US Politics Thread |OT| SAD TRUMP

[Nintex]

The President was just chillin' today
https://twitter.com/seungminkim/status/1296556100041478149

https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1296553724802932741

[Tripon]

The Kennedys are a fucking shit show. If we were a better country, we would have executed that whole family to keep them out of power.

https://twitter.com/Chronoexpert39/status/1296510605847924739

[Mandark]

Kennedy's a M4A cosponsor.

[Nintex]

Kennedy's a M4A cosponsor.

"That will never come across my desk" 

[Tripon]

Kennedy's a M4A cosponsor.

Put M4A aside, Joe Kennedy wrote a bunch of qualifiers to medical bankruptcy for the system right now. It's just a mindset that some people get less help because that's how the system works. But he's running to help control that system, and that his answer.

I don't have a dog in the race other than Kennedy's campaign complained about online bullies which is some hilarious weaksauce, but was also a cynical ploy to get some media outlets to pretend Markey supporters are acting like the Bernie Bros.

[Nintex]

Kennedy's a M4A cosponsor.

Put M4A aside, Joe Kennedy wrote a bunch of qualifiers to medical bankruptcy for the system right now. It's just a mindset that some people get less help because that's how the system works. But he's running to help control that system, and that his answer.

I don't have a dog in the race other than Kennedy's campaign complained about online bullies which is some hilarious weaksauce, but was also a cynical ploy to get some media outlets to pretend Markey supporters are acting like the Bernie Bros.

The Bernie bro's weren't even acting like the Bernie Bro's.

The DNC may finally get that now that @ComfortablySmug's minions have ruined each and every one of their DNC live chat sessions. 

[team filler]

how much money do the kennedys have? 

[Mandark]

Put M4A aside, Joe Kennedy wrote a bunch of qualifiers to medical bankruptcy for the system right now. It's just a mindset that some people get less help because that's how the system works. But he's running to help control that system, and that his answer.

He was proposing a Gideon equivalent for civil cases and that was like the fourth in a series of tweets giving examples of when people may need a lawyer for a non-criminal proceeding but can't afford one.

[Tripon]

Put M4A aside, Joe Kennedy wrote a bunch of qualifiers to medical bankruptcy for the system right now. It's just a mindset that some people get less help because that's how the system works. But he's running to help control that system, and that his answer.

He was proposing a Gideon equivalent for civil cases and that was like the fourth in a series of tweets giving examples of when people may need a lawyer for a non-criminal proceeding but can't afford one.

That may be, but what's the point to force people in that situation in the first place. He's running for senate. If his policy to create a public defender department for civil cases, that's fine, but that's still an acknowledgement that people are getting steamrolled into medical bankruptcy. I don't know if he's okay with people falling into that position, but they currently do, and policy would still allow that.

[Mandark]

That may be, but what's the point to force people in that situation in the first place. He's running for senate. If his policy to create a public defender department for civil cases, that's fine, but that's still an acknowledgement that people are getting steamrolled into medical bankruptcy. I don't know if he's okay with people falling into that position, but they currently do, and policy would still allow that.

 

[Tripon]

That may be, but what's the point to force people in that situation in the first place. He's running for senate. If his policy to create a public defender department for civil cases, that's fine, but that's still an acknowledgement that people are getting steamrolled into medical bankruptcy. I don't know if he's okay with people falling into that position, but they currently do, and policy would still allow that.

 

Okay.

[Mandark]

kennedy's proposal for free legal representation doesn't prevent people from incurring medical debt

m4a would, which he cosponsors

so

[Great Rumbler]

Can't believe drumpf would disrespect a legend like this. I finally found a good reason to vote for Joe

https://twitter.com/JonLemire/status/1296545307774390286

[team filler]

 

[Mandark]

Can't believe drumpf would disrespect a legend like this. I finally found a good reason to vote for Joe

No idea if Biden's a fan, but old guys who grew up working class and love to talk about the good old days and cars they used to drive are absolutely the people you want to talk about boxing with. Even if they're 100% full of shit. Maybe especially if they're 100% full of shit.

[Tripon]

kennedy's proposal for free legal representation doesn't prevent people from incurring medical debt

m4a would, which he cosponsors

so

https://twitter.com/repjoekennedy/status/1258900004623835136?lang=en
https://twitter.com/RepJoeKennedy/status/1259180948031234048

It's not a strong enough response to the fact that shit is fucked. Eh.

Yeah, I think we just disagree on this. Public representation is a poor reactive choice to what should be prevented. 

Yes, Kennedy currently supports Medicare for All, he's also is willing to have a lower threshold currently for people to get into bankruptcy, medical or not. That's what I take issue with.

Edit: A person might think that's a granular detail that most people wouldn't care about, they're probably right. But if your contention that both people support the broader policy goal of M4A, then you move on to the next thing to figure how they differ. Eh.

[Nintex]

Reads like Kennedy III has binge watched quite a few seasons of Better Call Saul 

[Mandark]

my point isn't about markey vs. kennedy generally (markey scores better in the NOMINATE rankings*), it's that the quote tweet was deliberately misleading

it's like pointing at the VA reform bill bernie negotiated and saying it doesn't help all the non-veterans without insurance

spoiler (click to show/hide)

*ideology scores aren't as reliable now that congress takes a bunch of partisan votes on dead-end bills, so someone like AOC gets penalized for protest votes, but that's not the case for kennedy

[close]

[Tripon]

my point isn't about markey vs. kennedy generally (markey scores better in the NOMINATE rankings*), it's that the quote tweet was deliberately misleading

it's like pointing at the VA reform bill bernie negotiated and saying it doesn't help all the non-veterans without insurance

spoiler (click to show/hide)

*ideology scores aren't as reliable now that congress takes a bunch of partisan votes on dead-end bills, so someone like AOC gets penalized for protest votes, but that's not the case for kennedy

[close]

How is it misleading? It's their position on medical bankruptcy as it currently is. Even in more context, if anything, Kennedy's general position is that he's okay with bankruptcy as long as there's lawyer representation. Okay, but they're still fucked with an issue that's beyond their control.

[team filler]

send tax dollars to lawyers own the cons 

[Nintex]

 

Prepare for 4 years of this if Biden wins 

[Mandark]

How is it misleading?

in the very next tweet, which you posted, he says medical bankruptcy should be ended by implementing m4a and making it free at the point of service

the person who was quoting the tweets deliberately left that out

[Tripon]

How is it misleading?

in the very next tweet, which you posted, he says medical bankruptcy should be ended by implementing m4a and making it free at the point of service

the person who was quoting the tweets deliberately left that out

And he's okay with a person being in debt until that happens. That's still the context.

[Mandark]

And he's okay with a person being in debt until that happens. That's still the context.

is markey not okay with people being in debt until m4a happens?

[Tripon]

And he's okay with a person being in debt until that happens. That's still the context.

is markey not okay with people being in debt until m4a happens?

We know his position on medical debt, feel free to ask him about other forms of debt and you can tell us his answer.

[Mandark]

*rubs temples*

[Tripon]

You wanted this pedantic fight.

[Mandark]

honestly thought you might say "oh okay, still think kennedy's a little shit but yeah that one furry on twitter was being kinda disingenuous there"

[Tripon]

Eh, if you think Markey's has more of a nuance policy on this, I want to hear your argument. I don't think he does, and I haven't seen otherwise.

Kennedy's answer is nuanced to the point it weakens his position. Maybe that makes more sense when you're crafting legislation, but we're at the point where people need to hear where you stand. Okay, he stand here, at the point where he's still okay with people still hurting. That's good information to have, and people should criticism him for it if they don't like it.

I personally don't like it, but like I said before, I don't have a dog in this fight mostly because it's not my state.

[Mandark]

I think they have the same policy, insofar as they are cosponsors of the same M4A bill.

edit: and "politician X is fine with people suffering until their situation is remedied by the policy they support" is an odd way to think of it, and especially odder to apply only to certain politicians.

[Tripon]

I think they have the same policy, insofar as they are cosponsors of the same M4A bill.

Okay.

[team filler]

kennedy thinks he's gonna be pres 

[Mandark]

https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/1296548022155960320

[james]

Hes not wrong

[Tripon]

Do you think pollsters are polling people who died right after?

[Mandark]

Fewer people are answering phone calls from numbers they don't recognize, so pollsters have had to turn to online panels and Ouija boards.

[james]

The boomer remover virus is targeting trump voters after all

[team filler]

anya 

[Mandark]

Was there ever any reporting that got to why Bloomberg didn't follow through on the $2 billion?

My main theories are he never really meant it (or didn't consider that he'd lose) or that he got his feelings hurt in the primaries.

[benjipwns]

There was an article I saw a couple weeks ago about the company that he set up, I'll see if I can find it.

edit: Hawkfish! That's the company

Theme of the article was how basically no Democrats wanted to hire it.

[benjipwns]

https://www.wired.com/story/hawkfish-bloomberg-digital-army-fighting-for-democrats/

This is Hawkfish, the surviving digital component of the massive army that Bloomberg mustered last November to try to get the former New York City mayor into the White House. Hawkfish has been described as everything from the secret weapon to counter the powerful data operation of Trump’s digital guru Brad Parscale, to a stealth operation to neuter the increasingly progressive wing of the Democratic party. But until now, its operations have been conducted in secrecy. Months after the company was formed in 2019, a CNBC team unsuccessfully tried to locate the building where Hawkfish employees worked, dead-ending the search at the address of Bloomberg’s accountant. (The real headquarters, pre-Covid, was near Times Square.)

Recently, WIRED got an inside look at Hawkfish and found that the firm built on the Cult of Mayor Mike is still working to make its mark on the presidential campaign. What Hawkfish brings to digital politics is costly data, bought with Bloomberg’s billions and augmented with research and analysis from digital warriors on leave from the tech world. (More than once I heard that the reason for leaving a cushy job in tech was to explain to as-yet-unconceived grandchildren that they didn’t sit out the most critical election of our time.) But as with his presidential campaign, Bloomberg has learned that his name and money don’t automatically equal success. Hawkfish lost its bid for the biggest potential client: It won’t be the main data provider to the Biden 2020 campaign organization.

The Hawkfish team urged him to keep their company going, saying it could make a difference in the presidential campaign, where Joe Biden, his favorite candidate (other than himself), was the likely nominee. They had already built up a huge database, augmented with survey data. They argued for a plan where Bloomberg would no longer need the ground operation and consultants, and could scale down to the quants, the engineers and the data teams. Ever the businessman, Bloomberg asked how much that would cost. The answer was around $35 million dollars more. Bloomberg gave the go-ahead, specifying that his investment would last only until November. If Hawkfish were to continue after that, it would be up to the team to figure that out for themselves.

Hawkfish’s Silicon Valley advisers were thrilled. “If Democrats want to beat Donald Trump, we ought to apply the best tech and data practices to politics,” says angel investor and Democratic donor Ron Conway, who has advised the effort. “Hawkfish is exactly what we need in 2020.”

Hawkfish had a slow start in signing clients. “The timing probably works against Hawkfish, in that a lot of these firms were signed up in 2019,” says Mitch Stewart. “During that time, we were busy supporting Mike’s candidacy. And then when that primary ended, a lot of entities already had their vendor picked.”

The nadir came when the Biden campaign chose instead to create its own digital infrastructure using a group of different clients—none of them Hawkfish. Hawkfish had been very public in trying to get that business. A number of accounts, including a report in Axios, indicated that the failure to get the work was in part due to Hawkfish’s connection to Bloomberg’s failed campaign. There were also tensions with the progressive wing of the party, which rebelled at handing over critical data operations to a mogul who barely identified as a Democrat. Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez posted a tweet cautioning the Biden team not to hire Hawkfish, which she called “a shady firm w/ a failed track record.” Stefan Smith, Pete Buttigieg’s online engagement director, told the LA Times, “Democrats are rightly suspicious of former Republican billionaires parachuting into the Democratic process working as white knights.” Two experienced Democratic operatives not involved in the decision confirmed to WIRED that such tensions exist.

[ToxicAdam]

Was there ever any reporting that got to why Bloomberg didn't follow through on the $2 billion?

My main theories are he never really meant it (or didn't consider that he'd lose) or that he got his feelings hurt in the primaries.

There was an NPR article a few weeks ago I quoted from where his team tried to argue that he had spent 350 million already (citing his 250 million in “anti-trump” ads run during his failed campaign as the bulk of it).

Later in the article, they said that he was a big Dem donor very late in 2018 in targeted states. They surmise that he might be taking the same approach again.

[kingv]

https://twitter.com/rudy_betrayed/status/1296635718249385984

[jakefromstatefarm]

this feels like e3

[Mandark]

Actually wonder if this had anything to do with Bloomberg dismantling his organization. Hope not, cause otherwise it's funny.

https://twitter.com/kenklippenstein/status/1235950456167370753

[benjipwns]

this feels like e3

who's doing the Devolver Digital equivalent presentation? (or better yet Konami 2010)

[Mandark]

https://twitter.com/chuckschumer/status/1296572940151074816

https://twitter.com/MarkPocan/status/1296615941590196232


Pocan's co-chair of the House Progressive Caucus. :|

[benjipwns]

Was their single play "throw it to Bill Bradley or Mo Udall"?

[Tripon]

https://twitter.com/SirajAHashmi/status/1296651133784653825

Some weird alliances this year.

[benjipwns]

https://twitter.com/JRubinBlogger/status/1296635484576182272

https://twitter.com/JRubinBlogger/status/1296651813660364801

[team filler]

the kennedy family are terrifying 

[Mandark]

Pocan's co-chair of the House Progressive Caucus. :|

we're gonna get some crazy axios or politico article about this two months from now

This list of endorsements is a few weeks old now but there are some clear patterns.

Markey has Our Revolution and Sunrise, but also overwhelming support from the Massachusetts establishment (state reps, state senators, mayors, members of the congressional delegation), which surprised me. He also has a bunch of service and public sector union endorsements (including Unite Here, which is the same union where the leaders of the Nevada local went against Bernie because of M4A). Also Warren, Booker, Schumer. He's not listed, but I remember Joe Manchin saying he didn't think Kennedy should run.

Kennedy has very few MA elected officials, but he has a lot of members of the House plus a very long list of construction trade unions (pipefitters, plumbers, IBEW, etc.).

[Mandark]

Should sitting Representatives get to take Senators' jobs? Representatives and Senators disagree!

[team filler]

you are the lie 

[Cauliflower Of Love]

Bernie got robbed.

[Mandark]

Markey's still better and Kennedy's still running out of a sense of entitlement, imo.

And even if only 10% of what's going on is ideological, now that AOC/Sunrise/etc. have planted their flag it's important that they get the W here.

[Nintex]

make america rake again
https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1296570958262673408

[Nintex]

https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/1296663967595560960



 

[Pissy F Benny]

Tremendous amounts of leaves

[ToxicAdam]

I've heard people say it's because of the leaves of the Chinese Tallow tree. Invasive.  Nasty, nasty stuff. That's what some people say.