U.S. Politics

[Rick Plant]

Biden addresses nation after avoiding catastrophic default: ‘The stakes could not have been higher’



Washington CNN — President Joe Biden declared bipartisanship alive and well during his first ever Oval Office address on Friday, pointing to the compromise measure that raises the federal borrowing limit and avoids a catastrophic default as evidence his sometimes-mocked views of Washington are not a thing of the past.

Addressing the nation from behind the Resolute Desk, Biden sought to harness the vintage presidential setting to make the case for a style of governing he insisted was not only still relevant but essential to avoiding disaster.

Encouraging Americans to “treat each other with dignity and respect” and to “stop shouting,” he said the package he brokered with Republicans ensures economic progress going forward and amounts to a “crisis averted” – even though it sparked fury from some in his own party.

And he vowed to continue working toward priorities that were left out – including raising taxes on the wealthy – in an implicit reelection message.

"Passing this budget agreement was critical. The stakes could not have been higher,” he said.

It’s been several years since Americans have witnessed the type of seated, direct-to-camera speech Biden delivered Friday. Past presidents have employed the Oval Office to deliver statements during moments of crisis, like after the terror attacks on 9/11 or when the space shuttle Challenger exploded.

Biden was speaking not amid a crisis but having avoided one. Yet by evoking a style of speech used by presidents for decades, he seemed to also harken to an era of government that did not look down on attempts at compromise.

“I know bipartisanship is hard and unity is hard, but we can never stop trying, because at moments like this one, the ones we just faced where the American economy and the world economy is at risk of collapsing, there is no other way,” he said in his speech.

The decision to speak in the most formal of presidential settings came after weeks of fraught negotiations over the borrowing limit. The deal ultimately struck between Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy raises the debt ceiling for two years, freezes domestic spending, imposes some new work requirements on food stamps and alters certain energy permitting rules.

Biden had intentionally avoided declaring victory after brokering the agreement, partly in the hopes of securing the necessary Republican votes for the bill to pass.

That tactic appeared to work; the measure cleared the House and Senate in bipartisan fashion. Biden said he planned to sign the bill Saturday and called the engagements with his Republican interlocutors “respectful.”

He began his evening address by underscoring his efforts to work across the aisle to secure a positive outcome – an objective he noted had been met with intense skepticism.

“When I ran for president, I was told that the days of bipartisanship is over and Democrats and Republicans could no longer work together. I refuse to believe that,” Biden said. “The only way American democracy can function is through compromise and consensus.”

The president said neither Republicans nor Democrats “got everything they wanted but the American people got what they needed.”

“We averted an economic crisis and an economic collapse,” he said.

The Treasury Department has said it will run out of cash to pay its bills in full and on time on Monday. Economists had warned of severe consequences of a national default.

Despite the bill’s passage, the legislation known as the Bipartisan Budget Agreement had detractors on both the left and right. Many liberals and conservatives voted against it, and the most right-wing lawmakers have raised the prospect of trying to oust McCarthy from his leadership role for what they say were insufficient spending cuts.

On the left, progressive Democrats balked at some of the new work requirements added to the bill, though an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office showed the measure would likely keep the number of Americans on food stamps at roughly the same levels. The bill lifted work requirements for veterans and those experiencing homelessness.

Democratic critics have also voiced outrage at approval included in the bill of a natural gas pipeline through West Virginia and Virginia.

Biden and his aides have argued they were successfully able to stave off the most extreme Republican positions to arrive at a bill that ultimately avoided economic disaster.

Through it all, some Democrats have grumbled at the president’s approach to the situation. While Biden initially said he would not negotiate over raising the debt ceiling, demanding only a “clean increase,” he ultimately entered into talks with McCarthy that tied the borrowing limit to budget cuts.

Others encouraged Biden to use the 14th Amendment, which states the US debt “shall not be questioned,” to unilaterally raise the debt ceiling. Biden said it was possible to explore that option in the future, but it was too risky to deploy with the imminent threat of default.

“Nothing would have been more catastrophic” than a default, Biden said in his remarks.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/02/politics/biden-debt-oval-office-address/index.html


President Biden Addresses the Nation on Averting Default and the Bipartisan Budget Agreement

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

Ron DeSantis is a total buffoon who is a cheap imitation of Donald Trump and is cracking under the pressure of a national campaign. He's so insecure he has to change the pronunciation of his last name!


Ron DeSantis defends changing last name pronunciation after ridicule



You can call him DEH-santis or DEE-santis. Ron says: just call me winner.

The Florida governor is defending his curious decision to change how he pronounces his own last name just as he launches his 2024 Republican presidential campaign.

“It’s ridiculous, these stupid things,” DeSantis said Thursday when asked about the issue. “Listen, the way to pronounce my last name: Winner.”

DeSantis has mostly, but not always, used the more well-known “DEH-Santis” during his two decades in politics.

For reasons that remain unclear, the Florida governor started referring to himself as “Ron DEE-Santis” in recent days as he launched his GOP presidential bid. Polls put DeSantis in a strong but distant second place to former President Donald Trump.

Never one to miss out on a chance to ding his opponent, Trump brought up the discrepancy at campaign events in Iowa.

Trump used the switch to needle DeSantis, whom he accuses of being a disloyal phony and a Republican in name only.

“He is demanding that people call him DeeeSantis, rather than DaSantis,” Trump said on his social media site. “Actually, I like ‘Da’ better, a nicer flow, so I am happy he is changing it.”

Playing de-fense, DeSantis hit back at Trump, calling him “juvenile” for mentioning the pronunciation issue and suggesting that Trump’s penchant for playground insults was part of the reason he lost the White House in 2020.

“He alienated too many voters for things that really don’t matter,” DeSantis said Thursday at a campaign stop in New Hampshire.

Pundits say DeSantis will have to keep punching back at Trump about matters serious and trivial.

DeSantis has maintained a wide lead of his own over the rest of the GOP pack, but that lead for second place is about to get tested as former Vice President Mike Pence and ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are expected to jump into the race next week.

© New York Daily News



DeSantis 'the ultimate performative politician' on outrage but not 'in-person performance': report



Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is the best at performative politics when it comes to beating down policies perceived as "woke," but his performances falter when it comes to the in-person aspects of professional politics, according to a new report.

The mirage of DeSantis was different than the real man when he appeared in the "fidgety flesh," writes Mark Leibovich, a staff writer at The Atlantic. Leibovich reportedly covered DeSantis' recent appearances at various events in New Hampshire.

"What does the on-paper promise of DeSantis look like in practice? DeSantis has performed a number of these in-person chores in recent days, after announcing his presidential campaign on May 24 in a glitchy Twitter Spaces appearance with Elon Musk," Leibovich wrote on Saturday. "As I watched him complete his rounds in New Hampshire on Thursday—visits to a VFW hall, an Elks Club, and a community college, in addition to the American Legion post—the essential duality of his campaign was laid bare: DeSantis is the ultimate performative politician when it comes to demonstrating outrage and 'kneecapping' various woke abuses—but not so much when it comes to the actual in-person performance of politics."

In his New Hampshire visits, DeSantis reportedly repeated "woke" more than a dozen times at each event stop, yet strayed away from key topics of the day, including gun violence, the number one cause of death for children in the United States.

"His whole act can feel like a clunky contrivance—a forced persona railing against phony or hyped-up outrages. He can be irascible," Leibovich wrote. "Steve Peoples, a reporter for the Associated Press, approached DeSantis after a speech at a VFW hall in Laconia and asked the governor why he hadn’t taken any questions from the audience. 'Are you blind?' DeSantis snapped at Peoples."

Leibovich continued:

“'Politics is not about entertainment,' DeSantis said in all of his New Hampshire speeches, usually at the end. He might be trying to prove as much."

Read More Here: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2023/06/ron-desantis-2024-presidential-election-campaign-florida/674274/

[Rick Plant]

Kyrsten Sinema is one of the most corrupt members of the Senate. She takes in millions of dollars from PACS and billionaires. Her "NO votes" to tax billionaires allowed the top 1% to keep paying less in taxes than a nurse or a cop.


Sen. Kyrsten Sinema took Wall Street money while killing tax on wealthy investors
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2022/08/13/sinema-took-wall-street-money-while-killing-tax-on-investors/10321806002/

How Wall Street wooed Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and preserved its multibillion-dollar carried interest tax break
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/09/how-wall-street-wooed-sen-kyrsten-sinema-and-preserved-its-multi-billion-dollar-carried-interest-tax-break.html


Kyrsten Sinema has taken $2.5 million from corporate PACs since 2021

MAY 24, 2022



At the same time that Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema was standing in opposition to Democratic efforts to raise taxes on corporations, she was raking in campaign cash from many of the companies lobbying against the tax increases — corporate PACs have given Sinema more than $2.5 million since 2021, more than one out of every three dollars she’s raised. 

An Arizona Mirror analysis of campaign finance reports between Jan. 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022 for both Sinema’s personal campaign and her leadership political action committee, Getting Stuff Done, show that her prodigious fundraising is powered by corporate money.

Her reports over that span shows she accepted just under $2 million for her campaign and $567,000 for her PAC. (Her PAC has drawn media scrutiny for spending thousands of dollars on wine, paying for a personal trip to Europe and a $34,500 payment to rent a resort in Sedona.) These numbers don’t reflect individual contributions from corporate executives or other employees at companies whose PACs gave her money.

In all, her campaign has raised more than $5.8 million in that same time, while her leadership PAC has brought in slightly less than $1.1 million. Her committees have received 36% of their combined money from corporate PACs.

Sinema received checks from businesses like Amazon, Honeywell, Intel and Merck, among many others, that have been actively fighting off Democratic efforts to reverse the 2017 tax cuts on businesses that Republicans passed while they were in power. Those groups are all part of The Business Roundtable, a coalition of prominent corporate leaders that argue increasing taxes is a threat to their future plans.

Sinema’s opposition to undoing those 2017 tax cuts is also a far cry from her campaign in 2018 against Martha McSally, when she attacked her opponent for supporting Donald Trump’s “huge tax breaks for the wealthy and large corporations at the expense of our middle class.”

Accepting millions of dollars from corporate PACs -- mostly from pharmaceutical companies, public utilities, banks and hedge funds -- puts her at odds with Mark Kelly, Arizona’s other senator.

Kelly, a first-term Democrat, has sworn off accepting corporate PAC money and called for them to be banned entirely. His message is summed up in a recent ad his campaign has placed on social media: “I don’t take money from corporate PACs because I know who I’m fighting for.” Kelly also introduced a bill with Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff to ban for-profit corporate PACs altogether.

Sinema’s office refused to answer specific questions for this story, but pushed back on whether she is actually opposed to raising the corporate tax. Her campaign did not respond.

Communications director Hannah Hurley said when Sinema told business leaders at a private Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry event that, “You all know, the entire country knows, that I'm opposed to raising the corporate minimum tax rate,” what she really meant was she is opposed to raising tax rates on corporations — President Joe Biden sought to raise the corporate rate from 21% to 28% — but is still in favor of setting the corporate minimum tax rate to 15%, ensuring that profitable companies aren’t able to dodge paying taxes through loopholes and other measures.

Even so, Sinema has stymied legislation or proposals she says she supports because she has steadfastly refused to end or change the filibuster, which requires the support of 60 senators for any legislation to receive a formal vote. In a Senate that is split 50-50, with Democrats holding the tie-breaking vote in Vice President Kamala Harris, that means any legislation that doesn’t have the backing of at least 10 Republicans cannot advance.

On May 23, activists protested Sinema in Tucson for her stance on the filibuster and questioned whether she was beholden to her “corporate donors” or the “people, democracy and planet.” Hurley did not address whether Sinema prioritizes her corporate donors over her constituents.

Sinema has the benefit of not being up for re-election until 2024, while Kelly is up this year. But Sinema also has so angered Democrats that the party censured her earlier this year and she is likely to face a primary challenger. Many Democrats believe that U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, a progressive who just had the best fundraising quarter in his political career, will run against her.

Sinema has already received scrutiny for some of her notable campaign contributors in the past, including several billionaires who backed Donald Trump’s presidential bids.

She has been a thorn in the side of her party since Democrats won control of both congressional chambers and the presidency, mostly due to her unwillingness to kill the filibuster. And her opposition to key parts of President Joe Biden’s agenda, along with that of West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, has prevented much of the administration’s sweeping policy proposals from passing.

Democratic political consultant Tony Cani told the Arizona Mirror that, while Sinema’s corporate backing isn’t popular in Democratic politics, it’s unlikely to change how people view her. At the end of the day, Democratic voters have already made up their minds, and those opinions are unlikely to change barring something drastic happening, he said.

“I personally think that the only thing that saves her from a viable primary challenge is if no credible Democrat decides to run against her,” Cani said.

When corporations give money to candidates, they're saying they believe in the same basic principles — in Sinema’s case, that she supports their interests. Cani likened it to anti-LGBTQ corporations contributing to campaigns of politicians or any corporation giving money to an “insurrectionist.”

“​​Voters should take into account which corporate PACs elected officials are taking money from, and consumers should take into account which elected officials corporations are giving to, because they are making a definitive statement,” he told the Mirror.

Cani also said candidates like Kelly are waving away corporate PAC money because it’s not as transparent as the money coming directly from individuals.

From Sinema’s Getting Stuff Done PAC, at least two scandal-plagued contributions stood out raising questions about why she accepted such money and what either has to do with Arizona’s needs.

In November, she raised $5,000 from Pacific Gas & Electric, a California utility company that just two months earlier was charged with manslaughter for starting a wildfire that killed four people. The company, which is the largest public utility in the country, also pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in 2020 for a similar reason.

Neither Sinema’s office nor her campaign would answer questions about the contribution.

But the other standout contribution came from the multi-level marketing firm Herbalife, which gave Sinema’s PAC $5,000. Herbalife admitted to engaging in criminal activity for a decade and paid a fine of $123 million in 2020 for criminal corruption and fraud. The company also contributed another $2,500 directly to Sinema’s campaign coffers.

Sinema previously faced scrutiny for accepting money from Herbalife and other MLMs because she took their money while those companies were working to kill a Democratic-sponsored labor bill called the PRO Act. Local business groups called on both Sinema and Kelly to oppose the legislation last year, which would wipe out Arizona’s “right-to-work” law that prohibits mandatory union membership.

She faced additional scrutiny last year when she hosted a private fundraiser with business leaders who were strongly opposed to Biden’s Build Back Better proposal. She charged up to $5,800 for the event which lasted 45 minutes on Sept. 27, 2021. Campaign finance records show she raised $82,000 for her campaign and another $47,500 for her PAC between Sept. 27 and Sept. 30 from PACs alone.

It was one of several fundraising events she held that correlated with moving legislation the corporations boosting her campaign coffers were against.

https://www.azmirror.com/2022/05/24/kyrsten-sinema-has-taken-2-5-million-from-corporate-pacs-since-2021/

[Rick Plant]

President Biden @POTUS

The bipartisan budget agreement protects my Investing in America agenda.



The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is rebuilding America.
The CHIPS and Science Act is fueling a manufacturing boom.
The Inflation Reduction Act is boosting clean energy, making our tax system fairer, and lowering costs.

All of it is protected by our bipartisan budget agreement.



Because of my Administration’s investments, we’ve made historic economic progress.
 
So when it came time to negotiate on the budget, the last thing I’d do is let that progress end up on the chopping block.

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1664840731293302784

As I said in my inaugural address: without unity, there is no peace – only bitterness and fury.
 
Our bipartisan budget agreement represents what happens when we join forces.

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1665078522287730691

I just signed into law a bipartisan budget agreement that prevents a first-ever default while reducing the deficit, safeguarding Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and fulfilling our scared obligation to our veterans.
 
Now, we continue the work of building the strongest economy in the world.




Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1665060615000322050

https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1665060615000322050


Biden signs debt ceiling bill that pulls US back from brink of unprecedented default

WASHINGTON (AP) — With just two days to spare, President Joe Biden signed legislation on Saturday that lifts the nation’s debt ceiling, averting an unprecedented default on the federal government’s debt.

It was a decidedly low-key denouement to a monthslong drama that unnerved financial markets at home and abroad and caused anxious retirees and social service organizations to make contingency plans in case the country was unable to pay all its bills.

Instead of holding a public ceremony with lawmakers from both parties — showcasing the bipartisanship that Biden had cited in an Oval Office address on Friday evening — the president signed the legislation in private in a reflection of the tight deadline facing the nation’s leaders.

The Treasury Department had warned that the country would start running short of cash on Monday, which would have sent shockwaves through the U.S. and global economies.

The White House released a picture of the president signing the legislation at the Resolute Desk. In a brief statement, Biden thanked Democratic and Republican congressional leaders for their partnership, a cordial message that contrasted with the rancor that initially characterized the debt debate.

“No matter how tough our politics gets, we need to see each not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans,” Biden said in a video message released after the signing. He said it was important to “stop shouting, lower the temperature, and work together to pursue progress, secure prosperity and keep the promise of America for everybody.”

The standoff began when Republicans refused to raise the country’s borrowing limit unless Democrats agreed to cut spending. Eventually, the White House began weeks of intense negotiations with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to reach a deal.

The final agreement, passed by the House on Wednesday and the Senate on Thursday, suspends the debt limit until 2025 — after the next presidential election — and restricts government spending. It gives lawmakers budget targets for the next two years in hopes of assuring fiscal stability as the political season heats up.

Raising the nation’s debt limit, now at $31.4 trillion, will ensure that the government can borrow to pay debts already incurred.

After Congress passed the legislation, Biden used the occasion to deliver his first speech from the Oval Office as president on Friday.

“No one got everything they wanted but the American people got what they needed,” he said, highlighting the “compromise and consensus” in the deal. “We averted an economic crisis and an economic collapse.”

Biden touted the achievements of his first term as he runs for reelection, including support for high-tech manufacturing, infrastructure investments and financial incentives for fighting climate change. He also highlighted ways he blunted Republican efforts to roll back his agenda and achieve deeper cuts.

“We’re cutting spending and bringing deficits down at the same time,” Biden said. “We’re protecting important priorities from Social Security to Medicare to Medicaid to veterans to our transformational investments in infrastructure and clean energy.”

Biden’s remarks were the most detailed comments from the Democratic president on the compromise he and his staff negotiated.

Biden praised McCarthy and his negotiators for operating in good faith, and all congressional leaders for ensuring swift passage of the legislation. “They acted responsibly, and put the good of the country ahead of politics,” he said.

In addition to restrictions on spending, the 99-page bill changes some policies, including imposing new work requirements for older Americans receiving food aid and greenlighting an Appalachian natural gas pipeline that many Democrats oppose. Some environmental rules were modified to help streamline approvals for infrastructure and energy projects — a move long sought by moderates in Congress.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation could actually expand total eligibility for federal food assistance, with the elimination of work requirements for veterans, homeless people and young people leaving foster care.

The legislation also bolsters funds for defense and veterans, cuts back some new money for the Internal Revenue Service and rejects Biden’s call to roll back Trump-era tax breaks on corporations and the wealthy to help cover the nation’s deficits. But the White House said the IRS’ plans to step up enforcement of tax laws for high-income earners and corporations would continue.

The agreement imposes an automatic overall 1% cut to spending programs if Congress fails to approve its annual spending bills — a measure designed to pressure lawmakers of both parties to reach consensus before the end of the fiscal year in September.

In both chambers, more Democrats backed the legislation than Republicans, but both parties were critical to its passage. In the Senate the tally was 63-36 including 46 Democrats and independents and 17 Republicans in favor, 31 Republicans along with four Democrats and one independent who caucuses with the Democrats opposed.

The vote in the House was 314-117.

© THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

[Rick Plant]

Here’s the con: you run for President. You never poll above 2% in the primary, but you convince donors to keep you afloat because there’s no frontrunner. Then you sign a book deal, use your Iowa caucus media coverage to promote your book, make a million bucks from it, drop out.

Half the 2024 Republican field is running this con. They know they can’t win. They’re not trying. Not even a real campaign. Instead of trying to appeal to voters, they spend the campaign doing favors for the media, so they can cash in those favors later to promote their book.

Here’s the other con: you already hold lower office and you run for President. You know you can’t win and you don’t even try to. You raise money but you don’t spend any of it, and quietly drop out. Then you use that money to fund your reelection campaign for lower office.

[Rick Plant]

DeSantis’ approval rating in Florida is back below 50% in the most recent polling averages. 

The National media spent all of 2022 hyping DeSantis as unstoppable, because it wanted him reelected, so he could run in 2024 and it could get ratings out of him.

If the media hadn’t propped him up, he’d have lost reelection.

DeSantis’ approval rating in Florida was underwater for much of his first term. He was not on track to win reelection until the national media (on the left and right) bailed him out by portraying him as unstoppable and inevitable. So, Democratic voters in Florida simply gave up and didn't turn out to vote.

Now that DeSantis has had to step onto the national stage, everyone is seeing that he’s a weak joke, and he’s collapsing so badly that even his approval rating in Florida is plummeting back down to where it was a year or two ago.

Even Florida never liked him all that much.

But the media just had to go and dishonestly help DeSantis get reelected, so he’d make it into the presidential election.

Even though the media knew he was a total clown who would faceplant like this and be toast by 2023.

The national media burned Florida to the ground for nothing.

And the hosts at MSNBC were every bit as guilty of this as were the hosts at Fox News.

MSNBC hyped DeSantis a villain, but they still endlessly hyped him. Portrayed him as powerful. Insisted he was a lock for reelection.

DeSantis' right wing extremist policies are very unpopular in Florida as well as it is all across the nation.

It doesn't matter which right winger Republicans end up nominating in 2024, their nominee will push this same radical right wing agenda like banning books, interfering in the education system, anti abortion, anti freedom policies, more guns, cut social security & medicare, more tax cuts for the top 1%. That's all the GOP is about and people in Florida are tired of DeSantis and his fascism. And the majority of Americans oppose these right wing extremist policies too.           


Most Floridians Disapprove of State’s Direction, DeSantis’ Approval Rating Drops by 19 Points in New Poll



A survey of nearly 3,000 Florida voters reveals unease over the state’s direction, opposition to many of the bills signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, and frustration over rising housing and insurance costs.

Before this spring’s state legislative session, a majority of Floridians believed the state was on the right track (46% right track / 42% wrong track). As the session came to a close, however, 50% believe the state is headed in the wrong direction, while only 42% think it’s on the right track.

Pollsters Florida Watch and Progress Florida, collectively known as the Florida Communications and Research Hub (Hub), attribute this shift in their surveys to Floridians’ growing dissatisfaction with the agenda carried out by Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislators in Tallahassee.   

“When we look back on this legislative session, it is clear Floridians do not believe that Gov. DeSantis and legislative leaders focused on the priorities they believed would improve their lives,” said Progress Florida Executive Director Mark Ferrulo.

DeSantis’ Dramatic Drop

In February, before the legislative session, the Hub’s polling showed DeSantis with a 60% approval rate and the Florida Legislature with 49% support from voters. But by the time the legislative session was winding down, in late April and Early May, their surveys found that the governor’s approval rating dropped by a whopping 19 points (50% approve / 49% disapprove).

According to the Hub, these results can be attributed to erosion among Democrats (-38 pts), No Party Affiliated voters (-16 pts), women (-12 pts), Latinos (-14 pts) – notably Cuban-Americans (-12 pts) – and Black Floridians (-37 pts).

The Florida Legislature’s approval rate also took a hit, dropping to 43% favorable and 47% unfavorable.

Additionally:

- 36% of Floridians cited the cost of home and auto insurance as the top financial stressor in their lives.
- The cost of housing was the main financial stressor for 22% of people across the state.
- 49% of Floridians disapprove of the job DeSantis is doing to make housing more affordable (38% approve).

GOP-Passed Bills Are Unpopular

Results of the recent survey also showed that several key bills passed by Republicans in the legislative session are strongly opposed by a majority of people across the state:

- 78% of Floridians oppose permitless carry of concealed weapons (20% support).
- 56% don’t support the state’s near-total abortion ban (41% support).
- 86% oppose new legislation allowing the governor and legislative leaders to conceal their travel records from the public.
- 60% oppose changing the state’s “resign-to-run” law as DeSantis prepares to launch a campaign for president (31% support).
- The Hub surveyed 2,713 registered voters in Florida from April 26-May 3, 2023, as Florida’s legislative session came to a close, with a margin of error of ±1.85% at 95% confidence.

https://theamericanonews.com/floricua/2023/05/19/most-floridians-disapprove-of-states-direction-desantis-approval-rating-drops-by-19-points-in-new-poll/

[Rick Plant]

After the 4 year Trump disaster, we finally are finally Building Back America.

[Rick Plant]

Lauren Boebert mocked after being busted by CNN for lying



Raw Story reported last week that Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) missed the vote for raising the debt ceiling, which she had opposed. But a reporter at Axios spotted her rushing up the steps of the Capitol just as the vote was being closed. She'd missed it and the press knew.

A new video from CNN showed it wasn't just the word of a reporter that observed Boebert racing up the steps, they got her on video.

A CNN producer was heard on video saying, "They closed it."

"They closed it?" Boebert shouted back.

"Yeah," the producer said. Boebert paused, but then continued running up the steps of the Capitol.

First, Boebert claimed that there was no such thing as the debt ceiling and that it was all "fake news."

"Tomorrow's bill is a bunch of fake news and fake talking points that will do nothing to rein in out-of-control federal spending," she said.

"No excuses," Boebert said on June 3. " I was ticked off they wouldn't let me do my job, so I wouldn't take the vote. Once again, Washington's power machine shoved a multi-trillion-dollar bill down our throats, refused to allow debate or amendments, disregarded everything we fought for, in January to actually allow representatives to do their jobs, and instead, they served us up a cr*p sandwich."

She claimed that she simply refused to be part of it. In fact, she tried to be a part of it and then missed it.

As a fact check, there were 81 proposed amendments, and 14 of those were either co-sponsored or even introduced by Boebert.

As it turns out, she did show up for the vote.

When CNN released the video of her racing up the steps, it called her office to ask for an explanation for the Twitter claim that it was a "protest."

"A spokesperson responded by providing a link to Boebert’s Thursday statement, which outlined her opposition to the bill but did not substantiate her subsequent assertion in the social media video that she had missed the vote on purpose," said CNN.

“I certainly wasn’t afraid to vote against the bill, as I have been advocating against it all week,” Boebert said in the statement.

Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki dragged Boebert while subbing for Chris Hayes' show Monday night. "You snooze you lose," the screen said.

"I can't stop watching that," Psaki chuckled.

News 9 Denver's Kyle Clark did his own commentary on the matter Monday, saying that Boebert had a note put in the Congressional record that she missed the debt ceiling vote because she was "unavoidably detained."

"Now she's saying she skipped the vote on purpose as a protest," said Clark. "Both cannot be true and Boebert knows which one of her claims is a lie. Congresswoman Boebert often gets a pass from the media for making outrageous and false statements because she does it so often. That's not fair to the Coloradans in her district or to the elected officials who do not blatantly lie to voters. I can hear you saying, 'Oh, all politicians lie all the time.' Except they don't. We have covered countless conservatives and progressives and everywhere in between, politicians who strive to tell the truth every day. They don't all offer up obvious, clumsy lies that insult the intelligence of voters."

He closed by saying that if a politician makes something up they will always call them out, but it "doesn't give anyone else the license to lie, even if they make it part of their personal brand."

"Here's why this matters," Jon Cooper tweeted. "Yes, it exposes Lauren as incompetent. But it also exposes her as a LIAR. Because she CLAIMED her no-show vote was a form of protest because the bill was a "cr*p sandwich.” She was so smug and so proud in another video claiming that she skipped the vote because 'they wouldn't let me do my job.' Gee. I thought her job was to vote."

See videos in link below:

Morgan Rimmer @morgan_rimmer

Here is a clip from that night outside the Capitol, showing Rep. Boebert running up the stairs as though she was trying to make the vote, and me telling her that it had closed already.

*running up steps*
Me: They closed it.
Boebert: They closed it?
*keeps running*

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1665412392442888194


Kyle Clark @KyleClark

Commentary: Giving Rep. Lauren Boebert a pass for lying about missing the debt ceiling vote does a disservice to her constituents and to elected officials who haven't made falsehoods their personality. #copolitics

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1665886204460670977

https://www.rawstory.com/lauren-boebert-colorado-vote-lies/



George Santos begs court not to reveal who paid his $500,000 bond



Rep. George Santos' (R-NY) lawyers filed court documents Monday in which they begged a judge to keep the guarantor who paid the congressman's bail bond secret, according to CBS News reporter Scott MacFarlane.

Santos was indicted and held on $500,000 bond which was paid for by an undisclosed person. The lawyers explained that they're seeking to keep the identity sealed because they "are likely to suffer great distress, may lose their jobs and, God forbid, may suffer physical injury."

“There is little doubt that the suretors will suffer some unnecessary form of retaliation if their identities and employment are revealed," the defense lawyer also said.

“My client would rather surrender to pretrial detainment than subject these suretors to what will inevitably come," the lawyer explained.

MacFarlane also said that Santos' latest court filing revealed that the House Ethics Committee had asked him about the identity of the individuals that helped pay his bond, but his lawyers refused to answer.



Read More Here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-santos-court-deadline-reveal-3-people-who-secured-500k-bail/



Harlan Crow’s argument for refusing to cooperate with Senate investigators is feeble: legal expert



Harlan Crow is at the center of an ethics scandal over lavish gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and the conservative billionaire isn't offering up much in the way of a legal argument for declining to cooperate with a Senate inquiry, legal analyst Kim Wehle writes for The Bulwark.

Crow’s gifts to Thomas and his wife, Ginni, which included luxury vacations, are the subject of a ProPublica investigative report that have prompted renewed calls for Supreme Court ethics reform.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin issued a statement last month calling for “the full extent of Mr. Crow’s and the corporations’ gifts to Justice Thomas, what other individuals were able to gain special access to Justice Thomas and any other Justices via the travel and lodging provided, and whether those individuals had interests before the Supreme Court.”

Crow claims the request to review the gifts is unconstitutional and has declined to comply.

His attorney Michael Bopp, in a letter to responding to the committee’s request wrote that “Congress does not have the constitutional power to impose ethics rules and standards on the Supreme Court,” and that therefore the entire investigation is illegitimate.

Wehle contends that the Crow’s lawyer is making a flimsy argument.

Wehle writes that “If Bopp’s letter were filed with a federal court, it would come precariously close to violating Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which enables courts to impose sanctions on lawyers for advocating excessively frivolous arguments.”

Bopp in his letter argues that the Constitution restricts Congress from applying the types of ethical rules and standards already exist or lower court on the Supreme Court.

Wehle writes that “The argument is that the Supreme Court is created by the Constitution expressly, whereas the Constitution gives Congress the power to create the lower federal judiciary, which it did with the first Federal Judiciary Act of 1789, so Congress can only regulate the courts that it actually creates in the first place.”

Wehle believes that Bopp’s argument that the Supreme Court is “so constitutionally sacrosanct” that it is above being accountable to Congress is historically inaccurate.

“Crow is rebuffing a legitimate inquiry into an ethics scandal that directly involves himself,” Wehle writes.

“Given the sobering separation of powers concerns at stake, Crow’s contempt of the U.S. Congress is truly contemptible.”

Read the full article here: https://plus.thebulwark.com/p/harlan-crow-weak-argument-refusing-investigation