What does a BIDEN Presidency look like?

[Jacob]

So you agree with me that they could in fact do both, they simply chose not to - thanks.

And no, the Senate rules do not make it difficult, GOP obstruction makes it difficult. Absent a trial, they would be doing the exact same thing, and I don't buy for a second your "just so" story about how their ability to obstruct and delay is ONLY based on their being a trial.

There's a pretty strong narrative that whenever the GOP obstructs the Democrats, it's the Democrat's fault for being stupid. If they'd just changed their approach or rhetoric to match the one favoured by the speaker, they could've outmanoeuvred the GOP for sure.

Personally, while I'd love to see a Democrat masterstroke to circumvent the GOP's obstruction I believe the responsibility for the GOP's obstruction lies with the GOP.

[crazy canuck]

Good news, Berkut, feels well enough to post

[alfred russel]

So you agree with me that they could in fact do both, they simply chose not to - thanks.

And no, the Senate rules do not make it difficult, GOP obstruction makes it difficult. Absent a trial, they would be doing the exact same thing, and I don't buy for a second your "just so" story about how their ability to obstruct and delay is ONLY based on their being a trial.

I don't agree with you and don't think you understand the senate rules on holds and cloture for nominations.

Joe Biden became president on January 20. There have been four full weeks since then. In that time, 1 week was completely dedicated to the trial, and 1 week completely dedicated to vacation.

The other two weeks included the first round of passing a covid relief bill that was $1.6 trillion. The republicans fought that tooth and nail and the floor fight didn't end until after 5 in the morning. They offered over 700 amendments and in the end it passed with a 50-50 vote and Harris being the tie breaker.

Schumer is the majority leader and he has prioritized covid relief (no argument with that) over nominations. It is the other use of time that is disappointing.

[Valmy]

Well the point is that at least it was short. So much business still to achieve in such a short time. I hope by this summer we can look back at this period as a success. We'll see.

[alfred russel]

The problem with saying, "republicans are obstructionist" as the default for anything behind schedule is that it perversely destroys incentives to cooperate for republicans (why cooperate if we don't get credit) and also incentives for leadership from democrats (why work hard to push stuff through if we can just blame republicans).

It is insane that I lay out for you people that:
-if the trial was to be held, we would get to this date with very limited cabinet positions filled,
-the trial would need to be rushed and probably have no witnesses because the calendar there are too many competing priorities.

Here we are with just 7 cabinet positions filled and with a rushed trial without witnesses and all we get are "republicans sure are obstructing shit!" It isn't republicans fault--it is a fault of democratic leadership that they scheduled the trial a few weeks into Biden's administration when it could have been delayed until the middle of the year.

Republicans have not been obstructing most nominees--so far only Mayorkas was contested--my guess is as good as yours as to why--probably McConnell is calculating that they will be better served not to fight everything but instead cooperate and save their powder for fights they can win.

[Tonitrus]

Are there any studies measuring the IQ of Trumpists vs the general population?

To what end?

Smugness, obviously. 

[Berkut]

The problem with saying, "republicans are obstructionist" as the default for anything behind schedule is that it perversely destroys incentives to cooperate for republicans (why cooperate if we don't get credit) and also incentives for leadership from democrats (why work hard to push stuff through if we can just blame republicans).

It is insane that I lay out for you people that:
-if the trial was to be held, we would get to this date with very limited cabinet positions filled,
-the trial would need to be rushed and probably have no witnesses because the calendar there are too many competing priorities.

Here we are with just 7 cabinet positions filled and with a rushed trial without witnesses and all we get are "republicans sure are obstructing shit!" It isn't republicans fault--it is a fault of democratic leadership that they scheduled the trial a few weeks into Biden's administration when it could have been delayed until the middle of the year.

Republicans have not been obstructing most nominees--so far only Mayorkas was contested--my guess is as good as yours as to why--probably McConnell is calculating that they will be better served not to fight everything but instead cooperate and save their powder for fights they can win.

So the Republicans have not been obstructing nominees, but they have been obstructing other things, and those other things have stopped the nominations.

But this is the Dems fault, for wanting to hold Trump accountable now, instead of pretending like murdering cops while trying to murder members of COngress is no big deal and can wait until later...

What is insane is the arrogance of predicting the utterly predictable, having everyone say "Yes, that is predictable, but there are good reason to do it anyway" and then slobbering all over yourself about how brilliant you are for predicting that the sun would rise in the East and that might mean it gets more light out.

If there was no Senate trial, McConnel would be doing everything he can to obstruct everything he can. If there is a trial, he will do the exact same thing. The difference is in details, and I have seen nothing that suggests that those details matter. You are so impressed with your ability to predict that yes, McConnell and the lickspittle pieces of GOP shit would suceed in doing the onlly thing they know how to do. Nobody disputed it. The only dispute was the claim that there is just no other possible way it could have turned out, when even you admit that is not true.

The Republicans could have held the trial AND not been onstructionists assholes. They chose not to. Why we would assume they would not be obstructionist assholes anyway, that is the part where, as usual, you fail.

[crazy canuck]

Are there any studies measuring the IQ of Trumpists vs the general population?

To what end?

more of a beginning than an end.

[Berkut]

So you agree with me that they could in fact do both, they simply chose not to - thanks.

And no, the Senate rules do not make it difficult, GOP obstruction makes it difficult. Absent a trial, they would be doing the exact same thing, and I don't buy for a second your "just so" story about how their ability to obstruct and delay is ONLY based on their being a trial.

There's a pretty strong narrative that whenever the GOP obstructs the Democrats, it's the Demcrat's fault for being stupid. If they'd just changed their approach or rhetoric to match the one favoured by the speaker, they could've outmanoeuvred the GOP for sure.

Personally, while I'd love to see a Democrat masterstroke to circumvent the GOP's obstruction I believe the responsibility for the GOP's obstruction lies with the GOP.

Indeed. McConnell is a master at being a lying, deceitful piece of shit. I see no reason to pretend that of all the times he has done the same thing over and over and over again, if ONLY the Dems had gone along with the GOP on THIS occasion, they would have totally tricked him into being a decent human being!

[alfred russel]

So the Republicans have not been obstructing nominees, but they have been obstructing other things, and those other things have stopped the nominations.

The republicans are in the minority and nothing that requires a 60 vote threshold to break a filibuster has come before the Senate since Biden became president. Their ability to "obstruct" thus far is somewhat limited - they made covid relief round 1 very painful and did all they could to stop Mayorkas.

It is a bit disingenuous to call fighting a $1.6 trillion covid relief bill that the entire caucus voted against as being "obstructionist"--versus fighting a bill they don't like.

But this is the Dems fault, for wanting to hold Trump accountable now, instead of pretending like murdering cops while trying to murder members of COngress is no big deal and can wait until later...

The trial was 1/3 the length of the shortest previous trial and ended in acquittal. There is now going to be an additional congressional inquiry because the impeachment and trial was completely half assed.

Is there going to be any criminal prosecution of Trump regarding the events? If so, has the criminal justice system decided it was no big deal because they haven't prosecuted him already? Why did the Senate need to try Trump and reach a verdict in 5 days in February versus say taking the month of May?

What is insane is the arrogance of predicting the utterly predictable, having everyone say "Yes, that is predictable, but there are good reason to do it anyway" and then slobbering all over yourself about how brilliant you are for predicting that the sun would rise in the East and that might mean it gets more light out.

If there was no Senate trial, McConnel would be doing everything he can to obstruct everything he can. If there is a trial, he will do the exact same thing. The difference is in details, and I have seen nothing that suggests that those details matter. You are so impressed with your ability to predict that yes, McConnell and the lickspittle pieces of GOP shit would suceed in doing the onlly thing they know how to do. Nobody disputed it. The only dispute was the claim that there is just no other possible way it could have turned out, when even you admit that is not true.

The Republicans could have held the trial AND not been onstructionists assholes. They chose not to. Why we would assume they would not be obstructionist assholes anyway, that is the part where, as usual, you fail.

You fucking idiot. The Senate took a week long recess last week. Schumer is the majority leader. Keep believing it is all the fault of republicans.

[Berkut]

So you are now claiming that they took a recess because there was an impeachment trial, and they HAD TO TAKE THAT RECESS because there was an impeachment trial, and absent an impeachment trial, there would not have been a recess?

YOU are the one claiming everything is all about the impeachment trial. One would think pointing out that the Senate decided it needed a week off would argue against blaming everything on the trial.

It's very odd how selective you are in how you evaluate data. Oh wait.....no it isn't. It is utterly predictable.

[alfred russel]

So you are now claiming that they took a recess because there was an impeachment trial, and they HAD TO TAKE THAT RECESS because there was an impeachment trial, and absent an impeachment trial, there would not have been a recess?

What could possibly lead you to conclude that?

The recess is not because of the impeachment trial (only an idiot would think that). But that is one of just 4 full weeks that have transpired since the inauguration.

If you want to spend time on covid relief (justifiably), and a week on an impossibly rushed impeachment trial that borders on a show rather than something of substance, that week of recess is going to put you at a historically slow pace of cabinet approvals.

You are blaming McConnell and Republican obstructionism for the super slow pace of cabinet approvals. I'm telling you that you are wrong and that a giant chunk of time was spent on the trial and recess. Of the other two weeks a chunk was spent on a $1.6 trillion covid relief bill.

You are a simp if you are buying the slowness is due to republican obstructionism.

YOU are the one claiming everything is all about the impeachment trial.

Certainly not! I'm not claiming that at all.

[/quote]
One would think pointing out that the Senate decided it needed a week off would argue against blaming everything on the trial.

It's very odd how selective you are in how you evaluate data. Oh wait.....no it isn't. It is utterly predictable.
[/quote]

How I interpret the data? You are a fucking idiot. I looked at the calendar and could see that if they scheduled a trial that:
a) it would have to be wrapped up very quickly because apart from cabinet approvals there is also a revote needed on covid relief,
b) the recess was already scheduled and LOL at Senators canceling their vacation,
c) even a one week trial would produce a historically delayed cabinet.

I thought a better alternative would be to delay the trial. Of course that didn't happen, and JR was like "the senate can walk and chew gum at the same time".

Turns out I was right on the money. Sucks for the people entitled to some of the billions in aid that need an approved cabinet member to get it to them, or the people in legal limbo if they have to return to federal prison, but it is what it is and Berkut is blaming Mitch McConnell.

[Admiral Yi]

Sucks for the people entitled to some of the billions in aid that need an approved cabinet member to get it to them

wut?  Do you know something about confirmation and cutting checks that I don't?

[Berkut]

He knows everything about those things. And he will tell you all about it.

[Berkut]

Turns out I was right on the money. Sucks for the people entitled to some of the billions in aid that need an approved cabinet member to get it to them, or the people in legal limbo if they have to return to federal prison, but it is what it is and Berkut is blaming Mitch McConnell.

The Senate CAN walk and chew gum at the same time, it just requires the Senate to actually decided to do so, which means that they senators have to decide to do their job instead of not doing their job.

You keep claiming that it was the trial, and absent the trial, nothing else would matter. Except you bring up them taking a recess. Well, they could have not taken a recess in the exact same manner they could have not had the trial - just decided to do so.

So why is it the trial that is at fault, while you keep mentioning other things?

They could have had the trial, AND gotten confirmations done, had they wanted to do so, and had Senate leadership in the minority decided to do so - they didn't, which is entirely predictable.

It's funny how you are pretending to not know that all these confirmations could have been done prior to Jan. 20th anyway - when McConnell still controlled the Senate. Of course he did not, because your dear McConnell is a fucking douchebag, and now you are sitting here blaming his refusal to do his job on the Dems.

Pathetic. There is one reason and one reason only there has not been the normal confirmations done - because McConnell did not act when he was supposed to do so, safe knowing that his faithful would invent all kinds of reasons why it was actually someone else fault.