Democratic party foibles

biden actively courting republican senators to confirm horrible human neera tanden. 

biden hasn't reached out to manchin about relief bill to pressure him. 

biden admin working harder to confirm neera than help the american people. 

sad. 

The lonely boy (s) speaks out

good thing the whole world is listening

Table for one please

Cuomo is burnt toast.
Or should be, at any rate
We'll see, down the road

Foibles. lol

Out of the gate? 

Biden should have tried to cancel some student debt. It might eventually been struck down, but it arguably within Biden's power 

maybe next time we can do nice things.

<<>>but it arguably within Biden's power 

actually, it's 100% within his power (the power you seem to think he doesn't have.....) 

Face it, Turtle. We're never going to have nice things no matter who's in charge.

https://www.socialprogress.org/

Nice things are over-rated.

bernie would have got us nice things. 

some people couldnt figure that out tho.  

Woulda coulda shoulda. We need to work with what we've got now.

>Nice things are over-rated.<<

like housing, education, public safety, mental health/care....

Are those nice things? They seem more like basic human rights. And you can add safe drinking water to that list too.

that's all i'm tryin' to say brother....

I hear you, Turtle, but realistically, how do we get there?

by not voting for corporate politicians and giving somebody like bernie a try. 

now? who the fucks know. it's over man. they won. 

neera tanden is done. 

hahahaha. 

she's pure trash. 

also today -- -119 dems. voted against restoring voting rights to people in prison. 

somebody like surf will say -- well 209 republicans voted against it. 

hahahha! 

but realistically, how do we get there?<<

i don't know, because forces of good generally are not as well funded.

start a progressive judge movement that mirrors the success of the federalist party?

so one day the decision of corporations are people with rights is abolished..

so one day there is a limit to campaign contribs....OR publicly funded elections.

re-instate the law of news NOT having to show both sides of positions.

abolish the electoral college

....

i know. but hey, you asked.

> by not voting for corporate politicians and giving somebody like bernie a try

I contributed to Bernie's campaign in 2016 and 2020. Both times, when election day rolled around, I voted for Not-Trump.

> i know. but hey, you asked

I did, and I like your answers, but those are long-term long-shot projects at best. In the meantime, I'm trying to be a good citizen, neighbor, and friend.

mike

do you think the dnc and corporate media's goal in 2016 and 2020 was to make bernie out to be a terrible choice, and boost literally anybody else?

what's contribute mean? does that mean vote for bernie in the primary? 

vote locally and make a difference at that level..

yes i listed lofty goals. but isn't that what we should strive for?

call/write letters...protest and hopefully not get shot or arrested. what else canyoudo?

The DNC did Bernie dirty in 2016, that's for sure. Wasserman-Schultz did the deed as I recall. I can't speak to the corporate media angle on all that.

Contribute means cash, ogkb. And yeah, i voted for Bernie in the primaries. Then it was time for Plan B, as in Biden.

> what else canyoudo?

In the classroom, I can do a lot, and I do. We examine the world and look at stuff that's messed up and try to imagine better ways. I also strongly and regularly encourage my students to register and vote, but I don't tell them who to vote for. I lead them down the path, but they have to make up their minds for themselves.

>actually, it's 100% within his power (the power you seem to think he doesn't have<

Yes, one can argue that Biden has the authority to forgive student debt,  which is completely different from ordering a member of a coequal branch of government to vote as demanded. I know you do not understand the distinction. 

Lawsuits are guaranteed and may succeed. 

But like I've written several times,  Biden should try.

Biden will ask DOJ to review his authority to cancel student loan debt - White House

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-doj-student-loan-idUSKBN2AH2KB

biden can cancel 100% of student debt right now. 

there's nothing else to say. 

just cancel it. 

simialr to how he can just not drop bombs. just don't do it. 

he controls that. 

wild. 

>>>>>119 dems. voted against restoring voting rights to people in prison.  somebody like surf will say -- well 209 republicans voted against it. 

Gee, it must be fun to be wrong so often. Maybe don't speculate on what someone's position is when you have no idea? I supported the amendment, of course. Obviously all the Ds should have voted for it. Did I think they would? Of course not.

all? most voted NO lol. 

>simialr to how he can just not drop bombs. just don't do it. 

he controls that. <

Actually it's not similar. There are genuine questions whether Biden has the authority to cancel student debt.  There is no question as to Biden's authority to order a military attack...or to not to. 

only corporate apologists thinks there are questions regarding student debt. 

biden can cancel 100% of debt. right now. he just doesn't want to. strange you don't understand that. 

let me guess -- you think they should also listen to the parliamentarian? come on man. there's also questions around that, but biden can make harris ignore that shit. he just won't. he doesn't care. 

slick is a republican from utah. doesn't get any more stupid in terms of politics. 

>only corporate apologists thinks there are questions regarding student debt. <

No, actual real life lawyers have differing opinions. 

What's the legal reasoning on which you base your opinion?

The parliamentarian is interpreting Senate Rules, this is different, not interpreting law.

Apples and Oranges.

Say they overrule the parliamentarian, how long are you willing to delay the legislation for a $10-$12 minimum wage? That's about the best you can hope for. 

Remember, extended unemployment benefits ryn iut on March 14.

>>>slick is a republican from utah. doesn't get any more stupid in terms of politics. 

Obviously you got the drift of my post. Let me see if I can explain ONE MORE TIME so even YOU might understand. But I sincerely doubt it. 

I joined the repub party a few years ago to influence which republicans show up on the ballot. Trying to get moderates elected rather than Tea Party radicals. 

With Republicans having a 23-6 majority in the Senate and a 58-17 majority in the House, it's one of the few ways to influence the politics of Utah. 

This year, the call went out to dems to do that and more folks did it than ever before. 79,000. So many did, that now the repubs in the legislature who feel threatened by this created a new law. 

Here's a link to a story about it, and the text is below. So it shows repubs fear the effect of this tactic. 

Obviously your limited knowledge of Utah, and politics in general, have led to the spouting of your mouth manure. Losing is frustrating, but some folks actually do something about it instead of pounding their fist on the table and screaming for stuff that just won't happen. I wish the lesson of Stacey Abrams wasn't lost on you. That woman changed our entire country, just by working locally in her state.  

Take care. 

https://www.ksl.com/article/50114869/utah-senate-poised-to-pass-bill-to-...

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate is poised to pass a bill to prevent voters from switching party affiliation in the months before primary elections after frustration over alleged "party raiding" during last year's election.

HB197 co-sponsor Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, noted that over 79,000 Utahns switched their party affiliation to vote in the 2020 Republican primary.

The bill would have originally blocked Utah voters from changing their party affiliation from Jan. 1 of a primary election year all the way up until the primary. But the bill was modified to instead stop changes after March 31.

Bramble expressed frustration about former Utah Democratic Party Chairman Jim Dabakis encouraging Democrats to switch affiliation to be able to vote in the primary.

"When one party tries to game the system, as we saw, again a former member of this body openly, blatantly suggesting that Democrats needed to switch parties to meddle in the affairs of the Republican Party. That's the genesis of this bill," Bramble said on the Senate floor on Thursday.

Sen. Derek Kitchen, D-Salt Lake City, questioned why the state needs to get involved in the issue instead of letting parties determine it for themselves.

Senate Assistant Minority Whip Jani Iwamoto, D-Holladay, explained that those who switch parties ahead of an election "want to pick their governor or whoever. And so they pay for the elections, and so shouldn't they have the ability to switch to determine who would be their governor or ... their attorney general?"

Bramble reiterated that the bill wouldn't prohibit switching parties, but would only prevent switching for the months before an election.

The Senate supported the bill in an early vote along party lines, meaning it will likely receive final passage. The House passed the bill on Feb. 12.  

^lol -- nobody gives a fuck dude. 

they're not even fighting man. 

bernie is trying harder than the president. sad. 

pass the shitty legislation. 

then debate/pass a bill raising the minimum to $20. 

$15 was the compromise. it's done now. 

^ You obviously do. You keep bringing it up. And given your track record on elections, you obviously don't learn the lessons. Have a nice day screaming stupidity. Later. 

^corporate apologist. 

like i said, bombing really brings em out. 

. 

> debate/pass a bill raising the minimum to $20<

Need 60 votes for cloture in the Senate.  You honestly think $20 gets that?

bernie is null

w/o bernie having organized and turned out voters, you'd be easily looking at the second trump administration. you're welcome.

Republicans are locked, loaded, and ready for war. What will the dems do?

At least Dems don't have to suck White supremacist dick.

So there's that.

Slacker has jokes.

where's biden? 

dude is mia. 

hes gonna give out checks to less people than trump. lol wow. 

this is bad. 

even our apologists here have to see this. 

Do you apologize pyro

Is it exhausting being you?

^not at all.

i bets is very stupid being you tho. 

your biden savior just yanked support from 17mil people yesterday by negotiating w/ republican dems for no reason. 

mitch mcconnell is laughing.  

Go Joe! Biden is on a roll doing good work for Americans. You gotta love the guy!

> Slacker has jokes.

I crack up every time I see the word "foibles". It just hits that spot.

I know that this is hard for you to understand, but people making over $80k a year really don't need that $1,400. Many don't want it. They'd rather not rack up the deficit, knowing that those in real need will probably need another round of stimulus in a few months. 

That isn't being a "corporate apologist," it's actually giving a fuck about equity. Fair isn't equal. It's giving those in need what they need. Some dude making $80K, or a HoH making $120k doesn't need that leg up.

Big issue is they are still going on 2019 tax returns. 2020 is where people were hurting. Some people might have made over 75k in 2019 but werer laid off and struggling all 2020 and not able to collect unemployment and made well under 75 in 2020. Those people will get fucked once again in this round of stimulus checks. 

^How many people have already filed 2020? April 15 is tax day, checks would go out in May or June?

>>Many don't want it. They'd rather not rack up the deficit, knowing that those in real need will probably need another round of stimulus in a few months.<<

really?

how many? what are their names?

certainly they mailed the last two checks back, right?

personally feel that between multiple stimulus checks across years of time, pandemic unemployment assistance, eviction moratoriums/rent forgiveness, that we are seeing the advent of what will become a basic national income in real time. Granted that's not the "plan", I just don't see (mechanically, financially, societally) how we would move backwards from all of it when the dust settles.

It could be that we're headed toward a radical redistribution of wealth after it accumulating in very few hands for decades. If Elizabeth Warren gets her way, the uber rich will start paying more of their fair share.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/01/business/elizabeth-warren-wealth-tax....

It's worth noting too that the wealthiest people in the US were paying income tax in the 70% range back in the 1950s, and that correlates to the boom of the middle class at that time.

Why does it surprise you, Bss, that there are people who care about the greater good and aren't always looking out for their own best interest? You make it seem like a bad thing that people are saying to keep it, so that those who may still need in as few months have a better chance of getting. Does it make me a bad person to say that even though I qualify, I'd rather not get it so that my neighbor may get his needs met in a few months? Jeez, at some point, nobody is going to get shit anymore because lawmakers are going to start freaking out over the deficit.

Although overall charitable giving is down this year, quite a few people have given way more than ever. They made the choice to give back with their stimulus monies. I hope you don't see that as a negative.

Oh, and I agree (and hope) that this may become the trend. There's a much better chance of it happening if a modicum of restraint is shown now. 

The whole relative selfish rationality thing doesn't surprise me at all bk, and its a nice thought.

It's that the belief that "If I forego this money, other people will be better off" is completely flawed thought in an ecosystem dominated and then also refereed by Capitalists.

>>The whole relative selfish rationality

Do you mean "selfless?"

>>is completely flawed thought in an ecosystem dominated and then also refereed by Capitalists.

I'm not so sure about that. The Capitalists are currently feeling pressure to give. Any way one cuts it, and whether they think the stimulus ticks all the right boxes, $1.9 trillion is a huge hunk of cash. We all know that more will be needed in a few months.Those Capitalists are going to be more likely to give if they know there are some restraints. If an $80k cap is a pathway to long-term changes in structures, I'm good with that.

I have a friend who's a teacher who donated her $1200 stimulus check last year to a few charities. She said she didn't need it, and other people did. I don't know how common this is, but that's one example from my social circle.

I know a bunch of people who gave considerably more than ever.

Here's an interesting TED Talk by a guy named Nick Hanauer who's a billionaire. He's in favor of raising the minimum wage, but he says he's not motivated by altruism, but by pragmatism.

https://www.ted.com/talks/nick_hanauer_beware_fellow_plutocrats_the_pitc...

I know it, just look at all the zoners right here in this thread who sent the checks back.

I mean, i'm cool foregoing mine, long as it means the the poor people will get fifteen an hour instead

It's all a crap shoot, Bss. We can do what we must, in hopes of long-term good and change for those in need, with the understanding that it's out of our hands and that decent people will have a say.

> How many people have already filed 2020?

I filed about 3 weeks ago and should be seeing my refund in a few days.

I filed and my refund was dumped into my account last week.

How many people have filed in 2020>
 

Couldn't tell ya. Deadline is April 15 so prob not that many. Many will get fucked though if they didn't file early and they earned less than 75 last year but more than 75 in 2019. Personally, I haven't filed yet.

But by pragmatism>>>
 

Does it matter? Min wage is 7.25. Can't live off that. Whatever 'ism you choose is irrelevant 

On the upside, most states have minimums over $7.25. On the downside, very few are at $12. https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/minimum-wage-by-state

> Does it matter?

Did you read the post, Timpane? Hanauer is in favor of raising the minimum wage. In the video, which is from 2014, he was arguing for a $15 minimum wage.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2013-06-19/the-capitalist-s-c...

Correct, BK. That's why it's utterly ridiculous that at the federal min wage is 7.25. I personally couldn't live and pay my bills with 15/hr. 

Did you see that a few states have a minimum of $5.15, unless the employers are beholden to Federal Fair Labor standards? What the fuck is that?

Here in VT there's an exemption for "agricultural work." Now, get this: up the road from me is a cider mill, that also happens to be one of the top tourist attractions in the state. Their shop sell all sorts of overpriced, artisanal jarred goods, like $14 mustard, $8 jam, and shit like that. They manage to pay their retail staff (at least  their part time HS students) less than minimum because they are "ag workers." That, to me, is total BS!

bryen's ex pal, our mutual friend, refused to cash/use his. not sure if he donated it or what.

Not even funny dude.

5.15>>>
 

Wow. Should be illegal.

If you're a convict then it's a privilage for you to work for slave wages and no one cares.

Beaners >>>
 

Watch your mouth, youngin'

Under federal law, employers can take a tip credit by paying tipped workers, such as servers and bartenders, as low as $2.13 an hour if those workers earn at least the standard minimum wage of $7.25 an hour once their tips are added in. 

Slacker's Theme: https://youtu.be/fNR7WJ3SW60

2.13/hr>>>>
 

Yeah, that's where waiters got completely fucked with unemployment unless you claimed 1% of your tips during taxes 

A lot of places around here are starting to pay servers and bartenders livable wages, and foregoing the whole tipping deal altogether. Everyone seems happier.

The breweries that are doing it leave out a tip jar, and the tips go to charities. People are fine paying an extra $0.50 a beer or drink, and they still throw in to the "charity jar."  One brewery doled out over $50k to charity last year, as donations from their patrons.

100%^^
 

Waiting seems like it's harder than being a US Senator 

Since when has pay been commensurate with how hard a job is?

I used to scratch and paw to get $25 p/h to do in-home tutoring. I didn't get paid for travel or prep time. The rich fucks didn't want to pay it. They had no problem paying someone $50 a pop to plow their driveway, a job that took minutes.

lots of apologizing going on in here. 

I apologize for you pizza boy

"i bets is very stupid being you tho. "
You really don't have a clue what the fuck you're talking about

you have a lot of passion

and you like to have a lot of anger

and some of your points are rational but I can't say much more than that

Bernie is not God and Biden is not the devil

and you should count your lucky stars every morning that Biden is the president now

I will not apologize for that and yes I voted for the motherfucker
 

Do you were Bernie mittens

When " tossing your dough "

biden doesn't give a fuck about you, lltd. 

you feel better about it tho, that def means something -- b/c the corporate media told you to feel better about. and it's not just you man, you have a bunch of apologists up in here on your blue maga side apologizing for all types of crazy shit they curse at republicans for. 

heres your feel good propaganda for today. 

Maybe the squirrel is eating your pizza

mhttps://apple.news/AmLCXT0-CTvuyS3d_Z3HvLg

And by the way all politicians suck compromise sucks and dealmaking sucks and election financing sucks but my "blue Maga self "!

sure hopes Republicans don't take away all voting rights and this can be a democracy