for it... how is that freedom? If an entire populace cannot leave their domiciles because some authority said you cannot go outside, at all, how is that freedom? If you cannot travel to another State or Country, how is that freedom?
We will have other Pandemic Lockdowns, the WHO will dictate to the world how they have to react to it.
https://www.who.int/news/item/03-03-202 … mergencies
https://www.ibtimes.com/bill-gates-warn … ng-3534608
We will have CBDC, we will have Social Credit in reality, if not in name.
This has always been the argument I have tried to make... supporting those that support the Agendas and goals I have laid out, the International corporate cronyism, the Agenda 2030 globalists, is supporting the degradation of our society back into a "soft" slavery or serfdom.
I failed in my efforts to convince you and others of that.
I think there is far more that has been scripted into happening than you would ever imagine, events that have shaped where things have gone and what perceptions people have since 2019. I have also said this, time and again, MSM is not your friend... it is propaganda. It is meant to tell you what to think and believe... it is not meant to tell you the truth or facts.THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The Sustainable Development Agenda
Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Those three are the same thing that wants to "This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom. We recognise that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development."
Not sure I can disagree with that, can you Credence?
Growth Summit 2023: Here's a recap of what just happened
About 2030Vision - The world is not on track to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But digital technology can help.
Welcome To 2030: I Own Nothing, Have No Privacy And Life Has Never Been Better - IS THAT unrealistic vision the STATED policy objective of the WEC?
WEC says "How can we shape economic growth and a future of work that is resilient, inclusive, sustainable, and equitable?" - WHAT do you find wrong with that?
"We will have other Pandemic Lockdowns" - PROBABLY. What's your solution - let the pandemic run its course?
"the WHO will dictate to the world how they have to react to it. " - The WHO doesn't have, nor will it ever have that power.
Countries begin negotiations on global agreement to protect world from future pandemic emergencies - Doesn't that sound like planning ahead? Trump didn't like that idea and rolled planning back. We all know what resulted from that.
Bill Gates Warns Next Pandemic Could Be ‘Society-Ending’ - If we approach the next one like Trump did the last one, Gates might be right.
"I have also said this, time and again, MSM is not your friend... it is propaganda. " - AND THAT is a perfect example of real propaganda.THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The Sustainable Development Agenda
Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Those three are the same thing that wants to "This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom. We recognise that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development."
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I cannot disagree with the principles presented in this statement although the devil may well be in the details.
Well, Ken, I simply don't trust the alternative to MSM any more as they, too, have an agenda. One that I consider even less palatable.
Domination by capitalists without restraint take us into a feudalistic future, where possession of wealth takes precedent over the will of the people. That is not science fiction or something to ponder into the future but is and always has been a tool for authoritarianism and anti-democracy for more than just a handful of years.
Don't feel bad about not convincing others, as you say it is not going to be on MSM and your views are speculative. I will wait for the outcome of your predictions, before I can take drastic effort to change my point of view on things.
For example, is Bill Gates so wrong? I still wear masks and we are naive to think that this Covid does not have infinite routes of mutation and propagation around a world where today no one is really immune or isolated. We are medically always playing catchup,while most pathogens become more efficient, more virulent, and spreading more easily and rapidly. The problem really requires international cooperation for containment.
"Post-Pandemic" hasn't arrived yet. Maybe next year. Is it your opinion that the pandemic affected ONLY 2020?
When you coitized Obama did you take into consideration Bush's recession?
The other 10% of Americans accept QAnon as gospel; the rest of us know better.
BTW, I shot down the idea of a New World Order in my very first Hub years ago. People need to realize it is a myth.
Trump didn't have Ukraine. In spite of Ukraine and a greedy Saudi Arabia gas in
- 2009 was $3.49 (2023$)
- 2017 it was $3.40 (2023$)
- $3.55 (2023$).
To me, that doesn't look like energy policies and regulation rollback didn't affect gas prices at all. They did make the world less safe, however.
The deficit is BEST measured as a % of GDP (takes inflation out of the equation). Using that measure and talking into account that Trends are always better than Point Estimates,
-Obama left Trump with the deficit/GDP ration of -3.1%.
- Trump grew that deficit to -4.6% at the end of FY 2019.
- In FY 2020 that exploded to -14.9%. That is what he left Biden (it didn't have to be that bad but Trump's Covid policies made it worse economically and in lives lost).
- Biden has improved on that in both FY 2021 (-11.9%) and FY 2022 (-5.4%).
You said receipts have fallen in terms of 2023$.
- Obama FY 2009 $2.5T;
- Obama FY 2016 $4.2T;
- Trump FY 2017 $4.1T;
- Trump FY 2019 $4.1T,
- Trump FY 2020 $4.0T;
- Biden FY 2021 $4.6T;
- Biden FY 2022 $5.1T
I get a different picture than the one you left.
I see you didn't answer this directly - "The growth in the annual deficit under Trump ranks as the third-biggest increase, relative to the size of the economy, of any U.S. presidential administration,
Finally, if deficits cause inflation, why was there so little inflation between 2009 and 2020? That tells me there are other reasons for inflation - such as constricted supply, or burgeoning spending as the economy grew under Biden.
Nathan, in one of these forums, predicted the British foreign gov't is set to take a trouncing. He was right.
After 13 years of Conservative rule, the Brits have had enough and handed the Conservative Party a major defeat at the municipal level. It sets the stage for a comeback for the Labour Party in 2024.
Nathan can correct me hear, but the British Conservative Party is to the Left of the American MAGA party, but in line with what Republicans used to be under Reagan and the Bushes.
The British Labour Party is more in line the progressives of the Democratic Party but to the Left of mainstream Democrats.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/uk/rishi … index.htmlSome interesting recent poll results - Do You Support or Oppose the Following Policies?
- Capping the cost of insulin to $35 per month for diabetics: 82% Approve - 15% Disapprove (Biden and the Democrats did that over the objections of Republicans.)
- The federal government sending active-duty soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border to support border patrol agents by monitoring for illegal crossings and supporting administrative work: 66% Approve - 31% Disapprove (Biden is doing that now.)
- Now this one blows my mind! The federal government raising the debt ceiling: 43% Approve - 54% DISAPPROVE (I can only think they didn't understand the question.)The first one I'd have to think about - in general I find it exceeding stupid to think that politicians understand how to set prices better than the free market. In general, I think they set prices to what they think will buy votes and then accept the cheers and accolades...until production fails for lack of profits.
The second is no more than grandstanding to gain favor. Those soldiers don't know how to do the paper work they are being assigned to, and the paper shufflers being moved to the front lines don't know how to handle that, either.
The third - I haven't heard yet what spending concessions were made, so cannot comment on raising the debt ceiling.Sometimes the politicians have to step in when the so-called "free-market" fails, as it has with insulin prices.
Outside of agriculture America has never had a "free-market". And even with agriculture, monopolies and oligopolies sometimes set prices to suit themselves.
To work well, a free-market must be properly regulated to prevent (as much as possible) greed and power interfering with true supply and demand.
Do you think soldiers only know how to use guns and drag their knuckles? The military runs on paperwork.
The question was about the debt ceiling, paying our bills and not about spending concessions. What 54% of Americans seem to want, or don't care if it happens, is a default by not raising the debt ceiling.We've seen very little government price controls in this country...but what we have seen has been an utter failure every time. Much the same as other countries that do it.
"The military runs on paperwork."
And of course border patrol uses the same forms and requires people to fill them out the same as the military does. I think not.
54% of Americans want to see us default? I highly doubt that - you know as well as I do how limiting answers can affect them. And that question highly limits it, just as I pointed out. Personally, I would rather see us default, at least for a short period, than continue the insanity of ever increasing debt without limit. Our politicians have proven themselves over and over and over to have a spending habit that they refuse to reign in; it is time the people did it for them if that's what it takes.
But I would rather see us not default...with the caveat that it comes with spending limits.The problem with caps is they rarely come off, which is why you are correct in saying they never work. They never work in the long-run, but in the short-run, they can be a good counter to greed, such as with insulin prices.
Military - you are being obtuse, so I will leave that go.
The question I read was basically "Do you approve of Congress raising the debt ceiling?" - 54% said no.
When I went back to research, I found there was a second question that wasn't in what I read the first time. The second question read "Do you approve of Congress raising the debt ceiling to avoid a default?" - Here only 30% said no (and we know who those people are - can you spell MAGA?)
Your last sentence tells me you are willing to default if spending cuts are not part of the same law. Is that correct? If Biden holds to his guns and will only negotiate the budget AFTER the ceiling is raised. you are fine with a default?Unfortunately, yes (default with no spending cuts). It is my opinion that we (Washington) are fast driving our country to bankruptcy, and that the spending of bureaucrats must be curtailed if we wish to have any kind of economy. Politicians refuse to do it; that leaves default with the hope that Congress as a whole will then recognize the gravity and control their urges in the future.
Probably a forlorn hope, but IMO we cannot continue the way we are going. The lesser of two evils, then.So long as the debt-GDP ratio stays within historic bounds, bankruptcy is in the picture.
What is is wasting so much money on paying for the interest on the debt and not increasing our revenues by reversing Trump's tax give-away to the rich.
That's BIDEN's choice.
Elections have consequences.
April 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly passed a bill to raise the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling that includes sweeping spending cuts over the next decade.
The bill isn't expected to pass the Senate, and President Joe Biden would veto it if it did ....
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/202 … icans.html
House Republicans want to cut federal spending — and they just passed a bill that would do that.
But they don’t want to cut defense spending.
They don’t want to cut veterans’ health care spending.
They don’t want to cut Medicare or Social Security.
Their bill, which would raise the country’s borrowing limit for a year in exchange for a decade of spending reductions, does not include many specifics. It achieves most of its savings with spending caps for discretionary spending — the part of the budget allocated annually by Congress that is not automatic like Social Security payments — but it doesn’t say what discretionary programs should be cut and which ones should be spared.
If the entire discretionary budget were subject to cuts, the reductions would be “aggressive” but “achievable,” said Marc Goldwein, a senior policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which backs deficit reduction. ...
This is on Biden.
He can take the budget given him and keep "paying the bills".
Or he can choose to default. And accept all the problems that causes.
This is ALL on Biden and the Democrats now.Biden wants to raise taxes for the rich. The GOP wants to cuts taxes for the rich, just like Trump did.
Biden (and Democrats as a whole) want to soak a small minority for all they can. GOP wants taxes to be as fair as possible.
And that's the rest of the story.Biden and the Democrats want that so-called "small minority" to pay their fair share of taxes to help compensate for the enormous benefits they get from America that allows them to obtain their wealth.
What is their fair share? More might agree with you if we knew what figure you thought it was.
From reading about wasting money by having to pay the cost of borrowing money to wanting to raise the taxes of the rich to pay for the cost of borrowing more money, your "fair share" might be whatever it takes to pay for the money you want to borrow.
Consider this logic: Pres. Biden recently said that reclaiming some of the unspent, borrowed, Covid monies (billions of unspent borrowed money) might be on the table. The crisis is excessive borrowing and canceling some of that borrowing as a 'give-back' is offered. That's nuts. If the money wasn't needed, (it's still unspent) why borrow it?
Your 'don't want to pay our bills' mantra is a false talking point that would be more accurately described as not wanting to pay unnecessary bills. Surely you don't object to eliminating unnecessary bills, right?
GAFirst, let's start with what they were paying (and getting much wealthier at the same time) before Trump's tax give-away. Actually, studies show the top marginal tax rate can get as high as 50% - 60% without seeing a decrease in tax revenue as the Laffer Curve suggests would happen.
I am reading a study right now that says you can tax the top 1% at 90% and it wouldn't alter their ability to generate enormous wealth. That said, the studies I looked at the suggested the 50% - 60% rate, if I remember correctly, disagrees.
I didn't link the cost of borrowing with raising taxes, I think you jumped to a conclusion.
I don't see where we have a "crises" with borrowing. If the Republicans TRULY felt that way, they wouldn't have let Trump spend all that money while lowering tax revenues. The Republicans are pure hypocrites in that regard.
How were they to know the money wasn't needed? I don't think crystal balls work very well.
Not wanting to pay their bills IS the talking point. That is something that should not even be under discussion. If they really cared so much, why didn't the Republicans force a debt ceiling crises under Trump?
No, I don't object to eliminating unnecessary bills. I object to driving the country into default to achieve that objective rather than use the regular order the Republicans are so fond of talking about but never doing.The article I am currently reading starts off with "Optimal tax rates for the rich are a perennial source of controversy. This column argues that high marginal tax rates on the top 1% of earners can make society as a whole better off."
It is that last phrase that, in my opinion, sets defines one of the main differences I see between liberals and conservatives.
Liberals believe that each person in society has an obligation to help make the society as a whole better because it is the society as a whole that provides for each individual having a chance to improve their own personal lot.
Conservatives, on the other hand, based on all the conversations and reading I have had do not feel the same. To a large degree, it has been my experience that conservatives do not believe individuals owe society a thing, regardless of how much that society helped them obtain their position in life.I have another idea for "First.'
First, let's set aside claims of responsibility and responsible parties, and look at the objects and actions. If the concept isn't mutually understood, then the details will only make things worse.
You wrote that it was a waste paying so much for the interest on the debt without reversing recent tax cuts. Even with a reread, that still seems like a linkage to me. The cost of borrowing is the interest, how can increasing the amount bearing that interest not increase the amount paid on interest on the debt?
The concept of the Laffer Curve makes sense to me, so if you found support for it supporting up to 60% we could agree on that as a realistic ceiling, right?
If you didn't have the rationalizations (Trump, Republicans, Et al. — the things of my "First.") that followed your statement that you don't think we have a borrowing crisis, would you still hold that thought?
The increasing national debt has been a noted problem by everyone, from politicians to economists to scholars for decades. It has been a prime-time issue. It doesn't make sense to me that you don't see it as a crisis.
Unless it is because you see a fair tax for the rich to be whatever the rich can afford.
The idea of returning money found to be unnecessarily borrowed doesn't indicate blame or the need for a crystal ball. If money isn't spent, years after it was borrowed, it seems logical it wasn't critically needed. The point was that returning unneeded borrowed money shouldn't be a negotiating point when you can't afford to borrow it. It should be the automatic first step—if we're dealing with a crisis.
We are at this point because 40+ years of "regular order" governmental actions (through the mechanisms of tax cuts or tax increases) haven't worked. Maybe the jolt of a legislative default would.
GAIf I understood your point about "interest" my answer is using this hypothetical example:
Debt today: $1 trillion
Interest payment on that debt - $1 million dollars
Debt tomorrow under status quo: $2 trillion
interest payment on that debt - $2 million
OR
Debt today - $1 trillion
interest payment on that debt- $1 million
Debt tomorrow after reversing tax cuts - $1.5 trillion
interest payment on that debt - $1.5 million
By reversing the tax give-away, we didn't waste $500,000
The Laffer curve is a credible theory but the way Reagan tried to use it was not. He refused to believe their was a max point where if you lowered the marginal tax rate, then revenues would fall (the front half of the curve reading left to right). He only preached that raising the marginal tax rate would lower revenue (the back half of the curve)
I haven't found the studies yet that estimated what the maximum revenue point was, so I am only going on memory. That article I am reading now, however, seems to challenge the idea altogether saying the more you increase the marginal tax rate, the more revenue is generated. I am not sure I buy that.
Crisis - Yes, I don't think we have a crisis yet, that it is manufactured. My point about Trump et al is point out the hypocrisy.
In 1980, the ratio was 30%. Under Reagan's "massive" spending it quickly rose to 64% by 1995, a 200% increase. Then Clinton raised taxes on the rich and went along with the Republican spending cuts. That led to our first budget surplus in ages and a lowering (inflation adjusted) of our total debt. The ratio fell to 54%.
Then comes Bush the Younger's tax cuts and "massive" spending. The ratio rose to 68% before his recession and 90% after it was over in 2010. That was a 67% increase.
Now we enter the era of good times with the Obama - Trump economies. Just prior to the pandemic, the ratio was 106%, another 18% increase. After the pandemic, it was 128% in 2020, a 42% increase from 2010.
In 2022, the ratio was 121%, a 5% decline.
Through that whole period, GDP (a measure of the economic health of our economy) grew from $2,797 billion (nominal) to $26,138 billion in 2022, with only two sizable downturns in 2008 and 2019 (834% growth). Neither of those retreats were related to the Debt.
So no, I can't talk myself into believing there is a crisis yet and having looked at these numbers, I don't think there was in 1994 either. That said, the manufactured crisis drove a good outcome in increasing taxes on the right and cutting spending (including the military) then. Maybe it will drive a similar outcome today.
(As an aside, I was deeply involved in trying to figure out how those DoD spending cuts affected our military readiness. I am proud to say that my work was somewhat instrumental in getting the Army to increase its war reserves in the mid-1990s and was one of the two factors that led to the first plus up in the DoD spares account in late 1990s. Granted, I only briefed my work to the initial meetings in OSD for the first initiative and to the Air Staff in the second. Others took it from there.)
Truth be told, the top .1% could afford a 100% marginal tax and it would impact their lifestyle one bit.
I agree, returning unneeded money should be the first step, crisis or no crisis. It always annoyed me to no end watching organizations, including my own, in the military spend the remainder of their budget at fiscal year end in order to not be penalized for saving money in the first place. Insane.
I have a different reason, which you won't like. Regular order started disappearing when the far-right started taking over the Republican Party in the early 1990s. That includes the loss of fiscal conservatives (who also happened to be flaming racists) in the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in the same time period.
I argue that the Democratic Party hasn't moved anywhere as much to the Left as the Republicans have moved to the Right. Throw in Trump's divisiveness and attacks on our Democracy, and you are left with the chaos we see today.I must be missing something, your example doesn't seem right.
Why does expanding the revenue pool used to pay the interest on the debt change the debt? Wouldn't the 'Today" $2M interest still be $2M 'tomorrow' but there would be an extra $500K to pay it—with your 'reversal'? Surely you not saying that extra money reduced the amount of the debt, right? If it is, then the object of your "waste" descriptor would be the opportunity to get more money from the rich, not spending more money than necessary on interest payments.
Make a decision, Laffer Curve or no Laffer Curve. I still think it's a credible theory for gauging the effects of taxation levels. I thought we had a toehold with it.
After your explanation for why you don't think this debt ceiling issue is a crisis, I'm looking to see who's holding the umbrella; you, or the president, politicians, economists, and scholars that are saying this is a crisis issue. Even with discarding the spin applied by whomever presented their thoughts (media & Google), they still say it is a crisis, they just differ in pointing to the blame.
GAThe debt doesn't grow as fast.
I agree they "say" that, but the evidence doesn't back them up.
It depends on how you use the curve - Reagan used it wrong.
Again, all the Laffer curve demonstrates is that as marginal tax rate increases, so do federal revenues - to a point. What I have read puts it somewhere between 50 and 60% (maybe 45 - 55%, I can't remember). After that maximum is reached, total revenues begin to decline.
Laffer's theory assumes tax increases affect all earners and that the higher the rate, the less incentive there is for businesses to produce and people to work. Laffer also assumed, it seems, a single tax rate, rather than the brackets we have.
This study from the conservative CATO Institute appears to give a good presentation on the optimal Laffer curve maximum. As you would guess, depending on the assumptions, it is all over the place. It did give me something to look at, however, Federal Receipts as a percentage of GDP.
They make a claim, but I am not sure I buy it yet, which is why I tracked down some historical data. Presented here as well.
https://www.cato.org/cato-journal/fall- … w-average.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FYFRGDA188SI don't share your uncertainty. I'm not in a league to challenge the authorities mentioned. So I will go with them. Trustingly, but not blindly.
GA
That's what I said - you just used the terminology "fair share" instead of "soak the rich for all they can", but they mean the same thing to liberals.
I think it was Bernie Sanders who was one of the first to use the terminology "fair share." He has always wanted the super rich to pay their share. Actually Biden calls it the Wealth Tax. Read all about his plan here and how the billionaire class sometimes pay less in taxes because of the Earned Income loop holes.
https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/biden-b … taxpayers.Elizabeth Warren wants the same thing. Personally, I oppose the idea of it. The tax rate should be based on the benefit the wealthy taxpayer receives because our system allows them to use their wealth and exercise their power to generate wealth beyond what a normal tax payer can who don't have those advantages. They need to pay a premium for that benefit they didn't earn.
And how do you know, you are not a liberal. Can you read their minds? Are there statements you can share that show liberals equating "fair share" with "soak the rich for all they can"? I won't be holding my breath for you to back up that false claim.
I extrapolate their minds from their actions (actions speak much more truthfully than words, don't you think?). A continual, never ending, call for more money from "the rich" is sufficient to tell me that "fair" equates with "as much as they can get".
Lol, that is a good one. It seems to me that that Republicans also have a "continual, never ending, call for more money" Instead of taxing the rich fairly to get it, they would rather take from programs that help average Americans.
How would you know, you aren't a liberal. And since you have provided no evidence, I presume no liberal has ever said such a thing and you are just making it up out of whole cloth.
Why is it only hard-core far-right Republicans don't want to pay their bills?
I don't want to think that we live a society where death is an outcome because one cannot afford basic life sustaining medicine. I don't trust the "free market" to be the best arbitrator in all matters.
In the face of the expiration of the Trump law, a rush of migrants on our Southern bordr is anticipated and it is not reasonable for the administration to send troops to the border to assist. But leave it to conservatives to continue to bitch, p!ss and moan even when the President takes a proper course.
The Democrats have been pusillanimous in its response to a GOP political ploy. Republicans lie about their wanting to get spending under control as they sat with their thumbs up their butts while Trump spent like a drunken sailor. The Republicans are using this to destroy the Biden agenda and as a result I tell them to "go to hell". I authorize Biden to use 14th Amendment provisions to go around the GOP, if necessary.You did not find it reasonable for Pres. Biden to send troops to the border? Was that a typo, did you mean not unreasonable?
Your context says it was a typo, if so, I strongly agree. send 15,000 instead of 1500. Make a solid line with only official border crossing points open. Have those points open, but make a line to enter not a wave to bypass it.
Welcome all for application—the right way, not the 'foot-on-American-soil' way. If someone does (as they all are) cross illegally, usher them to the line for entrance.
Also, you authorize the use? Bless your heart, didn't you get the memo?
GAThey went down mainly for administrative support, apparently. That said, and don't fall over, I really can't disagree with your suggestion.
I didn't fall over. You didn't surprise me.
I also heard they were sent for administrative duties. But then I saw media images of military folks standing behind concertina wire, sort of physically blocking the way. *shrug
GANot sure of the physically blocking the way, but I heard a reporter describe them laying barbed-wire as he watched. I suppose they could have stuck around as well, there were thousands of migrants facing them.
DeSantis once again runs to his favorite Trump judge to interfere with the Executive's ability to manage the border thereby making a terrible situation even worse.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/1 … 2-00096558Your reference (from the link) seems to be about the plan to run the immigrants through — turn-style-style, taking the names offered, giving them papers telling them to find an immigration authority within 60 days, and then self-report.
From there they would be ushered through the gates to NGOs offering support and travel assistance to, generally, anywhere in the states. Or, they could bypass the NGOs and go off on their own.
Is that a fair understanding of the plan the 'DeSantis' judged blocked? I would want 'anybody's' judge to block that plan.
Then you added the cherry: ". . . runs to their favorite . . . judge to interfere with the Executive's ability to manage the border . . ." That's a chuckler.
GAYep, that sounds about right which will reduce the chaos at the border without impacting American security very much.
You see, I do not have an irrational fear of lots of immigrants entering America. If fact, we need them to keep growing our economy. Studies (which I have supplied to Wilderness on many occasions) consistently show that these people are, by-and-large, more honest, more industrious, often more patriotic, less violent, and provide a net gain to our economy."Yep, that sounds about right which will reduce the chaos at the border without impacting American security very much."
It is really difficult to understand how releasing tens of thousands of illegal aliens into our country, showing by example how we "close" our border, will decrease the chaos Couple that with Biden's refusal to deport anyone from the interior and the picture is even more obvious. Anyone actually watching can only conclude that it will encourage more to do the same thing, increasing the chaos.
"If fact, we need them to keep growing our economy."
Problem is that your greater economy, with more people, results in less per capita. A simple concept that you refuse to consider or look at. A growing economy does an existing population no good at all when the increase, plus some of what that existing population creates, all goes to the newcomers.
Yeah, GA, it was a typo, I did mean that sending troops was a reasonable response...
"Also, you authorize the use?"
Yes, Democrat tested, Credence approved...
This is a very telling poll showing how far out in right field conservatives are regarding the border.
66% of Conservatives think what is going on at the border is a Crisis vs. 18% who think it is Very Serious and 12% think it is Somewhat Serious.
On the other hand, the Democrats have it about right where 16% think it is a Crisis, vs. 46% who think it is Very Serious and 30% find it Somewhat Serious
So, who is right? Seems like the Democrats based on how Independents (who are generally right-leaning) came down on the issue.
37% of Independents think it is a Crises, 31% think it is Very Serious, and 24% think it is Somewhat Serious.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hosting-mi … 023-05-21/Darn! The economy under Biden improves again. They just revised the 1st Qtr estimates upward a bit.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/25/business … index.htmlFor sure. Improving the lot of nearly every American.
Unfortunately I find myself working harder and harder to make ends meet, and I believe I am in the company of at least another 200 million Americans. An "improving" economy does nothing when inflation erodes all wage increases and then some.Perfectly said. I think most Americans are busy living their daily lives, not tuned into media of media blurbs. They just know that when they reach into their pockets they are coming up empty. Plus watching the sh-- show called "Old Joe Goes to Washington" is not as funny as it once was.
In addition, they are subjected to a barrage of "good news" from Biden; the economy is improving, the border is closed, inflation is down...all while every day observation gives a lie to all of it.
They are going to think its a lot less funny when this lunatic starts WWIII.
Unfortunately, it can't be undone, the Biden Administration is calling the shots, 2024 will be too late.
We already have had one incident where American combat vehicles and American rockets and American artillery rounds have attacked and invaded Russian soil. Just the other day.
In the near future, these fools are going to drive toward Moscow with their tanks and fighter planes and then its all over. The world that has existed since WWII ended, the global trade, the safe passage on sea and air... all goes away.
Germany is already in a crippling recession because they have lost their access to cheap energy. That in turn will cripple the EU economy.
The fools running our Nation today aren't only taking down America, they are ensuring the EU collapses as well.Ken, I completely agree with you, this administration, and whoever is making all the decisions for Biden have ruined the country in record time.
They will take down the UK as well as the EU. And some of us have had a front-row seat while these fools or one might now call them a regime have perpetrated this crime on our Country.
As I have shared before we have only witnessed this kind of brainwashing once before, and it ended in a world war to beat down an evil regime.
I think 2024 is our last chance to begin fixing the mess that has been created. It will be a breaking point. At this point, I can only hope that a large majority wake up and see how important it is to stop this bunch in their tracks.
It's discouraging to see intelligent people be so very casual about this very serious situation America is facing.
I have no doubt this proxy war will escalate, I am very sure we are not hearing the truth about the war. When I look at the map of Ukraine and the territory that Russia claims to hold, it looks as if they are just sweeping their way across the country. So, who is winning?As I noted Sharlee, 2020 was the critical election, 2024 will be too late.
The escalation in Ukraine will have reached the point where we have entered the war by that time, the goal, as I have linked to before, is to carve Russia up.
Russia is the single most wealthy nation in the world when it comes to natural resources, oil, natural gas, fertilizer, platinum, titanium, etc. the total value of Russia's natural resources are estimated to be between 75 and 100 trillion dollars.
There will be no change of power in DC in 2024. The same tactics used in 2020 will be used in 2024, Mail In Ballots that have no real means of verification will swing the election just as they did in 2020.
The Biden Administration has stated who the threats to America are, domestic-terrorists, the government is prepared to neutralize them.
You will note that Republicans are on that Pyramid.
Republicans are domestic terrorists, clearly the government cannot allow them to win future Presidential elections, or win back control of Congress, the ends justify the means.
So far the Biden Administration has given 80 grants, $40 million taxpayer dollars, outsourcing their efforts to conflate conservatives with terrorists.
This is on top of MSM efforts which have been non-stop for years now, and Billionaire fundings of Non-Profits through such efforts as the Open Society Foundation, Bill Gates Foundation, etc.
There will be no Trump re-election. They will not allow it.I see your point, I too feel the war will escalate -- get while the getting is good" It's pretty clear Biden is looking for a way to bring the US into a huge war. I think that was the plan. However, has it backfired? I mean we have several NATO countries' economies collapsing, as you mentioned Germany, and now I see reports that the UK is admitting they are headed into a deeper recession. Do you think support from the EU, and the UK will hold much longer? I mean will they want to have a huge war on their continent? I think this could be a saving grace.
I also think a lot will lean on how the 2024 election plays out. If NATO sees the possibility of a Republican in the White House, I think they will not be as apt to continue their involvement in the Russian war.
I can see that the Leftwing has come full out after Trump, but we have a couple of good candidates that certainly could win in 2024.
I see a good shift in social media with independents, as well
as minorities, all due to being sick of the corruption they see in the Democratic party and this White House. Independents are very much common sense people. I am keeping up the hope that more Americans come to see they were led down a path that had been so destructive to America and vote Republican in 2024.
I also think Republicans will come out in huge numbers in 2024. The party itself has grown a set... and I for one see this as a positive. The judicial committee is working hard to out Democratic corruption on all fronts, not to mention going after Biden and his family, and the FBI.
I must keep a bit of hope alive. But, I have witnessed your record for correctness, and do feel the same fears.You are again making the mistake thinking that the Biden Administration will not escalate the war before the 2024 election.
I am comfortable with the knowledge I have stating they will have America directly involved (even more than we currently are).
I believe I stated this well over a year ago.
Everything I have learned since then makes me certain that what I was projecting to occur then is still in the plans.
While it may not be an officially declared war... it will be as much of a war as Iraq or Vietnam was.
As for the election, Mail In Ballots will continue to be allowed, which means it doesn't matter who votes... it will matter who counts the votes, or more specifically, adds in all those MIBs... 2020 shall repeat.
You have a majority of Americans that have more than enough, many of them don't even have to work, so long as they have enough they will continue to let Rome burn around them.
You have a large number of Americans that have no purpose, life is easy, so they create a purpose, they join the extremist progressive movements, they want to be a part of something...
Conservative values are just that, they aren't adventurous, they don't make you special, they rarely get extra attention. Progressive movements are far more rewarding, supported by MSM and woke corporatism.
There is no reason to think there will be change come Nov 2024.I tend to believe that Biden will try to escalate the war. But do you feel he will push ahead without NATO and the UK? I think these Nations are diving into serious recessions, and just won't be willing to continue supporting the war. Already lots of rumblings.
I don't think Biden is calling the shots here. So I guess whoever is may be nuts enough to push for a full-out war with Russia. I mean at this point I can believe just about anything.
I so agree with you about the mindset of the majority in the country, and the Republicans have a long history of not being adventurous. They produce lots of hot air and have a history of caving in. However, the party had many different factions at this point.
I see your point about the problems we most likely will have with the election. It's all about who is counting the votes.
So, where from here? Do we sit back and continue to watch Democracy die? I guess one could say it is only on life support at this point
anyway.
I have some hopes that Comer's investigation will bring Biden down with an impeachment. This certainly could usher the Dems out of the White House. I do feel the Republicans feel the fire and know they need to fight fire with fire.The UK wants to engage Russia more than the Biden Admin does. Poland as well.
The governments of NATO support it even if the citizens don't.
As for America's future, well a lot is in play, how things shake out remains to be seen.
If I am correct, we will have a banking crisis by July, this will coincide with a collapse of the stock market to mirror 1929.
These issues will help trigger the start of WWIII and force a new type of 'lockdown' on Americans... which will work similar to the lockdowns we had in 2020, which will be reason for the 2024 election to be Mail In Ballot decided. Again.
So, to answer your question, yes, sit back and watch it all happen... It is beyond anyone's ability to stop. This was all practically assured when Biden took Office.Which conspiracy theory brings you to your last conclusion? Putin was even rattling his sabers in Jan 2021.
Yes, sounds so dire. However, I see it playing out right before my eyes. It makes me glad I own in Mexico. Each year we spend more and more time out of the US. Ultimately I feel as you do, but I don't want to sit here and be part of watching America be destroyed. Seems like we are the bad guys in all of this, and I guess those that supported this regime will get what they deserve, but so will all the innocent that saw this all coming.
What is behind your feeling that Biden, and not Putin, will try to escalate the war? That seems very counter-intuitive to me. Putin started the war, Biden tried to stop it. Maybe the answer is what Trump proposed on the CNN townhall - abandon the Ukrainians.
Does it make sense to you that people's "pockets are empty" if they are spending at record levels today (adjusted for inflation)? How can the two things be true at the same time?
"Consumer Spending in the United States increased to 14346.60 USD Billion in the first quarter of 2023 from 14214.90 USD Billion in the fourth quarter of 2022."
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-sta … of%201950.
Maybe it is the New Math, lol.
Biden is doing a wonderful job. It has been so nice not having all of the trauma and drama that Trump put America through."Maybe it is the New Math,"
Same as the old math.....Here is some new math.
The unfortunate truth is that China is the #1 trade partner for most of the world.
So the US is not negotiating from a position of strength.
Our war on Russia is not just costing America hundreds of billions of dollars to carry out, it is crippling Germany and other EU countries that counted on Russian cheap energy for their Industries.
Saudi Arabia, OPEC, India, choosing to side with China and Russia over America was/is the clear wake-up call that the fools running DC today have chosen to ignore... the hubris and delusional outlook this Administration has on the world is going to bring America to a terrible place... soon.Economics trumps military power and international bravado. What is to be done? Short of war what is going to stop China and its influence?
Your second map denoted the situation before Biden's term. This trend has been going on for a while, so who is really to blame?You are correct, it took 33 years of bad policies and selling out American interests to get us here.
Blackrock, Apple, Warren Buffett, corporations and financial institutions got incredibly rich.
The problem CURRENTLY is this Administration is in complete denial of this reality.
The old fool Biden insults Saudi Arabia before he is even sworn in. Then he promises to punish them when they refuse his demand that they pump more oil.
Biden instigates the escalation to conflict with Russia, bellowing out they will not compromise with Russia, that they will not recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
Instead of telling Zelensky he will honor the Minsk Agreement or he is on his own, America won't support him, he OKs the decision to try and take Crimea back by force... Crimea which seceded and has been part of the Russian Republic since 2014.
These two things alone are bat-sh1t crazy, heavily impacting our economy... Making Russia and China stronger with the doing.
Then there are all the insane policies and EOs being passed. Equity, Support for Child Mutilation, support for men being treated as women, etc. Open borders...a country that is cutting back on food stamps and raising it's taxes on all Americans...
There has never been a worse Administration in our lifetimes... Germany is already in a major recession, this will get worse, it will impact us as well. Worse than it already has.I see Ken ignored my question -
"What is behind your feeling that Biden, and not Putin, will try to escalate the war? That seems very counter-intuitive to me. Putin started the war, Biden tried to stop it. Maybe the answer is what Trump proposed on the CNN townhall - abandon the Ukrainians."I took the trouble to read the Minsk agreement and it appears more like Russia is fomenting, aiding and abetting secessionist activities in two pro Russian Ukrainian territories. All I can say is that this issue is more complicated than talking about Ukraine being willing to capitulate to Russia.
As for whether the Biden administration has been the worse in our lifetimes, you have to speak for yourself. I considered that debatable.
So, for the past 33 years, administrations have been in denial and that includes Trump's. You really think that Trump would have taken a responsible course in regards to this crisis? I highly doubt it.
What position of strength? China has successfully promoted its model of economic development, and from your map they have done very well. The magnitude of these kinds changes cannot be placed on any one American administration or activity. Do you think that sucking up to adversaries would really add that much more "blue" to the map?Credence it is the insane decisions made by this Administration faced with the situations that they have been presented.
Put aside what went on that got us here, be it Trump, Obama, Bush, who-ever.
Look at the circumstances they faced and decisions made.
Saudi Arabia, insulted by Biden before he even took office, insulted by Biden when he asked them to pump more oil, they said no, and then he threatened them.
That is insane. It is not in our best interests to insult what has long been an ally to America and has supported our interests, especially when they are being courted by the Chinese, who realize how critical they are to America's long term economic interests.
You may not be fully aware of the significance of Saudi Arabia, and by extension their influence on OPEC, to our economy... but the Biden Administration damned well should have been.
Lets look at our war with Russia. Lets consider how vital Russia's energy resources were to Germany:
Germany and Russia have had a strong energy partnership for decades. Some 34% of Germany's crude oil came from Russia in 2021, BAFA data showed. 55% of natural gas consumed in Germany was imported from Russia. 53% of hard coal received by German power generators and steelmakers came from Russia in 2021.
Germany was able to be the heart of the EU's economic/industrial output because of the cheap energy they received from Russia, they were reliant on it to be competitive on the global stage.
By starting this war with Russia, we are crippling the EU, not Russia.
We have pushed Saudi Arabia, China and Russia closer together than they ever would have been if the Biden Administration had NOT taken the actions it has.
Biden's decisions have been so horrible, Saudi Arabia and Iran have come to terms and found their way to peace, with China's help; India has shifted and become a closer ally to Russia, and we are now supporting economically an entire nation (Ukraine) that is not our own!
HALF of the world is decoupling from the Dollar and joining various trade alliances with China. The impact that is going to have on our economy hasn't even begun to be felt.
All this is on the Biden Administration... its horrible decisions and diplomacy, or lack thereof. This Administration is either deliberately trying to bring down America and its closest allies, or is insane, or both.Thank you for the facts. Hopefully, some here will realize the country is sliding down into a hole we will never emerge from.
I find it hard to comment here anymore. It is so clear to me, and only my view, --- most here have been caught up in what media want them to discuss, and really not even realizing current problems that are being somewhat hidden if one does not go looking for them. The odd thing, the facts are there, I mean truely on many of our own government sites. Such as all of Biden's EOs, the media does not report. EOs are doing so much damage across the board. It's as if so many Americans have on-blinkers. I would think you are right "Nothing can be done", this ball is rolling downhill and with good speed...
We saw this kind of hysteria occur in Germany, I never would have dreamed this kind of mindset could occur in America. Sorry for being hyperbolic, but I think the time has come to speak up."Put aside what went on that got us here, be it Trump, Obama, Bush, who-ever."
Ken, 5 American presidents contributed to our current situation, I am not about to put the exclusive onus on Biden. This has been a cumulative problem and to think that Biden should be responsible for all the corrections is ludicrous. Your map gives stark witness to what has happened over a considerable period of time.
Yes, we should all be concerned about the points you are making, but
how is Biden responsible for half the world decoupling from the dollar? Your map seems to indicate that this did not happen overnight.I believe I have explained fairly well how Biden is responsible (meaning his Administration).
Did he not directly insult the ruler of Saudi Arabia?
Did he not threaten Saudi Arabia when they refused to increase oil production?
No one else is responsible for these actions, Biden acted, and the Saudis reacted by saying they will now partner with China and trade oil for Yuan.
Biden chose to pursue conflict with Russia. Biden, Clinton, the whole corrupt cabal up in DC have worked toward this for a decade, since McCain and Clinton went over there supporting the overthrow of the Ukraine government in 2014.
The deep recession Germany is falling into is because of this decision to pursue war with Russia. Germany will pull down the rest of the EU with it. Eventually these two huge missteps will land here in America and impact our economy as well.
The decoupling from the dollar would not be happening if we still had Saudi Arabia's support, if we had peace in the world and Germany's economy was thriving.
Other countries are not run by fools, they have economists and they have trade needs and energy needs... They can see what is going on and see where things are headed.
The West is stuck with the US, for the most part, the rest of the world is shifting to China and Russia.
This didn't have to happen, but it did happen, because of the decisions and actions of the Biden Administration.
"So, for the past 33 years, administrations have been in denial and that includes Trump's. You really think that Trump would have taken a responsible course in regards to this crisis? I highly doubt it."
I must ask --- did Russia become aggressive under Trump? When did Russia move in on Crimea? In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula
from Ukraine.
When did Russia start moving troops to the Ukraine border? In March and April 2021, the Russian Armed Forces began massing thousands of personnel and military equipment near Russia's border with Ukraine and in Crimea, representing the largest mobilization since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Was Russia being aggressive toward Ukraine under Trump? No, we will never know if Russia would have been aggressive under Trump. But we can factually say Russia became aggressive under Obama, as well as Biden. Just food for thought.
In regards to Opec, they hold all the cards. We will soon have drained all our National reserves. Biden has drained to try to keep gas prices a bit down to keep to appease Americans at the pump. What a reckless ploy...A display of poor decision-making... This week prices are rising, will Bidem empty the reserve? Have you checked on how much we have in reserves? I have, and I can see media is not sharing the problem that has occurred in regard to our reserves being emptied. IMO, we have played right into OPECS hands. It is laughable,
"Basic Info. US Crude Oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Stocks is at a current level of 357.95M, down from 359.59M last week and down from 537.98M one year ago. This is a change of -0.45% from last week and -33.46% from one year ago."
And China, it is apparent they have far surpassed us in regard to trade.
So while your party has you worried about Trump; transgenders; racism
; Being welcoming to illegal migrants; green energy; and a myriad of made-up social problems--- this bunch has literally ruined this country.
Cred, you are supporting a president that has highjacked your party and is ruining our country. Hopefully, you will find clarity, because you are supporting an administration that if given another four years, will have the country that you no longer will recognize.
We are in trouble the facts are piling up, time to have a true look at what this administration has done, and where we will head if they get four more years.Well, Sharlee
I have to ask you, did Russia get out of line during the Obama, Bush or even Clinton administrations covering some 33 years? Trump was just lucky that the number did not come up on the roulette wheel,
during his term.
The moment the Minsk agreement lapsed is when Russia took aggressive action. I dont believe that Trump would have been able to prevent it. Unless, of course he was prepared to abandon the Ukraine and let Moscow do what it wanted. That would bring in to question America role within NATO. How would that play out?
I have seen plenty of fluctuation in gas prices and such over the years. We had a 4 dollar a gallon crisis during George Bush's term. I am not about to blame Biden for everything that ails us.
My party does not have me worried, I do my own thinking. We have differing views of what is problematic and what is not.
With the Republicans as an alternative, I would embrace the devil himself rather than throw my lot in with them. I do not have much of a choice. I only worry how much more tyrannical we will become if put another Republican in the White House.The real reason Putin started thinking about his move on Ukraine is when a non-corrupt politician was elected on a reform platform to join NATO. Putin knew he could not manipulate Zelinskyy like he did the corrupt predecessors. Then it was a matter of marshalling his forces.
And YES, Russia was being very aggressive toward Ukraine with their continued support of their proxy forces in the Donbas. Russia has been at war with Ukraine since 2014.
We are actually FILLING the reserves back up starting last month.
WOW, Credence not only are you a terrorist, you are a made up social problem. Aren't you part of the minorities that were just listed off?
Talk about projection!! Biden "hijacked" the Democratic Party, how odd.
Clean energy (i.e. saving the planet), transgenders, real people with real needs who are more honest and more productive than most Americans, and racism are made up problems. WOW!
Save for Afghanistan, Biden has done a superb job digging America out of the hole Trump put us in.
With the experts, there is no debate. Biden has been pretty good and Trump is the worst or near the worst in out history, let alone our lifetime.
The latest ranking from unbiased experts has Biden at 19 out of 45 (the 2nd Cleveland presidency makes it 46) and Trump at an average of 42.5 out of 45.
There should be no doubt now that those who say Biden is terrible are speaking from a highly partisan, highly biased place.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historica … ted_States
+10000000000, Ken, forgive them for they live in Fantasyland, not the real world. I live in reality -that is the definition of maturity.
The coming problems on the horizon emanating from this Administration's choices are going to hit America like a Tsunami.
Western Nation's growth is slowing sharply in the face of elevated inflation, higher interest rates, reduced investment, and disruptions caused by the continued war on Russia.
In the United States, growth is forecast to fall to 0.5% in 2023—1.9 percentage points below previous forecasts and the weakest performance outside of official recessions since 1970.
In 2023, euro-area growth is expected at zero percent, a downward revision of 1.9 percentage points. I think this is false optimism however, as corporation after corporation go bankrupt in Germany due to energy costs quadrupling.
In contrast, China's growth is projected at 4.3% in 2023, and it is expected to grow higher in 2024 as new trade agreements and increases in cheap energy resources become more available.
We may not be in a World War militarily at the moment, but we are definitely in a economic war between the growing influence and unity of the BRICS nations, as they get other nations to shift away from America.
It is so odd how many just can't see what a huge problem has occurred with China becoming the #1 trade partner for most of the world.
What is sad they did all of this right in front of our noses. But we had bigger issues, bigger things to worry us, Trump and Russia's collusion. It is laughable if it were not so tragic. Thank you for posting your maps . I find charts and maps really can provide sobering facts, more so words.
Well, it is looking like Biden, once again, is doing what thinking Americans hired him to do (assuming the debt deal doesn't get blown up). In this case work with the other side to get a fair compromise.
I will give Kevin McCarthy kudos as well for finally putting America first and self second and Party third.
If it stands, the big losers are the far-right who really wanted America to default. I say that because they are very aware their 100% political, draconian "budget" was going nowhere outside the House. So, where do we stand:
* The far-right wanted to go through this again in April 2024. Biden negotiated a two-year deal. Hopefully, the Democrats won't squander away their next chance to do away with this fake debt crisis once and for all. They blew it the last time they had the chance.
* The far-right wanted to roll back domestic spending to 2019 levels for a decade. Biden negotiated freeze at current levels for 2024 and a 1% growth built in for 2025. Then it can be negotiated again, as it should be each year.
* The far-right wanted tough work requirements for those draw means-tested assistance. Biden negotiated an increase in age for the current requirements from 49 to 54. Seems reasonable to me and the Democrats need to keep their mouths shut about that one. The expanded requirements end in 2030 and do not apply to Medicaid like the Freedom Caucus callously wanted.
* Biden agreed to do what he was already going to do - restart student loan repayments
* Claw back unused Covid relief funds, something Biden and most Democrats wanted in the first place before this manufactured crises began.
* The biggest give Biden made was to cancel the 2023 IRS plus-up in funding to help improve operations and relieve the staff shortage. Tax cheats get a break.
All-in-all, this appears to me like Biden got what he wanted - a debt ceiling increase with few strings attached.
GOOD JOB JOE!!!!!Great, he turned out not to be a pussy and just capitulate to Republican demands, without recourse. But the president had given a way a lot more than I would have liked.
McCarthy had better get his rightwing holdouts on board because no more concessions can be expected.I think Republicans played into his strong suit. The bill is out now and I don't think McCarthy has long for his speakership.
What did Biden give away?After further review and the understanding that the progressive caucus was upset because Biden gave away too much, I came away with the reality that some compromise was necessary to prevent the fall over the precipice.
I stand down as Biden probably did as well as can be expected.I can only imagine how bad things would have been if they still controlled the House.
87,000 new IRS agents... yikes!Do you have something to worry about with your taxes? You seem fixated on not catching tax cheats.
Exactly, there are TOO MANY government workers who do almost nothing yet they receive ENORMOUS salaries. It's time to TRIM THAT fat- get rid of 75-80% of government workers. They just occupy space.
IRS typically targets the poorest of Americans.
There is two reasons for this. One is that they make easily provable mistakes or omissions that are slam dunks in Tax Court. The second is these people do not have the means to hire accountants and lawyers to defend themselves and prove their defense.
If they add 87,000 more agents, that will only mean 87,000 more people are looking for people to prosecute to justify their position's existence.
Inflation and higher interest rates aren't putting Americans into poverty fast enough, the IRS needs to help the process along, so that more Americans find themselves destitute and desperate.I was wrong, the Republicans lied, they towed the establishment line and gave Biden everything he wanted.
McCarthy on their "Commitment to America":
Sept 23, 2022: “On our very first bill we’re going to repeal 87,000 IRS agents! Our job is to work for you, not go after you!”
May 27, 2023: McCarthys debt ceiling agreement hires 85,000 new IRS agents.
Once again, the American people get screwed just a little bit more.This one I question. If we have a bunch of tax cheats, how is it screwing the American people to hire IRS agents to stop the cheating? If we DON'T have tax cheats then what does it hurt except spending money we don't need to?
I guess you forget how they weaponized the IRS against TeaParty activists and other conservatives during Obama's 2012 reelection run.
Perhaps you trust your government to do the right thing, like how the FBI does.
Did you know in Tax Court you are presumed guilty, that you have to prove your innocence, do you know how easy it is for the IRS to seize all your assets, or garnish your wages?Actually, that is disinformation as well. It simply isn't true. Instead, it is math. When 90%, or so, of the applications for special tax status come from sketchy conservative organizations, you would expect 90% of the investigations to be of sketchy conservative organizations.
As I said, MAGA hates to look behind the curtain to find out WHY something happened.
Tax Court - And WHY would that be? Could it be the IRS already has documentation proving you cheated and if the tax cheat can't refute the documentation, the judge must find them guilty.
I trust a Democratic run government to generally do the right thing and I USED to trust a Republican run government to generally do the right thing. BUT, with the on-set of MAGA, that trust in a Republican run gov't has evaporated.
(I even didn't lose trust when Bush lied his way into the Iraq war. And yes, I am aware that Johnson apparently did the same thing with the Tonkin Gulf excuse, although that is still debatable)Were 90% of the applications for special tax status from sketchy conservative organizations? That sounds a bit sketchy itself.
I recall, from that time, that there was 'testimony' about internal directions to focus on conservative organizations—because they were conservative. If there was sketchiness, the tone I remember is they were targeted for sketchy political reasons. But, my recall might be a bit sketchy too.
GAI remember seeing the surface reports you mention, but when I dug deeper, it turned out it was just a matter of numbers. In looking again, I found that I was right and wrong.
This is where I ended up being wrong. It turns out the IRS did target organizations with sketchy names like "Tea Party" and "Patriots", names you don't necessarily associate with non-political organizations. They used keywords to do their searches.
Where I am right is that they didn't just target conservative groups, they targeted liberal ones as well, just not as many because they were much smaller in number.
Two groups filed suit and DOJ/IRS admitted they screwed up. That said, I will still take the result under advisement because of who was in charge when the cases were settled. The actions took place in 2013. The cases were settled in 2017 under Jeff Sessions and whoever the IRS commissioner Trump appointed. Based on their history and Trump's thumb on the scales of those kinds of things, I don't trust them in doing right by the public.
At no other time in my lifetime would I have thought such a thing about either organization, but Trump was such a corrupting influence that it would surprise me that they threw the fight.
https://www.npr.org/2017/10/27/56030899 … ive-groups
Some excerpts from a more detailed Wikipedia article.
Conservatives claimed that they were specifically targeted by the IRS, but an exhaustive report released by the Treasury Department's Inspector General in 2017 found that from 2004 to 2013, the IRS used both conservative and liberal keywords to choose targets for further scrutiny.[1][2]
What the judge found was that the IRS should not have opened an investigation based solely on a group's name or political leanings. Those don't necessarily constitute a fake charity. The IRS needed more evidence.
In January 2014, James Comey, who at the time was the FBI director, told Fox News that its investigation had found no evidence so far warranting the filing of federal criminal charges in connection with the controversy, as it had not found any evidence of "enemy hunting", and that the investigation continued. On October 23, 2015, the Justice Department declared that no criminal charges would be filed. On September 8, 2017, the Trump Justice Department declined to reopen the criminal investigation into Lois Lerner, a central figure in the controversy.[3]
And finally,
In October 2017, the Trump Administration agreed to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of more than four hundred conservative nonprofit groups who claimed that they had been discriminated against by the Internal Revenue Service for an undisclosed amount described by plaintiffs' counsel as "very substantial." The Trump Administration also agreed to settle a second lawsuit brought by forty-one conservative organizations with an apology and an admission from the IRS that subjecting them to "heightened scrutiny and inordinate delays" was wrongful.[4][5]
The Republican controlled House held an investigation and concluded the scrutiny of conservative organizations was not justified while the scrutiny of liberal organizations were "too few" in number to bother with. The Democrats, of course, said the Republicans overlooked a lot of other evidence.
https://www.npr.org/2017/10/27/56030899 … ive-groups
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_targeting_controversyFound the IRS did nothing wrong?
Imagine that...
Kindo of like Clinton did nothing wrong, wiping those servers, destroying those phones, etc. etc.
Well, if Comey said there was nothing there, then obviously there is nothing more to look into.
Damned shame he wasn't around when Hunter Biden needed his laptop to disappear.
Very progressive minded, CNN like.
Facts are untrue, provable events are false.
Tax courts do not operate like criminal courts. In a criminal court it is the burden of the prosecutor to prove guilt. In tax court, it is the burden of the taxpayer to prove their innocence.
And since very few taxpayers have a sound understanding of Tax codes and Laws (many accountants struggle with them) its an easy way to prosecute those whom the political party in control wants to prosecute.
Or its an easy way to fleece those people who can least defend themselves from being fleeced.EXACTLY. It is utter futile to discuss things w/certain folks.
I agree. So many on the right are far down the rabbit hole in Trump's alternate universe that they can't see the nose on their face.
Agreed. As it turns out, they didn't repurpose all $80 billion.
I see you have never worked for the Federal government. If you had, you would know you are wrong.
I for one could have gotten a much better paying job in the private industry, but I like serving my country (as did all of those I worked with, they are true patriots). It is also why I am retired Army - I am proud of my country.
I imagine Credence will attest to the same thing.
What have you done for America?Exactly, I do attest to the same thing.
I am an Air Force vet. And I have done my bit for God and Country, and have nothing for which to be ashamed. I took pride in making sure that the tax payer got value in goods and services acquired from the public purse.
Ask Grace why she shoots herself in the foot, did she not say that she worked for the State of New York, public sector?Yes, I did. I saw how the workers were. Many were there because they COULDN'T work anywhere else. Many were the worst employees imaginable. However, they couldn't get fired for their ineptitude because of the STRONG unions. Most government employment is a waste of time, money & resources. I have seen government ineptitude first hand. I contend that government employment which is in most parts utterly superfluous should be trimmed AT LEAST 75%.
Such is your opinion, I beg to differ and challenge it. What makes you the expert on all of this? Government unions are not that strong, I know because I was a an administrator for one within my former agency.
Where I was- the unions were strong. I tried to terminate an employee for poor performance which I documented but the union intervened. She was merely disciplined. The government unions in New York State are strong. People who should be fired-WEREN'T. That is why New York State has a high number of incompetent employees who couldn't work anywhere else. State unions(in New York) are VERY STRONG. While I was supervisor, I fought with them many times as some of my subordinates considered me to be a harsh supervisor because I would tolerate no nonsense on their part. I went by THE BOOK.
You are old enough to remember PATCO, when Reagan simply fired striking Air Traffic controllers. I was a scab and came that close to going to Oklahoma City during the 80s to train to replace the strikers. I had passed all of the aptitude tests,
Management still had an inordinate influence within Labor mileau of Federal employment and the Civil service. I cannot speak for the State of New York.I must support this statement.
NY is corrupt, and run by brutally incompetent individuals throughout the various government agencies.
It is a welfare state that goes out of its way to train the people collecting welfare on how to game the system.
I dealt with it from a position to know. I was a Director for multiple programs and I had contact with people who worked directly for the governor.
It was a revelation to me, many things I saw during my years there and running those programs were... demoralizing, to say the least.
The fraud, abuse, mismanagement, theft.... rampant. And if you aren't willing to play along and take your slice, if you have some moral conviction to do the right things, you will find yourself in an untenable position quick enough.
Yeah, it used to be nice going to those fancy gatherings, where the alcohol and steak or lobster dinner was free, getting to rub elbows with State Senators and the who's-who of state politics.
Paid for with donations for the poor, or with taxpayer money, or corporate donations.
It was even more fun being given programs to run where the State gave you millions of dollars to spend and berated you for saving money and not spending more than you were budgeted for... they didn't want to give any of it back you see, they needed to justify asking for more the next year.
NY is not a place a Conservative is likely to be happy living, unless they just don't know any better because they have never lived outside the state.Well, my 25 years as a Air Force civil servant, I saw only one instance of serious graft. I never experienced any of the things you want us to believe is true. Credence was in a job where he might have seen more of it, but I seriously doubt it.
It is simply a conservative myth with no studies to back it up and only an occasional anecdote to prove their point, at least at the federal level, that gov't workers are as you describe. Maybe you are thinking of local and state levels where corruption is much more likely.In my over 30 years in the acquisition profession at least in my agency, we did not have problems. We all already knew that getting ones hand caught in the "cookie jar", conflicts of interest and taking bribes, was the most surest way to get terminated. It was taught as chapter 1 in the Acquisitions 101 course.
Many Republicans and the MAGA Right obviously played hooky and missed out on the lesson on the basic premise of integrity, their fearless leader is a case in point.
I had to fire someone as well. I followed the rules and documented it. She fought like crazy, but lost a year later.
That may be true in New York, but not in the federal gov't, as a rule.
Whether you realize it or not, it is gov't employees, implementing gov't policy that makes life so easy for most of us. They make sure:
Flying is safe
Corporations don't pollute
You have safe roads to drive on (most of the time anyway).
You get your social security.
They protect you from enemies foreign, and more lately, domestic.
Your food is safe to eat.
They teach your children
The list goes on forever.
I to saw the result of irrational downsizing. In this case it was Obama and Gore who took an ax to civilian workers. The result was the transfer of work we did to the private sector at a much greater cost and less productivity. It was a massive failure.I remember all that from as early as the Reagan Eighties. It was called "contracting out", that, along with "supply side economics" was quite the craze. It was right up there with "break dancing"....
The problem is that they quietly shelved the ideas when the realize that regardless how it was shaped and presented, having the private sector replace the civil service employee proved more expensive for the taxpayer.
That is one way to look at it.
The other way is that there was compromise, on both sides.
That ultimately ended up getting something done that was down the middle.
I think it was a good deal, the IRS issue was huge, those agents wouldn't have been targeting the top ten percent, they would have been unleashed upon the bottom 90%. That is how things always work when government overreach occurs.Yes, both sides compromised and it will probably cost McCarthy his job. That is why I gave him kudos for FINALLY putting country ahead of himself and the MAGA party.
As to "down the middle"? I don't think so. I tried to make that clear when I laid out what the compromises were and why the Freedom Caucus is going to try to fire him.I am sure you feel you did make your opinion clear.
I consider your opinions to be extremely biased, regurgitated information from sources like CNN or NPR.
Usually bereft of key contextual information or omitting certain facts.
Before you object, I also know you consider all my information biased and absent of critical information, so you don't need to belabor it.Has to trusted news sources, take a look at this. Even though CNN falls well below where I think it should, it is still significantly better than all of the right-wing sources. At least they don't fabricate things and lie like your sources do.
https://today.yougov.com/topics/politic … trust-poll
Anyone that wants the true facts (which are not being widely reported ) in regard to what Biden has truely taken out of our national reserves please visit the link. It's surprising how much he has taken in such a very short time, and he continues monthly to take more. June first will be another dump. These are ugly facts --- so skip it you don't want o be very much shocked. Oil prices never went down, Bidenis just dumped our reserves to make it look like they did.
https://ycharts.com/indicators/us_endin … um_reserve
https://fortune.com/2023/04/22/biden-st … ve-refill/
U.S. energy secretary says it could take years to refill oil reserve
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy … 023-03-23/"Oil prices never went down" - I THOUGHT you liked to be factual, because that is not factual, not even close. I gave these to you once before, maybe you forgot, it is easy to do with so many words being thrown around.
Gas prices go and gas prices go down, currently they are on a slight increase.at 3.711 in April. Gas Prices over time for April in 2023 constant dollars:
2001 - Bush: $2.63
2008 - Bush: $4.77
2009 - Obama: $2.86
2016 - Obama: $2.71
2017 - Trump: $3.02
2019 - Trump, pre-pandemic: $3.30
2020 - Trump: $2.19 (nobody was driving)
2021 - Biden: $3.19
2022 - Biden, just before Putin's war started: $3.61
2022 - Biden, just after Putin's war started: $4.21
2023 - Biden: $3.58
It looks like Trump did terrible compared to Obama, doesn't it. And currently Biden is a WHOPPING 28 Cents higher than Trump, pre-pandemic.
Finally, Biden is 63 Cents LOWER than post invasion. What was that about prices NEVER going down? (I just saw you said oil, but gas tracks very closely with the movement of oil. But, if you insist, I can do the same for oil and get similar results)
AND, as I said, Biden is filling up the reserve as we speak. Biden drew down the reserve to counter Putin's war impact on gas prices so that YOU wouldn't have to pay as high a price as otherwise would have been.
Personally, I am grateful he tried.
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafH … pg&f=m
Found a bit of misinformation posted in regard to " Biden
No, we are not or have been added to the reserves in fact if one goes to the source and checks out the truth and just how much this nut has depleted the reserves would shock most. Hopefully, some here if they run across this comment will check out the link. The charts alone will sicken the most, and the schedule on the drawdowns are monthly, More will be sold on the market on June 1, 2023. No old Joe has got us headed
toward empty.
However, hopefully, a few here at HPs will check out the facts on Joe draining our reserves --- the media certainly is not reporting it. I went to the source, always the best facets can be found in the actual source.
https://ycharts.com/indicators/us_endin … ear%20ago.Simple, just state the facts:
The reserve was designed to hold up to 714 million barrels of crude oil across four storage sites along the Gulf of Mexico, where much of the U.S. petroleum refining capacity is located.
When Biden took office, we had 638 million barrels in reserve.
Today we have 338 million barrels in reserve.
At this rate he will have depleted HALF the reserves by June of this year.
It was maintained between 630 and 660 million barrels during the latter half of Trump's Administration, I didn't go back beyond 2018.
In fact, Biden has drained America's Strategic Petroleum Reserves to the lowest level since 1982. That was shortly after the oil crises we had in the late 70s. The earliest available EIA reserve data is from 1982.
In other words, our reserves have never been lower. Not since they were established in the 1970s to avoid another oil/gas crises like we had then.Just like a good conservative - never look behind the curtain. Never understand the WHY something happened. It gets in the way of their negative narrative.
Biden did America a favor in using the reserves to help stabilize prices.-1000000000. Biden & the Demoncrats are spending America into FURTHER DEBT. You are living IN THE CLOUDS. Don't you realize that with the rate of incessant, insane spending that America's social security will be cut 23% or even eliminated altogether. Biden is making a FINE MESS of the country. He is welcoming illegals which we can ill afford. He is concentrating on minute social issues which are quite irrelevant right now. Inflation is still escalating. More & more people(middle class) are becoming.......HOMELESS. PLEASE, PLEASE, live in REALITY. You aren't living in reality sir but LIVING IN THE CLOUDS. Biden hasn't done S*********T for this country. To paraphrase Stevie Wonder, if Biden want to hear our views, HE HAS DONE NOTHING. You are extra grown, sir.
Did you ever say Trump & the Republicans spend us into further debt? I doubt it. It is only bad when Democrats do it. Is that the way it works for you?
Biden is FIXING the FINE MESS Trump caused.
I understand those "social issues", e.g. discrimination, hate crimes, right-wing domestic terrorism are of little concern to the right-wing who don't really care about such things, BUT, they are very important to caring, thinking Americans.
I guess you haven't been following MSM which has reported CPI inflation has declined every month for something like the last 8 months. (The recent report you apparently base your whole opinion on (instead of all the facts) was a one month increase in ONE of the gauges the Fed looks at.)
You are right, I am not living in your reality, i.e., the Trump reality.
Actually much of those reserves were sold to the Chinese and other corporations.
Any fluctuation/increases in prices came from his conflicts with Russia and Saudi Arabia.
If he hadn't ticked off Saudi Arabia and kicked off a war with Russia, we would probably be seeing an economic boom today due to incredibly cheap energy and a thriving global economic surge post-pandemic.
Biden Sold Oil From Emergency Reserves To Chinese Gas Giant Tied To His Scandal-Plagued Son
https://thefederalist.com/2022/07/08/bi … agued-son/
Why is Biden selling our emergency oil reserves to our enemies?
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/rest … uiEALw_wcBMaybe this will help you understand the TRUTH and stop spreading misleading information such as "Actually much of those reserves were sold to the Chinese and other corporations."
The TRUTH is little IF ANY of the SPR oil made it to China. And, if any did, you have to remember - THIS IS AMERICA, where we don't dictate what the purchasers of the SPR oil can do with what they buy. They do that in your go-to country of Russia.
The TRUTH is, very little of the SPR oil made it to ANY country other than the US.
https://www.factcheck.org/2022/07/u-s-s … companies/
I guess you didn't look at what I provided Sharlee - Gas and Oil are as cheap as it was under Trump (plus or minus a little bit) in inflation adjusted dollars.
I believe virtually nothing from those untrusted sources of information you provided. Did you see where the Examiner fell on that link I provided you are somebody saying something about CNN. I think the Examiner was one of the ones that had a negative score, lol.
Oh, BTW, the TRUTH is Putin, and only Putin, started the war with Ukraine. Anything else is perpetuating Russian propaganda.
As I said, MAGA never asks WHY, it seems.
Yours is old news, try this from Dec 2022
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/1 … e-00074369
And this from March 2023
Biden administration starts process to refill emergency oil reserve
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-envir … l-reserve/
Now isn't this interesting. You know that woman who some here hold up as a hero who accused Biden of so-called "sexual assault" back in 1993 (which has been thoroughly discredited)? Well, she apparently just defected to Russia, lol.
She is now talking to Russian state media. I have to wonder if Trump paid her way.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/31/politics … index.htmlTDS at work, folks. TDS. Instead of concentrating on Trump, let's us concentrate on Biden. Biden is PROBLEMATIC, man.
It is BDS. Trump proved he did a terrible job yet you want the criminal back in office, why?
Damn! Biden's great economy keeps perking along. The increase in available jobs would indicate a positive economic outlook by business.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/31/economy/ … index.htmlIf it would only "perk" down to the man in the street. Instead we keep going backward, with inflation eroding any raise we get and more besides.
Hooray for the "improving" economy that costs us living standard!The statement "Damn! Biden's great economy keeps perking along." really doesn't deserve a reply.
There is no American today making less than $200,000 that would believe it.
Inflation has caused the prices of most things to go up... some prices nearly doubling from where they were in 2019.
Interest rates have definitely made the cost of financing any purchase prohibitive. New vehicles and new homes are not worth financing unless you like to throw away money.
Taxes have been raised, refunds are down.
There really is no point arguing the matter, everyone is living the reality of it, it takes a special kind of mindset to think this economy is doing good.And people just keep on buying even though as someone here said, their pockets are empty. I wonder how they do that since bankruptcies are well below 2019 levels.
I know what I said is true and I have proved it time and again. All you do is SAY it isn't and expect people to believe you. Facts and data would help a lot, so where are they?Mr. Esoteric, unless you are in the 1% of earners, inflation is kicking one in the @#$%%. Only those in the 1% don't feel the effects of inflation. You probably are in the 1% which explains why you don't feel the effects of inflation. Yes, the upper class don't feel such effects while the middle class does. Since you are in the 1%, you contend that inflation is down. To the middle class such as myself, INFLATION IS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH-H-I-G-H...........
INLFATION IS NOT AT AN ALL TIME HIGH. Please get your facts straights or stop misleading us.
I am well off, but not in the 1% and yes, my wife complains about the pandemic-caused inflation as well.
But, inflation much not be devasting since people are spending money AT AN ALL TIME HIGH, which you won't explain.U.S. inflation at 9.1 percent, a RECORD HIGH
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/u- … ecord-high
The Federal Reserve has raised the fed funds rate to a range of 5%-5.25% bringing borrowing costs to their HIGHEST LEVEL since September 2007.
While inflation was at record highs a year ago... and may not be today... the prices are still at RECORD HIGHS... inflation has done its damage, while people's incomes have remained flat.
That is why people are spending more money than ever... because gas, eggs, milk, etc. costs more money than ever.
And with that new 4 Trillion dollars they plan on spending, expect another wave of inflation as the Dollar becomes worth even less in the years to come. Thanks Biden... thanks Uniparty.That spending is only happening if you use country wide figures and not the spending from individuals, and if you ignore the effects of inflation.
It certainly does. Let's assume that Mr. Esoteric is in the 1% of earners.
When are you going to explain why consumer spending is at an all time high? I asked before, so I guess you don't have an answer.
Sorry, the economy isn't improving one iota. Anyone who believes such is either in the upper classes or clearly delusionally schizoid.
Or can CORRECTLY interpret the data and doesn't let partisan blinders replace brain function.
Let's see:
* You can get a job if you want one and one much better paying than before.
* Inflation is within 3% of normal
* GDP keeps growing
* As hard as the Fed tries to slow down the economy, business found a way to add more job openings last month
* Unemployment is AT ITS LOWEST LEVEL IN 54 YEARS.
* The stock market is much higher than Trump's best
What is not to love about that?"* Inflation is within 3% of normal"
Or, to put it another way and a way that is far more informative, inflation is double the normal.
"* GDP keeps growing"
Sure does; all that money Biden gives away, including that to illegal aliens he invites into the country, raises that country wide spending. Unfortunately, those people building this great land are not a part of it - instead they have cut savings to near zero (many spending their savings instead of adding to it) to have the money to survive. Thus raising your precious GDP, but watching as their standard of living falls.I just don't understand what pleasure you get out writing dis and misinformation and always leaving out context and never providing supporting detail.
What? You don't think inflation is double whatever it is you call "normal"? You believe that is "misinformation"?
Or do think it is untrue that Biden gave away many billions? Or that he has let in illegal aliens? Or that he is supporting them from the American tax dollar? Do you think it false that American savings have fallen considerably?
Or what context did you give that I left out?
"* Inflation is within 3% of normal" You need to back up such a statement.
"US Inflation Rate is at 4.93%, compared to 4.98% last month and 8.26% last year. This is higher than the long-term average of 3.28%" https://ycharts.com/indicators/us_inflation_rate
"The Federal Reserve has not established a formal inflation target, but policymakers generally believe that an acceptable inflation rate is around 2 percent or a bit below." https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/5D5 … 55F774.htm
Why are people spending so much if they are hurting as much as you say? I have asked you that before but since you can't answer it, you ignore it and repeat nonsense.
They AREN'T buying so much. What you're seeing is coming, as you know, from Washington and it's borrowing, not from the man in the street that is watching his purchasing power erode away as Biden keeps borrowing and spending as if there is no tomorrow. Perhaps there isn't.
Let's put everything into perspective and get away from all this hyper-partisan hyperventilating about the economy.
INFLATION:
* 4.05% as if May with a distinct downward trend
* Currently, inflation has fallen 55% from its most recent high.
* Since 1913 (conservatives always like to look to the past, don't they?) there have been 1,284 months until the current upswing.
* Fed wants inflation to average 2% over the long-term and try to stay between 1% and 2.5%
* Inflation didn't cooperate, so some context.
** Inflation has run higher than the current 4.05% for 365 (28%) of those months (don't get too exited that that is terrible)
** Deflation (often worse than moderate inflation) occurred for another 154 (12%) months
** The Fed only made its goal in 386 (30%) of those months.
** That means inflation (as conservatives would like to characterize it) was "out of control" for 379 (30%) more months
* SO, what is "normal"? The 1/3 of the time inflation stayed between 1 and 2.5% or the 70% of the time it spent being "out of control"? The answer seems obvious to me.
* Deflation is the result of depressions or major recessions, all of which were the result of conservative economic policies.
* Excess inflation is almost always the result of factors neither the President nor Congress can control (no matter how much conservatives want to fantasize that they do.)
THE REST OF ECONOMIC METRICS
* Unemployment at or near historic lows in spite of the feds efforts to increase unemployment to decrease inflation.
* Job creation at or near all time highs
* GDP growth remains at a healthy and sustainable 2% per year after having done better than that the previous two years of Biden's term.
To summarize, the economy is healthy (even though people SAY they don't think it is) and inflation, while not pleasant at all, is nothing out of the ordinary and is better than a lot of years.
I also realize that what people THINK about the economy, especially if it is reinforced by the right-wing media, is more important that REALITY. That, of course, is not good for Biden or the Democrats.
Counterbalancing that, however, is all the terrible decisions coming out of the Supreme Court, the MAGA war on women, the MAGA war on minorities, and the MAGA war on real education.“{Affirmative Action} fly in the face of our colorblind Constitution and our nation’s equality ideal.” Thomas
Note: The "colorblind Constitution" was written by slave holders.Duly noted. As I wrote somewhere else, "race neutral" (or "colorblind") is just a euphemism for keeping the oppressed, oppressed.
The only time those terms work in the real world is if the starting point is total equality (which we know is not really real). If Thomas isn't careful, is marriage will be made illegal - Again.Also, if Thomas doesn't want to be a hypocrite, he would note that as an "originalist" he is only 4/5ths of a person.
Economists are saying that with the conservatives interjecting themselves without good cause into fiscal policies is going to cost the economy about $80,000,000,000 a year. Moody's says that may shave about a 1/4 percent off of GDP growth.
Now here you get to perception vs reality. In the larger scheme of things, that 1/4% will not be noticed given all the other fluctuations. But, 40,000,000 Americans and their families will notice the drop in spendable income. Who will they blame? Biden who fought hard for the loan forgiveness or the conservatives who fought harder to deny that to them.So what happened to that recession everyone was predicting?
"There is no recession out on the horizon," said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at Fwdbonds.
"We can hold the applause for Fed officials thinking they could take a meeting off, however, as apart from the labor market, everything everywhere in the economy is coming back to life and setting new records."
Capital goods orders, home prices, home sales and consumer confidence are all rebounding, Rupkey said. There is also strengthening demand for cars and light trucks."
This gives the Fed room to continue to lower inflation which they have already cut by more than 50% from its high and only has 2% to go.Will there be a recession in 2023?
Most economists still expect a recession in the second half of the year. They say the Fed’s high interest rates eventually will be felt more profoundly by consumers and businesses. At the same time, banks are pulling back lending because of deposit runs that led to the collapse of several regional banks early this year.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/20 … 304424007/
93% of CEOs are preparing for a recession—here’s what it means for you"
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/02/93-perc … xpect.htmlFrom your source - "But the economy has been remarkably resilient and, though wobbly at times, has repeatedly defied forecasts of a downturn. Economists, in turn, have continued to push out their estimates of when a recession will begin.
Yet forecasters still say there’s a 61% chance of a mild slide this year, according to those surveyed by Wolters Kluwer Blue Chip Economic Indicators."
That was a month ago. I wonder what they say today with the new numbers?
[b]Biden just secured a big win from his Europe trip[/b\
One of the biggest yet!!! GO BIDEN
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/11/politics … index.htmlAnd they all say that Biden is demented? You gotta consider the source.
That is so true. Sort of like children who can't see behind surface characteristics and make fun of people's affectations. All the while the person shows him or herself far above the norm.
What’s happening?
At this point in his term — about 910 days in — Joe Biden is the second-most-unpopular president in modern U.S. history. As of July 18, Biden’s average job-approval rating, according to the poll aggregators at FiveThirtyEight, is a paltry 39.1%; his average disapproval rating is 55.4%. That means his “net approval rating” is -16.3%, which is well “underwater,” as pollsters like to say.
Negative 16.3% is also really bad historically speaking. In fact, the only president with weaker numbers than Biden was Jimmy Carter, who hit -28.6% on day 910. At the time, just 29% of Americans approved of Carter’s performance on average, while 57.6% disapproved.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/bi … al-rating/
WELL DONE, JOE! Bidenomics has brought inflation down to almost desirable levels cutting 6% points from its 9% high.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/12/economy/ … index.htmlAnother WELL DONE, JOE. This is a student debt relief action I can support.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/14/politics … index.htmlBiden in Helsinki shows Trump how NOT to act like a traitor.
While Trump PRAISED Putin, Biden states the obvious - Putin has lost his war.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics … land-nato/Interesting results from a very detailed https://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-conten … 191021.pdf
Biden Approval - almost even 45% - 49%
-- Needs to work on Independents even though they generally lean Right - 32% to 59%
-- Needs to work on the 12% very liberal Democrats who disapprove
-- Surprise (to me): Independent Women (28%) think less of Biden than Independent Men (35%0
-- Surprise: Midwest likes Biden (46% to 48%) better than the Northeast (43% to 51%)
-- Biden needs to work on those without college degree (36% to 56%). He is solid with College graduates (57% - 38%)
-- Biden's best demographic is White Women College Graduates (62% - 30%)
-- SURPRISE: It is the GenX that are a drag to Biden (39% - 54%). He is Positive with the other generations!
-- Women also have a positive view of Biden, 50% - 41%
-- Same with Families with Children, 51% - 42%
-- Small City/Suburban Women can save the day at 50% - 40%
The Democrats will win if they can turn out the college educated, suburban women with kids vote.Back to the subject of the thread ---
During the inquiry, the credibility of the whistleblower's evidence remained unchallenged as no one questioned its veracity. However, the Democrats' response was quite hyperbolic. as they vociferously emphasized Trump's name over and over, seemingly without presenting any form of substantive counterarguments. This approach, in my view, ultimately backfired, as they appeared flustered by the solid facts presented. They again in my view, led to them making a less-than-favorable impression.
In contrast, the Republicans effectively punctured the Democrats' weak arguments and exposed the vulnerabilities in their stance.
It would appear at this point we need to hear from U.S. attorney Weiss under oath. And hopefully, more brave whistleblowers will step up, and do the right thing. Most Americans detest corruption, and I am sure would like to get to the bottom of this alleged corruption.
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