2024 US Presidential Election

[moose eater]

an asshole

Equal opportunity.

God can make ANYONE an asshole if the person is willing to assist. 'God helping those who help themselves' and all of that.

Trump just (rarely) occasionally happens to be an over-achiever. And God was apparently feeling helpful.

 

[GOT_BUD?]

 

[GenghisKush]

Perfect timing for Tucker to announce his new show on Russian state TV (it was inevitable)

 

[trichrider]

New Biden Rule Aims To Entrench The Deep State Forever​

By: Jacob Sagert and James Sherk
May 14, 2024


The Biden administration’s rule seems designed to ensure the deep state will remain unaccountable to the president — and the American people.

If you think firing poorly performing federal employees is too hard, you are not alone. Most federal employees agree. Now President Biden has made this problem worse. New regulations will make dismissals of poor-performing and subversive employees even more difficult. The rule reinforces removal restrictions and prohibits the reclassification of federal bureaucrats. This broad regulatory change was built specifically to block the reinstatement of Trump-era reforms. The deep state will soon become even less accountable.
The federal employee dismissal process is broken. Agencies take six months to a year to remove poor performers, followed by lengthy appeals that often result in reinstatement with back pay. If the employee wins, agencies must typically cover their attorney fees — at rates of $400 to $1,000 per hour. This makes removing employees for even the worst offenses expensive and uncertain.

For example, the Department of Justice suspended two prosecutors who withheld exculpatory evidence from a U.S. senator’s defense team. The federal judge overseeing the case said he had “never seen such mishandling or misconduct.” Nonetheless, the prosecutors appealed and got the suspensions overturned on a technicality. The government restored two months of back wages and paid out $643,000 in attorney fees.
This dysfunction is all too common. Removing problematic employees is difficult in every federal agency. Just one-half of 1 percent of tenured federal employees were fired in 2023 for poor performance or misconduct.
Surveys show that federal employees themselves object to this system. Half report chronic poor performance in their unit, and most don’t believe their agency effectively addresses poor performers. Fewer than half of federal career supervisors feel confident they could dismiss an employee for serious misconduct. Just a quarter believe they could remove a poor performer. Federal employees recognize the system is broken.
Unfortunately, this dysfunction empowers bad actors, and it is not uncommon for career employees to inject partisanship into their official duties.

Such partisanship was particularly evident during the Trump administration. The press widely reported on career employees opposing the president’s policies; some even boasted about their “resistance.” Many career bureaucrats acted as though they — not elected officials or presidential appointees — should set policy. Most Americans recognize unelected bureaucrats have too much control over federal policy. The “deep state” is real, and it is a serious challenge to our democracy.
President Trump addressed these problems with an executive order creating “Schedule F” for career officials in policy-influencing jobs. The order made them at-will employees, just like most private sector workers, without removal restrictions. Schedule F gave agencies the ability to effectively and quickly address poor performance or misconduct. At the same time, the order continued protections against politically motivated or discriminatory removals.
Schedule F was designed with successful state-level reforms in mind. Many states have made most or all state employees at-will employees. These reforms have generally shown positive results without the feared abuses materializing.
Texas and Florida — two of America’s three most populous states — have embraced at-will employment. Their state governments operate quite well. Schedule F would have expanded these successes nationally. The government can operate effectively if it has the will to do so.

Despite Schedule F’s potential, President Biden revoked it shortly after taking office. His administration has now issued a new rule designed to prevent a future administration from bringing back Schedule F. The new regulations reinforce career employee removal restrictions and prohibit reclassifying career employees into an at-will status. Federal bureaucrats who inject partisanship into their duties will remain hard to dismiss. So will chronic poor performers.
The Biden administration’s rule cements major flaws in the federal workforce. The rule protects poor performers and bureaucratic resistance. It seems designed to ensure the deep state will remain unaccountable to the president — and the American people.
Even government employees recognize the federal dismissal process is broken. President Biden’s new rule will make it even harder to fix. That is not good for America or democracy.

New Biden Rule Aims To Entrench The Deep State Forever

The Biden administration’s rule seems designed to ensure the deep state will remain unaccountable to the president — and the American people.

thefederalist.com

 

[trichrider]

Biden Drains Entire Northeast Gasoline Reserve In Bid To Lower Gas Prices As He Trails Trump By Double Digits​

by Tyler Durden
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 - 11:45 AM

Back in March, when reading the mammoth, 1050-page bill that was meant to avert government shutdown, but was yet another pork filled free-for-all bonanza authorizing $1.7 trillion in in discretionary spending, we stumbled upon something that was truly shocking: after Biden singlehandedly drained half of the US strategic petroleum reserve to avoid obliteration for Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections, Congress has snuck in a provision that would sell off and shutter the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve, a move that while perhaps keeps gas prices lower for a day or two, would also leave the entire continental northeast defenseless to any true environmental catastrophe or shock. We were so dismayed by the inclusion of this particular text, we wondered if it hadn't been put there solely for the benefit of America's enemies...



... because surely nobody in their right mind, not even the illegitimate senile occupant of the White House, would ever pursue such short-term gains at the expense of potentially disastrous long-term consequences to the entire nation.
We were wrong: earlier today, just two months after the bill was signed by Biden into law, the panicking administration announced that it would sell the nearly 1 million barrels of gasoline in the US managed stockpile in northeastern states, the Department of Energy said, effectively closing the reserve.
The department created the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve (NGSR) in 2014 after Superstorm Sandy left motorists scrambling for fuel. But, according to some megabrains hoping to justify the dumping of gas so its price drops for a few weeks ahead of the summer and avoid even more anger aimed at the president, storing refined fuel is costlier than storing crude oil, so closing the reserve was included in U.S funding legislation signed by President Joe Biden in March.
Bids to buy the gasoline located at the two NGSR storage sites in Port Reading, NJ (900,000 bbl) and South Portland, ME (98,824 bbl), are due on May 28 and the Treasury Department's general funds gets proceeds from the sale. Incidentally, the proceeds from the reserve liquidation - which will amount to roughly $125 million gross (and far less net) - is roughly how much the government spends every 15 minutes!
So is it better to have a gasoline reserve for unexpected events, or to fund a quarter hour of US government's spending? Don't answer that. Of course, the answer is neither - the whole point of selling the gasoline is to depress prices at the pump if only for a few days to help Americans forget about the great inflationary nightmare they have been in for the past 3 years.
The volumes will be allocated in quantities of 100,000 barrels with each barrel containing 42 gallons, the department said and said it would require that fuel is transferred or delivered no later than June 30. That will ensure the gasoline can flow into local retailers ahead of the Fourth of July holiday and that it will be sold at competitive prices. Translation: Biden just drained the Northeast strategic gasoline reserve to push gas lower by a few cents on July 4.
For context, gas prices at the pump this Memorial Day will be the second most expensive in a decade - dramatically above the ten-year average of $2.91...

“By strategically releasing this reserve in between Memorial Day and July 4th, we are ensuring sufficient supply flows to the ... northeast at a time hardworking Americans need it the most,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a release.
“The Biden-Harris administration is laser-focused on lowering prices at the pump for American families, especially as drivers hit the road for summer driving season,″ Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in the statement. “By strategically releasing this reserve in between Memorial Day and July 4th, we are ensuring sufficient supply flows to the tri-state (area) and Northeast at a time hardworking Americans need it the most.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said release of gas from the Northeast reserve builds on actions by President Joe Biden, a Democrat, “to lower gas and energy costs — including historic releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and the largest-ever investment in clean energy.″
Biden significantly drained the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, dropping the stockpile to its lowest level since the 1980s after selling about 280 million barrels to keep prices low. The election year move helped stabilize gasoline prices that had been rising in the wake of the war in Europe but drew complaints from Republicans, and frankly anyone with half a brain, that the Democratic president was playing politics with a reserve meant for national emergencies.

The Biden administration has since very theatrically begun refilling the oil reserve, which had more than 364 million barrels of crude oil as of last month, by purchasing a couple million barrels every other month or so, setting it on pace for refilling some time in the 2100s.
“While congressional Republicans fight to preserve tax breaks for Big Oil at the expense of hardworking families, President Biden is advancing a more secure, affordable, and clean energy future to lower utility bills while record American energy production helps meet our immediate needs,” Jean-Pierre said.
As for the real reason behind the latest myopic decision by the Biden admin, today we learned that Trump’s lead over Biden has widened to 13pp in the betting market, the largest difference since mid-March. Meanwhile, political event prediction website PredictIt places higher betting odds on Trump than Biden for the first time since March.

Trump is also leading in the latest polls of all swing states.

Trump is leading by 2% in the latest polls in Pennsylvania. If Biden loses Pennsylvania but wins Wisconsin and Michigan, he then at least needs to win one state from Georgia and North Carolina in addition to one state from Arizona and Nevada to secure a second term.
Meanwhile, closing arguments in Trump's "hush money" case in New York are set to being on May 28. If the jury finds Trump guilty, it is possible for the former president to receive prison time, and judging by how weaponized the "legal system" of the current fascist regime has become, we would not be surprised if Biden goes there.

Biden Drains Entire Northeast Gasoline Reserve In Bid To Lower Gas Prices As He Trails Trump By Double Digits | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

 

[moose eater]

From AJP, a group I receive emails from, and an Arab American organization.

Their findings (via surveys) in at least 5 battleground states re. the impact on the election as a result of the circumstances in Gaza.

If it looks like Genocide Joe is doing the two-step and speaking out both sides of his mouth frequently, seemingly concerned about his upcoming election, it's likely because he is... Actions and inactions have consequences.

https://ajpaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/YouGov-Polling-Results-Full-Report-2024.pdf?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=ff774331-1c80-4d6b-9e8b-2329d1195c3e

 

[moose eater]

I'd add that, given the make-up of the coming election, rarely has there been such an opportunity for a third-party run and effective impact, greatly due to the overwhelming unpalatability of the 2 higher-profile mainstream (if such a term can be used with these 2 scumbags) candidates.

 

[GOT_BUD?]

And then we can watch the third party option fail miserably because he has no political affiliation with either of the 2 political parties that are in control of the House and Senate.

A third party option is useless without the established political base already across the country. It's wishful thinking at best and this is not the time for wishful thinking when democracy itself is literally on the ballot. Or have you not heard of Project 2025?

 

[Cannavore]

 

[moose eater]

And then we can watch the third party option fail miserably because he has no political affiliation with either of the 2 political parties that are in control of the House and Senate.

A third party option is useless without the established political base already across the country. It's wishful thinking at best and this is not the time for wishful thinking when democracy itself is literally on the ballot. Or have you not heard of Project 2025?

Maybe. We're not there yet.

And the 2 primary parties would be cutting their own throats over time to bring a halt to the process as each of them have done to each other in the past, whether there was a third party or not.

But a third-party run would, or could do exactly as it's supposed to at this juncture; provide an alternative for those who still think that voting one's CONSCIENCE (remember that? 'conscience'?) is the thing to do, and it would effectively penalize those who are lost in corporate, DoD politics, as BOTH sides of the aisle currently are.... and have been for a nauseatingly long time.

People will either do what they can to take back actual representation with spirit and vision, or shrug their shoulders in premature defeat, and accept the pablum and bullshit that's been getting served up by corporatists and digested by the public for the last 65-70 years.

Me? I don't vote for serial mass murderers, psychopaths, habitual liars, or corporate puppets.... ever.

"When someone offers me a choice between a shit sandwich or diarrhea on noodles, I find a different restaurant."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edit: And obviously, per a number of polls, the moving parts in this are already in motion. And those parts weren't set into motion by the third-party candidates or most of the public. The negative PR from both sides of the aisle, that no one forced them to generate, is having an impact. And that PR was put into motion by those who currently sit in those seats. Shouldn't we ALL be eligible to pay our dues for our actions?

Per the poll: only 2% to 3% of Arab American voters will be voting for Trump, and 7% for Biden. The question remains as to what happens to the undecided and the uncommitted, and whether or not the perpetually disenfranchised will simply say "Fuck it" and stay home.

That's without entering into discussion of current polling of left-leaning Dems and Independents, who also figure prominently into the shifts highlighted in poll(s) currently... with many of those moving away from the 2 primary corporate, murdering, lying hacks..

Governments evolve, and sometimes that evolution can involve pain. The Country will either survive as you know it, or it won't. But the course it's on at the moment, and has been on for a long time, is unacceptable and untenable to anyone with a sense of conscience about our roles in this world.

You're trying to preserve some semblance of 'democracy' that hasn't really existed for close to a century.

Cornell West, Jill Stein, or a number of other reasonable persons not indebted to Wall St., Israel, the DoD, the CIA/NSA cabal, General Dynamics, Boeing, the insurance lobby, the pharmaceutical lobby, or other scum-sucking parasites that the mainstream candidates seem to perpetually have their noses up the butts of... all offer some sort of alternative to this toxic perpetual corporatist bullshit.

"A government by, for, and of the People"?????? That was a great concept at one point, was it not?

 

[trichrider]

/

 

[GenghisKush]

Hitler came to power by (ab)using electoral democracy in 1932. His chancellorship was only possible because of Nazi success in the Reichstag election. It is literally how German fascism worked.

https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/the-nazi-rise-to-power/the-nazi-rise-to-power/elections/

 

[armedoldhippy]

Hitler came to power by (ab)using electoral democracy in 1932. His chancellorship was only possible because of Nazi success in the Reichstag election. It is literally how German fascism worked.

https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/the-nazi-rise-to-power/the-nazi-rise-to-power/elections/

 

[GOT_BUD?]

Maybe. We're not there yet.

And the 2 primary parties would be cutting their own throats over time to bring a halt to the process as each of them have done to each other in the past, whether there was a third party or not.

But a third-party run would, or could do exactly as it's supposed to at this juncture; provide an alternative for those who still think that voting one's CONSCIENCE (remember that? 'conscience'?) is the thing to do, and it would effectively penalize those who are lost in corporate, DoD politics, as BOTH sides of the aisle currently are.... and have been for a nauseatingly long time.

People will either do what they can to take back actual representation with spirit and vision, or shrug their shoulders in premature defeat, and accept the pablum and bullshit that's been getting served up by corporatists and digested by the public for the last 65-70 years.

Me? I don't vote for serial mass murderers, psychopaths, habitual liars, or corporate puppets.... ever.

"When someone offers me a choice between a shit sandwich or diarrhea on noodles, I find a different restaurant."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edit: And obviously, per a number of polls, the moving parts in this are already in motion. And those parts weren't set into motion by the third-party candidates or most of the public. The negative PR from both sides of the aisle, that no one forced them to generate, is having an impact. And that PR was put into motion by those who currently sit in those seats. Shouldn't we ALL be eligible to pay our dues for our actions?

Per the poll: only 2% to 3% of Arab American voters will be voting for Trump, and 7% for Biden. The question remains as to what happens to the undecided and the uncommitted, and whether or not the perpetually disenfranchised will simply say "Fuck it" and stay home.

That's without entering into discussion of current polling of left-leaning Dems and Independents, who also figure prominently into the shifts highlighted in poll(s) currently... with many of those moving away from the 2 primary corporate, murdering, lying hacks..

Governments evolve, and sometimes that evolution can involve pain. The Country will either survive as you know it, or it won't. But the course it's on at the moment, and has been on for a long time, is unacceptable and untenable to anyone with a sense of conscience about our roles in this world.

You're trying to preserve some semblance of 'democracy' that hasn't really existed for close to a century.

Cornell West, Jill Stein, or a number of other reasonable persons not indebted to Wall St., Israel, the DoD, the CIA/NSA cabal, General Dynamics, Boeing, the insurance lobby, the pharmaceutical lobby, or other scum-sucking parasites that the mainstream candidates seem to perpetually have their noses up the butts of... all offer some sort of alternative to this toxic perpetual corporatist bullshit.

"A government by, for, and of the People"?????? That was a great concept at one point, was it not?

All I have to say is there are possibly 3 Supreme Court Justices that are up for retirement during the next Presidential term. If you think it's bad now, wait till Trump installs even younger Supreme Court Justices.

You go ahead and stand on your little mole hill to die on. I'll do what I can to help future generations at least survive the upcoming cataclysm.

 

[moose eater]

All I have to say is there are possibly 3 Supreme Court Justices that are up for retirement during the next Presidential term. If you think it's bad now, wait till Trump installs even younger Supreme Court Justices.

You go ahead and stand on your little mole hill to die on. I'll do what I can to help future generations at least survive the upcoming cataclysm.

Oh.. the quadra-annual terminal drama of it all....

Mole hill?

And we wonder why we continue to get disingenuous scumbags and psychopathic narcissists elected into office.

My mole hill has more integrity in it than the routine and tiresome "If we don't vote for this lesser of evils... OUR WORLD WILL END!!" histrionic crowd will ever know.

But I'll let the People of Gaza and other subservient 2nd and 3rd world countries know how you feel while they bury their babies..

Apparently you have little faith in the resilience of this Nation and the people who inhabit it. A perpetual nazi-esque or straight-up totalitarian government here would fall hard in 'x' number of years. Just like they do anyplace else they spring up.

 

[Cannavore]

Hitler came to power by (ab)using electoral democracy in 1932. His chancellorship was only possible because of Nazi success in the Reichstag election. It is literally how German fascism worked.

https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/the-nazi-rise-to-power/the-nazi-rise-to-power/elections/

The party never had a majority. Hindenburg and capital played a much larger role than you lead on with.

 

[trichrider]

All I have to say is there are possibly 3 Supreme Court Justices that are up for retirement during the next Presidential term. If you think it's bad now, wait till Trump installs even younger Supreme Court Justices.

You go ahead and stand on your little mole hill to die on. I'll do what I can to help future generations at least survive the upcoming cataclysm.

ya gunna peddle Alka Seltzer? or maybe advocate Canadian style euthanasia?

the Supreme Court could use some new blood, that's not a bad thing. ya got the DEI hire from the last appointment what else are you looking to get? i think majority.
the left is attacking Justice Alito for what appears to be his Patriotism....so much for diversity of opinion. Patriotism didn't used to be pejorative.

 

[trichrider]

 

[trichrider]

Illegal Aliens Caught Staging Armed Robberies So ‘Victims’ Can Apply For Green Cards​

by Ben Kew May. 23, 2024 7:45 am

Six men in Chicago have been charged with staging robberies and filing false police reports so the supposed “victims” can apply for green cards.

In a federal indictment unsealed over the weekend, the six men were accused of recruiting individuals to pose as robbers at gas stations, fast food restaurants, and liquor stores in Chicago, Louisiana, and Tennessee.

CBS reports:

A federal indictment unsealed on Friday in Chicago accuses the men of recruiting people to pose as robbers and then filing false police reports in order to obtain forms to qualify for U nonimmigrant status, also known as a U-visa, from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Such visas are set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered physical or emotional abuse and are providing assistance to police or prosecutors.
…
Parth Nayi, 26, of Woodridge; Kewon Young, 31, of Mansfield, Ohio; Bhikhabhai Patel, 51, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky; Nilesh Patel, 32, of Jackson, Tennessee; Ravinaben Patel, 23, of Racine, Wisconsin; and Rajnikumar Patel, 32, of Jacksonville, Florida, are charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Ravinaben Patel is also charged with making a false statement in a visa application.
Federal prosecutors said Nayi and Young organized a series of staged armed robberies between July 2022 and January 2024, in which the four other men pretended to be robbery victims so they could apply for U-visas.

According to the indictment, the supposed “robberies” involved a three-step process:

1. During the staged robberies, individuals acting as robbers brandished what appeared to be firearms, approached the purported victims, and demanded money and property.
2. Afterwards, some of the purported victims submitted forms to local law enforcement to obtain certification that they were victims of a qualifying crime and had been or would be helpful in the investigation.
3. Upon receiving certification, some of the purported victims then submitted fraudulent U-visa applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services predicated upon their alleged status as a robbery victim.

The defendants facing conspiracy charges are facing up to five years in prison, whereas Ravinaben Patel, charged with making a false statement, could face up to 10 years behind bars.

 

[trichrider]

JUST IN: Ohio Secretary of State Threatens to Exclude Biden from Ballot if DNC Fails to Comply with State Nomination Laws​

I write to inform you that my office still has not received communication on behalf of the Ohio Democratic Party or the Democratic National Committee that clarifies the party’s intent to comply with Ohio’s ballot access deadline.
As previously explained, the Ohio Revised Code requires a political party selecting its presidential and vice presidential candidates by nominating convention to “certify the names of those candidates to the secretary of state on or before the ninetieth day before the day of the general election.”
The conflict between the August 7, 2024 certification deadline and the date of your party’s nominating convention is well established. In my correspondence to you dated April 5, 2024, I offered two possible remedies: a change in the date by which your party formally nominates a presidential candidate or action by the Ohio General Assembly to create an exception to this statutory requirement. Today, the Speaker of the Ohio House told members of the media there would not be a legislative solution, as there is “just not the will to do that from the Legislature. “2
With a legislative remedy taken off the table, I must remind you that the deadline is fast approaching, and the matter remains unresolved. Unless your party plans to comply with the statutory deadline, I am duty-bound to instruct boards of elections to begin preparing ballots that do not include the Democratic Party’s nominees for president and vice president of the United States.
Let me be clear that this is not an action I wish to take, as I believe it to be in the best interest of Ohio voters to have a choice between at least the two major party candidates for the nation’s highest political office. Unfortunately, however, the Ohio House of Representatives has refused to act, and the Democratic Party has so far offered no legally acceptable remedy.
As the Ohio Attorney General’s office has advised my office, the Democratic Party’s offer to submit a “provisional certification” by the statutory deadline “simply is not provided for by law,” and “there is no provision in Ohio’s Election Code that would permit the Secretary to provide the Democratic Party with an alternative process” to the one required in statute.
Further, the General Assembly has clearly stated that “no public official shall cause an election to be conducted other than in the time, place, and manner prescribed by the Revised Code.” The integrity of our elections begins with our citizenry having full faith and confidence that their chief election officer will always follow the law.
As such, my office seeks a remedy that both upholds the law and serves in the best interest of the voters of our state. I trust that you will act quickly to resolve this conflict so we can move forward with clarity in preparing for the November general election. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.