Voters send another warning shot to Democrats

[bigbird 60,580]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2021/12/16/zito-voters-send-another-warning-shot-democrats/8899173002/

 

Oldtown, Maryland — This ancient colonial town nestled along the north branch of the Potomac River could not be more different from the upscale suburbs of Chevy Chase located much closer to the tidal portion.

 

While both are in the same state, this town of 86 people is more culturally connected to the people and places in West Virginia and Pennsylvania close to this region than the D.C. suburb located in the center of wealth and power in this country. 

Yet they do share one recently developing commonality that has gone under the radar of the national press that tells the story of a state, and by default, a country so disapproving of the president and the Democrats that even the bluest of blue-state voters can't pretend anymore that things are going well.

With a border President Joe Biden has refused to visit, crippling inflation that he initially dismissed as temporary and a broken supply chain that has affected every segment of our lives and our economy, Biden is widely seen by voters as negligent on all of those issues. 

ents here and across the county. 

And the oddest thing is that this administration and its surrogates think all the public are concerned about is passing a massive social spending bill filled with liberal programs that overreach at every turn. 

The message is: Once it becomes law, all will be fine. 

A bill so massively outside the norms of a traditional social spending bill is not why people voted for Biden, and anyone who says otherwise is peddling spending pornography. Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would know that if they took the time to listen. 

 

But they don't. 

As one Democratic strategist told me last week, "If Biden can just get a win and pass this bill, voters will be happy," completely missing why voters are falling away from Biden. 

In October, the Goucher College poll conducted here in Maryland showed that since March, Biden's job approval went from 62% to 53%, with only 43% of independent voters approving of his performance.  

The two Democrats representing the state in the Senate, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who is up for reelection in 2022, and senior Sen. Benjamin Cardin, were underwater at 44% and 46%. 

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, conversely, is at a robust 68% approval rating, up 6 percentage points since the last poll. 

Hogan has lived up to his promise to be a good conservative manager and not an ideologue. Whether they are here or Baltimore, Hagerstown, Cumberland or the suburbs of Bethesda and the Chesapeake Bay, his voters have rewarded him for living up to his promise. 

He won this very blue state's support in 2014 under very similar circumstances to what happened in neighboring Virginia in its gubernatorial race, an antidote to a party and a White House bent on plowing ahead with overreaches voters never elected them to do. 

 

Barack and Michelle Obama campaigned here against him that year alongside Hillary Clinton, never fully understanding that they were the reason voters were unhappy. 

The polling in blue Maryland showing Biden losing the heart of the bluest of voters, a place where the chance of a Republican winning here for president is less than zero, is not an outlier. It is happening all across the country in both red and blue states. 

The problem for Democrats and Biden is they listen too much to the loudest liberal activist voices in the party and ignore the people who put them in office. Yet, oddly, it appears they are operating as though they are one and the same.

Salena Zito is a CNN political analyst, and a staff reporter and columnist for the Washington Examiner. She reaches the Everyman and Everywoman through shoe-leather journalism, traveling from Main Street to the beltway and all places in between. 

[bigbird 60,580]

I agree that Biden's win wasn't a mandate.  I think the attempt to appease and cater to the extreme of the party is going to lead to major losses in '22 and possibly, depending on candidate, '24.  

The same would be true if it were republicans. Any attempt to appease the extreme is a losing strategy.

JMO

[AU9377 5,035]

8 hours ago, bigbird said:

I agree that Biden's win wasn't a mandate.  I think the attempt to appease and cater to the extreme of the party is going to lead to major losses in '22 and possibly, depending on candidate, '24.  

The same would be true if it were republicans. Any attempt to appease the extreme is a losing strategy.

JMO

I completely agree./

[bigbird 60,580]

8 hours ago, AU9377 said:

I completely agree./

That's because whether you're left-centered or right-centered, we still have more in common with each other than those on the respective extremes.  The only way back is if both "centered" groups to come together and say, "enough is enough, we are the majority". Sadly, I don't see the extremes ever "allowing" us to do just that.

[homersapien 11,440]

I am surprised to learn the current inflation was permanent.

 

[SLAG-91 1,483]

22 hours ago, bigbird said:

That's because whether you're left-centered or right-centered, we still have more in common with each other than those on the respective extremes.  The only way back is if both "centered" groups to come together and say, "enough is enough, we are the majority". Sadly, I don't see the extremes ever "allowing" us to do just that.

The extremes thrive on dissension...it's their raison d'etre. 

[homersapien 11,440]

I'd like to hear from Biden critics some examples of Biden catering to the "extremes" of the Democratic party.

[I_M4_AU 7,971]

49 minutes ago, homersapien said:

I'd like to hear from Biden critics some examples of Biden catering to the "extremes" of the Democratic party.

The most obvious to me is illegal immigration.  The first thing he did in office is EO the country’s border control out of existence, which was one of the squad’s highest priorities.  He did this with no other plan in place, which seems like one of his traits, to replace what we had.  I don’t know what he is thinking, but right now we have open borders if you can walk across.  This during a pandemic, such forethought for the American people.

BBB is another appeasement to the extreme left which has a pathway to citizenship in the bill along with even more climate change dollars beyond what was in the infrastructure bill.  It looks like this bill is dead until next year and the citizenship portion is not going to be included.  The man is loaded with government overreach for the extreme left.  I know it is hard for you to see, but appeasement is Biden’s middle name.

[bigbird 60,580]

1 hour ago, homersapien said:

I'd like to hear from Biden critics some examples of Biden catering to the "extremes" of the Democratic party.

You'd just ignore them or tell us why they really didn't happen.  

[homersapien 11,440]

2 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

The most obvious to me is illegal immigration.  The first thing he did in office is EO the country’s border control out of existence, which was one of the squad’s highest priorities.  He did this with no other plan in place, which seems like one of his traits, to replace what we had.  I don’t know what he is thinking, but right now we have open borders if you can walk across.  This during a pandemic, such forethought for the American people.

BBB is another appeasement to the extreme left which has a pathway to citizenship in the bill along with even more climate change dollars beyond what was in the infrastructure bill.  It looks like this bill is dead until next year and the citizenship portion is not going to be included.  The man is loaded with government overreach for the extreme left.  I know it is hard for you to see, but appeasement is Biden’s middle name.

1) You have a link that documents Biden "EO'ing the border patrol "out of existence"?

2) What specifically in the BBB bill is "extremist"?

3) What would you do with all of the adult Americans who came in as infants or children that wouldn't involve a pathway to citizenship?

4) Do you dismiss climate change as being real?

(BTW, you sound like a pretty extreme reactionary yourself.)

 

Edited December 18, 2021 by homersapien

[homersapien 11,440]

5 minutes ago, bigbird said:

You'd just ignore them or tell us why they really didn't happen.  

 

Well, you could always post a humorous gif in response.

[bigbird 60,580]

1 minute ago, homersapien said:

 

Well, you could always post a humorous gif in response.

You're correct. 

[homersapien 11,440]

4 hours ago, SLAG-91 said:

The extremes thrive on dissension...it's their raison d'etre. 

Respectful dissension - aka as "debate" - is the purpose of a political forum.

[I_M4_AU 7,971]

11 minutes ago, homersapien said:

1) You have a link that documents Biden "EO'ing the border patrol "out of existence"?

2) What specifically in the BBB bill is "extremist"?

3) What would you do with all of the adult Americans who came in as infants or children that wouldn't involve a pathway to citizenship?

4) Do you dismiss climate change as being real?

(BTW, you sound like pretty extreme reactionary yourself.)

 

1) On Wednesday at the White House, Biden used executive actions to roll back Trump’s attempt to exclude undocumented people from the census, end his travel ban, roll back his policy that eliminated deportation priorities and ended an emergency declaration the former president used to divert funds to the wall on the US-Mexico border.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/20/biden-immigration-reform-trump-executive-order

2). I think I mentioned pathway to citizenship in a budget bill and AOC’s Green New Deal to name two.  Biden didn’t exactly state GND, but you (meaning most people) can see it clearly.

3). I would let congress decide their fate with discussion and debate, not cram down what Biden thinks it should be.

4).  You asked what policies Biden has catered to the *extreme* in the Democratic Party.  I consider the Squad, specifically AOC, as *extreme* and she has touted the GND as something that needs to be done or it will be too late by 2030.  It is BS, yes there is climate change, but not as existential as the *extreme* wants us to believe.

To you BTW; you asked the question, I’m sorry you don’t like the answer.  It means we don’t see eye to eye on this issue, not that I’m extreme in my reactions.

[homersapien 11,440]

29 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

1) On Wednesday at the White House, Biden used executive actions to roll back Trump’s attempt to exclude undocumented people from the census, end his travel ban, roll back his policy that eliminated deportation priorities and ended an emergency declaration the former president used to divert funds to the wall on the US-Mexico border.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/20/biden-immigration-reform-trump-executive-order

 

While I don't know all the ramifications of those orders, it certainly doesn't equate to ordering the border patrol "out of existence".

Nor does excluding people from the census count sound like an "extremist" measure.  There are valid and practical reasons for not doing that.

And legitimizing the funding of the "border wall" is certainly not "extremist", just the opposite.

In summary, your response to this only confirms my belief that all this Biden catering to extremism is nothing but bogus partisan hyperbole.

 

[homersapien 11,440]

40 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

2). I think I mentioned pathway to citizenship in a budget bill and AOC’s Green New Deal to name two.  Biden didn’t exactly state GND, but you (meaning most people) can see it clearly.

That doesn't address my question:

What is a reasonable alternative to establishing a path to citizenship for these people.  Or to put it another way, how can doing so possibly be interpreted as "extremist".

What is your alternative to granting these people a pathway to citizenship?

 

 

Edited December 18, 2021 by homersapien

[I_M4_AU 7,971]

1 minute ago, homersapien said:

That doesn't address my question:

What is a reasonable alternative to establishing a path to citizenship for these people.  Or to put it another way, how can doing so possibly be interpreted as "extremist".

What is your alternative to granting these people a pathway to citizenship?

 

Read #3 in my rebuttals.  The *extreme* left wants a quick and easy pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens and that was your question.

[homersapien 11,440]

40 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

3). I would let congress decide their fate with discussion and debate, not cram down what Biden thinks it should be.

First, Biden has not resolved this.  Specifically, he has not "crammed down" any solution.  The current situation is granting them "parole" status.

That is in no way "extremist".

And Democrats have been pushing for a legislative solution to this issue for years.  It's Republicans who have prevented such a legislative solution you describe.  Biden cannot make that happen.

Bottom line, there nothing that Biden has done regarding DACA that could be described as "extremist".  Nothing.

[I_M4_AU 7,971]

1 minute ago, homersapien said:

First, Biden has not resolved this.  Specifically, he has not "crammed down" any solution.  The current situation is granting them "parole" status.

That is in no way "extremist".

And Democrats have been pushing for a legislative solution to this issue for years.  It's Republicans who have prevented such a legislative solution you describe.  Biden cannot make that happen.

Bottom line, there nothing that Biden has done regarding DACA that could be described as "extremist".  Nothing.

We are talking citizenship, not *parole* status.

The fact that he tried to put citizenship in the BBB bill is a cram down of his policy which is *extreme* by not letting the process work itself out.  Gridlock is part of the constitutional system.  Debate it, don’t put it in some bill when you have the majority in congress.  Where has bipartisanship gone?

[homersapien 11,440]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

4).  You asked what policies Biden has catered to the *extreme* in the Democratic Party.  I consider the Squad, specifically AOC, as *extreme* and she has touted the GND as something that needs to be done or it will be too late by 2030.  It is BS, yes there is climate change, but not as existential as the *extreme* wants us to believe.

 

To you BTW; you asked the question, I’m sorry you don’t like the answer.  It means we don’t see eye to eye on this issue, not that I’m extreme in my reactions.

Nonsense.

Biden has not catered to any group of the Democratic Party that the rabid right consider to be extremist.  In fact he has generated a lot of heat from that same group.

And while you're at it, regurgitating the demonization of AOC (the "squad") that constantly flows from the MAGA propaganda machine does not automatically make them extremist.

Can you document a specific policy supported by AOC that demonstrates she is an "extremist"?  I believe the hate directed toward her resides in the fact she is a liberal female of color.

I don't expect us to agree on much of anything.  What I am trying to do is proscribe some rough limits to what constitute extremism. 

I realize it's all relevant, but I think overuse of the term has lost any practical meaning.  Policy issues that you disagree with, don't automatically make them "extreme".

(I'll tell you what I do consider extremist - a professed belief that Trump was robbed of the election and the belief that assaulting the capitol was justifiable.  Something like 2/3 of the Republican Party believes that - the rest won't admit to the truth, which is just as bad.  So the irony here, is that the Republican Party is the true party of extremism.)

Edited December 18, 2021 by homersapien

[homersapien 11,440]

16 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Read #3 in my rebuttals.  The *extreme* left wants a quick and easy pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens and that was your question.

Which is......?

And what's your alternative?

And again, it's not Democrats - extremist or otherwise - that is keeping this topic from debate in Congress.  Just the opposite.

Edited December 18, 2021 by homersapien

[homersapien 11,440]

And btw, these are those "illegal immigrants" who are DACA recipients.

https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/we-are-americans-we-were-raised-here-daca-recipients-story/36621?gclid=Cj0KCQiAqvaNBhDLARIsAH1Pq52breRytKPdmVJ5qivjo2d1FTb6fJf_UNHR0RrszIEbRHPm623ReQ0aAkYaEALw_wcB

 

Again, what would you do with them?  Expel them?

[I_M4_AU 7,971]

12 minutes ago, homersapien said:

Can you document a specific policy supported by AOC that demonstrates she is an "extremist"?  I believe the hate directed toward her resides in the fact she is a liberal female of color.

Three progressive lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday that would require President Joe Biden to declare a national climate emergency, arguing that the US is "out of time and excuses" to deal with the climate crisis.

The National Climate Emergency Act, introduced by Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, along with Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, would direct Biden to declare a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act of 1976, allowing him to unlock sweeping presidential powers and be able to organize resources to mitigate climate change.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/04/politics/sanders-aoc-climate-change-emergency-bill/index.html

Climate Change Emergency Bill, really!!!!  She is only a half a step away from total Greta Thunberg.  It has nothing to do with her being a female of color.  I don’t like Blumenauer or Sanders either.

[homersapien 11,440]

22 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Three progressive lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday that would require President Joe Biden to declare a national climate emergency, arguing that the US is "out of time and excuses" to deal with the climate crisis.

The National Climate Emergency Act, introduced by Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, along with Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, would direct Biden to declare a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act of 1976, allowing him to unlock sweeping presidential powers and be able to organize resources to mitigate climate change.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/04/politics/sanders-aoc-climate-change-emergency-bill/index.html

Climate Change Emergency Bill, really!!!!  She is only a half a step away from total Greta Thunberg.  It has nothing to do with her being a female of color.  I don’t like Blumenauer or Sanders either.

That may sound "extremist" to you but not to the scientific community and many many others, including a majority of the American people. 

In fact, one could make a powerful argument that AGW deniers are the real extremists and AOC is showing rare leadership before action becomes totally futile, instead of just mostly futile. 

On a practical note, what has been the effect of this proposed legislation?  What is it's fate?  Do we really have much to fear over such "extremism"?  What makes you so sure that it wasn't done for political posturing, since that will be the only result? 

Is that all you've got? 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2021 by homersapien

[homersapien 11,440]

Actually, I think this bill sounds like a pretty good idea - certainly not "extremist".

 

(emphasis mine)

Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, and Blumenauer unveil bill pushing Biden to declare national climate emergency: 'We are out of time'

Three progressive lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday that would require President Joe Biden to declare a national climate emergency, arguing that the US is "out of time and excuses" to deal with the climate crisis.

The National Climate Emergency Act, introduced by Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, along with Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, would direct Biden to declare a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act of 1976, allowing him to unlock sweeping presidential powers and be able to organize resources to mitigate climate change.

They had introduced a similar resolution in 2019 -- but it had little hope of advancing in the Republican-led Senate and under former President Donald Trump. Now, the lawmakers have re-energized their efforts under a new administration committed to combating climate change with an ambitious plan to do so.

"President Biden has done an outstanding job of prioritizing climate in the first days of his administration, but after years of blatant ignorance from Trump and Congressional republicans, an even larger mobilization is needed," Blumenauer said in a statement unveiling the proposal.

 

If passed, the bill would require Biden to provide Congress with a report detailing the executive branch's actions in combating the climate crisis. The bill would push the executive branch to upgrade infrastructure, modernize buildings to curb pollution, and protect public lands, among other investments.

"We've made a lot of progress since we introduced this resolution two years ago, but now we have to meet the moment. We are out of time and excuses," Ocasio-Cortez said in the statement.

 

She added, "Our country is in crisis and, to address it, we will have to mobilize our social and economic resources on a massive scale."

The Center for Biological Diversity, an organization backing the bill, said in a statement that declaring a climate emergency would allow Biden to be able "to redirect military funds to build clean energy systems, marshal private industry for clean technology manufacturing, generate millions of high-quality jobs and finally put an end to dangerous crude oil exports."

 

Ocasio-Cortez and Blumenauer had previously cast their 2019 resolution as a necessary start to a long fight for implementing key parts of the Green New Deal climate change proposal.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/04/politics/sanders-aoc-climate-change-emergency-bill/index.html