20 thoughts on “Will they or won’t they?”

  1. Democrats Unite Behind Voting Rights Bill as It Faces a Senate Roadblock – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

    WASHINGTON — A push by Democrats to enact the most expansive voting rights legislation in generations is set to collapse in the Senate on Tuesday, when Republicans are expected to use a filibuster to block a measure that President Biden and his allies in Congress have called a vital step to protect democracy.
    Despite solid Republican opposition, Democrats plan to bring the voting rights fight to a head on the Senate floor, by calling a test vote to try to advance the broad federal elections overhaul, known as the For the People Act. As Republican-led states rush to enact restrictive new voting laws, Democrats have presented the legislation as the party’s best chance to undo them, expand ballot access from coast to coast and limit the effect of special interests on the political process.
    […]
    But in the hours before the vote, Democrats conceded they were facing defeat — at least for now. Even if they succeeded in securing the votes of all 50 senators in the Democratic caucus, party leaders were expected to fall well short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster and begin debating the bill.
    Instead, they focused on Monday on rallying the party around a more limited alternative proposed by Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, who had been the only Democratic holdout on the voting rights measure. Both the White House and former President Barack Obama said his suggestions would address many of the most urgent issues. President Biden and Mr. Manchin also spoke directly about the need to find a legislative solution, according to an official familiar with their conversation who was not authorized to discuss it publicly.
    Leaders hope that, given the support for his proposal, Mr. Manchin will vote with the rest of the Senate’s Democrats and Democratic-aligned independents to allow the debate to proceed, allowing his party to present a unified front on the bill.
    [continues]

  2. more from above NYtimes article:

    Mr. Manchin had opposed key planks in the original For the People Act as too intrusive into the rights of states to regulate their own elections. His proposal would eliminate a provision neutering state voter identification laws and strip out a public campaign financing program.
    But it preserves other key measures, like an end to partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts and the creation of tough new ethics rules. It would also expand early voting, make Election Day a federal holiday and make it easier to vote by mail.
    A Monmouth University Pollreleased on Monday indicated that Mr. Manchin’s position may be more in line with public sentiment, particularly his support for some kinds of voter identification requirements.
    The poll found, for instance, that seven in 10 Americans supported making early in person voting easier and were in favor of the federal government creating national guidelines for mail-in and early in person voting. But eight in 10 said they generally supported voter identification requirements that the For the People Act would effectively neuter.

  4. https://www.texastribune.org/2021/06/21/texas-greg-abbott-veto/
    “Another bill that fell victim to Abbott’s veto was Senate Bill 474, known as the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act. The bill would have made it illegal to chain up dogs and leave them without drinkable water, adequate shade or shelter. It also called for a ban on tethering dogs with heavy chains.“
    Greg Abbott is a monster and a moron. I guess he doesn’t want the votes of dog lovers. 
    “Animal-loving Texans created the hashtag #AbbottHatesDogs on Twitter to express their disdain for the veto.“

    Republicans hate humans and animals. Dumbass sociopaths.

  5. How terrible must Texans be, in general, that Abbot’s political calculations seem prudent!

  6. bink, obviously you’ve never lived in or visited texas for any length of time to ask that question  🙂

  8. Everyone I know from Texas is cool🤷‍♂️

    i suppose Republicans are doubling-down on former-guyness until 2022, because the worst that can happen is that they’re still the other party.  Abbot’s intentional non-governance is nonsensical.

  9. “Everyone I know from Texas is cool”

    bink, the operative word is “from”

    i.e. those who left

  10. No there’s a lotta “good” Texans in Texas……just not enough of them.

  11. Bink, nice YouTube comment on prior post.  Always loved the rhythm work on Mainline Florida and the backing vocals of Yvonne Elliman and Marcy Levy.  Clapton had just kicked heroin and was into alcohol when that album was recorded.  He didn’t really do any recording during the heroin phase of his life, which followed the Derek recordings and touring, which IMHO was some of the biggest boneheaded promotion ever undetaken. On the documentary I mentioned yesterday I saw a TV appearance they made (on the Johnny Cash Show – the only one they made) and there was a brief mention of Eric along with the rest of the band – they just played a couple of songs, and if you didn’t know who Eric was, you’d never have guessed. Johnny did do a very short discussion with Eric about the influence of blues and country between the songs and brought Carl Perkins out for a rendition of Matchbox. Woulda been hard to think that rock fans would have tuned in to see Derek & the Domonoes if they didn’t know it was Clapton before the show.

  13. Mark Knopfler – there’s a good damn guitarist – but then again, there are so many good guitarists out there.
     
    And from the Floriduh front – CNN

    (CNN)Two people are dead and four of their coworkers were hospitalized after a Covid-19 outbreak swept through a government building in Manatee County, Florida.

    The outbreak began in the IT department, according to Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes, who is also an epidemiologist. Another person who worked on the same floor but in a different department also tested positive for coronavirus last week.

    Of the six people infected, five were hospitalized. One employee who was in the hospital died and another employee who was not hospitalized also died, Hopes told CNN’s Erin Burnett.
    The only exposed employee in the IT office who was vaccinated did not get infected, Hopes said.

    Fllorida is OPEN!!  DeSantis is STUPID!! Can I get an Amen?

  17. I never once gave up on Manchin, still haven’t. C’mon Dems, one of your own who barely won reelection from a racist state and provides your majority needs time and space. 

Comments are closed.