Patterico's Pontifications

I’ll continue to try and get it embedded here.

Dana (fd537d) — 3/25/2021 @ 10:41 am

Joe Biden: “When I came to the Senate 120 years ago.”

Must seem like that, doesn’t it, Joe?

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 10:44 am

It was so nice of the media and WH to give the POTUS a study guide to navigate through the tortuous waters of a news conference.

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 10:48 am

“Our preoccupation with the filibuster is totally legitimate…”

Dana (fd537d) — 3/25/2021 @ 10:48 am

Memo to Vlad & Xi-

If you’re watching this sad, sad old man, fellas– Vlad: you’ve got a green light to go ahead and roll tanks in and finish securing the Ukraine — then go ahead and take Syria. And Xi– drink his lunch–that is, if you like a chocolate Ensure.

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 10:48 am

O.M.G. He’s using more than a cheat sheet: he’s using a ‘cheater notebook’ — the TeeVee caught it

“Okay, ahhhhhh…..”

We are so screwed.

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 10:55 am

The Old Emperor has no Depends

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 10:56 am

He looks and sounds terrible and he’s got some kind of note about the questions in advance. Came to make sure dcsca was making fun of him.

Dustin (50d64f) — 3/25/2021 @ 10:58 am

This guy is more Jimma Carter than Jimma Carter.

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 10:59 am

@8. Never make fun of the elderly, Dustin.

Unless they put your life at risk.

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:00 am

Plans on running for re-election…

Dana (fd537d) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:02 am

He’s basically minimized Jim Crow. I know that’s not what he means, but that’s the effect.

I can see why he doesn’t do these. Imagine Trump live tweeting this.

Dustin (50d64f) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:04 am

Clarifies that it’s his “expectation” that he will run…

Dana (fd537d) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:05 am

Harris must be really mad.

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:05 am

Yes, he said the filibuster is a relic from the Jim Crow era…

Dana (fd537d) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:06 am

“My plan is to run for re-election.” – President Plagiarist, 3/25/21

3 minutes later- the hedge; ‘my expectation’….

Memo to Vlad & Xi:

This sad, sd, sorry old guy is giving you more green lights than Pelham 123 got.

Run those tanks on into Poland, Vlad. And Xi– take Taiwan.

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:06 am

Meanwhile, Biden will be focused on Afghanistan. He ain’t leaving, folks, until he gets something that hasn’t materialized in the last 19 years of American occupation.

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:09 am

“It’s about putting one foot in front of the other.”– President Plagiarist, 3/25/21

Try it next time you try to walk up the steps to board AF1.

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:09 am

where am I here? Let me see Kaitlin?

He agrees with Obama that the filibuster is a relic of the Jim Crow era. Why not abolish it/ Deal with the possible, He wants to deal with the abuse of the filibuster. It’s been abused the last 20 years. Try that first.

He expects t run for re-election – but he’s not been able to to plan 4 or 4 1/2 years ahad. He’s a great believer in fate.

Will he be running against president Trump?

He doesn’t know if there will even be a Republican Party then.

Later, almost sounded angry at Republicans who are concerned about the deficit when it is saving people’s lives but not when it is feathering people’s nests.

He ra fr three reasons Restore things – help middle class – unions helped. I missed the third

Sammy Finkelman (6975b4) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:10 am

More on filibuster: “If there’s complete lockdown and chaos as a consequence of the filibuster then we’ll have to go beyond what I’m talking about.”

Dana (fd537d) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:11 am

He limped slighty on the short walk in.

Here’s the deal on the wind, Joe: show us your bruised shins.

Or has the blood thinner left them too black and blue?

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:12 am

Surprised he hasn’t issued a push-up challenge to political enemies foreign and/or domestic.

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:12 am

He’s a bit slow but the slowness isn’t causing any errors. He says disputable things for other reasons

Taling about his relationship with China.

earlier he said he had support among Republican voters He’s happy with that.

Sammy Finkelman (6975b4) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:13 am

It’s amazing how his notes marry up nicely with the questions he is being asked.

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:13 am

It’s funny how Biden has supported filibuster for what, 40 or 50 years when he was a senator???

Dana (fd537d) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:14 am

That ‘cheaters notebook’ is disturbing.

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:14 am

North China Sea?

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:15 am

Pointed out to Xi that no leader can be sustained unless he represents the values of his country and Americans value freedom and human rights. And he said Xi understood it. But that’s apologizing for it.

Sammy Finkelman (6975b4) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:17 am

@25. He’s giving a presser like a senator– not a president. His drone and delivery could make paint dry in apartments 500 miles away.

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:17 am

He looks terrible. And sounds sleepy indeed. I voted for him and would again, but I’d druther it were someone sharper. The problem is the sharp ones are all unbearable.

JRH (52aed3) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:17 am

He might not be quick on his feet and is slow to speak, but I think he sounds fairly coherent and in command of what he is saying. I don’t find his age or mental faculties a problem here. Trump continually blathered outrageous nonsense at his pressers and you guys got mad when his mental faculties were questioned.

Dana (fd537d) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:18 am

Where’s the Sam Donaldson in that crowd?

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:19 am

“If there’s complete lockdown and chaos as a consequence of the filibuster then we’ll have to go beyond what I’m talking about.”

They need 51 Senators in the room before they can do anything. Harris is not a Senator. This will be fun to watch.

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:19 am

UPDATE: One of the guys was able to embed the live feed. Refresh the post. Thanks, guys!

Dana (fd537d) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:20 am

He’s basically minimized Jim Crow. I know that’s not what he means, but that’s the effect.

Well, he served with quite a few Democrats who supported Jim Crow.

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:22 am

@31. Are you kidding??? He literally has a frigging cheater notebook and babbling word salad senatorial-style platitudes. Try to follow to what he is actually saying– it’s paint-drying statistic-filled double-talk. Lrad pipes? Well caps? This is ‘senator stuff.’

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:22 am

^Lrad = lead

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:23 am

How did we get to capping methane? (Which NM has just mandated, btw).

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:23 am

I’m looking at the schools, Joe. They are empty.

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:23 am

Cash for School Caulkers!

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:24 am

He’ll be announcing in Friday in Pittsburgh an initiative to rebuild infrastructure and create good paying jobs. Airports, ports. nearness to interstate highway. water. Bridges need repair. There ar e lead pipes. wells not capped. leaky methane. Capping wells as good as digging wells. Roads that used to be above the water level and didn’t need to worry about drains now need to be 3 to 4 feet higher/ How many schools where children can’t drink the water

He just talked about need for ventilation and in the next breath about insulation!

Sammy Finkelman (6975b4) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:25 am

What the hell? Parents, credit cards, dog’s name?

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:26 am

He’ll be announcing in Friday in Pittsburgh an initiative to rebuild infrastructure and create good paying jobs.

They will be good-paying jobs at “prevailing wages.”

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:28 am

He’s losing it. Time to put a lid on Joe.

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:28 am

The question on getting schools open wasn’t followed up by the reporter. Given that they are not all open yet, I would have liked to hear how/when he plans to address the NEA and various teacher unions that are dug in.

Dana (fd537d) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:29 am

? Parents, credit cards, dog’s name?

Typical security questions.

Sammy Finkelman (6975b4) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:30 am

Or rather information someone might want to steal.

Sammy Finkelman (6975b4) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:31 am

President Plagiarist compares his great grandpappys trip from Ireland on a steamship, Ellis Island-style, to illegals breaking in to the USA across the southern border.

Got it.

And the finale; swiped from China, of course:

“A journey of a thousand miles starts with a first step.” – President Plagiarist, 3/25/21

‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (Chinese: 千里之行，始於足下; pinyin: Qiānlǐ zhī xíng, shǐyú zú xià; lit. ‘A journey of a thousand Chinese miles ( li ) starts beneath one’s feet’) is a common saying that originated from a famous Chinese proverb.- source, wikiripoff

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:33 am

42.What the hell? Parents, credit cards, dog’s name?

Put on the record player. 😉

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:35 am

And the finale; swiped from China, of course:

“A journey of a thousand miles starts with a first step.” – President Plagiarist, 3/25/21

‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (Chinese: 千里之行，始於足下; pinyin: Qiānlǐ zhī xíng, shǐyú zú xià; lit. ‘A journey of a thousand Chinese miles ( li ) starts beneath one’s feet’) is a common saying that originated from a famous Chinese proverb.- source, wikiripoff

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:33 am

Hunter told him to say that.

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:36 am

Time to put a lid on Joe.

Doubtless the last thing to be said over him before he’s loaded on the caisson for the Amtrak ride to Wilmington. Or will it be Scranton.

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:38 am

38.How did we get to capping methane? (Which NM has just mandated, btw).

Once a senator, always a senator.

We are so screwed.

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:41 am

I can see why he doesn’t do these. Imagine Trump live tweeting this.

Damn, I would actually love to witness that. Screw you, Twitter.

JVW (ee64e4) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:49 am

CNN: “The President faced intense questions on the border crisis and other pressing issues”

LOL

He had notes to answer the questions, so they knew the questions in advance. Really intense.

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:51 am

I don’t take his reelection chances too seriously. I doubt that the DNC is planning on having him as a candidate, and short of a somehow partially re-unified nation with 60% approval ratings for the President and the extremes on both right and left marginalized, I don’t see him getting away with running a front-porch campaign in 2024 where he pretty much avoids the media throughout the summer and fall.

But President Biden understandably doesn’t want to come off as a lame duck just 60-some days on the job, so the White House will probably continue to pretend that he’ll be campaigning for reelection in three short years. Kind of sad to witness, frankly.

JVW (ee64e4) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:54 am

Mitch McConnell has previously reminded people there can be scorched earth tactics – they can suggest the absence of a quorum. Forty nine Democrats and 2 or 2 Republicans wold have to be on standby. There are some 40 50 60 standing rules they could exploit.

Sammy Finkelman (6975b4) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:55 am

He had notes to answer the questions, so they knew the questions in advance.

Even if they didn’t literally have the questions in advance, they wouldn’t had any trouble anticipating them. Because the President a Democrat, they knew that the questions would be entirely based upon what left-of-center reporters and opinion writers have been churning out the past week, and they could safely assume that there would not be any gotcha questions nor any follow-ups when the President read a rote response from his briefing notebook.

JVW (ee64e4) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:57 am

Kind of sad to witness, frankly.

JVW (ee64e4) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:54 am

I think that will be an apt tombstone on the Biden presidency.

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:57 am

Worth mentioning though, Joe’s approval numbers haven’t fallen below 53%, Trump never got above 46%. (538 aggregator). I know there’s lots of time left, and maybe that will fall after today. But most of the nation is fine with Joe.

JRH (52aed3) — 3/25/2021 @ 12:10 pm

55.”I don’t take his reelection chances too seriously… Kind of sad to witness, frankly.”

Frankly, yes.

“Forty-five minutes. We’ll be dead by then.” – Astronaut Jim Pruitt [Richard Crenna] ‘Marooned’ – 1969

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 12:17 pm

RIP Jessica Walter (80). Play Misty for me.

Rip Murdock (d6b59b) — 3/25/2021 @ 12:43 pm

So you think kamala harris will be better? What if she picks ilhan omar or AOC for veep?

asset (38c92d) — 3/25/2021 @ 1:13 pm

I didn’t watch the press conference, but NRO’s roundup said that he dodged all questions about gun control measures, only a day or two after he came out in favor of reinstalling the ban on “assault rifles.” I wonder if his newfound reticence has something to do with the recent reports that son Hunter likely committed a felony by lying about his drug problems on a background check application, and daughter-in-law Hallie may have broken gun handling and disposal laws by carelessly trying to dump one of Hunter’s handguns in a trash barrel at a grocery school across the street from a high school.

Kind of tricky to agitate for new gun laws when your family members aren’t being held responsible for violating existing ones.

JVW (ee64e4) — 3/25/2021 @ 1:22 pm

Given that they are not all open yet, I would have liked to hear how/when he plans to address the NEA and various teacher unions that are dug in.

Given that public schools are a state/local responsibility, I don’t see what concrete action Biden can take, outside of offering his opinion.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 3/25/2021 @ 1:26 pm

I didn’t watch the press conference, but NRO’s roundup said that he dodged all questions about gun control measures, only a day or two after he came out in favor of reinstalling the ban on “assault rifles.” I wonder if his newfound reticence has something to do with the recent reports that son Hunter likely committed a felony by lying about his drug problems on a background check application, and daughter-in-law Hallie may have broken gun handling and disposal laws by carelessly trying to dump one of Hunter’s handguns in a trash barrel at a grocery school across the street from a high school.

Kind of tricky to agitate for new gun laws when your family members aren’t being held responsible for violating existing ones.

JVW (ee64e4) — 3/25/2021 @ 1:22 pm

It amazes me that people think “the illegal drugs user lied on his gun application” is a big deal. OF COURSE the addict lied. The shocking part is that someone this is considered part of gun control. We can test for drugs. If this was something we were serious about we could do a 90 day hair test as part of the application process. I don’t see what asking is supposed to accomplish.

Time123 (653992) — 3/25/2021 @ 1:50 pm

And setting a “goal” of having 50% + one school fully reopened (as opposed to having 50% + 1 of school children fully back in school) by April 1 is setting a low, low, low bar. But that seems to be a hallmark of this Administration: give yourself really easy goals to achieve, and then make a big deal of it when you sail right by them.

JVW (ee64e4) — 3/25/2021 @ 1:52 pm

He had notes to answer the questions, so they knew the questions in advance.

Of course they knew the questions in advance.

*I* could have told you the questions in advance.

Nice to have a president who values speaking with accuracy and shows up prepared, if you ask me.

Dave (1bb933) — 3/25/2021 @ 1:55 pm

CNN: “The President faced intense questions on the border crisis and other pressing issues”

LOL

He had notes to answer the questions, so they knew the questions in advance. Really intense.

Hoi Polloi (15cfac) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:51 am

A few weeks back my boss’s boss had to present to some of our outside partners. My job was to prep him for my area. I didn’t know what any of the questions were going to be but I had a good idea what they’d be about. I give him about 8 pages of notes on a dozen issues as prep. He learned all if but kept the notes in front of him in case he needed a reminder.

The likely topics were pretty easy to predict.

Time123 (653992) — 3/25/2021 @ 2:01 pm

It amazes me that people think “the illegal drugs user lied on his gun application” is a big deal. OF COURSE the addict lied. The shocking part is that someone this is considered part of gun control. We can test for drugs. If this was something we were serious about we could do a 90 day hair test as part of the application process. I don’t see what asking is supposed to accomplish.

This goes to show that just passing laws that either are only tangentially related to keeping weapons out of the hands of wrong people or passing laws which are otherwise totally unenforceable is a fool’s errand. But as has been shown time and time again, those are exactly the sorts of laws that Democrats always rush to pass in the aftermath of a mass shooting. Maybe we should be fully honest and in the text of these laws actually write “we know that no one will ever bother to enforce this part of the law; and even if they do, the well-connected and their family and friends will find a way to evade responsibility” just in the interests of being completely honest about what they are doing. Or we could openly admit that gun laws in the aftermath of a mass shooting are always 95% about grandstanding to one’s voting base and only maybe 5% about trying to address the problem.

JVW (ee64e4) — 3/25/2021 @ 2:05 pm

@69, I assume it’s more of that was all the gun restriction they could get and they took as a way to do *something*. I would expect that the NRA would oppose this and other restrictions that made it easier to prohibit at risk people from possessing fire arms. So we get nonesense like this that a dem can add to a long list of ‘accomplishments’.

Time123 (306531) — 3/25/2021 @ 2:12 pm

@69, I assume it’s more of situation where that was all the gun restriction the dems could get and they took it as a way to do *something*. I would expect that the NRA would oppose this and restrictions that made it easier to prohibit at risk people from possessing fire arms. So we get nonesense like this that a dem can add to a long list of ‘accomplishments’.

fixed a bunch of errors

Time123 (653992) — 3/25/2021 @ 2:13 pm

Must be nice to have a Pravda media.

NJRob (eb56c3) — 3/25/2021 @ 3:41 pm

The reason the NRA opposes everything is that every time it agrees the goalposts are moved, going back to FDR and the Fireams Act of 1934 where every assurance the NRA got of no further restrictions was broken before the year was out.

Kevin M (8d7f6b) — 3/25/2021 @ 5:24 pm

When it comes to harebrained gun legislation, don’t just do something, Joe. Stand there.

norcal (01e272) — 3/25/2021 @ 5:34 pm

I liked his support for increasing funding for basic science research.

Fred (d109df) — 3/25/2021 @ 5:51 pm

Nice to have a president who values speaking with accuracy and shows up prepared, if you ask me.
Dave (1bb933) — 3/25/2021 @ 1:55 pm

Easy to prepare when you know the questions in advance, and know the order in which they will be asked, and by whom.

It’s almost like it wasn’t a new conference at all – more like kabuki theater.

Hoi Polloi (b28058) — 3/25/2021 @ 5:55 pm

It’s almost like it wasn’t a new conference at all – more like kabuki theater.

That would mean it could all be predicted – the questions as well as the answers. But that’s not the case. You expected Biden to say there might be a Republican Party around by the time of the next presidential election? Now some of it was familiar.

Sammy Finkelman (6975b4) — 3/25/2021 @ 6:09 pm

Nice to have a president who values speaking with accuracy and shows up prepared, if you ask me.

Indeed:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0O5WNzrZqIOOpmfrurZtkYeYEL-onugx

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/25/2021 @ 6:16 pm

Kayleigh McEnany has an opinion piece at Fox about the press conference. I won’t link it. I don’t know how many of you could stand to be awake all night rolling on the floor laughing.

nk (1d9030) — 3/25/2021 @ 6:48 pm

Here’s the deal: It was not Trump up there and that’s all that matters.

nk (1d9030) — 3/25/2021 @ 7:05 pm

Just finished watching, here are my impressions:

Biden was not a very exciting speaker today.

Those are some disappointed reporters. They tried to get Biden to be exciting. Nope. They tried to get him to be super partisan. Nope. They tried to get him to be controversial. Nope. Bad day in the press room.

There were clearly questions asked that Biden hadn’t expected. You could see him processing the questions several times. So, no, I don’t think he was handed the questions ahead of time.

He went a good length of time and didn’t look any worse for wear.

The were a couple of times he got lost in the weeds (sometimes intentionally IMO), but he made recoveries.

Here’s the thing I thought was most interesting about Biden’s demeanor: Most of the time when we see a president speak, we see them speaking in a lot of sound-bites and talking points and lots of implications of instant results. We saw Biden bluster a couple of times, but for the most part he was more interested in giving the long and complicated answer and he wasn’t at all shy in saying that there aren’t any instant results, that results take time and there weren’t going to be perfect solutions, but his intent was to make things better. It was also clear that he’d been personally involved in a lot of the discussions about the issues and it seemed to me like there were several points at which he probably had to put his foot down with his administration (I think both the filibuster and the border were areas where this was the case.)

Somebody upthread made a comparison to Jimmy Carter and in some ways I think that’s accurate, but I think they deviate in important areas. I think Carter was not very practical and I think Biden is and I think Carter didn’t really want to deal with realities too badly, he was too much of an idealist, where I think Biden can look a reality right in the eye.

I do not object to having infrastructure and futureproofing be significant priorities.

I doubt much will be done on gun legislation.

I think the most Biden supports re the filibuster is returning it to in-person, which I am fine with in several forms. That’s how it was meant to be done, after all. If you want to block a bill, get the butts in the seats to block it.

So, fwiw, those are my thoughts.

Nic (896fdf) — 3/25/2021 @ 7:06 pm

You expected Biden to say there might be a Republican Party around by the time of the next presidential election?

Sometimes a 78 year-old is going to go off the reservation. And he did. But it was pretty clear he knew what the questions would be about, and in what order, and was handed a playbook so he could answer them.

If that passes as a news conference these days, why not just cancel them altogether.

I haven’t seen that many softballs since I played in a slow-pitch men’s beer league.

Hoi Polloi (b28058) — 3/25/2021 @ 7:16 pm

The reason the NRA opposes everything is that every time it agrees the goalposts are moved, going back to FDR and the Fireams Act of 1934 where every assurance the NRA got of no further restrictions was broken before the year was out.

The NRA is one of the worst offenders in the compromise gun control creep of the last 40 years. They actively want to have more gun control in place because it keeps them in revenue. They’re in a pickle currently because they were a little too blatant about paying themselves and not even bothering with the lip service about gun control…ahem, bump stock ban…they are king FUD. They’ll sell it like it’s a vaccine, then they’ll compromise, sell the compromise, then fund raise off of them agreeing to surrender the goalposts that are being moved.

There’s no more that is going to happen federally under Biden than happened under Obama. It’s the states where the fight is at. The 9th circuit just put citizen carry laws in front of the SCOTUS today in Young. I don’t think that this court is going to punt on picking this up and finding 5-4 that 2nd means the broadest acceptable use since the NFA was passed.

Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0) — 3/25/2021 @ 9:27 pm

But it was pretty clear he knew what the questions would be about, and in what order, and was handed a playbook so he could answer them.

And COVID will be gone as soon as the weather warms up, and Trump won by a landslide, and 1/6 was an antifa operation.

Yep.

Dave (1bb933) — 3/25/2021 @ 10:16 pm

One simple trick to bypass dementia: just have some notes prepared. Doctors hate it!

Davethulhu (6ba00b) — 3/25/2021 @ 11:04 pm

Joe Biden: “When I came to the Senate 120 years ago.”

Must seem like that, doesn’t it, Joe?

It was obviously a joke, but Trump-world appears to be too dumb to realize it.

Radegunda (f4d5c0) — 3/26/2021 @ 12:08 am

As I understand it not a single question about Covid or HR 1, but at least a few questions on whether he’ll run for president in 2024. So the WH press corps demonstrates, again, it’s inability to take its own job seriously.

And I am also glad that a president who is being asked to answer serious questions about government policy has notes available to ensure he gets the answers correct.

Victor (4959fb) — 3/26/2021 @ 12:21 am

Plans on running for re-election…

There is nothing new under the sun.

nk (1d9030) — 3/26/2021 @ 6:15 am

Victor —

Biden certainly talked about COVID and Voting Rights. I am not sure what your complaint is. If I were a Fox News reporter, I’d be happy to ask about HR1, because there is a whole lot in there beyond keeping Georgia from enforcing voting rules that keep people from serving water to people waiting in the voting line.

Seriously, Biden did fine. Besides the stupid questions about Biden running again (which I think he parried well), the Press also did fine. I’ll take cue cards over Trump-style gaslighting and Acosta showboating any day.

Appalled (1a17de) — 3/26/2021 @ 6:26 am

Appalled
I was criticizing the press for not asking questions about two major issues. I agree Biden did talk about it.

The Georgia situation is appalling. The bill they voted out does nothing but make it harder to vote, based on alleged fears of fraud that are baseless, when the actual motive is pretty clearly to keep R’s in power.

As for making it illegal to give somebody a glass of water, well it just shows how dedicated the Georgian R’s are to making voting lines as long and painful as possible.

Victor (4959fb) — 3/26/2021 @ 6:56 am

Speaking as a Georgian, I agree the bill the Governor just signed is a disgrace for many reasons. If HR1 were more narrowly targeted, rather than Nancy Pelosi’s entire wish list, I wouldn’t snark on it.

You can often tell if a law is seriously meant to be passed by the number of partisan red meat provisions in it. The House could open up a national chain of butchers shops with what they slipped into HR1.

Appalled (1a17de) — 3/26/2021 @ 7:02 am

And COVID will be gone as soon as the weather warms up, and Trump won by a landslide, and 1/6 was an antifa operation.
Yep.
Dave (1bb933) — 3/25/2021 @ 10:16 pm

I am so old I remember when Fauci said we needed to lockdown for a couple of weeks – just to bend the curve.

Yeah, good times indeed…

Hoi Polloi (2f1acd) — 3/26/2021 @ 7:54 am

It was obviously a joke, but Trump-world appears to be too dumb to realize it.

Radegunda (f4d5c0) — 3/26/2021 @ 12:08 am

You don’t need to carry water for Joe. He’s got a whole retinue of people who do that.

If that was comedy, he needs a lot of help with his timing and delivery.

Hoi Polloi (2f1acd) — 3/26/2021 @ 7:57 am

“worse than Jim Crow”

The legislation would limit ballot drop boxes to inside early voting locations during voting hours, make giving food or drinks to a voter a misdemeanor, allow for unlimited challenges to voter registrations and eligibility, and grant state officials broad rights, including the ability to replace local election officials. It would also shorten the runoff cycle from the current nine weeks to just four weeks and remove the elected secretary of state as chair of the state election board.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/25/politics/voting-rights-biden-republicans/index.html

My God! This is almost back to slavery!

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/26/2021 @ 8:07 am

Kevin,

I don’t recall during Jim Crow that it was a misdemeanor to give somebody a drink of water.

Victor (4959fb) — 3/26/2021 @ 8:10 am

Here’s the deal: It was not Trump up there and that’s all that matters.

To some, I guess. It’s a pity.

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/26/2021 @ 8:17 am

I don’t recall during Jim Crow that it was a misdemeanor to give somebody a drink of water.

Wow. Way to find your talking points! “Drinks” = “water”. Did it take you long?

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/26/2021 @ 8:20 am

Comparing sensible voting regulations to “Jim Crow” is like comparing fluoridation to Nazi death camps.

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/26/2021 @ 8:21 am

Comparing sensible voting regulations to “Jim Crow” is like comparing fluoridation to Nazi death camps.

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/26/2021 @ 8:21 am

Per Goodwin’s law you lose this comment thread. 😉

Joking aside, I haven’t seen a lot of good analysis of the bill so far. Mostly just media amplifying the voice of people that have an axe to grind. The best straight news I’ve seen so far is from NPR.

https://www.npr.org/2021/03/25/981357583/georgia-legislature-approves-election-overhaul-including-changes-to-absentee-vot

Biggest issue I see is the legislatures take over of the election commission and the impediments they’ve put up to make it harder to vote. (elimination of mobile voting, fewer drop boxes etc.) In the absence of evidence that those things contributed to fraud they look more like suppression then integrity to me.

Time123 (80b471) — 3/26/2021 @ 8:31 am

The actual Georgia legislation is here:

https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/03/25/kemp-signs-96-page-omnibus-elections-bill

There’s a lot of bad and some good. Note that legislation does allow a self-serve water station. You just can’t physically hand out water.

I wonder how much of this is devoted to making Trump happy rather than actually a thought out effort at voter suppression.

Appalled (1a17de) — 3/26/2021 @ 9:03 am

Thanks Appalled, looks like the same writer worked on both articles. I don’t have time or inclination to read the whole thing so I’ve been looking for good analysis

Time123 (653992) — 3/26/2021 @ 9:27 am

The Georgia voting bill restricts handing out food and drinks because activist groups were violating the rules that Georgia and all other states have that prevent activist groups or candidates from interacting with people waiting to vote — largely to prevent the exchange of anything of monetary value for votes. All states do this. The activists in Atlanta were systematically violating the boundaries past which nobody may engage with a voter waiting in line. Restrictions on giving anything of monetary value to people going in to vote is an ordinary rule practiced everywhere. It was implemented decades ago to prevent the practice of candidates handing out cash or liquor at the ballot boxes.

We have one of the longest early in-person voting periods of any state. We provide free state ID for voting to anyone who doesn’t have a driver’s license. There are ample outreach programs to get proper ID to the elderly, disabled, non-English speaking people, etc. The drop-off boxes are also available for weeks before each election. They were moved inside voting centers to prevent tampering. Many centers are in isolated library parking lots, and we just set up this system: it makes sense to make it more secure.

Georgia requires voters to prove they are who they are and are entitled to vote in their county — voter I.D. — and if you find that objectionable, then what you’re advocating for is voter fraud. It is not racist to require all citizens to provide I.D. to register to vote and to vote.

The bill does make the period between Election Day and any runoffs shorter, but it does not make early voting periods within those time periods shorter. We had far too long a time period between Election Day and runoffs. This has nothing to do with voting rights.

Fulton County, Atlanta, where I lived for 20 years, is your typical corrupt and out-of-control government system that regularly pulls shenanigans on election night and takes weeks to produce results, despite getting more money to run their elections than anyone else. DeKalb County, to the east of Atlanta, is similarly bad. The bill provides for the state to take over certain voter functions if the counties have a persistent pattern of dysfunction and rule-breaking. They certainly do. It will serve every voter of all races for competent people to provide competent elections in those counties.

The bill provides for weekend and weekday voting, just as we had before, as much as we had before. In fact, with our unusually long early in-person voting time, it’s easier to vote in Georgia than it is to vote in most liberal northern states. So cut the “racist” garbage already.

Tina Trent (088e9b) — 3/26/2021 @ 9:37 am

Water?? Howzabout chewing gum on line… y’all??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEy4Kcvw7LU

“I hope you brought enough for everybody…” – Hedley Lamarr [Harvey Korman] ‘Blazing Saddles’ 1974

DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 3/26/2021 @ 9:57 am

So cut the “racist” garbage already.

It is odd that Democrats would bring up “Jim Crow.” You’d think they’d be too busy apologizing for it.

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/26/2021 @ 10:24 am

The absentee ballot request window is narrower, starting for most Georgians 11 weeks before the election and ending 11 days before.

My God! That’s only 66 days for clicking on a button or sending in a form. How can they expect people to act so quickly!?! It’s like Nazi Germany!

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/26/2021 @ 10:29 am

Someone write that 11 days before is too late – to give it enough time for the way the Postal Service workd it should be 15 days. Of course people could be warned of the risk and maybe contacted by telephone if they still want an absentee ballot.

Or in person voting could take priority and no absentee ballots be logged in until after the polls close on Election Day.

What makes it easier not to lose your vote makes it harder to count all the votes.

Sammy Finkelman (6975b4) — 3/26/2021 @ 12:19 pm

Transcript (probably slightly imperfect) of President Biden’s first news conference, Thursday, March 25, 2021:

https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/president-joe-biden-first-white-house-press-conference-transcript-march-25

Sammy Finkelman (6975b4) — 3/26/2021 @ 12:20 pm

From Sammy’s link[bolding mine]:

Zeke: (26:13)
Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted to ask you about Afghanistan. You face a May 1st deadline for the withdrawal of us troops from that country. As a candidate in foreign affairs, you wrote that it is past time to end these forever wars. Can you commit to the American people that by May 2nd, the US will no longer have forces in Afghanistan?
Joe Biden: (26:46)

The answer is that it’s going to be hard to meet the May one deadline, just in terms of tactical reasons. It’s hard to get those troops out. So what we’ve been doing, what I’ve been doing, and what Secretary Blinken has been doing has been, we’ve been meeting with our allies, those other nations that have NATO allies who have troops in Afghanistan as well. And if we leave, we’re going to do so in a safe and orderly way. We’re in consultation, I say, with our allies and partners and how to proceed, and Secretary Blinken is meeting in Brussels this week with our NATO allies, particularly those who have forces there. And General Austin just met with Kayani and I’m waiting for the briefing on that. He is the leader, quote, in Afghanistan and Kabul.

If you click on the blue “(26:13)” time stamp, at the link, it will take you to that segment of the video. When Biden said “quote,” what was he talking about?

Buduh (72f5b7) — 3/26/2021 @ 12:47 pm

What problem from the 2020 election is the Georgia bill seeking to fix? Other than the obvious ones: the wrong people are voting / the wrong people got elected.

Davethulhu (6ba00b) — 3/26/2021 @ 1:36 pm

It’s trying to solve the Trump’s mad at the Georgia GOP problem

Appalled (7b7466) — 3/26/2021 @ 2:07 pm

You people will be infected with the china flu soon. Biden and his people not from America are storming the border with the disease ready and willing to make you sick.
Desantis 2024
Make America Florida

mg (8cbc69) — 3/26/2021 @ 2:14 pm

From the Sammy’s Biden transcript [emphasis mine]:

Zeke: (26:13)
Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted to ask you about Afghanistan. You face a May 1st deadline for the withdrawal of us troops from that country. As a candidate in foreign affairs, you wrote that it is past time to end these forever wars. Can you commit to the American people that by May 2nd, the US will no longer have forces in Afghanistan?
Joe Biden: (26:46)
The answer is that it’s going to be hard to meet the May one deadline, just in terms of tactical reasons. It’s hard to get those troops out. So what we’ve been doing, what I’ve been doing, and what Secretary Blinken has been doing has been, we’ve been meeting with our allies, those other nations that have NATO allies who have troops in Afghanistan as well. And if we leave, we’re going to do so in a safe and orderly way. We’re in consultation, I say, with our allies and partners and how to proceed, and Secretary Blinken is meeting in Brussels this week with our NATO allies, particularly those who have forces there. And General Austin just met with Kayani and I’m waiting for the briefing on that. He is the leader, quote, in Afghanistan and Kabul

At the link you can click on the blue “26:13” and it will take you to the video so you can check for accuracy. Why did Biden say “quote?” I cannot figure out what he is referring to.

BuDuh (72f5b7) — 3/26/2021 @ 2:46 pm

Here is the transcript from The Whitehouse:

And General Austin is — just met with Ghani and I’m waiting for the briefing on that. He is the — the “leader,” quote, in Afghanistan and Kabul. And there’s a U.N.-led process that’s beginning shortly on how to mechanically get people — how to end this war.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/03/25/remarks-by-president-biden-in-press-conference/

According to their version “leader” was the word Biden wanted us to know was in quotes. The way the sentence reads is that Biden is noting that “General Austin is the ‘leader,’ quote, in Afghanistan and Kabul.” Is he mocking the general?

Maybe the utterance about Ghani means that he stopped talking about Austin and is mocking Ghani’s leadership role?

(My comments are always moderated so if there is a dialogue started about this topic, my replies may take some time to be seen.)

BuDuh (72f5b7) — 3/26/2021 @ 3:04 pm

I’ve done electioneering outside a polling place, and we’re not even allowed to talk to people inside the blue line, and no signs, buttons or pamphlets, either, let alone food and beverages. And that’s in Jim Crow Cook County, Illinois.

The “drink of water” is the leftist version of pizzerias with basements, I think. Or maybe AOC crying at a parking lot exit? (I was going to say “Rothschilds with space lasers” but don’t you all remember that we heard it first from a BLMer on the DC City Council?)

nk (1d9030) — 3/26/2021 @ 4:18 pm

Per Goodwin’s law you lose this comment thread.

Normally, but I invoke the “Jim Crow” exception. Most Blacks view slavery and Jim Crow pretty much as Jews view the Nuremberg Laws and the Holocaust.

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/26/2021 @ 4:59 pm

(elimination of mobile voting, fewer drop boxes etc.)

Drop boxes are an issue, sure, but no one is on the side of the angels here. And not necessarily fewer drop boxes, just drop boxes where there is security. In CA, the state set up drop boxes, primarily in Democrat neighborhoods and when the GOP set up “collection boxes” — using the new vote harvesting law — in redder neighborhoods, the state authorities came down like a ton of bricks.

Unattended crop boxes are hard to ~~defend~~ argue for. Saying they have to be in the same places as early voting isn’t a terrible idea, so long as those early voting places aren’t poorly distributed. It’s a game both sides play.

Here in NM, there was a drop box in every polling location on election day, and every early voting place before that. One is not restricted to a precinct here — you have a printed bar code that selects your races at any polling place in the county. So you just pick one and drop it off.

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/26/2021 @ 5:07 pm

What, btw, is “mobile voting”? Sounds like my evil idea of a teller machine on a truck, accepting payday deposits.

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/26/2021 @ 5:08 pm

What problem from the 2020 election is the Georgia bill seeking to fix?

Among other things it requires processing absentee ballots as they come in, instead of waiting to precanvas until after the polls close. At the very least this will reduce the pressure and reduce errors. It will also reduce the chaos which increases security.

As was said above, the “providing water” thing allowed to walk up the line with water and perhaps electioneering inside the exclusion zone around the polls.

Kevin M (ab1c11) — 3/26/2021 @ 5:15 pm

Putting drop boxes in early election booths make them functionally useless. Why have them at all? Was there any claim of actual fraud involving drop boxes anywhere?

The Georgia bill doesn’t just restrict giving water near the polling place but to anybody in a polling line. And Georgia is notorious for having ultra long polling lines. The claim is that this is to prevent influence – what evidence is there that there has been such influence? Were the activists complained about handing out buttons, flyers, making speeches? No they were just giving water to people who were standing for hours in line.

Mostly the Georgia bill is for the purpose of ensuring that 2020 and Jan. 2021 never happens again. It doesn’t actually address any real problem emerging from those elections.

And given Georgian history around voting and elections, particularly the travesty that the Secretary of State in 2018 was both running the election and running for governor, anything coming out of his office or the Georgia legislature is suspicious from the get go.

Victor (4959fb) — 3/27/2021 @ 2:00 am

3/25/2021

President Biden’s First News Conference – Open Thread

119 Responses to “President Biden’s First News Conference – Open Thread”

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