Users Currently Browsing This Topic:
0 Members

Author Topic: U.S. Politics  (Read 94769 times)

Offline Rick Plant

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8177
Re: U.S. Politics
« Reply #1432 on: May 20, 2023, 09:08:39 AM »
Advertisement
The White House @WhiteHouse

Across the nation, the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is replacing lead pipes to ensure access to clean and safe water for every American in every community.

Head over to http://build.gov to learn more.




https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1659604834998255617



The White House @WhiteHouse

Investing in America’s infrastructure investments builds bridges, expands clean energy, and creates good-paying jobs.
 
During Infrastructure Week, President Biden is highlighting the 32,000 specific projects and awards funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.




https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1659695428542115841



The White House @WhiteHouse

This week, the Administration celebrates 18 months of rebuilding our roads and bridges, replacing lead pipes, cleaning up legacy pollution, expanding access to high-speed internet, and ushering in a new era of clean energy – turning infrastructure week into infrastructure decade.



https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1659559540709367808

JFK Assassination Forum

Re: U.S. Politics
« Reply #1432 on: May 20, 2023, 09:08:39 AM »


Offline Rick Plant

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8177
Re: U.S. Politics
« Reply #1433 on: May 20, 2023, 10:37:02 PM »
Republicans still can't bring themselves to expel a criminal from their party. They keep protecting criminals just like they do for Donald Trump. Republicans are not serious about "law and order" or crime.


Effort to expel Santos falters as Republicans vote to send measure to Ethics Committee



WASHINGTON (AP) — A resolution to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress was referred to the House Ethics Committee on Wednesday as Republicans successfully sidestepped an effort to force them into a vote that could have narrowed their already slim four-seat majority.

The House voted along party lines, 221-204, to refer the matter to the ethics panel, with Santos himself joining his GOP colleagues in voting to do so.

The freshman congressman has been charged with embezzling money from his campaign, falsely receiving unemployment funds and lying to Congress about his finances. He has denied the charges and has pleaded not guilty.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., introduced a resolution in February to expel Santos, something the House has only done twice in recent decades. He sought to force a vote on that resolution under a process that left three options for Republicans: a vote on the resolution, a move to table, or a referral to committee.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy chose the third option, much to the chagrin of Democrats who described it as a “complete copout.” They noted that the ethics panel is already investigating Santos and that it was time for Republican House members who have called for Santos to resign to back their words with action.

“It is simply an effort for the Republicans to avoid having to take an up-or-down vote on whether or not George Santos belongs here,” said Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y.

Santos made clear to reporters after the vote he has no intention of resigning. As he spoke on the Capitol steps, he was heckled by Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman. Bowman yelled, “Resign, save yourself, have some dignity.”

“I understand that politics is complicated, but the reality is there is a procedure,” Santos said. “You can’t be judge, jury and executioner. I have a right, a constitutional right, to defend myself and I will do that. And I look forward to doing that. I look forward to seeing the process play out.”

Democrats appealed to Republican lawmakers from New York for support. Many have been highly critical of Santos, and face the prospect of Democrats trying to link them to Santos in next year’s general election.

“I say to you, if you vote for this motion to refer it to the Ethics Committee, you are complicit in George Santos’ fraud and you are voting to make sure that he continues to be a member of Congress,” Goldman said.

Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., made the motion to refer the expulsion resolution to the ethics panel. He said he was personally in favor of Santos being expelled, but added that “regrettably,” there were not enough votes to meet the two-thirds threshold necessary.

"I firmly believe this is the quickest way of ridding the House of Representatives of this scourge on government,” D’Esposito said.

Republican leaders have said Santos deserves to have his day in court before Congress weighs in. The position Republican leaders have staked out generally follows the precedent that Congress has set in similar criminal cases over the years. The House has expelled just two members in recent decades, and both votes occurred after the lawmaker had been convicted on federal charges.

The Department of Justice often asks the ethics panel to pause its investigations when a member of Congress has been indicted, but there has been no announcement of that kind from the committee regarding Santos.

https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-congress-vote-expel-ethics-caed2b1fce3ebb86c87929f2de9fc03e



Kyrsten Sinema hammered in FEC complaint over campaign spending on her 'lifestyle of luxury'



The FEC is in receipt of a formal complaint levied against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) accusing of her using campaign donations to finance a lavish lifestyle that has nothing to do with the job voters sent her to Congress to do.

According to a report from AZCentral, the controversial lawmaker who recently abandoned the Democratic Party to become an independent, is being accused of spending campaign donations on "lavish” trips to London and Paris, with the group who filed the complaint calling for an investigation.

The report notes that Change for Arizona 2024, a PAC also known as Replace Sinema, wants the FEC to put the Arizona senator and her campaign expenditures under the microscope.

The complaint accuses her of "living a lifestyle of luxury financed by her special interest donors, to the detriment of her constituents in Arizona.”

According to Luis Avila, a senior adviser with Change for Arizona 2024, "We have been watching with growing concern the instances of Sinema abusing the power of her office, exploiting her campaign and Senate accounts for personal use. We now demand an official investigation into whether Sen. Sinema has broken the law."

The report notes, "Sinema and her allied PACs detailed spending at various luxurious hotels beginning in 2019 and continuing through at least 2022, the complaint notes. In all, there were 51 expenditures totaling nearly $36,000 to 17 hotels the complaint characterizes as 'luxury hotels, resorts and spas' in France, the United Kingdom and ski resorts in Colorado and Utah."

"Beyond Sinema’s travel expenses, the complaint notes nearly $20,000 in wine expenses, $9,000 in meal costs at expensive restaurants and 'an astonishing $45,000 in campaign and PAC Expenditures on chauffeured car services.' Sinema used campaign and official funds on charter air services totaling $70,000 over a 12-month span beginning in 2021,”reports AZCentral's Ronald Hansen.

The filing notes, "The fact that Respondents reported spending more money in Europe on Senator Sinema’s 2022 trip than she concurrently raised from donors strongly suggests that her fundraising was a cover for travel undertaken for personal benefit.”

Read More Here: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/05/19/senator-kyrsten-sinema-faces-complaint-of-indulgent-campaign-spending/70236623007/

Offline Rick Plant

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8177
Re: U.S. Politics
« Reply #1434 on: May 21, 2023, 08:43:34 AM »
U.S. elections are changing, and it's benefitting Democrats: analysis



We all know that elections in the United States have changed since Donald Trump arrived on the political scene, but a report shows that those differences are often working to the benefit of Democrats, according to an analysis by The Washington Post.

The Post analyzed data provided in a new report by the Democratic data analytics firm Catalist, which purports to provide a comprehensive analysis of the 2022 contest. Some of the findings from the report run counter to "conventional wisdom," according to Dan Balz, chief correspondent for the Post.

"The report finds that there were two elections in 2022: one in the highly contested states and another in states without competitive statewide contests," Balz wrote. "There was no national trend that produced swings across the board as in past elections. Where 2022 broke ranks with past midterm patterns, it favored Democrats."

Balz noted that, while Trump's 2016 victory changed the game, "Republicans have struggled since then."

"The 2018 election produced a century-high turnout for a midterm race along with a Democratic wave that knocked Republicans from power in the House," the reporter added. "The 2020 election produced the biggest vote total in the history of the United States, putting President Biden in the White House and giving Democrats a narrow majority in the Senate."

Then came the 2022 midterms, which served as the basis of the report.

"The 2022 midterm election was another stunner. It produced a sizable turnout again, short of 2018 in total votes but nonetheless substantial and, contrary to historical patterns, did not result in the kind of gains that the party out of power, in this case Republicans, had expected," Balz said. "There was no red wave. Republicans captured the House but with a far narrower majority than anticipated. Meanwhile, Democrats added one seat to their 50-50 Senate majority, defying Republican hopes of taking control of that chamber as well."

AFP



WHAT HAPPENED™ IN 2022

AN ANALYSIS OF THE 2022 MIDTERMS

This is the first in a series of reports on What Happened in the 2022 general election from the perspective of the Catalist voter database, the longest-running outside the two major political parties. This analysis examines national-level election results in the House and state-level results for Senate and gubernatorial races.

The 2022 election defied conventional wisdom and historical trends. In a typical midterm election year with one-party control of the presidency, House and Senate, the incumbent party would expect major losses. Instead, Democrats re-elected every incumbent senator and expanded their Senate majority by a seat, won the overwhelming majority of heavily contested gubernatorial elections, gained control of 4 state legislative chambers, and only narrowly lost the U.S. House.

Democrats won in the majority of heavily contested races, with electorates in these contests looking more like the 2020 and 2018 electorates than a typical midterm. Unlike recent midterms, which were wave elections with across-the-board, national swings, there was less of a national trend in the 2022 midterm. In this analysis we will present national results based on the U.S. House vote, where Republicans outperformed Democrats, as well as analysis from states that had highly contested races, according to the non-partisan Cook Political Report, where Democrats outperformed Republicans. Unlike other recent midterm years, our analysis shows a stark contrast between the electorate in areas with one or more highly contested House, Senate or gubernatorial races versus those with less contested races.

Gen Z and Millennial voters had exceptional levels of turnout, with young voters in heavily contested states exceeding their 2018 turnout by 6% among those who were eligible in both elections.1 Further, 65% of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 supported Democrats, cementing their role as a key part of a winning coalition for the party. While young voters were historically evenly split between the parties, they are increasingly voting for Democrats. Many young voters who showed up in 2018 and 2020 to elect Democrats continued to do the same in 2022.

Extreme “MAGA” Republicans underperformed. Across heavily contested Senate, Gubernatorial, and Congressional races, voters penalized “MAGA” Republicans. Candidates who were outspoken election deniers did 1 to 4 points worse than other Republicans, contributing to their losses in important close races. Of course, election denial is one of many extreme positions associated with “MAGA” Republicans, so this analysis likely reflects relatively extreme stances on other issues, including abortion rights, as well as Republicans such as Kari Lake (Arizona gubernatorial) and Doug Mastriano (Pennsylvania gubernatorial) who ran relatively insular campaigns.

Women voters pushed Democrats over the top in heavily contested races, where abortion rights were often their top issue. After Republican-appointed justices on the Supreme Court overturned abortion rights, a disproportionate number of women voters registered to vote in states with highly contested elections. At the same time, polls showed Democratic women and men indicating they were more engaged in the election. While relative turnout by gender remained largely stable, Democratic performance improved over 2020 among women in highly contested races, going from 55% to 57% support. The biggest improvement was among white non-college women (+4% support).

Democrats largely retained their winning 2020 coalition in heavily contested races, with some exceptions. Turnout and support among voters by race, education, gender, and other demographic factors remained relatively stable in heavily contested races. Such stability does not usually occur between presidential and midterm years, demonstrating how the Democratic coalition blunted a Republican “red wave.” One notable shift includes Black voters. While they continued to play an outsized role in contributing to Democratic victories, Black turnout largely fell in contested races. Meanwhile, Democratic support among Black voters rose in Southern states with heavily contested elections, but fell in less contested states.

Read More Analysis Including Charts And Graphs Here: https://catalist.us/whathappened2022/

JFK Assassination Forum

Re: U.S. Politics
« Reply #1434 on: May 21, 2023, 08:43:34 AM »


Offline Rick Plant

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8177
Re: U.S. Politics
« Reply #1435 on: May 21, 2023, 09:58:58 PM »
President Biden @POTUS

Democracies deliver.



https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1659947879102816260


Today, by signing a new joint initiative to accelerate a transition to clean energy, the United States and Australia will take one giant step forward in our fight against the climate crisis.
 
Together.




https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1659967229075640323


Together, the United States and Australia have delivered a historic year – from standing as one to defend our shared values in support of Ukraine to launching a new joint initiative to accelerate a transition to clean energy.

Watch: https://twitter.com/i/status/1659982456542441473


Mr. Prime Minister, the friendship between the United States and Australia is here to stay.



https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1659997427636613127

Offline Rick Plant

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8177
Re: U.S. Politics
« Reply #1436 on: May 22, 2023, 09:33:37 AM »
'They were willing to take the government down': Democrat doubts GOP cares about the debt ceiling



Republicans in the House are still threatening not to pay America's bills if President Joe Biden doesn't agree to their demands. It prompted CNN's Jim Acosta to wonder if it was too naive to hope that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) would bring moderate Republicans together with Democrats to agree to pay the bills. A Democratic member explained that there really is no hope.

"That is not realistic with this speaker or with this House of Representatives," explained Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN). "If that would happen, they would certainly recall him and they'd elect a new speaker, and McCarthy does not want to be the shortest-serving speaker in history."

Acosta cited Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen commenting on the 14th Amendment option by saying it's Congress' job to raise the debt ceiling.

Cohen cited Harvard Constitutional Law Professor Laurence Tribe, who said that he thinks it might be a possibility. It will likely be challenged by the Supreme Court, but the Court notoriously doesn't like to weigh in on issues like that, Cohen said. Biden has "signaled" he doesn't intend to go that route, but it might be the only alternative.

"I think if the Republicans don't come to the table with a reasonable proposal, President Biden will have to," Cohen said about invoking the 14th. "And I don't think McCarthy will get to that. I mean, the permitting is something they could work on and the COVID money is certainly something they could work on. I doubt he's going to have any taxes. The Republican mantra is no taxes and no fewer guns in America. So, he's not going to come up with any more taxes and revenue, and that is a shame. ... But President Biden is going to have to be satisfied, and he'll have to get together the votes to make it pass, and it is going to be difficult, I don't think McCarthy has the votes either."

Cohen went on to say that it isn't a couple of Republicans who "are not tethered to reality" in Congress. At this point, it's as many as 60 or 70 who voted not to approve the 2020 election for Pennsylvania and Arizona. That's his way of measuring the fringe in the House GOP, he explained. Those were the members willing to override the Constitution, he said.

"Sometimes when I'm in the House, I think of the fact that I'm in a crime scene. And that some of the people I serve with were insurrectionists, and they were willing to take the government down, trying to keep Trump in office," Cohen confessed. Donald "Trump said default because it will hurt Biden. That is what Trump is thinking. He didn't default, the Republicans didn't default when he was president, and now they want to do it to the president. This is all about politics, and they don't care about our fiscal future and condition."

Cohen said that if the 14th Amendment is in play then the debts will be paid and there isn't a problem. If Biden goes for the 14th, even if the Supreme Court stops it, the move would buy time. If the Supreme Court joins with the GOP-led Congress to block the debt ceiling, it will put the fault squarely on them.

Most of the far-right members of the GOP weren't in office during the last two government shutdowns, so they haven't fully experienced what it's like and how Americans respond to it.

Watch:


JFK Assassination Forum

Re: U.S. Politics
« Reply #1436 on: May 22, 2023, 09:33:37 AM »


Offline Rick Plant

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8177
Re: U.S. Politics
« Reply #1437 on: May 22, 2023, 09:37:38 AM »
President Biden @POTUS

Let me be clear.

I will not agree to a deal with House Republicans that protects billions in subsidies for Big Oil while putting the health care of 21 million Americans at risk.

Or that protects wealthy tax cheats while putting food assistance at risk for 1 million Americans.

It’s time for House Republicans to accept that there is no bipartisan deal on default to be made solely on their terms.

I put forward a plan that cuts spending by over $1 trillion – on top of $3 trillion in deficit reduction I previously proposed.

They need to move too.

MAGA House Republicans are threatening a default that could cost us millions of jobs and trigger a recession.
 
All because they are demanding deep cuts that will hurt hardworking families – even while they protect tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations.

I’ve got a plan to continue reducing the deficit – if only they’d listen.




https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1660316196909072390

Offline Rick Plant

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8177
Re: U.S. Politics
« Reply #1438 on: May 22, 2023, 09:51:39 AM »
FEC complaint calls for federal probe of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema spending



PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — A complaint filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission asks regulators to open a formal investigation into campaign spending by Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Sinema has faced mounting questions about the legitimacy of more than $180,000 in campaign expenditures dating back to 2019 on luxury hotels, posh resorts, Michelin-star restaurants, international travel and winery visits. The campaign spending has drawn further scrutiny because it occurred while Sinema was not actively campaigning for office. The senator has declined to announce whether she will run for reelection in 2024.

The complaint, filed by Change for Arizona 2024, a political action committee openly trying to unseat the senator, outlines potential violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act. It alleges that Sinema “illegally diverted funds” intended for her campaign for personal use.

In a statement to Arizona’s Family, a spokesman dismissed the complaint as a desperate political attack. “It’s not surprising that desperate political attacks from dark money Super PACs are based on lies. There’s no standing here, and Kyrsten remains laser focused on delivering lasting solutions to the challenges we face – including addressing our border crisis and ensuring Arizonans are protected from a national default,” a spokesman for Sinema’s office said via email.

However, an independent attorney and government ethics expert not involved with the PAC said the claims appear to have merit. “When I read this FEC complaint, I was shocked – and I’ve seen a lot of political corruption in my life,” said attorney Tom Ryan. “You don’t get to mislead donors. You don’t get to take money that’s intended for a public use and turn it into a private benefit, and she has clearly done that in spades.” The spokesman for Sinema declined further comment.

The complaint accuses Sinema of financing a “lifestyle of luxury” with donor money, highlighting trips to lavish resorts in Paris and her personal hobby of competitive racing. New reports this week raised questions about why Sinema’s campaign covered more than $9,000 in expenses while she was taking part in the Boston Marathon in April 2022. Sinema has participated in at least 17 marathons and other races since she took office, the complaint says, and has used both campaign funds and public funds to subsidize the trips. The complaint alleges she added incidental campaign events or small fundraisers onto the travel and then paid for the entire trip with campaign funds. “Running a Boston Marathon, or skiing in Vail, or attending wine seminars in Napa Valley – none of that is directed towards campaigning in the state of Arizona and that’s why it’s problematic,” Ryan said. That kind of spending appears to be a “clear cut” violation of federal law, he added.

If the complaint is substantiated, Sinema could be forced to pay back funds that were improperly spent, Ryan said. In extreme cases, politicians who misuse public funds can face criminal prosecution.”Ultimately, this is something that could go to the Department of Justice and my suggestion is that it should go to the Department of Justice for further investigation,” Ryan said.

Read Complaint and Watch Video in Link: https://www.azfamily.com/2023/05/19/fec-complaint-calls-federal-probe-sen-kyrsten-sinema-spending/



Former Republican congressman explains why he no longer wants to raise his family in Florida



Former Rep. David Jolly (R-FL) was born and raised in Florida, and he represented his state in Congress, but after the actions of the fringe-GOP legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), he's thinking about moving. DeSantis reportedly intends to officially launch his 2024 campaign in the coming week.

TIME Magazine quoted Jolly in a piece on DeSantis, saying that his hostility has permeated"through the air to make the state no longer desirable to vacationers and retirees.

“It’s in the air, it’s everywhere, it’s amazing,” Jolly told TIME. “It’s between neighbors, it’s when you go to restaurants, when you go to schools. You’re on one side or the other, and people know it.”

It was in that piece that the Florida native revealed he "is considering moving his family out of the state."

Speaking Saturday morning to Jonathan Capehart on MSNBC, Jolly explained, "Culture wars have two sides ... to do all of these things reflects a certain cruelty and darkness of one's personal ethos. I think Ron DeSantis is now going to be seen as that."

When he spoke again with Alex Witt on Sunday, Jolly said he's a fifth and six-generation Florida family with his two young children.

"Look, I have a four-year-old and a two-year-old who I hope can grow up in a community that is inclusive, that exposes them to diverse thinking, to diverse cultures, and allows our family to make decisions about which value set to orient our children around and ultimately give them the opportunity to make their own decisions," Jolly explained. "What has happened in the DeSantis era, the DeSantis administration is not just the attack on the LGBTQ+, the migrant community, the African American community, the denial of science and history, but it has brought back the implicit biases that as a nation we have been trying to move away from ever since the civil rights movement. He has brought that back. You feel it. You feel unwelcome, and it is a real decision to make to raise children in the state of Florida."

He went on to say that this is the perfect example of why the Republican Party will suffer greater losses in 2024, because doubling down on the culture wars assumes Americans agree with their fringe policies.

"Within a Republican primary, it gives him some fairly good currency, but in a general election what we continue to see is that Republicans are made out of touch with the general election voter," he explained. "A culture has two sides. It ignites both sides with equal passion. And so, where Donald Trump began to erode, or see an erosion of support, particularly in the suburbs Republicans generally soft Republican suburbs, began to say, hey, I don't like this Donald Trump leadership. Ron DeSantis is saying, well, if you didn't like, that let me show you the culture war I'm trying to lay across the nation. So, look, it has given them a foundation for a run in the Republican primary. I don't think it'll catapult him to the nomination, he thinks it will. But ultimately, any Republican on a culture wars platform, like that of Ron DeSantis in the general election, is going to be in trouble."

Watch:


JFK Assassination Forum

Re: U.S. Politics
« Reply #1438 on: May 22, 2023, 09:51:39 AM »


Offline Rick Plant

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8177
Re: U.S. Politics
« Reply #1439 on: May 22, 2023, 10:14:00 AM »
President Biden @POTUS

I joined fellow G7 Leaders to highlight the work we’ve done through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment to mobilize financing for quality infrastructure around the world.

And together, let's recommit to showing that democracies can deliver.





I believe a great deal of the future of our world is going to be written here in the Indo-Pacific.

And together, the United States, Japan, India, and Australia will ensure a future that provides more opportunity, prosperity, and stability in the region and beyond.





Together, with the entire G7, we have Ukraine's back.
 
And, like I promised President Zelenskyy, we're not going anywhere.





Mr. President, what the people of Ukraine are defending and what you've achieved is a matter for the entire world to observe.
 
I speak for America when I say that we're in awe of what you've done so far.





The United States – and the world – stands with Ukraine.




Alongside Japan and the Republic of Korea, we’re taking our trilateral cooperation to new heights – from coordination in the face of the DPRK’s illicit nuclear and missile threats to economic security for all our people.



https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1660450412753813504


Tune in as I hold a press conference in Hiroshima, Japan.

Watch: