Biden Thread

[Montmorency]

If Warnock does indeed win tonight, this election cycle will be the first since the direct election of senators began in 1914 in which no incumbent has lost reelection, either in a primary or a general election. And furthermore, this will be the first time since 1934 that any president, Democrat or Republican, has seen all incumbent senators of their party running for reelection win. In 1934, no Democratic incumbents lost reelection despite the president being a Democrat. Since then, every Democratic president has seen at least one Democratic senator lose reelection in each midterm, and every Republican president has seen at least one Republican senator lose per midterm. - JACOB RUBASHKIN

It's almost safe to say Warnock has won.

[Montmorency]

Told you about Sinema btw.

[Furunculus]

This seems relavent to recent major breaks in political orthodoxy - thinking of the US and UK here particularly:

https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/statu...765711/photo/1

[Hooahguy]

I dont think I ever heard anyone seriously say that Russian interference was limited to twitter bots, rather it was a larger influence campaign spanning multiple platforms and methods.

Not that Glem is exactly an unbiased person to discuss such matters. He had been calling Russian interference a hoax for years now.

[Montmorency]

I've presented information before on the collapse of American life expectancies in the 21st century, and especially during the pandemic. What follows uses in part pre-pandemic data; the situation as it stands is further deteriorated. And it's not like England is doing well here...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Also notice how the poorest Americans are way poorer than the poorest Britons, even though Americans are considerably richer overall. United Kingdom? More like United Soviet Socialist Kingdom.
https://www.ft.com/content/653bbb26-...d-c34a0b774303

[Montmorency]

lol

Clarence Thomas Promises To Adopt Code Of Ethics For The Right Price

Telling critics in Congress that if they wanted serious reform they simply needed to make it worth his while, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas promised Friday he would adopt a code of ethics for the right price. “After hearing out the Senate Judiciary Committee’s concerns, I admit to seeing the wisdom in developing some kind of ethical framework for the Supreme Court, so long as Papa gets some sugar,” the senior associate justice said in a prepared statement, emphasizing that he would be willing to submit to a code of conduct that included ignoring special interests and disclosing private trips if there was some serious coinage thrown his way. “It’s reasonable to believe justices serving on the highest court in the land should hold themselves to the highest ethical standards, if only so citizens can have faith in their decision-making process. And if that means so much to lawmakers, they should take whatever donors are giving me every year and double it. Also, in order for me to adhere to some sense of values, Ginni needs to wet her beak.” Thomas suggested he might also support term limits for justices if he was guaranteed a yearly all-expenses-paid trip to the Maldives in retirement.

For foreign readers, it might seem to you that we currently have most of our right-wing Supreme Court justices caught up in a pay for play scandal. This would be the wrong impression in my opinion. Republican judges don't need inducements to flout the law - it's what they're bred for. Rather, what we have here is the exposure of a suite of perquisites offered for being part of the right team. The content of the rulings was always going to be ideological, partisan, and result-oriented.

Also, it's kind of predictable that you enable corruption by placing individuals in irrevocable life tenure alongside a handful of other elites, beyond all sanction and ordinary professional regulation. Look, the Framers didn't have a concept of modern bureaucracy; it's our fault for refusing to reform.

[Montmorency]

With Trump surging in the polls following his indictment on criminal charges stemming from alleged hush money payments, one executive at a New York bank said confidence in DeSantis’s ability to win is flagging.

“DeSantis is certainly a better option than Trump at this point,” the executive said. “But he’s a really weak option.”

The executive said many are growing resigned to the possibility of a general election rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden.

“What we probably wind up with is a choice between a guy who is very old and wants to raise our taxes and reregulate everything, and a guy who could be running from prison,” the executive said.

What an interesting framing of the dilemma.