mtutiger

Boom

I think they have been doing a better job lately of getting Biden out in smaller settings and connecting with voters (his recent appearance in Duluth/Superior being the best example), but retail politics isn't good enough in today's day and age for sure.... The decision not to do the Super Bowl interview is puzzling in that respect... I don't think it matters much because the amount of people who will actually be watching the pregame is overblown anyway, but having the video clip that people can watch later matters as well. Part of it is maybe age, but in general I think he's just getting bad advice from his campaign. Even before Biden became President and started showing age, he was always gaffe prone. Just let him doing his thing and move on... particularly when your opponent is Donald Trump lol

Goodness, even Fox and Friends lol

Hasn't been talked about last night given that James Lankford has the most painful role in all of this, but one other casualty to all of this last night was Kyrsten Sinema... her actions over the past few years were likely based on an incorrect read of the electorate. A lot of effort that amounts to very little. As a result, one imagines she's 100% not running for reelection now.

My guess is Trump would debate, but does not want to debate under the auspices of the Commission on Presidential Debates. Likely at forums that are more favorable to him (ie. Moderated by by friendlies) Biden would also debate but would not debate outside the auspices of the Commission on Presidential Debates. Precedent would lie with staying with CPD, but my guess is that Trump is looking for a way to duck debates in that forum that involves shifting blame to Biden for ducking.

Good Lord

I dont think that the Dems can win immigration as an issue outright, but they need to at least draw closer or use the issue to speak to Trump/GOP's competence in governing. Just pure politics, there's a pretty easy story to tell here and they need to run it to ground. To that end, said this in another thread, but the campaign really needs to take a page from Truman and make this Congress a foil. Particularly the House. The reality is this whole incident speaks volumes in their inability to govern and voters need to hear about it

This outcome was probably expected on their part, and probably will have some mild benefit for Biden in the sense that it will give him something to blunt some of the attacks on the issue IMO. (IE. We supported this bill that even the Border Patrol Union supported, but they arent interested in fixing the border) This whole exercise has been very enlightening though. On a number of levels. The age of McConnell is coming to an end, the inmates now run the asylum

And it's dead.

Kinda go back to what I said earlier... I dont think that the conservative movement really has consensus on what the problem at the border even is to begin with. Some want the system to be sane and rational, but some just want to end *all* asylum and impose harsh limits on immigration altogether. People of sound mind can disagree with the former, but it's hard to talk rationally with folks who believe the latter. And unfortunately, they are the majority view in the GOP these days if I had to guess.

I mostly just avoid talking politics and just listen most of the time anymore... touching on Chas' point, I can fake it decently when I hear something cringy, but it takes practice. And a level of grace that I don't think everyone can muster, especially in this day and age and also given that I'm not a member of a disadvantaged group. Overall, I've just come to the conclusion that while I have strong opinions (just as strong as they have always been even), I just don't have the time to dedicate to the outrage or getting into fights with people on this stuff. It's not worth the time or the energy. Happy to come here and let this be my outlet for that sort of stuff.

Geez, even the CBP Union supports this.... lol

That's been a pretty routine experience throughout my work career, fwiw... my politics don't exactly line up neatly on the industry I work in.

I'm sure this is all somehow Biden's fault as well

This is a really good point. Trump may well win in the end, but he hasn't won yet. A lot of hubris on display here

The comments below his thread are just delusional

Yeah, this argument that there may be political reasons behind Biden's support really doesn't change the fact that he's giving them an open net and they are gonna take their ball and go home instead of kicking the ball in. And, in essence, proving all of their critics right. All the other noise doesn't really change that basic fact.

Blinded *by* the politics, as in that is all they care about

Incidentally, one complicating factor on the GOP side is that there do exist people who, agree with them or not, have an earnest desire just better enforcement of the existing law or some tightening of the laws to make the asylum process more orderly. But if I had to guess, they are completely outweighed by the Stephen Miller types who just want to restrict any and all immigration indiscriminately. And as brainless as it is to anyone who can sit and think about the implications for 5 mins, the latter group has all the energy on that side of the aisle.

This is another "118th Congress" classic...

And, in the event that said legislation passes, will gladly take credit for the positives (ie. Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill)

Said laws that, if changes were desired, require action by Congress. You know, the guys who say they don't need to do anything right now.

It's all just incredibly nihilistic, when you get right down to it. The Chamber of Commerce thing is a great example... whether you agree with their general bent as an interest group, they do actually care about policy and have a POV. To paraphrase Walter Sobchak in The Big Lebowski, "say what you want about the USCOC, at least they have an ethos" Most of these clowns in Congress doing a "five minutes hate" on this bill don't care about any of that or really anything other than getting reelected and / or Presidential politics. Just a hell of a system we have. These guys aren't qualified to run a bake stand, let alone be sitting members of Congress.

Just to elaborate, I certainly remember Democrats voting on a bill that resulted in receiving a check with Donald Trump's ugly-ass signature on it, for instance... If the shoe were on the other foot, there's basically zero chance that a GOP Congress would have done that for a Democratic President. None. So no, I don't see the equivalency here.

There was quite a bit of compromise governing during the last Presidential election cycle (ie. the COVID year)