A report card on the Biden administration

[Sandy Shanks]

It is not looking good for our President. While dealing with a barbaric war in Ukraine that promises to get worse, Biden must deal with crushing inflation at home.

Chris Cillizza writes, "The Consumer Price Index – a measure of inflation in the economy – hit a four-decade high in March, a brutal reminder for Democrats of the political headwinds facing them as they seek to keep their majorities in the House and Senate this fall.

"Prices rose 8.5% from March 2021 to March 2022, while they increased 1.2% from February to March. Half of the increase in the CPI was due to rising gas prices in March.

"The problem for Biden (and his party) is that it’s not at all clear that people care why everything they are trying to buy costs more. [Which explains why they blame the President] All they know is that gas prices are through the roof – although they are lower this week than last – and everything they want or need to buy costs more (a lot more) than it did a year ago.

"Inflation is such a powerful issue in politics because, unlike, say, foreign policy, it touches every person on a daily basis. You notice when it costs more to fill up your car. Or shop for groceries. Or buy just about anything."

Which explains why -- come November -- the Democrats are in trouble, although it is iffy the party responsible for Trump can do any better.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The world's top oil trader will stop buying Russian oil ... just not right now.

CNN reports, "Vitol Group, the world’s top independent oil merchant, will stop trading Russian crude oil and products by the end of the year, a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN.

"The Dutch energy and commodities trading company will also not enter into any new Russian crude and product transactions."

The end of the year!

That is eight and half months from now. A lot can happen in 8 1/2 months. WWIII may have started. The war could be over. What good is a new oil policy 8 1/2 months into the future?

Not everything is in the distant future. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia have all announced bans on Russian oil.

"Major companies including Shell, TotalEnergies and Neste have also stopped buying Russian crude, or have said they will do so by the end of 2022," CNN

Nice to see some big oil companies are helping bring down the man causing genocide in Ukraine sometime around the end of 2022! Let's all hope they are not being stressed.

There is some good despite the big oil slackers.

CNN reported, "As Russian oil has become toxic for many buyers, its benchmark Urals crude has traded at an ever wider discount on the world market. It’s now worth $34 a barrel less than Brent crude.

"The International Energy Agency estimated on Wednesday that supplies of Russian oil will drop by 1.5 million barrels a day in April, and could fall by as much as 3 million a day from May as buyers turn away.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Now this is extremely interesting. The irony is delightful.

The Insider reports, "Mark Meadows, the former North Carolina congressman and chief of staff to President Donald Trump, was removed from North Carolina's voter rolls on Monday by local election officials amid uncertainty about his residency in the state, North Carolina news outlet WRAL first reported.

"Democratic State Attorney General Josh Stein launched an investigation into Meadows' voter registration following reports that Meadows was registered to vote in 2020 from a mobile home in Scaly Mountain. Meadows didn't live at the mobile home."

"Macon County administratively removed the voter registration of Mark Meadows under [state law] as he lived in Virginia and last voted in the 2021 election there," said Pat Gannon, a spokesman for the North Carolina elections board.

"In September 2020, just six weeks before the election, Meadows listed the mobile home as his primary place of residence and registered to vote there, despite the home's former owner telling the New Yorker that the former congressman "never spent a night in there.'"

If true, that would mean Meadows may have committed voter fraud under North Carolina law. Trump was right, after all. There was voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Sorry, I just had to say it.

Meanwhile Liz Cheney is breaking records raising money for her reelection.

ABC reports, "Congresswoman Liz Cheney raised almost $3 million in campaign contributions over the first three months of the midterm election year, continuing her record-breaking fundraising streak as she attempts to defend her seat against a Trump-backed challenger.

"The third-term Wyoming Republican began April with $6.8 million cash on-hand, while her opponent Harriet Hageman began the final four-month stretch leading up to Wyoming's Aug. 16 Republican primary with more than $1 million in her campaign coffers.

"Cheney's unrelenting criticism of former President Donald Trump and statements blaming him for the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 have transformed the race for the state's lone U.S. House seat into one of the most closely watched contests of the 2022 midterms."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Ukrainian people achieved a major victory. Correspondingly, Putin suffered an embarrassing loss.

The Ukrainians sunk the guided missile cruiser Moskva. She was the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Not only did Putin lose a tremendous amount of firepower, but command and control of the Black Sea fleet is in complete disarray. The admiral commanding was forced to abandon ship.

How embarrassing for the Russian fleet and the Russian president who started this misbegotten war that is costing Russia so much.

The Guardian reports, "The Ukrainian southern military command claimed late on Wednesday to have struck the Moskva with Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles, while distracting its crew with an aerial drone, causing it to start sinking and forcing the crew to abandon ship.

"Russia’s defence ministry initially denied reports that it had sunk and claimed the fires had been extinguished. But late on Thursday, the ministry said in a statement: “The cruiser ship Moskva lost its stability when it was towed to the port because of the damage to the ship’s hull that it received during the fire from the detonation of ammunition. In stormy sea conditions, the ship sank.”

"The apparent attack and sinking of the Black Sea fleet’s flagship – 50 days after Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine – represents a symbolic blow to the Kremlin. The Moskva was the pride of Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet and the most prestigious vessel involved in the war against Ukraine," the Guardian.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday, expanding the scope of the systems provided to include heavy artillery ahead of a wider Russian assault expected in eastern Ukraine. read more

Reuters added, "Biden said he had also approved the transfer of additional helicopters, saying equipment provided to Ukraine "has been critical" as it confronts the invasion.

"The new package includes 11 Mi-17 helicopters that had been earmarked for Afghanistan before the U.S.-backed government collapsed last year. It also includes 18 155mm howitzers, along with 40,000 artillery rounds, counter-artillery radars, 200 armored personnel carriers and 300 additional "Switchblade" drones."

On a totally different topic, our President's approval rating is not very good, largely because of inflation. It should be noted voters under 35 are responsible for Biden's low ratings. The older generation puts his approval rating at around 50.

Those who blame our President for inflationary woes should ask themselves two questions.

How did President Biden cause inflation? Don't generalize, be specific.

What should President Biden do that he isn't doing to curb inflation?

Please think carefully about those two questions and don't let politics get in the way of your answers. Inflation is an economic issue, not a political issue.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

You are going to love this. This concerns one of Trump's devout followers.

ABC reports, "An Ohio man charged with storming the U.S. Capitol and stealing a coat rack testified that he joined thousands of protesters in ransacking the building last year on what he thought were orders from the president, Donald Trump.

"Dustin Byron Thompson, 38, of Columbus, Ohio, said Wednesday he took to websites after being laid off from his exterminator job in March 2020 and in his pandemic doldrums fell under Trump’s sway as he bought into conspiracy theories and “went down the rabbit hole on the internet.”

"On trial in U.S. District Court in Washington, Thompson testified that the claim that the election was stolen seemed credible to him because it was coming from the president. His defense team is the first to argue that Trump and those connected to him were responsible for the actions of the mob that day."

“It seems like everyone was attacking him (Trump). He needed someone to stand up for him, and I was trying to do that,” Thompson said.

ABC continued, "Under questioning by the prosecution, Thompson acknowledged that he ignored signs he shouldn’t be at the Capitol — broken glass, alarms, chemical irritants in the air — and said he stole the coat rack to keep others from using it as a weapon. He also said he witnessed fierce fighting between police and rioters outside the building, and later ran away from officers. He said he realized weeks later that what he had done was wrong and now feels shame for his actions."

Yeah, the guy is a complete idiot, but he was a Trump follower that day. No doubt he is quite typical of those who ransacked the capitol that day and threatened the life of our vice-president.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday, expanding the scope of the systems provided to include heavy artillery ahead of a wider Russian assault expected in eastern Ukraine.

Putin has a serious problem. In addition to losing the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet to Ukrainian anti-ship missiles, the weapons Biden and our NATO allies are sending are making a difference. He has already been forced to withdraw his forces from around Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.

So, what does Putin do? He protests.

CNN reports, "Russia this week formally protested the US’ ongoing shipment of weapons to Ukraine, sending a diplomatic note to the State Department warning of “unpredictable consequences” should the support continue, according to two US officials and another source familiar with the document.

"The note, known as a démarche, was sent earlier this week before the Biden administration announced that it would be sending a new military aid package worth $800 million to the Ukrainians.

"The US has for the first time agreed to provide Kyiv with the types of high-power capabilities some officials in US President Joe Biden's administration viewed as too much of an escalation risk a few short weeks ago, including 11 Mi-17 helicopters, 18 155 mm Howitzer cannons and 300 more Switchblade drones."

It would appear President Biden was not overly concerned about Putin's protest.

CNN continued, "A source familiar with the Russian diplomatic note said it was expected that Moscow would protest the shipments, and it was still unclear whether it means Russia will change their behavior in any way. But this person acknowledged that it could signal a more aggressive Russian posture against the US and NATO as the war drags on.

"CNN previously reported that the United States believes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s risk tolerance has increased, and that he may be willing to take more aggressive action against the US in response to its support for Ukraine."

Oh, really, what is he going to do? What can he do? What, if anything, can Putin do because the more advanced military shipments will continue to flow into Ukraine, that is, if our President has anything to say about it.

And he has plenty to say abut it.

Of course, the media is, once again, taking this opportunity to generate interest by suggesting that Putin may resort to using tactical nukes or CBW on Ukraine or attack a NATO country in retaliation.

In the first place, Putin was foolish to start this war, but he is not that foolish. So far, Russia herself is untouched by war. Using such weapons would endanger Mother Russia.

Secondly, Putin has been quite successful killing civilians and destroying cities and infrastructure. The use of such weapons would be superfluous. He already has superior fire power, and his warplanes can go anywhere they want.

Thirdly, obviously attacking a NATO country like Poland, the purveyor of the NATO weaponry, is out of the question.

Of course, facts won't stop the media from its fanciful story telling about what Putin might do.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Florida Republicans led by Governor DeSantis have banned math books!

The Guardian reports, "Florida’s education department has rejected 54 mathematics textbooks from next year’s school curriculum, citing alleged references to critical race theory among a range of reasoning for some of the rejections, officials announced.

"The department said in a news release Friday that some of the books had been rejected for failure to comply with the state’s content standards, Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking, and that 21% of the books were disallowed “because they incorporate prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including CRT”.

Unbelievable, Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking. Hitler would be proud.

"Department officials disapproved an additional 11 books “because they do not properly align to Best Standards and incorporate prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including CRT," The Guardian.

Critical race theory is an academic practice that examines the ways in which racism operates in US laws and society.

The Guardian added, "In June last year, the Florida board of education ruled to ban the teaching of critical race theory in public schools. The release does not list the titles of the books or provide any extracts to offer reasons why the books were removed. The announcement follows a series of hardline measures by Republicans in the state to alter teaching in schools as conservatives thrust the issue of critical race theory into the country’s ongoing political culture wars."

The board did not bother to explain how math books taught racism to students. Maybe the board just didn't like math.

It seems apparent that Republicans are rejecting the reality of racism in America. This is logical since the Republican base is in the South and it is safe to say a number or Republicans are racist. For southern whites racism is a part of their heritage.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Republican Party has captured the minds of those who live in the rural counties of America. Those voters are mostly farmers and rural shopkeepers. They lack education and they are not well-informed.

States controlled by Republicans -- a good many are in the South -- are enacting measures restricting what can be taught in schools. Florida’s “don’t say gay” law and Virginia’s executive order banning the teaching of critical race theory among them. Recently, Florida’s education department rejected 54 mathematics textbooks citing alleged references to critical race theory as well as other violations. Mostly though, the math books conflicted with Florida's Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking. That sounds creepingly Orwellian.

A number of Republican-led states are reducing access to voting in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s lies about widespread fraud in the 2020 election, none of which have been proven. Trump has been overruled in 60 courts, the Supreme Court, all 50 states, and the Electoral College. Most Republicans don't know that or don't want to know.

And, last but not least, Republicans want to control the health decisions of women. In doing so, they violated the Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Para 2) of our Constitution. Oklahoma, Kentucky and Florida put in place new restrictions on abortion that appear to violate the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade.

According to education challenged rural grassroots Republicans this is all okay to them. They don't know any better. The politicians say everything is fine, and they are gullible enough to believe it. Despite the fascist like laws restricting them, the rural voter isn't saying a thing, and Republicans are enormously popular in the rural counties of America. They are encouraged to enact more restrictive laws.

Republicans give lip service to warning people about the unwanted power of the state. Autocratic governments do the same. Autocratic governments -- like Russia -- warn their citizens about atrocities and government domination.

Then they proceed with their atrocities and government domination.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

NBC reports, "At least four major shootings broke out across the United States over the Easter weekend, including one at a party in Pittsburgh that left two teenagers dead and several others injured early Sunday.

"Pittsburgh police said in a statement Sunday that officers were called to the reports of a shooting just after 12:30 a.m. at an Airbnb rental property. When they arrived, additional shots were heard in the immediate area and "several young people" were seen fleeing the area on foot and in vehicles. 10 people were injured in the incident. Two of them, Jaiden Brown and Mathew Steffy-Ross, both 17, were pronounced dead by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office.

"A shooting in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday, left one person dead and three minors injured, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The bureau said in a statement that police had been called to reports of a shooting just after 8:40 p.m. local time (11:40 p.m. ET) Sunday night. When they arrived, they found one man dead and three boys with gunshot wounds.

"In South Carolina, gunfire broke out at a nightclub in Hampton County on Sunday, a day after gunfire erupted at a mall in the state's capital, Columbia, around 90 miles north. At least nine people were injured in the shooting at Cara's Lounge in Hampton County.

"It came after at least nine people sustained gunshot wounds in the shooting at the Columbiana Centre in the capital Saturday, with victims' ages ranging from 15 to 73, according to the Columbia Police Department."

All this happened only a few days after Frank James (no relation to Jesse) shot up a subway in New York.

The attack was the worst on the subway in decades, and it came as New York wrestled with questions about public safety, both under and above ground. A 31-hour manhunt followed and James was captured by his own hand. He called the cops on himself. 23 people were injured. There were no deaths.

What will local, state, and federal governments do to curb the violence?

Absolutely nothing!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

What is utterly fascinating is that -- with some exceptions -- the vast majority of Republicans avoid discussing their party and what it is doing. In many respects, it is hard to blame them. (See post #1052).

This is important because the actions of the Republican Party impact on President Biden and the Democratic Party as the November mid-terms draw near. So, it is quite telling that Republicans avoid the truths of their own party while they search in desperation for damaging evidence of Biden's malfeasance. In a caricature of their hopelessness they often claim Biden is senile.

Republicans like to say that because their own party has many severe problems; hence their silence regarding their party. If they do respond to matters regarding their party, it is likely to be a personal attack on the writer who had the temerity to tell the truth.

That said, this was written nearly three weeks ago. "The Republican Party has captured the minds of those who live in the rural counties of America. Those voters are mostly farmers and rural shopkeepers. They lack education and they are not well-informed. Most of what they know about politics is by word of mouth, otherwise known as gossip."

Who knows more about the Republican Party than a Republican running for the U.S. Senate from Ohio, J.D. Vance? Vance is also an American conservative commentator, venture capitalist, and author.

Chris Cillizza writes, Give J.D. Vance this: He gets the whole Donald Trump thing.

In fact, back in 2016, the Ohio Republican offered a pitch-perfect analysis of why the billionaire businessman had caught on with Republican voters.

“I think most people are not very ideological, and Trump, while I find him loathsome, touches a legitimate nerve,” Vance wrote in a private Facebook message.

Vance added, "“But I’m not surprised by Trump’s rise, and I think the entire party has only itself to blame. We are, whether we like it or not, the party of lower-income, lower-education white people, and I have been saying for a long time that we need to offer those people SOMETHING or a demagogue would. We are now at that point. Trump is the fruit of the party’s collective neglect.”

How screwed up is the GOP? In the 2022 mid-terms, according to Politico, Ohio Republican J.D. Vance is cashing in on his endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

Cillizza continued, "Let’s take Vance’s point about what the Republican coalition looks like right now. Here are a few takeaways from the 2016 presidential election exit poll:


* Trump won White voters over Hillary Clinton by 20 points.


* Trump won 66% among White voters with no college degree.

In the 2020 election Trump won White voters over Joe Biden by 17 points. Trump won 67% among White voters with no college degree.

The heart of the Republican Party is the South. In 2016, Trump won every southern state.

 

[Nostra]

Pssssssssssssssssst, Sandy you lost this thread on Day 1.

You really should let it die.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Guardian reports, "In a 59-page opinion on Monday, the US district judge Kathryn Mizelle of Tampa, Florida, overturned the federal requirement that people wear masks on planes and public transportation."

She immediately became an instant heroine of the Republican right.

The Guardian continued, "Congressman Byron Donalds hailed her “courage” and “common sense”. The far-right activist Jack Posobiec praised her as a “patriot”. Matt Schlapp, chair of the American Conservative Union, tweeted: “God Bless Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle!”

"Mizelle’s decision triggered cheers and fears in the skies. Some passengers removed their masks with glee. Others thought the move hasty and questioned how a lone 35-year-old judge on the district court for the middle district of Florida could wield so much power over millions of lives."

Again Republicans embark on policy that is rejected by the majority of Americans.

The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that despite opposition to that requirement that included verbal abuse and physical violence against flight attendants, 56% of those surveyed favor requiring people on planes, trains and public transportation to wear masks, compared with 24% opposed and 20% who say they are neither in favor nor opposed.

The Guardian added, "Mizelle was 33 when she was nominated by Trump in September 2020 and confirmed in a party-line vote in the Senate, then controlled by Republicans, after Trump had lost his bid for re-election. Liberal activists warned at the time that Mizelle had a “stunning lack of legal experience."

"The American Bar Association (ABA) rated her “not qualified”, in part because she had only eight years experience in practicing law. The ABA also voiced concern that Mizelle lacked experience in litigating and trying cases."

Republicans give lip service to warning people about the unwanted power of the state. Autocratic governments do the same. Autocratic governments -- like Russia -- warn their citizens about atrocities and government domination.

Then they proceed with their atrocities and government domination. Sandy Shanks

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNN reports, "President Biden is prepping another $800 million military assistance package for Ukraine, according to three senior administration officials and two sources familiar with the planning.

"Details of the latest package are still being privately discussed and could change, but earlier Tuesday, President Joe Biden said the US plans to send more artillery to Ukraine.

"The latest package would come a week after the Biden administration authorized another $800 million security package, which included artillery and anti-artillery radars for the first time since the Russian invasion began.

"The Biden administration is working to get the military assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible because they believe the war is in a critical stage and the continued US assistance could make a difference as Russia’s more aggressive assault on Eastern Ukraine ramps up, one of the administration officials said.

"The more open terrain in that region favors the use of artillery and long-range systems, which is why the administration has placed a premium on getting those types of systems in quickly as the fighting moves away from Kyiv and into the Donbas region.

"The latest package of $800 million would mean the President has committed approximately $3.4 billion dollars in assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began on February 24."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNN reports, "[Senate Majority Leader]Mitch McConnell knew that what happened on January 6, 2021, was deeply wrong. And that blame for the riot that day lay at the feet of then-President Donald Trump."

“The Democrats are going to take care of the son of a bitch for us,” McConnell told two associates just days after the insurrection, referring to the effort to impeach Trump in the Democratic-led House.

CNN continued, "And of Trump’s guilt, McConnell was equally clear-eyed: “If this isn’t impeachable, I don’t know what is,” he said. There was even talk that McConnell himself might vote to convict Trump in a Senate impeachment trial.

"But as the days passed, McConnell’s position on Trump changed – to the point that when the Senate voted on whether to convict Trump in mid-February 2021, McConnell voted “no.”

So what changed McConnell's mind? He didn't get to be the leader of his party in the Senate by challenging the beliefs of his Republican colleagues.

In January and February of 2021 the majority of Republicans in Congress went along with Trump's Big Lie. They believed without a shred of evidence that the election was stolen from Trump despite the fact that 60 court cases, the Supreme Court, countless state audits, and Trump's own attorney general said differently.

147 Republicans in Congress voted to overturn the election results. The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results (Published 2021)

CNN added, "Just a quick reminder of what happened at the Capitol on January 6: An armed mob stormed the building with the express purpose of disrupting the counting of the Electoral College votes. They did so because the sitting President of the United States at the time had, repeatedly and without any proof, told them that the 2020 election had been stolen.

"Several people died as a result of that day. More than 100 police officers were injured. Roughly 750 people have been charged for their role in the riot."

Despite all that, McConnell went with the flow.

There is a big difference between doing the things that can get you elected to leadership and being an actual leader.

McConnell and the Republicans are expected to win control of Congress in the November mid-terms.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Within limitations, our President is doing what he can to help Ukraine as things are getting a bit dicey in the south and east, more specifically, the Donbass region and Mariupol.

ABC reports, "President Joe Biden on Thursday announced an additional $800 million package in military assistance to Ukraine -- as well as a ban on all Russian-affiliated ships from U.S. ports -- as Russian forces launch a long-expected, large-scale campaign to seize the country's east.

"Biden said the new aid package will include "heavy artillery weapons, dozens of howitzers, and 144,000 rounds of ammunition to go with those howitzers," as well as tactical drones.

"It follows another of similar size, which Biden announced last week, but focuses more on artillery and ammunition. With this latest package, the U.S. has announced more than $3 billion in military aid since the war started in late February. In particular, this is the eighth tranche of U.S. assistance from the Pentagon's existing stockpile, using what's known as presidential drawdown authority to expedite delivery."

That said, matters are so bad in Mariupol that Putin has declared victory. This time that is essentially the truth.

The A.P. reports, "Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory Thursday in the battle for Mariupol despite an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian fighters still holed up at a giant steel mill, ordering his troops not to storm the stronghold but to seal it off “so that not even a fly comes through.”

That is a sound strategic move. Russian forces virtually control the important port on the Sea of Azov. Taking the besieged makeshift fortress serves no purpose, and hundreds of Russian soldiers would die.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

"[Senate Majority Leader]Mitch McConnell knew that what happened on January 6, 2021, was deeply wrong. And that blame for the riot that day lay at the feet of then-President Donald Trump."

“The Democrats are going to take care of the son of a bitch for us,” McConnell told two associates just days after the insurrection, referring to the effort to impeach Trump in the Democratic-led House.

The Times reported, "Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, told G.O.P. lawmakers in the days after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that former President Donald J. Trump acknowledged that he bore “some responsibility” for what happened that day, new audio revealed.

"The audio obtained by The New York Times that emerged on Friday is part of a series of new revelations about Republican leaders’ private condemnations of Mr. Trump in the days after his supporters stormed the Capitol as part of an effort to stop the certification of electoral votes for Joseph R. Biden Jr.

"The Times on Thursday reported that Mr. McCarthy told Republicans he planned to urge Mr. Trump to resign. In an audio clip obtained by The Times of a call with Republican lawmakers, Mr. McCarthy said he would tell Mr. Trump of the impeachment resolution: “I think this will pass, and it would be my recommendation [that] you should resign.”

"In that phone call, on Jan. 10, 2021, Mr. McCarthy was sharply critical of Mr. Trump."

“I’ve had it with this guy,” Mr. McCarthy said in another audio clip obtained by The Times. “What he did is unacceptable. Nobody can defend that, and nobody should defend it.”

The Post reveals "House Republicans are still waiting for a firm statement from Trump, according to multiple GOP aides, on how to determine whether they should still back McCarthy as their leader and potential speaker if the GOP regains the majority in the November election."

In other words, Trump will decide McCarthy's status. Trump is a private citizen. He has no role in government.

How does Trump get away with it? Why does this man have so much power and influence?

The answer lies with the Republican Party as a whole.

The Republican Party has captured the minds of those who live in the rural counties of America. Those voters are mostly farmers and rural shopkeepers. They lack education and they are not well-informed. Most of what they know about politics is by word of mouth, otherwise known as gossip.

Most of them do not have a computer. Some do not have a television, and, if they do, they don't spend much time watching it. Farming and ranching is not a eight hour job. It's more like an 18-hour job.

The vast majority of Trump followers are low income. No one knows why they support Trump because they won't tell us. They won't tell us because they don't know why they support Trump. They prefer talking about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris instead. A few attempt to tell us about Trump, but they immediately venture into fantasy, and Jan. 6 is off limits.

Put a different way, Trump's followers are losers. It only makes sense that they would support a loser.

By way of providing an example of that analysis, Trump's followers will not respond to the issues of this report. That is partly due to the fact that most are not bright enough to be active on an internet political forum.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This is all very strange.

I have been following political and foreign affairs events for over 50 years. I have never seen anything like this.

Yesterday most of us heard that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that SecState Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Chief Lloyd Austin are meeting with him the next day, meaning today.

I grew a bit suspicious when we heard nothing from our government. Moreover, yesterday, when asked, both the state department and the Pentagon hung out the no comment sign. Also, there was nothing from the White House.

That was yesterday.

Today, ABC and some other outlets are reporting, "An advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Chief Lloyd Austin are meeting with Ukraine's leader on Sunday in Kyiv.
The adviser, Oleksii Arestovich, said in an interview on Ukrainian TV late Sunday that the talks are going on "right now."

That's it. There were no other details. Note, once again, this is coming from the Zelenskyy government. There was nothing from the American government.

I checked other news sources, including Reuters, CNN, WSJ, NPR, Time, even Aljazeera. Most repeated yesterday's story. A few reported today's announcement from the Ukrainian government mentioned above.

Today there is still nothing from the state or defense department. President Biden, who loves to shoot off his mouth about his role in the war caused by Putin's illegitimate invasion of Ukraine, remains complete silent about the issue.

One source reported, "The White House has not confirmed any visit. The State Department and Pentagon declined to comment."

Very strange. From the American viewpoint, there is no reason to believe that Blinken and Austin met with Zelenskyy. Security is one thing, but, if we are to believe the Ukrainian government, the meeting has already taken place. Why keep secret a meeting between allies that happened in the past?

On the other hand, I could be wrong about all this, and the meeting did take place and for some unknown reason Biden doesn't want to talk about it.

On the other hand, still, if this meeting took place, it is obvious the White House wanted to keep it secret. So, why is it our ally, the Zelenskyy government, blabbed about the meeting to every media outlet that would listen?

Very strange.

On the other hand, still again, if this meeting did take place, why in the world did they meet in a war zone?

Very strange!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

On the other hand, still again, if this meeting did take place, why in the world did they meet in a war zone?

For publicity? To get inquiring minds off the rampaging inflation?

Whatever the case, it appears that Blinken and Austin did travel to the war zone to meet with Zelenskyy.

CNN reports, "Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin insisted Monday that Russia was failing in its Ukraine incursion, with Austin explicitly saying that the US wants to see Russia’s military capabilities weakened.

"The two top US officials, speaking at a news conference at an undisclosed location in Poland near the Ukrainian border, made the comments following a trip to Kyiv, where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pledge US support in the war and announce that US diplomats would be returning to Ukraine."

This revelation begs a question, two actually. Why endanger the lives of two top American advisors to the President by having them travel to a war zone? Why didn't they meet with Zelenskyy at this undisclosed location in Poland?

 

[WTH_Progs?]

Is Sandy Pants still posting here? ILMAO at the OP, "oh wow, we leftists have reason for optimism".

Sure idiot, after the Democrats closed everything down & incited riots too, let's "elect" them to office for a job well done.

How's that worked out so far Sandy Pants?