Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

No one could have predicted…

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

In my day, never was longer.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

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

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Infrastructure week. at last.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Not all heroes wear capes.

A Senator Walker would also be an insult to reason, rationality, and decency.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Afternoon Open Thread: Biden On Vaccines and Deb Haaland Sworn In

Afternoon Open Thread: Biden On Vaccines and Deb Haaland Sworn In

by | 51 Comments

This post is in: ,

 

 

Open thread…

 

Reader Interactions

51Comments

  4. 4.

    p.a.

    Elections have consequences:

    “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that runs the Medicare program, recently reversed a change to Part D demonstration rules announced by the previous administration that would have allowed participating plans to eliminate important beneficiary protections. The Medicare Rights Center and our partners spoke out strongly against the proposed change and encouraged the Biden administration to uphold these protections.

    The demonstration, known as the Part D Payment Modernization Model, is intended to test Part D changes to see if they will change drug spending. The proposal would have allowed plans that participate in the demonstration to reduce the number of medications they cover, including in the “protected classes.” These are groups of medications, like antipsychotics, antidepressants, and antiretrovirals, for which the individual and public health consequences of disruption or interruption of care are so significant that plans are required to cover substantially all of the drugs in that group. The proposal would also have halved the number of medications plans are required to cover in all other groups – from two to one.

    While it is clear that drug prices are too high, limiting beneficiaries’ access to needed, life-saving medications cannot be the method used to bring prices down. Medicare Rights commends CMS for responding to stakeholder concerns and deciding not to go forward with these unadvised and dangerous policy changes.”

  9. 9.

    West of the Rockies

    The joy and goodness that emanate from Kamala Harris is sooo palpable.  I love her!!!

  10. 10.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @p.a.:

    Remember – whenever a conservative talks about “tough choices”, he never means that it is a choice that he or she will personally feel the negative impact from. It is always an exercise in punching down, as the already comfortable will also never suffer from it, either.

  13. 13.

    jl

    @Original Lee: I don’t think you are frivolous. I’m glad that she put on traditional dress. Made a statement about her seriousness in representing all the people at Interior.

    I remember some clips, and it was quite a news item, when a bunch of GOP presidential candidate dweebs dressed up in Elmer Fudd hunting gear and stumbled through a field with their guns on a ceremonial hunt. That was frivolous, hilarious and disgusting, and judging from how they held the guns, dangerous too. And it was just as much identity group signaling as what Haaland did, except worse because it was fake. And Haaland wasn’t really signaling, it is her genuine heritage.

    Edit: and Haaland’s looks much better than a bunch of GOP dweebs in fake hunting costumes, Fudd did it much better, and was a real hunter compared to them.

  16. 16.

    Hoodie

    @MattF:   The sole purpose of this type of stupid question is to allow the questioner to preen and waste everyone’s time.   They probably did this in college lectures and never matured past that state.  They are best dismissed in an “asked and answered” fashion like this.  “Not that I’m aware of, next question” would be even better.

  19. 19.

    mali muso

    But, but, but, I was told by our media betters that Biden has yet to go in front of the press!!!!

  20. 20.

    hueyplong

    A few months ago, reporters being peacocks would have seemed mighty low on the lists of annoyances and concerns.

  23. 23.

    jl

    @Martin:  I often hear better questions from local beat reporters than what we get from most of the WH press corps. Some of the WH press are great reporters who who usually ask good questions but too many are outrageous (and egregious) hacks.

    Do local press get into the WH pressers? If not, maybe they should. get in. And some blogs too. Biden could take questions first from the Waukegan Blarion and Daily Kos and whoever, and let the few good WH press reporters ask a question or two before walking off.

  24. 24.

    trollhattan

    Sec Haaland makes time to speak with Indigenous media on her first day.

    Haaland spoke directly about her desire to involve tribes in federal decision-making in a new and unprecedented way. Tribal governments have long felt overlooked when it comes to consultation on federal contracts and land-management decisions, and their opinions have often been outright dismissed. Haaland said that she is determined to end that cycle. “So often everyone thinks that the BIA is the only location where Indian issues should be addressed, and we know that’s not true. Indian issues need to be addressed across the entire government.” She added that it’s important to consult with tribes early in any process, before decisions are made, and to give them proper access — no longer restricting public comments to online forums, for example, particularly when the tribal community in question might have limited broadband access. “I want the era when tribes were on the back burner to be over.”

  25. 25.

    trollhattan

    @jl: ​
    I’m guessing Biden doesn’t make across-the-aisle mistakes like Obama when he gave Helen Thomas’ seat to Fox. He knows.

  27. 27.

    J R in WV

    OT:
    Maybe a little bit, this afternoon around 1:15, Wife and I got our second Moderna vaccination !! Driving home I told wife I felt like there should be a marching band, or bagpipes, or a bonfire and banjo players. But that would have been too much. I have chronic pain from being rode hard and put away wet for 70 years, so It’s hard to say if today’s aches are from the shot or just one more day of same old.

    It went really smoothly in drive-thru mode since the weather is way better than for the first shot (15, ice storm, no power in the county!) and as we waited in the car in an organized parking lot with time stickers on the windshield I asked if in the months they have been doing these shot clinics, have they ever had a serious reaction in any patient? Nope. And the clinic with docs is right there across the driveway if they do. Very rural clinic, Very well organized and executed!

    VERY Glad to see Secretary Haaland sworn in, and to see VP Harris so happy about it.

  28. 28.

    Origuy

    My housemate got an appointment with Stanford for the jab on Saturday. Besides the EDS, she has COPD, asthma, pulmonary embolisms and a growth in her lung. If she were to get infected, it could be really bad. The Stanford signup was a pain as there were multiple screens with one question per screen in some cases. She missed the first time she’d chosen while we were answering the question about why she was eligible because of her health. They should have had Ticketron run the website; it would have reserved the timeslot for five minutes. Finally got in, probably because of a cancellation.

    I’m still not eligible because I’m 64 and too healthy. California hasn’t lowered the age limit yet.

  30. 30.

    jl

    @John Revolta: IIRC, most of the indigenous traditions in the US were much less sexist than a large section of the current voting population in these, our great, United States. (Edit, but some were just as bad as white folks have been until recently.)

    I remember reading that Native American delegations coming to treaty negotiations would have men and women, and the Europeans would not talk with them until the women were kept out.

    People like Haaland can bring some better attitudes to our benighted society.

  35. 35.

    laura

    The importance of Interior Secretary Haaland’s attire is way beyond my current knowledge and I hope to learn more about the symbols on her skirt, her moccasins which she laced on with such care. I really hope that Robin Givhan takes up this subject – her use of fashion as the lens to critique politics seems apt. She looked beautiful and powerful.

    The joy of this historic occasion is just so much value added to the Biden Harris administration.

  40. 40.

    jl

    @West of the Rockies: Naked press conferences would increase audience for the Biden admin. More than their covid relief bill tour.

    BJ blog should really charge them for all of our brilliant ideas, help the blog pay for itself.

  42. 42.

    Geminid

    @jl: Secretary Haalands life story is inspiring. Her mother, Mary Toya of Laguna Pueblo, served in the Navy, while her father, “Dutch” Haaland, was a Minnesotan. A Marine officer, he earned a Silver Star in Vietnam and is buried at Arlington National Cemetary, across the Potomac from where Haaland now works.

    Haaland lived in 13 different places growing up. She applied for college when she was 28, and gave birth to her daughter four days after graduation. Her life as a single mother was a very challenging. She was able to earn a law degree at age 46, though, and then served New Mexico tribes in very responsible positions. Haaland was New Mexico’s State Democratic Chairman before she won the 1st District seat vacated by current Governor Michelle Lujan-Griffen in 2018.

    I think House Democrats will miss Deb Haaland a lot, but they must be happy for her.

  44. 44.

    L85NJGT

    @jl:

    The briefing room only seats 49, and the manufactured scarcity benefits national media. The Chicago Tribune and Dallas Morning News are about as downmarket as it gets.

  45. 45.

    Roger Moore

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Remember – whenever a conservative talks about “tough choices”, he never means that it is a choice that he or she will personally feel the negative impact from.

    So much this.  All the talk about how cutting services to poor people is a tough choice is a bunch of bullshit.  Cutting off poor people is an easy, lazy choice.  The really tough choices are raising taxes on people who have the resources to complain about it and building up a rainy day fund when times are good and everyone wants funding for their pet project.

  46. 46.

    jonas

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: 

    So the reporter is concerned with Biden’s harsh rhetoric towards Putin after coming off four years of a president who could scarcely comment on US-Russia relations because he was so busy gargling Putin’s junk all the time? Yeah. Sounds like a WH reporter, alright.

  48. 48.

    Miss Bianca

    @John Revolta:

    I mean, it’s not like she’s riding a horse down the streets of D.C. on her way to her new office.

    Although I have to admit that watching her put on her boots really, really reminded me of putting polo wraps on *my* horse. ; )

    ETA: Oh yeah – and funk Zinke. That fucking poser. Even if the horse he borrowed for that stunt was a really, really nice horse.

  49. 49.

    jl

    @L85NJGT: “The briefing room only seats 49”

    All that nonsense from only 49 seats? Unpossible.

    They should either get a bigger room, or hold a lottery. And, why not add remotes? Covid has produced some good ideas on how to do things better.

  51. 51.

    SWMBO

    @jl: ​
      Expand it to hold one reporter from each state or territory or tribe. Make the local media work for a slot.

Comments are closed.