US Politics

[RabzonKhan]

The News In Cartoons

 

[RabzonKhan]

A new survey by Pew Research Center released today (4/9/2019) that asked Americans their views about race relations in the United States.

Views of Trump’s handling of race relations are far more negative than views of how Obama handled the issue:

Most Americans (65%) – including majorities across racial and ethnic groups – say it has become more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views since Trump was elected president:

Read more

 

[RabzonKhan]

Trump disgracefully mocks Democrat congresswoman Omar while speaking to right-wing Jews in Las Vegas, his sarcastic remarks against her came a day after one of his supporters was charged by the FBI for threatening to assault and kill her because she is a Muslim, and of course, no surprise, just like Trump he hates Muslims.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1114602898195873793

 

[RabzonKhan]

Bravo, the scumbag rapist Julian Assange was dragged out of Ecuadorian Embassy, can’t wait to welcome the damn Russian agent to US prison.

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Lawmakers call for immediate extradition of Assange

Rebecca Shabad and Frank Thorp V and Marianna Sotomayor

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle applauded the arrest Thursday in London of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and called for his immediate extradition to the United States.

The lawmakers said Assange, who was charged by the Justice Department with computer hacking, had acted as an agent of the Russian government and had harmed U.S. national security.

"He has time after time compromised the national security of the United States and our allies by publicly releasing classified government documents and confidential materials related to our 2016 presidential election," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said in a statement. "Today this dark chapter hopefully begins to near its end."

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that whatever Assange's intentions were when he started WikiLeaks, "what he's really become is a direct participant in Russian efforts to undermine the West and a dedicated accomplice in efforts to undermine American security."

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, told reporters that Assange has effectively been "an agent of the Russian intelligence agencies." So did Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C. "Under the guise of transparency, Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have effectively acted as an arm of the Russian intelligence services for years," he said in a statement. "Mr. Assange engaged in a conspiracy to steal classified information, putting millions of lives at risk all over the world. Hopefully, he will now face justice."

It was revealed Thursday that Assange was charged with one count of "conspiracy to commit computer intrusion for agreeing to break a password to a classified U.S. government computer," after he was arrested on behalf of a U.S. extradition request. As the head of WikiLeaks, Assange published secret American documents in 2010 that embarrassed the U.S. and other countries. Assange will face extradition hearings on May 2 and June 12. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

He had been living as a fugitive for nearly seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition to the U.S. He was also wanted in Britain for skipping bail in 2012, when he was under investigation in Sweden on charges of sexual assault and rape.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., tweeted Thursday that Assange's arrest was "good news" and that Assange has "long been a wicked tool of Vladimir Putin and the Russian intelligence services." Sasse added that Assange should serve the rest of his life in prison.

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Assange has "done a lot of harm" to the U.S. and "he should pay for that."

Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., called on Twitter for "immediate extradition of Assange to the U.S., while Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., noted that the U.S. will likely "have to fight with other countries to get him extradited."

Asked whether President Donald Trump should have praised Assange when he was running for president in 2016, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Thursday, "That's up to the president."

"I have repeatedly condemned the guy," Graham said of Assange. "He's never been a hero. He released classified information and put our troops in danger, equally important to those who came to our aid, I think, in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Read more

 

[RabzonKhan]

After the arrest of Russian agent Julian Assange, Trump is claiming “I know nothing about WikiLeaks. It’s not my thing.”

Oh my goodness, this lying man makes me sick, he is an embarrassment to this great Nation. According to Politico Magazine, Trump had nice things to say about WikiLeaks more than 140 times during the 2016 campaign.

Here’s a compilation of Trump praising WikiLeaks:

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

There might just be that one guy in Bill Weld. Someone who is not easily intimidated by the douchebaggery and sleazy and insulting tactics of this idiot who's the current president.

People’s prayers have been answered.
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/04/15/politics/bill-weld-2020-trump/index.html

Bill Weld officially announces he is challenging Trump for GOP nomination in 2020

 

[RabzonKhan]

People’s prayers have been answered.
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/04/15/politics/bill-weld-2020-trump/index.html

Bill Weld officially announces he is challenging Trump for GOP nomination in 2020

Bill Weld he is a decent man and I like some of the policies he has proposed. Though chances of him winning the primary against Trump are quite bleak, but you never know, who would have thought Trump would win the primaries and the general election.

But I will definitely vote for him in the Republican primaries, since I am from Washington state and our state is one of the 20 states where independents can vote in the Republican primaries.

 

[RabzonKhan]

 

[RabzonKhan]

Iowa's longest-serving GOP lawmaker joins the Democrats because of Trump
By Jamie Ehrlich and Eric Bradner, CNN
Updated 9:09 AM ET, Wed April 24, 2019

Washington (CNN)Iowa's longest-serving Republican state lawmaker is ditching the party in a protest of what he called President Donald Trump's "unacceptable behavior" and is joining the Democrats.

State Rep. Andy McKean, a moderate from eastern Iowa whose 29 years in the legislature include stints in the House and Senate, announced his party switch at a news conference Tuesday. He called Trump "a poor example for the nation and particularly for our children" and said he'll seek re-election in 2020 as a Democrat.
"With the 2020 president election looming on the horizon, I feel as a Republican that I need to be able to support the standard bearer of our party. Unfortunately, that is not something I am able to do," McKean said Tuesday of Trump.

"He sets, in my opinion, a poor example for the nation and particularly for our children by personally insulting -- often in a crude and juvenile fashion -- those who disagree with him, being a bully at a time when we are attempting to discourage bullying, his frequent disregard for the truth and his willingness to ridicule or marginalize people for their appearance, ethnicity or disability," he said.

The move -- which narrows the GOP's hold on the state House to 53 seats to Democrats' 47 -- is an embarrassment for Trump in a state that's under a constant political microscope due to its role as the first to cast votes in presidential nominating contests. Democratic presidential contenders will battle for the next nine months ahead of the state's caucuses next year.

Iowa is also a swing state -- former President Barack Obama won it twice -- that had shifted rapidly in Republicans' favor in recent years. Trump won there in 2016 by nearly 10 percentage points. If Iowa is in play in 2020, it would be a sign that the Midwest had slipped away from the President.

McKean's explanation also speaks to the political challenges facing some Republicans across the nation about whether to stand with a President who has brazenly disregarded the traditional norms of decorum that for centuries have defined the office. His defection also comes soon after the release of a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election revealed a President and administration that frequently lie on an array of matters.
"I believe that it is just a matter of time before our party pays a heavy price for President Trump's reckless spending and shortsighted financial policies, his erratic, destabilizing foreign policy and his disregard for environmental concerns," added McKean, whose district sits in two rural, blue-collar counties in Iowa, Jones and Jackson.

"If this is the new normal, I want no part of it."
Republicans in Iowa vowed retribution against McKean.

"When Rep. McKean ran in 2016, he had no problem riding to victory on Pres. Trump's coattails. He's about to feel the headwind of Pres. Trump's support in District 58," Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann tweeted. Source






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Fox News’ Shep Smith just excoriated Trump's lying son-in-law Jared Kushner live on air for diminishing Russia’s attack on our election.

 

[RabzonKhan]

Joe Biden officially launches 2020 presidential bid

https://twitter.com/x/status/1121353260231688192

Biden Scores a Wave of Congressional Endorsements After Campaign Launch

The former vice president quickly nabbed endorsements from four U.S. senators, the most of any Democratic candidate running for president.

FORMER VICE PRESIDENT Joe Biden on Thursday received a wave of congressional endorsements shortly after announcing his 2020 presidential campaign, highlighting his long tenure and relationships in Congress.

Biden, a Pennsylvania native who represented Delaware in the Senate for 36 years, nabbed four endorsements from Democratic senators: Chris Coons of Delaware, Tom Carper of Delaware, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Doug Jones of Alabama. Coons won a special election to replace Biden in 2009 when he became vice president.

"The quality that makes Joe stand out is his ability to bring people together to find common ground while standing up for what he believes is right," Jones tweeted Thursday. "We need to listen to each other & get things done for working people. Joe can, and will, do that. That's why I support Joe Biden."

Biden has so far received the largest number of endorsements from Democratic senators. The other Democratic candidates to receive endorsements from the Senate are all senators themselves, and have each received one endorsement from a colleague in their state. That list includes Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Cory Booker of New Jersey.

Biden also scored support from several House lawmakers, including Democratic Reps. Tom Suozzi of New York and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware.

Early Thursday morning, Biden became the 20th candidate to enter the Democratic presidential primary, making it his third bid for the White House. He's viewed as a front-runner with a lead in most public polling, but questions have emerged about claims of inappropriate behavior as well as his record in a left-lurching primary.

Biden has been repeatedly labeled as a moderate. But he has rejected that label, noting that he was never described that way while running in any of his past races. Read more

 

[RabzonKhan]

Joe Biden makes the case: He’s the guy to kick Trump out

Jennifer Rubin
4 hrs ago

Former vice president Joe Biden announced his run for the presidency via video Thursday morning:

Biden, unlike every other 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, made his kickoff announcement about — and only about — defeating President Trump. That underscores his stature, puts him in a class by himself above the rest of the contenders, and signals a moral seriousness that the moment seems to warrant.

Biden’s statement that America is an “idea” is both a unifying call for Americans regardless of ideology, party, class and race and a dagger in the heart of Trumpism, which posits that America is about blood and soil, a nativist image that no president before the current one has embraced.

Biden didn’t have to talk about policies, because voters know essentially where he sits on the ideological spectrum — squarely in the center left. He can lay claim to be the Obama Democrat, progressive but not wacky, and the friend to traditional Democratic consistencies (women, African Americans, immigrants). He hardly needs to remind voters that he’s pro-union, passionate about fighting climate change and appalled by Trump’s suck-uppery to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other international thugs. He has the luxury, therefore, not to spend time introducing himself but instead setting the battle lines between him and Trump.

Biden, who will at some point need to address his past stance on crime and his experience with the Anita Hill hearings, also makes his first message about Trump’s unpardonable sin in fanning racism, anti-Semitism and hate. He presents himself as the champion of tolerance, inclusion and decency — qualities that voters already associate with him.

He also gives Democrats an outlet for their anger, disgust and, yes, even fear about what Trump is doing to the country. He declares emphatically that we cannot tolerate eight years of Trump. Implicit is the argument that whatever his faults, if Biden is the guy best equipped to kick Trump out, he should be the nominee.

News coverage has devoted so much time to Biden’s challenges that it’s easy to forget his major advantages, most importantly, his preexisting relationship with voters, their genuine affection for him and his comfort level in speaking about values and the American creed (“All men are created equal...”).

It would be a mistake to characterize his path to the nomination as easy, let alone preordained. Like any candidate, Biden has weaknesses. However, he holds a unique place right now in American politics — the grand old man of the party, the dignified father who has twice had to bury children, the right-hand man for the popular ex-president, the friend of labor and the gregarious uncle who’s always going to ask how things are going and, yes, give you a hug when you are feeling down.

We will see if Biden’s official entry into the race moves him into a commanding lead in the polls, opens the fundraising floodgates and sucks up the support and free media attention keeping other candidates afloat. One shouldn’t underestimate the importance of the first days and weeks of a campaign. The good news for him is that all eyes will be on Biden for a time; the bad news is that early slip-ups will get plenty of coverage.

 

[RabzonKhan]

The View show’s hosts welcome Joe Biden.

 

[RabzonKhan]

Biden leads Trump by 6 points in first post-announcement poll

Matthew Sheffield
23 hrs ago

Biden's consistently strong numbers against Trump in hypothetical match-ups don't bode well for the president, Bill Schneider, a professor at George Mason said Friday on "What America's Thinking."

"What Joe Biden offers in this campaign is normalcy, something people are desperate for after now three years of Donald Trump," Schneider told host Jamal Simmons. "They want a normal president. They want a president who knows how to do things, who has long experience, and knows how the government works, which Trump does not." Read more

 

[RabzonKhan]

Morning consult released their weekly tracking poll of likely Democratic primary voters. Joe Biden got a six-point bounce from his presidential campaign, while Bernie Sanders lost two points, despite all the controversies about his so-called “creepy style”, voted for Iraq War and Anita Hill hearings, Biden has widened his lead over Bernie Sanders almost 14%.

The other good news for Biden was endorsement from one of the largest trade unions in the country, International Association of Firefighters said they support his presidency.

They posted a video featuring highlights from Biden’s addresses to the group over the years.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1122802865964187650

International Association of Firefighters Pres Harold Schaitberger said the organization is proud to stand with Biden in his bid for president. He called Biden a compassionate problem solver, a staunch advocate for working families and commended his leadership and experience on the international stage.

Biden proves civility and decency will enhance the political discourse that our country needs right now, Mr. Schaitberger said.


Biden thanked the union for the endorsement:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1122877945280962566

Looks like someone was not happy

https://twitter.com/x/status/1122871319857696768

Biden immediately hit back.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1122896956676812800

 

[RabzonKhan]

Opinions
I’m a proud Democrat. I’m also a proud capitalist.

By Stephanie Murphy

Stephanie Murphy, a Democrat, represents Florida’s 7th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.

I’m a Democrat in the House of Representatives who recently became a minor cause celebre in conservative media circles after I publicly pronounced myself a “proud capitalist” distressed by the increasing use of the term “socialism” in our national discourse.

While this term has come to mean different things to different people, it signals disenchantment with — and a desire to discard — the capitalist model that the United States has embraced since its founding.

I didn’t expect my comments to be newsworthy, because I think they reflect sentiments shared by most Americans, including my congressional colleagues. I wasn’t trying to feed the right-wing media beast that ravenously awaits any scent of Democratic infighting. I spoke up because I felt compelled based on my life experience. This country has done so much for me, and I care deeply about the direction it’s headed.

When I was a baby, my family fled the communist-led Socialist Republic of Vietnam to escape persecution and seek a better future. We were rescued by the U.S. Navy, which helped us reach a Malaysian refugee camp. From there, a church sponsored our passage to the United States, where we became proud citizens.

Like other immigrants who found sanctuary in the United States, I possess a deep well of gratitude for this country. My patriotism is rooted in the fact that, were it not for the combination of U.S. power and generosity, my family’s story likely would have ended in tragedy. It’s little wonder that some of the most faithful citizens in the United States were born outside its shores.

Once in the United States, my parents worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. But I remember them shipping basic supplies to relatives back in Vietnam, where the pursuit of socialist economic policies had resulted in shortages and suffering. In this country, I was able to receive a good education, have fulfilling jobs in the private sector and work at the Defense Department after 9/11. In 2016, I became the first Vietnamese American woman elected to Congress.

Given my background, I genuinely worry that some may take for granted the unique opportunities afforded citizens of this country, leading them to favor, or flirt with, socialist policies.

This term carries historical baggage that can evoke painful feelings in Americans whose families experienced communism or socialism in its darkest form. It’s not easy for me to explain to my Florida constituents who escaped Fidel Castro’s Cuba or Nicolás Maduro’s Venezuela that the socialism proposed by several of my colleagues is different than the socialism they endured. I can argue it’s like comparing apples and oranges. For them, understandably, it’s all poisonous fruit.

While Democrats who accept the socialist label are few and far between, the Republican Party as an institution has conducted itself irresponsibly in this capitalism-vs.-socialism debate. When congressional Republicans and the president don’t like a government program, they flippantly condemn it as sign of creeping socialism. For partisan reasons, they seek to paint the entire Democratic Party as drifting toward socialism, when the philosophy is espoused by a small minority of members. Arguably, these Republican tactics have done as much, if not more, to normalize the conversation about socialism than anything Democrats are doing.

I will continue to support the United States’ system of democratic capitalism, consisting of a market economy driven by the innovation of the private sector and constrained by guardrails constructed by a duly-elected government. This model has helped build the greatest nation and economy in the world. It would be folly to abandon it.

However, we must work to reduce the very real inequities in our country. All Americans deserve a fair shot at success. For every story like mine, where an American dream becomes reality, there are countless tales of talented, hard-working people who face insurmountable obstacles because of the circumstances they were born into.

Government has a vital role in breaking down these barriers to advancement. The best way to blunt the appeal of socialism in the United States is to improve capitalism so it works better for everyone.

The United States is a continuous work in progress. Let’s seek a more perfect union, but let’s not forsake what makes this country special.
Source

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has paid farmers $8.39 billion of the estimated $9.56 billion it promised in December. Source

There goes Trump's war on socialism.

Note: ranchers and farmers are a key constituency for Trump.