25 thoughts on “Biden Finally Attacks Filibuster”

  2. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/lindsey-graham-manchin-sinema-voting-rights-1282978/

    “Sen. Lindsay Graham called Biden’s arguments “manufactured B.S.” and praised Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) who have so far opposed ending the filibuster. “God bless Sinema, God bless Senator Manchin. I hope they hold. I believe they will,” Graham said during an interview with far-right outlet Newsmax.”

  3. President Biden:

    “In 2006, the Voting Rights Act passed 390 to 33 in
    the House of Representatives and 98 to 0 in the Senate with votes from 16 current sitting Republicans in this United States Senate. Sixteen of them voted to extend it.”  

     

    Republicans Filibuster Voting Rights They Once Favored (nymag.com)

    What’s changed in the last 15 years to make the entire Senate GOP (with the exception of Lisa Murkowski) flip from insisting upon to contemptuously opposing a robust Voting Rights Act? It couldn’t be quibbles with the exact formula for preclearance jurisdiction contained in the John Lewis Act, since Republicans (again, other than Murkowski) have never bothered to enter into negotiations over the language or offered their own approach. This isn’t a matter of differing avenues to a shared goal; it’s a rejection of voting rights itself.

    Some of this devolution likely stems from the recent avid interest in enacting voter-suppression lawsamong state-level Republicans, which has led their congressional allies to oppose any and all federal election legislation. Some of it may come from a sense that a Republican Party that all but denies the very existence of white racism is building a political home for white racists. And there’s no question the lagging commitment of the GOP to democracy itself under the lash of Donald J. Trump has undermined many old commitments. But whatever the underlying motives, the hypocritical and categorical abandonment of voting rights by the party of Lincoln is shameless.

    sample response to mitch’s anti-VRA statement in november:

    @rickhasen
    A reminder that the last time the Senate voted on renewal of the Voting Rights Act (in 2006), the bill passed 98-0, including the vote of Senator McConnell. He never called VRA preclearance a power grab then.
    Quote Tweet
     
     
    Leader McConnell
     
    @LeaderMcConnell
    ·
    Last night, voters across America rejected Democrats and their radical agenda. So what are Senate Democrats doing today? Trying to pass a bill that would give Attorney General Garland sweeping new powers to micromanage election laws and voting procedures across the country.
    2:22 PM · Nov 3, 2021Twitter Web App

  4. https://www.postandcourier.com/greenville/politics/graham-vows-helluva-fight-if-democrats-try-to-end-senate-filibuster/article_5cf8626e-7229-11ec-8ea1-37e89bc606c9.html

    “Lindsey Graham promised “a helluva fight” if Democrats follow through on an attempt to change filibuster rules that would allow debate on proposed voting rights legislation. “Life as we know it in America will change dramatically” if the legislative filibuster rules change…”

    Ummm,hmmmm. Dog whistle. Come right out and say HOW it will change.

  5. What’s changed since 2006?  In 2006 Republicans believed the country was a center right country and they could win elections even if everyone was allowed to vote. The percentage of voters who voted by mail or on computer based voting machines rather than in person on paper ballots was relatively speaking much smaller than under state voting rules today. And there was no significant far right conspiracy based faction among Republicans.  In 2022 they know the country is not center right and that they cannot win if every eligible voter is allowed to vote without voting rules that suppress voting by groups who will vote using methods other than in-person voting on paper ballots.  And now,  bullshit and conspiracy theorists dominate the Republican Party. That’s what’s changed. Oh, and blacks are voting more.

  6. Hmm. It’s almost like Republicans are going on far-right, media outlets to foment a civil war. 

  7. meanwhile other worries pile up for potus such as

    Pressures aligning on Biden, Democrats to forgive student loans | TheHill.

     

    IMO, why completely cancel debts, why not go back to the LBJ era of forgiving fed student loans for an exchange of so many years of government (local, state, federal) service?   sorta kills 2 birds with one stone by beefing up the depleted gov’t workforce in schools, law enforcement, social services etc.

    we’re talking college educated folks here so it’s not like putting the unqualified in sinecures.

     

  8. patd

    There are so many areas of the country underserved because they can’t attract and pay well educated people in government, teaching and medicine.  The forgiveness of student loans is the best way to accomplish that staffing.

     

  10. I looked into attending the Teacher’s College at La Trobe Univesity in Bendigo, Victoria when I was a kid and the deal was something like get your degree at a very cut rate and even help with your way over, but then you have to teach X number of years at some probably remote place in Australia……don’t remember the exact deal but that’s how it worked.  I was fine with that.

  11. I kinda like the idea patd floated.  I met teachers in Sand Mountain, AL when I was doing psychometric testing as part of my psychometry class in grad school in the mid 70s who had gone to teach there in the late 60s under the LBJ program and ended up staying there.  I doubt that any of them would have chosen to teach there is they did not have the benefit of forgiven student loans available to them.  Sand Mountain isn’t exactly among the more appealing areas of Alabama. 

  14. My fave TV show was “Northern Exposure.”  A doc from NY goes to rural Alaska to work off his medical school bills. 

    There is already a broad solution in real life. Look to the Scandinavian countries.

  15. we already have similar work for education programs – like go fully paid to med school while in the military with promise of serving x number of years

  16. College ain’t 10 bucks a credit hour like it was in the olden days, folks.  Students have have two options for getting a degree, now: have rich parents or assume lifelong crippling debt.  And we wonder why everyone is so dumb

  19. Our guvnuh has Covid.  Wapo.

    West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) announced late Tuesday that he is “extremely unwell” after testing positive for the coronavirus, forcing him to postpone his State of the State address.

    Justice, who is vaccinated and boosted, said in a news release that although he was “surprised” he tested positive, he was “thankful to the Lord above that I’ve been vaccinated, I’ve been boosted, and that I have an incredible support system, especially my loving family.”

    “That being said, I feel extremely unwell at this point, and I have no choice but to postpone my State of the State address to the Legislature,” he said. He added that his wife, first lady Cathy Justice, tested negative.

    The governor is experiencing moderate symptoms, such as congestion, coughing, a headache and a fever, and is isolating at home, his office said. The 70-year-old is being given a monoclonal antibody treatment prescribed by his physicians.
    [Continues]

    He’s not a bad guy for a Republican, but then again he used to be a Democrat.

  21. The bell curve has another one slide off the slope.  The “Girl Groups” of the early sixties were great.  Listening to them now is just as good.  Sad to hear that Ronnie has died.  For a few years Sirius Radio Sixties on Six DJ’s had her as a guest.  She was fun to listen to as she told her history.
     
    But, we know know how some of the men, directors producers and others, were bastards and should have been jailed.
     
    I do recommend giving a listen to the Ronnettes and the other “Girl Groups”.

  22.  
    Ah, the power of the internet.  Back when I was a sort of a public figure I would receive all sorts of mail.  Funky death threats of cut out letters pasted to pages and mailed to my Post Office box, lots of concerned Christians and maybe a few real Christians, wanting to save me.  Lots of literature to convince me I was a real bad sinner, probably one of the biggest.  Okay that was when I was gaining a lot of weight fast.
     
    After I left Colorado and the public eye I was happy.  I left all that behind.  Until a year or so ago.  Since then I apparently became a project for some fundamentalist group.  Every few months I get a letter trying to convince me (the sinner) to trust Jesus Alou (I think, because they keep referring to the baseball player (forgetting his last name)) and whatever. 
     
    Oh wow.  The latest includes a wonderful letter referring to Jesus ( baseball players) and some text from the gospels.  And, for more guidance on the path it had a little pamphlet.  It seems my home address is quite open and easy to find, nuts.
     
    I have no idea who these people are.  Or what church they are from.  Or why they do not use real names and Post Office box numbers.

  23. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/insurers-will-cover-8-at-home-covid-tests-per-person-each-month-white-house-2022-01-10/

    “Insurance companies will be required to cover eight over-the-counter at-home coronavirus tests per person each month starting Saturday…”

    “Under the insurer coverage plan announced Monday, the administration said that insurers are still required to reimburse tests purchased by consumers outside of their network, at a rate of up to $12 per individual test.“

    Does anyone see this going well? Reimbursement? I’ve been billed three, separate forty-dollar copayments for my free physical. We don’t need insurance, we need healthcare. Cut out the middle man.

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