Politics The Donkey in the room...the Democrats today

How many dead Texans, orphaned Texans would constitute a catastrophe ?
Haven't paid attention to Texas virus response -checking- death toll is 37,760 so far.
Pretty fucking catastrophic I'd say.

Man I remember when Texas was blue. I remember a lady with a big blond beehive.
But then I didn't pay a lot of attention.

 

Texas was largely blue, but don't be fooled, our Democrats were fairly conservative. In the battle of The Have Nots vs The Haves, many Texans moved to the other side of the stadium (the football reference for Texas is painfully appropriate).

The Covid-19 numbers won't have much affect on voters in Texas. In fact, the elected officials who support science and follow medical suggestions will be more vulnerable than those who take the very popular Wait To See What Happens approach.

I used to debate the definition of ignorance with a friend. He took the definition of lack of knowledge a step further to the the intentional avoidance of knowledge. His interpretation fits Texas voters in general.

 

This is more about the campaign but it also says a lot about the future of this country.
Really good read.

The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election

 

That ^ is a really good read.

The skeptic in me first said it sounded romanticized and exaggerated, but I have no doubt the collective effort of the various groups definitely helped secure a fair election.

 

They were also right in doing the trial now instead of waiting until Spring. A lot of people had moved on it seemed last week, but it doesn't feel like it happened a long time ago this week.

 

Congressional Democrats have been moving quickly and aggressively on Biden's "American Rescue Plan" or stimulus 3.0, and will act with or without Republican support in the next few weeks.

The $1.89 trillion proposal is moving through the House, with nine separate House Committees each writing a piece of the bill relevant to their respective jurisdiction; an approach that will allow the bill to be presented as a "budget reconciliation" bill and effectively block a Republican filibuster in the Senate.

It includes provisions to help working families (another $1,400 'stimulus' check and extended unemployment benefits through the summer), small businesses (particularly restaurants and the leisure/services sector), funding to help reopen schools safely, for resources to ramp up vaccinations, to help state/local governments facing budget shortfalls as a result of the pandemic and more.

The most controversial issue is the attempt to include a proposal to increase the federal minimum wage from the current $7.25/hour to $15/hour (incrementally over a period of six years) that will pass in the House version but may not survive the Senate.

Update last week from Pelosi on the work of those nine committees, all of which have now completed their work:

The proposals from those nine committees goes to the Budget Committee on Monday to be combined into one bill.

One minor glitch that will need to be addressed is that the nine separate proposals add up to $1.95 trillion that exceeds the $1.89 trillion ceiling, so either a few cuts need to be made or a few revenue sources (tax increases) added. It should clear the Budget Committee, then onto the Rules Committee for one last approval to be sure it can be voted on as a budget reconciliation bill before it goes to the full House for a vote by Friday, where it will certainly pass. There is even the possibility of some Republican support in the House, given how

Then, the rest test begins and Bernie Sanders, as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, will take the lead to move it forward with two obstacles to overcome.

The first is if the minimum wage provision will pass the "Byrd Rule" test. This is a decision by the Senate Parliamentarian that Bernie cant control but he is confident...

Sanders 'confident' $15 minimum wage would be allowed via reconciliation

Assuming approval by the Parliamentarian, Bernie must then convince several Senate Democrats, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and possibly Krysten Sinema from Arizona to support the inclusion of the minimum wage provision. Both have expressed some opposition to raising the minimum wage to $15.

The outcome is far from certain. If not, the minimum wage increase is dead, but Senate Democrats can still pass the stimulus bill without facing a Republican filibuster.

The goal is to have the bill on Biden's desk before March 14 when current extended unemployment benefits for 10+ million workers expire.

This will be a significant achievement for Biden in his first month in office.

 

The fate of the Democrat proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hour (incrementally over five years) is in the hands of an English literature major and the Senate’s first woman parliamentarian...

For Senate rules arbiter, minimum wage is latest minefield

As noted in the link in the previous post, Bernie Sanders thinks the provision passes the "Byrd Rule" and she will allow the provision to remain in the stimulus bill when it reaches the Senate next week. I agree.

 

View: https://twitter.com/DNCWarRoom/status/1365777625483010067


A reminder to America's working families of who gave them another stimulus check ($1,400 single/$2,800 couple), extended emergency unemployment insurance for another six months, affordable health insurance if they lost employer insurance, emergency loans for family owned businesses, funding to open schools safely and more to get through the pandemic....

...not one Republican.

More: DNC releases video hitting Republicans on vote against coronavirus relief bill

The "American Rescue Plan" still must pass the Senate and will likely not include the increase in the minimum wage that is in the House bill.

Senate Democrats are confident that a Republican filibuster can be blocked and the bill passed and on Biden's desk before current emergency unemployment benefits expire on March 14.

 

After an all-nighter and working non-stop through the morning voting down dozens of Republican amendments, the Senate just passed the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill by a vote of 50-49.

One Republican, Dan Sullivan, was absent due to a family emergency back home in Alaska so Kamala Harris was not needed to break a tie vote.

The Senate bill does not include the minimum wage increase provision that was in the House bill and has several other minor changes so that it must now go back to the House for another vote.

Consider it a done deal and on Biden's desk something next week.

A significant win for Biden...and for working families, small businesses, health care providers and others at a time that we can hope is nearing the end of the pandemic.

More: Senate passes $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill as Democrats push to approve law before enhanced jobless aid expires

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powe...14af82-b80d-11eb-a5fe-bb49dc89a248_story.html

Or this link doesn't have a paywall: DCCC chair: Criticisms on socialism, defund the police are 'Republican caricature'

While the DCCC chair isn't calling it an 'autopsy', since they won, there were some real problems in that they didn't win a lot more. But, it will be a fine line between blaming the activists for being too radical in their messaging, compared to the boring Democrats not being worth voting for.

 

It is a giant unknown what voter turnout on both sides will be in next year midterms and in 2024.

And the people saying demographics are going to fix it or one side is dying at a higher rate is not helping. It might make a difference in 2060 in a few congressional districts. Unless Democrats move to states that are passing lots of laws right now that they don't like, I don't see demographics or age shifting the senate far enough to matter.

After looking at the numbers locally, the Democrat running for the state house lost by about 20,000 votes in 2020. There are some differences, but it seems most people vote for the red or blue team if they show up to vote at all. The Republicans have been losing ~2,000 votes every 4 years since 2008. That means it could easily be 2060 before there is a chance to win here. Same with the congressional seat, but the senate and governor really m matters on who it is.

 

I'd like to slap the shit out of the progressive leaders and point out just how narrowly the Democrats gained their very narrow control.

-Get with Biden.
-Choose your battles carefully. Fighting on too many fronts, esp over ridiculous crap, weakens your already precarious party.
-Make real things happen that benefit real people.
-Get this rolling before the '22 elections.
-Keep it rolling into the '24 elections.
-Help Biden get re-elected.
-If you must start this Represent Every Tiny Minority bullshit, do so during Biden's second term.

Seriously, what's next? Special consideration for Left-Handed Bi-Sexual Transgender Native American Dwarves Born In The Morning On An Odd Numbered Day?

 

noyb, what do you have against LHBSTNADBITMOAOND+ people bud?