Cheers and Jeers: Wednesday

A Beautiful Friendship

President Biden's raging narcissist predecessor couldn’t have cared less who his vice president was. Mike Pence was just the whitest dim-bulb human bobblehead Jesus freak his handlers could find, and in the end he was so disposable to the MAGA cult that his boss had no qualms sending a mob to the Capitol to hang him. Feel the love.

What a difference a change in administration makes. Over the weekend Tommy Christopher posted a column at Mediaite on the emerging dynamics between Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. It's a quick, positive read, and confirms what we've all been seeing with our own eyes:

Continued...

Since taking office, the VP has been a fixture at the President’s side, “the last one out of the room,” as Biden says, and that dynamic is evident in the many photos that feature Biden in settings that presidents often handle solo—bill signings, Oval Office photo ops—with Harris right there as well.

Joe and Kamala meet to discuss immigration last week.

This imagery alone is a thrilling message to every American who sees themselves or their daughters in Kamala Harris’ firsts—first woman, first Black woman, first South Asian woman to serve as vice president—secure in the knowledge she won’t be the last.

But Harris’ place at Biden’s side is more than symbolic, and this past week underscored that.

From being the first to comment publicly on the recent twin mass shootings, to taking the point on border issues, the vice president is fully engaged and immersed in the goings-on. But that didn’t keep a clickbait-obsessed CNN reporter from asking last week if Joe would keep Kamala on the ticket in 2024 (“I would fully expect that to be the case” responded Joe), prompting Mr. Christopher to end his column this way:

Yes it was a silly question, worthy of the mockery it received since no president ever (no real president) could possibly have answered differently, but the real answer was in Biden’s eyes, just as it is every time he talks about his VP, and she him. And whether the media is paying attention or not, to their supporters it is a beautiful thing.

Read the whole thing here. Oh, and follow our amazing vice president on Twitter here.

And now, our feature presentation…

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Cheers and Jeers for Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Note: April fool!!!!!  Ha Ha Ha Ha, I got ya. April Fool isn’t until tomorrow. You’ve been so owned, I can’t believe you fell for it. Also I put cream cheese in your shorts a day early. Haaaaa Ha!!!  —Mgt.

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By the Numbers:

Starts tomorrow!!!

Days 'til Jazz Appreciation Month: 1

Days left in President Biden's first 100 days: 30

Date to which the CDC has extended the National Eviction Ban: 6/30/21

Percent efficacy of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines in a real-world setting, according to a new study released by the CDC: 90%

Americans polled by Gallup who believe more resources should be devoted to developing solar and wind power, respectively: 72%, 66%

Percent of dust in the home that consists of shed human skin and hair: 70%

Amount of time you spent as a single cell: ½ Hour

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Mid-week Rapture Index: 188 (including 5 nuclear nations and 1 sold-out line of Satan Shoes).  Soul Protection Factor 666 lotion is recommended if you’ll be walking amongst the heathen today.

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Puppy Pic of the Day: Mid-week tension...

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CHEERS to order in the courts. He's tackling the Covid-19 pandemic with the stamina of a guy half his age. He's rebuilding America's reputation around the world with a diplomatic surge staggering in proportion. He's prepping the economy for an explosion in growth.  Today—Live from Pittsburgh!—he's rolling out the most aggressive infrastructure overhaul in eons. And yesterday our 78-year-old speed demon president Joe Biden went all Zowie! Powie! KaBam! in the judicial arena, nominating more federal judges to the bench than his four predecessors had by this time in their presidencies by a factor of five. And the word uniting them: diversity…

President Biden on Tuesday announced plans to nominate 11 judges to the federal courts, including D.C. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace former D.C. Circuit Court Judge Merrick Garland, who is now U.S. attorney general.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Our next Supreme Court justice? [Shakes Magic 8 Ball] Maybe!

The nominees include three Black women and, if confirmed, could result in the first Muslim federal judge in the country's history, the first AAPI woman to serve on the D.C. District Court, and the first woman of color as a federal judge in Maryland, according to the White House. […]

The nomination of Jackson will likely spur discussion about a potential nomination for the Supreme Court. Biden has said he will nominate the country's first Black female justice, and the D.C. Circuit Court to which Jackson is nominated is often viewed as a stepping stone for the highest court.

Read the official White House announcement here. Thanks to filibuster reform that Daily Kos's own David Waldman (aka KagroX, host of Kagro in the Morning) spearheaded during the Obama years, these nominees—and all of his others—should sail through with a 51-vote majority. And Republicans: I think you know where you can stick your "blue slips" this go-round.

P.S. Speaking of the wheels of justice, the trial of Derek Chauvin got underway Monday. He's the Minneapolis Police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck for 9 minutes, killing him, according to all the videos that show him kneeling on George Floyd's neck for 9 minutes, killing him. The trial is expected to last for weeks, during which all questions will be answered except for one: why the hell is this open-and-shut case lasting for weeks???

CHEERS to keeping the faith (to yourself). The downward spiral of participation in organized religion continues in America, as a combination of church leaders behaving badly, outdated dogma (insert "got run over by my karma" joke here), and unwashed rabble with more important things to do lead to empty pews and dwindling coffers. And Gallup's latest number is, well, holy moly, Batman...

Americans' membership in houses of worship continued to decline last year, dropping below 50% for the first time in Gallup's eight-decade trend. In 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999.

“Jesus, can I see you in my office please?”  —Angry God, after seeing this chart

U.S. church membership was 73% when Gallup first measured it in 1937 and remained near 70% for the next six decades, before beginning a steady decline around the turn of the 21st century.

Golly. I'm worried. If the bajillion different gods humankind has come up with over the millennia to scare humanity into unquestioning obedience ever decide which one of them will be the one to smite us for going rogue like this, we're in big trouble.

P.S. You have a speck in your eye! Ha Ha look at that speck! I mock you and your eye speck! Sincerely, Log Man.

CHEERS to champions of the little guy.  Happy 94th birthday to the late Cesar Chavez.  He founded the National Farm Workers Association, which gave a voice to migrant farm workers.  He also had a spiffy motto that might sound familiar: "Si sepueda!" (Yes we can!) These days we could use all the Chavezes we can get. Pay your respects here.  Today in his honor: total boycott of lettuce and grapes.

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BRIEF SANITY BREAK

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Plot twist...pic.twitter.com/iyA0MkNOle

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) March 30, 2021

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END BRIEF SANITY BREAK

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JEERS to the return of the king. Apparently our once-elected, twice-impeached 45th president is back online with a new web site. And its rollout is going about as competently as you'd expect:

Former President Donald Trump launched a new official website Monday, which says it is dedicated to preserving his “magnificent legacy”—apparently by cutting him out of several photos on the site’s landing page.

What an improvement.

The site comically crops Trump partially or completely out of several of the photos. For example, only Trump’s chin is visible in the photo of his meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in the DMZ.

Thus answering the question: what happens when Daddy-in-Law refuses to hire any support staff for Jared?

CHEERS to fun in the sun. On March 31, 1917, the U.S. took possession of what are now the U.S. Virgin Islands (not to be confused with the inferior British Virgin Islands) from Denmark for $25 million. Residents there—who are considered U.S. citizens—are allowed to vote in presidential primaries but not the general election. Which is like your parents giving you a scoop of freezer-burned vanilla ice cream on your birthday while your siblings get a big bowl of Chunky Monkey with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, nuts, Oreos, and gummi bears wrapped in hundred-dollar bills. Damn. I thought I'd blotted that day out. Time to ring up my therapist on Zoom again.

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Ten years ago in C&J: March 31, 2011

CHEERS to bad news for Republican jerks.  I remember reading an article by Chris Hayes at The Nation a couple years back warning the world that Rick Scott would be one of the most destructive and opportunistic governors in Florida history.  Florida voted him into office anyway.  And now they apparently have buyers' remorse…big time:

Scott's approval rating is just 32% while 55% of voters in the state are unhappy with his work so far... [2010 Democratic loser] Alex Sink leads Scott 56-37 in a hypothetical rematch. Independents say they would vote for her by a whooping 32 point margin at 61-29 and even 21% of Republicans now say they'd vote for her, more than twice the 10% level of GOP support exit polls showed her winning in November.

I don’t know what the impeachment rules are down there, but you Sunshine Staters need to follow Billy's new Pottery Barn Rule: You Bought Him, You Break Him.  [3/31/21 Update: And now he's a senator. One thing you can always count on in Republican Land: failing up.]

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And just one more…

CHEERS to one last look. Just to make sure we weren't punk'd yesterday, let's check in a final time with the skipper of the container ship Ever Given and its cargo of all the world’s toilet paper for the rest of 2021 to see if it's really smooth sailing again in the Suez Canal:

Hooray.  And we all lived—and wiped—happily ever after.

Have a happy humpday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?

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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial

”Our kids are being told that Cheers and Jeers is not only okay, it's ‘exclusive.’ But do you know what's more exclusive? Their God-given kiddie pool.”

Gov. Kristi Noem

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Court rules that Summer Zervos’ defamation suit against Trump can proceed

The New York Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday that former The Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos can proceed with her defamation lawsuit against our pustulant ex-POTUS. 

It’s not a comeuppance yet, but sometimes justice comes in dribs and drabs—like makeup slowly cascading off an ex-pr*sident’s blotchy horror-show of a face, transforming it from the spitting image of a Costco rotisserie chicken into the raw, muculent mien of half-thawed Butterball turkey.

The case has been on hold since March 2020. At the time, Donald Trump was still cosplaying as president and hiding behind that privilege like Saddam Hussein cowering in his spiderhole. Because Zervos filed in New York, Trump’s attorneys filed an appeal arguing that the Constitution does not authorize state courts to preside over cases against a current president.

Now?

“Motion to dismiss appeal granted and appeal dismissed, without costs, upon the ground that the issues presented have become moot,” the court’s new ruling says, according to NBC News.

The decision from the New York Court of Appeals puts back in motion the lawsuit from Summer Zervos, who says Trump defamed her in 2016 when he called her a liar after she accused him of sexually assaulting her years earlier.

“Now a private citizen, the defendant has no further excuse to delay justice for Ms. Zervos, and we are eager to get back to the trial court and prove her claims,” Zervos’ attorney Beth Wilkinson said in a statement.  

Zervos claims Trump groped her in a hotel room in 2007. Shortly after she went public with her allegations, Trump said the women who have made allegations of sexual misconduct against him are “liars,” and he has threatened to sue them.

So, yeah, while Trump faces a long list of legal entanglements, it nevertheless soothes my weary soul to dig my fingers into some of the more delicious death traps that await that fucking turd.

Of course, this deluge of civil suits and criminal probes doesn’t just make my heart burst with schadenfreude; it also makes it far less likely that Trump will have the time or appetite for another presidential run. Looking at it that way, Zervos, et al., are nothing less than American heroes.  

”This guy is a natural. Sometimes I laugh so hard I cry." — Bette Midler on author Aldous J. Pennyfarthing via TwitterNeed a thorough Trump cleanse? Thanks to Goodbye, Asshat: 101 Farewell Letters to Donald Trump, Dear F*cking Lunatic, Dear Pr*sident A**clown and Dear F*cking Moron, you can purge the Trump years from your soul sans the existential dread. Only laughs from here on out. Click those links, yo!

Lara Trump Calls Out AOC And Democrats For Hypocrisy On Border Crisis

Fox News contributor Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, just called out Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) for their hypocrisy regarding the border crisis that many say was created by Joe Biden.

Lara Trump Sounds Off

“We had the most secure border under my father-in-law, under President Donald Trump that we have had in decades, and I think the best thing possible is to discourage people from making that really dangerous, awful journey north through our southern border,” Trump said.

“The problem is that the Biden administration has said, ‘Well, if they come, we’ll take you in,’ So guess what’s going to continue to happen,” she added. “You’re going to continue to have all of these children, you know, flooding our southern border.”

Related: Lindsey Graham Declares Lara Trump ‘Biggest Winner’ Of Impeachment Trial As He Backs Her For Senate

“It is so sad. It is so hard to watch, but we have to get this under control,” Trump continued. “This is not fair to these kids. It’s not fair to Americans who are footing the bill now. $86 million to pay for hotel rooms for illegal immigrants.”

“People that are breaking our law, coming to America, we are paying $86 million for hotel rooms,” she said. “It is totally unacceptable, but you know what? We don’t expect to see that change because this seems almost like it’s part of the Biden plan, sadly.”

Trump Doubles Down

Not stopping there, Trump went on to call out the “total hypocrisy” that is happening here.

“It’s total hypocrisy. You bring up a great point,” she continued. “The way they covered this under the Trump administration versus the Biden administration is total hypocrisy.”

“Where is the outrage from the folks on the left? Where is AOC down there doing a photo op crying in front of a wall?” Trump said. “Because I have news for her, it’s much worse right now than it ever was under the Trump administration, yet it has been crickets from those folks. I think it tells a very scary story.”

Related: Lara Trump May Go For North Carolina Senate Seat

‘They know that they have millions of illegal immigrants coming to America,” she added. “They are trying to change our voting laws. They are hoping one day that all of these folks can go in and vote with no ID because that’s one of the things in HR-1 that they are proposing.”

“These are their new voters, and it is a terrifying prospect,” Trump concluded. “If we let everybody flee flow over our southern border guys, we lose our country. It is a very, very scary thing going on.”

This piece was written by James Samson on March 29, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Arizona Governor Rips Kamala Harris – ‘Worst Possible Choice’ For Handling Border Crisis
Scarborough Claims Biden Was ‘Far More Articulate Than Trump Ever Was’ In First Press Conference
Pelosi Nervous About Newsom

The post Lara Trump Calls Out AOC And Democrats For Hypocrisy On Border Crisis appeared first on The Political Insider.

Maine GOP rejects motion to censure Collins

The Maine Republican Party on Saturday voted against censuring Sen. Susan Collins (R) for her vote to impeach former President Trump.The vote to censure Collins failed 19-41. Collins was one of seven Republicans to vote for Trump’s impeachment on...
Posted in Uncategorized

Collins avoids state-party censure after voting to convict Trump

Sen. Susan Collins avoided censure from her state party on Saturday, escaping the fate of other Republicans who voted to convict former President Donald Trump in his most recent impeachment trial.

A 41-19 majority of the Maine Republican Party voted against censuring the moderate fifth-term Republican, according to a release from her office.

“Today’s decision is a testament to the Republican Party’s ‘big tent’ philosophy that respects different views but unites around core principles,” Collins wrote in a statement Saturday. “Our party has been most successful when it has embraced this approach to advance our shared goals of providing tax relief to families and small business job creators, pursuing fiscal responsibility and government accountability, promoting personal responsibility, protecting constitutional rights, and ensuring a strong national defense.”

Some of Collins’ six other Republican Senate colleagues who voted to convict Trump, who was charged with inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection, have faced rebukes from their state parties.

The Louisiana GOP quickly censured Sen. Bill Cassidy after his vote, and the North Carolina Republican party did the same to Sen. Richard Burr just days after his vote. In the House, the Wyoming GOP censured No. 3 House Republican Rep. Liz Cheney for voting to impeach Trump.

The Alaska GOP also recently moved to censure Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) for her vote and have called for her to no longer run as a Republican.

Among other Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump, Sens. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) were rebuked by their state parties but narrowly averted censure, while the Utah GOP defended Utah Sen. Mitt Romney’s vote.

Collins has defended her decision, saying Trump failed to uphold his oath of office.

"His actions to interfere with the peaceful transition of power — the hallmark of our Constitution and our American democracy — were an abuse of power and constitute grounds for conviction," Collins said on the Senate floor.

After a near double-digit re-election victory in November, Collins has played a significant role in a divided Senate.

Trump, who still has broad support among GOP voters, has targeted Republican lawmakers in both chambers who voted to impeach or convict him, reading the names of every GOP lawmaker to do so at his Conservative Political Action Conference speech in February.

“Get rid of them all,” Trump said.

National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Tom Emmer has warned Trump against trying to primary these GOP lawmakers, saying it won't be helpful.

“He can do whatever he wants,” Emmer (R-Minn.) said in an interview. “But I would tell him that it’s probably better for us that we keep these people and we make sure that we have a majority that can be sustained going forward.”

Posted in Uncategorized

White House Considering Taxing You For Every Mile You Drive

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Friday that, among the avenues on the table being considered to help pay for a massive infrastructure proposal, is the possibility of vehicle mileage tax.

Since the passage of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill, there has been talk of a multi-trillion spending plan for infrastructure

Buttigieg said, “When you think about infrastructure, it’s a classic example of the kind of investment that has a return on that investment. That’s one of many reasons why we think this is so important. This is a jobs vision as much as it is an infrastructure vision, a climate vision and more.”

One of the ways to pay for it could be to tax drivers for every mile they drive. 

“A so-called vehicle-miles-traveled tax or mileage tax, whatever you want to call it, could be a way to do it,” Buttigieg said.

“I’m hearing a lot of appetite to make sure that there are sustainable funding streams.” 

Biden will travel to Pittsburgh next week to lay out what is expected to be a $3 to $4 trillion proposal. He stated during his first press conference on Thursday that infrastructure, “both physical and technological,” would be his next major initiative

RELATED: Congressional Democrats Have No Business Dictating State Tax Policy

Biden’s Infrastructure Plan

Biden’s infrastructure plan could include, according to Business Insider:

  • Clean energy deployment and the development of 5G
  • Rural broadband
  • One million “affordable and energy-efficient” housing units
  • $1 trillion in spending on roads, bridges, electric vehicles, rail lines, and improvements to the grid.

RELATED: When It Comes To Election ‘Reforms,’ The Left Are The Ones Busting Norms

Build America Bonds?

Another possible funding source Buttigieg and the President might be looking at is an Obama-era idea called Build America Bonds.

Per CNBC, these are a special class of municipal bonds where the interest costs are subsidized by the U.S. Treasury. 

The federal government used these in the 2008 bailout era, and phased them out in 2010.

Buttigieg also mentioned the idea of a national infrastructure bank.

RELATED: Mitt Romney Is Awarded JFK ‘Profile In Courage Award’ For Impeachment Vote

Mileage Tax Pros And Cons

When it comes to pros and cons, there are a few of each.

For some, this type of use-tax is more fair. After all, those who use a resource most should pay more for it, right?

A mileage tax would also bring electric vehicle drivers into the mix, since those vehicles do not pay into the highway trust fund.

On the con side, many Americans don’t want the government to track a driver’s whereabouts and movements

There’s also questions of fairness. Should people be punished if they live further away from their work? 

And even for those on the right who prefer use-taxes (as opposed to general levies, which are paid even if an individual doesn’t partake in the associated services), the question may be one of federalism. 

One could prefer a state-based use tax – after all, then the funds go to the roads in their state. But is there any guarantee the federal government will use the revenue fairly, or will some areas receive more benefits and others are left high and dry?

Another maybe not so readily seen consequence, COVID-19 has proven to a lot of employers that their employees can work from home. At a time when Americans are getting vaccinated and feel safe to leave their homes to physically go to a job, school, etc., a mileage tax might have many people rethinking work-from-home as an alternative to paying to drive.

This can also be a pro argument for environmental advocates. Generally, if you want less of something, you tax it. If you tax travel, you will get less of it. That means less vehicle exhaust. 

In his comments to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Buttigieg said, “There is near-universal recognition that a broader recovery will require a national commitment to fix and transform America’s infrastructure.” 

What do you think?

POLL: Which would you prefer - a Mileage Tax, or the current Gas Tax?

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