U.S. And International Politics

[Richard Smith]

Even leftist publications see the writing on the wall:

Politico (April 15) headline:

Biden’s poll numbers look grim as he preps for reelection bid

[Martin Weidmann]

Even leftist publications see the writing on the wall:

Politico (April 15) headline:

Biden’s poll numbers look grim as he preps for reelection bid

Funny... Hope always dies last   

[Rick Plant]

Even leftist publications see the writing on the wall:

Politico (April 15) headline:

Biden’s poll numbers look grim as he preps for reelection bid

 

Donald Trump's poll numbers are at 25%

Donald Trump's and the right wing media's favorite Republican pollster Rasmussen has Biden at 49% approval rating. That's nearly half the country that supports President Biden. It ticked up one point from 48% on Monday. Plus the overwhelming majority of Americans support all of his policies. 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll, for Wednesday shows that 49% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Biden’s job performance.

https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/political_updates/prez_track_apr19

[Rick Plant]

'Assault on freedom’: Critics blast DeSantis for expanding ‘Don’t Say Gay’ to all grades after vowing it would be limited



Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, though his Department of Education and its chair, Manny Diaz, has officially expanded his "Don't Say Gay" law to include all public school grades, from kindergarten through 12th. DeSantis had promoted the highly-controversial and possibly unconstitutional law originally as applying only to children through third grade.

"DeSantis has not commented on the proposal. He previously directed questions to Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., who said it was meant to clarify confusion around the existing law and reinforce that teachers should not deviate from existing curriculums," according to the Associated Press, a claim that is in direct conflict with how DeSantis and Republicans in Florida and across the country framed the law last year.

"The board voted Wednesday to adopt a new rule that says Florida teachers in grades 4 through 12 'shall not intentionally provide classroom instruction … on sexual orientation or gender identity' unless this instruction is required by state academic standards — it is not — or the lessons form 'part of a reproductive health course' from which a student’s parent can opt out their child," The Washington Post reports.

Unlike the original law, DeSantis has made this an administrative change, requiring no vote from the people's elected representatives.

"Supporters of the rules," ABC News adds, "argue that 'there is no reason for instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity to be part of K-12 public education. Full stop,' according to a spokesperson for DeSantis, who has backed restrictions on education about race, gender identity and sexual orientation and more in his war on 'woke.'"

Outrage was swift.

Political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen described the move to ban any instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, "barring the acknowledgment of the existence of LGBT people for all K-12 Florida students."

Jack Petocz, a political strategist for the group Gen-Z for Change who describes himself as a "Gay student activist living rent free in Ron DeSantis’ mind," did not hold back.

"As legislators try to erase queer people from public schools, a REMINDER that youth will never comply. We will never accept a world that deems bigotry the status quo and censors our classmates," Petocz said on Twitter. "They are f*****g around, and they’re gonna find out one day soon."

Artist, activist, and producer Barbara Malmet said: "Don’t say gay. Don’t say period. Don’t say racist history. Don’t say Disney. Don’t say abortion. Do say anyone can carry a gun without a permit. All of it in DeSantis’ Florida."

"Instead of winning young voters, Republicans plan to keep them ignorant," observed well-known political commentator and author Keith Boykin.

"The lust for government censorship is insatiable," said Equality Florida, the state's largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, in a Twitter thread.

"Let’s put it plainly," the group added, "this is part of the Governor’s assault on freedom. Free states do not ban books. Free states do not censor entire communities out of the classroom. Free states do not wage war on LGBTQ people to score cheap political points for a man desperate to be POTUS."

"This policy will escalate the government censorship sweeping our state, exacerbate our educator exodus, drive hardworking families from Florida, and further stigmatize and isolate a population of young people who need our support now more than ever."

https://www.rawstory.com/on-freedom-critics-blast-desantis-for-expanding-dont-say-gay-to-all-grades-after-vowing-it-would-be-limited/

[Rick Plant]

Two very different agendas.

[Rick Plant]

The face of the Republican party, MAGA/Qanon conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene is a total embarrassment and an absolute disgrace. 

Marjorie Taylor Greene was so over the top at a hearing yesterday that even some Republicans are embarrassed and tired of her attention seeking antics.

CNN reports: "Republican Congressman Mark Green, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, is furious about the outrageous behavior of Greene during today’s hearing and will ask Kevin McCarthy to remove her from the Committee if she does it again." He shouldn't have given her a pass and asked for it to be done now. Weak Kevin McCarthy will never do it because he is afraid of Marge. 

Marjorie Taylor Greene called Secretary Mayorkas "a liar" and informed that her infraction prohibits her from continuing, and she was fact checked by Rep. Dan Goldman:

Greene: "Point of personal inquiry."
Goldman: "There’s no such thing."

LEGEND.

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1648753941650210816



Watch: Eric Swalwell busts Marjorie Taylor Greene for 'anti-police rhetoric' to her face



Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) on Wednesday turned the tables on Republicans who are still accusing Democrats of wanting to "defund" police officers across the United States.

During a congressional hearing on Thursday, Swalwell highlighted recent attacks on the FBI launched by both former President Donald Trump and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).

"I'm disturbed about a recent tweet from the former president that says Republicans in Congress should defund the Department of Justice and the FBI," he began. "I'm also concerned about people on this committee and their own anti-police rhetoric."

He then pulled up a photo of Greene hawking "Defund the FBI" hats and shirts in the wake of the FBI search for top-secret government documents at former President Donald Trump's resort in Florida.

"Thousands of FBI agents work hard every day to take bad guys off the streets," he said. "In fact, after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago, someone armed to the teeth went to an FBI field office and tried to kill FBI agents."

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1648718296852873221



You should be afraid': Marjorie Taylor Greene threatens Bud Light with the 'right mob'



Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) issued a veiled threat toward Anheuser-Busch – the parent company of Bud Light – on Wednesday's edition of her podcast, proclaiming that the "right mob" will seek its vengeance against the corporation for its culturally inclusionary policies.

"What, what is happening to Bud Light is every single red-blooded American, every single redneck across America, and I love them cuz they're my friends, are canceling Bud Light. And they're canceling Bud Light – one of their own – because they are so fed up and angry about it. You see, a lot of corporations are always worried about being attacked by the woke mob. The real huge group of consumers you should be afraid of is the right mob," Greene seethed.

"Those are conservative Americans that once they've had enough, they will cancel you so hard and they don't care who you donate your money to," Greene said. "They will cancel you so hard and they'll never come back."

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1648392336865370113



That's totally fallacious, ma'am': Witness shreds Marjorie Taylor Greene for misinformation



Dr. Mark Lowenthal accused Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) of misleading the public about the origins of Covid-19.

During a House hearing on Covid-19 Tuesday, Greene complained that the government could track down alleged military leaker Jack Teixeira but couldn't determine the origins of the virus.

"So, the intelligence community is able to figure out immediately who was leaking classified information in a Discord chat, but yet still doesn't want to say whether it came from the lab or didn't come from the lab," Greene said. "The intelligence communities seem to release or not release information based on how the information will affect the government that it seems to protect."

Lowenthal, a former intelligence agent, responded to Greene.

"May I respond to something else that you said in your comments, Ms. Greene?" he began. "There is a vast, vast difference between tracking a leak on a social media site and determining the origins of this disease. And to compare the two is entirely fallacious, ma'am."

"Dr. Lowenthal, you've said that you keep your intelligence claims and information nonpartisan," Greene shot back. "In 2018, Mr. Lowenthal, you were quoted in the New York Times saying that President Trump is the best president that Russia ever had. That sounds pretty political to me."

"I was no longer an intelligence officer at the time, ma'am," Lowenthal replied. "I'm a private citizen."

"Well, I think you have a difficult time keeping your political opinions out of your political [analysis]," Greene quipped.

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

The very first bill House Republicans passed – with 221 Republican votes – would make it easier for the super wealthy to cheat on their taxes.

Extreme MAGA House Republicans support repealing President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

This would raise costs for families, offshore manufacturing jobs, protect wealthy tax cheats, and hurt American energy independence.

The leading House Republican budget proposal would cut programs hardworking Americans rely on by 22%.

That would mean longer wait times for Social Security and Medicare benefits, higher costs for child care and education, cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, and more.

Republicans in Congress want to make the Trump tax cuts permanent – without paying for them.

This would give an average tax cut of $175,000 per year to families making more than $4 million a year.

55 major companies paid $0 in federal income taxes in 2020 on $40 billion in profits.

Because of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, they now have to pay a 15% minimum tax.

House Republicans want to eliminate this and let those corporations go back to paying $0.