dagblog - Comments for "Krugman, GOP Executing Scorched Earth Plan"

oops, NEW GAME, only just

artappraiser — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 06:58:33 +0000

In reply to DING DING DING! We have an

oops, NEW GAME, only just found out now that Trump threw a wrench at the whole deadlock Weds. morning, start narrative over, maybe the Town Hall debacle was inspiration along the lines of-throw some more money at them, maybe they'll like me then?

Democrats scramble on COVID-19 relief amid division, Trump surprise

@TheHill.com, Sept. 16, 5:58 pm

[....] Stirring the debate, President Trump stunned Washington Wednesday morning when he pressed Republicans on Capitol Hill to seek “much higher” levels of funding in the next emergency package — a message that Pelosi reiterated to Mnuchin during their phone call a few hours later.

Senate Republicans had initially offered a $1.1 trillion package in emergency aid, but subsequently voted on a proposal providing just $650 billion — including just $350 billion in new funding. Trump, joining the Democrats, said it wasn’t enough.

“Go for the much higher numbers, Republicans, it all comes back to the USA anyway (one way or another!),” Trump tweeted.

It was unclear what higher number the president is ready to accept, but his shifting position quickly energized Democrats, who have hammered the Republicans for pushing “emaciated” proposals they deem insufficient to address the health and economic crises caused by the pandemic.

“We look forward to hearing from the President’s negotiators that they will finally meet us halfway with a bill that is equal to the massive health and economic crises gripping our nation,” Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement [....]

DING DING DING! We have an

artappraiser — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 05:13:08 +0000

In reply to Krugman, GOP Executing Scorched Earth Plan

DING DING DING! We have an answer to the conundrum. They are messaging to their constituents that they will compromise with Biden if he is elected and therefore should not fear re-electing them.

Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden https://t.co/R11Ry2kEE1 pic.twitter.com/Z4f1yHKoIa
— The Hill (@thehill) September 17, 2020

Not necessarily true, but makes more sense.

Still doesn't answer the question about what their constituents are supposed to do to support their families while they fight with Nancy Pelosi until February.

I don't get it - Cramer was

PeraclesPlease — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 05:27:00 +0000

In reply to Jim Cramer had Nancy Pelosi

I don't get it - Cramer was doing an obvious rhetorical "I'm Donald Trump talking about negotiations" as if he were Trump - something Trump gets away with every day - and he stopped himself *immediately* after he said it. Cramer's on-air continuously speaking non-stop super speed - that a simple situational gaffe gets more condemnation than half the intentional insults we hear every day?

(longer clip hard to hear, but better shows the futility of negotiating with abrasive madman Trump that Cramer was trying to highlight)

Jim Cramer of CNBC just called Nancy Pelosi #CrazyNancy and I spit out my water pic.twitter.com/iZVo5cfKWl
— W.E. Dupree (@WayneDupreeShow) September 15, 2020

Jim Cramer had Nancy Pelosi

artappraiser — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 05:14:58 +0000

In reply to Krugman, GOP Executing Scorched Earth Plan

Jim Cramer had Nancy Pelosi in an interview on his show today and called her "Crazy Nancy" to her face which caused much commotion. Not going to get into that, if you're interested, look it up. I just ran across this tweet of his apology which reminded me that his audience was just the type I was trying to describe, probably vote Republican a lot of the time BUT THIS TIME, they just want a fucking relief bill before the entire small business world collapses. Now,not later. Last people like this want is tanking the economy. They're just small business owner types or wannable small business owner types probably interested in trading on their own behalf for their own modest retirement savings. These are not people who wish to see tons of homeless former restauranteurs selling apples on the street, even though they have voted Republican in the past, give me a break. That is just not a true picture. They understand economics and they want stimulus just like most Dem politicians do. Cramer for sure desperately wants to see some stimulus targeted to help small business, and that could include cash in the pocket of out-of-work consumers to buy small businesses' stuff

Can’t remember a casual insult like that in 20 years of business reporting. https://t.co/OG6tXkZkPt
— Christine Romans (@ChristineRomans) September 16, 2020

P.S. Won't help people who play the stock game like Cramer's audience if everyone starts withdrawing money from their 401K to live on instead of leaving it in a "fund".

I am seeing very little

artappraiser — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 01:05:36 +0000

In reply to Krugman, GOP Executing Scorched Earth Plan

I am seeing very little evidence, less all the time, actually, of organized plots and/or conspiracies by either GOP or Dems in Congress as far as economic relief. Again, what I am seeing is chaos and most congresscritters IN DENIAL of reality. Yes, again, it is more like Peracles' "year of magical thinking", where the virus will just disappear soon, everything will be fine again soon, the fires will die down like the last ones did, look the stock market is doing okay, etc. It is not purposeful plotting to have the economy bad under Biden, what it is is thinking they will be re-elected along with him and then everything will be back to the same old same old, so they ain't got to do nothing.

Meanwhile, I am seeing more and more anecdotal evidence of those famous non-voters and sometimes voters getting ready to vote for one of the few times that they actually bother to. Not only because there's no money for food or rent or the internet bill, but because the kids are at home all day again every day and there's not a babysitter to be found if one could afford one, much less a school teacher.

So it's looking like those non voter and rare voter and low info voter types may just be readying to come out and vote for the one thing that can get them to do so

mad as hell not going to take it anymore party ALL INCUMBENTS OUT, "throw the bums out" don't give a shit what party you're in, get your face out of gummint and don't come back and we don't want to hear your excuses, let's try someone else:

Patagonia prints election message on clothing tags: "Vote the a--holes out" https://t.co/gKZvP01AD8 pic.twitter.com/p86Mbz745n
— The Hill (@thehill) September 15, 2020

These Senate seats are up for

artappraiser — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 19:02:21 +0000

In reply to Pelosi: House will stay in

These Senate seats are up for election in 2020

@ Axios.com, Sept. 11

There are 35 Senate seats up for election in 2020 — including a special election in Arizona — many of which are expected to be brutally competitive as Democrats vie for control of the Senate.

Quick take: The Senate is currently made up of 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and 2 independents who caucus with the Democrats. Dems must win 3 or 4 GOP-held seats to take control of the Senate — 3 if the new vice president is a Democrat and 4 if not.

Republican senators representing left-leaning states or states that are shifting demographically — Susan Collins (Maine), Cory Gardner (Colo.) and Martha McSally (Ariz.) — are considered among the Democrats’ clearest 2020 targets.

As Democrats from Trump-won states, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) are also vulnerable.

Republicans - Cook Political Report race classification: [....]

Pelosi: House will stay in

artappraiser — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 18:59:04 +0000

In reply to Krugman, GOP Executing Scorched Earth Plan

Pelosi: House will stay in session until agreement is reached on coronavirus relief

@ TheHill.com - 09/15/20 10:18 AM EDT

[....]

The surprise development reflects both the severity of the public health and economic crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the growing pressure Pelosi is facing from the moderate wing of her party, which is clamoring for leadership to vote on another aid package before Congress leaves town again for the elections.

[....]

Leaders of the Blue Dog Democrats have, for weeks, pressed Pelosi and other party leaders to take up another relief bill preelection. On Monday, leaders of the New Democrat Coalition piled on, warning that lawmakers in battleground districts could be particularly harmed by congressional inaction. And leaders of the Problem Solvers, a bipartisan group, are set Tuesday morning to unveil a new aid package topping $1.5 trillion.

[....]

"We are committed to staying here until we have an agreement,” she told CNBC’s Jim Cramer.

[....]

Moderate Democrats push leadership to pull marijuana legislation

@ TheHill.com - 09/15/20 01:53 PM EDT

[....] Specifically, a number of frontline members have raised concerns about the optics of holding a vote on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act before a coronavirus stimulus package and a government funding bill are passed.

[....]

"At a time when people are really struggling just to pay the bills and to get through this health crisis, [COVID relief] should be our priority," said centrist Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.). He said he's suggested to Democratic leaders that the marijuana bill is "probably something I would support but we should do it later on."

Another member said colleagues have argued that “it's not something that you can get passed into law,” so it shouldn’t be prioritized over more time-sensitive issues.

Moderate Democrats have been up in arms that party leaders have signaled an intention to vote on the marijuana bill this month, just weeks before the elections when many vulnerable lawmakers are scrambling to keep their seats.

"This is the month when the Democratic Caucus is giving its closing arguments to the American people about what their priorities are and how they're going to govern. And prioritizing weed smokers over funding the government and providing relief to families and small businesses doesn't make much sense to the American people," said a senior Democratic aide associated with the moderate wing of the party.

"There are some policy concerns with the bill itself — the bill goes far beyond legalizing marijuana," the aide added. "But that is ultimately the main concern, is the timing of this." [....]

It's anyone's guess what or

NCD — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 16:48:00 +0000

In reply to Fed warnings on economy fail

It's anyone's guess what or why "traditional Republican money donors" are up to now. Republicans are the Party allowing and enabling Trump's demagoguery, attacks on the free press, independence of the Dept. of Justice, 'norms' government agencies and policy nonpartisanship, and democratic institutions, LeCarre from 2017 had this to say on "the donors" and what they want:

...there are oligarchs in the West who are so far to the right that they make a kind of natural cause with those on the other side of the world. Both of them have in common a great contempt for the ordinary conduct of democracy.

They want to diminish it. They see it as their enemy. They see - they've made a dirty word of liberalism - one of the most inviting words in politics. They've - and so they're closing in on the same target from different points of view.

Fed warnings on economy fail

artappraiser — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 11:04:43 +0000

In reply to Krugman, GOP Executing Scorched Earth Plan

Fed warnings on economy fail to resonate with Congress

@ TheHill.com - 09/15/20 06:05 AM EDT

BTW. I still wonder if a "scorched earth policy, blame it on Joe later" is truly the case, as traditional Republican monied donors and voters aren't types like "let's have a depression", they are the type of people appointed to Fed Reserve positions and managing money market funds. In a way I favor PP's "year of magical thinking" explanation, and if they don't do some stimulus soon, those up for re-election might be in for a surprise. In total denial that a "throw all the incumbent bums out" phenomenon can still exist.

You still count on reaching

PeraclesPlease — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 09:35:55 +0000

In reply to OIC why now. But I disagree

You still count on reaching old age? You *are* a glass half full type, aren't you.