Feinstein Dead at 90

[lawdog77]

So you're saying that 60 - 70 million Rs were openly searching for a fraud?  I would agree with that.

I think they didn't care that he was a fraud.

[WhiteTrash]

I think they didn't care that he was a fraud.

Could be said of every presidential election.

[Dickthedribbler]

Why do you assume that's not the case when the appointee is a black woman?

Why do you assume that's not the case when the appointee is Gorsuch, Kavanaugh or Comey-Barrtt?

[SoCalEagle]

Because two out of three of them shouldn't be on the court. 

I wonder how Gorsuch and Barrett feel knowing they were placed on the court by illegitimate means?

Probably doesn't bother them much. 

[Pakuni]

Why do you assume that's not the case when the appointee is Gorsuch, Kavanaugh or Comey-Barrtt?

Assuming facts not in evidence, your honor.

[MU82]

Of course it's not but you (and Smith) take things to another level. I gave up on him long ago. You? Never.

This is silly, Tony.

6 pages into a totally political thread, in which numerous Scoopers of different political ideologies made totally political posts, you decided to call out a comment because it was "politics"?

Okay then. Have a good one.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Here's a thought:
The appointment of Butler has much less to do with pandering to a specific part of the electorate than it does with allowing Newsom to avoid playing favorites in the race to replace Feinstein, and thereby alienating the well-connected and well-heeled backers of Schiff, Porter and Lee. I suspect none are happy with the choice, but none can claim they were disadvantaged by it either.

Butler has not announced any intention to run, and as a little-known outsider with no real campaign experience, she would seem to have little chance against the already declared candidates.
So, Newsom avoids choosing sides and none of the leading candidates gets a leg up.

And anyone who thinks the U.S. Senate does anything differently over the next 14 months with Butler in office instead of Lee or Porter is mistaken.

I know already covered in subsequent posts, but Governor Newsome previously said he won't nominate anyone already running for the open seat.

[The Sultan]

Because two out of three of them shouldn't be on the court. 

I wonder how Gorsuch and Barrett feel knowing they were placed on the court by illegitimate means?

Probably doesn't bother them much. 

I have no idea what you mean by "illegitimate means." They both were nominated and approved by the Senate as prescribed by the Constitution.

[Hards Alumni]

Of course it's not but you (and Smith) take things to another level. I gave up on him long ago. You? Never.

Stay mad.  You're in a thread about politics whining about politics.  Jesus Christ.

[MU82]

"The ouster captures the degraded state of the Republican Party in this era of rage."

- Wall Street Journal editorial board

[WhiteTrash]

President Biden to continue building "Trump's" wall at the boarder.

Biden = xenophobic racist. 

And Biden hates the Earth too:

""There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas," the notice reads. It added that the administration will waive federal, state and local laws that protect water, air and endangered species to speed up the construction. "

This is why dyed in the wool Democrats and Republicans drive me crazy. The hypocrisy is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

[Hards Alumni]

President Biden to continue building "Trump's" wall at the boarder.

Biden = xenophobic racist. 

And Biden hates the Earth too:

""There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas," the notice reads. It added that the administration will waive federal, state and local laws that protect water, air and endangered species to speed up the construction. "

This is why dyed in the wool Democrats and Republicans drive me crazy. The hypocrisy is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

If that is what is happening, it is as wasteful and pointless now as it was years ago. 

[WhiteTrash]

If that is what is happening, it is as wasteful and pointless now as it was years ago.

Yes, it is happening.

I think you have a valid and logical position.

The issue is complex with plenty of gray area. Reasonable people can be on both sides of the arguments. There is no need to rush to labeling people racist.

<Personally, I have advocated for more liberal immigration policies to allow more and safer immigration from Mexico to the US for 15+ years. I have felt the Democrats and Republicans have treated these people awfully. The policies of simply turning a blind eye to illigal immigration is terrible and inhumane.>

[Lennys Tap]

Stay mad.  You're in a thread about politics whining about politics.  Jesus Christ.

Scoop is a politics free zone according to our moderators...

Except, of course, when they believe there's an opportunity for hypocritical partisans on their side to attack hypocritical partisans on the other.

So basically hypocrisy which they not only allow but participate in.

Mad? Not at all. Like Elvis Costello, "I used to be disgusted, but now I try ro be amused".

[Pakuni]

Scoop is a politics free zone according to our moderators...

Except, of course, when they believe there's an opportunity for hypocritical partisans on their side to attack hypocritical partisans on the other.

So basically hypocrisy which they not only allow but participate in.

Mad? Not at all. Like Elvis Costello, "I used to be disgusted, but now I try ro be amused".

This post is the Spider-Man meme in word form.

[Hards Alumni]

Scoop is a politics free zone according to our moderators...

Except, of course, when they believe there's an opportunity for hypocritical partisans on their side to attack hypocritical partisans on the other.

So basically hypocrisy which they not only allow but participate in.

Mad? Not at all. Like Elvis Costello, "I used to be disgusted, but now I try ro be amused".

This is a thread about a dead senator that has existed for almost a week now.  Spare me the faux outrage, Lenny.

If you care enough to cry about the thread, then just hit report instead and make the mods nuke it.  But you don't actually care... you've just said it, and you're participating in it.  You just want to play the victim here, as usual.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Scoop is a politics free zone according to our moderators...

Except, of course, when they believe there's an opportunity for hypocritical partisans on their side to attack hypocritical partisans on the other.

So Lenny, your assertion is that the mods only allow people on "their side" to make political posts? Which of the following posts from this thread are from posters on "their side"?

And both would be better senators than DiFi and the other dinosaurs.

First thing she did that's good for taxpayers in about 50 years.

Post of the year.

She'll be votin blue in 13 months

Feinstein was in a cat fight with her late Husbands daughters regarding certain trust fund assets .

I guess this settles that dispute

The same person on her staff who lied to her about Brett Kavanaugh being a serial rapist some 35 years previous.

She and Ginsburg overstayed their welcome, hey?

On deck in the "I'm--bigger--than--my--Party" club, Senator John Fetterman.

Anyone who dies of old age in governmental office deserves substantial ridicule because it means they were way past their prime.  We need term limits to solve this problem.  Even more importantly, we need requirements for wealth and leadership experience (like Singapore) before people are allowed to stand for these offices.  I'd much rather support a liberal like Herb Kohl who won't be bought than a conservative like McConnell who is available to the highest bidder - and can even switch positions within a week on issues when a better offer comes in. 

These senators and representatives live on sucking up to power and sucking up to donors.  They are almost all scum.

Gaetz is a lunatic.   His only plan is chaos and attention for himself.  (He wants to run for FL gov after DeSantis is term limited.)

Only wish some of that $33,000,000,000,000 came my way.

Tower, so do you keep adding additional items as your mind churns out other nifty thoughts?  What was your major at MU?  Are you using it a lot?

Too busy contributing to society with my major.

This is one point, Brother MU, you and I absolutely agree. Had the Democrats intervened, McCarthy would have owed them and the spirit of compromise might have prevailed in the House. Instead, as you note, we're headed for chaos.

Now back to the main topic. I'm not a liberal Democrat but I respected Senator Feinstein greatly. She was a trailblazer for women in the Senate and she represented her constituents well. You have to admire that. She was a great American and she will be missed.

Meanwhile, Butler, da Newsom appointed U.S. senator, resides in Maryland. What da fook is goin' on in dis turd world country, formally known as da USA, hey?

Candidly, Congress is in disarray. The problem is the Administrative State is stepping in to fill the void. Absent Congress starting to collectively do what the American people sent them to do, the Administrative State will become much more paramount.

The Cheeto talks about "draining the swamp." If you want to drain the swamp, you begin by having Congress do its job and the President working with the Congress to get things done. Otherwise, career bureaucrats with no sense of how things work outside Interstate 495 will find ways to enhance their power and their control over everyday life.

I have nothing to say about the other things you listed as I wasn't referring to them, but overlooking a number of very qualified options right in California to select an African American lesbian from residing the country who never held or ran for political office (after specifically promising to appoint an African American woman) just feels pandering.

If he had selected Barbara Lee, or if Katie Porter was African American and selected, I wouldn't think it was really pandering at all.

I tend to think if Butler was a white male appointed in the same scenario, over Lee and Porter, people would be losing their mind

How 'bout the the best qualified person be appointed to these vacancies, hey?

Dude, don't try to put words in my mouth. As Wags said, she's a little known outsider with no campaign experience, hey?

Some men choose not to wear socks. Unfortunately, da Buffoon doesn't know whether he's wearin' socks or not, aina?

I get your point.  And I don't disagree with Pakuni's general point about the political strategy.  Though you can certainly pander/placate with a placeholder.   There has been ample discussion criticizing NFL owners doing that with interim/fall guy HC appointments/hires.

I'm not outraged. Politics is gross and slimy and you can never run out of activities in the grey that are pretty questionable. It is what it is.  I was more pushing back at the idea that you have to have some issue with selection or promotion of African American women to highlight this.  But without a doubt there are plenty and plenty of people outraged and screaming about this on social media who couldn't articulate 2 sentences as to what about it is improper or questionable

Why do you assume that's not the case when the appointee is Gorsuch, Kavanaugh or Comey-Barrtt?

President Biden to continue building "Trump's" wall at the boarder.

Biden = xenophobic racist. 

And Biden hates the Earth too:

""There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas," the notice reads. It added that the administration will waive federal, state and local laws that protect water, air and endangered species to speed up the construction. "

This is why dyed in the wool Democrats and Republicans drive me crazy. The hypocrisy is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

So either:

1. You think posters like Ziggy, NCMU, 4ever, Dickthedribler, etc are all on "their side"
2. All those posters have been secretly banned and we just don't know it....and they are all somehow still posting
3. You have rare form of blindness that only allows you to read posts made by people who are the opposite of your political affiliation
4. Or maybe, just maybe, the mods allow people on both sides to make political posts, especially during the summer, and only step in when a thread gets out of control.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Yes, it is happening.

I think you have a valid and logical position.

The issue is complex with plenty of gray area. Reasonable people can be on both sides of the arguments. There is no need to rush to labeling people racist.

<Personally, I have advocated for more liberal immigration policies to allow more and safer immigration from Mexico to the US for 15+ years. I have felt the Democrats and Republicans have treated these people awfully. The policies of simply turning a blind eye to illigal immigration is terrible and inhumane.>

More context. TLDR: Funds appropriated in FY2019, Congress refused to redirect them, must be spent by FY23 on the stated purpose.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/cbp-moves-forward-rgv-barrier-and-yuma-andrade-and-el-centro-calexico

In FY 2019 Congress appropriated CBP $1.375B "for the construction of primary pedestrian fencing, including levee pedestrian fencing, in the Rio Grande Valley". Today, CBP has an estimated $190M remaining in FY 2019 funding. The Administration continues to call on Congress to cancel or reappropriate remaining border barrier funding and instead fund smarter border security measures, like border technology and modernization of land ports of entry, that are proven to be more effective at improving safety and security at the border. Until and unless Congress cancels these funds, the law requires DHS to use the funds consistent with their appropriated purpose. DHS first pursued other priority projects in RGV with the appropriated FY 2019 funding, including life, safety, environmental, and other remediation measures, system attributes for existing barrier, and environmental mitigation projects.

[MU82]

Democracy is doomed ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/04/republican-votes-kevin-mccarthy-ousted/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most

When the House of Representatives voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker on Tuesday, it was the first such removal in American history, a vivid rebuke of his leadership and an escalation of the civil strife within the Republican Party.

Keeping up with politics is easy with The 5-Minute Fix Newsletter, in your inbox weekdays.
But historians and political scientists say it is something more: a warning sign for the health of American democracy.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted from the speakership Tuesday, marking the first such removal in congressional history. He will be replaced by Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (R-N.C.) until a permanent leader is chosen. Here's the latest news on the search for the next House speaker.

"If you want to know what it looks like when democracy is in trouble, this is what it looks like," said Daniel Ziblatt, professor of government at Harvard University. "It should set off alarm bells that something is not right."

The vote reflected the enormous power that a small group of representatives camped on their party's ideological fringe can wield over an entire institution, said Ziblatt, co-author of the book "Tyranny of the Minority." It also showcased how difficult it will be for anyone to corral the House in a way that's functional, with major decisions over the budget and Ukraine funding ahead.

Congress arrived at this point for myriad reasons, all of which build on one another, scholars say: Social media and cable news incentivized politicians to perform for the camera, not for their constituents. Aggressive gerrymandering created deeply partisan districts where representation is decided in primary contests, not general elections. Weakened political parties became captive to their loudest and most extreme members.

Taken together, those factors handed a small number of lawmakers the power to throw one of the three branches of government into disarray and, for now, paralysis.

The band of eight Republicans who rejected McCarthy, most of whom are members of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, were opposed by 210 of their fellow GOP representatives, all of whom voted to keep the speaker in place.

The rebels collectively represent just 1.8 percent of the country, all in safely Republican districts. But with Democrats voting in lockstep against a speaker who they said had repeatedly broken their trust, that was enough to secure McCarthy's defeat in a closely divided House.

[NCMUFan]

In total hindsight, instead of manufacturing doing a major migration to China it should have moved to Mexico.
Raise the standard of living on our own continent instead of on the other side of the world.  May have helped stop the flood of immigrants to the USA.  Also, security wise, we are so dependent on China for everything. 
My grandparents were immigrants from Europe in the early 20th century.  Going through Ellis Iland the government had some sense of control.  Streaming over the borders seems out of control.  But can't blame them.  My grandparents came here on the hope of a better life.

[WhiteTrash]

In total hindsight, instead of manufacturing doing a major migration to China it should have moved to Mexico.
Raise the standard of living on our own continent instead of on the other side of the world.  May have helped stop the flood of immigrants to the USA.  Also, security wise, we are so dependent on China for everything. 
My grandparents were immigrants from Europe in the early 20th century.  Going through Ellis Iland the government had some sense of control.  Streaming over the borders seems out of control.  But can't blame them.  My grandparents came here on the hope of a better life.

I get your points. While manufacturing and jobs for Mexico would be better,  you have to understand how inexpensive China labor was when the mass exodus happened. Much less than even Mexico.  About 1/19 of US labor in the 2000s.

[jesmu84]

In total hindsight, instead of manufacturing doing a major migration to China it should have moved to Mexico.
Raise the standard of living on our own continent instead of on the other side of the world.  May have helped stop the flood of immigrants to the USA.  Also, security wise, we are so dependent on China for everything. 
My grandparents were immigrants from Europe in the early 20th century.  Going through Ellis Iland the government had some sense of control.  Streaming over the borders seems out of control.  But can't blame them.  My grandparents came here on the hope of a better life.

China was/is cheaper. Corporations make more money. Better return on stock buybacks. Shareholders make more money.

I like the idea of trying solutions to stop the illegal immigration though.

What about the US eliminating sanctions that cripple other Latin American nations? What about helping to stabilize economics and countries on the continent? Make it easier for folks to not feel like they have to flee their home countries?

What about providing proper funding for immigration infrastructure to address the asylum seekers in a timely manner?

[forgetful]

China was/is cheaper. Corporations make more money. Better return on stock buybacks. Shareholders make more money.

I like the idea of trying solutions to stop the illegal immigration though.

What about the US eliminating sanctions that cripple other Latin American nations? What about helping to stabilize economics and countries on the continent? Make it easier for folks to not feel like they have to flee their home countries?

What about providing proper funding for immigration infrastructure to address the asylum seekers in a timely manner?

There is also the aspect that the US government thought that investing in China would lead to a strong Chinese middle class that would be more likely to be anti-communist and might try to overthrow the communist regime.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Congress arrived at this point for myriad reasons, all of which build on one another, scholars say: Social media and cable news incentivized politicians to perform for the camera, not for their constituents. Aggressive gerrymandering created deeply partisan districts where representation is decided in primary contests, not general elections. A weakened political parties party became captive to their loudest and most extreme members.

Fixed. This bothsiderism is maddening.

When members from BOTH political parties fear for the safety of themselves and their families if they don't vote with dear leader...

When the leader of BOTH political parties dines with white nationalists, and employs white nationalist organizations to spearhead an attack on the U.S. Capitol...

When members from BOTH political parties call for executing military officers that stood in the way of a coup, hire literal Nazis on their staffs, cozy up to murderous dictators, declare that they will take retribution on the free press, that the Constitution can be ignored, etc. etc...

...THEN tell me how BOTH parties are captive to their most extreme members.

[Jockey]

Fixed. This bothsiderism is maddening.

When members from BOTH political parties fear for the safety of themselves and their families if they don't vote with dear leader...

When the leader of BOTH political parties dines with white nationalists, and employs white nationalist organizations to spearhead an attack on the U.S. Capitol...

When members from BOTH political parties call for executing military officers that stood in the way of a coup, hire literal Nazis on their staffs, cozy up to murderous dictators, declare that they will take retribution on the free press, that the Constitution can be ignored, etc. etc...

...THEN tell me how BOTH parties are captive to their most extreme members.

Sultan is gonna be pissed.