Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

Goddamit, not you too, Chip.

[Dr. Strangelove]

So now today Schumer is reportedly going to try introducing just the foreign aid package for Israel/Ukraine/Taiwan. Seems likely to pass the Senate. Would probably pass the House if it's allowed a vote but will Johnson do that? He was an unhappy man leaving the Capitol last night. Job's harder than he though I imagine.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Talk to Matt Gaetz, Tom

[Mike]

I would love if HR 2 became law, the Senate bill is trash. The reason HR 2 will not become law is the Ds want as many migrants as possible to enter the United States.

[Dr. Strangelove]

No, it's because once Republicans achieve everything they want on border security they will have no reason to negotiate over expanding LEGAL immigration. Which is what people like me actually want.

[Mike]

Do you have a hypothesis as to why illegal immigration is up 300% under Biden compared to Trump?

[Dr. Strangelove]

Do you have a hypothesis as to why illegal immigration is up 300% under Biden compared to Trump?

I have said since yesterday that it's a lot worse under Biden and Trump's EOs made things manageable. But they didn't solve the actual problem. That takes CONGRESS. And a huge portion of your party thinks that because Republicans control one half of Congress by a 3 seat majority, you're in good bargaining position to get 100% of what you're demanding while offering zero concessions to the opposing party. All it takes is that you FIGHT HARD!

[Mike]

No, it's because once Republicans achieve everything they want on border security they will have no reason to negotiate over expanding LEGAL immigration. Which is what people like me actually want.

I don't think the Rs are nearly as opposed to legal immigration as they are illegal immigration but I don't really hear anything about it either way. People for sane immigration policy typically prefer that immigrants posses skills they can use to support themselves, their families, and contribute to society.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Talk to Hannibal about how much he'd like to expand LEGAL immigration. And he's representative of a sizeable chunk of your party. They want to go the opposite direction because Asians aren't voting the way they're "supposed" to.

[Dr. Strangelove]

If House R's don't get some kind of "win" soon, I'm not gonna be shocked if there's another moronic vacate the chair motion and Johnson gets the heave-ho. There's a lot of reporting this morning that grumbles are growing loud that he doesn't know what he's doing. Overseeing two failed votes yesterday was a big shot to his credibility. When Tom Massie is talking about how things were better under McCarthy....

[Mike]

I have said since yesterday that it's a lot worse under Biden and Trump's EOs made things manageable. But they didn't solve the actual problem. That takes CONGRESS. And a huge portion of your party thinks that because Republicans control one half of Congress by a 3 seat majority, you're in good bargaining position to get 100% of what you're demanding while offering zero concessions to the opposing party. All it takes is that you FIGHT HARD!

The reason is because EVERY DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE last cycle proposed some form of making it easier to enter the country. Hell, a lot of progressives don't even believe in borders. When the D party leaders repeatedly went on TV and explained what they would do to facilitate an increase in border crossings, people in central America listened.

Decriminalize illegal border crossings

WHAT THE CANDIDATES HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS

Cory Booker
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again now — we have to do the right thing and decriminalize border crossing,”

Pete Buttigieg
“Mayor Pete believes that unlawful crossings of the border should be handled through the civil legal process, not through criminal law.

Julián Castro
“Sec. Castro was the first candidate to propose removing criminal penalties for unauthorized border crossings,” his campaign wrote in an email. “The act would continue to be against the law, with civil penalties applied, but would prevent families from being separated again.”

Kamala Harris
Harris raised her hand at a June debate when candidates were asked about whether they would like to decriminalize illegal border crossings.

Bernie Sanders
“Bernie believes crossing the border should be a civil, not a criminal, offense. He believes that no human being is illegal, and we should not treat families who travel thousands of miles to escape violence and misery as criminals.”

Elizabeth Warren
“As president, [Warren] will immediately issue guidance to end criminal prosecutions for simple administrative immigration violations.”

Marianne Williamson
Williamson raised her hand at a June debate when the candidates were asked whether they would decriminalize illegal border crossings.

Andrew Yang
“Andrew favors temporarily decriminalizing illegal border crossings for as long as it takes for our government to establish a process that actually gives people a reasonable opportunity to cross legally, allows refugees access to apply for asylum when needed,

Joe Biden
“No. But unlike the Trump Administration, Vice President Biden would ensure that U.S. immigration law would be enforced humanely.”

Amy Klobuchar
“Senator Klobuchar would immediately end the policy of family separation and she would change enforcement priorities so that criminal penalties are reserved for those who threaten the safety and security of our country,”

The only 2 out of these 10 who answered "no" to decriminalizing the border went on to say how they would ease enforcement anyway.

People in Central America heard them.

[Mike]

If House R's don't get some kind of "win" soon, I'm not gonna be shocked if there's another moronic vacate the chair motion and Johnson gets the heave-ho. There's a lot of reporting this morning that grumbles are growing loud that he doesn't know what he's doing. Overseeing two failed votes yesterday was a big shot to his credibility. When Tom Massie is talking about how things were better under McCarthy....

He clearly doesn't know what he's doing and the Republican Party clearly is a complete fucking mess. That doesn't change ideological arguments, however.

[iam416]

There's really no disputing this.

Even in DSL's terms, DJT may not have "solved" the border issue (as if that's actually possible), but he made it manageable. The Chairman, ergo, made it unmanageable. The Chairman, ergo, could make it manageable today with his pen. The Chairman has not done that.

Instead we have some sort of shit that won't even get it back to manageable.

[iam416]

Meanwhile, the DJT and the Rs -- being the disaster that they are -- are in much better shape to win in 2024 than they were in 2020. I mean, DSL posts one thing after another about how horrible the Rs are, and he were are -- admittedly 9 months out -- but the election is a true toss up.

[Dr. Strangelove]

The R's would be a shoe-in to win if they had chosen someone other than Trump. And even Trump would be a heavy favorite if he had simply conceded in 2020.