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In It to Win It
In It to Win It's Journal
In It to Win It's Journal
March 1, 2023
Either I underestimated Joe Biden or I overestimated the Republican Party
To be clear, I didn't underestimate Joe Biden's ability and/or capacity to be the President of the United States and our Commander-in-Chief.
Despite having inflation setbacks, Joe Biden has had quite a slew of legislative wins. I guess my thoughts back in 2020 during the election was that Joe Biden was going to face a massive amount of Republican resistance, and that hasn't played out. For all the Republican Party's fuckery, they have played nice in the sandbox relative to the Obama administration. I thought Joe Biden would have had a lot more setbacks due to Republican ratfuckery than he's been getting.
He's had great bipartisan wins such as infrastructure bill, CHIPS bill, PACT Act, and holding both parties united on the defense of Ukraine. Internationally, he's held NATO united against Russia. Joe Biden is the man for the moment. These are the substantive things that the country and the world needs. He's held Democrats together for important legislation; both Republicans and Democrats together for important bipartisan legislation; and had held the world together at a time when it's most needed.
Joe Biden saved America in November 2020. For that reason alone, I am a Joe Biden stan.
However, Joe Biden had brought a renaissance era to Congress and the White House, and has reminded me that Congress isn't completely useless when the country has capable leadership.
It goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway. Joe Biden has my undying support in 2024. Again, he is the man for the moment and I hope to see more legislative wins like what we've had thus far in his term. As long as Joe Biden is in the WH, I will never get tired of winning.
March 1, 2023
LOL @ President Biden calls out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for yelling "Liar!"
https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1630669728942366725I’ve been around for a lot of State of the Unions. (Laughter.) I never saw one where the President got to negotiate in the open with everybody. (Laughter and applause.) I was pleased to see so many Republicans stand up. Remember when Marjorie Taylor Greene was yelling, “Liar! Liar! Biden’s a liar!”? (Laughter.)
(The President makes the sign of the cross.) (Laughter and applause.) I’m going to be good. I’m going to be good.
They don’t want to cut anything. I — so I — when I asked — I said, “Okay, you don’t want to cut anything? Everybody who says we’re not going to cut Medicare or Social Security…” — when I asked them to join us and reject the cuts to Medicare — wasn’t it something? They all stood up. (Laughter and applause.) They all stood up. And they’re all on camera. (Laughter.) Got all their pictures.
Like I said, I believe in conversion. (Laughter.) Maybe they found — as my grandfather said, “Maybe they found religion” — (laughter) — on Social Security and Medicare. I sure hope so — all kidding aside. But I’ll believe it when I see it.
(The President makes the sign of the cross.) (Laughter and applause.) I’m going to be good. I’m going to be good.
They don’t want to cut anything. I — so I — when I asked — I said, “Okay, you don’t want to cut anything? Everybody who says we’re not going to cut Medicare or Social Security…” — when I asked them to join us and reject the cuts to Medicare — wasn’t it something? They all stood up. (Laughter and applause.) They all stood up. And they’re all on camera. (Laughter.) Got all their pictures.
Like I said, I believe in conversion. (Laughter.) Maybe they found — as my grandfather said, “Maybe they found religion” — (laughter) — on Social Security and Medicare. I sure hope so — all kidding aside. But I’ll believe it when I see it.
March 1, 2023
https://twitter.com/JessicaValenti/status/1630753865703325697
Mississippi GOP pushes law that would ban voters from using ballot measures to change abortion laws
Jessica Valenti
@JessicaValenti
Republicans in Mississippi are pushing legislation that would ban voters from using ballot measures to change abortion laws.
They know *exactly* how Americans feel about abortion and don't want voters to have a say
Mississippi Could Renew Initiatives but Ban Them on Abortion
@JessicaValenti
Republicans in Mississippi are pushing legislation that would ban voters from using ballot measures to change abortion laws.
They know *exactly* how Americans feel about abortion and don't want voters to have a say
Mississippi Could Renew Initiatives but Ban Them on Abortion
-snip-
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi residents might get back the ability to enact public policy through statewide ballot initiatives, but people would be banned from using the process to change abortion laws.
Republican lawmakers advanced a proposal Tuesday that would strip voters of their ability to launch abortion measures under a revived ballot initiative process.
Starting in the 1990s, Mississippi had an initiative process that allowed people to put proposed state constitutional amendments on the ballot. The state Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that the process was invalid because it required an equal number of signatures from five congressional districts. The state had dropped to four districts after the 2000 Census, but initiative language was never updated.
Since the 2021 ruling, Mississippi voters have lacked a process for addressing issues by launching initiatives. The restriction on abortion ballot measures is the latest update to a resolution moving through the Legislature that would restore the initiative process. This would allow proposed laws, not constitutional amendments, to go on the ballot.
The initial version of the resolution had no provisions related to abortion; those were added Tuesday. Rep. Fred Shanks, the Republican chair of the House Constitution Committee, told reporters there was concern among GOP lawmakers that Mississippi voters might use the initiative process to expand abortion access, which is now tightly restricted.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi residents might get back the ability to enact public policy through statewide ballot initiatives, but people would be banned from using the process to change abortion laws.
Republican lawmakers advanced a proposal Tuesday that would strip voters of their ability to launch abortion measures under a revived ballot initiative process.
Starting in the 1990s, Mississippi had an initiative process that allowed people to put proposed state constitutional amendments on the ballot. The state Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that the process was invalid because it required an equal number of signatures from five congressional districts. The state had dropped to four districts after the 2000 Census, but initiative language was never updated.
Since the 2021 ruling, Mississippi voters have lacked a process for addressing issues by launching initiatives. The restriction on abortion ballot measures is the latest update to a resolution moving through the Legislature that would restore the initiative process. This would allow proposed laws, not constitutional amendments, to go on the ballot.
The initial version of the resolution had no provisions related to abortion; those were added Tuesday. Rep. Fred Shanks, the Republican chair of the House Constitution Committee, told reporters there was concern among GOP lawmakers that Mississippi voters might use the initiative process to expand abortion access, which is now tightly restricted.
https://twitter.com/JessicaValenti/status/1630753865703325697
March 1, 2023
https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1630658530184409088
Jackson Lee: McCarthy's city will go unnamed but the murder rate there in 2021 was 11.91 per 100k.
Acyn
@Acyn
Jackson Lee: McCarthy’s city will go unnamed but the murder rate there in 2021 was 11.91 per 100k. It was double the murder rate in New York City and San Francisco
@Acyn
Jackson Lee: McCarthy’s city will go unnamed but the murder rate there in 2021 was 11.91 per 100k. It was double the murder rate in New York City and San Francisco
https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1630658530184409088
February 28, 2023
https://twitter.com/CAKitchener/status/1630570248070995969
NEWS: A Republican lawmaker in Texas has introduced legislation to compel internet providers to bloc
Caroline Kitchener
@CAKitchener
NEWS: A Republican lawmaker in Texas has introduced legislation to compel internet providers to block abortion pill websites, including Aid Access and Plan C.
@CAKitchener
NEWS: A Republican lawmaker in Texas has introduced legislation to compel internet providers to block abortion pill websites, including Aid Access and Plan C.
The bill — titled “The Women Health and Safety Act” — was introduced by Rep. Steve Toth, and has a long list of other provisions, including the criminal penalties for abortion funds and their staffers.
As far as I know, this is the first bill of its kind -- and represents a potential whole new front for the antiabortion movement. Link to the bill text here: https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/HB02690I.pdf#navpanes=0
https://twitter.com/CAKitchener/status/1630570248070995969
February 27, 2023
We KNEW that Fox News knew the "stolen election" theory was all bullshit
We knew it.
We fucking knew it.
...but to have it confirmed is no less satisfying.
To believe such a theory is to be an idiot. I, in no way, think the hosts of Fox News are stupid but they do a hell of a job playing stupid for their viewers. Their viewers will still believe the stolen election bullshit because that's what they want to hear.
Someone said to me earlier that it'll be funny to watch Fox News viewers come to terms that what they believed was bullshit. My response to that is that will never happen. They don't tune in for news (as if Fox News would cover their own lies anyway). They don't tune in to be challenged. They tune in to hear people reaffirm the bullshit that they already believe.
February 27, 2023
https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/1630298424363950081
Black history in Florida
Michael Beschloss
@BeschlossDC
Black history in Florida: White segregationists try to prevent Black protesters from entering water at segregated beach, St. Augustine, Florida, 1964:
@BeschlossDC
Black history in Florida: White segregationists try to prevent Black protesters from entering water at segregated beach, St. Augustine, Florida, 1964:
Some more Black history in St. Augustine, Florida, 1964--Monson Motor Lodge manager pours acid into motel swimming pool in effort to evict Black and White protesters demanding integration: #Cort
https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/1630298424363950081
February 27, 2023
Meet the Democrat Who Thinks He Can Take Down Josh Hawley
https://www.yahoo.com/news/meet-democrat-thinks-down-josh-043517525.htmlMissouri is, decidedly, a red state.
It’s been years since the Show-Me state elected a Democrat statewide. And when Sen. Josh Hawley (R) is up for re-election in 2024, likely boosted by the headwinds of a presidential cycle, most would figure he’ll be in fine shape.
But Lucas Kunce—a Democrat, marine veteran, and attorney—has a different perspective. And he’s trying to get others to join in.
Like a number of Democrats before him, Kunce is running as an underdog candidate, trying to flip a red-state seat blue. He thinks a grassroots, populist approach can revitalize the Democratic Party in Missouri, betting his working-class background will connect with voters who’ve felt disenchanted by politicians.
Just months ago, Missouri Democrats lost their 2022 Senate bid by double digits. But in the 2024 cycle, Kunce argues, things could play out differently.
It’s been years since the Show-Me state elected a Democrat statewide. And when Sen. Josh Hawley (R) is up for re-election in 2024, likely boosted by the headwinds of a presidential cycle, most would figure he’ll be in fine shape.
But Lucas Kunce—a Democrat, marine veteran, and attorney—has a different perspective. And he’s trying to get others to join in.
Like a number of Democrats before him, Kunce is running as an underdog candidate, trying to flip a red-state seat blue. He thinks a grassroots, populist approach can revitalize the Democratic Party in Missouri, betting his working-class background will connect with voters who’ve felt disenchanted by politicians.
Just months ago, Missouri Democrats lost their 2022 Senate bid by double digits. But in the 2024 cycle, Kunce argues, things could play out differently.
February 26, 2023
Some Republicans' call to pick East Palestine over Ukraine is 'false choice,' McCaul says
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/republicans-call-pick-east-palestine-142700745.htmlRep. Michael McCaul, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Sunday that the debate over whether the U.S. should prioritize domestic issues or support for Ukraine created a "false choice."
McCaul, R-Texas, appeared on ABC's "This Week" where he was asked to respond to some fellow Republican critics, like Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who said last week that Biden should not have visited Ukraine but instead should have traveled to East Palestine, Ohio, the site of a Feb. 3 derailment of a train that was carrying toxic chemicals.
The train incident compounded the burgeoning push inside the GOP to reevaluate how much aid to give Kyiv.
"I think that's a false choice. I think the president should've gone to Palestine where we have this major chemical spill, but it doesn't mean we disregard what's happening in this struggle for the global balance of power that we're facing right now," McCaul, who just got back from his own trip to Ukraine shortly after Biden left the country, told "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
"We haven't seen anything like this since my father's generation in World War II: largest invasion in Europe, the biggest threat to the Pacific since World War II. We can't put our head in the sand and ignore this. Otherwise, the Russians will be on the Polish border and Chairman Xi will invade Taiwan," McCaul added, referencing Chinese leader Xi Jinping. "I think we can do both. We're a great nation."
McCaul, R-Texas, appeared on ABC's "This Week" where he was asked to respond to some fellow Republican critics, like Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who said last week that Biden should not have visited Ukraine but instead should have traveled to East Palestine, Ohio, the site of a Feb. 3 derailment of a train that was carrying toxic chemicals.
The train incident compounded the burgeoning push inside the GOP to reevaluate how much aid to give Kyiv.
"I think that's a false choice. I think the president should've gone to Palestine where we have this major chemical spill, but it doesn't mean we disregard what's happening in this struggle for the global balance of power that we're facing right now," McCaul, who just got back from his own trip to Ukraine shortly after Biden left the country, told "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
"We haven't seen anything like this since my father's generation in World War II: largest invasion in Europe, the biggest threat to the Pacific since World War II. We can't put our head in the sand and ignore this. Otherwise, the Russians will be on the Polish border and Chairman Xi will invade Taiwan," McCaul added, referencing Chinese leader Xi Jinping. "I think we can do both. We're a great nation."
February 26, 2023
https://twitter.com/imillhiser/status/1629899446845689860
Texas asks a Trump judge to declare most of the federal government unconstitutional
VoxEarlier this month, Texas’s Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit claiming that the $1.7 trillion spending law that keeps most of the federal government — including the US military — operating through September of 2023 is unconstitutional.
Paxton’s claims in Texas v. Garland, which turn on the fact that many of the lawmakers who voted for the bill voted by proxy, should fail. They are at odds with the Constitution’s explicit text. And a bipartisan panel of a powerful federal appeals court in Washington, DC, already rejected a similar lawsuit in 2021.
Realistically, this lawsuit is unlikely to prevail even in the current, highly conservative Supreme Court. Declaring a law that funds most of the federal government unconstitutional would be an extraordinary act, especially given the very strong legal arguments against Paxton’s position.
But the case is a window into Paxton’s broader litigation strategy, where he frequently raises weak legal arguments undercutting federal policies before right-wing judges that he has personally chosen because of their ideology. And these judges often do sow chaos throughout the government, which can last months or longer, before a higher court steps in.
Paxton’s claims in Texas v. Garland, which turn on the fact that many of the lawmakers who voted for the bill voted by proxy, should fail. They are at odds with the Constitution’s explicit text. And a bipartisan panel of a powerful federal appeals court in Washington, DC, already rejected a similar lawsuit in 2021.
Realistically, this lawsuit is unlikely to prevail even in the current, highly conservative Supreme Court. Declaring a law that funds most of the federal government unconstitutional would be an extraordinary act, especially given the very strong legal arguments against Paxton’s position.
But the case is a window into Paxton’s broader litigation strategy, where he frequently raises weak legal arguments undercutting federal policies before right-wing judges that he has personally chosen because of their ideology. And these judges often do sow chaos throughout the government, which can last months or longer, before a higher court steps in.
https://twitter.com/imillhiser/status/1629899446845689860
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