U.S. Politics

[Rick Plant]

President Biden @POTUS

In 18 months, our infrastructure investment has touched over 4,500 communities across all 50 states, D.C., and territories.

Our Administration has fought to lower the cost of prescription drugs, unleash a manufacturing boom, and strengthen our infrastructure.
 
But we’re not done.
 
Finishing the job means capping insulin prices for all Americans, lowering costs for care, and banning assault weapons.

My Investing in America agenda has brought good-paying semiconductor manufacturing jobs back to America.
 
And 60% of them don't require a four-year degree.

Our investments are fixing our nation’s roads and bridges. 
 
But they’re also about connecting communities, strengthening our economy, and creating good-paying jobs.





https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1660728493586481153

[Rick Plant]

Ron DeSantis will launch his presidential bid with Elon Musk
The Florida governor will announce he is running for president on Twitter Wednesday evening in a conversation with Musk.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-presidential-bid-campaign-elon-musk-rcna85288

Texas Lt. Gov's plan to create right-wing university think tank blows up in his face
https://www.rawstory.com/dan-patrick-2660550659/

Dem uses GOP's hearing to expose 'authoritarian' protection of 'dear leader Donald Trump'
https://www.rawstory.com/dan-goldman-authoritarian-playbook/

[Rick Plant]

Analyst shreds Kevin McCarthy's demands for work requirements in debt deal



One of the key sticking points in negotiations over the debt ceiling deal remains whether to impose new work requirements on social programs, including enhancements to the requirements to look for work to receive family welfare assistance or food stamps, and all-new requirements on Medicaid — which was tried in a few states under the Trump administration and ended up disastrous.

"I don't think it's right that Washington borrows money from China to pay somebody who is able-bodied with no dependents to sit at home on a couch," said McCarthy earlier this week to reporters. "It is proven that work requirements help lift people out of poverty and into productivity."

Except that's not true at all, explained Krissy Clark on Twitter, host of "The Uncertain Hour" investigative public policy podcast.

"Work requirements DON’T have good record of lifting people from poverty. Their record IS good on (a) fewer people in poverty receiving welfare b/c of work req red tape (b) funneling gov $ to corps that enforce/benefit from work reqs," wrote Clark. "Just 21 of every 100 families in poverty receives cash welfare. Research shows one reason is the onerous bureaucracy of work-requirements. Many have turned away from cash welfare’s red tape and used temp work as their safety net instead. But temp work often pays less, has fewer benefits than regular jobs, and the jobs don’t last. Research shows it can trap people in poverty."

In fact, Clark explained, temp work companies often lobby for work requirements because it allows them to bilk taxpayer money.

"Temp companies can get tax credits when they employ people on welfare — even though the jobs by definition won’t last, and will often not pay enough to lift people out of poverty or off govt assistance. In some states temp companies are the largest claimant of these credits," wrote Clark. "Meanwhile some private welfare contractors have a side business in processing these tax credits for the (often temp) companies they work with to place welfare recipients into jobs. AND these private welfare contractors also get financial rewards from the state when someone on their caseload gets a job — even if the job only lasts a month and pays minimum wage. Putting people into temp jobs is an easy way to get these rewards."

The upshot, she concluded, is that work requirements create a system where lower-income people try to find jobs and are set up to work in a string of temporary, poverty-wage jobs while still needing welfare payments. "They are not 'sitting on the couch,'" she wrote. "In fact many I spoke to couldn’t afford couches."

https://twitter.com/kristianiaclark/status/1661109253728530432



McCarthy is one of Trump's 'goons' and Trump is behind the debt ceiling disaster: strategist



Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is caught between a rock and a hard place on the debt ceiling.

On the one hand, he could easily make a deal with President Joe Biden and the Senate to raise the debt ceiling and then begin negotiations on the budget. Doing so would require that McCarthy bring together moderate Republicans and Democrats. Doing that would anger the far-right, and members of the far-right Freedom Caucus could motion to vacate McCarthy from the speaker's chair.

It means McCarthy has to please the far right. At issue is that the far-right is seeking to eliminate the bipartisan transportation bill, any COVID-19 funds sent to small businesses or individuals, cutting food stamps, veterans benefits, and a slew of other things. The fact that Democrats are even dealing on it at all is being attacked by progressives. It's compared to a hostage crisis, where the GOP wants a list of demands, or they shoot.

According to Democratic strategist Chai Komanduri, the ex-president behaves like a "Bon villain."

The theory from former President Donald Trump is that, if Republicans don't get every demand, they should simply "shoot the hostage," or the economy, in this case. Trump, who is running for president, knows that if the economy is bad, Americans will be less likely to reelect Biden. If that means making the economy bad, Trump appears willing to do it.

"He's the hand behind the curtain, and Kevin McCarthy is one of his goons," explained Komanduri. "He's basically hired to do Trump's bidding. And the reason is Donald Trump has that Republican congress in his pocket. Over 50 members of that caucus have already endorsed Donald Trump, and that's very early in the cycle. That's with Ron DeSantis (R-FL) still out there raising money but talking about a presidential campaign, polling, et cetera. So many members are in the Trump camp. And Kevin McCarthy knows this, and he knows he has to please that constituency in his caucus first and foremost."

Destroying the Biden presidency is critical to Trump's success.

"For Trump, the math is very simple. He must break the Biden brand," said Komanduri. "Joe Biden won in 2020 because he was the Ted Lasso candidate. He was the guy who talked about the soul of America who could bring people together, was bipartisan, and he has, by and large, succeeded in that. Trump in 2024 knows he must break that. He must create chaos. He must say, Biden creates as much chaos as me. Might as well vote for me. I got jokes. That is basically what Donald Trump wants to do in this campaign, and this debt ceiling or debt default, manufactured crisis, is really just a campaign event that's been staged by his campaign."

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

As Republicans threaten to destroy President Biden's historic economy and ruin the lives of Americans by crashing the economy as they default on the debt, auctioning off Kevin McCarthy's used chapstick for $100,000 is more important to Congressional Republicans than anything else. Republicans are just making a mockery of our government and they have no interest in helping Americans.


Marjorie Taylor Greene Buys Kevin McCarthy’s Used Chapstick For $100,000
https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinehamilton/2023/05/23/marjorie-taylor-greene-buys-kevin-mccarthys-used-chapstick-for-100000/


Buying Kevin McCarthy’s Used Chapstick Is Actually Totally Normal

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s transfer of campaign cash is exactly how the swamp works every day.



Amid high-wire negotiations over the nation’s debt ceiling and the increasing likelihood of a US default, House Republicans on Tuesday took a moment to turn their attention to a used chapstick belonging to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. That chapstick—which, according to Politico, was a cherry-flavored souvenir from Florida Congressman Aaron Bean’s campaign—was to be auctioned off to benefit the House Republican electoral committee. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene secured the prize by pledging $100,000 from her own campaign coffers.

"They doing this insane chapstick s*** while the country teeters on default,” Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted as confusion abounded. The stunt prompted hygiene concerns, as well as questions from this writer over what could compel someone to debase themselves by voluntarily becoming the new owner of used chapstick. That was all by design, of course. The winning bid—which, perhaps most importantly, also buys Greene a dinner meeting between McCarthy and Greene’s own supporters—came as the latest evidence of the intense bond between these two high-profile Republicans.

But look one step further out from the weirdness, and you’ll see that the stunt as a fairly mundane window into how fundraising in the swamp tends to work: Donors give to politicians, who then bolster their own power and influence by passing that money along to other political candidates. Greene’s standing among Republicans grows; so-called establishment candidates in swing districts happily accept chapstick-stained dollars, despite everything hideous there is to know about the QAnon-supporting congresswoman from Georgia. The wheels of power keep turning.

My colleague Jeremy Schulman, who would like to clarify that he did not edit his own name into this post, said it best: This story is less about the gross chapstick than it is about a lame inside joke involving the most extreme lawmaker in the United States transferring wads of cash to the most spineless. So, totally normal stuff.

https://www.motherjones.com/mojo-wire/2023/05/kevin-mccarthy-marjorie-taylor-greene-chapstick/



Ethics Committee closes GOP-initiated investigation of Swalwell without finding wrongdoing



For years, Republicans have alleged that Rep. Eric Swalwell (DCA) did something illegal when he briefly met someone the U.S. government believed to be a Chinese spy. When the FBI approached Swalwell, in 2012, with the information, he immediately ended the relationship and offered to help with the FBI.

But on Fox News, hosts like Tucker Carlson were relentless in their attacks. That turned into online DC drama when Swalwell posted text message conversations between the two. Since then, Swalwell has become a kind of boogeyman for the right, leading to threats against him and his family.

Even Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) claimed on the House floor, "Let me say that again. A member of Congress who receives classified briefings was sleeping with the enemy."

Republicans went so far as to require that he be removed from the House Intelligence Committee due to the short-lived 2012 relationship.

On Tuesday, the Ethics Committee said that after two years, they hadn't found any wrongdoing on the part of Swalwell.

"Nearly ten years ago, I assisted the FBI in their counterintelligence investigation of a campaign volunteer. The case and my assistance were briefed to Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner, and two years later, Republican Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, re-appointed me to the House Intelligence Committee. Neither Speaker questioned my actions nor politicized my cooperation. Despite the FBI repeatedly saying I was nothing but helpful and never accused of wrongdoing, this complaint was filed by a House Republican. ... If the intent in bringing this complaint and leveling false smears was to silence me that is not going to happen. I will continue to be a voice on behalf of my constituents and a passionate defender of democracy."

See the full statement from Swalwell below:

Rep. Eric Swalwell @RepSwalwell

For years MAGA GOP has falsely smeared me to silence me.  Today the Bipartisan Ethics Committee closed its investigation into a volunteer on our campaign w/o finding wrongdoing. My statement:



https://twitter.com/RepSwalwell/status/1661128912611561473

[Rick Plant]

GOP plans to unveil deficit-exploding tax cuts for the rich 2 weeks after debt limit deadline



With the U.S. careening toward a default crisis that they manufactured, House Republicans are reportedly crafting a major tax cut package that would overwhelmingly benefit the rich and corporations while blowing a multitrillion-dollar hole in the federal deficit.

The fresh push for tax cuts, according to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), further shows that "this hostage crisis has never been about deficits for the GOP."

"It has always been about wealth transfer—taking away food and healthcare from the poor and middle class to give away $3 trillion more in tax cuts to their rich friends," Omar, the deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, tweeted Tuesday.

Politico reported earlier this week that Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee hope to finish work on their emerging tax legislation by June 16, just over two weeks after the so-called "X-date"—the day on which the Treasury Department expects the federal government to run out of money to cover its obligations unless Congress raises the debt limit or President Joe Biden acts unilaterally.

"Key parts of the [tax cut] package... will likely include a full restoration of research and development deductions, full bonus depreciation, removing caps on business interest expensing, and a doubling of the $1.08 million limitation on the section 179 deduction (which, like bonus depreciation, allows a company to deduct an asset's cost up-front)," Politico noted.

The outlet added that Rep. Vern Buchanan's (R-Fla.) legislation aimed at making the 2017 Trump-GOP tax cuts for individuals and some businesses permanent "also has a strong likelihood of getting marked up in a broader package." The bill, known as the TCJA Permanency Act, currently has nearly 100 Republican co-sponsors in the House.

Buchanan, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, personally benefited from the 2017 tax law that he's working to extend.

"Republicans are holding our economy hostage because they want to cut programs for working families," Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said Tuesday. "Their next big move? Massive tax cuts for their rich corporate buddies. They may call it fiscal responsibility—I call it extortion."

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated last week that extending the individual provisions of the 2017 tax cuts—which are currently set to expire in 2025—would add $2.5 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. The original law made the cut to the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% permanent.

"The hypocrisy of Republicans in Washington is truly breathtaking," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote in a Fox News op-ed on Wednesday. "Over and over again, we hear from the Republican leadership about how deeply concerned they are about the large deficit and national debt that we have. Really?"

"If that's the case," Sanders asked, "why are they pushing for an extension of the Trump tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the wealthy and large corporations and would increase the federal deficit by $3.5 trillion?"

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) estimated earlier this month that just 1% of the benefits of the TCJA Permanency Act would go to the poorest fifth of Americans.

The richest fifth, by contrast, would receive nearly two-thirds of the tax benefits, ITEP found.

"The average tax cut for the richest 1%," the organization noted, "would be 25 times that of the middle 20% and more than 250 times that of the bottom 20% of Americans."

Republicans are preparing to launch their push for new tax cuts as they continue to hold the U.S. and global economies hostage in pursuit of steep federal spending reductions, all under the guise of lowering the deficit.

"We're not going to raise taxes," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said earlier this week. "It's a spending problem."

But research published in March by the Center for American Progress (CAP) found that the GOP austerity crusade "does not address the true cause of rising debt"—tax cuts.

"Tax cuts initially enacted during Republican trifectas in the past 25 years slashed taxes disproportionately for the wealthy and profitable corporations, severely reducing federal revenues," noted Bobby Kogan, CAP's senior director of federal budget policy. "In fact, relative to earlier projections, spending is down, not up. But revenues are down significantly more."

"If not for the Bush tax cuts and their extensions—as well as the Trump tax cuts—revenues would be on track to keep pace with spending indefinitely, and the debt ratio (debt as a percentage of the economy) would be declining," Kogan observed. "Instead, these tax cuts have added $10 trillion to the debt since their enactment and are responsible for 57% of the increase in the debt ratio since 2001."

https://www.rawstory.com/debt-ceiling-2660598222/



'Patently unconstitutional': Ohio GOP shredded by local newspaper for 'brazen' attempt to fool voters

Republicans in Ohio are trying to increase the vote percentage needed for voters to successfully pass ballot initiatives in their state – and the Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial board is accusing the party of trying to conceal this effort from voters.

In an editorial published Wednesday, the Plain Dealer editors accused Republican members of the Ohio Ballot Board of using deceptive language in an upcoming ballot initiative that dramatically raise the threshold for future ballot initiatives to pass.

"The wording that the board’s Republicans approved claims in its title that the proposal is aimed at, 'Elevating the standards to qualify for and to pass any constitutional amendment,'" the editors argue. "In fact, the amendment increases the requirements for getting an issue on the ballot. LaRose told reporters a dictionary indicates that “‘elevating’ means to raise or increase.” But voting booths aren’t stocked with dictionaries. Ordinary Ohioans don’t say, 'the bank elevated my credit-card interest rate' or 'the Browns elevated the score.'"

In addition to this, the wording fails to describe the existing law about ballot initiatives that would be changed, which they argue gives voters an incomplete picture of the proposal, which would enact a 60 percent supermajority threshold for successful initiatives.

The goal of the initiative, note the editors, is to make getting an amendment that protects abortion rights in the state far harder to pass than would otherwise be the case.

The editorial urges the Ohio State Supreme Court to step in and "stop the Ballot Board’s brazen partisanship," which it says has gone so far as to be "patently unconstitutional."

https://www.rawstory.com/ohio-republicans/

[Rick Plant]

'It turned out to be a mistake’: Botched rollout puts DeSantis on his heels
He portrays himself as a low-drama alternative to Donald Trump. His campaign launch was the picture of disorder.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/24/desantis-twitter-campaign-glitch-00098748


Texas Republicans pass school bill slammed as 'defunding public education'

A school funding bill that would enact a voucher program for education in Texas was passed by the state Senate right before midnight Tuesday – and has been slammed by opponents as "defunding public education."

The Senate's version of House Bill 100 would give parents who opt out of the public schools up to $8,000 in taxpayer money per student per year to pay for private education.

The original version of the bill had included allocating $4.5 billion in new funding for teacher pay raises and other budget expenses for schools. The House had rejected the voucher-like program, the Texas Tribune reported.

Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett posted a copy of the revamped H.B. 100 on his Twitter account, saying it "strips money from public schools to fund private vouchers. But in the process of latching vouchers to the bill— they killed teacher pay raises and money for special education."

He added: "Republicans in the Texas Senate passed a bill defunding public education."

He also pointed out that the vote "happened on the one-year anniversary of the massacre at Robb Elementary in Uvalde."

Local Fox4 News called the final bill "drastically different" than it was when it began. The report implied it was a last-minute, slap-dash effort to simply pass something.

"The Senate voted 18-13 to advance its version of House Bill 100. Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, joined Democrats in voting against the bill," the report said.

The legislation between the two chambers is so different that the House must now pass the bill again, after previously approving its version. It isn't expected to pass in its current form.

"The bill now heads back to the House, where members will most likely have to negotiate the differences with the Senate," Fox4 explained. "But with only five days left in the Legislative session, it's a race against time for both chambers to reach a compromise."

All of it is to appease Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who told lawmakers he wanted a "voucher bill," and that he wouldn't sign anything that didn't fund his private schools. If it doesn't happen, Abbott said he's not above calling a special session if they don't pass the bill he likes.

The first bill was a Republican proposal for $4.5 billion in new funding for schools, and modest pay raises for teachers while balancing their budgets "as inflation diminishes the value of the money they get from the state," the report said.

The new bill is only $3.8 billion with half a billion goes to private school vouchers.

According to the Private School Review, "the average private school tuition in Texas is $10,454 per year (2023). The private elementary school average tuition cost is $10,067 per year and the private high school average is $11,497 per year."

A Feb. 2023 piece in The Nation by education experts Jack Schneider and Jennifer C. Berkshire called voucher programs like this a kind of reverse Robin Hood, which robs from the poor to deliver the best education to the wealthy.

Read More Here: https://www.fox4news.com/news/texas-senate-passes-revamped-school-funding-bill-in-last-minute-bid-to-implement-voucher-program



Laughter breaks out on House floor when Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for 'decorum'



In an awkward moment on Wednesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) banged the gavel on the House floor and demanded "decorum." The request led to laughter from her colleagues due to the perceived irony.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) was one of them, tweeting, "I haven’t laughed this hard in a while — but Marjorie Taylor Greene just called for 'decorum' on the House Floor."

The video shows that Greene kept banging the gavel, but Democrats kept laughing anyway.

The irony stems from the idea that decorum generally requires propriety and polite behavior, which is the opposite of what many colleagues think of Greene's frequent outbursts on the House floor, especially as they relate to Joe Biden and his family.

"Remember, Greene was the one heckling President Biden during the State of the Union. Democrats laughed at her for good reason," tweeted lawyer Aaron Parnas.

Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff also noted: "Greene has been a vocal supporter of the January 6th Capitol terror attack."

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

If the MAGA House GOP forces a default, many programs families rely on, including veterans care, Medicare, Meals on Wheels, and more, will see severe cuts that will hurt working and low-income Americans.




To everyone EXCEPT MAGA extremists, it's a pretty easy choice. #MAGADefaultCrisis