It’s been a great week for Democrats and you should be in a better mood.
So smile or I get Steve after you.
by John Cole| 48 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat
It’s been a great week for Democrats and you should be in a better mood.
So smile or I get Steve after you.
This post is in: Open Threads, Politics, Proud to Be A Democrat
Get Biden his electric corvette! He’s earned it.
Get Schumer all the blue suits he wants.
Thanks to the D caucus, who from left to right swallowed omitted priorities or provisions that troubled them to keep their eyes on the available prize.
Thanks to Joe Manchin, who demonstrated that he’s actually the most rightwing Democrat in the Senate, and not actually a Republican. He did good for his party and the country, however imperfect the final result may be. It’s a damn sight better than any previous President and Senate has achieved.
And, yes, thanks to Kyrsten Sinema, who in the end charged an entirely manageable price for her vote. Hell, I even think the $4 billion for drought relief in th west is both good policy and exactly what senator from that region should seek. Yes, I’d rather tax the plutocrats way more than the bill first suggested, and Sinema stripped that out. But I’m cynical enough to believe carried interest was put into the bill so that she would have a demand that could be met. Sausage must be made, my friends…and in the end, she voted yes when it mattered most.
Also too, I want to thank the Republicans for failing to line up ten of their own to get insulin price caps through. (Seven Rs did vote yes, not enough to get by the filibuster threshold.) Every diabetic in the country (under Medicare age) and everyone who cares for someone facing this trouble now really knows who has their back and who doesn’t. I’m pretty confident this point will be made more than once in the next three months. And damn well should be.
And finally: suck it McConnell and your entire miserable, America- and planet-hating caucus. Go run on privatizing profit and socializing misery.
All of which is to say…this is a Big Biden Deal:
Dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the package would authorize the biggest burst of spending in U.S. history to tackle global warming — about $370 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below their 2005 levels by the end of this decade. The proposal also would make good on Democrats’ years-old pledge to reduce prescription drug costs for the elderly.
This post is in: 2022 Elections, Excellent Links, Proud to Be A Democrat, Our Failed Media Experiment
what money buys is a legion of bloggers & pundits & tv guests who’ve made a lucrative industry out of cooking up ways to support crazy shit by pretending to be against some imaginary even crazier shit somebody else wants to do. money buys giving the normals an excuse to be nuts
— kilgore trout, death to putiner (@KT_So_It_Goes) August 3, 2022
Josh Marshall is willing to be kinder — I think he makes an excellent argument here:
A lot of the energy behind the "cynical Dems behind MAGA crazies" storyline is driven by pundits who feel very, very off balance needing to say constantly that the GOP is now a sectarian revanchist party thats a threat to democracy over&over because it remains true. Again & gain.
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) August 4, 2022
2/ This more or less non-story is like a pressure valve for the built up angst of bothsides journos who’ve been desperate for something to work with for months. For those who don’t like it, I respect the opinion. But I’d add these four points. First of all, in some cases …
3/ where Dems were allegedly boosting MAGAs its not even true. PA Gov is a good example of this. Where this has happened is in a number of House contests, run from out of the DCCC. Second, let’s be clear what this “boosting” or “running ads for” actually means.
4/ In every case it’s involved the DCCC running ads that say some version of, ‘This person is terrible. They’re totally loyal to Trump and want to overthrow the constitution.’ And that, we’re told, makes them irresistible to GOP voters. That makes it fairly clear where the …
5/ problem is. They’re not funneling money to GOPs or running sham campaigns to advantage Trumpers. They’re IDing them. Third, have great respect for Peter Meijers vote to impeach President Trump. A very honorable decision. But he is still a vote for Kevin McCarthy to be Speaker.
6/ He is still a vote for the GOP which is currently the party of the Big Lie and the party of Trump. That is reality. That one decision doesn’t change that. If you oppose the Big Lie and oppose the revanchist authoritarianism of Trumpism right now that means keeping …
7/ Republicans out of power. That's not cynical or "pathetic grab for some evanescent political advantage", as this frivolous bellowing puts it. That is looking closely at what is actually happening. https://t.co/Ze0wCcKneX
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) August 4, 2022
8/ The contrary argument wld be, ‘How are pro-democracy Republicans supposed to reclaim the GOP if they can’t get nominated.’ This puts the whole matter in the proper relief. Democrats must not only win every election because the GOP has turned agst democracy itself.
9/ They’re also responsible for cultivating and protecting the handful of Not Always Trump Republicans who do things like voting to impeach the President when he leads a violent assault on the Capitol to stay in office in defiance of the constitution and American people.
10/ All of which is to say that Democrats are not only responsible for protecting the republic from Republicans. They’re also responsible for repairing a GOP that doesn’t want to be repaired. Has anyone asked why the NRCC or RNC or any other org wasn’t spending more …
11/ aggressively to defend Meijer? It simply asks too much. Fourth, the goal of people who run campaigns is to win them. In a handful of House races, Democrats decided they stood a better shot against a Loud Big Lie supporter than a Quieter one. They’re almost certainly right.
12/ They’re entitled to make that call without worrying what tsk tsking WaPo columnists or Republicans working to put the Trump GOP back in power have to say about it.
If — as the pundits continually whine — only Democrats have agency, let’s use that agency to protect democracy from the GOP Death Cult and its ‘savvy’ media enablers!
Open Thread: Poor, Suffering Pundits, Pushed “Off Balance” By RealityPost + Comments (72)
This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Jan 6: Hearings, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat
To #Democratic Natl Comm 2day, @POTUS #Biden said, "we're at an inflection point in this country — matter of fact, in the world. And the questions we're facing are as fundamental as what do we stand for; what do we believe; & what kind of country we're going to be."
????????— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) August 4, 2022
Can’t lie. @POTUS and @VP are cooking. https://t.co/GWPlVkfsln
— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) August 3, 2022
The Inflation Reduction Act will cap the amount of money seniors pay on prescription drugs at $2,000 a year for cancer and any other diseases.
That’s a godsend for so many families.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 4, 2022
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the chamber will convene Saturday at noon to begin working toward passage of the Democrats’ tax and climate legislation, @elwasson & @laurapdavison report. https://t.co/r5i4Yx8VQr
— Zach C. Cohen (@Zachary_Cohen) August 4, 2022
Not taking a thing away from Biden. But, these happened w a narrow House majority & tied Senate. The entire party deserves credit, bc none of these happen without tremendous party discipline & cohesion https://t.co/Xygx6k9uU2
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) August 5, 2022
On the flip side, some people don’t deserve a nice weekend…
NEW: A federal grand jury has subpoenaed former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone in its investigation into the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 election, sources with direct knowledge of the matter told @ABC News. https://t.co/nziG5GT8Vu
— ABC News (@ABC) August 3, 2022
Remember all those questions from the January 6th Committee that Pat Cipollone refused to answer?
It is very likely that the DOJ will be able to require him to answer those questions as part of their criminal investigation, now that they have subpoenaed him. https://t.co/N4uxHPjdLO
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) August 3, 2022
Friday Morning Open Thread: Earning Their WeekendPost + Comments (93)
This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Space, Women's Rights Are Human Rights
Time to reinvent the wheel.
Here’s the Cartwheel Galaxy in a whole new light — as a composite image from 2 instruments on the Webb telescope. Webb uniquely offers not just a snapshot of the galaxy’s current state, but also a peek into its past & future: https://t.co/QdXPwAwwac pic.twitter.com/SJD3wTxwRP
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) August 2, 2022
Thanks to Obamacare, and the improvements we made to it in the American Rescue Plan, the uninsured rate hit its lowest point ever today.
Pretty cool, huh, @BarackObama? https://t.co/rA7qneY23N
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 2, 2022
Just like that, ?@DeptVetAffairs? web site is already updated with info for vets on how to get burn pit benefits under law passed tonight >>> The PACT Act And Your VA Benefits | Veterans Affairs https://t.co/jN9YxaClTr
— Donovan Slack (@DonovanSlack) August 3, 2022
And the worm turns…
the main lesson that republicans should take from this is that they are playing with fire and it's getting out of control, though the one they'll probably take from it is that they can't trust the voters https://t.co/85b0mP8oIQ
— GONELIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) August 3, 2022
Remember that Republicans scheduled the Kansas abortion referendum for the primary rather than the general election because there are many more registered Republicans in the state than Democrats and unaffiliateds can’t vote in primary races. Abortion rights still won handily.
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) August 3, 2022
Perhaps mastery of the countermajoritarian levers of American democracy is not the same as a broad public mandate to create an unprecedented state regime of surveillance, coercion and control in the name of banning abortion.
— Adam Serwer ?? (@AdamSerwer) August 3, 2022
It’s very simple: We can either vote to restore reproductive rights or we can let the party that’s vowing to ban abortion nationwide win. https://t.co/vZGMl5Rze4
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) August 3, 2022
The U.S. sued Idaho to block a state law that it said imposes a 'near-absolute ban' on abortion, marking its first legal challenge to state abortion laws since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling https://t.co/zkbjjy4H3f pic.twitter.com/ZwSKrwBAnW
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 3, 2022
Rubbing it in:
Biden literally just murdered a close friend of Trump’s guests, and he did it while they were trying to enjoy a festive tournament at his new tax shelter, no less.
Guy is heartless.
— Strahan Cadell (@Sartor1836) August 2, 2022
Wednesday Morning Open Thread: The Wheel TurnsPost + Comments (254)
This post is in: 2022 Elections, Biden Administration in Action, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, RIP
While Schumer and Manchin wrote the biggest climate bill in history, Nancy Pelosi passed an assault weapons ban & headed to Taiwan, & VP worked with state legislators on abortion, Joe Biden killed the head of al-qaeda.
tell me more about the failed democratic leadership.
— Florida Chris (@chrislongview) August 1, 2022
Schumer says Senate will begin voting on Dems reconciliation package this week.
"Our timeline has not changed, and I expect to bring this legislation to the Senate floor to begin voting this week."
— Jennifer Shutt (@JenniferShutt) August 1, 2022
These are the Democrats in some of the key Senate races we need to win to save voting & reproductive rights:
GA: @ReverendWarnock
WI: @TheOtherMandela
NC: @CheriBeasleyNC
PA: @JohnFetterman
AZ: @CaptMarkKelly
NV: @CortezMasto
FL: @valdemings
OH: @TimRyanAre you following them?
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) August 1, 2022
The U.S. accomplished President Biden’s goal of welcoming 100,000 Ukrainians in roughly 5 months, admitting them through the visa process, a new private sponsorship program, Title 42 exemptions along the U.S.-Mexico border and the refugee system.https://t.co/UuQ3U7dYp1
— Camilo Montoya-Galvez (@camiloreports) August 1, 2022
NEW: Biden is nominating Julie Rikelman, the lawyer who represented the Mississippi abortion clinic at the heart of the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade, to be an appeals court judge on the 1st Circuit. She's one of 9 new judicial nominees. https://t.co/0MJCmQz9fP
— Nate Raymond (@nateraymond) July 29, 2022
Breaking…Iowa Democrats will have to wait until AFTER the midterms to learn fate of the caucuses for 2024. Rules and Bylaws Committee had planned to announce decision on which 4 or 5 states would start presidential nominating calendar for 2024 this Saturday during meeting in DC
— Dave Price (@idaveprice) July 30, 2022
And another RIP to a true hero:
Hundreds of Navajos were recruited from the vast Navajo Nation to serve as Code Talkers with the U.S. Marine Corps. Only three are still alive today.https://t.co/2690NAb1OV
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) July 31, 2022
… The Code Talkers took part in every assault the Marines conducted in the Pacific, sending thousands of messages without error on Japanese troop movements, battlefield tactics and other communications critical to the war’s ultimate outcome. The code, based on the then-unwritten Navajo language, confounded Japanese military cryptologists and is credited with helping the U.S. win the war.
Samuel Sandoval was on Okinawa when got word from another Navajo Code Talker that the Japanese had surrendered and relayed the message to higher-ups. He had a close call on the island, which brought back painful memories that he kept to himself, Malula Sandoval said.
The Navajo men are celebrated annually on Aug. 14. Samuel Sandoval was looking forward to that date and seeing a museum built near the Navajo Nation capital of Window Rock to honor the Code Talkers, she said.
“Sam always said, ‘I wanted my Navajo youngsters to learn, they need to know what we did and how this code was used and how it contributed to the world,'” she said Saturday. “That the Navajo language was powerful and always to continue carrying our legacy.”
Sandoval was born in Nageezi near Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico. He enlisted in the Marine Corps after attending a Methodist school where he was discouraged from speaking Navajo. He helped recruit other Navajos from the school to serve as Code Talkers, expanding on words and an alphabet that an original group of 29 Navajos created.
Sandoval served in five combat tours and was honorably discharged in 1946. The Code Talkers had orders not to discuss their roles — not during the war and not until their mission was declassified in 1968.
The roles later became an immense source of pride for Sandoval and his late brother, Merrill Sandoval, who also was a Code Talker. The two became talented speakers who always hailed their fellow Marines still in action as the heroes, not themselves, said Merrill Sandoval’s daughter, Jeannie Sandoval…
Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Working Through ‘Recess’Post + Comments (178)
This post is in: Civil Rights, Excellent Links, Proud to Be A Democrat
President Joe Biden. https://t.co/3QKMUvXvwO
— Peter Wolf (@peterawolf) July 31, 2022
The always-readable Molly Ball, in Time, on “Jim Clyburn’s Long Quest for Black Political Power”:
On a sticky-hot night in the South Carolina capital, Representative Jim Clyburn takes the outdoor stage at his late-night afterparty. Clyburn—the 82-year-old House Democratic whip, maker of Presidents, and highest-ranking Black man in Congress—has a message of hope for dark times. “In spite of all its faults, there ain’t a better country to be living in,” he says in his imposing baritone. “And you and I will have to do our jobs out here at the polls to save this country from itself.”
Of the hundreds in attendance this June evening at the EdVenture Children’s Museum, some have come from the fundraising dinner down the street for the South Carolina Democratic Party, where the first Black woman Vice President was the keynote speaker. But many have not. Clyburn throws this free bash so those who can’t afford to attend a fundraiser have a way to participate. Wearing a navy suit and holding a mixed drink, he’s joined on the patio by Congresswoman Shontel Brown of Ohio, who credits Clyburn’s endorsement for her victory in a special election last year, coming from 35 points behind to defeat a Bernie Sanders–backed progressive…
Clyburn is in his element, surrounded by the vast political network he’s nurtured. Brown got her start in a Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) training program Clyburn helped create; her boyfriend is Clyburn’s political adviser Antjuan Seawright. The entire afterparty—which will turn into a raging dance-off before the night ends—is packed with people Clyburn has prodded into politics: local party officials, members of district executive boards, city council members from across the state, county auditors and coroners. “I thought politics was all deceitfulness and lying, and I didn’t want any part of it,” Anthony Thompson Jr., a thin Columbian in a salmon-pink suit, tells me. “He made me see that you have to be part of the system to make change.” After training in one of Clyburn’s mentorship programs, Thompson now serves as second vice chair of the local party and started its first disability caucus.
Clyburn’s influence in Democratic politics is as far-reaching as it is unsung. Today, he’s widely credited with swinging the 2020 presidential primary to Biden, rescuing the flailing campaign with a well-timed endorsement that buoyed him to a 30-point victory in South Carolina—and extracting a promise to name the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. That wasn’t even the first time Clyburn helped make a President: he was instrumental to Barack Obama’s victory in 2008, and before that played a key role in putting South Carolina near the top of the primary calendar in the first place. His friends serve in top posts across the Administration and party. Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison, who Clyburn pushed for the post, and who was just 29 when Clyburn made him the first Black executive director of the House Democratic caucus, says a large percentage of Black Americans in politics today can trace their positions to Clyburn.
A few months ago, when numerous congressional Democrats were clamoring to chair the high-profile select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot, it was Clyburn who urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi to name his best friend, Congressman Bennie Thompson—native of Bolton, Miss., graduate of historically Black Tougaloo College—its chairman. In the whispering campaign that ensued, Clyburn sensed a familiar dynamic. “A lot of people wanted to be chairman,” Clyburn tells me. “And quite frankly, nobody will admit to this, but it’s the same thing I had when I ran for whip. A Black guy from Mississippi, ain’t from an Ivy League School—they won’t say it, but they think it: ‘He can’t chair this.’” Pelosi ignored the whispers, and Thompson has been widely praised for his coolheaded handling of the committee’s hearings, proving what Clyburn knew all along: “Bennie is perfect for this,” Clyburn says. “He’s unflappable, and he ain’t searching for the limelight. He’s just doing his thing.”…