8 votes

Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of July 26

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Tags: usa, politics, recurring.weekly

This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.

This is an inherently political thread; please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.

5 comments

  1. [3]
    spit-evil-olive-tips
    Link
    on today's episode of "the US is a failed state" Federal eviction protections have ended, leaving renters scrambling no, they learned about it a month ago, when SCOTUS ruled that it would take...

    on today's episode of "the US is a failed state"

    Federal eviction protections have ended, leaving renters scrambling

    "Really, we only learned about this yesterday,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters after Democrats tried to extend the moratorium, only to have Republicans object.

    no, they learned about it a month ago, when SCOTUS ruled that it would take Congressional action to extend the moratorium past July 31st

    Pelosi is now at peak "why isn't someone doing something about this???" on twitter

    apropos of nothing in particular, Pelosi's net worth is $114 million.

    6 votes
    1. [3]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. spit-evil-olive-tips
        Link Parent
        read your own link. the claim that article is factchecking is that Pelosi is worth $196 million. as part of the debunking, they cite data from the Center for Responsive Politics. which is...the...

        Pelosi's net worth is $114 million.

        those numbers are supposedly wrong anyways.

        read your own link. the claim that article is factchecking is that Pelosi is worth $196 million.

        as part of the debunking, they cite data from the Center for Responsive Politics. which is...the same source cited in the wikipedia article I linked.

        Using the Center for Responsive Politics method of averaging the two leaves a net worth of about $106 million. That’s about $90 million less than the figure cited in the meme.

        the $114 vs $106 million discrepancy seems to come from Wikipedia using CRP's 2018 numbers while USA Today used 2019 numbers.

        but, put net worth aside, since the way those financial disclosure forms work, politicians only have to give a broad range (and I'm sure there's a perfectly valid reason for that which has nothing to do with protecting the interests of the wealthy elite...I bet Pelosi hates having such vague disclosure forms that all we know for sure is her net worth is somewhere between $250 million and negative $40 million)

        a single factoid from the article you linked also illustrates the point I'm trying to make:

        A Napa, California, home and vineyard the California Democrat owns is worth between $5 million and $25 million and generated between $100,001 and $1 million in income from grape sales, according to her 2019 report.

        even if you take the low end of those ranges...a home slash vineyard in Napa (which is outside Pelosi's district, so presumably it's a 2nd home?) worth $5 million, that makes annual income of $100,000 selling wine grapes.

        median household income, meanwhile, is ~$63k. so Pelosi's income just from selling wine grapes is somewhere between 1.5 and 15 times as much as the average household makes.

        my point stands that I think Pelosi is completely out of touch with the reality of people who are behind on their rent and facing eviction (or behind on their mortgage and facing foreclosure, because that's a parallel crisis that's about to hit a few million people)

        They don't have the votes in Congress to extend the moratorium, you know that as well as I do.

        "we don't have the votes" is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

        what can they do? I'm not a political expert, but maybe they could fucking try.

        they absolutely could get the votes to pass an extension through the House. and Pelosi controls what gets voted on in the House.

        and they also control the voting schedule in the Senate. which means they can put it to a vote, even if their own whip count says they'll lose the vote.

        (yes, I'm aware that's not normally how they do things in the Senate. I'm saying maybe that's part of the problem.)

        force all those Republican Senators to go on the record with a roll-call vote in favor of evicting people. Pelosi and Schumer don't want to do that. why not? probably at least in part because several Democrats (Manchin and Sinema, if not more) would also vote in favor of throwing people out onto the streets during a pandemic, and that'd be a bad look.

        so instead we get this political theater where they never vote on anything (except the "must pass" spending bills) because everyone already "knows" how they're going to vote. which frees them from ever having to go on-the-record with an unambiguous yes-or-no answer to a difficult question.

        and meanwhile Congress takes their traditional month-long paid vacation. which is just another area where Congresspeople are completely out of touch with the reality of everyday people.

        Putting the blame on Democrats when *we know" where the issue lies is exactly how Republicans want the messaging to spread.

        ahh, the good ol' "criticizing Democrats from the left isn't allowed, because then the terrorists Republicans win"

        who's "we"? speak for yourself. I have no problem putting the blame on both parties.

        slogan of the Democratic Party continues to be "you should be fucking thankful for the crumbs you get, because the other guys would give you even fewer crumbs".

        3 votes
      2. Micycle_the_Bichael
        Link Parent
        make them vote use some of their vast wealth to support mutual aids in their state/district to help people who are about to be evicted and public push for others with means to do the same use some...

        • make them vote

        • use some of their vast wealth to support mutual aids in their state/district to help people who are about to be evicted and public push for others with means to do the same

        • use some of the manpower and resources at their disposal to create or amplify sites that help people who are homeless or about to be evicted.

        • use their national media platform to pressure state and local officials to pass local eviction moratorium in their state/district

        • literally fucking anything other than tweeting the equivalent of “thoughts and prayers” and moving on.

        She/they (Democrats) are some of the highest level of government officials in the US. If they can’t use their brains or resources to think of some way they could help people other than to not hold a vote because they know it’ll fail what good are they?

        3 votes
  2. kfwyre
    Link
    As new school year looms, debates over mask mandates stir anger and confusion

    As new school year looms, debates over mask mandates stir anger and confusion

    New federal guidelines prompted by a surge in coronavirus cases have left school leaders across the country embroiled in debates over whether to require masks in schools, muddling a long-sought return to normalcy for millions of children.

    The wrangling over masks, considered by pediatricians and epidemiologists to be one of the most effective ways to stop school spread, has turned deeply personal and political, fueling vitriol at school board meetings that have left board members fearing for their safety. Several Republican-led states have barred school districts from requiring masks, threatening to fine school leaders or cut state funding if they attempt it.

    Caught in the fray are school leaders, who are forced to again navigate constantly shifting pandemic conditions, conflicting guidance on how to manage them and political fights — all while trying to craft policies that will keep students safe and buildings open. Because despite the deep divide over masks, there is a virtual consensus that it is critical to get children back to face-to-face learning.

    3 votes
  3. Kuromantis
    Link
    Senators hope to forge ahead with bipartisan infrastructure bill this week (For all the cringe and nonsense going on here, I comment Schumer for basically saying he will sacrifice the his and the...

    Senators hope to forge ahead with bipartisan infrastructure bill this week

    • A group of senators hopes to finalize its bipartisan infrastructure bill as soon as Monday.

    • Once the legislation is released, the Senate could vote to advance it by later this week.

    • Democrats hope to pass the $579 billion in new infrastructure spending along with a broader plan to address child care, health care and climate change.

    • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will not take up either bill until the Senate passes both.

    The Senate faces a time crunch to pass President Joe Biden's sweeping agenda, as senators try this week to finalize and advance a bipartisan infrastructure package.

    Democratic and Republican lawmakers aim to release as soon as Monday a bill that would put $579 billion in new funds into transportation, broadband and utilities. Disputes over issues including transit funding have prevented senators from finalizing the legislation.

    Democratic leaders are rushing to pass both the infrastructure plan and a second partisan bill that would invest in child care, education and efforts to curb climate change. Biden views both pieces of his agenda as vital to boosting the economy and creating a stronger social safety net as the U.S. emerges from the wreckage of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Schumer aims to make progress on both fronts in the coming weeks. He hopes to pass both the bipartisan bill and a budget resolution — which would allow his party to approve its $3.5 trillion plan without any Republican votes in the Senate split 50-50 by party — before the chamber leaves for its August recess.

    The Senate plans to leave Washington from Aug. 9 to Sept. 10. Schumer has said he will keep the chamber in session for as long as it takes to pass the infrastructure bill and budget resolution.

    Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat who has worked with senators on the infrastructure plan, told CNBC on Monday that he will push for a separate House vote on the bipartisan bill if it gets through the Senate.

    (For all the cringe and nonsense going on here, I comment Schumer for basically saying he will sacrifice the his and the congress's vacation for these bills.)