US Politics: The Roll Call Heard Across America

[DMC]

21 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

I wonder who owns the yacht?

Just heard on the news a Chinese billionaire owns the yacht.  

ETA:  Just googling about the Chinese billionaire, Bannon also used his private jet to shill for GOP candidates in 2018:

Quote

Former Donald Trump campaign CEO and chief strategist Steve Bannon used a private jet apparently owned by a wealthy Chinese businessman to fly to events to promote Republican congressional candidates in 2018.

The previously unreported flights could run afoul of a campaign finance law that bars foreign money from U.S. elections, according to campaign finance experts, though it depends on several factors that are not known. One of the unknowns is whether Bannon paid Guo Wengui — the Chinese businessman, who is a vocal critic of the Chinese regime, and with whom he has other reported financial ties — for the use of the jet.

Well, you can't say these guys aren't entertaining.

[Fragile Bird]

Lyft is suspending operations in California because of California’s law requiring their workers be treated as employees and not independent contractors. People are predicting Uber will do the same before the end of the day. The election will have Prop. 22 on the ballot, which, I gather, revokes the law. 
 

It will be interesting to see if the people of California take the position of screw the workers, let them be without basic benefits, so they can have cheap rides.

My brother has an elderly client who owns a taxi license. Her husband drove a cab for decades. Five years ago it was worth $300,000 here in Toronto, today it’s worth $10,000. The city’s annual Taxi Fees alone are over $1,000. That’s called asset destruction.

[DireWolfSpirit]

2 hours ago, DMC said:

AND, he can't pardon state crimes.  Which it appears this is, right?  (Still waking up.)

I think an amendment to disallow pardons during the lame duck (post election) period of the Presidential term would be a nice idea.

In other words they should only be eligible to give pardons before they have to face the electorate.

[Zorral]

I'm favorably impressed with what the Biden crew put together for their Dem Nom Con. As we are working on something like ourselves, we know everything that can and will go wrong (plus numberless more that we haven't thought of yet, or experienced), and what a coordinating nightmare and timing and so on it. You have to work hard and with dedication for months before to even hope to pull off pretty well what one pulls off. And there are gaffes.

But there were actual affecting moments and sequences with this even. In so many ways I like this much better than the previous for tv stupid event. As much pre-production and pre-recording that have gone into this literally made for tv convention, it comes through as more spontaneous and real than what we saw with thousands in the same physical space in real time.

The location choice for Obama's speech, Constitutional Hall, Philadelphia,  was -- let's say it -- impressive.

The most moving of the best, was the bi-lingual Prince Royce version of "Stand By Me" as he walks alone through the Bronx -- Ned literally wept --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fh-oN_TJVc

and Jennifer Hudson sing Sam Cook's "A Change Is Gonna Come" (though lordessa I hate melisma more every year!).

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9437049/jennifer-hudson-2020-dnc-a-change-is-gonna-come

I loved the moments the steel was allowed out by Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, particularly her “I know a predator when I see one,” -- just for a second -- aimed directly at the murderers and thugs who are killing us *and stealing ours and our children's and grandchildren's futures. That this hit home -- the banner ad from the killers' campaign fund screaming bloody murder!

Now that they dared to put Kamala Harris on the ticket trillions in taxes and communism! (another of those persisting wimmin! The End of the World!

These ads show the country burning -- right above the headline captions of Steve Bannon** indicted for laundering and fraud with funding for the Wall, and NY shooting down the objection to showing his tax returns.

We are hearing that word, 'persist', frequently on these nights, from Jill Biden to Nancy Pelosi to Eiizabeth Warren to Michelle Obama (who also showed a glimpse of the steel within during her address) to Kamala Harris, etc.

* Why are the California wildfires so out of control so many need to be evacuated while their regions burn? Why of course because all the incarcerated used to fight wildfires are sick with Covid-19 and can't move, much less fight smoke and fire.

** Incidentally, today, Thursday, Bannon was arrested by US Postal agents. Ha! Now every one of murder's 2016 campaign managers have been criminally charged.

[DMC]

Just now, DireWolfSpirit said:

I think an amendment to disallow pardons during the lame duck (post election) period of the Presidential term would be a nice idea.

What about a president's second term?

[DireWolfSpirit]

1 minute ago, DMC said:

What about a president's second term?

We're of course talking hypothetics, but I wish they could only wield the pardon power in the first term and only before November of the 4th year.

I wouldn't be surprised to later learn that the Trump kids will have been found to be selling pardons before that "charity plundering" family is officially escorted from gov't property in late December.

[DireWolfSpirit]

11 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

Lyft is suspending operations in California because of California’s law requiring their workers be treated as employees and not independent contractors. People are predicting Uber will do the same before the end of the day. The election will have Prop. 22 on the ballot, which, I gather, revoked the law. 
 

It will be interesting to see if the people of California take the position of screw the workers, let them be without basic benefits, so they can have cheap rides.

My brother has an elderly client who owns a taxi license. Her husband drove a cab for decades. Five years ago it was worth $300,000 here in Toronto, today it’s worth $10,000. The city’s annual Taxi Fees alone are over $1,000. That’s called asset destruction.

Good riddance Lyft and Adios Uber, no one ever guaranteed you an employee!

[DMC]

2 minutes ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

We're of course talking hypothetics, but I wish they could only wield the pardon power in the first term and only before November of the 4th year.

Fair enough, but I really don't like basing the president's - or any elected official's - powers on whether they are going to face the electorate again or not.  There are clear complications.  So would that mean, when LBJ announced he wasn't going to run again, that he should be stripped of his pardon powers?

[DireWolfSpirit]

1 minute ago, DMC said:

Fair enough, but I really don't like basing the president's - or any elected official's - powers on whether they are going to face the electorate again or not.  There are clear complications.  So would that mean, when LBJ announced he wasn't going to run again, that he should be stripped of his pardon powers?

Yeah it gets messy when you try to implement something like that, it's just the notion of someone like Trump having blank check powers is hard to stomach, be nice if there were some limitations in place to that particular power imo.

[DMC]

1 minute ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

be nice if there were some limitations in place to that particular power imo.

Certainly it'd be nice if there were some safeguards on it.  Just not sure how to do it.

[GrimTuesday]

According to the Boston Globe Pelosi is endorsing Kennedy against Markey. Remember when the DCCC said it was going to blacklist anyone who worked with candidates running to unseat an incumbent Democratic Representative? Supporting incumbents is one thing, but it does appear that this is an attempt to put in a less progressive in that seat.

[Freshwater Spartan]

I really like the idea limiting presidential pardons. Perhaps the simplest way would be to put a moratorium on pardons from election day until the start of  new term in January. 

[Week]

4 minutes ago, GrimTuesday said:

According to the Boston Globe Pelosi is endorsing Kennedy against Markey. Remember when the DCCC said it was going to blacklist anyone who worked with candidates running to unseat an incumbent Democratic Representative? Supporting incumbents is one thing, but it does appear that this is an attempt to put in a less progressive in that seat.

Bullshit move by Pelosi. I'm pissed about this.

[Prince of the North]

 

3 minutes ago, Freshwater Spartan said:

I really like the idea limiting presidential pardons. Perhaps the simplest way would be to put a moratorium on pardons from election day until the start of  new term in January. 

Yes, but that still doesn't "solve" the problem of a second-term president not having to face the electorate and, thus, not necessarily fearing backlash for whatever pardons.  Although, I suppose any potential pardons a second-term president grants could still be taken into account and possibly held against their party's new candidate in the upcoming election?

As has been said, there's not really a perfect or foolproof way to do this but I still very much agree that presidential pardons have to be limited.

[DMC]

20 minutes ago, Freshwater Spartan said:

Perhaps the simplest way would be to put a moratorium on pardons from election day until the start of  new term in January. 

That sounds like a better idea.

12 minutes ago, Prince of the North said:

Although, I suppose any potential pardons a second-term president grants could still be taken into account and possibly held against their party's new candidate in the upcoming election?

Right.  Egregious pardons could still piss off the party and hurt their successor's electoral prospects.

[Prince of the North]

2 minutes ago, DMC said:

That sounds like a better idea.

Right.  Egregious pardons could still piss off the party and hurt their successor's electoral prospects.

Maybe something like "Presidents can't pardon after Oct. 1 (or Oct. 15) in the final year of their term" would work?  That way, voters should have enough time to take any pardons into account in the upcoming presidential election.

[DMC]

1 minute ago, Prince of the North said:

Maybe something like "Presidents can't pardon after Oct. 1 (or Oct. 15) in the final year of their term" would work?  That way, voters should have enough time to take any pardons into account in the upcoming presidential election.

Yeah, fair point.  Especially with early/mail-in voting...Blah, you made it dicey again!

[A Prince of Dorne]

PA feels a little too close for comfort right now. New poll today by Muhlenberg College (A+ pollster on 538) has Biden with 4 point lead (49-45). 

A month ago this was around 10 points if you averaged out the Fox News and Monmouth polls. Blows my mind that the race could TIGHTEN that much with how the last month has gone

[Prince of the North]

2 minutes ago, DMC said:

Yeah, fair point.  Especially with early/mail-in voting...Blah, you made it dicey again!

Good point!  Maybe even Oct. is too late?  Anyway, while not perfect, I think something along these lines could help curtail pardon abuse.  

[DireWolfSpirit]

20 minutes ago, DMC said:

That sounds like a better idea.

Tis what I was trying to say in the first lost lol.