A report card on the Biden administration

[Sandy Shanks]

A number of Republicans are virtually admitting they committed a crime by pleading the Fifth Amendment when questioned about the coup attempt. Others refuse to explain their involvement in the attempt to overthrow the elected government when asked to volunteer their testimony to the Jan. 6 Select Committee.

And the Republican Party is supporting these Republicans, which includes two Republican lawmakers, Scott Perry and Jim Jordan!

In the meantime, the forum's Republicans remain silent about the entire issue.

The Jan. 6 Select Committee has decided to play hardball.

Committee members are strongly considering subpoenas for the two House Republicans, Perry and Jordan.

CNN reports, "The Democratic-led body has already sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department dealing with two witnesses who refused to submit to subpoenas -- Trump political guru Steve Bannon, who has already been indicted, and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows."

Follow the money!

It is an old adage in law enforcement. To find out what happened, follow the money.

The Jan 6 committee is doing that as well.

CNN reports. "There are new insights emerging from court documents involving Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich, which show that the committee is expanding its investigation into the financing of pro-Trump rallies leading up to the riot -- including the one in Washington, DC, on January 6 at which the then-President told his supporters to "fight like Hell" and which evolved into the deadly insurrection."

CNN added, Republicans "who don't want to testify are relying on his expansive claims of executive privilege, which many legal scholars view as dubious, to avoid saying what they know about the Capitol insurrection. Two days before Christmas, Trump, who has a long history in and out of office of using the legal system to avoid and delay accountability, went to the Supreme Court, appealing to the conservative-majority he helped construct to block the release of White House documents to the committee.

"The committee quickly responded, seeking to head off an attempt by the former President to jam it in a long legal battle, asking the court to say by the middle of next month whether it is taking the case."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

A number of Republicans are virtually admitting they committed a crime by pleading the Fifth Amendment when questioned about the coup attempt. Others refuse to explain their involvement in the attempt to overthrow the elected government when asked to volunteer their testimony to the Jan. 6 Select Committee.

There has been an important development.

The Post explains, "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol plans to begin holding public hearings in the new year to tell the story of the insurrection from start to finish while crafting an ample interim report on its findings by summer, as it shifts into a more public phase of its work.

"The panel will continue to collect information and seek testimony from willing witnesses and those who have been reluctant — a group that now includes Republican members of Congress. It is examining whether to recommend that the Justice Department pursue charges against anyone, including former president Donald Trump, and whether legislative proposals are needed to help prevent valid election results from being overturned in the future.

"If Republicans were to take control of the House after November’s elections, they would almost certainly shut down the probe. This has added a sense of urgency to the panel’s work, including the need for hearings and to show that the information gathered amounts to more than what is already publicly known.

"The rough timeline being discussed among senior committee staffers includes public hearings starting this winter and stretching into spring, followed by an interim report in the summer and a final report ahead of November’s elections."

"If Republicans were to take control of the House after November’s elections, they would almost certainly shut down the probe." Why is it not surprising that the Republican Party wants to cover up an attempt to overthrow the elected government?

Why is it not surprising that the forum's Republicans have nothing to say on the matter? Why are they hiding?

Republicans are expected to take control of Congress after the November mid-terms.

Really! How can that be?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNN reports, "The House select committee investigating January 6 has stood down on its requests for some documents from the Trump White House, after the Biden administration convinced the panel to scale back its pursuits.

"As a result, the committee won't be getting hundreds of pages of National Security Council records."

This is not at all surprising. Those documents may not have been all that helpful.

"Some of the House's document requests appear to have gone too far, even for the Biden administration," CNN.

CNN continued, "The curtailing of the House panel's request, however, may not affect its core mission of understanding then-President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential vote and the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6. That's because this latest round of documents over which Congress and the executive branch negotiated "appear to have no content that might be material to the Select Committee's investigation," the Biden White House said in a letter this month.

"It said it wants to keep these records secret to preserve the confidentiality of discussions and advice around the presidency.

"The House is still seeking -- and the Biden administration is willing to release -- more than 700 pages of crucial Trump White House records documenting Trump's and top advisers' discussions, phone calls and visits up to and on January 6."

Putting it differently, this is not a big deal. I only mention it because I expect that Republicans will lie about the significance of the White House turning down the the Jan. 6 committee on a highly limited basis.

 

[Lakhota]

 

[Sandy Shanks]

"If Republicans were to take control of the House after November’s elections, they would almost certainly shut down the probe." Why is it not surprising that the Republican Party wants to cover up an attempt to overthrow the elected government?

Why is it not surprising that the forum's Republicans have nothing to say on the matter? Why are they hiding?

The Jan. 6 Select Committee wants to talk to the Republican House minority leader.

ABC News reports, "Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the chairman of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, invited House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Wednesday to sit for an interview with investigators."

"If he has information he wants to share with us, and is willing to voluntarily come in, I'm not taking the invitation off the table," Thompson said in a phone interview with ABC News.

McCarthy spoke to then-President Donald Trump during the riot. He was asked in a local television interview whether he would cooperate with the committee's investigation.

Typical of politicians these days, McCarthy didn't answer the question.

"I don't have anything to add. I have been very public, but I wouldn't hide from anything," he said in the interview.

Why is McCarthy hiding? Is he guilty of something? Going public means appearing before the committee. Going public does not mean deciding on your own what you wish to say.

"If Leader McCarthy has nothing to hide, he can voluntarily come before the committee," Thompson told ABC News, adding that he would consider sending McCarthy a formal request to appear.

"A McCarthy spokesman did not respond to a message seeking comment on Thompson's remarks," ABC.

Interesting. An innocent man has nothing to fear from Thompson's committee.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This is the epitome of Trump's desperation involving the investigation being conducted by the Jan. 6 Select Committee.

Trump is saying the Supreme Court should not allow his White House documents to be given to the committee because it might lead to his criminal prosecution.

Yes, you heard that right.

"The Committee cannot make a mockery of Congress's constitutional mandate that its requests and investigation be supported by a 'valid legislative purpose,'" Trump's lawyers wrote. "It cannot embark on what is essentially a law enforcement investigation with the excuse that it might legislate based on information it turns up in the course of the exploration."

"When the case was before the DC US Circuit Court of Appeals, Trump raised similar comments from the committee members about the possibility their investigation would expose wrongdoing by Trump, CNN reports.

"The mere prospect that misconduct might be exposed does not make the Committee's request prosecutorial," the appeals court said earlier this month, rejecting the former President.

Surreal!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Moving along to a different subject entirely, our President's efforts to thwart Russian aggression.

It is an old Russian trick. Create a crisis to get what is desired from negotiations.

At the same time, those of us living in the West must understand that NATO has troops and deadly weaponry within spitting distance of the Russian border. They are a sword aimed at the Russian heart.

In the U.S. it would be comparable to Canada and Mexico being allied with Russia.

Both President Biden and Vladimir Putin were obviously aware of those circumstances when they spoke today.

Reuters reports,"President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned each other that an escalation of tensions over Ukraine could rupture relations between the two countries, U.S. and Russian officials said.

"But the two leaders appeared set to move forward with further diplomatic engagement following their second call this month."

That's good. Talking is preferred over shooting at one another.

Our President made it clear that the United States and its allies would respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine while Putin made it clear that any sanctions could rupture ties between the two countries and would be a big mistake.

Nevertheless, "Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia was satisfied with their phone conversation, which he said centered on security guarantees that Moscow wants from the West amid a build-up of Russian forces close to the Ukrainian border," according to Reuters.

The call, which was requested by Putin, began at 3:35 p.m. E.T. and ended 50 minutes later, according to U.S. officials.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Our President made it clear that the United States and its allies would respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine while Putin made it clear that any sanctions could rupture ties between the two countries and would be a big mistake.

The media is largely overlooking a very important aspect of the Ukrainian crisis, probably because it interferes with the rhetoric coming out of the White House.

President Biden doesn't mention it to the American public because it doesn't fit his agenda where Russia is concerned.

The United States and its European allies have warned that if Russia invades Ukraine, they would respond first and foremost with strong economic measures. One specific measure would include ensuring the failure of Moscow’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project across the Baltic Sea toward Germany.

During this current crisis, this is what the White House doesn't want you to know. "The European Union relies on Russia for over one-third of its energy supplies. In turn, Europe is one of Russia’s most important consumers of oil, solid fuel and natural gas — and Moscow is highly dependent on these export sales," the Post explains.

However, there is a positive facet to all this. Again, the Post explains.

"Europe’s energy dependence on Russia means threats to this pipeline project could cause as much damage to our allies as to Russia. At the same time, Russian-European energy interdependence — and a new gas pipeline that appears ready to boost supplies to the West — shapes Russian interests and renders an invasion of Ukraine less rational."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNN reports, "President Joe Biden will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, several days after Biden urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease an unremitting military crisis on Ukraine's border.

"Biden, a White House official said, "plans to speak by phone with President Zelensky of Ukraine on Sunday to reaffirm US support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, discuss Russia's military build-up on Ukraine's borders, and review preparations for upcoming diplomatic engagements to help de-escalate the situation in the region."

"The call comes days before Russian and US officials are set to meet in person in Geneva on January 10 amid a Russian military buildup on the Ukraine border and ongoing tensions. Zelensky spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of the call earlier this week.

 

[Rambunctious]

 

[Sandy Shanks]

A guy living in New York didn't know the name of the New York governor, thus harming the image that only smart people become contestants on "Jeopardy."

ABC News reports, "A New York resident who was stumped by a “Jeopardy” question about his state's governor got a do-over Friday, joining Gov. Kathy Hochul's virtual COVID-19 briefing to tell her he knows who she is now."

“Here in New York we actually believe in second chances,” Hochul said before introducing Ben Walthall, the Brooklyn resident who failed to buzz in on the clue, “In 2021, she became the first female governor of New York state.”

This is the same guy who probably gave President Biden low marks despite the lowest unemployment in fifty years, a booming economy, and a record breaking stock market for the past twelve months.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The Texas secretary of state’s office has released the first batch of results from its review into the 2020 general election, finding few issues despite repeated, unsubstantiated claims by GOP leaders casting doubts on the integrity of the electoral system. In Collin County they found a vote discrepancy of 17. Dallas County had a vote discrepancy of 10. 10 in Harris County, and Tarrant County had zero. The four counties under review made up about 4 million votes, and nearly all discrepancies were data entry errors, not election fraud. First part of Texas’ 2020 election audit reveals few issues, echoes findings from review processes already in place

In the election of 2016, as reported by the Director of National Intelligence and the then Republican controlled Senate Intelligence Committee, Vladimir Putin wanted Donald Trump to be our next President because the Russian leader knew Trump's support came from the uninformed, education challenged farmers and shop keepers in the rural counties of America.

Despite Trump's losses in 60 court cases, despite a ruling by the Supreme Court against Trump, despite countless state audits finding no fraud, despite all 50 states certifying election results, despite Trump's own attorney general declaring there was no election fraud, despite losing by seven million votes a large majority of grassroots Republicans believe Trump won the election. They can't tell you why.

Despite a Congressional investigation into the January Sixth Insurrection, despite hours of videos shown on every major network depicting the violence in our capitol, despite the shouts of "hang Mike Pence," despite a video of Trump urging the hot tempered far right extremists loyal to him to go to the capitol and fight for him and the Big Lie, a large majority of Republicans either believe the insurrection didn't happen or the insurrection did happen but it was staged by communist Democrats. They know nothing about the evidence shown.

Either lie will do.

I was a Republican for over a quarter of a century. I voted for Reagan both times and both Bush's, even Bob Dole. I am no longer a Republican. Today's Republican Party is based on lies. Their leader, Donald Trump, uses the Big Lie as a merchandising tool to raise money and his gullible followers actually believe he won.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Despite a Congressional investigation into the January Sixth Insurrection, despite hours of videos shown on every major network depicting the violence in our capitol, despite the shouts of "hang Mike Pence," despite a video of Trump urging the hot tempered far right extremists loyal to him to go to the capitol and fight for him and the Big Lie, a large majority of Republicans either believe the insurrection didn't happen or the insurrection did happen but it was staged by communist Democrats.

ABC News reports, "Nearly a year after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a strong majority of Americans condemn it and believe former President Donald Trump is at least partially to blame. But partisan splits have hardened over time, with Republicans still largely backing Trump's version of events, a new ABC/Ipsos poll finds.

"An overwhelming majority (72%) of Americans believe the people involved in the attack on the Capitol were "threatening democracy," while 1 in 4 Americans believes that the individuals involved were "protecting democracy." Republicans were split, with 45% saying it was a threat and 52% saying those involved in the riot were "protecting democracy."

"Overall, in this poll, 58% of Americans think Trump bears a "great deal" or a "good amount" of responsibility for the events."

Republicans have about 40% share in the major polls.

Want to know why I spend so much time on the Republican attempt to overthrow the elected government?

An overwhelming majority (72%) of Americans believe the people involved in the attack on the Capitol were "threatening democracy."

 

[Oldestyle]

ABC News reports, "Nearly a year after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a strong majority of Americans condemn it and believe former President Donald Trump is at least partially to blame. But partisan splits have hardened over time, with Republicans still largely backing Trump's version of events, a new ABC/Ipsos poll finds.

"An overwhelming majority (72%) of Americans believe the people involved in the attack on the Capitol were "threatening democracy," while 1 in 4 Americans believes that the individuals involved were "protecting democracy." Republicans were split, with 45% saying it was a threat and 52% saying those involved in the riot were "protecting democracy."

"Overall, in this poll, 58% of Americans think Trump bears a "great deal" or a "good amount" of responsibility for the events."

Republicans have about 40% share in the major polls.

Want to know why I spend so much time on the Republican attempt to overthrow the elected government?

An overwhelming majority (72%) of Americans believe the people involved in the attack on the Capitol were "threatening democracy."

I'm struck by the difference in your posts from the beginning of this string and the ones you're posting now, Sandy. In your OP you were hopeful that Joe Biden's policies would be a good thing for the country. In the ones you're posting now...it's not even about Biden...it's not about all of the problems that we face now as a nation! Not about the crisis at the border...not about out of control crime ravaging our cities...not about inflation that's crushing lower income Americans! Now your posts are about a protest that turned violent. A protest that lasted less than a day. A protest that didn't change anything.

Think about that, Sandy...think about it long and hard...

 

[Sandy Shanks]

In the election of 2016, as reported by the Director of National Intelligence and the then Republican controlled Senate Intelligence Committee, Vladimir Putin wanted Donald Trump to be our next President

An overwhelming majority (72%) of Americans believe the people involved in the attack on the Capitol were "threatening democracy."

The Guardian writes, "Only free and fair elections in which the loser abides by the result stand between each of us and life at the mercy of a despotic regime – one we had no voice in choosing. It was that peaceful transfer that Trump and his minions sought to obstruct and almost succeeded in overthrowing when Joe Biden was elected president.

"A year has passed since Donald Trump’s attempted coup and his supporters’ violent storming of the United States Capitol on 6 January 2021, in a nearly successful effort to prevent Congress from certifying Trump’s decisive loss of the election to Biden. Watching the images that day of the seat of US democracy overtaken and defiled, it was impossible not to viscerally feel the grave danger that confronted the republic. In the tumultuous year since, the immediacy of that sensation has waned – and the magnitude of the stakes has receded from memory.

"The House of Representatives expeditiously moved to impeach Trump for his role in fomenting the attack and 57 senators, including seven Republicans, voted to convict him on 13 February. After Trump had become the first American president to be impeached twice, the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, delivered a blistering rebuke of Trump from the Senate floor, justifying his and many other Republicans’ votes to acquit only on the thin reed that, by the time of his Senate trial, Trump was no longer president. (Note: McConnell refused to hold the Senate trial while Trump was President)

"Alas, the moment was short-lived. With Trump himself out of office and in exile at Mar-a-Lago, public attention quickly faded, Republicans abandoned their increasingly half-hearted search for accountability, and the leaders of their party began planning their next bite at the poisoned apple of power."

“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.
When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules.
We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,” President Donald Trump, January Sixth, 2021.

 

[Oldestyle]

The Guardian writes, "Only free and fair elections in which the loser abides by the result stand between each of us and life at the mercy of a despotic regime – one we had no voice in choosing. It was that peaceful transfer that Trump and his minions sought to obstruct and almost succeeded in overthrowing when Joe Biden was elected president.

"A year has passed since Donald Trump’s attempted coup and his supporters’ violent storming of the United States Capitol on 6 January 2021, in a nearly successful effort to prevent Congress from certifying Trump’s decisive loss of the election to Biden. Watching the images that day of the seat of US democracy overtaken and defiled, it was impossible not to viscerally feel the grave danger that confronted the republic. In the tumultuous year since, the immediacy of that sensation has waned – and the magnitude of the stakes has receded from memory.

"The House of Representatives expeditiously moved to impeach Trump for his role in fomenting the attack and 57 senators, including seven Republicans, voted to convict him on 13 February. After Trump had become the first American president to be impeached twice, the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, delivered a blistering rebuke of Trump from the Senate floor, justifying his and many other Republicans’ votes to acquit only on the thin reed that, by the time of his Senate trial, Trump was no longer president. (Note: McConnell refused to hold the Senate trial while Trump was President)

"Alas, the moment was short-lived. With Trump himself out of office and in exile at Mar-a-Lago, public attention quickly faded, Republicans abandoned their increasingly half-hearted search for accountability, and the leaders of their party began planning their next bite at the poisoned apple of power."

“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.
When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules.
We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,” President Donald Trump, January Sixth, 2021.

How is this string in any way about a "report card" on the Biden Administration, Sandy? I hate to break this to you but the report card on Biden is so bad that you've derailed your own string!

 

[Nostra]

Jan 3, 2022 UPDATE: The Veggie Joe Clown Show regime is still the worst in history, and getting worse by the day.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

"An overwhelming majority (72%) of Americans believe the people involved in the attack on the Capitol were "threatening democracy," while 1 in 4 Americans believes that the individuals involved were "protecting democracy." Republicans were split, with 45% saying it was a threat and 52% saying those involved in the riot were "protecting democracy."

In a rare move Donald Trump backed down. As President he consistently dug himself a hole. His reaction to criticism was to dig himself deeper into the hole. Trump was a lot of fun in that respect.

Good Lord, let's hope he isn't getting smarter.

Alas, The Hill reports, "Former President Trump is scrapping a planned news conference on the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol."

Of course, he blames someone else. It's a stretch, but he blames a committee in the House. He says the committee somehow caused him to cancel the gig.

In a statement, Trump blamed the House select committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 riot for the cancellation.

“In light of the total bias and dishonesty of the January 6th Unselect Committee of Democrats, two failed Republicans, and the Fake News Media, I am canceling the January 6th Press Conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and instead will discuss many of those important topics at my rally on Saturday, January 15th, in Arizona – It will be a big crowd!” Trump said.

Trump's support comes from the uninformed, education challenged farmers and shop keepers in the rural counties of America. Why do they support this fool?

They don't know. They avoid threads like this one because they don't want to know.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Despite Trump's losses in 60 court cases, despite a ruling by the Supreme Court against Trump, despite countless state audits finding no fraud, despite all 50 states certifying election results, despite Trump's own attorney general declaring there was no election fraud, despite losing by seven million votes a large majority of grassroots Republicans believe Trump won the election. They can't tell you why.

Stephen Collinson opines, "The Big Lie is already tainting the 2022 and 2024 elections.

"Relentless efforts by former President Donald Trump and his true believers in politics and the media have convinced millions of Americans that Joe Biden is a fraudulent President who seized power in a stolen election.

"This deep-seated suspicion of last November's vote, which threatens to corrode the foundation of US democracy, mirrors the message adopted by the ex-President months before he clearly lost a free and fair election to Biden.

"It has immediate political implications -- the lie that the last election was a fix is already shaping the terrain in which candidates, especially Republicans, are running in midterm elections in 2022. And the widespread belief that Trump was cheated out of power is building the former President a 2024 platform to mount a GOP presidential primary bid if he wishes.

"Trump's great success in creating his own version of a new truth about the election and his still-magnetic talent for spinning myths into which his supporters can buy is revealed in a new CNN poll released Wednesday.

"Among Republicans, 78% believe Biden did not win the election and 54% believe that there is solid evidence to support such a view, even though no evidence exists and multiple courts and states and the US Congress certified a victory that Trump's Justice Department said was untainted by significant fraud."

Which is exactly my point. What is the Republican leadership -- which knows better -- doing about this massive misinformation formulated by the leader of the party? What are Congressional Republicans saying about the lies perpetrated by Donald Trump?

Answer: absolutely nothing.

Some will even run on the theme the election was stolen from Trump. It is what gullible, education deprived grassroots Republicans want to hear. The Republican Party is not interested in the truth. They are interested in not pissing off Trump.

They expect to capture both houses of Congress in the November mid-terms.

Imagine that!

 

[Sandy Shanks]

I was a Republican for over a quarter of a century. I voted for Reagan both times and both Bush's, even Bob Dole. I am no longer a Republican. Today's Republican Party is based on lies. Their leader, Donald Trump, uses the Big Lie as a merchandising tool to raise money and his gullible followers actually believe he won.

I was not alone.

CNN reports, "The day after the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, three local Republican officials in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County announced they were leaving the GOP.  Among them was Ethan Demme, a lifelong conservative who had previously served as the youngest Republican Party chairman in this deeply red corner of southeast Pennsylvania.

"Disgusted by the denial of the 2020 election and the violence at the Capitol, Demme and his two colleagues sent a joint  letter on January 7 to the county GOP chair saying the party they once knew was "gone and has left us behind."

This took place across the country as disillusionment took hold within the ranks of the Republican Party. The ranks of independents swelled as disappointed Republicans left the party. The Republican Party is now dominated by education challenged farmers and shopkeepers in the rural counties of America. Gullible grassroots Republicans believe everything Trump tells them as their posts on this forum make clear.

Disillusion is also happening with the forum's Republicans. Either they are ashamed of what their party did -- a Republican President encouraging an overthrow of the elected government -- or they are ignorant of what happened on Jan. 6 and make up fantasies about the events of that day.

In any event, they avoid threads such as this one. Threads that are explicit in detailing the events on Jan. 6 and the events leading up to that day.

It is difficult to imagine being a member of a party and being unable to defend its actions. But that is what we have here and elsewhere in which the events of Jan. 6 are aptly explained.