The Biden Administration

[goldenvalley]

Apr 21, 2022 18:50:23 GMT LFC said:

Josh Marshall notes that Biden isn't fighting, which is sadly so typical of Democrats. The result is that people are getting their opinions pushed by the other side.

A new AP poll says that 54% of Americans think President Biden has been “not tough enough” on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. These kinds of public perceptions can be shaped by perceptions of a leader as much as they drive them. So you think Biden is weak as your starting point and therefore you think he’s not being tough enough on Russia rather than the other way around. Also notable, Americans’ hawkishness over Ukraine has dipped a bit from a month ago. But the first, second and third most important thing about this poll is that this is what you get when you’re not reminding Americans every day – and I mean every god-damned day – that the GOP has spent the last 7 years boosting, allying with and even conspiring with Russia.

This is so obvious I don’t see the need to even rehearse all the details and the bill of particulars. This is just losing the game because you didn’t put a team on the field. Political messaging, political storytelling isn’t a one and done or binary thing. You don’t seize on the silver bullet message and then the waters part in front of you. But there’s only so many hours in the day. In a setting like this, when Republicans are attacking Democrats 24/7 you need to carve out some of those hours for Republicans to explain why just three years ago they were helping Presidents Trump and Putin conspire against Ukraine and the United States. Only four years ago eight Republican Senators decided to spend July 4th making fealty to Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The list is endless.

When you’re in a war and on the defense an army will also attack at its opponent’s weak points. Capacity diverted from offense to defense means less incoming fire. Only so much army to go around; only so many hours in the day. The physical realities are different but the basic calculus is just the same.

Will pushing the GOP’s guilt and complicity on Russia make people stop caring about inflation? Of course not. But if you’re not even putting that team on the field you are simply not doing the simplest blocking and tackling of politics. It’s that bad.

Most voters are not reading about the federal government and the work of a presidential administration.  They only know gas prices are higher now and that lots of people are mad about something, not sure what.  They look up to see who is president and say "It's his fault."

[LFC]

Apr 21, 2022 20:20:42 GMT goldenvalley said:

Most voters are not reading about the federal government and the work of a presidential administration.  They only know gas prices are higher now and that lots of people are mad about something, not sure what.  They look up to see who is president and say "It's his fault."

The Biden administration should be hammering on "the Republican-Putin gas tax." Inflation? He should have been hammering on "Greg Abbott's produce price hike." Sure he'll still get blame but if he refuses to defend himself then he gets all of the blame.

[goldenvalley]

Apr 21, 2022 21:02:05 GMT LFC said:

Apr 21, 2022 20:20:42 GMT goldenvalley said:

Most voters are not reading about the federal government and the work of a presidential administration.  They only know gas prices are higher now and that lots of people are mad about something, not sure what.  They look up to see who is president and say "It's his fault."

The Biden administration should be hammering on "the Republican-Putin gas tax." Inflation? He should have been hammering on "Greg Abbott's produce price hike." Sure he'll still get blame but if he refuses to defend himself then he gets all of the blame.

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer but here goes. Those who don't like him will pay zero attention to anything he says unless it becomes a meme they see on social media or Fox.  The swing voters, I suspect, are really just voters who don't pay attention to much unless something exciting is happening, like Trump running for president.  They aren't going to pay any attention to Biden either or they hear it as "Did not! Did too!" bickering.  Biden can defend himself but it will only be heard and digested by people who are interested and pay more than passing notice to political things.  

[LFC]

Joe took a shot at Trump at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

“This is the first time the President has attended this dinner in six years. It’s understandable: We had a horrible plague – followed by two years of COVID.”

Remember that Trump dodged this event for years because he couldn't handle being made fun of. Sad.

[LFC]

I hope this isn't true. Biden, of all people, should know that Moscow Mitch's word is worth the paper it isn't printed on.

The biggest story in Kentucky politics this week is an unconfirmed “deal” between President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) over a soon-to-be vacant seat on the federal bench.

The so-called deal, news of which broke two days ago but which the White House has not confirmed, would have Biden appointing a Republican anti-abortion lawyer who is a member of the Federalist Society to the federal bench in return for McConnell easing the way for other Biden judicial nominees.

Word of the alleged arrangement has the state’s Democratic governor and sole Democratic member of Congress in an uproar and trying to scuttle whatever Biden and McConnell were up to.

News of the arrangement broke after the White House told the Democrats, Gov. Andy Beshear and Rep. John Yarmuth, that they intended to nominate Chad Meredith to a judgeship in the Eastern District of Kentucky.

[pnwguy]

Jul 1, 2022 18:15:03 GMT LFC said:

I hope this isn't true. Biden, of all people, should know that Moscow Mitch's word is worth the paper it isn't printed on he wipes his ass with.

FIFY 

[jackd]

It's not as though he had a lot of choice. I don't doubt Mitch would have carried out his threat to obstruct all presidential appointments. Having another snti-Roe judge is sort of a so what proposition at this point. Deals get cut on judges between the Presidency and the Senate and within the Senate itself all the time. People keep forgetting that politics is the art of the possible.

[LFC]

Oh, Joe. A deal with the devil (Moscow Mitch) with you giving in first? What were you thinking?

After initially declining to do so, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) office on Tuesday released two emails from the White House confirming President Joe Biden’s plan to nominate Chad Meredith, an anti-abortion Federalist Society member, to a federal judgeship.

The governor’s office gave the emails, dated June 23 and June 29, to the Louisville Courier Journal, which had requested the correspondences under Kentucky’s open records law before the newspaper received the June 23 email independently.

The June 29 email was sent just five hours before the Courier Journal first broke the news of Meredith’s planned nomination, reporting that the nomination was part of a deal between Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). The agreement (which hasn’t been confirmed) is reportedly that McConnell won’t hold up Biden’s nominations in exchange for Meredith’s appointment.

You gotta' love a "deal" where one side agrees to uphold their oath to obey and protect the Constitution. And of course we know that he'll come up with some excuse and renege because that's who he is.

[jackd]

Ask yourself what choice Biden had. Should he hold out and not get any nominations approved? McConnell is fully capable of shutting down all of his nominations.

[LFC]

Jul 6, 2022 16:50:58 GMT jackd said:

Ask yourself what choice Biden had. Should he hold out and not get any nominations approved? McConnell is fully capable of shutting down all of his nominations.

I guess the question is which is most likely, a Biden appointed Federalist judge on the bench and Moscow Mitch actually doing his duty or a Biden appointed Federalist judge on the bench and slow walking / blocking of his appointees for 2 years. If the latter he'd be better off not appointing a Federalist judge.

[LFC]

Biden's deal may get blocked by Dick Durbin (D-IL) who is calling bullshit.

Corrupt Bargain In Jeopardy

If Biden ends up going through his apparent agreement with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to nominate Chad Meredith, a longtime anti-abortion Republican, as a federal judge in Kentucky, it’s not a sure bet that Meredith will actually get a confirmation hearing.

• Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) told Politico on Monday, “Imagine how controversial it would be within the Democratic caucus,” adding that “We’ll wait and see if we receive [the nomination] and then we’ll decide.”

• Biden’s reported head-scratcher of a deal with McConnell is that GOP leader wouldn’t obstruct the President’s other picks in exchange for Meredith’s nomination. Slate reported that the picks McConnell agreed not to stonewall are nominees for two U.S. attorney posts in Kentucky.

[goldenvalley]

Jul 12, 2022 14:32:50 GMT LFC said:

Biden's deal may get blocked by Dick Durbin (D-IL) who is calling bullshit.

Corrupt Bargain In Jeopardy

If Biden ends up going through his apparent agreement with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to nominate Chad Meredith, a longtime anti-abortion Republican, as a federal judge in Kentucky, it’s not a sure bet that Meredith will actually get a confirmation hearing.

• Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) told Politico on Monday, “Imagine how controversial it would be within the Democratic caucus,” adding that “We’ll wait and see if we receive [the nomination] and then we’ll decide.”

• Biden’s reported head-scratcher of a deal with McConnell is that GOP leader wouldn’t obstruct the President’s other picks in exchange for Meredith’s nomination. Slate reported that the picks McConnell agreed not to stonewall are nominees for two U.S. attorney posts in Kentucky.

Who would trust McConnell to honor such a deal?  Maybe in the days gone by there was honor among Senators but I think that's probably all gone now.

[jackd]

If the deal was simply to protect Kentucky US Attorney nominations, it's a terrible deal. I thought the earlier reports were to protect Executive nominations generally.

[LFC]

Biden gets the first confirmed head of the ATF in 7 years.

The US Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the federal agency overseeing gun regulations, which had lacked a permanent director for over seven years.

Steve Dettelbach, 56, will now become the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), following a series of deadly mass shootings that have shaken the country.

The former federal prosecutor was narrowly confirmed with the support of 48 senators, including two Republicans, against 46 opposed.

He will oversee the ATF's 5,000 employees, half of whom are ballistics specialists who investigate gun crimes. The agency is also tasked with regulating the nation's firearms industry, making it a perennial enemy of the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA).

"After years of obstruction by the gun lobby, the Senate has finally confirmed a permanent director to lead the ATF," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

"While certainly not a panacea to the gun violence epidemic plaguing our nation, having Mr Dettelbach at the helm of the ATF will ensure the feds have all hands on deck in the fight to stop gun trafficking, prevent illegal possession of firearms, and make sure our kids can’t get their hands on dangerous weapons," he added.

[LFC]

Ugh, this just makes my stomach churn. Rand Paul, of all people, squashed the pro-abortion judge Biden was going to nominate for Moscow Mitch. In turn Moscow Mitch claims there was never any deal to begin with and that Biden was going to do it as "a personal friendship gesture." Bold TPM's.

Slow Clap

Biden won’t be going through with his shocking plan to nominate Chad Meredith, an anti-abortion Federalist Society Republican, to a federal judgeship in Kentucky, the White House announced on Friday – but not because the president finally realized the nomination was a terrible idea.

• No, it was because Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) refused to give the White House the “blue slip” consenting to Meredith’s nomination. That’s right, it was a Republican who scuttled the whole thing.

• And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told the New York Times that he hadn’t promised Biden anything in exchange for Meredith’s appointment. It would’ve just been Biden extending a “personal friendship gesture” to McConnell, according to the GOP leader:









Heartwarming stuff!

[jackd]

Why would anyone believe McConnell?

[LFC]

Biden tested positive for COVID.

[pnwguy]

Jul 21, 2022 15:29:27 GMT LFC said:

Biden tested positive for COVID.

Obviously his leadership on Covid is FAILING!  That never happened to Supreme Leader Trump!

Oh.....wait....never mind....

[andydp]

Funny thing: after all the blame was put on Pres Biden for the high gas prices, I am appalled no one is thanking him for the lowered gas prices.

(Personal note: got high test at BJs in Rhode Island Sunday at $4.67 Gallon.)

[goldenvalley]

Aug 16, 2022 12:06:54 GMT andydp said:

Funny thing: after all the blame was put on Pres Biden for the high gas prices, I am appalled no one is thanking him for the lowered gas prices.

(Personal note: got high test at BJs in Rhode Island Sunday at $4.67 Gallon.)

I suspect the media has been busy with all the Trump doings in the last week so it didn't get around to talking about gas prices much.  Good news isn't nearly as interesting as bad news.

[Bact PhD]

Aug 16, 2022 12:06:54 GMT andydp said:

Funny thing: after all the blame was put on Pres Biden for the high gas prices, I am appalled no one is thanking him for the lowered gas prices.

(Personal note: got high test at BJs in Rhode Island Sunday at $4.67 Gallon.)

Regular unleaded here fell under $4 about 2 weeks ago and is drifting south of $3.75, just in time for the school year to start.

[AnBr]

$3.05 at a Circle K near here.

[LFC]

Nice response, Joe. Maybe the media should do its job and report more on the corporate and wealthy welfare.

[LFC]

Republicans are, as totally expected, melting down over student loan forgiveness. Some of the responses are hilarious. First we have this beaut.

Next we have Bimboebert in somebody's sights.

And then there's this one which is not clever but oh so accurate.

[LFC]

And the social media posts keep on comin'.