Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

FFS people, this was a good thing. take the win.

I am pretty sure Katy Tur wasn’t always such a bootlicking sycophant.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

No one could have predicted…

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / President Biden on Supply Chains & Economic Renewal That Half the Country Doesn’t See Even Though It’s Right In Front of Them (LIVE)

President Biden on Supply Chains & Economic Renewal That Half the Country Doesn’t See Even Though It’s Right In Front of Them (LIVE)

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The President delivers remarks on his Administration’s efforts to rebuild supply chains and lay a foundation for an economic renewal that’s made in America through the Bipartisan Innovation Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Is it too much to hope that President Biden will call out TX governor Greg Abbott for his supply chain interference?

Totally open thread.

Reader Interactions

119Comments

  1. 1.

    TaMara

    This probably deserves its own post at some point, but for now, while we wait for Biden to slice and dice Abbott, this is fascinating. Authoritarians don’t debate ideas.

  2. 2.

    lollipopguild

    @TaMara: I think that this for the best.  The RNC will put together fox noise/ onan/Q/ Lizard People panel to ask all of the really important questions.

  3. 3.

    cain

    So the RNC wants softball questions and can’t debate any of the ideas since they don’t actually have any other than lowering taxes on the rich and guns. Of course, now they’ve also added attacking children and women. Swell.

  4. 4.

    artem1s

    @TaMara: ​
     

    The RNC is ditching the presidential debates.

    Just like they eliminated the nomination process in 2020 in about half the states. Any time some smartass MAGAt asks you why we need a voting rights act and to name someone that didn’t get to vote in 2021… Remind them that the GOP decided they weren’t allowed to vote for the GOP nominee for President. The GOP decided for them that they didn’t need any alternate choices.
    They’ll do the same with the debates. Only the most batshit crazy, click and donation generating asshats need apply.

  11. 11.

    cain

    @Baud: Think 24 hour news will have a sad because there won’t be any debate that they can analyze what kind of gaffes Biden will make?

    I reckon CNN and others will have those townhall formats where they get randos showing up asking tough questions to the Democatic candidates and Fox News will have softball questions insinuating all kinds of shit about Biden, Democrats and health care providers.

  12. 12.

    ian

    @TaMara:

    The last round  of CPB forums served as a vehicle for an attempted biological attack on one nominee by another.  Other great byproducts included the Mike Pence’s fly timeline.  They are in my opinion mostly a space for media personalities to brandish gotcha questions.  The RNC is withdrawing because they don’t want to be asked questions, but I think this gives us our own reasons to jettison what has become a untenable civic circus rather meaningful debate.

  13. 13.

    TaMara

    Jaime goes there. “Cocaine orgies” I about spit out my coffee:

  17. 17.

    TaMara

    @ian: That made me laugh! Agreed. And I think townhalls are really a better format for intelligent, thoughtful candidates.

    Which of course is not the GOP

  19. 19.

    Kelly

    At last something I can thank the Republican Party for! The idea that the debates are a think on your feet display of some sort of useful governing skill has been bullshit clear back to Kennedy/Nixon.

  21. 21.

    Dangerman

    Democrats can hold their own “debate”; when the time comes for the Republican to answer a question or rebut, have a bunch of props handy for the cameras to focus on for 90 seconds or whatever. First one is a chicken. Next is a giant turd. Etc.

  24. 24.

    Martin

    Man, what a coup for Fox News. No more Republican ‘philosophy’ leaking out to other media outlets. We can be certain now that the Republican Party is no longer interested in expanding its appeal, going for a no true scotsman mechanic to the party. They’re going to lean in increasingly hard to christian nationalism. Seeing no sign of us backing away from a violent end to this.

  25. 25.

    Brachiator

    It’s official. The RNC is ditching the presidential debates. Translation: The questions are biased, the people asking the questions are biased, the organization that produces the event is biased, and all this bias this hurts our feelings while messing with our messaging.

    Republicans don’t believe in presidential elections. It makes sense that they would not believe in presidential debates.

  26. 26.

    TaMara

    @Dangerman: Posters of Republicans’ failed economic policies.

    Posters of all the quotes the Repub candidate said in the primaries that they are now trying play down.

    Posters of all the stupid things they’ve said in response to rape, reproduction, and LGBTQ issues.

  27. 27.

    James E Powell

    @Baud:

    Completely agree. In the debates in 2000, 2004, and 2016, the Democratic candidate exposed the Republican as a dishonest, hypocritical buffoon. The press/media hated them for it.

  28. 28.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @artem1s:

    And Maddow and MSM will give them unlimited free ad time to spew their filth all over the airwaves.

    Maddow? The fuck? Have you ever actually watched her show?

  29. 29.

    WaterGirl

    @TaMara: @Baud:  Interesting.

    I am neither surprise nor upset.  It seems to me that this is an opportunity for Democrats.

    We could hold forums on individual topics.  Climate change.  Foreign policy.  Justice.  and more

    Half an hour for each serious candidate, though I guess that gets into identifying hurdles for getting on stage.  No more than 4 candidates in a event, maybe random distribution of candidates between the various nights for the same subject.

    Sweet sixteen, but for nerds!

  30. 30.

    WaterGirl

    I guess I am surprised at one thing – that the Republicans aren’t embarrassed to admit that they have absolutely no policy chops, or even worse, no interest in policy or governing at all.

  31. 31.

    WaterGirl

    @TaMara: We can have an empty podium representing the Rs if we do the topic-centered forums I want to see.  Just prop up the big poster that lists all the horrible things the RNC laid out.

  33. 33.

    Jinchi

    @Baud: I’m not upset. Debates are worthless and it’s always about whether the Dem will have a gaffe or not.

    I’m more curious about the primaries. There are bound to be a dozen Republicans running in ’24. How are we supposed to know who persecuted the most gays and shutdown the most pedophile pizzerias without them shouting at each other in the debates.

  34. 34.

    Baud

    @WaterGirl:

    We could hold forums on individual topics.  Climate change.  Foreign policy.  Justice.  and more

    No media moderators, hopefully.

    Half an hour for each serious candidate, though I guess that gets into identifying hurdles for getting on stage.  No more than 4 candidates in a event, maybe random distribution of candidates between the various nights for the same subject.

    The GOP pulled out of the general election debates.  I assume both our and their primary debates will still take place.

  36. 36.

    The Moar You Know

    Why single out Maddow?

    @Baud:  No reason not to. I know she doesn’t mean to, but damn she gives the GOP and their crazed talking points a LOT of airtime.

  39. 39.

    Jinchi

    @WaterGirl: We could hold forums on individual topics. Climate change. Foreign policy. Justice. and more

    Sounds great. Personally, I prefer a forum where voters ask questions directly. Media hosts tend to push ‘scandal of the day’  themes that often don’t matter to anyone outside the beltway clique. Let them moderate for time, but keep the debate on grass roots topics.

  41. 41.

    Geminid

    @Jinchi: The RNC won’t stop debates in the Republican primaries, if only because they can’t. Unlike in say, Great Britain, state law determines who is on a primary ballot. Parties can not restrict voters choices by ruling this candidate in and that candidate out.

    The RNC actually can’t even stop Presidential debates. If the Republican nominee wants to debate, what could the RNC do about it? Once a candidate receives the nomination, as a practical matter they are in the driver’s seat.

  42. 42.

    JWR

    @ian:

    The RNC is withdrawing because they don’t want to be asked questions,

    … period. All that needs be said right there.

    Oh, and fuck Greg Abbott, with his Greg Abbott One-Way Bus Line.

  43. 43.

    Yutsano

    @WaterGirl: Go back to having them organised by the League of Women Voters. Make them truly non-partisan affairs. And keep the questions relevant to both the race and the locality of the debate. Let’s listen to what people in Ohio are worried about.

  44. 44.

    sdhays

    @WaterGirl: Oh, yes! Shut out the national political press. If you’ve ever received an invitation to a White House Correspondents Dinner or a party with DC bigwigs, do not apply.

  46. 46.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    At this point we are required by law to state “Republican withdraw from presidential debates 2.5 years raises more questions about Hunter Biden’s laptop”

  48. 48.

    Yarrow

    Seems like a good opportunity to paint the Republicans as being too afraid to debate. Afraid to step outside of their Fox News sandbox. Afraid of real questions. Republicans – the party of cowards.

    @Yutsano:  Great suggestion. The League of Women Voters did a good job. If not all debates are given back to them they should be given some of them. Then we can compare and contrast with those done by media celebrities.

  49. 49.

    gene108

    @TaMara:

    Honestly, from a campaigning point of view, this is smart for Republicans to do. Their platform and candidates are loathsome. Putting the Republican candidate on stage next to the Democratic candidate just reveals their cruelty and dishonesty.

    This happened to McCain, in 2008, Romney, in 2012, and Trump, especially in 2020.

    The best thing for Republicans to maximize their chances to win is to only have staged events in controlled settings, and not let their candidates interact with non-supporters or get in situations where they might veer off script in anyway.

  51. 51.

    Brachiator

    @Yutsano:

    Go back to having them organised by the League of Women Voters.

    Neither party wants this.

    After a 16 year period in which there were no public presidential debates, the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF) sponsored three presidential debates in 1976. These debates between Jimmy Carter (D), former governor of Georgia and Gerald Ford (R), President of the United States, were the first to be held since 1960…

    The League continued to sponsor the presidential and vice presidential debates every four years through the 1984 elections. Following that election cycle, the Democratic and Republican national parties came together in a decision to move sponsorship of the debates under the purview of the parties.

    It’s funny that debates are not really a political tradition.

  52. 52.

    Ken

    @Brachiator: It’s funny that debates are not really a political tradition.

    But I learned in history class that Abraham Lincoln debated Frederick Douglass.

  53. 53.

    Gravenstone

    @WaterGirl: Just prop up the big poster that lists all the horrible things the RNC laid out.

    Video screen. Paste up the absolutely least flattering picture of the pol in question, and have a selection of key quotes from them on a variety of expected topics that can be flashed up on screen when relevant.

  56. 56.

    Yutsano

    @WaterGirl: They’re only saving us the embarrassment of having to talk about Hunter Biden’s laptop for an hour and a half. Won’t you think of his children? //

  58. 58.

    lowtechcyclist

    Guess they’re afraid their candidate will get his ass kicked by the guy the claim is senile.

  61. 61.

    James E Powell

    @Dangerman:

    Assuming Trump hasn’t shuffled off this mortal coil, he’s the nominee in 24 if he wants it.

    Everyone is saying this so often that I am starting to doubt it.

  62. 62.

    Jinchi

    @Dangerman: I don’t think DeSantis is going to sit it out, even if Trump runs again. DeSantis probably realizes that Trump is vulnerable to being branded an over the hill loser. All he has to do is be as vile a candiate, but a new more energetic version.

  63. 63.

    Brachiator

    @Ken:

    But I learned in history class that Abraham Lincoln debated Frederick Douglass.

    15 rounds and Lincoln won on a TKO.

  65. 65.

    trollhattan

    On again/off again submarine status of Moskva has been settled in favor of the former.

    Russia’s defence ministry says its Moskva missile ship has sunk, state media is reporting.
    Ukraine says it carried out a strike on the vessel, while Russia claims ammunition on board blew up.
    The Moskva was reportedly being towed to Crimea for repairs.
    In a statement, Russian military department said: “During the towing of the Moskva cruiser to the port of destination, due to damage to the hull received during the fire from the detonation of ammunition, the ship lost stability,”
    “In the conditions of stormy seas, the ship sank.”

    “Stormy seas” = some big fucking holes.

  66. 66.

    Martin

    @Geminid: The Commission on Presidential Debates is a non-profit co-owned by the RNC and DNC. The RNC just pulled out of that deal.

    You’re right that there can be a new debate organizer, but there now needs to be a new debate organizer. Safe to say that if Trump is the nominee, there won’t be one.

    I’d say there’s a decent chance that many states don’t hold a Republican primary for president in 2024, just anointing Trump. The RNC is going to have to figure out how to handle that.

  68. 68.

    Jinchi

    @Mike in NC: Why does someone as awful as Ronna McDaniel even still have a paid job?

    Because she dropped the Romney, shunned her uncle and groveled before the boss.

    She’s the ideal Republican cog. Sort of like a female Kevin McCarthy.

  69. 69.

    Spanky

    @trollhattan: 

     due to damage to the hull received during the fire from the detonation of ammunition

    Note that they don’t mention whose ammunition.

  71. 71.

    Jinchi

    @trollhattan: It’s weird that the Russians would rather brand the Captain and crew as clumsy sailors rather than admit an enemy missile could sink a ship.

  73. 73.

    Baud

    @trollhattan:

    “In the conditions of stormy seas, the ship sank.”

    Oh, yeah
    Life is bad
    Gloom and misery everywhere
    Stormy weather, stormy weather
    And I just can get my poor self together
    Oh, I’m weary all of the time
    The time, so weary all of the time

  74. 74.

    JWR

    @Dangerman:

    @Jinchi: Assuming Trump hasn’t shuffled off this mortal coil, he’s the nominee in 24 if he wants it.

    I just read a story over at NBC about TFG’s health and something he said:

    So, with so much at stake for him personally, as well as for his party and the country, it was notable that, in a recent interview with The Washington Post, the former president floated the possibility that his health could become an important factor in weighing whether he would run again in 2024: “You always have to talk about health. You look like you’re in good health, but tomorrow, you get a letter from a doctor saying come see me again. That’s not good when they use the word again.”

    This offhand comment — one that apparently came as something of an afterthought toward the end of the interview — sent shock waves through the political establishment, because it was the first time that Trump, who has been notoriously secretive about sharing his health records with the public, seemed to admit that health issues might influence his decision to run.

    Cryptic, for sure, but one can hope, can’t one? ;)

  75. 75.

    sdhays

    @Ken: The famous Lincoln-Douglas debates weren’t for President. They were for US Senate. Douglas won that race.

  76. 76.

    Baud

    @sdhays: Senator Frederick Douglas is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more.

  78. 78.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Spanky:Almost a certainty it was Moskva’s ammunition that sunk her;   Fires from burning missile fuel was a big ship killer in the Falklands War and the Moskva was a ship built in the same era as the HMS Sheffield. 

  79. 79.

    karen marie

    @trollhattan:

    “The 510-crew vessel was a symbol of Russia’s military power”

    The Russian “flag ship” – an almost 50-year-old ship.

    “Slava was laid down in 1976 in Shipyard 445 of the 61 Kommunara Shipbuilding Plant in Mykolaiv, was launched in 1979, and commissioned on 30 January 1983.”

    “Recommissioned as Moskva in April 2000”

    I’ll never not find this amusing.

  80. 80.

    sdhays

    @trollhattan: I have the feeling that there isn’t going to be much worth pretending to celebrate in Moscow on May 9. Their entire southern front looks…precarious. And Ukraine seems to be receiving the weapons they need.

  81. 81.

    Doc Sardonic

    @Jinchi: If the RNC does a 2020 redux, should Mango Mussolini decide he is running again and eliminates primaries, it will be interesting to see how Deshitstain reacts. My prediction is a Kavanaughesque hissy fit, and possibly active hamstringing attempts directed toward the Mango within the confines of Florida. On the other side of the coin and they decide to hold primaries and Mango has announced he is running, there is really high probability that he will attempt to burn the RNC to the ground.

  83. 83.

    Geminid

    @Martin: Trump’s damaged goods, a loser. Most senior Republicans want to move on, even if they won’t say it. Freezing out primary challengers for an incumbent, like they did in 2020, is one thing. Excluding capable competitors in 2024 would be political mapractice, I think.

    This cycle, both the primaries and the general elections, are going to be a practical test of Trump’s power. Republican candidates are falling over each other trying to win Trump’s endorsement. They may be lagging indicators of Trump’s popularity, though. We’ll see if they win their nominations, and then win in November in battleground states.

    If they do, Trump will be in the driver’s seat for the 2024 nomination- assuming he is not too far gone physically or mentally. But I think Joe Biden was right when he said he would be fortunate to face “that person” in 2024.

    As for a debate commission, who needs one? Candidates can cut out the middleman and schedule individual debates with whatever news organization and format their campaign managers can agree on.

  85. 85.

    cain

    @Martin: DeSantis is going to be pissed – he’ll kick up some dust there. I’ll be interested in seeing this inter-GOP fight. Rooting for injuries.

  86. 86.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Baud:  I wish they would stop mixing up Senator Frederick Douglas with that Stephen Douglas guy, you know the one who broke all those plates in Kansas.

  87. 87.

    Eunicecycle

    Rumor is going around that Dump is going to endorse JD Vance in the Ohio Senate race, and Rs are apparently NOT happy about it. Also Ohio SC struck down the maps again, for the 4th time, but refuse to hold the redistricting commission in contempt.

  88. 88.

    karen marie

    @JWR:  Speaking of Individual-1 being secretive with his health records,  remember when Individual-1 sent his goons to his doctor’s office to steal his records?

    “A person familiar with the matter said there was a letter to Bornstein from then-White House doctor Ronny Jackson, but didn’t know if there was a release form attached.”

    “Bornstein said that Individual-1 cut ties with him after he told The New York Times that Individual-1 takes Propecia, a drug for enlarged prostates that is often prescribed to stimulate hair growth in men.”

    “A framed 8-by-10 photo of Bornstein and Trump that had been hanging on the wall in the waiting room now lies flat under a stack of papers on the top shelf of Bornstein’s bookshelf. Bornstein said the men asked him to take it off the wall.”

  89. 89.

    sdhays

    @JWR: I hope he strings DeShittest along for as long as possible, “maybe I’ll run, maybe I won’t, who knows, do you think I should run, Jared thinks I should run, I don’t know”.

  90. 90.

    Brachiator

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    I wish they would stop mixing up Senator Frederick Douglas with that Stephen Douglas guy, you know the one who broke all those plates in Kansas.

    I thought that was Buster Douglas who fought Lincoln in the gladiatorial debates.

  93. 93.

    different-church-lady

    @trollhattan: I think the right thing to do at this point would be for Ukraine to declare the war won and then wait 48 hours for it to come true.

  94. 94.

    Geminid

    @Eunicecycle: Trump already got Pennsylvania Republicans riled up with his endorsement of Mehmet Oz in their Senate primary. But no endorsement of J.D. Vance is going to make Ohioans like that vile phoney. Maybe Trump is sucking up to Vance sponsor Peter Thiel.

  95. 95.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @trollhattan: Um, the missile is named Neptun – “Orion” is the alleged “intel” service that posted the tweet. Thought you might want to know.

  97. 97.

    Geminid

    @sdhays: Chris Christie has said that a Trump candidacy won’t keep him out of the race. I don’t think Cristie would win, but he might make a few other competitors get off the fence.

  98. 98.

    sdhays

    @Eunicecycle: Old Trampy is losing his touch if he’s going to endorse  J. D. Vance. Tramp likes to pick winners, and by this point, it should be clear that Vance isn’t one.

    He must be high on his own farts (highly probable, to be fair) if he thinks he can just make JD happen in Ohio.

  99. 99.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @trollhattan: the ship was 12,000 tons and should have survived a hit from just an explosive that size.  The killer would have been warhead blast damage wrecks firefighting gear, burning rocket fuel is spread all over ship’s super structure, ship board fire starts cooking off one of those monster P-500 missiles’ 1,000lb warheads one at time

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-500_Bazalt

    And Ukraine gets to the Russian to own goal themselves, again.lol

  100. 100.

    sdhays

    @Geminid: Christie is saying he deserves to win whether Tramp runs or not. A winning candidate can’t afford that kind of break with Tramp, so I would expect some hesitation. Although, DeShittest and others may just start running saying that they’ll step aside if their god runs again.

  102. 102.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    Hey if the nominee is Individual-1, then all Biden or a surrogate need to do is call him a coward who runs off with his tail between his legs to a safe space where no one will ask him hard questions. Then stick it on repeat. He will melt down completely.

  107. 107.

    topclimber

    I am shocked that the party sworn to eternal enmity against cancel culture has just cancelled Presidential debates.
    I prefer the nomination debates. Remember how Warren sunk Bloomberg’s candidacy faster than the Ukrainians took out the Moskva? And how the 2016 GOP clown ensemble talked about hand and organ sizes…oh, wait.​

  108. 108.

    Geminid

    @sdhays: Chris Christie believes in Chris Christie. He might find Republicans in the Middle Atlantic and to the north who also believe in him, but I can’t see him finishing first in Southern or Western primaries

    Christie’s an asshole, but they’re all assholes. So maybe Trump will win as the biggest asshole. But I think he’ll have to work to get that nomination.

  110. 110.

    topclimber

    @Geminid: ​Does the GOP have any open primaries that would allow a Christie to snatch a western state or two via independents? Of course, it doesn’t matter so much if they have gone full proportional representation anywhere Trump is not a lock.

  112. 112.

    Subsole

    @Eunicecycle:

    Serious question: what happens when that odious little haemonculus Thiel finally does the decent thing and falls over dead??

    He seems to be bankrolling an AWFUL lot of this international fascism.

  115. 115.

    Geminid

    @topclimber: Colorado has an open primary, I think. At least, I heard that Republicans are trying to close their primaries to non-affiliated voters. Since the Colorado’s non-affilated voters outnumber either party’s this may be a bad idea for them, but the radicals in the party want to control their nominees.

    Virginia has no party registration and all primaries are open. So the hard right component of the Republican party tries to to shape the outcome by using the caucus/convention method. That’s how my 5th District Congressman got rolled by Liberty University’s candidate.

    Normal people don’t have time for this method, which is why the tea party cranks and religious zealots like it. It’s no way to build a party, though. It only produces winners in red districts like mine.

  116. 116.

    StringOnAStick

    @Geminid: CO does have open primaries; my old boss thought it was a great idea because that way “not just the extremists of each party would vote”.  I don’t live there anymore and I’m glad the caucuses are gone, but my boss didn’t see the potential for rodent copulation with this closed primary idea.  That the R’s want to revert to closed suggests to me that they are scared about the state’s continuing team D drift, so it’s concentrating the crazy.

  119. 119.

    Eunicecycle

    @Subsole: and what’s in it for these rich guys? I really can’t understand what motivates them. So they get tax cuts so they can have more money when they die?

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