Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Giving up is unforgivable.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

People are weird.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Friday Morning Open Thread: EXCELSIOR!

Friday Morning Open Thread: EXCELSIOR!

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Excelsior, Ever upward, is the motto of the state of New York. (Guess where Marvel Comic’s Stan Lee grew up.) The nuns in our Bronx parochial school joked that it meant the packaging material otherwise known as wood wool, ‘because you’re not allowed to put b*** s*** on an official logo.’ The GOP is busy putting the… wood wool… in their opposition to the Pandemic Recovery Act…

Pretty much at the 27% Crazification Factor…

Reader Interactions

250Comments

  1. 1.

    Low Key Swagger

    Morning, all.  Tired of getting pushback when I tell people here how to get vaccinated.  It isn’t angry pushback, just still so much uncertainty.  What’s that saying here?  Blech?  Think I’ve got it.

  8. 8.

    debbie

    Johnson better be at his desk, listening closely. And the clerks better receive double overtime for this bullshit.

  10. 10.

    debbie

    Of course the recovery must be slow, as slow as possible. More time for fleecing the rubes.

  12. 12.

    Baud

    President Joe Biden intends to work with Congress to repeal the war authorizations that have underpinned U.S. military operations across the globe for the past two decades and negotiate a new one that reins in the open-ended nature of America’s foreign wars, the White House said Friday.

  13. 13.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Twitter isn’t just nonsense, sometimes it’s entertaining nonsense, even educational nonsense. This tweet thread is a good example:

    Vincent Alexander
    @NonsenseIsland
    THREAD: Lots of us learned classical music from watching old cartoons, so I’m going to identify the pieces that frequently popped up.

    One of the most recognizable is Franz Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2,” performed by those great piano virtuosos Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry.

    As one who grew up watching Looney Tunes, I knew I was getting an education in classical music, but some of the details have faded. For instance, I have clear memories of my 4 or 5 year old self walking around singing “Fiiiigaro, FigaroFigaroFigaro…”

    Vincent Alexander
    @NonsenseIsland
    ·
    Mar 1
    An aria of Rossini’s “Barber of Seville” that shows up constantly in animation is “Largo al Factotum,” which introduces the Figaro character. Even the piece’s Wikipedia article credits the tune’s lasting legacy to its use in cartoons. Here are just a few iconic examples:

    Now I know why.

  19. 19.

    satby

    @Immanentize:  And along those lines: yeah, I know he’s an asshole but

    Chip Franklin InsideTheBeltway.com@chipfranklin 19h
    It’s occurred to me that Republicans want Cuomo out so they can replace him with a Gov who could pardon Trump for state crimes

  21. 21.

    Baud

    A midlevel member of the Trump State Dept. has been arrested on charges related to the Capitol attack.

    NYT > Top Stories / by Katie Benner / 7h

    You’ll have to google.

  22. 22.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    The US Senate is the world’s worst and most useless deliberative body.

    After the Revolution, we burn every book on parliamentary procedure, and have a dance and orgy in celebration.

  23. 23.

    debbie

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Heh. Personally, I have learned a lot from those folding fitted sheets tweets. I now know how to roll them up in a ball and toss them in the closet.

  27. 27.

    lowtechcyclist

    The nuns in our Bronx parochial school joked that it meant the packaging material otherwise known as wood wool

    The original (1952) book version of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying uses ‘excelsior’ in this manner.

  28. 28.

    debbie

    @satby:

    This sounds like it’s from the school that sees T**** as an unexcelled brilliant genius rather than the brutish incompetent portrayed by the libtard left. If I ever have doubts about how I see him, I remember his thoughts about injecting bleach or swallowing lightbulbs and know we were right all along.

  30. 30.

    debbie

    @Baud:

    Adam’s post last night about the numbers of Congresspeople and even Capitol Police sympathetic to the insurrection was very frightening.

  31. 31.

    satby

    @debbie: ?

    Not sure how you came up with that interpretation. I took it to mean that it’s the usual Republican assassin maneuver to get rid of a Democrat they see as an obstacle. Which in this case would be an attempt to scuttle the state investigation of their god-king so he’s free to run again in 2024. And I totally buy them trying that.

    Edit: and I didn’t infer direct T**** involvement in it.

  32. 32.

    NotMax

    One thing which can be said of Excelsior! — it rolls off the tongue easier than Hawaii’s Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ‘Āina i ka Pono (The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness).

    ;)

  35. 35.

    Delk

    Annual echocardiogram day! Hope they don’t need contrast because I already have Comfortably Numb echoing in my head.

  36. 36.

    debbie

    @satby:

    I took it to mean T**** pressuring the GQPer legislators to get Cuomo out of there solely to save him from Leticia James and others.

  37. 37.

    SFAW

    @Baud: 

    Trump’s statement was obviously written by someone who is semi-fluent in English, and Rove’s “firing back” was about as milquetoast-y as they come.
    Unless they’re going to settle their differences with M60s at dawn, who cares? It’s not even popcorn-worthy.
    Not your fault, of course.

  39. 39.

    debbie

    @Baud:

    Great that it’s all together in one place now. Based on Hawley’s and Lee’s reactions the other day to privacy (or not) of their phones, I can’t believe it never occurred to any of them that their doings wouldn’t be found out.

  40. 40.

    SFAW

    @NotMax:

    (Have been holding the link in abeyance until a suitable opportunity to slide it in arose.)

    Not sure why you threw out that stricture.

  42. 42.

    satby

    Wounded feral cat update for those who saw my earlier comments: he’s using the hurt paw fully, as far as I can tell from 20 feet away. He’s been getting amoxicillin mixed with food once a day for four days and I’ll keep him on it for a full 10 day course of treatment. Now that he’s feeling better he’s back to staying well away from me when I bring food, and I don’t try to get closer to avoid him freaking out and jumping off the porch potentially hurting his leg again.

    Edit: he looks a lot like TaMara’s kitty Zander

  44. 44.

    NotMax

    @SFAW

    Felt it a little too far out on the edge to toss into the early morn mix without a hook on which to hang it.

    ;)

  46. 46.

    SFAW

    @NotMax:

    Felt it a little too far out on the edge to toss into the early morn mix without a hook on which to hang it.

    Whatever BS excuse you gotta use to make yourself feel better about it.

    Here’s something a little less radical (also from Barbiere, of course). [Tibbett was a favorite of my beloved aunt.]

  50. 50.

    Soprano2

    @Low Key Swagger: I’m ready to sign up as soon as I’m eligible, which might be as soon as March 15th. Yesterday they opened it to 60-64, but you have to have one of the list of health conditions, and I don’t have any of them I guess unless I wanted to push the BMI, and I really don’t.

  55. 55.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: From that article:

    Biden lacks the cosmopolitan appeal of Obama, but to Reagan Democrats, that’s a feature not a bug. “Obama was pro-globalization, and believed we benefited from it,” says [Stanley] Greenberg. “He would have been embarrassed to go see a company that was bringing jobs back from abroad to build in America. He would have been embarrassed to highlight that. But Biden will.” It’s Trump’s economic populism without Trump’s dog-sees-a-squirrel message discipline.

    That’s 100% bullshit. Obama had an entire program called “insourcing” and issued regular reports on the project to bring offshored jobs home. I hope the guy is right when he says there may be a “Biden Republican” trend that helps Democrats and hurts the sedition party, but false premises like that make me question his conclusions.

  57. 57.

    SFAW

    @Baud:  @rikyrah:

    If the Demon-rats wanted to sue him, they should have done so while he was in office. The Republican Constitution clearly states (Article XVIII, I believe) that:

    A) Any lawsuits must be filed before any Republican president leaves office

    B) No suit can be brought against a Republican president until after he leaves office

    C) No Demon-rat, nor any country where Demon-rats exist, has any standing.

     

    I think there are other rules, but I can’t recall them.

  58. 58.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    I seem to have lost the thread of whatever it is we’re arguing about this morning. Yesterday, I got my hair cut. I got a pedicure. And I got my teeth cleaned. It’s good to be vaccinated. :-)

    Today I have to call the eye doctor because my vision is getting blurry as all get out

  61. 61.

    Ken

    @OzarkHillbilly: He walked out less than 5 minutes into the reading.

    I suppose there’s nothing in the House rules that would have let Pelosi chain him to his desk, but I do hope if he raises any more objections during the debate that all the Democrats chant “How would you know.”

  63. 63.

    SFAW

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    I seem to have lost the thread of whatever it is we’re arguing about this morning.

    Thread? We don’t got no stinking thread. We don’t NEED no stinking thread. This is Balloon Juice, after all.

    I hope you’re OK, vis-a-vis the blurry vision thing.

  65. 65.

    zhena gogolia

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    That is a fabulous thread. I just don’t understand why he left out the Wagner cartoon “What’s Opera, Doc?” It’s the masterpiece.

  66. 66.

    SFAW

    @Ken:

    I suppose there’s nothing in the House rules that would have let Pelosi chain him to his desk,

    Especially since he’s a Senator.

  67. 67.

    scribbler

    @satby:  Thank you for the update, and for taking such good care of the animals in your neighborhood.  You’re a good person!

  69. 69.

    germy

    Ron Johnson to CNN: "People are out to destroy me"

    — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 5, 2021

    I know Republicans like Ron Johnson, Rudio and Stefanik like to imitate Trump in their speeches and tweets. I didn’t know they were adopting his mental disorders, too.

  71. 71.

    SFAW

    @germy:

    I know Republicans like Ron Johnson, Rudio and Stefanik like to imitate Trump in their speeches and tweets. I didn’t know they were adopting his mental disorders, too.

    In fairness, Johnson was a moron long before it became fashionable. The paranoia is new, I guess … or it would be, if he were sincere.

  72. 72.

    debbie

    @Another Scott:

    That photograph alone should sink him. I’m wondering if the woman’s friend who took the photograph is another Tara Reade type who released it to benefit T*****.

    Gah, he’s back in my head again!

  73. 73.

    SFAW

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Do they come on that suddenly? A co-worker just had eye surgery (for cataracts, I think). Each eye took about 15 minutes, not counting prep time. Had them done about a month apart. She needs reading glasses, but her far vision is just fine.

  74. 74.

    Betty Cracker

    @Eolirin: Maybe Greenberg is squeamish about calling his focus group members out. Since it’s Politico, no reporter or editor thought to say “hey man, that’s bullshit!” (Or at least I assume they didn’t; I quit reading shortly after that whopper…)

  75. 75.

    Eolirin

    @debbie: Cuomo being forced to step down in scandal isn’t going to benefit Trump, so shrug. We’re not going to elect a Republican governor, and our AG is going to keep going after him.

    We’ll hopefully just get a less shitty governor. If anything this probably only benefits the state. We got Cuomo to use his skills in a situation that actually called for them that’s close to over for us, hopefully, and then we get to replace him with someone better for the other stuff, while holding legislative majorities.

    So if this is a Republican plot it’s a damn stupid one.

  76. 76.

    Anne Laurie

    @lowtechcyclist: The original (1952) book version of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying uses ‘excelsior’ in this manner.

    It’s a very NYC joke.  I’ve always suspected Stan Lee originally meant it sarcastically, but once his comic-book-buying audience found it inspirational’n’stuff…

  77. 77.

    germy

    @SFAW:  In fairness, Johnson was a moron long before it became fashionable.

    Fair enough.

     

    I grew up in a working class family, and at an early age I internalized the notion that men in suits with briefcases were our “betters” – our bosses, judges, doctors.  Educated men with more money and power.

    But now I watch clips of Republican lawmakers.  So many of them are astonishingly dumb.

  79. 79.

    Baud

    @germy:

    While we beat them in 2020, we crushed them in 2018 when Trump wasn’t on the ballot.  They are afraid that their voters won’t turn out without Trump.

  80. 80.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @SFAW: Mine have grown gradually, which I think is the more common course of events. The surgery is pretty routine these days I think, though in my case it’s made a little more complicated by my having had lasik surgery twenty years ago

  81. 81.

    JMG

    @germy: Smart Republicans go into business to make a bundle, putting themselves in position to dictate to officeholders. The ones who can’t hack it in the private sector run for those offices.

  86. 86.

    Eolirin

    @Betty Cracker: Let’s not give him the benefit of the doubt and just assume he’s of the same mentality as the focus group members.

    It’s the same coded speech the right used to other Obama his whole administration. It never matched reality.

  88. 88.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Baud: Trump is sure shaping up to be Republican mirror of Carter. Since 1980 was the first election I can vote, the politics have come full circle in my life.

  89. 89.

    Eolirin

    @Baud: Oh, it’s still all about jews, and how Obama appeals to them more by throwing America under the bus to “globalists”. Black people can’t possibly have America’s best interests at heart. They’re not real Americans after all. //

    It’s pretty maddening that shit like that can get printed by a major news organization. Or that someone who writes something like that can stay hired. It’s pretty transparent.

  92. 92.

    FridayNext

    @Ken:

    There was also an episode of Gomer Pyle where some aged old man gave Gomer a metallic “Excelsior” to give the young private confidence because it was a talisman of some legendary leader (I forget who) then our wacky Marine went from the timid Gomer voice to proud Jim Nabors singing voice for calling cadences.

    But it turned out, the “Excelsior” in question was actually the logo from the front of the old man’s refrigerator and Pvt. Pyle had the confidence in him the whole time.

  93. 93.

    Soprano2

    @Betty Cracker: That’s 100% bullshit. Obama had an entire program called “insourcing” and issued regular reports on the project to bring offshored jobs home.

    You know as well as I do that the only reason that man believes this is because Obama was black. That’s it, full stop. Biden is a pleasant white man, so of course suddenly to these people he’s an acceptable Democratic president. It really is true that perception is reality.

  94. 94.

    Burnspbesq

    @SFAW:

    Don’t know if it was always the case, but nowadays any competent ophthalmologist will consult with you to choose the strength of the lenses he/she puts in during the cataract removal procedure. I had mine optimized for 18-24 inches because at the time I spent most of my workday at a computer. I have OTC readers for in close and a prescription for distance (including prescription Ray-Bans for driving).

  96. 96.

    Steeplejack

    Norman Ornstein was great on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show last night about reforming the filibuster. Here’s his piece on it in the Post: “Democrats can’t kill the filibuster. But they can gut it.”

    His proposals:

    Make the minority do the work. One way to restore the filibuster’s original intent would be requiring at least two-fifths of the full Senate, or 40 senators, to keep debating instead requiring 60 to end debate. The burden would fall to the minority, who’d have to be prepared for several votes, potentially over several days and nights, including weekends and all-night sessions, and if only once they couldn’t muster 40—the equivalent of cloture—debate would end, making way for a vote on final passage of the bill in question.

    Go back to the “present and voting” standard. A shift to three-fifths of the Senate “present and voting” would similarly require the minority to keep most of its members around the Senate when in session. If, for example, the issue in question were voting rights, a Senate deliberating on the floor, 24 hours a day for several days, would put a sharp spotlight on the issue, forcing Republicans to publicly justify opposition to legislation aimed at protecting the voting rights of minorities. [. . .] In a three-fifths present and voting scenario, if only 80 senators showed up, only 48 votes would be needed to get to cloture. Add to that a requirement that at all times, a member of the minority party would have to be on the floor, actually debating, and the burden would be even greater, while delivering what Manchin and Sinema say they want—more debate.

    Narrow the supermajority requirement. Another option would be to follow in the direction of the 1975 reform, which reduced two-thirds (67 out of a full 100) to three-fifths (60 out of 100), and further reduce the threshold to 55 senators—still a supermajority requirement, but a slimmer one.

  98. 98.

    Geminid

    @SFAW: The Republican intra-party fight interests me, and I try to follow it, rooting for injuries. I don’t think we will know how consequential the fight is until next year’s primaries and general elections. With both Kemp and Raffensperger on trump’s shit-list, Georgia may be ground zero for this civil war.

  99. 99.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: I read an article in New York Mag featuring an interview with data analyst David Shor, who’s been sifting through 2020 data. He suggests we are far from  entering a period of Dem political dominance and will in fact be screwed for years unless we step on Republicans’ necks now (metaphorically, of course) AND things break our way. Thought about doing a post on it and may still, but it was depressing, and I don’t want to harsh everyone’s mellow.

  100. 100.

    Baud

    @Betty Cracker:

    I’m not sure how much we can learn from 2020 data. Between Trump and the pandemic, it was a pretty unique election.

    I do think 2020 put to death the notion that traditional non-voters are predominantly disaffected socialists.

  101. 101.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Worth noting again that reading the bill – which may take 12+ hours – is just a stalling tactic. After the reading, up to 20 hours of debate and a lengthy vote-a-rama, the bill will likely pass. Congress has until March 14, when unemployment benefits expire, to pass a final bill.

    Well this was predicted

    “If you want a vision of the future of the GOP, picture an intoxicated, middle aged, morbidly obese, white man, wagging his dick in a human face while eating a cheese burger, forever.”  George Orwell 1984

  102. 102.

    Jeffro

    @Baud: I’m going to have to ruin a few folks’ Friday morning by sharing that one around a bit – thanks!

  103. 103.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Ken: ​
      I am pretty sure that the House rules do not allow Pelosi to chain Senators to anything.

  104. 104.

    Edmund Dantes

    It’s right there in the first couple of paragraphs. Reagan Democrats were people upset that Democrats seemed to care more about the blacks in Detroit. It’s always been racist bullshit cover. Anyone that talks about Reagan Democrats and saying they were anything than racists is trying to sell you something. It was economic anxiety forerunner.

    reagan Democrats were just people that saw blacks finally getting access to government programs and stuff after the civil rights act were starting to really work its way through the system and thought that’s not right. Why do they get the good stuff?

  105. 105.

    Edmund Dantes

    @Steeplejack: I have been arguing this for a long time. A version of the talking filibuster similar to this. Good to seee it getting more traction.

  106. 106.

    Baud

    A solid majority of Americans say they approve of President Joe Biden’s early job performance, according to a new survey, with even more respondents giving him positive marks for his management of the coronavirus pandemic.

     

    The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Friday reports that 60 percent of U.S. adults surveyed approve of Biden’s handling of his job, including 94 percent of Democrats and 22 percent of Republicans

  107. 107.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @germy: ​
      No, he’s right. There are a lot of us in WI who are out to destroy him. The thing he doesn’t really realize is that he brought it on himself.

  108. 108.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Betty Cracker: His analysis was brought up by another commenter a few days ago, he misses the uniqueness of The Former Guy.  Other politicians trying to act like him would be like me doing comedy.  I could say the lines but wouldn’t get the laughs.

  110. 110.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Baud: I do think 2020 put to death the notion that traditional non-voters are predominantly disaffected socialists.

    They are socialist, just they don’t like the other guy getting socialism or being reminded they are benefiting from socialism.

    Claiming things are titled towards the Republicans are meaningless because the GOP is now the political version of the Abram’s Mystery Box; since the GOP has no positions the voters imagine what ever the want with the GOP, then the GOP gets in office and mess happens. A few times of that and they stop voting GOP,

  111. 111.

    Another Scott

    @Steeplejack: Norm’s a smart guy, but IIRC, one of the reasons for the cloture rules and the way the things are now was everything on the Senate floor stopped while a filibuster was going on.  Under the present system, other bills can be worked on on the floor during the various 3-day-delay steps while waiting on a cloture vote.

    One would have to consider whether other changes were needed, I think.  Making it easier to pass important legislation is vital; throwing a monkey wrench in the rest of the Senate’s operations might be bad (and Moscow Mitch would try to make it bad for Democrats).

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  113. 113.

    Baud

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    They are socialist, just they don’t like the other guy getting socialism or being reminded they are benefiting from socialism.

    That’s like saying someone is a humanitarian with respect to all the people he hasn’t tried to kill.

  114. 114.

    frosty

    @Betty Cracker: I read the article and it seems reasonable. However, the words cosmopolitan and globalist jumped out at me. They’re usually a tell for where the author is coming from.

  115. 115.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: His analysis was brought up by another commenter a few days ago, he misses the uniqueness of The Former Guy.

    That’s a real important point about Donald Dumbass; he is above a media celebrity with a large fan base. His in office approval ratings tracked like a TV series ratings and faded as people got bored with his Stupid-Agressive New York rich guy act. That’s why I don’t see Trump 2024, people are bored with the endless remakes.

  117. 117.

    lurker dean

    nice.

    @jimsciutto

    Dems seem to have outplayed GOP on the Covid delay. After the all-night reading,

    @ChrisVanHollen 
    simply got up, proposed shortening the debate from 20 hours to 3 and no Republican including
    @RonJohnsonWI
    was around to contest. In the end, the dramatic Bill reading delayed nothing

  118. 118.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Baud: That’s like saying someone is a humanitarian with respect to all the people he hasn’t tried to kill.

    Or tried to eat.

    But look at it historically; the general population just loved it when the government sent the military in to murder the Indians and steal whole swaths of Mexico and then gave the land to them for free, so they can go pretend they built that by themselves. It’s all cosplay Libertarism.

  119. 119.

    Geminid

    @Omnes Omnibus: It looks like Rep. Mike Gallagher (WI-8) wants to retire Johnson in a primary even if Johnson decides to go for another term. Gallagher would likely be tougher to beat. I hope Wisconsin Democrats can get the job done.

  120. 120.

    Steeplejack

    Nelson Muntz “Ha-ha!”

    Dems seem to have outplayed GOP on the Covid delay. After the all-night reading, @ChrisVanHollen simply got up, proposed shortening the debate from 20 hours to 3 and no Republican including @RonJohnsonWI was around to contest. In the end, the dramatic Bill reading delayed nothing.

    — Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) March 5, 2021

  121. 121.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @lowtechcyclist: “Excelsior” is also the name of a theme for a particular type of solution to chess problems. It’s a clue in The Emperor of Ocean Park, where the deceased was a dedicated problemist. Much circumlocution and circumnavigation ensues. ​

  125. 125.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: To extend you analogy, replacing The Former Guy with say a Cruz or a Hawley would be like replacing a popular star in a TV series with somebody else.  As I’ve said before, you can’t look at The Former Guy(TFG) as just a politician, that’s what much of the analysis of polling from 2016 or 2020 does.  He had a number of things outside of politics(celebrity, successful businessman and not being a politician) that probably netted him at least 5% of the vote.

     

  126. 126.

    Another Scott

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Yes and no.

    S.178 of 116th Congress – UIGHUR Act of 2019:

    […]

    10/21/2020 Senate Second cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 178 with an amendment (SA 2652) not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 51 – 44. Record Vote Number: 207. (CR S6343)
    10/20/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2680 Motion to table amendment SA 2680 rejected in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 40 – 57. Record Vote Number: 203.
    10/20/2020 Senate Considered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S6318)
    10/20/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2680 Considered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S6318)
    10/20/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2652 Considered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S6318)
    10/19/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2680 Amendment SA 2680 proposed by Senator McConnell to Amendment SA 2652. (consideration: CR S6050-6051; text: CR S6296-6301) To improve the small business programs.
    10/19/2020 Senate Second cloture motion on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 178 with an amendment (SA 2652) presented in Senate. (CR S6050)
    10/19/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2673 Proposed amendment SA 2673 withdrawn in Senate. (CR S6050)
    10/19/2020 Senate Considered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S6050-6052)
    10/19/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2673 Considered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S6050)
    10/19/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2652 Considered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S6050)
    09/30/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2673 Motion to table amendment SA 2673 rejected in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 47 – 47. Record Vote Number: 199.
    09/30/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2673 Amendment SA 2673 proposed by Senator McConnell for Senator Tillis to Amendment SA 2652. (consideration: CR S5923-5924; text: CR S5987-5990) To amend the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act to prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions.
    09/30/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2652 Considered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S5923-5924)
    09/30/2020 Senate Considered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S5923-5924)
    09/30/2020 Senate Motion to proceed to consideration of the House message to accompany S. 178 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 48 – 46. Record Vote Number: 198. (CR S5923)
    09/10/2020 Senate Cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 178 with an amendment (SA 2652) not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 52 – 47. Record Vote Number: 168. (CR S5532-5533)
    09/08/2020 Senate Cloture motion on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 178 with an amendment (SA 2652) presented in Senate.
    09/08/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2652 Amendment SA 2652 proposed by Senator McConnell. (consideration: CR S5433, text: CR S5448-5476) To provide for a complete substitute.
    09/08/2020 Senate Motion by Senator McConnell to concur in the House amendment to S. 178 with an amendment (SA 2652) made in Senate. (CR S5433)
    09/08/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2499 Proposed amendment SA 2499 withdrawn in Senate. (consideration: CR S5433)
    09/08/2020 Senate Motion by Senator McConnell to concur in the House amendment to S. 178 with an amendment (SA 2499) withdrawn.
    09/08/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2499 Considered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S5433)
    09/08/2020 Senate Considered by Senate (Message from the House considered). (consideration: CR S5433)
    07/30/2020 Senate S.Amdt.2499 Amendment SA 2499 proposed by Senator McConnell. (consideration: CR S4618; text: CR S4618) In the nature of a substitute.
    07/30/2020 Senate Motion by Senator McConnell to concur in the House amendment to S. 178 with an amendment (SA 2499) made in Senate. (CR S4618)
    07/30/2020 Senate Measure laid before Senate by motion. (consideration: CR S4618-4622)
    07/30/2020 Senate Motion to proceed to consideration of the House message to accompany S. 178 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 47 – 42. Record Vote Number: 153. (CR S4617)

    […]

    Several cloture motions and votes on the bill and amendments to it over nearly 3 months. Senate business didn’t stop while that was going on.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  127. 127.

    piratedan

    @Omnes Omnibus: prior to Trump, I would have referred to the litany of idiocy that Johnson has as his legacy, but since Trump, I think that its perfectly acceptable to the majority of GOP voters who no longer have to be ashamed of treason and stupidity, as they’ve apparently embraced those qualities in their preferred candidate.

  132. 132.

    Geminid

    @Omnes Omnibus: He does not have Johnson’s baggage. Gallagher is in his thirties, holds advanced degrees from Georgetown, served under Petraus in Iraq as a Marine Corp intelligence officer. A fresh face, who at least does not look as corrupt as Johnson.

  134. 134.

    germy

    The best people. Be best.

    NEWS from @joshgerstein: A former State Department aide has become the first Trump administration appointee arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.https://t.co/kMAJF0ZgvF— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) March 5, 2021

    WOW: @ktbenner gets the actual arrest affidavit for former State Dept aide Federico KLEIN. He was still employed there on Jan. 6, held a Top Secret clearance that was renewed in 2019 and is accused of multiple assaults on Capitol police. https://t.co/tqF3wyw42J— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) March 5, 2021

    AND: Most notably, Klein — who served in the military — is accused of egging on the crowd and calling for “fresh people” at the front to help push back on officers. That detail was previously cited by authorities as evidence of a coordinated assault. pic.twitter.com/FVsd7p7ibT— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) March 5, 2021

  135. 135.

    Edmund Dantes

    @Another Scott: they will never keep up the filibuster if they have to keep all 40+ senators there. All it would take is one move by Chris Van Hollen like last night to end it.

     

    ”I’d like to call a quorum on the filibuster to make sure there are at least 40 senators present.” At 3 am and they aren’t all there? Filibuster is over. Next!

  136. 136.

    Baud

    @Steeplejack:

    Nelson Muntz “Ha-ha!”

    Dems seem to have outplayed GOP on the Covid delay. After the all-night reading, @ChrisVanHollen simply got up, proposed shortening the debate from 20 hours to 3 and no Republican including @RonJohnsonWI was around to contest. In the end, the dramatic Bill reading delayed nothing.

    — Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) March 5, 2021

     
    Excelsior!

  137. 137.

    Betty Cracker

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Agree that the Repubs can’t just slot in another clown and expect the same results. But IIRC, Shor doesn’t dismiss that — he acknowledges that The Former Guy as a unique turnout machine for Dems and Repubs.

    The thing I found alarming was the forces in our own big tent that are putting us further at odds, which might be magnified absent TFG. Anyhoo, I’ve got no time at the present, and I may never get around to it, but I do think it merits consideration.

  138. 138.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Geminid: ​
      He is the dumbfuck who advocated buying Greenland. And his fancy education will play against him with a certain set of GOP voters.

  140. 140.

    Steeplejack

    @Another Scott:

    Maybe it would be good to make the filibuster a major, crisis-inducing event, rather than just a low-effort maneuver the GQP can whip out at the drop of a hat.

  141. 141.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: Yesterday, a Wisconsin commenter remarked that Gallagher may be a stronger candidate because, unlike Johnson, he “presents as human.”

  142. 142.

    germy

    Trump’s tribute to Karl Rove: “He’s a pompous fool with bad advice and always has an agenda.”

    I love when they fight.

    INBOX: A statement from the former president of the United States about Karl Rove: pic.twitter.com/9D7pG0JLj7

    — Darren Samuelsohn (@dsamuelsohn) March 5, 2021

  143. 143.

    germy

    Federico Klein, the ex-State Dept aide arrested Thurs, was charged with assaulting an officer. He was videotaped in a tunnel using a riot shield to keep officers from closing doors. He was still a govt employee w.a top secret security clearance on Jan 6. https://t.co/aQrygXhS9c

    — Katie Benner (@ktbenner) March 5, 2021

  145. 145.

    Ixnay

    One of my favorite quips is “Everything I know about opera I learned from a cross dressing rabbit.”

  147. 147.

    Another Scott

    @Edmund Dantes: Changing systems are rarely bumper-sticker simple and consequence-free. Yes, the filibuster/cloture system needs to be changed. We need to consider all the ramifications while doing so.

    This article from the Congressional Institute (from 2017) seems pretty good (and seems to cover many of the things that Norm apparently talked about.

    I like this:

    Lower the threshold to invoke cloture

    If the Senate did not want to eliminate the filibuster entirely or just for the motion to proceed, it could still make ending debate easier by lowering the threshold for cloture to something less than what it is now, but still more than a simple majority. One option would be to make the threshold for a successful cloture vote on a legislative filibuster equal to the total number of sitting majority-party Senators, including independents caucusing with them. This would mean the threshold would rise and fall according to the size of the majority. It would make cloture easier to achieve since the majority would not need to rely on any minority party votes to succeed. At the same time, it should still have a moderating effect on legislation, since the majority would still need to rely on the votes of those Senators closest to the ideological center (who are also often those who are the most vulnerable to being unseated in the next election). If any majority-party Senators voted against cloture, the majority would need to rely on minority votes to end debate, meaning the threshold would still promote moderation. This threshold for cloture would also take away both parties’ favorite Senate talking point: The minority party is obstructing. With this threshold, if the majority is unable to stay together simply to end debate, they only have themselves to blame for failing to develop a consensus around the business at hand.

    I like it because ultimately the majority must be able to rule even if they want to pass bad legislation. If one “maverick” on the majority side decides to throw a monkey wrench at a bad bill, they can still do so.

    But note other issues:

    Aside from insufficient political will to change the filibuster, would-be reformers face additional challenges. The filibuster affects virtually all aspects of Senate business and, by extension, that of the House and the rest of the entire government, so it contributes to wide-scale congressional logjams, which is why Members of the House frequently lambast the Senate for its ability to make legislative progress resemble the flow of molasses in the winter. However, changing only rule XXII will not, by itself, remedy congressional dysfunction. Eliminating or vastly weakening the filibuster will not likely promote civility or bipartisanship. In fact, reforming only the filibuster could simply provide new reasons and occasions for partisanship, potentially exacerbating the already troubled relations between Republicans and Democrats. Although the filibuster would be limited, the minority could attempt to use other procedural tools available to obstruct the process (like objecting to unanimous consent requests), which would invite further retaliation from the majority, resulting in more acrimony. If there is any doubt that the Senate would be just as partisan as it is today, or more so, look at the highly majoritarian House, where the party in control can conduct its business swiftly, but where relations between the Republicans and Democrats are nonetheless poor. These considerations suggest that, if the Senate decides filibuster reform is necessary, it should be done within the context of a wider congressional reform, including attempts to strengthen bipartisanship and civility.

    Given the difficulties of reforming the filibuster, Congress could create a Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress as a forum to discuss ways to improve its debate. Since the 1940s, Congress has created three bipartisan Joint Committees on the Organization of Congress to examine how the legislature could be modernized and made more effective. Past joint committees have recommended changes in the committee system, staffing, the budget process, the calendar, and virtually all aspects of the legislative process. Congress has adopted various recommendations from these committees, making them important catalysts for change on Capitol Hill.

    One of the major benefits to creating a new Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress is its scope. The Senate could simultaneously consider reforms to other aspects of the legislative process, like appropriations and the calendar. The filibuster affects matters like appropriations and the congressional calendar, but such issues also have other problems that require resolution. The Joint Committee would have the jurisdiction to address all issues afflicting Congress at one time (though in the past, the House and Senate members of these committees have only considered rules affecting their own Chamber and not the other one).

    Yeah, finding Teabaggers willing to make sensible reforms is a pipe-dream at the moment.

    But we need to have reasonable expectations about what can be done (and not done) by changing the filibuster/cloture system alone. Telling people that it’s just the filibuster that’s preventing the Senate from working when a minority throws rocks in the gears invites crushing disappointment when things still don’t work right…

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  148. 148.

    Brachiator

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    His in office approval ratings tracked like a TV series ratings and faded as people got bored with his Stupid-Agressive New York rich guy act. That’s why I don’t see Trump 2024, people are bored with the endless remakes.

    Some people like the familiarity of remakes and reboots.

    Also, looking at Gallup and some other polls, Trump’s highest approval rating was 49 percent and stayed pretty steady until his last months in office.

    He works hard (well, hard for him) to maintain his hold and influence over the GOP, and the GOP reciprocates the affection. He is still in play to get that party’s nomination.

    And his vile influence continues to infect GOP policy.

  149. 149.

    Edmund Dantes

    @Another Scott: they already object to unanimous consent. The worries are stupid as they already happen.

     

    and somebody that thinks the goal is bipartisanship and civility is whistling past the graveyard.

  151. 151.

    Brachiator

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Maybe if Senate business did stop, it would highlight the disfunction of the body and provide greater motivation for reform.

    Republicans would be happy to see Senate business stop. The GOP does not believe that Democrats should govern. They will never be interested in reasonable reform.

  155. 155.

    WereBear

    @Soprano2: I hear ya. Partner and I both have conditions, but we’d need to get a doctor’s note and our particular things are not literally on the list…

    We don’t go out anyway except once a week for essential errands, anyway, always masked at a safe place. The Jab would better serve in a front line worker, teacher, or other person more in need.

  156. 156.

    taumaturgo

    @Baud: A semi nostalgic view of a sanitized past in which the author appears to glorify white privilege and white supremacy. Today the winning political play – the GQP knows this well – resides with half of the self-disenfranchised eligible voters that don’t care to vote because they feel that neither party cares, that one party talks a good game but the end results are half measures and the other party is openly hostile to any fundamental change that will begin to address the crushing inequalities build into the rules of the game. (Albeit in different jurisdictions, It took 30 years after the Rodney King filmed beating by the police to enact policy behavior reforms and it took the GPQ several months after losing in the general elections to enact laws that will make it more difficult for communities of color to register and vote.) These communities that are living the shit live are the key to electoral success for both parties moving forward, and the Democrats should have the advantage. But the stale centrist, don’t rock the boat timid policies won’t do, nor will the broken promises and water down compromised deliverables. Nor will the long-winded processes explanations of the rules and procedures. In the months leading to the 2022 midterms, the Democrats have an exciting opportunity to demonstrate that their actions will match their rhetoric, that today they are different because their voter’s wishes and aspirations are listened to and acted on and that they are willing to fight for not only what is the right political thing to do, but because is morally responsible too. Will they fold or do away with the filibuster? Will they fight for the $15 MW and deliver it, or will precedent and rules prevail over the dire needs of millions? Will the student debt be eliminated, or practicality and powerful lobbies will carry the day? Baud, I don’t know if you have noticed the GQP is already making claims that they are the true populist party, and the voters are listening to their bullshit. The antidote is for the Democrats to deliver – not merely talk – big for the voters left behind.

  157. 157.

    Baud

    @taumaturgo:

    Meh. There’s always something we can’t achieve right away.  I think we need to focus on people who are willing to fight for things rather than those who simply damand things.  YMMV.

  159. 159.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Betty Cracker: They talked about that interview and the issue (voting rights) on yesterday’s PSAmerica.  TLDL- we are colossally fucked if we don’t pass some major form of VRA like HR1.  But despite the signaling of Manchin/Sinema there’s still good reason to believe it can get done.  As they said, Manchin/Sinema is Act III, we are in Act I.  With organizing, pressure and the right issue(s) being blocked (infrastructure maybe) there’s no reason to believe that Manchin/Sinema can’t be moved at least to some reform of the filibuster that would allow HR1 to become law.  There’s a reason that the expression is “Never say ‘never.'”  Politicians go back, evolve, skirt around previous stances all the time.  But first things first, WE have to make this the big issue of the next several weeks/months by pushing it.

    The good news is that I’m already seeing a LOT of talk about Voting Rights by Biden and numerous Dem Congresspeople.  Clearly this is a big priority.

  163. 163.

    Sasha

    I half suspect that part of the intentional delays is the faint hope in the GOP that a Democratic Senator will suddenly die, throwing everything out the window.

    Heck, if I were a Dem Senator in a red state, I’d be half worried about an assassination attempt in today’s political climate.

  164. 164.

    Soprano2

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I think a significant number of people in 2016 thought they were voting for the star of “The Apprentice”. They wanted that guy to be president, not realizing that he doesn’t actually exist. Too many people don’t understand that there is no reality to reality TV shows. I don’t think that about voters in 2020, though.

  167. 167.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    Regarding the Trump-Rove argument, can I suggest an old-fashioned solution? A traditional duel. Have Hawley and McConnell as the seconds, and Kavanaugh as the referee.

    Davy Crocketts at twenty paces.

  169. 169.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Soprano2: I agree a bit with you on 2016, but I think it carried over to 2020 as well.  To some extent, there’s still a large group of people that think a “businessman” is the perfect person to run government, even with two Presidents with that qualification that were failures(W and TFG).

     

  170. 170.

    taumaturgo

    @Baud: I think we need to focus on people who are willing to fight for things rather than those who simply damand things.

    The party is doing the opposite.

  171. 171.

    germy

    Mitch McConnell wants to change the law in Kentucky so the Democratic governor can’t name his replacement.

  173. 173.

    Edmund Dantes

    @Another Scott: It’s a Republican outfit. I have read enough to see pining for bipartisanship and civility. People that talk about that as an end goal are playing a a game.

    why you are playing it too is beyond me? Find better sources. The objections are about what’ll happen if we do this. And many of things they worry about already happen.

  175. 175.

    Another Scott

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:  We should keep in mind the history and one of the reasons we have the filibuster/cloture system in the first place.

    Brookings:

    However, when we dig into the history of Congress, it seems that the filibuster was created by mistake. Let me explain.

    The House and Senate rulebooks in 1789 were nearly identical. Both rulebooks included what is known as the “previous question” motion. The House kept their motion, and today it empowers a simple majority to cut off debate. The Senate no longer has that rule on its books.

    What happened to the Senate’s rule? In 1805, Vice President Aaron Burr was presiding over the Senate (freshly indicted for the murder of Alexander Hamilton), and he offered this advice. He said something like this. You are a great deliberative body. But a truly great Senate would have a cleaner rule book. Yours is a mess. You have lots of rules that do the same thing. And he singles out the previous question motion. Now, today, we know that a simple majority in the House can use the rule to cut off debate. But in 1805, neither chamber used the rule that way. Majorities were still experimenting with it. And so when Aaron Burr said, get rid of the previous question motion, the Senate didn’t think twice. When they met in 1806, they dropped the motion from the Senate rule book.

    Why? Not because senators in 1806 sought to protect minority rights and extended debate. They got rid of the rule by mistake: Because Aaron Burr told them to.

    Once the rule was gone, senators still did not filibuster. Deletion of the rule made possible the filibuster because the Senate no longer had a rule that could have empowered a simple majority to cut off debate. It took several decades until the minority exploited the lax limits on debate, leading to the first real-live filibuster in 1837.

    […]

    3. The adoption of cloture

    Why was reform possible in 1917 when it had eluded leaders for decades? And why did the Senate choose supermajority cloture rather than simple majority cloture? [2]

    First, the conditions for reform. After several unsuccessful efforts to create a cloture rule in the early 1900s, we saw a perfect storm in March of 1917: a pivotal issue, a president at his bully pulpit, an attentive press, and a public engaged in the fight for reform. At the outset of World War I, Republican senators successfully filibustered President Wilson’s proposal to arm merchant ships—leading Wilson in March of 1917 to famously brand the obstructionists as a “little group of willful men.” He demanded the Senate create a cloture rule, the press dubbed the rule a “war measure,” and the public burned senators in effigy around the country.

    Adoption of Rule 22 occurred because Wilson and the Democrats framed the rule as a matter of national security. They fused procedure with policy, and used the bully pulpit to shame senators into reform.

    Second, why did senators select a supermajority rule? A bipartisan committee was formed to negotiate the form of the rule. Five of the six Democrats supported a simple majority rule; one Republican supported a supermajority rule, and one Republican preferred no rule. Negotiators cut a deal: Cloture would require two-thirds of senators voting. Opponents promised not to block or weaken the proposal; supporters promised to drop their own proposal for simple majority cloture—a proposal supported by at least 40 senators. The cloture rule was then adopted, 76-3.

    There are many ways to skin the filibuster/cloture cat. Maybe simply bringing back the “previous question” will cut the knot and let everyone declare victory while ending the abuses. Maybe not. But the people thinking about changing the rules need to be aware of the history and why it was created and how it came to be abused. I’m sure folks are doing that, but it’s not coming out in the reporting about it. Turning it into yet another a stupid “public option/kill the bill/do exactly what the bumper-sticker says or you’re worse than Bush” thing (not saying that anyone here is doing that, but one can see the trends if we’re not careful) is not good for us.

    We’ll see soon enough, I guess. ;-)

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  179. 179.

    taumaturgo

    @Baud: No it’s not.

    Let’s see. The people on one side are fighting like hell for a $15 MW, the party is demanding a meaningless increase or complete removal by prioritizing procedure over voters’ pressing needs.

  180. 180.

    germy

    @taumaturgo:

    The administration has not abandoned the minimum wage, though.  From what I understand, it’s their next priority. At least that’s what Nancy Pelosi has said.

    Every last thing doesn’t have to be in this one bill, does it?

  181. 181.

    Baud

    @taumaturgo:

    The vast majority of us are fighting for the minimum wage. The people we need to watch out for are those trying to divide us by putting themselves on a pedestal because they consider themselves purer fighters.

    And that’s my last word on this topic.

  182. 182.

    Doc Sardonic

    @SFAW: They can. My eye doctor discovered a small one a few years ago when I was in my 50’s, said we will watch this but should be a few years before you have to get something done. Went back the next year for my annual exam, doc asks what line can you read on the eye chart, my response….. E

  183. 183.

    Brachiator

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Sure, but the point is to highlight where the disfunction is rather than just Congress.

    I still don’t understand why you would want to stop or delay Democratic governance to try to make a point about dysfunction.

    And for the past few years the media and the public always blame both parties when it is clearly the Republicans at fault.

    Even when directly asked about the issue, members of the public always say, “I don’t care who is to blame, I just want them to figure it out and get things done.”

    Hell, I don’t think the general public care about the filibuster, even though political junkies go to rhetorical war over the issue.

    And even more drastic actions, such as complete government shutdowns, do not call attention to dysfunction or possible reforms.

  184. 184.

    James E Powell

    @Baud:

    Rep. Zoe Lofgren quietly releases massive social media report on GOP colleagues who voted to overturn the election

    Why do it quietly?

  185. 185.

    taumaturgo

    @Another Scott   Turning it into yet another a stupid “public option/kill the bill/do exactly what the bumper-sticker says or you’re worse than Bush” thing (not saying that anyone here is doing that, but one can see the trends if we’re not careful) is not good for us.

    None other than Obama called the filibuster a “Jim Crow relic.” Ouch

  186. 186.

    Brachiator

    @taumaturgo:

    Let’s see. The people on one side are fighting like hell for a $15 MW, the party is demanding a meaningless increase or complete removal by prioritizing procedure over voters’ pressing needs.

    Simply not true.

  189. 189.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: one of the many horseshoe connections between the trump right and the Bernie left is that the perception of “fighting” is far more important than results.

  191. 191.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Another Scott: Agreed, there are many means to reform the filibuster, but reform is needed since the inaction on the part of the Senate leads to the public blaming “Congress” for not taking action when it is in fact Senate procedure that kills bills that have public support.  This can lead to a desire among the public for more power in the executive(we see that from the right but also the progressives as well).  Continuation of lazy ways of blocking important legislation by a minority of a legislative body, or even in some cases, one member will erode public confidence in the whole legislative institution.

     

  193. 193.

    dww44

    @debbie: ​  A slow recovery benefits the GOP and their return to controlling the levers of government to destroy that self same government, which must be perceived as being the enemy of the common good. That’s all they got. No constructive or positive plans to benefit ordinary Americans. Only endless culture wars and endless smearing of Democrats. They are, without a doubt, the true enemy of small d democracy.​
    ​
    ​

  194. 194.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Betty Cracker: I’m a little leery of the content– I don’t know those producers, who’s writing it… — but it’s an interesting casting choice. I’ll watch the first episode, at least.

  195. 195.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Brachiator: As I noted in my reply to Another Scott, if you continue with this disfunction in the Senate, you will end up with a stronger Executive, since as you point out, folk will still want stuff done.  I was just pointing to highlight the disfunction as one way of voters being able to rectify it.  Meaningful filibuster reform would do that as well.

  196. 196.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @taumaturgo: you just said that an increase in the minimum wage to $12/hr is “nothing”. I’m guessing you don’t know what the current minimum wage is, cause it’s unrelated to your allowance.

  197. 197.

    Another Scott

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I agree, and I’ve tried to say as much (with far too many words I guess).

    My bottom line is:

    I don’t care if something called a “filibuster” or a “cloture system” still exists when they’re done (because Joey M and Krysten insist that it remains).  What matters is if the Senate can get important legislation supported by the 50+1 majority enacted into law.  How they tweak the Senate rules and traditions doesn’t matter to me.  I hope it doesn’t matter to Democrats, either, and turning it into a Filibuster Yes or No battle doesn’t help us get things done.

    EOT.

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  198. 198.

    germy

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    The third installment of “American Crime Story” will be written by Sarah Burgess, who will also executive produce alongside Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Brad Falchuk, Larry Karaszewski, Scott Alexander, Alexis Martin Woodall, Hannah Fidell and Paulson. Lewinsky will serve as producer along with Feldstein, Henrietta Conrad and Jemima Khan. Touchstone Television and FX Productions will produce.

  200. 200.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @germy: Lewinsky will serve as producer along with Feldstein,

    now that’s interesting.

    I believe this is the team that did the miniseries on the OJ trial from a couple years back that got good word-of-mouth, but that I never got around to watching.

  203. 203.

    James E Powell

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    To some extent, there’s still a large group of people that think a “businessman” is the perfect person to run government, even with two Presidents with that qualification that were failures(W and TFG).

    While he got the most from his white supremacist appeal, this was essential to his success. The “businessman” bullshit means he can say he’s an outsider, he’s not like those others, he will shake things up, he says what he means, etc.

    The press/media granted him wide latitude and ignored things that they would never ignore with any Democrat or probably even most Republicans. But more important, voters gave him the same. Many of them continue to do so.

  204. 204.

    MisterForkbeard

    @gwangung: I see this from a lot of progressives. They don’t want to focus on the enormous amount of goof that the covid bill provides. They want to ignore everything positive and call it a bad bill because…

    * The lack of a minimum wage that was included but literally could not be passed under reconciliation right now. This is a “Biden lie” because he could have just fixed it somehow.
    * Lying about going from $2000 -> $1400, and then limiting eligibility.

    The thing is, the eligibility thing IS dumb. But it’s not Biden’s fault. It’s Manchin/Shaheen. Their argument is that McConnell wouldn’t have stood for this or that Biden could have done something (but they don’t know what) to make Manchin change his mind.

    But they’re determined to yell at Democrats, so they’re yelling at Democrats.

  205. 205.

    James E Powell

    @MisterForkbeard:

    Their argument is that McConnell wouldn’t have stood for this or that Biden could have done something (but they don’t know what) to make Manchin change his mind.

    This definitely overlooks the fact that Trump wanted the $2000 and McConnell ignored him

    But they’re determined to yell at Democrats, so they’re yelling at Democrats.

    The anti-Democrats will always be with us. Happily, they are a much larger presence on the internet than in the electorate.

  206. 206.

    gwangung

    @MisterForkbeard: Yup.

     

    A) It’s counter-productive to yell at Democrats now. You need to destroy the Republicans FIRST. Politics will become more progressive immediately. And then you have a better chance at winning more Democrats for your position and move politics even further left.

     

    B) Way too many progressives have no idea of what fighting actually is. What fights are actually taking place, what’s an un-winnable tactic, which tactic has the best basis for winning now, which tactic has the best basis under other situations, etc.

    Their idea of winning is to take a tactic and stick with it, think or thin, even if there’s no potential to win, or if other tactics have better chances. Changing tactics is not giving up; going to plans B, C, D or E is not surrounding….it’s FIGHTING.

  207. 207.

    Brachiator

    @MisterForkbeard:

    The thing is, the eligibility thing IS dumb. But it’s not Biden’s fault. It’s Manchin/Shaheen. Their argument is that McConnell wouldn’t have stood for this or that Biden could have done something (but they don’t know what) to make Manchin change his mind.

    Yep. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Senate moderates want to trim the unemployment extension from $400 to $300, but extend it to September.

    The problem is that this is old thinking, and centered in political ideology, not economics. Fed Reserve chair Powell has called for more stimulus and said that the US economy can handle it. But some Democrats seem to be afraid to go big. The tinkering with the relief bill is unnecessary.

    Fortunately, it still has a lot of good stuff in it. I wish it had more for small business. Maybe look for something extra you could give to farmers.

  208. 208.

    Dopey-o

    @Eolirin: Cosmopolitan appeal is a massive and obvious dog whistle even.

    I forgot whether “Cosmopolitan” was code for Jew or N****r.

  209. 209.

    Gravenstone

    @MisterForkbeard: This is a “Biden lie” because he could have just fixed it somehow.

    So they’re basically saying they want a stronger executive office. Bet they don’t understand that’s the resolution to their “argument”.

  210. 210.

    Brachiator

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    As I noted in my reply to Another Scott, if you continue with this disfunction in the Senate, you will end up with a stronger Executive, since as you point out, folk will still want stuff done.  I was just pointing to highlight the disfunction as one way of voters being able to rectify it.

    I totally agree with you about the need to deal with the dysfunction.

    But you keep insisting that some magical effort will highlight the issue, when past examples clearly indicate that nobody ever pays attention.

  211. 211.

    James E Powell

    @Brachiator:

    I go back & forth in my rants as to who is the bigger pain in the ass, lefty purists or Democratic moderates. I’m leaning toward the moderates because lefties are all talk, while the moderates are actually making things worse.

  212. 212.

    catclub

    @SFAW: ​
     

    A) Any lawsuits must be filed before any Republican president leaves office

    and the Roberts court will stall any procedure to delay until the case is moot.

    Also A’) The DOJ becomes the GOP presidents personal law firm.

  214. 214.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Brachiator: You seem to fixated on that one thing, I’m not; I’m just offering up as one way that might bring the public’s attention to the underlying problem.  I’m fine with other ways of making the problem go away.

     

  215. 215.

    dnfree

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: do you see starbursts when you look at a street light at night?  That was my clue.  My other eye was covering so well that I could read the eye chart with both eyes open, whereas when restricted to the eye with the cataract, I couldn’t tell if the big letter at the top was B or E.

  216. 216.

    trollhattan

    Texas being Texas, y’all. You see, “it’s just too darn complicated and seems like hard work.”

    “The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Friday signaled it didn’t intend to reverse $16 billion in electric overcharges that an independent market monitor had flagged as stemming from the state’s weeklong blackouts,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

    Said Commission Chairman Arthur D’Andrea: “It is impossible to unscramble this sort of egg.”

    Nobody is surprised at this; after all, we know the entire Texas government and judiciary are bought and paid for by the highest bidders, and so long as these pigfuckers* are in charge they’ll make damn sure the vote is contorted sufficiently to keep their negligent kleptocracy in charge.

    As to you poor bastards with your surprise four-figure electricity bills, enjoy your enhanced Texan Freedoms as your savings migrate into speculators’ pockets. You sure can’t hold your utilities responsible, now can you?

    *LBJ wasn’t wrong.

  217. 217.

    Brachiator

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    You seem to fixated on that one thing, I’m not; I’m just offering up as one way that might bring the public’s attention to the underlying problem

    To the contrary. You keep insisting that something might bring the public’s attention to the problem, when the public has consistently indicated that they simply do not care.

    I just find that odd. But since we agree on the nature of the problem itself, we can just move on.

  218. 218.

    Geminid

    @James E Powell: There are lot of moderates in the Democratic Congressional Caucuses and the Democratic electorate. Half or more. Are you saying that Jeane Shaheen, Chuck Robb, John Tester and Angus King are causing problems? Manchin and Sinema are just two people out of 50.

  220. 220.

    Brachiator

    @James E Powell: ​
     

    I go back & forth in my rants as to who is the bigger pain in the ass, lefty purists or Democratic moderates. I’m leaning toward the moderates because lefties are all talk, while the moderates are actually making things worse.

    I hear you. I have noted before that I heartily approve of most of Biden’s economic team. Many appear to be flexible thinkers. I think it great, for example, that Yellen and Fed chair Powell are on the same page on many issues. And Yellen obviously understands the tools that the Fed has at its disposal.

    But I did not foresee the degree to which some moderates seem intent on getting in their own way in their dumb opposition to Biden’s proposals

  221. 221.

    Brachiator

    @Geminid: ​
     

    There are lot of moderates in the Democratic Congressional Caucuses and the Democratic electorate. Half or more. Are you saying that Jeane Shaheen, Chuck Robb, John Tester and Angus King are causing problems? Manchin and Sinema are just two people out of 50.

    I noted a Chicago Tribune story noting that Senate Democrats are starting to nibble at the unemployment compensation bonus. The paper credits anonymous sources so we don’t know where this is coming from.

  223. 223.

    Brachiator

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Since you are a photographer, here is something you might enjoy.

    Images of what appears to be a hovering ship have been captured as the result of a rare optical illusion off the coast of England.

    David Morris took a photo of the ship near Falmouth, Cornwall.

     

  224. 224.

    Bill Arnold

    @taumaturgo: ​

    The people on one side are fighting like hell for a $15 MW,

    Arrange for a solid Democratic Party Senate majority then, and soon, not 2023. There are … ways.
    Not willing to go there? Then work with the political landscape as it is, and don’t work to get Republicans elected.

  225. 225.

    Geminid

    @Brachiator: I heard that in today’s “voterama,” an amendment passed to reduce the supplemental unemployment to $300, but extend it to September. Of course a House/Senate conference gets another bite at the apple. But as long as Congress serves up a $1.9 trillion dollar sausage, I’m not going to get strung out over the exact ingredients. I am more concerned about legislation to come, like clean power initiatives, voting rights, and comprehensive immigration reform. But that’s just me.

  227. 227.

    Bill Arnold

    @MisterForkbeard:

    But they’re determined to yell at Democrats, so they’re yelling at Democrats.

    It’s best to think of them as Republicans, and perhaps fascism-curious.
    I have a rule; if invective is mostly directed against one party in a two party system, then the people spewing the invective are members of the opposing party.

  229. 229.

    Brachiator

    @Geminid:

    But as long as Congress serves up a $1.9 trillion dollar sausage, I’m not going to get strung out over the exact ingredients. But that’s just me.

    I hear you. But I hate seeing the Senate wasting time on shit that does not improve anything just to prove that they have power.

    And sometimes, changes result in money being thrown down a rat hole instead of accomplishing anything meaningful.

    I have seen some local shit where the rubes actually say, “well, they are spending a lot of money on it, so it must be a worthwhile project.”

    So far, the relief bill is still good, but I hope that the dopes in the Senate don’t screw with anything that is a really big deal.

  230. 230.

    Bill Arnold

    @trollhattan:

    As to you poor bastards with your surprise four-figure electricity bills, enjoy your enhanced Texan Freedoms as your savings migrate into speculators’ pockets.

    Anyone with 4 figure electric bills signed up for the risk, and it was probably front paged in the contract (probably downplayed but that doesn’t matter, much, unless the courts decide otherwise.).
    This should stay in Texas. No way should the rest of the members of the United States be paying gambling wins to speculators gambling entirely within a Texas grid separated from the rest of the US. Texas itself can decide who the gambling winners and losers are.

  231. 231.

    smedley the uncertain

    @satby: Yeah, and my do nothing back-bencher rep is making noises about running.  Local rag giving lots of column inches to Tom Reed’s speculations on Cuomo’s veracity.   He’s been a quiet Trumper all a long.

  232. 232.

    Old School

    @Geminid:

    I heard that in today’s “voterama,” an amendment passed to reduce the supplemental unemployment to $300, but extend it to September.

    I don’t think it has passed yet, but it might.  (Manchin seems interested in the idea.)

  233. 233.

    Nicole

    @Old School: Slate has a good piece up about it.  Included in the proposal also is exempting the first $10,200 of unemployment benefits from federal income tax (about equivalent to the pandemic assistance given by the feds in addition to whatever the states paid out).
    https://slate.com/business/2021/03/democrats-covid-relief-taxes-unemployment.html

    The $400 dropping to $300 but extending until October isn’t a bad trade-off.  As the article points, out, it means the benefits won’t end while Congress is in recess, so if people are still struggling, their Reps will be in the office to, one hopes, do something about it.

  234. 234.

    Geminid

    @Brachiator: These aren’t dopes. At least, they are smart enough to win statewide office at least once. Some, like Kaine, Robb, King, Shaheen and the other NH Senator, were successful governors. They probably know more about practical politics than Balloon Juice commenters, if that is possible.

    And its been almost a decade since these Senators have been in the majority, and they are interested in staying a majority. They think as much about the Democratic party’s prospects in 2022 and 2024 as you or I do.

  236. 236.

    Ruckus

    @debbie: 
    Also more time for the rubes to get used to being fleeced so they won’t notice next time, or the time after that or the time after that or the time after THAT……

  237. 237.

    J R in WV

    @Brachiator:

    @taumaturgo:

    Let’s see. The people on one side are fighting like hell for a $15 MW, the party is demanding a meaningless increase or complete removal by prioritizing procedure over voters’ pressing needs.

    Simply not true.

    And this is why I pied Traumaturgid months ago. I only see his stuff when someone else quotes him, like this. Troll city, if you ask me.

  238. 238.

    Old School

    @Nicole: The Slate article says that Manchin is wavering, so I guess I misunderstood whether he would help it pass or help it fail.

  240. 240.

    Another Scott

    @Brachiator: Neat.

    The story mentions it happening in the Arctic.  There was story/TV show about the Titanic speculating that something similar (but different) happened with the iceberg – that’s why they didn’t see it in time.

    Stratified optical media do interesting things!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  241. 241.

    Another Scott

    @Geminid: “Robb”??  (Robb’s term in the Senate ended in 2001.)

    I think you mean Mark Warner?  ;-)

    Mark tried to be in every single bipartisan “Gang of N” in his first term, and just barely won re-election.  It’s good to see he’s toned that down a lot.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  242. 242.

    Geminid

    @Another Scott: Thanks. My proofreader evidently has taken the day off.

    Warner definitely is at risk for gang membership. But gangs are not necessarily bad. If the Gang of Eight’s comprehensive immigration reform package had been allowed a vote in the House, a lot of people would be better off today. As would be the Social Security program.

  243. 243.

    Brachiator

    @J R in WV:

    And this is why I pied Traumaturgid months ago. I only see his stuff when someone else quotes him, like this. Troll city, if you ask me.

    I don’t often reply. But every now and again, an issue might be raised that might benefit from a brief reply.

  244. 244.

    James E Powell

    @Geminid: 

    Are you saying that Jeane Shaheen, Chuck Robb, John Tester and Angus King are causing problems?

    Yes. They should be marching lockstep to give Biden whatever he wants. If they have some objection, collect an IOU from President Joe. I’m sure he’d be generous.

  245. 245.

    Ruckus

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    The thing he doesn’t really realize is that he brought it on himself.

    Most people like him never realize that they brought it upon themselves. Or at the very least refuse to admit it.

  247. 247.

    Miss Bianca

    @Betty Cracker: Yep. I got that far in the article and thought, “do I want to go farther? It *is* Politico, after all.” Have it bookmarked for later digestion.

  248. 248.

    Geminid

    @Another Scott: On the other hand, Warner might have looked at the other Democrats who lost that year and told himself, good thing I was that moderate. That was just a bad year for Democrats. Although it’s possible that a lot of liberals would not vote for him because of his bipartisanship.

  249. 249.

    Ruckus

    @SFAW:

    @Doc Sardonic:

    As Dorthy stated the common growth rate is slow, years from when first seen to when it’s time to fix. But it’s not the same growth rate for everyone. Mine have been tracked for several years now and they are nowhere near ready to be anything other than followed. One doc did tell me that as they progress they normally go from you don’t know, to a slight bother to fix this now at a more rapid rate.

  250. 250.

    Ruckus

    @Old School:

    One thing I like to remember is that JM is focusing on $300 to $400 unemployment, all the while earning $174,000/yr, which is far higher than the median income in his state. He does this every time money is discussed that doesn’t come from labor, no matter the reason or amount. He is not working for the majority of people of his state, he is working for those paying the most taxes, which in his state is not a very large number of voters.

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