There is a good article on the Axios site:
Lame duck president: What Biden can do in last days in White House
And some comments from me.
First off: I don't care if Biden pardoned Hunter. I think it's what most parents would have done, given the circumstances. It would have been different if Harris had won. The case could have been made that it would have been better for things to work through the system. I think that's what Biden would have done, if Harris won. But Trump won. He's going to do all he can to take a wrecking ball to the justice system. And he has sworn retribution to his enemies. Anyone with the Biden name is an enemy, especially a wayward son of the president. Trump would send Hunter to Guatanamo for thirty years, if he could. So yeah. Pardon Hunter.
And before I move on to things that are more consequential to the country, yes, people have said that the pardon was a move of privilege, not afforded to ordinary offenders. To which I say, yes, there should be more avenues for people who have changed their ways and repented of their actions, to get second chances.
To the more consequential things:
- "Senate Democrats, who will lose control of the chamber come January, are racing to confirm as many of Biden's judicial nominees as possible before Trump gets the chance to fill those vacancies. "
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to "use every minute of the end-of-year legislative session to confirm federal judges and key regulators — none of whom can be removed by the next President."
- Outgoing Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm told AP last month the department is sprinting to sign contracts to distribute funds for projects." This is a chance to rescue some of the green energy and environmental protection projects from the wrecking ball.
Health Matters amd Why it matters: The fate of PBM reforms, drug patent changes and prior authorization measures hinges on how ambitious lawmakers get.
"Between the lines: Much of the immediate focus is on whether to pass a short-term government funding extension into early next year, which would decrease prospects for a major health package.
- A CR that extends to March, for example, would give the incoming Trump administration and the next Congress more options for shaping health policy.
- But if lawmakers instead decide to "clear the decks" for the incoming administration, there's a better chance for health riders.
- Senate Democrats will likely push for an omnibus package, seeing it as their last opportunity to influence policy for at least two years."
- And I just got paywalled out of Axios, must have clicked it too many times. But other health matters are funding for small hospitals in underserved areas, and protection for Medicaid.
- Additionally I think Biden should commute the death sentences of the 40 or so prisoners on federal death row. During the final weeks of Trump's last presidency he had a regular execution fest. I'm sure he wouldn't lose any time this time around.
- And I also agree with Stanley in one of his previous comments that some elderly activists such as Leonard Peltier and others, should have their sentences commuted and be released from prison.
- Sorry about all the bullet points, I didn't know how to get rid of them.
“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”. I hope they do something for the country instead of looking for excuses why they lost on so many fronts. One main goal seems to be passing legislation to block Trump later. I get emails that they want to do such-and-such and then they ask for money. Is our government pay-as-you-go now?
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ReplyDeleteI would not cry any tears if Hunter Biden were incarcerated. He's an aging entitled white frat boy who can't leave the dope alone and has committed crimes. As I understand it, he owes money, and he should have to pay that as part of the deal.
ReplyDeleteBut we have way bigger challenges than worrying about what happens to Hunter. I don't think it merits much discussion.
Glad to know the Biden administration is trying to navigate a soft landing on some programs and initiatives.
But the next four years simply have to be endured in the hope that people wake up and realize they've fallen for a fraud and a looney.
90M eligible voters didn’t vote. 77M voted for Trump. Add that to Harris’ 75M and that’s 165M who didn’t vote for his nibs. Add the third party votes, that’s 166M. Those are the votes Harris should have been fighting for, not disaffected Republicans. As far as I can tell from acquaintances, Republicans are very brand-loyal. But going after the non-voting would have been outside the box of the Democratic elite.
DeleteYou are right that Republicans are very brand loyal. The dyed in the wool ones I know would vote R even if it was Popeye the sailor man or Mickey Mouse at the top of the ticket. Too bad it wasn't.
DeleteI think the Democrats actually did try to get the non-voters, but you can't get someone to care who doesn't. I blame people, the ones who didn't care enough to vote, and the one who didn't care enough to study the issues beyond the surface ones of the price of eggs or being irritated by wokeism
My sense is that the people who don't usually vote are disaffected dolts and whackos. Trump's rallies were entertainment for people who normally Iive under rocks and play with guns and make up conspiracy stories to give themselves cheap thrills. "They're eating the dogs in Springfield, Ohio!! Venezuelan gangs have taken over Aurora, Colorado!! They're executing little tiny babies!!" How is a serious candidate supposed to appeal to people for whom that is "telling it like it is"?
DeleteRegarding this transition period. Remember the Biden administration is handing things over to the 2nd Trump administration, but the 1st Trump administration handled things over to the Biden administration. What was that like?
ReplyDeleteDifficult to image that the 1st Trump administration was eager to help the Biden administration get a good start. Will the Biden administration be even less eager to help the 2nd Trump administration get a good start?
My stereotype of the Obama administration is that they probably tried to be as helpful as they could be to the incoming Trump administration. Be even if Trump and some of his cronies might have learned something from the 1st Trump administration there are probably a lot of people in the government, both those who are leaving and those who are staying, who might be willing to set up Trump for failure.
Re: setting Trump up for failure, he's doing a pretty good job of that himself with the people he's choosing. He's choosing them for loyalty and the willingness to break stuff, not ability or experience.
DeleteI remember Obama meeting with Trump at the White House, and saying something about handing him the car keys, and the oil has been changed, and the gas tank is full.
Trump was nowhere near as gracious when Biden took over.
I felt, except for his tax reduction, he didn’t do much in his first term. His foreign policy was disheveled. We were essentially rudderless, in my opinion. We probably will be so for the next few years. There will be dissension and argument, resignations and chaos. No one at the rudder again. Essentially, a reality TV show. I’m wondering how much destruction the wrecking crew will accomplish. If he does impose tariffs, the results will be interesting. China is already reacting to Biden’s holding back chip technology by slowing down (not stopping) the export of rare earth metals. The Pamplona running of the bulls in a china shop.
DeleteI see on one news site (CBS?) that Trump is considering replacing Hegeseth as Defense secretary with Ron DeSantis. I'm by no means a DeSantis fan, but he is light years ahead of Hegeseth, so I hope that is true.
DeleteOn another front, Trump is threatening to send troops to Mexico against the drug cartels. Last time I checked, invading another sovereign state's physical space was an act of war. Is he really up for that, first rattle out of the box?
We started this thread talking about Biden's lame duck period. But we ended up talking about Trump's not-even-sworn-in-yet period. What do you call that, the Rubber Duck period? As usual, Trump manages to suck all the air out of the room and make it all about him. Think I need a cup of coffee, or something stronger.
I saw the Hegseth/DeSantis blip, too. Things have come to a sad pass when DeSantis is good news. I see I have a podcast episode that explores a new perspective on the Donner Party (which autocorrect keeps changing to the Dinner Party). Maybe that will cheer me up!
DeleteLove the Donner / Dinner autocorrect. :-)
DeleteI agree that, whatever one thinks about DeSantis's politics, he seems like a credible nominee for Defense. Hegseth's nomination seems like it's on life support. So far, the Senate seems to be threading the needle of stopping the very worst of Trump's nominees without the Senate GOP openly going to war against Trump. Next nomination to waylay (I hope): Kennedy.
Dinner - dinner .ugh. Getting DeSantis instead of hegseth would be an improvement which shows how pathetic this situation is. As someone who worked with a defense contractor specializing in National Security for more than ten years, I am far more concerned about Gabbard than I am Kennedy. He’s more than a bit crazy but she could easily sell us out. T there are respectable, not crazy people around who wouldn’t be surprised to learn that she’s a Putin asset, whether officially or just via manipulation. The Russia s manipulated several of those in trump’s circle in 2016, including his son.
DeleteAlthough the US capacity to wage war is diminished due to our reduced manufacturing capability, we could still probably keep up our tradition of bullying Spanish speaking countries to our South. That may be all that remains for our empire when the Ukraine war is lost and even possibly the Israeli military adventures. Our problem is that we don’t know how to do diplomacy anymore except for gunboat diplomacy. Or economic sanction. Meanwhile, the Chinese built a port in South America, not a military base. I don’t like the PRC at all but, for many countries, they’re looking like the lesser evil.
DeleteTo follow up on my previous comment, China just went to zero tariffs for developing countries exporting to China. They have also put a halt to export of dual use military/civilian products to the US. Of course, they aren’t saints but they don’t have wars going on all over the place. Someday, I hope the US can see beyond its bubble and learn how to deal carefully, respectfully and intelligently with other nations. It’ll never happen with the leadership we get from the two parties.
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