this looks like a group of magi binding an evil djinn to a pentacle pic.twitter.com/ywSJQx0uFA
— ça ira glass (@PercyYaBysshe) April 9, 2020
Senator Mitch McConnell just blocked a bill that provides money for small businesses, hospitals, testing, and more.
Instead of working with House and Senate Democrats, he pulled a political stunt.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 9, 2020
Per the Washington Post:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pressed ahead with his plan for a quick vote Thursday on a $250 billion boost in a small business aid program, putting him at odds with the two top Democrats in Congress who want to double the size of an interim stimulus package…
Pelosi said later Wednesday that McConnell’s plan wouldn’t win quick passage in the House by Friday.
“The bill that they put forth doesn’t have, will not get unanimous support in the House. It just won’t,” she said in an NPR interview.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday said he still hopes Congress will approve the additional funds he requested for the small business program. In a CNBC interview he promised small firms that “we will not run out of money.”…
Schumer and Mnuchin spoke Wednesday about the more expansive Democratic plan, the minority leader’s spokesman said without elaborating. McConnell’s office didn’t respond to a question about whether negotiations with Schumer are continuing.
In a conference call with House Democrats Wednesday, Pelosi said leaders were still trying to work out what might be possible to pass in both chambers on an expedited basis…
Under the Democrats’ proposal Wednesday, half of the small business assistance — or $125 billion — would be channeled through community-based financial institutions that serve companies owned by farmers, families, women, minorities and veterans…
In addition to an extension of the PPP program, Pelosi also proposed including an extension of the expanded unemployment insurance and more direct payments to individuals. She has estimated the bill would cost at least $1 trillion.
Republicans have thus far been reluctant to enact a wide-ranging phase four stimulus bill. Now that they and their core business supporters such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are demanding an infusion for PPP, Democrats could have leverage to obtain more unemployment insurance and direct payment for workers…
Democrats believe in additional funding for small business programs.
But Sen. McConnell’s approach was not bipartisan & it was not enough. Any further stimulus package must be bipartisan, & must include funding for hospitals, community health centers, SNAP, & working families. pic.twitter.com/BeMmGxrfht
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) April 9, 2020
Mitch McConnell says “this isn’t the time for politics” while he depicts himself as the hero of his own story, sending billions of aid to constituents and telling his opponent to be quiet https://t.co/kF7bebhZ7H
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) April 10, 2020
… McConnell, who is up for reelection this year, led the effort when he called on his Democratic opponent, Amy McGrath, to stop running political ads because of the coronavirus. In mid-March McConnell campaign manager said, “As Kentuckians adjust their daily lives and schedules to help stem the outbreak, the last thing they need to see on TV is negative political advertising. The McGrath campaign must stop airing all of their advertisements.”
McGrath refused, which was sensible, since McConnell has been a silent accomplice in Donald Trump’s failure to prepare America for the outbreak. It was also sensible because there was no chance that McConnell wouldn’t try to twist the crisis to his own benefit. Which is exactly what he did when he went up with ads depicting himself as being “at the center of the battle to rush aid to Americans.” The homepage of his campaign page currently features a photo of the senator with the caption “Mitch McConnell led the passage of the biggest economic rescue in history.”…
And because McConnell is so relentlessly political—and dishonest, even by senatorial standards—he blames . . . the Democrats for the pandemic in America. How? Because they distracted him, and the president, with impeachment: He said concerns initially “came up while we were tied down in the impeachment trial. And I think it diverted the attention of the government, because everything, every day, was all about impeachment.”
Because no one could ever expect the highest levels of American government to walk and chew gum at the same time…
Last week:
My interview w/ McConnell…
“She needs to stand down," he says of Speaker's pursuit of a "Phase 4" bill.
Cold water on infra: "It would take a lot of convincing to convince me."
“Not at all,” he said, when asked if his judicial effort will be paused.https://t.co/0PoUVPosVW
— Robert Costa (@costareports) April 1, 2020
… Pelosi described comments from Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who told The Washington Post on Wednesday that she should “stand down” on passing a relief bill in the House, as just part of “playing to their base” of conservative activists while behind-the-scenes negotiations moved along among the key players.
“That’s chicken feed,” Pelosi said in a brief interview Friday morning, explaining that the emerging legislation would be “big” and have bipartisan support. “You can’t pay attention to that stuff. And that’s the communication of it all.”…
What good is a powerful senator if he’s not working for us? pic.twitter.com/c6nemAWgK8
— Amy McGrath (@AmyMcGrathKY) April 4, 2020
kindness
They don’t call him MoscowMitch for nothing.
MattF
Insofar as McConnell is Trump’s pal and confidant, he’s not so smart. But he really wants those RW judges. Is that enough to keep him lined up with the WH? Probably. But he is a snake, so betraying a pal would be no big deal.
schrodingers_cat
Target acquired, phasers set to stun.
senyordave
I know I should never be surprised at McConnell but I thought there was 0.0000001% chance that he might do the right thing for once. A billion to one shot has to hit sometime, right?
I could imagine him on trial at Nuremberg sputtering about how everything he did was legal.
germy
Interesting thread about McConnell’s childhood treatments:
Dorothy A. Winsor
I love the way Pelosi just blows off the blustering.
trollhattan
@schrodingers_cat:
Stun? Mine only has an on/off switch. For Turtle, the correct setting is “on.”
PsiFighter37
I gotta say – I really wish Kentucky Dems had run a better candidate in 2008. That was our year to knock off Moscow Mitch; he lost by less than 6% to a rich businessman. We ran a better candidate in 2014 and lost by a wider margin. I’m not convinced there are enough sane Kentuckians anymore; they almost reelected a guy (Matt Bevin) who regularly pissed on them and said it was raining.
Duane
Standing far away from McConnell is always a good idea. Evil is contagious.
eric
@trollhattan: “repeat”
ThresherK
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Yep. Nancy doesn’t need to be overly polite here. The same assholes who tone-police Dems will always do it, so fck them.
schrodingers_cat
@trollhattan: I want him to stand trial for crimes against humanity and for treason.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
I said this below in a dead thread; it will be no less true every day forward:
WereBear
Dubai has no extradition treaty with the US. Why did they build all those condos? Already sold, I’m sure.
Secret money stashed in banks.
No one is going to pull their passports in time.
They will do an Idi Amin.
donnah
Mitch the Bitch cannot be shamed and he’s shrewdly manipulated the Senate Republicans to keep the party unbroken. He likes being called the Angel of Death and chuckles when he boasts about killing bills waiting for votes. He’s genuinely evil and rotten through and through.
We have to keep supporting Nancy Pelosi and Schumer and the rest of the Democrats in this new round of Republican cruelty. We never get to rest, and we can’t give in.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
Hey, where’s my $1200 in Trump money? I checked my account and see nothing.
germy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-progressive-congresswoman-and-a-conservative-senator-want-the-federal-government-to-pay-workers-salaries/2020/04/10/9287e04c-7ac0-11ea-a130-df573469f094_story.html
Nicole
Man, the Russians must have something really good on him.
Baud
@donnah: Yep.
The Thin Black Duke
@Nicole: Maybe they do. But I think Mitch genuinely loves fucking over people, as do the voters who keep his hateful carcass in office.
germy
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
Chyron HR
@WereBear:
Meh, Trump fleeing prosecution in disgrace would still be immensely satisfying.
Also, we can always train a new batch of nazi hunters, like in Amazon(tm) Prime(tm)’s Hunters(tm).
cain
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
Not bad.. but Trump would never use the word magnificent :-)
Nora
That is one powerful ad. I like the black and white picture — makes him look especially evil. Which he is.
WereBear
@Chyron HR:
I like it! Order a pilot.
A Ghost to Most
satby
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: you believed Mnuchin?
mrmoshpotato
McTurtleface the Fascist Motherfucker can drop dead first!
Go Amy!
Geo Wilcox
They need to add funding for the post office too. I mean NOW. Or they can let Jeff Bezos buy it to ship his Amazon stuff.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@satby:
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
Yeah, I thought the direct deposit was supposed to be this week?
mrmoshpotato
@Chyron HR:
The Wiesenthal Center can start a training program.
Ksmiami
@Duane: first against the wall
mrmoshpotato
@Geo Wilcox:
Ahhhh no.
Former Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley sold the parking meters to a private company years ago, and now the city sees nothing from the Daley boxes you have to use when you park in a metered area.
Also, fuck Amazon for not paying taxes and a ton of other reasons.