Monitoring Biden and other Contemporary Events

Mitch McConnell makes absolutely no sense at all, I mean just read his back and forth statements.

revelette3 wrote:

Mitch McConnell makes absolutely no sense at all, I mean just read his back and forth statements.

Perhaps so...but I, for one, am happy he said what he said.

Frank Apisa wrote:

revelette3 wrote:

Mitch McConnell makes absolutely no sense at all, I mean just read his back and forth statements.

Perhaps so...but I, for one, am happy he said what he said.

Due respect, but he’s so full of **** he squeaks. What difference does it make if he says the right thing when it served him, but won’t ever do the right thing.

The sad part is even on a thread about Biden we can only talk Trump. He's completely distorted our country.

We had that possibility Saturday. Any other prosecutions will take years just to get to trial!

Washington has bowed to pressure from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who accused the US of supporting terrorism. Ankara says Kurdish rebels killed 13 Turkish hostages. At first, the US treated this claim as unconfirmed.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called his Turkish counterpart on Monday, and said Washington concurred that the Kurdish PKK group "bears responsibility" for the killings of 13 Turkish hostages in Iraq at the weekend. The move followed condemnations from Ankara after the first US reaction expressed condolences but did not categorically blame the PKK.

"The Secretary expressed condolences for the deaths of Turkish hostages in northern Iraq and affirmed our view that PKK terrorists bear responsibility," a State Department press release said on Monday.

Hours earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had accused the US of backing the outlawed Kurdish militia group — after Washington did not immediately back up Ankara's claims over who was responsible.

The government said on Sunday that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) had executed 13 Turkish hostages in a cave in Iraq. The PKK blamed Turkish airstrikes.

The State Department initially responded to the incident by saying: "If reports of the death of Turkish civilians at the hands of the PKK, a designated terrorist organization, are confirmed, we condemn this action in the strongest possible terms."

The comments drew sharp criticism from the Turkish president in a televised address to his supporters. In it, he told Washington: "You said you did not support terrorists, when in fact you are on their side and behind them."

Erdogan claims a free pass in Iraq
The original US statement and the subsequent phone call stressed the importance of the bilateral relationship between the countries.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had expressed his frustration with the silence from "countries that are supposedly claiming to battle terrorism."

The Foreign Ministry had also summoned the US ambassador in Ankara, David Satterfield, on Monday.

Erdogan said no individual or country had the right to "question, criticize or oppose Turkey's operations in Iraq and Syria" after the "bloodbath" that occurred in northern Iraq.

He urged the United States to show support. "If we are together with you in NATO, if we are to continue our unity, then you will act sincerely towards us. Then, you will stand with us, not with the terrorists," Erdogan said.

US-Turkish relations under strain
Recent years have seen ongoing tensions between the NATo allies. The US, along with the EU, classes the PKK as a terrorist organization, however, Washington has worked closely with YPJ and YPG fighters to fight Islamic State in Syria — these mostly Kurdish forces are inextricably linked with either the PKK's cause, or even the group itself.

Erdogan has said he wants to rebuild relations with the new US administration, but Washington's support for Kurds in Syria and Iraq continues to be a strain on the relationship.

The Turkish government carried out mass arrests on Monday of at least 718 people it claimed to be supporters of the PKK, including provincial leaders of the pro-Kurdish HDP party. Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian approach at home in recent years has made it more difficult for allies to stand by his allegations.
... ... ...

Republicans in Congress overwhelmingly oppose the relief bill, casting it as bloated and budget-busting, with some heaping particular scorn on a measure to send $350 billion in assistance to states and cities. Should Biden go ahead without their approval, GOP leaders say, it will prove that his mantra of bipartisanship rings hollow.

But to many Republicans at city halls and statehouses across the country, the relief package looks very different. Instead of the “blue-state bailout” derided by GOP lawmakers, Republican mayors and governors say they see badly needed federal aid to keep police on the beat, to prevent battered Main Street businesses from going under and to help care for the growing ranks of the homeless and the hungry.

“It’s not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue,” said Dyer, who became mayor last month following a long career as the city’s police chief. “It’s a public health issue. It’s an economic issue. And it’s a public safety issue.”

Surveys show that a broad majority of Americans support the assistance, including large numbers of Republicans. Only a minority among Republican voters agree with GOP lawmakers that the aid package is too large, polls have found.
.....
There has been some relief. The Cares Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump last March, included $150 billion for states and for the nation’s 38 largest cities. But money had to be spent directly on coronavirus expenses, creating logistical hurdles in getting it out the door. Nearly a year later, some of it remains unspent, a point Republicans make in arguing for why additional taxpayer dollars should not be allocated.

The aid proposed by Biden would not have the same restrictions. Mayors say that will make it easier to quickly get it into the hands of those who need it and to stimulate economic growth.

(...) The Senate trial also gave powerful proof of just how undemocratic the Senate has become. Voting rights journalist Ari Berman noted that the “57 senators who voted to convict Trump represent 76.7 MILLION more Americans than 43 senators who voted to acquit.”

Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne noted that the adherence of all but seven senators to Trump “should end the absurd talk that there is a burden on President Biden to achieve a bipartisan nirvana in Washington. If most Republicans can’t even admit that what Trump did is worthy of impeachment, how can anyone imagine that they would be willing and trustworthy governing partners?”

Dionne added that the acquittal made an overwhelming case for getting rid of the filibuster, which in its current incarnation effectively means that no legislation can pass without support from 60 senators. Thanks to the 50-50 split in the Senate, getting to 60 means getting 10 Republican votes. This is impossible, Dionne says, because clearly “There are not 10 Republican Senate votes to be had on anything that really matters.” (...)

The sad part is even on a thread about Biden we can only talk Trump.

Quote:

The sad part is even on a thread about Biden we can only talk Trump.

While I don't plan on forgetting the guy and fully intend to keep heaping derision, sarcasm, and abuse on him and the MAGAtards, I can understand people getting tired of seeing him show up in every political discussion. I'm using izzythepush's How Stupid is Trump? thread for Trump material that isn't directly connected with the Biden administration and the current news cycle. It's an option.