— Hillary Warned Us (@HillaryWarnedUs) January 25, 2021
Late Night Open Thread: *Now* We Can LaughPost + Comments (89)
This post is in: Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat
— Hillary Warned Us (@HillaryWarnedUs) January 25, 2021
Late Night Open Thread: *Now* We Can LaughPost + Comments (89)
This post is in: Foreign Affairs, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat
PETER DOOCY: Mr President, what did you talk to Vladimir Putin about?
PRESIDENT BIDEN: You. He sends his best. pic.twitter.com/Fq0zglc9aK
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 26, 2021
But seriously, folks… (until Cheryl or Adam have time for a more informed post):
Biden talks to Putin https://t.co/fztu3tLX43
— WICH 1310 (@WICH1310) January 26, 2021
… According to the White House, Biden raised concerns about the arrest of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, Russia’s alleged involvement in a massive cyber espionage campaign and reports of Russian bounties on American troops in Afghanistan. The Kremlin, meanwhile, focused on Putin’s response to Biden’s proposal to extend the last remaining U.S.-Russia arms control treaty.
While the readouts from the two capitals emphasized different elements, they both suggested that U.S-Russia relations will be guided, at least at the beginning of the Biden administration, by a desire to do no harm but also no urgency to repair existing damage…
Although the leaders agreed to work together to extend New START before it expires on Feb. 5 and to look at other areas of potential strategic cooperation, the White House said Biden was firm on U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, while Russia is supporting separatists in the country’s east.
Biden also raised the SolarWinds cyberhack, which has been attributed to Russia. reports of Russian bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan, interference in the 2020 U.S. election, the poisoning of Navalny and the weekend crackdown on Navalny’s supporters.
“President Biden made clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies,” the White House said. Biden told Putin in the phone call, first reported by The Associated Press, that the U.S, would defend itself and take action, which could include further sanctions, to ensure that Moscow does not act with impunity, officials said…
The call came as Putin considers the aftermath of pro-Navalny protests that took place in more than 100 Russian cities over the weekend. Biden’s team has already reacted strongly to the crackdown on the protests, in which more than 3,700 people were arrested across Russia, including more than 1,400 in Moscow. More protests are planned for the coming weekend…
Just from the public accounts, Biden’s discussion with Putin appeared diametrically opposed to Trump’s…
Funny, that.
NEWS: In a call with Putin, Pres Biden raised the SolarWinds hack, reported bounties on US soldiers in Afghanistan & the poisoning of Navalny, per a WH readout.
Biden "made clear that the US will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to actions by Russia." pic.twitter.com/PS7ccVhRir
— Sara Cook (@saraecook) January 26, 2021
(Doocy is a FoxNews correspondent, son of the ‘news anchor’ on ‘A Blonde with Two Boobs on A Couch’…)
It was Fox's Peter Doocy. This is the second time Biden has done this joke with Doocy – when Doocy asked a bike-riding Biden in August who his VP choice was, Biden said, "You." https://t.co/pdPfXE1NSS
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 26, 2021
Tuesday Evening Open Thread: Biden Talks to PutinPost + Comments (186)
by Betty Cracker| 118 Comments
This post is in: Impeach the Motherfucker!, Open Threads, Politics, Republican Stupidity
I’ve been avoiding the topic of The Beast, but I just read about Trump flunkies setting up pro-Trump policy “think tanks,” a development that requires vicious mocking. Via Axios:
Scoop: Former OMB director to set up Pro-Trump think tanks
Russ Vought, who led Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, plans to announce two pro-Trump organizations Tuesday, aiming to provide the ideological ammunition to sustain Trump’s political movement after his departure from the White House.
The Center for American Restoration and an advocacy arm, America Restoration Action, will try to keep cultural issues that animated Trump’s presidency on the public agenda, according to people familiar with the matter.
Seems like people who want to keep Trump’s “cultural issues” on the front burner could just join the fucking Klan — less paperwork that way! But a “nonprofit” and “social welfare group” will provide a megaphone for whining about nonexistent voter fraud and lamentations about cancel culture. Plus prodigious grift opportunities, one assumes.
In other news, only five Republicans voted against Senator Rand “Baby Doc” Paul’s motion to dismiss Trump’s upcoming impeachment trial on bullshit procedural grounds: Senators Collins, Murkowski, Romney, Sasse, and Toomey. So, elected Republicans as a body have made their choice between Trump and democracy, and they chose the former.
My guess is some or possibly all of the five Republican senators who voted to hear the trial will vote to acquit, no matter how damning the evidence, no matter how haunting the memory of the howling mob baying for their own blood. Wouldn’t surprise me if the four not named “Romney” vote to acquit, though Murkowski seemed genuinely angry about the attempted coup. We’ll see.
Anyhoo. Open thread.
by John Cole| 76 Comments
This post is in: Politics
Worth your time.
Again, there are a few things you need to know about Manchin to understand him.
1.) He honestly, truly, 100% believes that the key to anything is negotiation. He came up in the good ole boy/girl system and totally thinks that there is nothing that can not be accomplished after you build the right relationships.
2.) He will always have as his primary focus getting money and jobs to WV.
3.) He knows that WV is a small state and that things like the filibuster give us outsized political power, and he is not going to give it up.
He can be infuriating, but this is who he is. At least he is open about it.
Although I wish they would stop calling us (WV) a coal state. We’re not. Coal accounts for less than 2% of state employment. We’re a tourism state, if anything.
This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Open Threads, President Biden, Proud to Be A Democrat
House impeachment managers walk to deliver the article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump to the Senate on Capitol Hill. pic.twitter.com/86SyNCQqba
— Erin Schaff (@erinschaff) January 26, 2021
63%
We have a mandate. https://t.co/hhl5FTINCk
— Trinity Voted for Biden/Harris (@TrinityMustache) January 26, 2021
Biden says this is a "beginning" of a negotiation process, and "no one wants to give up on their position until there's no other alternative." He suggests a timeline of a "couple weeks."
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 25, 2021
Democrats may try to pass Biden's COVID bill with majority vote: Schumer https://t.co/g04kg6MrrI pic.twitter.com/nYU7Q7dPJK
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 26, 2021
No sooner has the portion of Rachel Maddow's interview with Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer aired than Mitch McConnell has put out a statement that he is folding, ending the stand-off. pic.twitter.com/9qR1jpKXkf
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) January 26, 2021
McConnell folded.
There was no new information. There have been a number of Senators who have said they would not vote to end the filibuster, much earlier than today. That’s just a fig leaf for McConnell folding.
Schumer held his ground. Good start.
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) January 26, 2021
Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Moving ForwardPost + Comments (166)
This post is in: Ammosexuals, GOP Death Cult, Open Threads, Clown Shoes
What do you call Lauren Boebert’s fashion style? pic.twitter.com/bgUwQ412IW
— Abraxsys (@Abraxsys) January 24, 2021
Lookit the big guns on MEEEEEEEEE!!!
Pretty good idea why she named her salmonella shack ‘Shooters’.
There are genuinely dangerous Republicans in Congress, but Boebert is dangerous only to those with range (and then mostly incidentally). To be catty, since all she really seems to want is to stand in the spotlight while awed spectators stare at her, rhinoplasty / chin work / lasik surgery would’ve been more cost-effective than running for election…
days ago i suggested she'd be expelled by end of the year.
it's gonna be way sooner than that; https://t.co/iPpVi6zuLR
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) January 15, 2021
First they came for Lauren Boebert's right to carry a loaded weapon into congressional chambers mere weeks after she likely facilitated an armed insurrection, and I did not speak out, for this made total fucking sense actually
https://t.co/4cA0sap2H7 pic.twitter.com/AyXYsXuPv3— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 22, 2021
If it was indeed Boebert who gave them directions about the Capitol interior that probably explains why most of them had no f***ing clue where they were going. https://t.co/UzRPrALBTv
— Zeddy (@Zeddary) January 18, 2021
You lost in Pueblo. https://t.co/RgB2Exjkz0 pic.twitter.com/KsDL1FTK4P
— Gus (@Gus_802) January 22, 2021
She wants to be expelled so she can make a half million through GoFundMe and then get some show on OANN called "Dangerous" where the logo is her with tape across her mouth. Hope this helps. https://t.co/EF1sbAzaPk
— Big Supernaturals (@UweBollocks) January 13, 2021
she's not a firebrand she's a lunatic. what is this firebrand shit. https://t.co/q6cg3p4sW2
— Normie Transition Team (@CalmSporting) January 16, 2021
If a member’s offices spends more than what they are allotted the budget shortfall is made up by taking it from the member’s salary.
I hope they’re doing the same with these fines, taking them right out of their checks. https://t.co/3mfRS8Ln3v
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) January 21, 2021
Late Night Repub Stupidity Open Thread: Side ShowPost + Comments (67)
This post is in: A Woman's Place Is In The House, Biden-Harris 2020, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Racial Justice
NEW: White House says Treasury Dept. is "taking steps to resume efforts" to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.
Press Sec. Psaki says the Biden admin. is "exploring ways to speed up that effort." pic.twitter.com/z7Jw5CqXP0
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 25, 2021
Can’t tell you how sweet it is to be highlighting good news instead of clown-car outrages!
Twenty-dollar bill going from Andrew Jackson to Harriet Tubman — one symbol of difference between Trump and Biden. Proposed new design below: pic.twitter.com/e6xaukiSJJ
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) January 25, 2021
Monday Evening Open Thread: Another Excellent Small, Symbolic StepPost + Comments (152)